Writing a formal letter

BUSINESS ENGLISH Writing a formal letter The basics of good business letter writing are easy to learn. The following guide provides the phrases that are usually found in any standard business letter. This basic of business letters are important because certain formulas are recognized and handled accordingly. Think of a basic business letter in three steps: 1. Introduction - The reason for writing The introduction helps the reader understand in which context the letter should be considered. Possibilities include job interview inquires, business opportunity requests, complaints, and more. Each type of business letter has its own standard phrases which you can find in this this guide to different types of business letters. 2. Details - What you would like to accomplish The detail section of a business letter is extremely important. This is where you achieve your goals in writing a business letter. 3. Conclusion / Next Steps - What you would like to happen in the future Provide a call for future action. This can be a chance to talk in person, a follow-up letter or more. It's important and expected to make it clear what you would like for the next step from the person reading your business letter. The phrases presented in this guide provide a frame and introduction to the content of business letters. At the end of this guide, you will find links to sites that give tips on the difficult part of writing successful business letters - arguing your business objective. By using these standard phrases, you can give a professional tone to your English business letters. Once you understand these basics, you can refine your business letter writing skills by focusing on different types of business letters, as well as other business documents to refine your skills for your business needs at your employers or your own small business organization. The Start The start of any business letter begins by addressing the recipient of the letter. Dear Personnel Director, Dear Sir or Madam: (use if you don't know who you are writing to) Dear Dr, Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms Smith: (use if you know who you are writing to, and have a formal relationship with - VERY IMPORTANT use Ms for women unless asked to use Mrs or Miss) Dear Frank: (use if the person is a close business contact or friend) Note: If you are unsure how formal you should be, always choose a more formal form. Writing to a specific person is always preferred if at all possible. The Reference Begin by referencing a specific conversation or other contact means. If this is the first letter in a conversation, you can also provide the reason for writing. With reference to your advertisement in the Times, your letter of 23 rd March, your phone call today, Thank you for your letter of March 5 th . The Reason for Writing I am writing to... ... inquire about ... apologize for ... confirm ... comment on ... apply for Examples: I am writing to inquire about the position posted in The Daily Mail. I am writing to confirm the shipment details on order # 2346. I am writing to apologize for the difficulties you experienced last week at our branch. Once you have introduced the reason for writing your business letter, move on to stating more specifically the purpose of your letter. Here are a number of possibilities: Requesting Could you possibly? I would be grateful if you could Agreeing to Requests I would be delighted to Giving Bad News Unfortunately I am afraid that Examples: Could you possible forward your job requirements? I am afraid that I will be able to attend the conference next week. I would be delighted to give you a tour of our facility this coming month. Enclosing Documents I am enclosing Please find enclosed Enclosed you will find Closing Remarks Thank you for your help Please contact us again if we can help in any way. there are any problems. you have any questions. Reference to Future Contact I look forward to ... hearing from you soon. meeting you next Tuesday. seeing you next Thursday. The Finish 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) Sample Letter Here is a sample letter using some of these forms: Ken's Cheese House 34 Chatley Avenue Seattle, WA 98765 Tel: Fax: Email: kenny@cheese.com October 23, 2006 Fred Flintstone Sales Manager Cheese Specialists Inc. 456 Rubble Road Rockville, IL Dear Mr Flintstone, With reference to our telephone conversation today, I am writing to confirm your order for: 120 x Cheddar Deluxe Ref. No. 856 The order will be shipped within three days via UPS and should arrive at your store in about 10 days. Please contact us again if we can help in any way. Yours sincerely, Kenneth Beare Director of Ken's Cheese House More Detailed Help with Business Letters If business letter writing is important to your career, I'd consider purchasing 3,001 Business and Sales letters. This reasonably priced package provides templates of English business letters for just about any business situation imaginable. For more detailed help with standard business writing skills, I highly recommend these business English books. Now that you understand basic business letter writing style, you can use this guide to different types of business letters to refine your skills for specific business purposes such as making inquiries, adjusting claims, writing cover letters and more. Accessed on 03 September 2012 http://esl.about.com/cs/onthejobenglish/a/a_basbletter.htm Look at the layout!! http://www.office.xerox.com/small-business/tips/business-letter/enus.html proofreading! For more ideas visit: http://www.savvy-business-correspondence.com/BlockBizLetter.html http://www.wordle.net/delete?index=5713724&d=ARAX The last line is typist's initials.. the sample is takesn: Your Address 1 The return address of the sender so the recipient can easily find out where to send a reply to. Skip a line between your address and the date. (Not needed if the letter is printed on paper with the company letterhead already on it.) Date 2 Put the date on which the letter was written in the format Month Day Year i.e. August 30, 2003. Skip a line between the date and the inside address (some people skip 3 or 4 lines after the date). Inside Address 3 The address of the person you are writing to along with the name of the recipient, their title and company name, if you are not sure who the letter should be addressed to either leave it blank, but try to put in a title, i.e. "Director of Human Resources". Skip a line between the date and the salutation. Salutation 4 Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. Last Name:, Dear Director of Department Name: or To Whom It May Concern: if recipient's name is unknown. Note that there is a colon after the salutation. Skip a line between the salutation and the subject line or body. Subject Line (optional) 5 Makes it easier for the recipient to find out what the letter is about. Skip a line between the subject line and the body. Body 6 The body is where you write the content of the letter; the paragraphs should be single spaced with a skipped line between each paragraph. Skip a line between the end of the body and the closing. Closing 7 Let's the reader know that you are finished with your letter; usually ends with Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Thank you, and so on. Note that there is a comma after the end of the closing and only the first word in the closing is capitalized. Skip 3-4 lines between the closing and the printed name, so that there is room for the signature. Signature 8 Your signature will go in this section, usually signed in black or blue ink with a pen. Printed Name 9 The printed version of your name, and if desired you can put your title or position on the line underneath it. Skip a line between the printed name and the enclosure. Enclosure 10 If letter contains other document other than the letter itself your letter will include the word "Enclosure." If there is more than one you would type, "Enclosures (#)" with the # being the number of other documents enclosed, not including the letter itself. Reference Initials 11 If someone other than yourself typed the letter you will include your initials in capital letters followed by the typist's initials in lower case in the following format; AG/gs or AG:gs. http://www.business-writing-course-on-cd.com Watch the video Helen Wilkie Move on to writing a cover letter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4XCn4VLfM8&feature=related brevity clarity sincerity one more cover letter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGFJszbVcM8&feature=related short and clear and helps students find their golden path. http://www.career.uci.edu For further reading! You may want to know more about: spaces in intended way of the letter layout http://www.writeexpress.com/business-letter-format.html