Parts of the Business Letter 1. Letterhead is the heading at the top of a sheet of letter paper.
It usually consists of a name and an address, and a logo or corporate design, and sometimes a background. Letterhead may also refer to a piece of letter paper imprinted with such a heading. There are various legal constraints on the items included in a letterhead, for example in England and Wales it may include the names of all directors or none, but not a selection.
2. Date line is used to indicate the date the letter was written. However, if your
letter is completed over a number of days, use the date it was finished in the date line. the recipient after your own address. Include the recipient's name, company, address and postal code. Add job title if appropriate. Separate the recipient's name and title with a comma.
3. Inside Address - In a business or formal letter you should give the address of
4. Attention line is used when the inside address does not include either the name
of an individual or the name of the department. It appears two lines below the inside address. The word attention may have an initial capital letter or appear in all capitals. The use of a colon after the word is optional.
5. The salutation appears two spaces beneath the inside address and usually begins with the conventional greeting Dear followed by the title and name of the addressee. No punctuation follows the salutation in open punctuation style; in standard punctuation style, a colon (formal letters) or comma (informal letters) follows the salutation.
6. Subject Line (optional) - Its inclusion can help the recipient in dealing
successfully with the aims of your letter. Normally the subject sentence is preceded with the word Subject: or Re: Subject line may be emphasized by underlining, using bold font, or all captial letters. It is usually placed one line below the greeting but alternatively can be located directly after the "inside address," before the "greeting." 7. The body is where you explain why youre writing. Its the main part of the business letter. Make sure the receiver knows who you are and why you are writing but try to avoid starting with "I". Use a new paragraph when you wish to introduce a new idea or element into your letter. Depending on the letter style you choose, paragraphs may be indented. Regardless of format, skip a line between paragraphs.
8. Complimentary Close - This short, polite closing ends always with a comma. It
is either at the left margin or its left edge is in the center, depending on the Business Letter Style that you use. It begins at the same column the heading does. The traditional rule of etiquette in Britain is that a formal letter starting "Dear Sir or Madam" must end "Yours faithfully", while a letter starting "Dear " must end "Yours sincerely". (Note: the second word of the closing is NOT capitalized) 9. The signature and Writer's name- you should sign your first and last names. The signature line may include a second line for a title, if appropriate. The signature should start directly above the first letter of the signature line in the space between the close and the signature line. Use black ink. 10.Designation is where the letter is going or it also refers to the receiver's address
11. Reference initials: If someone other than the originator of the letter keys it,
key the keyboard operator's initials in lowercase letters at the left margin, a DS (double space) below the writer's name.
12. cc: (carbon copy) - These initials are followed by a name or column of names,
indicating those people to whom a copy of the letter is being sent to. (Onesided inked carbon paper slipped between two pieces of paper was once the
method used for duplicating copies of correspondence, hence use of the word "carbon" in this notation).
