PARTS OF THE BUSINESS LETTERS

1. Letterhead
2. Dateline
3. Inside Address
4. Salutation
5. Body of the Letter (Message)
6. Complimentary Close
7. Signature Line
8. Reference Initials

1. The Letterhead

- official paper on which the company business letters

are written.
❖ design should be simple (not too many
colors, not too many words)
❖ design should not detract or draw attention
from the important issue- message of the
letter
❖ preferably white paper, high quality, short size
bond paper; easiest to read; most professional
looking (although colored paper can make a
certain statement about the company)

- letter heading on which certain important information

about the company is printed.
❖ complete name, mailing address, email
address, fax numbers and contact numbers,
official cell number of the company

Letterhead is normally printed at the top of the page.

However, it is now common to see the information split:
one part at the top of the paper while the rest of the
information can be found at the bottom of the paper.
 2. The Dateline

-the date the letter is written (use the date the letter
was finished)
-natural order is considered the simplest way:
Month-Day-Year

Example: March 7, 1974

- dates should never be abbreviated and Th, st, d, etc.

should never be used after the day of the month.

Examples: August 26, 1998 not August, 26, 1998

January 9, 2002 not 1/9/2002
June 14, 2003 not June 14th 2003

3. The Inside Address

- full name of the receiver with a title of respect (Mr.,

Miss, Mrs.)
❖ receiver’s name must be correct, and correctly
spelled
❖ make sure to use the preferred name
- full name of the company that the receiver represents
- full address of the company represented by the
receiver
(Titles, streets, cities and states must be spelled out)
Examples:
Traditional Contemporary

Mr. Bill Matthew A. Cruz Mr. Bill Matthew A. Cruz

Chief Executive Officer Lego Enterprises, Inc.
Lego Enterprises, Inc. 19 Ramos Street
19 Ramos Street Cebu City, 6000
Cebu City, 6000

Having the position or title of the receiver has become

more of a choice rather than a requirement
- should be exactly the same as the address on the
envelope; ZIP CODE must be included
- should have three or more lines
- Miss, Mrs. and Ms.(if marital status is not determined)for
woman
- Mesdames (Mmes.) if women comprise the firm
- Mr. and Messieurs (Mssrs.;plural)for man
- “Doctor” may be abbreviated
Example: Dr. Dominic A. Villanueva
- “Reverend” should not be abbreviated but has to be
preceded by “The”
Example: The Reverend R. C. Salazar
- “Professor” is used for professors in Colleges and
Universities. If only the surname appears, abbreviation is
not used.
Example: Professor K. Cortez
Prof. Karl Cortez
-Titles or Positions may either precede or follow a name
Example: Mr. Dennis A. Go, President
Toyland Company

Supervisor Isabel Guanzon

Miss Lannie Dizon

Secretary
- “Honorable” for Senators, Congressman, members of
the Cabinet, Judges of Courts or persons who hold
important positions in the city, province or country

4. The Salutation

- a greeting and an expression of courtesy to put the

reader in a friendly reception frame of mind:
formal version
❖ only the receiver’s surname followed by a
colon (:)
❖ used to someone who is not close to you or
a stranger
 Example: Dear Mrs. Mendoza:

informal version
❖ receiver’s first name or even nickname and a
comma(,)
❖ do away with the little respect
❖ used to a personal friend with regular
correspondence

Examples: Dear Samantha,

Dear Sam,

- Don’t guess, do some research if not sure of the

receiver’s gender; simply use the person’s full name

Examples: Dear Kyle Lim

Other Salutations:

❖ “Gentlemen” (not Dear Sirs)

-company, committee, organization composed
of men and women.
❖ “Ladies or Mesdames”
-company or organization composed entirely
of women
❖ “Greetings, Mr. Dy ” or “Hello Mr. Yu”
(Unusual salutations) –sales promotion and
advertising

5. The Body of the Letter or Message

- most important part of the letter

- consists of full message of the letter and reasons why
the letter is written
- begins two spaces below the salutation(or two spaces
below the subject line, if there is)
- long letters are single spaced and short letters are double
spaced
- name or initial of the addressee, page number and
date must be written on the second page all in one line;
with the same size, color and quality as the letterhead
sheet.
Example: Mr. Benedict G. Ang – 2 - April 22, 2007
B.G.A – 2 – April 22. 2007

6. The Complimentary Closing

- to close the letter with a cordial expression

- observe the same degree of formality as in the
salutation
- begins at the same horizontal point as your date,
regardless of the style being used
- positioned two spaces below the last line of the body
- “Sincerely yours,” most preferred, easiest, the all-
purpose closing; only the first letter of the first word is
capitalized; ends with a comma(,)
- “Respectfully yours” occasionally used in addressing
high church official or anybody to whom one would like to
show respect

7. The Signature Line or Block

- identifies the writer through the printed name and

signature(not to sign a letter personally is considered
discourtesy)
- positioned four spaces below the complimentary close and
the writer signs his name between the complimentary
close and the printed name
Example:
Sincerely yours,

Mary Jaz A. Son

8. The Reference Initials

- initials of the dictator and the typist positioned at the

lower left corner of the letter; two spaces below the
signature line
Example:
Sincerely yours,

L.A.M/V.D.A.

-typist’s initials appear singly if the dictator’s name is

typed below his signature
Example:
Sincerely yours,

Londelyn A. Mendoza

V.D.A.

SPECIAL PARTS OF THE BUSINESS LETTERS

1. Attention Line
2. Subject Line
3. Enclosure Notation
4. Cc Notation
5. BCC Notation
6. Postscripts

1. The Attention Line

- when a letter is addressed to an individual in a

company but is not exclusively intended for him
- placed between the inside address (two spaces below it)
and the salutation; either at the left or in the center

Example:
Lego Enterprises, Inc.
19 Ramos Street
Cebu City, 6000

Attention: Mr. Bill Matthew A. Cruz

Gentlemen:

-“Gentlemen” not Mr. Mendoza if the an attention line is

used

2. The Subject Line

- to immediately inform the reader what the letter is

about
- placed between the salutation(two spaces below it) and
the body of the letter properly centered

3. The Enclosure

- a reminder that there is an enclosure typed under the

typist’s initials (two spaces below it)
- correct number follows if there is more than one enclosure
Example:
E.G.A. E.G.A. D.A.M. / L.G A.
Enclosure Encl.2 Check enclosed

4. CC Notation

-“carbon copy”, entered after the enclosure or reference

initials if copies of the letter are to be sent to others aside
from the reader.
 Example:
E.G.A. E.G.A.
Encl.2 Cc. Director
Cc. Director Kids’ Center
Kids’ Center

Cf-“copy furnished” is now used since carbon paper is no

longer used as almost all letters now are computerized

5. BCC Notation

- “blind carbon copy” if the writer doesn’t want his reader

to know that he is sending a carbon copy of the letter to
another person

6. Postscripts

- “P.S.or N.B.(nota bene, “note well”) emphasize a point

made elsewhere in the letter
- may make a special offer and are designed to draw
special attention
- placed two spaces below the last line of the letter