BUSINESS LETTER

FOCUS:
• Mechanical structure
• Types of business letter
• language
 Correspondence/ business letter

By letter, we may take some advantages. Firstly, letter is

an authentic and legal proof, by which any legal
dispute can be traced back - The role is to guard our
business.
Beside its legal function, letter also allows us to make
personal touch by the presence of signature.
A business letter is merely reflection of the company’s
performance as a whole. So that letter must be
unblemished with any mistake. professional letter
will reflect the professionalism of the organization.
 Common Types of Business Letters

To write any type of

business letter, follow these
basic steps:

•Acceptance Letter (yes/ legal)

•Acknowledgement Letter (Receipt)
•Adjustment Letter (a legal document /
addresses a complaint or claim) •Identify your reader
•Application Letter (request
job •Establish your objective
consideration/ interview) •Determine your scope (how
•Complaint Letter (a legal document) much researched information to
•Inquiry Letter (posing a question) include )
•Order Letter (request letter) •Organize your letter
•Refusal Letter (reject an offer) •Draft your letter
•Response Letter (answers inquiry) •Close (End) Your Letter
•Sales Letter (marketing) •Review and Revise Your Letter (proof
for physical problems and edit for logic
issues)
 Letter of complaint
A business letter written by someone (a person
or a company) who is dissatisfied with the
products or services offered by a company.
When writing a letter of complaint, it is
important to try to keep a polite tone, even if
you are very upset or have a lot of complaints to
make.
 Letter of inquiry
This type of letter is written by someone who
has questions about the activity of another
company. If you are planning to write a letter of
inquiry, make sure you try to find out as much
information as you can before writing. Then
make a checklist with everything else you need
to find out about, so that you don’t forget some
important points.
 Cover letters
These are written by people who are applying
for jobs. They are usually sent together with a
resume. A good cover letter can get you a job,
but people writing cover letters often make
mistakes or try too hard to impress the reader.
 Adjustment letters
These letters are sent as replies to letters of
complaint. They can be tricky to write because
your reader is usually a dissatisfied customer
who is hoping to get the most out of a bad
business situation.
 Order letters
This type of business letter is sent to place an
order with a company. Order letters need to
include correct information, so you need to
double-check all figures before sending them.
Your language needs to be accurate so that
there is no room for mistakes. It is better to use
simple and clear language. Long sentences can
be ambiguous (uncertain) and difficult to follow.
 The elements of business letter

1. Letter head
• The letter head reflects the personality of a
company. A solid and well-designed letter head will
sign the image of that company, so that the
company are usually very serious to present the
best appeal of the letter head. It usually consists of
the name of that company, the symbol and trade
mark, address, phone number, facsimile, e-mail,
website. It may also contain of the kind of business,
product, slogan as spirit of the company, or may
consist of the year and the founder of that company.
 The elements of business letter
2. Reference and Date
The reference will enable our letter to be linked to the previous letters.
It also ensures that the letter has reached the right person and or
department without delay. Failure to quote the reference may cause
inconvenience for our counterpart.
We usually write the reference as follows:
Your Ref.:
Our Ref. :
We may also write the reference as follows:
RBW/ ar/B5
Reference is usually encoded based on the department where the
letter comes from, it may also be encoded based on the person who
leads the department and his/her secretary. The number of the
reference is usually the series number.
Meanwhile, the date is usually typed according to the following order:
date month and year, e.g.: July 2nd 2005. The date is positioned on the
top right on same line with the Reference.
 The elements of business letter

3. Inside Name and Address

• The inside name and address come after the Reference and date. It is
usually about 2 until 4 line spacing under the reference and the Date.
Use courtesy titles.
4. Salutation
• This is a kind of greeting, by which every letter is started.by greeting, we
mean that we salute to our counterpart. Greeting can make someone
feel aware and care about something.
5. Sub-title/ sub heading
• It is the subject of the letter, what is the letter mainly about. The sub
title/ subheading is positioned on the left or at the center of the letter
and underlined.
 The elements of business letter

6. Message/ content/ body of letter

• Message is the content of the letter which usually answer the following
problems:
• what is the aim in writing the letter?
• What do I hope to achieve by it?
• The basic principle of the content of business letter is that it should be simple,
clear and easy to understand. It doesn’t mean that letters must be only a recital
of facts and figures, but personal human touch must be taken into consideration.
Make your business message sounds as friendly conversation.
• The message, then, falls into three parts, namely introduction, the facts and the
plan for future action.
• In introduction, we may write about the previous contacts which have to be
followed up and the purpose of the letter, whereas in the development, we may
inform about the details about our purpose. Meanwhile, in the last part of the
letter we may define our action in the next.
 The elements of business letter

7. Complimentary close
• There are several kinds of complimentary close used in
business letter, such as, Yours Sincerely, Yours Respectfully,
etc. but the most commonly used are Yours faithfully and
Yours Sincerely. The using of those closures are related to
the Salutation:
• if the Salutation is Dear Sir or Dear Madam, Dear Sirs, etc.
then, the complimentary close must be Yours Faithfully.
• If the salutation is Dear Mr. Robinson, Dear Miss Ana , etc.
then the complimentary close must be: Yours Sincerely.
 The elements of business letter

8. Signature and Designation

• Signature and designation are positioned at the
bottom of the letter, underlined
9. Enclosure
• The word “enclosure” or “encl” is typed at the foot
of the letter. If the enclosures more than one paper,
then the number is added to indicate the number of
the paper.
 Business Letter
Salutation / Greeting

• A Business letter’s text starts with a simple and

professional greeting such as,
Dear, Mr./Ms./Title, & Last name of Person:”

Examples
Dear Dr. Smithsonian:
Dear Ms. Cleopatra:
Dear Sir/ Madam
 Body

• A generally acceptable format for the body of most

business letters is block style, with no indentions or
centering of any parts.

• Paragraphs should also be single spaced within the

paragraph and double spaced between different
paragraphs.
 Business Letter Content

• Each paragraph in the business letter should contain

different topics.

• The first paragraph should grab attention and state the

reason for the letter.

• The middle paragraphs, as in most letters, should

support your reason and go into details.

• In the final paragraph, it professional etiquette for the

writer to thank the reader for taking his or her time to
read the letter and state the future action.
 Closing
• The end of a business letter marks the biggest
difference between business and personal letters.

• The ending of a business letter usually states

‘Sincerely,’ or ‘faithfully,’ followed by three blank
lines for the writer’s signature and then the writer’s
typed name.
 GENERAL LETTER LAYOUTS /
STYLES
Modified Block Style Block Style

Indented Style

 http://www.englishplus.com/grammar/00000144.htm
 The letter Style

• 1. Indented Style
• This style of letter is mostly characterized by its indented type
in each paragraph. However, the Inside name and the address
as well as the Salutation are typed in a blocked style.
• Each paragraph is normally indented by six spaces, but some
typist may prefer more. The line spacing is in single form and
the space between elements may take 2 or more line-spacing.
Each paragraph is separated by double line-spacing.
• The sub heading is centered, underlined and 2 line spacing
under the Salutation. Meanwhile, the complimentary close
and designation are centered
 The letter style

• 2. Blocked-Style
• The feature of this kind is its totally commencement
from the same left hand margin, including those for
the Salutation, Sub heading, message and its
complimentary close. Each paragraph is separated
by making double line spacing. The reference is
commencing from the left margin, but the date is
adjusted to the right hand margin.
• Most companies and organizations prefer using this
style because of its simplicity.
 1. Block Style
Letter head
(Simplified) Letter Format
SAMPLE

Everything flush
to left margin with
no indents.

Signature Block: Align this with the Complimentary Close.

Leave four blank lines to sign your name. Don’t forget to
sign your name exactly as you typed it. Your title is optional
and depends on the relevancy and degree of formality you
need or want to establish.
Source:http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/letters/l/bl_mblock_p.htm
2. Modified Block Style Letter
Format
SAMPLE

Paragraphs are not indented;

however, these parts of the
letter are centered:

•Sender’s return address

•Date letter written
•Complimentary closing
•Sender’s signature/title

http://www.englishplus.com/grammar/00000144.htm
Company Logo or Letterhead

March 15, 2007 3. Indented/ semi

Mr. John Smith, Director of Operations
block Style Letter
SomeGroup Group
100 SomeStreet Drive
Format SAMPLE
Sometown, Alabama 34567

Dear Mr. Smith:

Thank you for your inquiry about Semi-Block format for letters. What follows is a
quick summary of the format and the conventions it uses.

Semi-block format or style is frequently called modified semi-block because it is a

slightly less formal modification of full block format. This letter style places the date
line in alignment with, or slightly to the right of dead center. Another option for
placing the date line in semi-block is flush right. Similar to full block, semi-block
places the inside address, salutation and any end notations flush with the left
margin. However, unlike full block, each body paragraph of semi-block is indented Indent paragraphs
5 spaces.
five spaces. The complimentary close and signature block are aligned under the
date.

This page illustrates the spacing and layout of semi-block format. Both full block
Everything else is
and semi-block formats generally contain all of the necessary parts of a letter. flush at the left
Sincerely yours , margin.

Dr. Sheila Carter-Todd

 •Expressions

Starting: Informing the purpose

• We are writing to inform you about..
• I am writing to apply for a job ….
Informing Good News
• I am delighted to inform you that ..
• We are pleased to tell you that….
• You will be pleased to hear that….
Informing Bad News
• We are very sorry to inform you that …
• We regret to tell you that…..
• Unfortunately, we will delay our consignment.
 •Expressions
Starting A Letter
Quoting a Reference
• We thank you for your letter of ….(21 January 2002)
• We refer to our conversation last week that…
• We are in receipt of your letter of …..
• With reference to your letter of …..
 expressions
Making a Request
• I would appreciate if you could ….
• I would be gratified if you could……
• Please send me your …….
• Could you possibly…..
• We have been expecting you to ….
Apologizing
• We must apologize for….
• I am very sorry about ….
• I would like to apologize for ….
 Complaint
• I am writing to complain about…
• I am writing to draw your attention to…
• I recently purchased … from your company.
• Not only…(did the product arrive late), but…(it was faulty as
well)
• As you can imagine, I was quite disappointed/upset when…
• I suggest that I get a full refund.
• I feel entitled to a refund.
• I would be grateful if you could give me a refund.
• I would appreciate it if you could replace the product.
• I look forward to receiving a prompt reply.
 Letters of inquiry

• I am writing to inquire about…

• Would you be kind enough to provide me with
some information about…
• I would be appreciative if you could help me
find out…
• Could you tell me whether…
• I would also be interested in…
 Adjustment letters

• Please accept our apologies for…

• We sincerely apologize for…
• The mistake was apparently due to…
• We are currently working on…
• To prevent this from happening again,…
• We understand how upset you must have been
when…, but unfortunately…
 Order letters

• We would like to place an order for…

• We look forward to receiving your offer for…
• Could you please confirm the prices for…
• We are looking forward to your confirmation.
 •Expressions

Offering a Help
• If you don’t mind, we would be happy to ….
• If you wish, I will surely be glad to ….
• Please don’t hesitate to ….(contact us)
Enclosing Document
• We enclose herewith …..
• I am enclosing …..
Closing Remark
• If you should have any difficulties ……
• If you have any questions, please…….
Stating a Future Contact
• I will look forward to ….(meeting you next week)
• Looking forward to ….(receiving your letter
 exercise
thank you- apologize - got - inform - tell - report - sorry - let you know - require -
need receive - thanks

1. ______________ about breaking your garden gnome!

2. We are writing to ______________________ for the late delivery of your sofa.
3. Just a quick note to say ______________ for the kid’s presents.
4. ____________________ for your letter of 23rd November concerning your
mortgage.
5. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you _________________ any assistance.
6. Give us a shout if you _________________ a hand.
7. We regret to ___________________ you that your order cannot be fulfilled. 8. Just
thought I’d better __________________ that we can’t come on Sunday.
9. We are pleased to _______________ that the work is on schedule.
10. Abdul can _________________ you all about it.
11. Thanks for your present which I _____________ yesterday.
12. We cannot send you the goods until we _____________ payment.
 ABC TEXTILE SAMPLE
Estover Plymouth pl 6 7pz
Telp. Plymouth (0752) 705251Plymouth Telex 45635

RBN / fm October 20th 2004

Mr. RW Jackson OBE MA
108 Kings Way
Rochdale Lanch
OB 16 4 ux

Dear Mr. Jackson,

Order
We acknowledge with thanks for your letter of 12 and 14 October,
and also the feelers which arrive two days ago.

Your price are slightly higher than we had expected but as the
quality was also higher than we had expected, then the one thing
compensates for the other .We now await with interest for the next
consignment.

We also look forward to receiving your collection so that we may

start showing them to our customers and looking our first order.

Yours sincerely,
Roy B. North
Purchasing Manager

encl