The Essential Parts of the Business Letter

1
The Essential Parts of the Business Letter

• The Heading the letterhead and
• date.
• The Inside Address.
• The Salutation.
• The Body of the Letter.
• The Complimentary Close.
• The Signature.

Saudi Cable Company
200 King Abdullah Road
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 11220
October 20,
2006 AL-Fowaz and Broths, Co. 110 New
Street Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2600 Gentlemen
????????????????????????????????????????????????
???????????????????????????????????. Sincerely
yours, Ali Ahemed Ali AL Ahemed
2
Heading (letterhead and date)

• It is usually printed, showing the name
• and address.
• The date is typed two spaces below
• the last line of the letterhead.
• The exact position of the date
• depends on the design of the
• letterhead and the style of the typing.
• If the heading not printed, it must be typed in
  the upper right-hand part of the letter sheet,
  with at least an inch margin at the top and to
  the right.
• The words avenue, street, etc., are not
  abbreviated.

Saudi Cable Company 200 King
Abdullah Road Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
11220
October 20, 2006
3

• Numbered streets up to ten are spelled out, but
  numbered streets beyond ten are written in
  figures.
• Do not use st, nd, rd or th when figures are
  used for numbered streets or for days of the
  month in the dates.
• The name of cities must be written in full, but
  the name of states should be abbreviated.
• Be sure to include the ZIP Code.
• Do not abbreviate the names of the month in the
  date line and place a comma between the day of
  the month and the year.

4
The Inside Address

• It gives the name and address
• of the firm or individual to whom
• the letter is addressed.
• It is placed at the left-hand side of
• the sheet, at least two spaces below
• the heading.
• The inside address must occupy
• at least three lines.
• The exact position of the inside address
• depends on the length of the letter and
• the size of the sheet.

Saudi Cable Company
200 King Abdullah Road
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 11220
October 20, 2006 AL-Fowaz
and Broths, Co. 110 New Street Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia 2600
5

• Regardless of the letter style, such words as
  Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., etc., must always appear
  before the name.
• if the person to which the letter addressed has
  an official or business title, this should appear
  after the name, either next to it or on the
  following line.
• Do not abbreviate official or business title.
• If there is apartment, room, or suite number, it
  should be placed after the street address on the
  same line.

6
Salutation

• Placed two spaces below the inside address, flush
  with the left-hand margin.
• The first and last words and every noun are
  capitalized.
• A colon () follows the salutation
• except in open punctuation.
• Common used forms of salutation
• are singular form (Dear Mr., Mrs.
• or Ms.).
• Plural form (Gentlemen or Ladies).
• Other forms could be used.

• Mr. Saad Al yousef
• AL-Fowaz and Broths, Co.
• 110 New Street
• Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2600
• Gentlemen Dear Mr. AL yousef
• ?????????????????????????????????????????????????
  ????????????????????????????.

Mr. Saad Al yousef AL-Fowaz and Broths, Co. 110
New Street Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2600 Gentlemen
Dear Mr. AL yousef ??????????????????????????????
???????????????????????????????????????????????.
7
The body of the letter

• A business letter should be clear, concise,
• and direct. It is suggested that
• make sure that the subject matter of the
• letter is presented in well-organized
• paragraph.
• Use words that are in common, accepted
• usage, avoid slang or trite expressions.
• be careful of the spelling of the words.
• Use capital letters where necessary and
• punctuate to make your meaning clear.
• It is advisable to keep copies of business
  letters for future reference.

AL-Fowaz and Broths, Co. 110 New Street Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia 2600 Gentlemen ???????????????????
??????????????????????????????????????????????????
???????????.
8
The complimentary close.

• It is placed two spaces below the body
• of the letter.
• It appears at the right-hand side of
• the sheet except in the full-block
• style in which appears at the left-hand
  margin.
• It is omitted when the simplified style is used.
• Only the first word of the complimentary close
• is capitalized.
• A comma is placed at the end, except when open
  punctuation is used.

????????????????????????? ???????????????????????
? ???????????????.
Sincerely yours,
9
The signature.

• it is placed directly below
• the complimentary close.
• It must be handwritten in ink, and
• legible.
• No punctuation follows the signature.
• Titles or degrees, such as Mr.,
• Ph.D., etc., are not used in with
• the signature.
• The name of person who
• signing the letters is typed four spaces
• below the complimentary closing.
• If the simplified style is used the complimentary
  
• close is omitted and the signature line is
  typed four spaces below the body.

????????????????????????? ????????????????????????
???????????????.
Sincerely yours,
Ali ALahmed Ali
ALahmed Manager
--------------------------------------------

Sincerely yours,
Saudi Gulf Co.
10

• An official title, if used, is placed directly
  below the typewritten name.
• In business letters, if the pronoun W is used
  instead of I, the name of the firm appears
  before the writers signature. The firms name is
  typed two spaces below the complimentary closing
  followed by the writers name four spaces below
  the firms name.
• When a secretary signs the employers name to a
  letter the employer dictated, the secretary
  places his or her initials directly below the
  handwritten signature.
• When a secretary signs a letter in his or her own
  name, he or she indicates that.

11
Some Special Features of the Business Letter

• The personal notation
• The reference line
• The attention line
• The subject line
• The identification line
• The enclosure notation
• The mailing notation
• The carbon copy distribution notation
• The postscript

12

• The personal notation
• If the letter is a confidential, and it is
• wanted to be read only by
• a particular person, the word personal
• or confidential is used .
• such notation should appear four spaces
• above the inside address as well as in the
  envelop.
• The reference line
• It can refer to a bill, an order, a code or
• a letter.
• It is typed four spaces below the date
  line.

Date Personal INSIDE ADDRESS
Date
Refer to File No. 550 INSIDE ADDRESS
13

• The attention line
• if you want your letter is directed
  to the
• attention of a particular person, use the
  attention
• line. It is placed two spaces below the
  inside
• address and two spaces above the
  salutation.
• It may be flush with the left-hand margin
• indented five spaces, or centred.
• Because the letter directed to the firm, a
  plural salutation is required.
• The subject line
• It indicates the subject matter of the
  letter
• and makes it unnecessary to devote the
  first
• paragraph to giving this information.
• this line is generally centred on the same
  with
• the salutation or two spaces below.
• If the full block style is used, type the
  subject line flush with the left hand margin two
  spaces below the salutation. Place a colon after
  the word Subject and use initial capital letters
  for all important words. If the simplified style
  is used, the subject line is typed in all capital
  letters, but Subject is omitted.
  

INSIDE ADDRESS Attention Mr. AL ahemd
Gentlemen
SALUTATION ---------Subject
or Subject Shipping Policy
14

• The identification line.
• It made up of the initials of the name of
• the person who dictated the letter and those
  
• of the secretary or typist. The initials may
• be in capital letters, in all small letters,
  or in
• capitalized letters for dictator and small
  letters
• for the secretary or typist. It is usually
  typed two spaces below the signature, flush with
  the left-hand margin.
• The enclosure notation.
• when the letter has enclosure, the notation
  is typed directly below the identification line,
  flush with the left-hand margin. Either the
  entire word enclosure, or its abbreviation, Enc.
  Or Encl. be used. If there is more than one
  enclosure, the number should be indicated.

// signature // SJW
am Enclosure or 2 Encls.
15

• The mailing notation.
• This notation states the method of mailing
  whether the letter is sent registered, airmail,
  special deliveryetc,.
• it is typed directly below the
  identification
• line or enclosure notation. It serves as a
  record
• to indicate that the letter was sent by
  other than
• regular mail.
• The carbon copy distribution notation.
• this notation states that a carbon copy of
  the letter is being sent to another person. It is
  typed two spaces below all other notation, flush
  with the left hand margin. Either the word Copy
  to or the abbreviation cc may be used.
• The blind carbon copy notation (bcc) is
  used when the addressor does not wish to indicate
  the distribution of the carbon copies to the
  addressee. It appears on all internal copies, but
  not on the letter sent to the addressee.

// signature // SJW
am Enclosure or 2 Encls. Special Delivery cc Mr.
Saad
16
The Forms and Mechanics of Business Letters

• Letter Forms
• Block Form
• Semi-block
• The Complete-block
• Simplified Letter
• The Hanging-indention From

17
The Block Form

• It is the most widely used form today.
• the block form takes its name
• from the fact that the inside
• address, the salutation, and
• the paragraphs of the letter are
• arranged in blocks without indention.
• Two spaces between each unit and
• a single space within
• the unit.

///////// Letterhead //////////
///////////////////////////////////////
Date //////////////////
////////////// //// Inside Address//// ///Salutat
ion/// //////////////////////////////////////////
//// ////////////////The Body //////////// ///////
//////////////////////.
Complementary Signature
18

• The open form of punctuation should always
  accompany the block form.
• The block form offers two definite advantage
• It offers time saving, because each part of
  letter except the date, the complimentary
  closing, and the signature is aligned with the
  left-hand
• margin.
• Second, it is widely acceptable today.

19
The Semi-block

• This form is exactly like the block form
• except for the indention of paragraphs.
• Most general practice is to indent 10
• spaces.
• Many typists let the salutation govern
• the spaces in the indention.
• For instance, if the salutation and
• the name of the individual whom
• the letter addressed to occupy 20 space,
• the spaces in the indention will be 20
• space.

///////// Letterhead //////////
/////////////////////////////////////
Date ////////////////
//////////////// //// Inside Address//// ///Salut
ation/// indention //////////////////////////////
////////////////The Body ////////////
/////////////////////////////.
//Complementary close//
//Signature//
20
The Complete-block

• The basic principle of this form is to
• bring all the elements of the letter to
• the left-hand margin.

///////// Letterhead //////////
///////////////////////////////////// //
Date// //////////////////////////////// ////
Inside Address//// ///Salutation/// ////////////
//////////////////////////////////////////////////
/////////////////////////// ////////////////The
Body //////////// /////////////////////////////.
//Complementary Close// // Signature//
21
Simplified letter

• The main characteristics of this form are
• The complete elimination of the salutation
• and complimentary close and the left-hand
• format, which is in general like that of the
• complete-block.

///////// Letterhead //////////
///////////////////////////////////// //
Date// //////////////////////////////// ////
Inside Address//// /////////////////////////////
//////////////////// ////////////////////The Body
//////////// //////////////////////////////. //
Signature//
22
The hanging-indention form

• It is acceptable in sales letters. The block form
• with open punctuation is used in the inside
• address within the body of the letter, the first
• line in each paragraph is brought out to the
  left
• margin, but every other line in each paragraph
• is indented five spaces. This form is effective
• in attracting attention because of its different
• arrangement from the common letter
• arrangement.

//////////// Letterhead //////////
//////////////////////////////////////////

Date //////////////////////////////// //// Inside
Address//// ///Salutation/// ///////////////////
/////////////////////////////////
////////////////The Body //////////// ////////////
////////////////////////////////////////.
/////////////////////////////////////////////

Complementary
Signature
23
Mechanics of the Letter

• Arrange and center the letter on the page for
  symmetry and balanced appearance.
• Select letterhead and stationery on the basis of
  simplicity of design and quality.
• In the salutation and complimentary close
  capitalize only the first letter of the first
  word, except for proper names and titles.
• The salutation and the complimentary close should
  agree in tone.
• Punctuate the salutation with a colon () and
  complimentary close with a comma (,).
• Company policy should determine the signature.
• Signature should be legible.
• The date is usually written in the upper
  right-hand margin.
• The salutation should agree with the first line
  of the inside address.
• The second page of the letter should not be on
  letterhead paper and should be clearly numbered.
• The initials of the dictator and the stenographer
  as well as a reference to any enclosures should
  be indicated at the bottom of the letter.
• Envelopes should give the compete address.