Business Letter Writing
Business letters have 9 basic components. The letter is written in block style: (1. Return Address) (Your name or company name) (Address)
John Hill 144 West Street New York, NY 11358
(2. Date) January 31, 2007
(Month, day, and year the letter was completed)
(3. Inside Address of Contact) Ms Brenda Smith (Name) Manager (Position) Big Whiz Waterworks (Company) 455 Southern Avenue (Address) Los Angeles, CA 50067 (4. Salutation) Dear Ms Smith:
(Dear + person’s name or title. End with colon)
(5. Body) (Use as many paragraphs as needed. Be polite. Clearly state purpose. Do not indent) The first paragraph of a typical business letter is used to state the main point of the letter. Begin with a friendly opening; then quickly transition into the purpose of your letter. Use a couple of sentences to explain the purpose, but do not go in to detail until the next paragraph. Beginning with the second paragraph, state the supporting details to justify your purpose. These may take the form of background information, statistics or first-hand accounts. A few short paragraphs within the body of the letter should be enough to support your reasoning. Finally, in the closing paragraph, briefly restate your purpose and why it is important. If the purpose of your letter is employment related, consider ending your letter with your contact information. However, if the purpose is informational, think about closing with gratitude for the reader’s time. (6. Closing) Sincerely Yours,
(End with comma)
(7. Signature) (Sign first and last name by hand) (8. Name and Title) Terry Henderson Executive Manager (9. Abbreviation)
(Type Full Name) (Your Title if necessary)
Enc.
(Shows if a copy was sent to someone, it there’s attachment, different typist)
Phrases to Use for a Business Letter:
Salutations: Dear Personnel Director: Dear Sir or Madam: (use if you don't know who you are writing to) Dear Dr., Mr., Ms, Mrs., Miss, or Ms Smith: (use if you know who you are writing to.) Dear Frank: (use if the person is a close business contact or friend) The Body With reference to your advertisement in the Times, rd letter of 23 March, phone call today, I am writing to inquire about... apologize for... confirm Could you possibly...? I would be grateful if you could... I would be delighted to... I am enclosing... Please find enclosed... Enclosed, you will find... Thank you for your help. Please contact us again if we can help in any way. there are any problems. you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you soon. meeting you next Tuesday. seeing you next Thursday. Closing Yours faithfully, (If you don't know the name of the person you're writing to) Yours sincerely, (If you know the name of the person you're writing to) Best wishes, / Best regards, (If the person is a close business contact or friend)