PART OF BUSINESS LETTER

A business letter is usually a letter from one company to another, or between such organizations and their customers, clients and other external parties. The overall style of letter depends on the relationship between the parties concerned. Business letters can have many types of contents, for example to request direct information or action from another party, to order supplies from a supplier, to point out a mistake by the letter's recipient, to reply directly to a request, to apologize for a wrong, or to convey goodwill. A business letter is sometimes useful because it produces a permanent written record, and may be taken more seriously by the recipient than other forms of communication.

What is a personal business letter? It is a letter that and written by an individual and mailed to a company, business, or government agency. It is more formal than a personal letter or note.

A business letter is a formal letter with six parts:

1.       The Heading

The heading contains the return address with the date on the last line. Sometimes it is necessary to include a line before the date with a phone number, fax number, or e-mail address. Often there is a line skipped between the address and the date. It is not necessary to type a return address if you are using stationery with the return address already imprinted, but you should always use a date. Make sure the heading is on the left margin.

Example:

Ms. Jane Doe

543 Washington St

Marquette, MI 49855

Tel:

Fax:

Email:

June 28, 2011

2.       Recipient’s Address

This is the address you are sending your letter to. Be sure to make it as complete as possible so it gets to its destination. Always include title names (such as Dr.) if you know them. This is, like the other address, on the left margin. If a standard 8 ½” x 11” paper is folded in thirds to fit in a standard 9” business envelope, the inside address should appear through the window in the envelope (if there is one). Be sure to skip a line after the heading and before the recipient’s address, then skip another line after the inside address before the greeting. For an example, see the end of this sheet for a sample letter.

3.       The Salutation

The salutation (or greeting) in a business letter is always formal. It often begins with “Dear {Person’s name}.” Once again, be sure to include the person’s title if you know it (such as Ms., Mrs., Mr., or Dr). If you’re unsure about the person’s title then just use their first name. For example, you would use only the person’s first name if the person you are writing to is “Jordan” and you’re not sure if he or she is male or female.

The salutation always ends with a colon.

4.       The Body

The body is the meat of your letter. For block and modified block letter formats, single space and left justify each paragraph. Be sure to leave a blank line between each paragraph, however, no matter the format. Be sure to also skip a line between the salutation and the body, as well as the body and the close.

5.       The Complimentary Close

The complimentary close is a short and polite remark that ends your letter. The close begins at the same justification as your date and one line after the last body paragraph. Capitalize the first word of your closing (Thank you) and leave four lines for a signature between the close and the sender’s name. A comma should follow the closing.

6.       The Signature Line      

Skip at least four lines after the close for your signature, and then type out the name to be signed. This often includes a middle initial, although it is not required. Women may put their title before had to show how they wish to be addressed (Ms., Mrs., Miss).

The signature should be in blue or black ink.

Enclosures

If you have any enclosed documents, such as a resume, you can indicate this by typing “Enclosures” one line below the listing. You also may include the name of each document.

Special Parts of a Business Letter

In addition to the six regular parts of a business letter, sometimes special or

optional parts are necessary or wanted by the writer:_

The Reference

This consists of the word Ref (short for Reference) followed by a colon (:) and

specific information, often a serial or reference number. It is usually placed

between the date and the inside address.

e.g.

Nov 10, 200-

Ref : MHI/KSL/10/90

Soren Construction Co.

4335 Broadway

Indianapolis, IN 46305

USA

The Attention Line

When a letter is addressed to a company or organization rather than an

individual, an attention line may be given to help in mail delivery.

NB An attention line is never given when the inside address contains a person's

name.

Attention lines are typically directed to: Sales Division, Personnel Manager, etc.

or it may contain the individual's name. The attention line contains the word

Attention (or Attn) followed by a colon (:) and the name of the office,

department or individual. It is placed between the inside address and the

salutation.

e.g.

Soren Construction Co.

4335 Broadway

Indianapolis, IN 46305

USA

Attention: Mr Charles Graham

Dear Sirs:

Subject: Rough Terrain Crane RK250-II

The Title or Section Name

This is placed one space below the typewritten signature to identify the writer's

position and/or the section s/he works in.

e.g.

Sincerely yours,

Peter Monet

Sales Representative

The Identification Line

When the person whose signature appears on the letter is not the person who

typed the letter, there is an identification line. It consists of two sets of initials

separated by a colon. Usually, the sender's initials are capitalized and the typist's

are in lower case. The identification line is two spaces below the signature and

even with the left margin.

e.g.

Sincerely yours,

Peter Monet

Sales Representative

PM : dap

Enclosure

When something is enclosed with the letter, an enclosure line is usually typed

one space below the identification line and even with the left margin. If there is

no identification line, the enclosure line is two spaces below the signature. It is

usually written Enc followed by a colon (:) and information.

e.g.

Sincerely yours,

Peter Monet

Sales Representative

PM :dap

Enc: Brochures

Copies to (cc:)

When a copy of a letter is sent to another person, the letters cc followed by a

colon (:) and the name of the person to whom the copy is being sent is typed

one space below the enclosure line (or the identification line if there are no

enclosures). If there is no identification line, it appears two spaces below the

signature. The letters ‘cc’ traditionally stand for ‘carbon copy’.

e.g.

Sincerely yours,

Peter Monet

Sales Representative

PM:dap

Enc: Brochures

cc: Mr. Kevin Walker

REFERENCE :

https://www.nmu.edu/writingcenter/parts-business-letter

http://www.shc-creo.co.jp/EigoNet/PDFs/bus_lets.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_letter