- Part Of Business Letter and Style
- The Heading (The Retern
Address) or Letterhead -
Companies usually use printed paper where heading or letterhead is
specially designed at the top of the sheet. It bears all the necessary
information about the organisation’s identity.
-
Date - Date of writing. The month should be fully
spelled out and the year written with all four digits October 12, 2005
(12 October 2005 - UK style). The date is aligned with the return address.
The number of the date is pronounced as an ordinal figure, though the
endings st, nd, rd, th,
are often omitted in writing. The article before the number of the day is
pronounced but not written. In the body of the letter, however, the
article is written when the name of the month is not mentioned with the
day.
-
The Inside Address - In a business or formal letter you should give
the address of the recipient after your own address. Include the
recipient's name, company, address and postal code. Add job title if
appropriate. Separate the recipient's name and title with a comma. Double
check that you have the correct spelling of the recipient 's name.
The Inside Address is always on the left margin. If an 8 1/2" x
11" paper is folded in thirds to fit in a standard 9" business
envelope, the inside address can appear through the window in the
envelope.
- The Greeting - Also called the salutation. The type of
salutation depends on your relationship with the recipient. It normally
begins with the word "Dear" and always includes the person's
last name. Use every resource possible to address your letter to
an actual person. If you do not know the name or the sex of of
your reciever address it to Dear Madam/Sir (or Dear Sales Manager or Dear
Human Resources Director). As a general rule the greeting in a
business letter ends in a colon (US style). It is also acceptable to use a
comma (UK style).
- The Subject Line (optional) - Its inclusion can help the recipient in dealing
successfully with the aims of your letter. Normally the subject sentence
is preceded with the word Subject: orRe: Subject
line may be emphasized by underlining, using bold font, or all captial
letters. It is usually placed one line below the greeting but
alternatively can be located directly after the "inside
address," before the "greeting."
- The Body Paragraphs - The body is where you explain why you’re
writing. It’s the main part of the business letter. Make sure the receiver
knows who you are and why you are writing but try to avoid starting with
"I". Use a new paragraph when you wish to introduce a new idea
or element into your letter. Depending on the letter style you choose,
paragraphs may be indented. Regardless of format, skip a line between
paragraphs.
- The Complimentary Close - This short, polite closing ends always with a
comma. It is either at the left margin or its left edge is in the center,
depending on the Business Letter Style that you use. It begins at the same
column the heading does. The traditional rule of etiquette in
Britain is that a formal letter starting "Dear Sir or Madam"
must end "Yours faithfully", while a letter starting "Dear
" must end "Yours sincerely". (Note: the
second word of the closing is NOT capitalized)
- Signature and Writer’s
identification - The signature is the
last part of the letter. You should sign your first and last names. The
signature line may include a second line for a title, if appropriate. The
signature should start directly above the first letter of the signature
line in the space between the close and the signature line. Use blue or
black ink.
- Initials, Enclosures, Copies - Initials are to be included if someone other
than the writer types the letter. If you include other material in the
letter, put 'Enclosure', 'Enc.', or ' Encs. ', as appropriate, two lines
below the last entry. cc means a copy or copies are sent to someone else.
Date - Date of writing. The month should be fully
spelled out and the year written with all four digits October 12, 2005
(12 October 2005 - UK style). The date is aligned with the return address.
The number of the date is pronounced as an ordinal figure, though the
endings st, nd, rd, th,
are often omitted in writing. The article before the number of the day is
pronounced but not written. In the body of the letter, however, the
article is written when the name of the month is not mentioned with the
day.
The Inside Address - In a business or formal letter you should give
the address of the recipient after your own address. Include the
recipient's name, company, address and postal code. Add job title if
appropriate. Separate the recipient's name and title with a comma. Double
check that you have the correct spelling of the recipient 's name.
The Inside Address is always on the left margin. If an 8 1/2" x
11" paper is folded in thirds to fit in a standard 9" business
envelope, the inside address can appear through the window in the
envelope.
2. Business Letter Styles
The following pictures show what a one-page business letter should
look like. There are three accepted styles. The horizontal lines represent
lines of type. Click your mouse pointer on any part of the picture for a
description and example of that part.
Modified Block Style Block Style
Semiblock Style
Bibliography :
- http://www.studyenglishtoday.net/business-letter-parts.html
- http://www.cyberbee.com/science/letpart.html
- http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000150.htm
