Business letter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A business letter is a letter written in formal language, usually used when writing from one business organization to another, or for correspondence between such organizations and their customers, clients and other external parties. The overall style of letter will depend on the relationship between the parties concerned[1]; however, there is a general consensus on style[2], for example, Business letters usually follow a left-blocked format, other points of general style are outlined below.
Contents |
[edit] Parts of a Business Letter
Business Letters in the United States usually contain the following information (in this order):
- Letterhead or sender's address
- Date
- Inside address
- Salutation or Greeting
- Letter body
- Complimentary closing
- Signature, printed name, and position of sender
In some situations, a business letter may also include the following optional information:
- Reference (RE:)
- Carbon Copy Recipients (CC:)
- Enclosures (ENC:)
- Reference Initials
[edit] Business Letter Layout Guidelines
[edit] Addresses
The address is usually written from the most specific information (i.e. the recipient's name) to the most general (i.e. the city, state, ZIP Code or country). If the writer knows the recipient's gender, a courtesy title (Mr. or Ms.) should be included. Please note that the sender's name should not be included with the address.
[edit] Example of an Address Line:
| Leo B. Perez |
| WEBLINQ Philippines, INc. |
| Magsaysay Ave. |
| Gensan City, 9500 |
[edit] Dates
The date usually goes between your address and the recipients address. In formal business writing, it is best to completely write out the date to avoid confusion. For example, the writer should write October 8, 2002, instead of 10/8/02. One reason for writing out the date is date-formats; in the US, 10/8/02 is October 8, 2002, but most of the world would read this as 10th August 2002.
[edit] Body
The body of your letter should be written clearly and concisely. It includes as many paragraphs as are necessary to communicate the information. Paragraphs are generally short, no more than 4 or 5 lines.
If additional documents are being enclosed with a business letter they should be mentioned in the body of the letter.
[edit] Closing
A closing is included after the last paragraph of a business letter. Examples of closings in business letters include "Cordially (yours)", "Respectfully (yours)", "(With) best regards" and "(With) kindest regards". The closing that is used will depend on the contents and formality of the letter, the writer's familiarity with the recipient, and the recipient's level of authority. "Yours truly" and "Very truly yours" are often considered more affectionate and omitted from modern Business Letter style guides[3], but you will find them listed in older style manuals[4], and are often taught to non-native writers as a catch-all phrase[citation needed], for use when the writer is uncertain how to close the letter.
In UK English, a closing is followed by a comma ("Yours sincerely,") only if the salutation included a comma. If a comma is omitted from the salutation, the letter should be considered written in 'open punctuation', and the comma should therefore be omitted from the closing also ("Yours sincerely").
In the UK, the use of the closing "Yours sincerely," is generally reserved for a recipient whose name is known, substituting "Yours faithfully," where it is not known.
[edit] Signature
The sender's signature is included after the closing. The sender's name and title should be typed under the signature. The sender's name should come before their title.
[edit] Typist's reference
The typist's reference is optional and follows the sender's typed name and title. Typically, these are the last items in a business letter.
[edit] Typist's Initials
If the letter was typed by someone other than the sender, the initials of the typist are typically included at the end of the letter. The sender's initials are typed in capital letters followed by the typist's initials in lower case. The initials are separated by a slash.
Example: JM/ab
[edit] Enclosures
If additional documents are being included, such as a resume or price list, an enclosure notation is used to indicate that they are included with the letter. Enclosures should be mentioned in the body of the letter.
Examples: Enclosure Enc: Resume
[edit] Carbon Copy
If a business letter is being sent to people other than the recipient at the top of the letter it should be noted on the letter with the 'copy' or 'carbon copy' reference.
Example: cc: John Doe, Jane Doe
[edit] Different countries, different styles
Culture and society influence styles. Especially in German speaking countries, formal rules are considered very important. An extreme example is the German industrial norm DIN 5008, which prescribes how to write German business letters in every detail from letterhead to closing.
[edit] External links
- Writing letters. Our Lady Queen of Peace School. Retrieved on 2007-02-06. - Website with examples of Letter Style taken from "Book 5, Basic Skills in English"[5].
[edit] References
- ^ Truss, Lynne (2005-10-31). Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. Profile Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1861976772.
- ^ Burchfield, R W (1998). The New Fowler's Modern English Usage. Clarendon Press Oxford. ISBN 0-19-860263-4.
- ^ Collins (2004 (Reprint 2005)). Collins Letter Writing: Communicate Effectively by letter or Email. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-720853-7.
- ^ Poe, Roy (1994). The McGraw-Hill Handbook of Business Letters, 3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-113589-8.
- ^ Littel (1981). Book 5, Basic Skills in English. McDougal, Littell & Company.
