Letter format le
Transcript of Letter format le
Letter Format
Business Writing: Chapter 10
“Business English”
by Andrea B. Geffner
Classic Letter
Modern Letter
Photo Letter
Why is the physical
appearance of a business
letter important?
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
Once you have composed
your letter, keep in mind:
PRINTING
PARAGRAPHING
WHITE SPACING
PRINTING
letters should be:
• single-spaced
• double-spaced between paragraphs
• print = Clear & Dark
• clean from errors
(NEVER correct after printing)
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
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
Preparing a letter on a
computer will ease the job
of formatting
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
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)
FULL-BLOCKED
• All letter parts
begin at the left
margin
• It is the fastest
traditional
arrangement
style to prepare
(10-2)
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)
BLOCKED
OPTIONS:
dateline may end at the right margin
attention line & subject line may be entered or indented
(5-10 spaces)
(10-3)
SEMI-BLOCKED(10-3)
• Same as BLOCKED, but…
the beginning of each paragraph is indented
(5-10 spaces)
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
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
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)
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 (,)
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….
POSTSCRIPTS(10-7)
ENVELOPE
• Addressed to correspond with the inside address.
• State name should be abbreviated in accordance with
US postal service (ZIP-Code Style)
FACSIMILE/ FAX
Are they still in use?
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
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.