Week 006 - Module Chapter 5 Parts of a

Business Letter

- Standard parts

- Optional parts

- Envelope

- General classification of business letters/ correspondence

At the end of this module you are expected to:

1. Define the term business letter and its purpose
2. List and explain the different formats of a business letter.
3. Name and discuss the standard parts of a business letter
4. List and explain the optional parts of a business letter
5. Explain the format and purpose of the envelope
6. Briefly discuss the general classification of business letters.

The Business Letter

A "business letter" is what an organization sends to another party, or a

writing between an organization and its customers, suppliers and other
parties. A letter you write as part of your job will qualify as a business letter,
but any letter that you send to a business, organization, community group or
individual in a professional context will also fall into this category. The
primary test is the content: Will your recipient have an interest in what you
write insofar as it affects their working life? If so, then your letter will qualify
as a business letter.

Formats for a Business Letter

These are the four common letter formats, which are listed below. Among all
these, the block style is the most popular.
Block letter format
With a block letter style, all of the text is flush with the left margin. You will
structure the letter so that line text is single spaced and paragraphs are
double-spaced. Margins typically have a standard one-inch setting although
some businesses vary this to accommodate their house style.
Semi-block letter format
("' ___ .: 1-1 __ ,_.:_ .:.J __ .._.: __ , ..__ ....1-_ 1-1 __ ,_c _____ .._ ______ .._ ....1-_.._.._1-_ c.: ___ .._,.: ___ c ___ 1-
These are the four common letter formats, which are listed below. Among all
these, the block style is the most popular.
Block letter format
With a block letter style, all of the text is flush with the left margin. You will
structure the letter so that line text is single spaced and paragraphs are
double-spaced. Margins typically have a standard one-inch setting although
some businesses vary this to accommodate their house style.
Semi-block letter format
Semi-block is identical to the block format, except that the first line of each
paragraph is indented.
Alternative block letter format
This format closely follows the block format, except that the date,
complimentary closing ("sincerely") and the writer's name, title and
signature appear on the right side of the page. Unless you are using
letterhead, the writer's return address will also appear on the right.

Simplified letter format

Another variation on the block format, the simplified style omits the opening
salutation ("Dear Mr. Smith:"). Choose this format when you do not have the
recipient's name.

Parts of a Business Letter

A business letter is more formal than a personal letter. It ought to have an
edge of somewhere around one inch on every one of the four edges. It is
constantly composed on 8½"xll" (or metric comparable) unlined stationery.
There are seven sections to a business letter, these are the following:
The Heading
This is also called the letterhead or return address. Businesses usually use
printed paper that includes a specially designed logo or letterhead at the top
of the sheet. This is their unique letterhead or heading. The letterhead bears
the address and contact details of the organization. When sender of the letter
uses the letterhead of the organization where they are ,vorking, the letter
carries validity and realness. It is different for every organization.

Few situations might arise when a business letter is not written with the
letterhead of the company. This is when the companies possibly does not
have its own yet. In such situations, it is better to include the location of the
company in the header based to the style preferred. Even if putting the
company's name is not that necessary; it is more suitable to put it.

If one is not using a letterhead, the sender can indicate name and address on
the upper left-hand corner. Though not obligatory, it is acceptable to include
the telephone number and email address of the writer since this would be
helpful for the recipient. This contains the arrival address including the date
on the bottom portion.
Few situations might arise when a business letter is not written with the
letterhead of the company. This is when the companies possibly does not
have its own yet. In such situations, it is better to include the location of the
company in the header based to the style preferred. Even if putting the
company's name is not that necessary; it is more suitable to put it.

If one is not using a letterhead, the sender can indicate name and address on
the upper left-hand corner. Though not obligatory, it is acceptable to include
the telephone number and email address of the writer since this would be
helpful for the recipient. This contains the arrival address including the date
on the bottom portion.

Now and again it might be important to incorporate a line after the location
and before the date for a telephone number, fax digits, e-mail address, or
something comparative.

Regularly, a line is not included between the location and date. That ought to
dependably be done if the heading is beside the left edge.

It is not important to type the arrival address on the off chance that you are
utilizing stationery with the arrival address previously engraved.
Continuously incorporate the date.

The letterhead indicating the sender's name, position and the organizations'
name. See example below:
Ms. Rhianne Rosas
Advertising Executive
YOU Corporation
1622 Main Street,
Makati City, Metro Manila
Phone: 02 123 4576
FAX: 02 123 5476
The letterhead only with the name of the sender:
Ms. Rhianne Rosas
Advertising Executive

Makati City, Metro Manila

Phone: 02 123 4576
FAX: 02 123 5476
Both are suitable. Settle with the one which you find more appealing.
Makati City, Metro Manila
Phone: 02 123 4576
FAX: 02 123 5476
Both are suitable. Settle with the one which you find more appealing.

Date
Indicate this is in this format: month-day-year. This is written below the
return address. Write the date in words than in number form like "August 20,
2018" since other countries use day-month-year format.

The date should be referenced in each letter. Whether it is on the left or on

the right depending on the format, is fine. The two sides are satisfactory. Be
that as it may, composing the date on the left side is generally utilized among
the representatives. The date can be indicated in different configurations.
The arrangements which are generally used are:

16 June 2000
16th June 2000
16 Jun 2000
16th Jun 2000
06.16.2000
06/16/2000
16.06.00
16/06/00

The last four somehow causes confusion because the date is written purely in
numbers in the mm/dd/yyyy format. The month and date might be
interchanged and misinterpret ed.
The Inside Address
This is dependably on the left edge. In the event that an 8½" x 11" paper is
collapsed in thirds to fit in a standard 9" business envelope, within location
can show up through the window in the envelope.
An inside location likewise enables the beneficia1y to course the letter
appropriately and can help should the envelope be harmed and the location
wind up ambiguous.
Compose the beneficiary's name, organization name, address and postal
district. Incorporate an occupation title if proper. Continuously adjust within
location to one side edge when utilizing standard business stationery. Doing
such methods, the location will show up in the window of the envelope when
collapsed into three sections. This is the location you are sending your letter
to. Make it as total as could be expected under the circumstances.
Incorporate titles and names in the event that you know them.
Skirt a line after the heading before within location. Avoid a different line
after within location before the welcome.
The address is the location of the individual who is the rec ipient of the
letter. The person's name, title (if pertinent), the name and the location of the
organization in which he/she is a part of, ought to be incorporated. The style
of location is additionally called Inside Address or Recipient's Address or To
Address.
This location ought to be indicated on the left side of the letterhead. For
example:

The Greeting
This is additionally called the greeting of the letter. The welcome in a
business letter is constantly formal. It regularly starts with "Dear" and
dependably incorporates the individual's last name. Make sure to utilize a
colon after the greeting.

The welcome ordinarily has a title. Utilize a first name if the title is indistinct
- for instance, you are keeping in touch with somebody named "Cris,"
however you do not know whether the individual is male or female. For this
situation, it is best to complete a little research to legitimately address the
beneficiary. In any case, if the beneficiary's sexual orientation cannot be
effectively decided, the greeting would be "Dear Cris Santos:".
Greeting is the formal method for tending to the individual whom the letter is
for. This is utilized in all letters as well as social letters.

These are some salutation examples:

Dear Miss,

Dear Sir,

Dear Alexander Santos,

Dear Charles Valencia,

Dear Mrs. Santos,

Dear Mr. Reyes,

Dear Mr. Santa Cruz,

Dear Ms. Dela Paz,

Ladies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

To whom it may concern,

Gentlemen,

Gentleman,

Dear Dealer,
Dear Member,

Dear Subscriber,

Use the full name of the person if you do not know his or her gender.

Dearjan Mari Locsin,

Dear Cris Dela Santos,

How you wrote the salutation will tell the manner you will write
complimentary close.

The Body

The body is composed as content. A business letter is never written by hand.

Contingent upon the letter style you pick, sections might be indented.
Notwithstanding design, avoid a line between passages.

This is the focal piece of the letter - the reason this is called the 'body'. This
part satisfies the motivation behind the letter. The principle reason for your
letter might be affirmation, acknowledgment, request, direction, conciliatory
sentiment, gratefulness, compliment, request, felicitation, request, ask for,
answer, update, grievance, proposition, renunciation, notice and welcome.

Be brief, clear and up to the point. Never beat around the bush. The
individual to whom you are composing this letter might not have room
schedule-wise to peruse your letter, in the event that you compose an
extensive letter. Make your letter as brief as could be allowed.

On the off chance that the topic is long, divide it into short passages. Long
sections are difficult to examine. Short ones are simpler for perusing.

On the off chance that conceivable, complete your letter inside one page. Just
in case that the letter requests is more than one page, the new page ought to
be started with another section. Another page with just a single or a couple of
sentences may seem ungainly to the recipient.

To indicate there is another page as the continuation use P.T.O. (Please Turn
Over) or continued in next page at the bottom of the previous page. The
following should indicate -Page 2 - to show that this is the second page.

Should there be more pages, they should all be numbered.

The Complimentary Close
This ends with a comma and has to be brief and polite. Its position varies
according to the column of the heading.
Since there is no indenting issues to be considered, the block style seems to
become used widely.
There are several choices for closing a business letter:

• Sincerely yours,

• Respectfully yours,
• Yours truly,

• Sincerely,

• Respectfully,

• Cordially,

The Signature Line

Mark and Designation of the individual ,vho composes the letter ought to be
included the ideal spot implied for it. The letter ought to be marked by the
individual who composes that letter. At that point just the letter will be dealt
legitimately and truly. A letter without the writer's mark will be named as
mysterious letter.
Skirt two lines ( except if you have surprisingly wide or slender lines) and
type out the name to be agreed upon. This generally incorporates a center
starting, yet does not need to. Ladies may demonstrate how they wish to be
tended to by putting Miss, Mrs., Ms. or on the other hand comparable title in
brackets before their name.
The mark line may incorporate a second line for a title, if fitting. The
expression "By course" in the second line implies that a predominant is
approving the underwriter.
The mark should begin specifically over the main letter of the mark line in
the space between the nearby and the mark line. Utilize blue or dark ink.
There ought to be sufficient space between the complimentary shutting, the
name and the assignment of the author of the letter. Also, the spaces ought to
be sufficient to sign.
 Business letters ought not contain postscripts. A few associations and
organizations may have positions that change somewhat.
After the presentation of PC, business world has begun to deliver PC
produced letters in mass. Those PC created letters will not get the mark and
the assignment of the individual who composes those letters. In any case,
that announcement will be there in those letters. This training is received to
spare the season of marking the letters separately and of making those
letters follow accuracy of spelling. All things considered, a similar letter can
be sent to different people in the wake of modifying the name and the
location of the beneficiary.
This new practice is additionally acknowledged nowadays.

Optional Parts of a Business Letter

These elements apply to certain business letters:

Attention line
If your letter is addressed to a company, you may include an attention line to
indicate the intended recipient of your letter (e.g., CEO, chief financial officer,
marketing director). The attention line goes two lines below the recipient's
address:
Attention: Director of Customer Service
Attention: Logistics Manager

Subject or reference line

You need not compose the subject of the letter, on the off chance that your
letter is so short. This is certainly not an obligatory issue. However, at this
point, multiday letters are composed with this. This ought to be composed
just beneath the greeting line. Typically, this is types and underlines. You can
put this in the position you prefer. Simply the most succinct type ought to be
referenced in this part.
The subject winds up must when the letter is extensive. The reference digits
(record number) is helpful to refer to the past letters which are identified
with the present letter. The beneficiary will allude those past letters due to
pertinent issues. In spite of the fact that this is not vital, including reference
number is prudent much of the time. Satisfactory space may have been
accommodated the record number in the letterhead. Contingent on the
design of the business letter that you are receiving, you should include the
reference number in the fitting space suited it. In this way, every one of these
make it easy to just sort the record digits. A subject or reference line might be
helpful to alarm the beneficiary to the reason for your letter. Incorporate two
lines underneath the consideration line or beneficiary's location. Use Subject:
 or Re: to start this line, or compose the subject in capital letters, such as the
following:
Re: Policy number AM4758Z6
ANNOUNCEMENT OF COMPANY PROMOTIONS

Typist's initials
If someone else types the letter for you, include your initials in capital letters
and the typist's initials in lowercase letters three lines below your signature.
Separate the sets of initials with a colon (:) or slash(/). For exam pie:
JD/anj

Enclosures
The importance of enclosure is to join a few records with the letter. Nooks
are connected reports sent with a letter, for example, charges, checks,
citations, leaflets, value records and so on which have been referenced in the
letter and are sent as enclosure. The truncation of fenced in area is 'Encl.'. it's
anything but a standard piece of the design of a business letter. It is
composed just when a few reports are to be sent with the letter. On the off
chance that there are numerous enclosures, they are numbered and put
behind the letter in the request of their sequential number. It is composed at
the base left of the letter, after the mark. The fenced in area line is valuable to
the beneficiary of the letter. By perusing the fenced in area collector comes to
realize that some more reports have been sent with the letter. In the event
that you wish the peruse to restore any of the archives, type/write RETURN
after the thing.

In the event that you have encased extra archives alongside your letter,
demonstrate so by composing Enclosure or Enclosures either three lines
beneath your signature or one line underneath the typist's initials. You may
likewise list which records are encased, just in case that you have
incorporated a few; in the event that you do as such, use the shortened form
Encl. if ever there is more than one enclosure, state how many in parentheses
() :
Enclosures (3)
Encl: photos (2) of damage to car, repair estimates (3)
Post Script
Postscript (postscriptum) or P.S. implies something composed outside the
fundamental content it is a touch of composing, not multiple lines, added to
the letter after the signature and after fenced in areas. Composing a post
content demonstrates that the essayist had neglected to incorporate
something vital in the body of the letter or bit of data which is not a piece of
principle message of the letter. Usually written close by at the season of
marking the letter. It is additionally used to add an agreeable individual note
to a formal letter. It empowers the author to build up close to home contact.
Superscription: In business correspondence the word superscription alludes
to ,vhatever is composed on the envelope. The importance of membership is
"Something composed outside". As it is composed outside, it incorporates the
sender's location and the beneficiary's location too. Here and there in light of
commercials for occupations, hopefuls are encouraged to superscribe their
applications.
CONFIDENTIAL AND PRIVATE:
Indicate these on the left-hand side simply over the recipient's address in
capital textual styles as composed previously. This implies the letter ought to
be opened and read just by the recipient. That implies that this letter
contains some imperative and secret issue which others ought not to read. By
composing these words, it clarifies that others have no business with the
letter.
Also, remember to type or compose these words on the envelope with the
goal that the individual who happens to take the letter will not open the
letter.
On the off chance that, you do not put any private issue in your letter, you
need not to use these words either inside or outside the letter.

Courtesy copies
Use this line if you are sending copies of the letter to others in addition to the
addressed recipient. Include it three lines below the last element of the letter.
Write each person's name on a separate line, and list each person in
alphabetical order:
cc:Jane Doe
John Smith

The Envelope for Business Letter

Tending to a business envelope accurately guarantees that your letter gets to
its expected beneficiary rapidly. It is imperative to pursue standard practices
for tending to correspondence, especially in the event that you are sending a
letter to a vast organization with numerous divisions. Neglecting to
incorporate total data may imply that it will take longer than would normally
be appropriate for the envelope to contact the right individual or office. In
the event that you utilize a similar organization for each business envelope,
tending to envelopes will before long turned out to be second nature.
Print your name, organization name, title and address in the upper left
corner of the envelope if your business does not utilize pre-printed
envelopes. You may wish to print your name over the pre-printed zone
regardless of whether you use envelopes printed with your organization's
arrival address. On the off chance that the U.S. Postal Service restores the
envelope in any way, shape or form, your mail-room will certainly effectively
course it back to you if your name is found noticeably on the envelope.
Put the beneficiary's name on the principal line of the envelope. Focus the
location obstruct amidst the envelope. Begin the location hinder a few lines
underneath the arrival address. The Postal Service suggests using every
single capital letter while tending to envelopes.
Include the individual's title on the following line in the event that you know
the title. On the off chance that you do not have the foggiest idea about the
title, you might need to incorporate the name of the office.
Incorporate the name of the organization on the following line.
Put the principal address line on the following line.
The Postal Service suggests putting the fu ll location on one line if
conceivable. In the event that the location is excessively long, partition the
location between two lines and spot the suite number or building number on
the main location line.
Complete the envelope with the city, state and ZIP code.

General Classification of Business Letters

Official letters - generic name of a large group of administrative documents,

which serve as a means of communication with institutions and individuals
posts something, notice something.
Cover letter- a document that informs the recipient that the letter has
accompanying documents.
Letters of invitation- this is sent offer to participate in any of the activities.
They may be addressed to specific individuals, and institutions. They
disclosed the nature of the event, indicate the dates and conditions for
participation.
Informational letter - informs the recipient of any fact or event. Most often
with the help of newsletters promoting activities of any organizations, as
well as their products.
Sales letter - a version of the newsletter that is sent to a specific recipient
and includes a detailed description of the advertised goods or services.
Letter of notification - is made for a specific recipient, and is often a
response to the request.
Letter of confirmation - confirm any fact, action, or even a telephone
conversation.
Letter ofreminder - provides guidance on the approach or the expiry of the
execution, any obligation or the event.
 Letter of guarantee - a document that provides performance obligations
contained therein.
Unsolicited letters - the letters to be answered.
Letters to the answers - a letter, in which sound answers to the questions.
Telegrams - type of document, defined by the mode of transmission of
information via telegraph.

Glossary

Guarantee: a formal guarantee or affirmation (regularly recorded as a hard copy) that specific
conditions will be satisfied, particularly that an item will be fixed or supplanted if not of a
predetermined quality and solidness.

Telegram: (Greek tele: far off and gramma: letter) a composed message transmitted by utilizing an
electric gadget The message was conveyed along wires, and the content composed or printed and
conveyed by hand or teleprinter.

Messages were in all respects broadly utilized, in light of the fact that private phones were not
regular. These days they are not helpful on the grounds that the vast majority have private phones
and the use of email. The thought was created by the British Post Office as an administration for
earnest letters.

Title: In the English language, an English honorific is a kind of area showing respect. These can be
titles prefixing a person's name, e.g., Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Sir, Dr., Lady or Lord, or titles or positions
that can appear as a sort of area without the person's name, as in Mr. President, General, Captain,
Father, Doctor or Earl.

Confidential: is data which concerns or identifies with the prized formulas, forms, tasks, style of
works, or contraption, or to the generation, deals, shipments, buys, exchanges, distinguishing
proof of clients, inventories, or sum or wellspring of any salary, benefits, misfortunes, or uses of
any individual, firm, association, partnership, or other association, or other data of business
esteem.
References and Supplementary Materials
Books and Journals
1. Cavanor, Natalie; 2016; Business Writing Today; California, United States; Sage
Publications
2. Starkman, Dean (Editor), Hamilton, Martha (Editor), Chittum, Ryan (Editor); 2015;
The Best Business Writing 2015; New York City; Columbia University Press; 2015 ed.
edition

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

1. The Best Formatting for a Business Letter; https:/ /www.thebalancecareers.com/how-
to-format-a-business-letter-2062540; August 2018

Online Instructional Videos

1. How to Write a Business Letter; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egeyiUpFsaw/;
August 2018

Week006
Chapter 5: Parts of a
Business Letter

Business Letters
The term "business letters" refers to any written
communication that begins with a salutation,
ends with a signature and whose contents are
professional in nature.
Business Letters
Historically, business letters were sent via postal
mail or courier, although the internet is rapidly
changing the way businesses communicate.
There are many standard types of business
letters, and each of them has a specific focus.

Sales Letters
Typical sales letters start off with a very strong
statement to capture the interest of the reader.
Since the purpose is to get the reader to do
something, these letters include strong calls to
action, detail the benefit to the reader of taking

Sales Letters
the action and include information to help the
reader to act, such as including a telephone
number or website link.

Follow-up Letters
Follow-up letters are usually sent after some type
of initial communication. This could be a sales
department thanking a customer for an order, a
businessman reviewing the outcome of a
meeting or a job seeker inquiring about the
Follow-up Letters
status of his application. In many cases, these
letters are a combination thank-you note and
sales letter.

Letters of Recommendation
Prospective employers often ask job applicants
for letters of recommendation before they hire
them. This type of letter is usually from a
previous employer or professor, and it describes
the sender's relationship with and opinion of the
job seeker.

Cover Letters
Cover letters usually accompany a package,
report or other merchandise. They are used to
describe what is enclosed, why it is being sent
and what the recipient should do with it, if there is
any action that needs to be taken. These types of
letters are generally very short and succinct.
Official Letters
Word "Official" means 'of or pertaining to an
office or post of authority' Taken in this sense,
official letters mean letters that are written in
connection with some official matters and official
correspondence means an exchange of letters
between two or more public offices to discuss
official business.

Classification of Official Letters

1. Official Letter
An official letter, as discussed above,
comprises a message that is sent in
connection with some official business. It may
be by an official or by an individual, in his own
capacity or on behalf of a department or
organization, to a public office or official.

Classification of Official Letters

2. Demi-Official Letter
'Demi' means 'half. So D.O's or Demi-Official
Letters are half officials and half personal. They
are written by:
• One officer to another
• A private individual to an officer
• An officer to a private individual
Classification of Official Letters
2. Demi-Official Letter
• Although D.Os are highly personalized
messages in their approach, they are more
dignified and formal in tone.

Classification of Official Letters

3. Official Applications
Official Applications are request-letters asking
for some favor. An official application is written
to some person or office of higher authority.

Classification of Official Letters

3. Official Applications
The purpose of an application moved to a
government office or officer may be personal
or official. The applicant may ask for a
personal favor or relief, or he may forward a
request that can be entertained under the law.
Letters of Invitation
There are several different types of invitation
letter, however they will all be requesting the
presence of someone to an event or country.
Invitation letters can also be sent through
different forms, depending on the reason and
formality of the invite.

Letters of Invitation
There are two main types of invitation letter:
those with regards to visas, and the other for
social occasions

Letters of Invitation
There are two main types of invitation letter:
those with regards to visas, and the other for
social occasions. Invitation letters can be used
for a variety of events such as weddings,
graduation ceremonies, annual dinners,

Letters of Invitation
anniversary parties and birthday parties. They
could also be used to invite guest speakers,
keynote speakers and workshop facilitators to
special meetings and events.
Letters of Interest
A letter of interest, also known as a letter of
inquiry or a prospecting letter, is sent to
companies that may be hiring, but haven't
listed a specific job opening to apply for. One
can use a letter of interest to see if the
company has any job openings that would be a
good fit for them.

Letters of Interest
A letter of notification is sent to inform the
recipient of important information. There are
many scenarios where this is commonly used,
including informing somebody that a lawsuit
has been filed against them, giving notice to a

Letters of Interest
landlord that you're planning to move out, and
letting various entities know that you've legally
changed your name.
Letters of Interest
A letter of notification may also be used to
inform companies or creditors that somebody
has passed away, or to tell an immigration
authority that you have gotten married, which
could affect a visa application.

Letters of Reminder
A reminder letter is a letter sent by a
professional organization to remind a customer
about necessary action to be taken in relation
with the company. This could be about
contract renewal or delayed payment.

Letters of Guarantee
A letter of guarantee is a document issued by
your bank that ensures your supplier gets paid
for the goods or services it provides to your
company, in the event that your company itself
cannot pay.
Letters of Guarantee
A letter of guarantee is a document issued by
your bank that ensures your supplier gets paid
for the goods or services it provides to your
company, in the event that your company itself
cannot pay.

Letters of Confirmation
Letters of confirmation are used by individuals,
organizations and businesses every day, for a
number of different purposes. Broadly
speaking they are used to recognize a
previous agreement or to verify certain

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information upon request.