letter format le
TRANSCRIPT
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Letter Format
Business Writing: Chapter 10
“Business English”
by Andrea B. Geffner
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Classic Letter
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Modern Letter
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Photo Letter
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Why is the physical
appearance of a business
letter important?
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Letter Content vs. Letter Appearance
The letter appearance = the physical condition of a letter
that makes the first impression on your reader
The look, arrangement, print quality, etc. of your letter
produces an opinion on your reader before actually
reading even 1 word you have written
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Once you have composed
your letter, keep in mind:
PRINTING
PARAGRAPHING
WHITE SPACING
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PRINTING
letters should be:
• single-spaced
• double-spaced between paragraphs
• print = Clear & Dark
• clean from errors
(NEVER correct after printing)
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PARAGRAPHING
• Place paragraph breaks at logical points
• Present paragraphs in a even appearance
A 1-line paragraph followed by an 8-line paragraph looks bottom heavy
Paragraphs of approximately same length please the eye
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WHITE SPACEBesides PARAGRAPHING…
(white space between paragraphs)
• Leave space by entering the body of your letter on the page
• Ample margins of white space should surround the message
(top, bottom, right, left)
• If a letter is brief, avoid printing too high on the page
• If a letter is long, do not hesitate to use an additional
sheet of paper
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Preparing a letter on a
computer will ease the job
of formatting
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Parts of a business letter
Letterhead
Dateline
Inside Address
Attention Line
Salutation
Subject Line
Body
Complimentary Closing
Company Signature
Signer’s ID
Reference Initials
Enclosure Reminder
“Cc” Notation
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ARRANGEMENT
STYLES• The vertical placement of letter parts is standard/Rigid
• The horizontal placement of letter parts may vary/Flexible
There are 5 basic business letter styles:
Full-Blocked (10-2)
Blocked (10-3)
Semi-Blocked (10-4)
Square-Blocked (10-5)
Simplified/Ams (10-6)
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FULL-BLOCKED
• All letter parts
begin at the left
margin
• It is the fastest
traditional
arrangement
style to prepare
(10-2)
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BLOCKED• All letter parts begin at the left margin, except:
dateline
complimentary signature
writer’s ID
They start at the horizontal center of the page
(10-3)
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BLOCKED
OPTIONS:
dateline may end at the right margin
attention line & subject line may be entered or indented
(5-10 spaces)
(10-3)
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SEMI-BLOCKED(10-3)
• Same as BLOCKED, but…
the beginning of each paragraph is indented
(5-10 spaces)
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SQUARE-BLOCKED(10-5)
• Same as Full-Blocked with 2 changes:
date appears on the same line as the inside address
& ends at the right margin
Reference initials & enclosure reminder appear on the
same lines as the signature & signer’s identification
• This arrangement saves space allowing long letters to fit
in one page
• Make sure that the inside address won’t run into the
dateline
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SIMPLIFIED/AMS(10-6)
Same as full-blocked, but…
• no salutation or complimentary closing
• entirely capitalised subject line (without the word “Subject”)
• signer’s ID is printed in all capitals
• lists are indented 5 spaces unless they’re
1. numbered or
A. lettered
Note: Add NO PERIODS after the number or letter
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SIMPLIFIED/AMS
• Extremely efficient style
• Requires less time to prepare than other styles
BUT….
• It is IMPERSONAL, reason why the reader’s name
should be mentioned at least ONCE in the body of
your letter
(10-6)
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PUNCTUATION
STYLESThe only letter parts to be followed by punctuation marks are:
• Salutation
• Complimentary Closing
• Body (following the general punctation rules)
OPEN:
No punctuation is used except in the body.
STANDARD:
Salutation is followed by a colon (:)
Complimentary closing is followed by a comma (,)
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POSTSCRIPTS
• It is advisable to AVOID postscripts
• When a letter is well-planned, all the pertinent information
is found in the BODY.
• If a PS is required, it must be arranged as the other
paragraphs in the letter and preceded by “PS” or “P.S.”
PS: Let me remind you of….
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POSTSCRIPTS(10-7)
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ENVELOPE
• Addressed to correspond with the inside address.
• State name should be abbreviated in accordance with
US postal service (ZIP-Code Style)
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FACSIMILE/ FAX
Are they still in use?
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FACSIMILE/ FAX
• A facsimile is an exact copy of a document of written or printed material
• Transmitting a letter by facsimile is:
faster that by regular mail
BUT…
slower than by email
• Any letter in a standard format may be faxed
• Letters are preceded by a cover sheet with specific data
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FACSIMILE COVER
SHEET• Recipient’s name, company name, fax number
• Sender’s name, company name, fax number (if not in the letterhead)
• Date
• Total number of pages (including the cover sheet)
• Brief summary identifying the contents of the fax.