Unit 1: letter layout

4 Inside addressSurname known  Write it as first line of the inside address  Include: • Courtesy title: Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Dr, Prof.. 4 Inside addressName not known  If you only know

Commercial Correspondence

COURSE INTRODUCTION

Objectives

 To provide practical help for students of

business and commerce in writing commercial correspondence, mainly letters and emails

 To explain how to write clearly and effectively, and point out the do’s and don’ts within the

specific areas of business writing.

 Resumés

 Application letters

Commercial Correspondence

Unit 1

Letter Layout, Content and Style

1 Sender’s

address

Compuvision Ltd Warwick House

Warwick Street Forest Hill

London SE23 1JF

Telephone +44 (0) 20 8566 1861 Facsimile +44 (0) 20 8566 1385 Email staff@comvis.co.uk

www.comvis.co.uk

In company’s

letterhead:

Formatted in

various ways British Crystal Ltd

GLAZIER HOUSE – GREEN LANE – DERBY DE1 1RTTELEPHONE: +44 (0) 1332 45790 – FACSIMILE: +44 (0) 1332 51977

Email: jayn@crystal.com - www.britishcrystal.com

2 References Bredgade 51 DK 1260

Copenhagen K DENMARK

Your ref 6 May 20 Our ref DS/MR

 At least one blank

line below the

DS/mr

2 References ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES LTD 29-31 Broad Street

Birmingham B1 2HE Tel 0121-542 6614

661/17

3 Date Bredgade 51 DK 1260

Copenhagen K DENMARK

Your ref 6 May 20 Our ref DS/MR

Date: 11 May 20

 At least one blank

line below the

Birmingham B1 2HE Tel 0121-542 6614 DS/MR

September 7, 20

4 Inside

address

ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES LTD

29-31 Broad Street Birmingham B1 2HE Tel 0121-542 6614

 One to ten blank

lines below the

date and always

begins at the left

4 Inside address

Surname known

 Write it as first line of the inside address

 Include:

• Courtesy title: Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Dr, Prof.

• The person’s full name (or with initials for

given names):

Mr John Smith or Mr J.E Smith

4 Inside address

Name not known

 If you only know the person’s job title, you

can use that in the inside address, e.g.

The Sales Manager, or The Finance Director

 Alternatively, you can address to a particular department: The Accounts Department

 Or you can address to the company itself:

Compuvision Ltd, or Messrs Collier

5 Attention line

 Alternative to the recipient’s name or job title

in the inside address

 Should be underlined or printed in bold or

CAPITALS, e.g.

For the attention of the Sales Manager

ATTENTION: MS TERRY ROBERTS

 A blank line below the inside address.

 From left margin or in the middle of the page.

6 Salutation

Addressing people you know their names:

 but do not know them well: use title &

surname, do not include initials or first names:

Dear Mr Smith / Dear Miss Lee

NOT Dear Mr J Smith or Dear Mr John Smith

 and you know them well: use just first name

(without title): Dear John / Dear Mary

Note: A comma after the salutation is optional

In American English, a colon is used instead.

7 Subject title

 Directly after the salutation and separate from

it by a blank line.

 Can be from the left margin or in the middle

 Can begin with or without “ Re: ” or “ Subject: ”

 Should be underlined or printed in bold or

CAPITALS

International Conference – 24 August 20…

or Re: ORDER NO 8901/6

8 Body of the Letter

 The actual message of your letter

 Leave a line space between paragraphs

optional, but consistent with

when letter begins:

Dear Sir Dear Sirs Dear Madam Dear Sir or Madam

Dear Mr Smith Dear Mrs Bolan Dear Caroline Dear Sam

10 Sender’s identification

 Type name and job title below handwritten signature.

 Can give either your initials or full name

DAVID JENKINS D Jenkins

 Add a title for a female in brackets before

or after the name

Lesley Bolan (Mrs) (Ms) B Kaasen

Sales Manager Director

10 Sender’s identification

 Write your job title or department directly

beneath your name

 When signing a letter on behalf of the

sender, write “ pp ” or “ p.p ” or “ for ” in front

of the sender’s printed name, e.g.

Yours faithfully

Shirley Johnson

pp Edward Nathan

11 Enclosures

 A line space below the sender’s identification

 Consisting of the word: “ Enc ” or “ Encl ”

followed by a list of the enclosed items, e.g

Enc Bill of Lading (3 copies)

Insurance certificate (1 copy)

12 Copies

 At least a blank line below the sender’s

identification or the Enclosures

 Consisting of the word: “ C.C ” or “ Copy ”

followed by the name/s and designation/s of the copy recipient/s, e.g

C.C Ravi Gopal, General Manager

Candice Reeves, Accountant

Letter Layout

 Full-block format:

 all letter parts begin at the left margin;

 paragraphs are not indented;

 paragraphs are separated by double

spacing

Letter Layout

 Block format:

 The sender's address, date, references,

and closing part are to the right of the

center, or may end at the right margin.

 Attn and subject lines may be centered, or begins at the left margin, or indented 10

spaces from the left margin.

Structuring the body

4-Point Plan

1 Opening or Introduction

2 Central section (details)

3 Conclusion (Action or Response)

4 Close

Structuring the body

1 Opening or Introduction (state the reason)

• acknowledge previous correspondence

• refer to a meeting or contact

• provide an introduction to the matter being

discussed.

E.g Thank you for your letter of …

Further to our telephone conversation today,…

I am interested in holiday No J/M/3, the

South Vietnam tour.

Structuring the body

2 Central section (details)

• Give information to the recipient

• Request information

Structuring the body

3 Conclusion (Action or Response)

• State the action expected from the recipient

• State the action you will take as a result of the details provided

E.g. Please let me have full details of the costs

involved.

If payment is not received within seven days, this matter will be placed in the hands of our solicitor.

Structuring the body

4 Close

Usually, a simple one-line closing sentence

E.g. I look forward to meeting you soon.

A prompt reply would be appreciated.

Please let me know if you need any further

information.

Incomplete sentences like these should not be used:

Hope to hear from you soon.

Content and Style

1 Remember your ABC (Accurate, Brief,

and Clear)

2 Be courteous and considerate

3 Include all relevant details

4 Use active, not passive voice, when

possible

5 Be consistent

1 Remember your ABC

Accurate

 Check facts carefully (titles, names, dates, references, prices, measurements…)

 Proofread thoroughly (tenses, spelling,

grammar, punctuation, enclosures…)

1 Remember your ABC

Brief

Keep sentences short and use simple

expressions

It’s better to use the second way of

expression in the following examples:

o We would like to ask you to…

 Please

 I am pleased to tell you

1 Remember your ABC

Brief

o We do not anticipate any increase in prices

o I should be grateful if you would be good

enough to advise us

o We would like to express our regret at being

unable to fulfill your requirements.

1 Remember your ABC

Clear

 Plan before you start writing Make sure you say everything you want to say, and in a clear

sequence.

 Use simple English.

 Avoid formality and familiarity.

 Do not use abbreviations that your reader may not understand.

 Write numbers in words as well as in figures.

2 Be courteous and considerate

 Should not be so simple that it becomes rude.

 Avoid using short forms like “I’ll” or “don’t”

 Understand and respect the recipient’s point of view.

 If you feel some comments are unfair, be tactful and try not to cause offence.

 Reply promptly to all communications If you

cannot, write a brief note and explain why.

2 Be courteous and considerate

Instead of

We cannot do anything

about your problem.

Your television’s guarantee

is up, so you will have to

pay for it to be fixed.

you’ll get your money back

prices have gone through

the loan will be repaid prices have increased rapidly

3 Include all relevant details

Instead of

My flight arrives at 3.30

on Wednesday.

Our Sales Manager will

contact you soon.

4 Use active, not passive voice

Active voice: more personal, natural and

focused: more interesting and clearer.

Passive voice: creates a distance

4 Use active, not passive voice

Instead of

Arrangements have been

made for a repeat order to

be despatched to you

immediately.

The cause of the complaint

has been investigated.

Write

I have arranged for a repeat order to be sent to you today.

I have looked into this matter.

4 Use active, not passive voice

Passive voice, however, would be more

appropriate in some occasions as follows.

 Giving extra emphasis to a particularly

important noun

Instead of: All the leading hotels in Singapore

recommend our service.

Say: Our restaurant has been recommended by

all the leading hotels in Singapore.

4 Use active, not passive voice

Passive voice, however, would be more

appropriate in some occasions as follows.

 Placing focus on the action not the actor

The noise was heard all over the island.

 When you want to hide something or tact is important.

An unfortunate mistake was made.

Write: I confirm my reservation of a single room

on 16 July and a double room on 17 October.

Practice 1 Answer the following questions

1 What are the important parts of a business letter?

2 Where and how do you write the date? Give

examples.

3 Where do you write the inside address?

4 How do you write the inside address when you

know the recipient’s surname? Give an example.

Practice 1

Answer the following questions

6 When do you write “Dear Sir” or “Dear Sirs” in the salutation?

7 How do you address a person in the salutation when you know his/her name? Give examples.

8 How do you end a letter which begins with “Dear Sir

or Madam”?

9 How do you end a letter which begins with “Dear

Mrs Brown”?

10 What does the signer do to let the recipient know

that the signer is male or female?

Practice 2: Write a letter in the block

format with the following details

 Ngày viết: ngày hôm nay

 Người gửi: Thang Long Garment Export Co., 264 Minh Khai Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Ha Noi, Viet Nam

 Người nhận: J.C Gilbert Ltd, Columbia House, Aldwych,

London WC2, UK

 Ký thư là ông Nguyễn Nam, chức vụ Giám đốc Kinh doanh.

 Nội dung thư: Được biết về J.C Gilbert Ltd qua quảng cáo của họ trên tờ “Textile World”, và đề nghị họ gửi các mẫu thiết kế áo len nữ mới nhất (Viết ngắn gọn)

 Tham chiếu: NN/tb (hoặc chữ cái đầu tên anh/chị)