Saint Louis University

School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts

BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Business documents carry two kinds of messages. Verbal messages

are conveyed by the words chosen to express the writer’s ideas.
Nonverbal messages are conveyed largely by the appearance of a
document. If you compare an assortment of letters from various
organizations, you will notice immediately that some look more attractive

BUSINESS LETTERS
STRUCTURES OF
and more professional than others. The nonverbal message of
professional-looking documents suggests that they were sent by people
who are careful, informed, intelligent, and successful. Understandably, you
are more likely to take seriously documents that use attractive stationery
and professional formatting techniques.

Over the years certain practices and conventions have arisen

regarding the appearance and formatting of business documents. To
ensure that your documents carry favorable nonverbal messages about
you and your organization, you want to give special attention to the
appearance and formatting of your letters, envelopes, memos, and fax
cover sheets.

At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

• determine proper business letter formats and style; and
• observe proper business letter formats and style.

ENGAGE

Being in a student for several years have provided you avenues to create and receive various
letters. These letters serve as a way to communicate with professors, peers, institutions, and external
entities.

Now, let us test your knowledge about the parts of a letter, which are crucial for ensuring
clarity, professionalism, and structure in communication. A letter, especially in business
communication, typically consists of several key parts, each with its distinct function. Comprehend
the different parts of a collection letter below. After, arrange the parts by numbering them
accordingly from 1 to 9.

_________ Sincerely yours,

_________ Dear Mr. Tecson:

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 Saint Louis University
School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

_________ Coffee Beans, Inc.

Tastes of Living
711 Tahimik Avenue, Cabuyao, Laguna

_________ We are interested in our customers, and we always try to find new ways to improve our service. For
these reasons, may we inquire why there has been a long delay in paying your overdue account with
us? If we can help by restructuring your payment, by extending our terms or by recommending a
lending company, please let us know.

We will be happy to hear from you within the next seven days. We will also appreciate it if you will
make a payment of ₱6,245.80 representing your current monthly amortization and surcharge.
Attached to this letter is your billing statements for the past three months.

_________ Enclosure: Billing Statements for January-March 2025

_________ 16 May 2025

_________ Mr. Gerardo Tecson

Proprietor
Plus Company
173 E. Sampaguita St.
1224 Makati City
_________
IStudent
Iam A. Student
Head
Accounts Receivable Department

_________ SUBJECT: INCORECT PRODUCT SHIPMENT

EXPLORE

Explore the various formats of business letters based on factors such as the sender’s role, the
punctuation style used, and the alignment of the text. Business letters can differ in structure
depending on who is sending them, whether it is an individual or a company, and this can affect the
tone and formality. Additionally, punctuation styles, such as the open punctuation (which omits
commas and periods after the salutation and closing) or closed punctuation (which includes them),
influence the overall appearance and readability. The alignment of the letter, whether left-aligned,
centered, or right-aligned, also plays a significant role in how professional and organized the letter
appears. Understanding these variations is crucial for ensuring the letter communicates effectively
and adheres to proper business standards.

Read on the different formats of business letter according to sender, punctuation, and
alignment. After, determine which formats are commonly circulated in the Philippines.

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 Saint Louis University
School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Formats of Business Letters

According to Sender

Business letters are a critical form of professional communication, and they can be written
either by individuals acting on their own behalf or by representatives of a larger entity.

Personal Non-Personal

When an individual writes a business letter, they In many cases, business letters are written by
are typically acting in a personal capacity. This individuals who are officially representing a
could be in the context of freelance work, company, business, or other organization. The
personal transactions, or other professional content of these letters typically pertains to the
matters where the person is not officially business operations, relationships, and
representing a company or organization. transactions involving the organization.

An individual letter may be slightly more flexible A representative of a company writes with the
in tone and may reflect a personal or direct authority and responsibility of the organization in
relationship between the writer and the mind. The tone is often formal, and the letter
recipient. must reflect the company's values.

A return address is used with the contact A letterhead is commonly used with the contact
information of the individual. information of the company or organization.

Alignment Style

Business letter are generally prepared in one of the three formats. The most popular is the
block style.

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 Saint Louis University
School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Block Style Modified Block Semi-block Style

In the block style, shown The modified block style differs It is similar with the modified
above, all lines begin at the left from block style in that the date block style having the dateline
margin. This style is a favorite and closing lines appear in the and closing lines not aligned to
because it is easy to format. center. The date may be (1) the left; however, the
centered, (2) tabbed at the paragraphs in the body of the
center of the page (to align letter are indented.
with the closing lines), or (3)
backspaced from the right
margin. The signature block,
including the complimentary
close, writer’s name and title, or
organization identification,
begins at the center.

Punctuation Style

There are two types of business letters according to the punctuation marks used: open
punctuation and mixed or standard punctuation. Use the style that is set by your organization.

Open Punctuation Standard or Mixed Punctuation

no punctuation following the salutation and a colon is after the salutation and a comma is
closing after the closing

EXPLAIN

Parts of a Business Letter

Professional-looking business letters are arranged in a conventional sequence with standard

parts:
a. letterhead g. body
b. dateline h. complimentary close
c. delivery notations i. signature block
d. inside address j. reference initials
e. salutation k. enclosure notation
f. subject and reference lines l. copy notation

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 Saint Louis University
School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Sample A: Block Style, Open Punctuation

Letterhead

Most business organizations use size A4 paper printed with a letterhead displaying their official
name, logo, address, and contact information.

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 Saint Louis University
School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Dateline

On letterhead paper, you should place the date two lines below the last line of the letterhead or 2
inches from the top edge of the paper (line 13). On plain paper, place the date immediately
below your return address. Since the date goes on line 13, start the return address an appropriate
number of lines above it. The most common dateline format is as follows: December 12, 2020. Do
not use the th (or rd) when the date is written this way. For European or military correspondence,
use the following dateline format: 12 December 2020. Notice that no commas are used.

Addresee and Delivery Notations

Delivery notations such as FAX TRANSMISSION, OVERNIGHT DELIVERY, CONFIDENTIAL, or CERTIFIED

MAIL are typed in all capital letters two line spaces above the inside address.

Inside Address

Type the inside address, that is, the address of the organization or person receiving the letter, single
spaced, starting at the left margin. The number of lines between the dateline and the inside
address depends on the size of the body, the type size (point or pitch size), and the length of the
typing lines. Generally, two to ten lines are appropriate.

Be careful to duplicate the exact wording and spelling of the recipient’s name and address on
your documents. Usually, you can copy this information from the letterhead of the correspondence
you are answering. If, for example, you are responding to Proctor & Gamble Company, do not
address your letter to Proctor and Gamble Corp.

Always be sure to include a courtesy title such as Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., or Professor before a person’s
name in the inside address – for both the letter and the envelope.

Salutation

For most letter styles place the letter greeting, or salutation, two lines below the last line of the inside
address. If the letter is addressed to an individual, use that person’s courtesy title and last name
(Dear Mr. Sison). Even if you are on a first-name basis (Dear Krispin), be sure to add a colon (not a
comma nor a semicolon) after the salutation.

For letters addressed to organizations, the selection of an appropriate salutation has become more
difficult. Formerly, Gentlemen was used generically for all organizations. With increasing numbers of
women in business management today, however, Gentlemen is problematic. Because no
universally acceptable salutation has emerged as yet, you will probably be safe with Ladies and
Gentlemen or Gentlemen and Ladies.

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 Saint Louis University
School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Subject and Reference Lines

Although experts suggest placing the subject line two lines below the salutation, many businesses
actually place it above the salutation. Use whatever style your organization prefers. Reference lines
often show policy or file numbers; they generally appear two lines above the salutation.

Body

Most business letters and memorandums are single-spaced, with double line spacing between
paragraphs.

Generally, the body of business letters have three parts: introduction, body paragraph/s,
conclusion. The introduction provides a direct summary of the main points or purpose of the letter.
The body paragraphs explain clearly and concisely the main points. Lastly, the conclusion restates
the purpose of the letter and may request some type of action.

Complimentary Close

Typed two lines below the last line of the letter, the complimentary close may be formal (Very truly
yours) or informal (Sincerely yours or Cordially). Remember that only the first word is capitalized in
the complimentary close and usually ends with a comma (but no punctuation for open
punctuation).

Signature Block

In most letter styles the writer’s typed name and optional identification appear three or four lines
below the complimentary close. The combination of name, title, and organization information
should be arranged to achieve a balanced look. The name and title may appear on the same line
or on separate lines, depending on the length of each. Women may choose to include Ms., Mrs., or
Miss before their names. Parenthesis are optional. Men do not use Mr. before their names.

Yours faithfully, Sincerely yours,

Juan O. Walas, Manager Christina Buado-Mananquil

Technical Sales and Services Executive Vice President

Some organizations include their names in the signature block. In such cases the organization
name appears in all caps two lines below the complimentary close, as shown on the next page:

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 Saint Louis University
School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Sincerely,

GIGA COMPUTER SERVICES

Ms. Shania B. Pangilinan

Executive Assistant

Reference Initials

If used, the initials of the typist and writer are typed two lines below the writer’s name and title.
Generally, the writer’s initials are capitalized and the typist’s are lowercased, but this format varies

Enclosure Notation

When an enclosure or attachment accompanies a document, a notation to that effect appears

two lines below the reference initials. This notation reminds the typist to insert the enclosure in the
envelope, and it reminds the recipient to look for the enclosure or attachment. The notation may
be spelled put (Enclosure, Attachment), or it may be abbreviated (Enc., Att.), it may indicate the
number of enclosures or attachments, and it may also identify a specific enclosure (Enclosure: Form
991).

Copy Notation

If you make two copies of correspondence for other individuals, you may use cc to indicate
courtesy copy or carbon copy, pc to indicate photocopy, or merely c for any kind of copy. A
colon following the intial(s) is optional.
https://studyres.com/doc/7894649/book-guffey---karachi-institute-of-management-and

Letter Placement

Business letters should be typed so that they are framed by white space. The most attractive
placement results with side margins of 1 ¼ to 1 ½ inches. However, some organizations prefer business
writers to use standard margins of 1 inch (the defaults of many word processing programs). To
balance a letter on the page, you can adjust the number of lines between the dateline and the
address block (two to ten lines depending on the letter length).

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 Saint Louis University
School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Addressing Envelopes

An envelope should be printed on the same quality and color of stationery as the letter it
carries. Because the envelope introduces your message and makes the first impression, you need to
be especially careful in addressing it. Moreover, how you fold the letter is important.

Legal-sized No. 10 envelope (4 1/8 by 9 ½ inches), upper-and-lowercase format

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 Saint Louis University
School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Small envelopes No. 6 ¾ (3 5/8 by 6 ½ inches) envelope

ELABORATE

Understanding letter parts, format, and letter styles will equip you the skills you need in writing
effective business letters.

1. In the block style of formatting a business letter, how are the parts of the letter aligned?
a. All parts are centered on the page.
b. All parts are aligned to the left margin.
c. The sender’s address is centered, and the rest are left-aligned.
d. The subject line is aligned to the right.

2. Which part of a business letter includes the recipient's name, title, and address?
a. salutation
b. heading
c. inside address
d. signature block

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 Saint Louis University
School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

3. In a formal business letter, how should the date be formatted using the current standard in
SLU?
a. March 11, 2025
b. 11 March 2025
c. 03/11/2025
d. March 11th, 2025

4. Where should the date be placed in a block business letter?

a. at the top right corner
b. at the top left corner
c. just below the sender’s address
d. below the subject line and above the salutation

5. In the Philippines, when addressing someone with a professional title such as “Attorney” or
“Engineer” in a business letter, how should you format it?
a. Dear Attorney John
b. Dear Mr. John,
c. Dear Engr. John:
d. Dear Mr. Engr. John;

6. Where should the sender's address be placed in a business letter?

a. at the bottom of the letter, below the signature
b. at the top right corner, above the date
c. at the top left corner, above the salutation
d. at the bottom, after the body

7. What is the correct punctuation for the salutation in a formal business letter commonly used in
the Philippines?
a. no punctuation
b. comma
c. colon
d. period

8. How should you format the signature block in a formal business letter?
a. The sender’s name should be typed above the signature with a space below for a
handwritten signature.
b. The sender’s name should be typed in all caps.
c. The signature should be written in the middle of the letter, before the body.
d. The signature should be placed before the date.

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 Saint Louis University
School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

9. In the Philippines, if you are writing a business letter with an enclosures notation, where do you
place it?
a. at the end of the letter, below the signature
b. at the top of the letter, above the date
c. after the salutation
d. after the body of the letter, before the closing

10. When should a "CC" (carbon copy) notation be included in a business letter?
a) when sending the letter to multiple recipients
b) when you want to add extra information to the letter
c) after the signature block to indicate the recipients of a copy
d) in the subject line of the letter

EVALUATE

(Activity will be posted on our Classwork.)

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