WRITING

EFFECTIVE
LETTERS
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Let us now take a closer look at the
layout of the sample letter and
explain what each part contains
briefly.
 ♦ The letterhead states the name
of the company, address and
telephone number (if any) of the
person writing the letter.

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 ♦ A heading can substitute for a
letterhead if the company or the writer
has no stationery with a letterhead.

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 ♦ The date line indicates the date
when the letter was written.

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 ♦ The inside address tells whom the letter is addressed. It
includes the name of the person written to (if used), his/her
position, the company name and the company address.

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 ▰ A salutation is a formal or an informal
greeting used to open a business letter. The
salutation used should have the same
degree of formality as observed in the
complimentary close.
▰ For Men
▰ Sir:
My dear Sir:
Dear Sir:
My dear Mr. _____: Dear Mr. _____:
▰ For Women
▰ Madam:
My dear Madam: Dear Madam:
My dear Ms. _____: Dear Ms. _____

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 The body of the letter
contains the message
making it the most
important part of the
letter. It aims to get
something done.

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• The complimentary close is a polite and
courteous way to end a letter. It should
have the same degree of formality as the
salutation. Note that you capitalize only
the first word, and there is a comma (,) at
the end.
Most formal: Respectfully yours, Yours
respectfully,
Formal: Very truly yours, Yours very
truly,
Less formal: Very sincerely yours,
Yours very sincerely,

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 After the complimentary close,
the letter writer affixes his/her
signature to indicate that he/she
is really the sender of the letter

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♦ Stationery—The paper used for business
letters should be of high quality. The most
common color is white. However, the colors
beige, grey, blue and mustard are already
being used. The usual size of the paper is 8
1⁄2 ×11 inches.

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 Most companies use stationeries
with letterheads. Some are simple
while others are elaborate. There
are even letterheads with embossed
or printed logos or designs.

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 ♦ Business Envelopes—The most used business
envelopes are the ordinary business reply ones
(size no. 10) and the window type ones (9 1⁄2 × 4
1/8). The window type envelope is usually used
when sending checks and bills.

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 Folding the Letter—For a size no. 10 business reply
envelope, the letter should be folded into three.
First, place the letter face up on a table. Next, fold
the bottom one-third of the letter toward the top.
Then, fold the top downward. Be sure that the top
portion of the letter is bigger than the folded two-
thirds.

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 Folding the Letter—For a size no. 10 business reply
envelope, the letter should be folded into three.
First, place the letter face up on a table. Next, fold
the bottom one-third of the letter toward the top.
Then, fold the top downward. Be sure that the top
portion of the letter is bigger than the folded two-
thirds.

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 Addressing the Envelope—The return
address is typed two spaces from the top of
the envelope and three spaces from the left.
The name, address and zip code of the
addressee is typed 2 1⁄2 in. from the top and
4 in. from the side.

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