LETTER WRITING IN ENGLISH

FALL2016

Maryam BolouriPhD candidate of TEFL in Allame Tabatabaei University

Book summary

Letter Writing in EnglishDr. Manoochehr Jafari Gohar

Purpose:

Being familiar with conventions of writing letters in order to be able to communicate through written text

types of letters with their special layout and format

Letter writing

Letters may be written to members of societysuch as

friends, relatives Colleagues Businessmen

they play an essential role in industry andcommerce.

The outlook

1. Social correspondence

3 subcategories

2. Business correspondence3. Mechanics of writing

social correspondence

Why?To keep in touch with those who are

important to them

business correspondence,

It plays an essential role in industry andcommerce.

A letter sent out of a company is considered the representative of the firm, its function is not limited to the transmission of information.

The mechanics of writing

It intends to help the writers to make effective use of the mechanical devices of the English writing system to convey the necessary information as clearly as possible.

Lay out

The general arrangement of the differentparts of a letter

Why is it important?a well-arranged letter is more

effective and appeals more favorably to the eye of the reader.

Lay out cont 1. Heading

2. Personalized letterhead3. Inside address4. Salutation5. Body6. Complementary close7. Signature8. Postscript (P.S)

HeadingThe writer’s address and the date

It is written at the top right hand corner of the first page of the letter.

In very informal letters, the heading may include the date only and not the address.

Would you please write it now?

Personalized letterhead

It consists of peoples’ initials or their full names and addresses printed at the top of letter papers

Inside address

The reader’s name, title (if any), companydivision or department or civic agency, and the mailing address of the receiver. At the top left hand corner of the letter singlespaced, flush with the left margin and twolines above the salutation.

salutation

The salutation is a greeting to the person towhom you are writing.

Two lines down from the inside address (ifany), or two lines up from the first sentence ofyour letter, flush with the left margin

Why is it important?

1. It is good etiquette. 2. It can help to ensure that the recipient takes the letter more seriously.

How to choose the proper one It depends on two factors: 1. The degree of formality of your letter2. whether you know the recipient’s name ornot

Example:

Dear John: to a friendDear Mr. Smith: to a manDear Miss Smith: to an unmarried womanDear Mrs. Smith: to a married womanDear Ms. Smith: to a woman whose maritalstatus is not known

Bear it in mind

You can write : “Dear Reza” but NOT dearcousin Reza.

You can write : “Dear Mr. smith” but NOT dear Mr. John Smith

BodyIt begins two lines down from the

salutation.Paragraphs are typed single spaced withdouble space between them. it is divided

into threesegments :

1. opening 2.middle 3. closing

Body: opening

the purpose of the letter the main point or important

preliminary information.

Body: middle

the purpose of writing as well as supporting, explaining and elaborating the main point.

the points that need to be made answers you wish to give or

questions youwant to ask.

Body: closing

repeat the main point(s) of the letter to inform the reader what action or response youexpect.

Bring the letter to an end with a polite wish(depending on the degree of formality)

complimentary closes

In all complimentary closes the first word iscapitalized and they are followed by a comma.

Formal and informal correspondences require different complimentary closes

Do not forget that the way you close a letterdepends on how you opened it.

Example:

Example: Very formal :Respectfully yours, respectfully, Formal :Yours Faithfully, very truly yours, Informal :Best wishes, regards

The signature block

The signature block contains your name and,in formal correspondence your title.Your letter format determines where thesignature block is placed

P.S

The postscript is typed two lines below thesignature.Postscript (P.S) is used when the writerdecides to add something to the letter whichhas been closed

Address 1 infm letters

The order for informal letters: Name ( including any titles )Street address and suite or apartment numberCity and state plus Zip CodeCountry (if sent abroad)

2 Addressing the envelope in Fm letters

The order for Formal Letters:Name of individual, company or agencyTitle of individualDepartment or division

Company, agency or institutions nameStreet address plus suite, room, floor numberPost office box number City, State and Zip Code

Types of social letters

A. Letters of social obligation: 5 typesB. Letters of friendshipC. Letters of personal business: 7 types

A Letters of Social Obligation

1) Invitations2) Replying toinvitations3) Congratulations4) Condolences5) Thank you notes

1. Invitations formal or informalFormal invitations are written in the third person.

If a reply is required, the abbreviations R.S.V.P is written in the lower left hand corner. it must includes:

the kind of occasion the placethe date the time the guests are expected to

arrive

2. Replying to invitations Give a prompt and definite answer.

If accepting the invitation, imply a “thank you” and convey the thought that you were pleased by the invitation.Example:We are delighted to accept…

If declining, a note of regret should give thereason for declining.Example:I am sincerely sorry that John and I cannot joinyour dinner party…

3. Congratulations letterWrite the letter as soon as you hear the good

news. Write sincerely and cheerfully.Mention the occasion and focus on the

special event.Congratulations are sent on different occasions

such as marriages, engagements, anniversaries, birth days, graduations and so on. Therefore, the words that you choose must be appropriate for each particular situation

Cont. Almost all congratulation letters contain a phrase or

sentence with “congratulations” or“congratulate”.

In congratulations on marriages you either write to one of the married couple or to both of them. In the former case, send best wishes to one of them and ask her/him to give your congratulations to the other one.

In congratulation letters on graduation, comment on any special effort or achievement the graduate made during his or her school or college career.

Example

Congratulations on your birthday!May an old friend congratulate you…

4. Condolences Write the letter as soon as you hear the news. The

best condolence letter is sincere and brief. People dealing with grief or shock are often unable to read long letters. A condolence letter should be written simply and clearly.

1. First, express your feeling about the loss.2. Then, express your feeling about the deceased.3. At the end, offer your help (if you wish) and close

your letter. Example:We have just heard with profound regret thesad news. Everyone who knew Jim loved him.

5. Thank you letters

They should be sent promptly and they should focus on the thank you message.

Example:My thanks for your generous hospitality…

B. Letters of Friendship

While writing letters of friendship, imagineyou are talking to the reader face to face.Start the letter with an interesting sentence and close it with a cheerful and positive note.

C. Letters of personal business 1. Letters of complaint

2. Letters of damage apology3. Letters of recommendation4. Letters of application5. Letters of request6. Letters of resignation7. Resume

1. Letters of complaintIn letters of complaint you should write

about1. the problem very precisely and clearly.

2. Mention the date, the reference number, orany other information that can help thecompany to detect the problem.

2. A letter of damage apology

In a letter of damage apology:1. first you should apologize for

the damage.2. Then, move on to explain how

you are going to compensate for the damage.

3. At the end, ensure the reader that it won’t happen again.

3. Letters of recommendation Letters of recommendation are written when acompany or a university asks you to providereferences. These letters are considered confidential and they are not always in favor of the bearer.

4. A letter of application An application letter carries the burden of

attracting attention creating interest Function:

doing a substantial part of the job ofconvincing your prospective employer to accept you

5. Letters of request

In your initial letter of request (i.e., to auniversity), you give a few facts aboutyourself and the education you havereceived.

The more detailed you are, the better. Try to tell them what you want

6. Letters of resignation

1. In a letter of resignation you start with writingabout the time you have been with youremployer

2. Then, explain the reason for resignation.

3. At the end, thank them and wish for latercollaboration.

7. Resumes (curriculum vitae) The Resume is probably the most

importantpersonal business letter.

It includes your name,address, telephone number, e-mail address,work experience, education and the nameand address of your references.

What is the difference btw CV and resume?

Business Correspondence

Business CorrespondenceThe layout :

1. Letterhead2. Dateline3. Inside address4. Reference line5. Salutations6. Subject line

7. Body8. Complimentary close9. Company signature10. Signers identification11. Reference line12. Enclosure reminder13. “cc” notation

1. LetterheadIt consists of the1. name2. the address If there is not a printed letterhead, the

sender’saddress is written on the top right hand

corner of the page.3. the telephone or fax number of

the company printed at the top of the page.

2. Dateline Dateline appears a few lines below the

letterhead on the right side of the page,otherwise, it is written below the sendersaddress. The month of the date should not be written infigures because they might confuse the reader.For example, 12.2.1990 means 12th of February 1990 in the UK, but 2nd of December in the USA.

3. Inside address It consists of the reader’s name Address written below the senders address

and on the opposite side of the page.The order of the lines is the same as the social letters. When the name of the receiver is not known,either his/her title or the name of the particulardepartment of a company can be written

4. Reference line 1. attention lineAttention line is used to alert the person you are writingto or to make sure that your letter will be opened even ifthe recipient is absent. Attention line is typed two linesbelow the inside address and may be centered on thepage or typed flush with the left. The word “Attention”is used with its first letter capitalized and followed by a colon.

2. personal and confidential

Personal and confidential words are used for strictly personal matters,and they indicate that only the recipient should open the letter.They are placed four lines above the inside address and they areunderlined.

3. other reference linesto mention some document numbers, serial numbers … The place of

other reference lines : typed four lines below the date, flush with the right margin, and on the same line as the first line of the inside address.

5. Business letters, salutation The same as social letters, but in a more formal

manner. Dear sirs: used to address a company in the UK

Gentlemen: used to address a company in the USA Dear Sir or Madam or ladies and gentlemen:Used to address a person of whom you neitherknow the name or the gender

“to whom it may concern” is used when we do not know who should read our letter.

A colon or a comma usually follows asalutation.

6. subject line The function of subject line :

Tells the reader what the letter is about, so that he can decide whether it needs immediateattention or not.The place of subject line :Below the salutation, underlined or typed incapitals

7.Body The function of the body :

The same as social letters, carries the actualmessage.The place of the body :Below the salutation or the subject line

8. complementary close The kind of complementary close depends

onthe general tone

the degree of formality of the letter

9. Company signature Company signature is used in cases when

thesigner of the letter is writing as the spokesperson for the company, and not as an individual.

10. The signer’s identification The signer’s identification includes the

signer’s name and any relevant title. It is typed four lines below the complementary close to provide enough space for the signature.

11. reference initials The function of reference initials:

shows who prepared the letter (the signer’s and the typist’s initials)The position of reference initials: usually at the bottom or sometimes on the top of the letter.

12. enclosure reminder The function of the enclosure reminder is to

help the reader not to discard the encloseditems by mistake. It consists of the word enclosure followed by a list of enclosed items

‘cc’ notation

‘cc’ notation stands for carbon copy and tellsthe reader who has been sent a copy of theletter.

Formats of Business letters1. Full-Blocked2. Blocked3. Semi-Blocked4. Square-Blocked5. Simplified

1. Full-Blocked Features:

All lines flush with the left margin,No paragraphs are indented.

2. BlockedFeatures: Date line is flush with the right margin.Heading or inside address, salutation, reference lines and paragraphs are set flush with the left margin. Complementary close and signature are aligned with the date. The date line may set at the right margin; the attention and subject lines may be centered or indented 5 or 10 spaces

3. Semi-Blocked

Features:Date is flush with the right margin, heading or inside address with the left margin. Paragraphs are indented.Complementary close and signature line are slightly to the right of the page’s center. madsg.com

4. Square-Blocked

Features: The same as full-blocked with twodifferences:

1. The date is typed on the same line as the start of the inside address.

2. Reference initials and enclosure reminder are typed on the same line as the signature

5. SimplifiedFeatures: No salutation or complementary close. All lines begin flush with the left margin.Date is six lines below the letterhead. Inside address is four or more lines below

the date lineSubject line is typed in all capital letters threelines below the inside address and above the

body. Writer’s name and title are typed in capitals

Business letters on different occasions:

1. Letters of inquiry and their replies2. Letters of order3. Letters of complains and their replies4. Letters of credit and their replies5. Letters of collection

1. Letters of inquiry The content of an inquiry letter depends on

three things:1. How well you know the supplier.2. Whether your supplier is in your country orabroad.3. The kind of goods you are inquiring about.

Structure: At the opening of an inquiry letter, tell the

supplier what kind of firm you are and howyou have come to his company. Make it clear what exactly you want them to do for you. Bring the letter to an end with a “thank you”.

Reply to it:1. Thank the inquirer, mention the date of his

letter and mention his name in your salutation!

2. Tell him if you can help him or not.3. Encourage your prospective customer to do

business with you.4. Let the inquirer know whether you are

enclosing what he has asked for or if he willreceive them later.

5. At the end encourage more inquiries!6. If a letter of inquiry asks for a product or

service which is not presented by your company, let the inquirer know that and, if possible, refer him to another supplier.

2. letters of order

Include complete, accurate information in yourorder letter because incomplete orders result indelayed delivery, and inaccurate facts result inreceiving wrong goods

3. Letters of complaint

Write the letter as soon as you discover themistake. Do not apologize for your complaint!Write firmly, but politely.Avoid unnecessary threats, exaggeratedstatements, and loss of temper.

Reply to it Replies to letters of complaint

Inform the writer that you have received the complaint and thank your customer for telling you about the problem. Tell him what you are going to do about the complaint If you accept that a mistake has taken place,explain how it has happened, but do not blamethe staff of your company Tell the customer that you will put the matters right as soon as possible in closing, assure the customer that the mistakewas an exception and apologize for the inconveniences. If you are rejecting the complaint, be firm, but polite.

4. letter of credit Open your letter of credit by stating the point

and the type of credit you want.Convince the supplier to grant you the credit, mention your previous dealings (if any), your reputation and offer references.

Reply:If you agree with the credit, you might ask formore information or set your own conditionsfor granting the credit.If rejecting, mention the reasons, but be carefulnot to offend the customer

5. Letters of collectionThe main purpose of a collection letter is to ask

you customers to pay the money they owe you. Ask for payment without offending and, consequently, losing the customer.

1. The first letter of collection is the mildest and most understanding. Because your customer might simply have made a mistake. The successive letters get stronger in tone. 2. The second request is sent if the customer doesnot answer the first request or acknowledge itbut still fails to pay

3. The last collection letter reviews the situation since the account should have been paid. You can explain that you have been patient. You may threaten to turn the matter over to a lawyer or a collection agency.

Part threeThe mechanics of writing