ENGLISH 4 - MIDTERM COVERAGE TECHNICAL WRITING

Topic Outline:

A. Business Correspondence
a. Letter
b. Kinds of Letter writing
c. Basic Parts of a Business Letter
d. Supplementary Parts of a Letter
e. Designs and Structures of an Effective Business Letter
f. Types of Business Letters
B. Internal Correspondence
a. The Memorandum
b. Minutes of the Meeting

BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE
Business correspondence is the exchange of information in a written format to conduct business
activities. It can take place between organizations, within organizations or between the customers and the
organization and it serves as an instrument of decision making in the business world.

Business correspondence includes all types of notes, minutes, memos, letters as well as electronic
messages.

A. LETTER
A direct, written message that is usually sent some distance from one person to another, or
even to a group of persons or an organization.

B. KINDS OF LETTER WRITING

1. Personal Letters – the most informal letters which are written in the manner of one person speaking
to another. Apart from containing the main elements, personal letters have no strict rules of style –
not even grammatical rules. Personal letters may be hand-written or typed, but they are always
signed by hand.
2. Social Letters – these are more formal letters. These include invitation and replies, letters of
congratulations, thank-you notes, and letters of condolences.
Depending on the relationship of sender and recipient, social letters may have much of the
informality of personal correspondence. In the case of invitations, however, they must be
precise: they must tell what the occasion is; give the exact date, time, and location; and tell the
name of the host or hostess.
3. Business Letters – it may be defined as a written message used to transact business that cannot be
conveniently conducted orally. They are formal and direct with no literary pretensions. Business
letters have a two-fold purpose: (1) to serve as a record and (2) to attempt to secure action from the
reader (Vicente et al., 1997).

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C. BASIC PARTS OF A LETTER

1. Return Address/Letterhead/Heading is printed at the top of the stationery (either in the upper-hand
corner, in the left-hand corner or at the center of the page). It gives the complete address of the writer
or the company. These are written from one and a half to two inches from the top of the sheet.
Two (2) Kinds of a Heading
1. Modern heading has the given computerized logo and a complete return address on it and
basically placed on top of the stationery.
2. Traditional or Conventional heading does not have any printed return address or a logo.
Therefore, the writer has to write the return address.

Rules for the return address:

a. The return address should be sufficient for postal direction such as 9700 Marawi City.
b. The street direction precedes the name of the city, town or barangay.
c. The house number should be written in Arabic figures and the word “Number” or its sign should not
precede it.
Incorrect: No. 79 Molave Street
# 79 Molave Street
Correct: 79 Molave Street
d. Street numbers less than ten (10) are usually spelled out.
e. Do not omit the words “Street, Avenue”, etc.
Avoid abbreviation in the heading

2. Dateline or Date is written in the same format with the return address. If stationery with a printed
letterhead is used, the date may be written at the right of the page or at the center unde r the return
address. The date is placed for the purpose of recording business events. It consists of the day, the
month and the year and should be written in full.
Undesirable: Desirable:
12/21/16 December 21, 2016
December 21, ‘16 21 December 2016
Dec. 21, ‘16
12-21-16

3. Inside Address should be consistent with the format of the heading. It contains address of the individual
(position, if any) or department or unit, the name and the firm to whom the letter is written. The first
line of the inside address may start on the second or until the fourth line space below the date.

Engr. Saem D. Abdulcarim

Dean of College
Philippine Engineering and Agro-Industrial College, Inc.
Marawi City, Philippines

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4. Salutation is the greeting of the letter to the addressee. Its formality should match that of the
complimentary close. A colon follows the salutation, except in the full block format. It always started at
least one a a half inches from the left margin, two spaces below the last line of the inside address.

FORMAL USUAL INFORMAL

Dear Sir: Dear Mr. Mariano: My dear Professor Sanchez:
Dear Madame: Dear General De Leon: My dear Mr. Alvarez:
Ladies and Gentlemen: Dear Professor Santos: My dearest Sir/Madame:
Dear Mesdames: (plural)
Sirs: (plural)
Sir/Madame:
5. Message or Body of the Letter refers to the actual message, which is presented between the salutation
and complimentary close. It includes an introduction, body and conclusion. Single spacing within the
paragraphs; double spacing between the paragraphs. Its format should be consisted with the style of the
heading and the inside address. The first paragraph of the body is written two spaces below the
salutation.
6. Complimentary Close is a conventional farewell to the readers. It should be written two spaces below
the last line of the body. Only the first letter of the word is capitalized. A comma is used to punctuate
the complimentary close.
FORMAL INFORMAL IMPERSONAL, commonly used
Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely, Yours truly,
Faithfully yours, Yours cordially, Yours very truly,
Respectfully yours, Sincerely yours, Very truly yours,
Very respectfully yours, Cordially yours,

7. Writer’s Identification consists of the writer’s full name (Given Name, Middle Name and Family Name)
and the work position (if there is).

8. Signature authenticates the statements that precede it. It is usually written four spaces between the
complimentary close and the writer’s name to give enough spaces for the penned or handw ritten one.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY 1.
1. In a clean sheet of bond paper, write a personal letter to someone you really want to talk to but you’re
not able to have a chance, such as your celebrity crush/idol, long lost friend, childhood friend, special
someone or your crush.
2. Your letter must include all the basic parts of a letter with its corresponding rules.

MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT 1.
1. Write a social letter, specifically an invitation (wedding, birthday or party) to your English Instructor.
2. Print your invitation letter in a special paper and make it artistic as possible.

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MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT 2.
Bring the following materials in class in our next meeting:
1. Six (6) white short bond papers.
2. One long size white plain envelope.
3. One long size white window envelope.

D. SUPPLEMENTARY PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

1. Reference Initials these are the initials of the encoder and the dictator. Its included only for the
writer’s administrative purpose of reference. It is written two spaces below the writer’s
identification at the left-hand margin.

Example: csf: DCB

( csf is the initials of the typist or encoder, DCB is the initials of the sender of the letter)

2. Enclosure Notation, written directly below the reference initials. It is written for verification
purpose only that something is enclosed or included with the letter.

Example:

Enclosure: Resume
Photocopy of Official Transcript of Records
Photocopy of certificates

3. Attention Line is used when a letter is addresses to a company in general. This device i s used for the
purpose of directing the letter to the attention of a specific person or group within the company
that can take care of the message. Written two spaces below the inside address and should be
centered.

Example: Attention: Dr. Dave Balaba

ATTENTION: BEED – Gen.Ed Students

Attention to MR. Juan Dela Cruz

4. Subject Line is a device used by the writer if he wants the reader to know in advance the subject
matter of the message. It is written in two spaces below the salutation.

Example: Subject: General Orientation

5. Carbon copy Furnished, a duplicate copy of the letter sent to the intended recipient or the
addressee. The notation cc (in small letters) is written below the reference initials and is indicated in
all copies of the letter furnished.
6. Blind Carbon Copy Furnished is used when the writer send copies of the letter to other people other
than the addressee. The notation bcc is written only at the photocopied copy but never on the
original copy.

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7. Postscript (PS) is used when the writer forgets to include an important point in the message. This is
use only if the writer uses typewriter machine but never a computer. Yet, in the modern time, there
are still other people who use such device for the purpose of “emphasis.”
E. DESIGNS AND STRUCTURES OF AN EFFECTIVE BUSINESS LETTER
1. Appearance.
The writer should determine the approximate length of the letter and type it with approximately the
same margins all around. This is centering the letter. Each element of the letter should be separated
from the others by double-spacing and should be placed in its correct position relative to the whole.
Nothing should be allowed to extend over the margin, not even the signature. In other words, if the
letter is very short, try to adjust the spacing that would center the letter entries. The appearance
therefore, should be properly balanced.
2. Margins
Each margin should be at least one inch wide, but using one -and-a-half inch margins can make a
letter both easier to read and move visually appealing. If your letter is less than half a page long,
your top margin should be even larger. As a general rule, begin the letter far enough down on the
page that the signature falls below the page’s center point. You may also need to add extra space to
the top margin to accommodate an oversized logo on letterhead stationery. Generally, you should
always leave two line spaces between a logo and the beginning of your letter.
3. Line Spacing
A letter should be single-spaced, with an additional line space inserted between paragraphs in the
letter’s body. One line space should also be placed between most of the components of a letter.
Three line spaces are usually used to separate the return address from the date and the
complimentary close from the name typed below the signature.
4. Letter Formats/Styles
The arrangement of business letters varies from company to company. There is no standard style
that has been definitely established. However, there are companies that prefer one particular style
over the others. Thus, prior to the submission of the letter to the company, the writer has to know
in advance the preferred or observed format used by the company.

_____ ______ . ______ .

_____ ______ ______
_____ ______ ______

_____ ______: ______:

____________________ _________________ ____________
____________________ _________________ ________________
____________________ _________________ _______________
____________________. _ _____________. __________.

______ _____, . ______, .

______ ______ . ______ .

Full Block Block Modified Block

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_____ _ _____ ________________

_____ _____ ___________
______ _____ ______
______
_____:
______: ___________________ ______
__________________ _________________ ______
_____________________ _________________ ___________
_____________________ _________________ __________________
______________. _________. __________________
___________.
_____, . ______ .
_____ . ____ .
_____

Indented Hanging-Indented Simplified

5. Letters of More than One Page

If a letter runs longer than one page, at the top of all succeeding pages, add a heading that lists the
following:
 The recipient’s courtesy title and full name
 The page number preceded by the word Page
 The date of the letter

Atty. Kristine Dalisay Page 2 December 21, 2016

Atty. Kristine Dalisay

Page 2
December 21, 2016

6. Envelope
A legal size envelope (plain white long-size envelope) should be used especially when submitting an
application letter.
a. Window Envelope is one that has an open space or a space covered with transparent paper,
through which the address on the letter enclosed is visible. Intended to save typing tume,
this kind of envelope is generally used for bills and statements.
b. How to Fold a Standard Letter

Unfolded first fold second fold

c. Ways of putting the address in the Envelope

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CHARLENE C. BUHAYANG
STA.BARBARA, PANGASINAN
JOHARA C. BAYABAO
JOHARA C. BAYABAO JBM CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
JBM CONSTRUCTION COMPANY 2428 URDANETA CITY, PANGASINAN
URDANETA CITY, PANGASINAN
2428

Back of the envelope

F. TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTERS

1. Letter of Inquiry and Reply Letter. These are short letters that ask questions and their reply.

Parts of the Letter of Inquiry: Parts of the Reply Letter:

a. Reasons for the inquiry a. Acknowledgment of the inquiry
b. Facts needed by the reader, enumerated, or in b. Answer of the question in full
question form c. Gratitude and an expressed wish for future
c. Gratitude for the favor requested communication

2. Order Letter and Acknowledgment Letter.

Parts of the Order Letter: Parts of the Acknowledgment Letter:

a. Name of the article ordered a. Acknowledgment of the order
b. Description of the item: size, style, finish, b. Gratitude and an expressed wish for future
quality, material, weight, etc. communication
c. Number/page of the item in the catalogue if
available
d. Units/quantity of the items ordered
e. Unit and total price of the items
f. Method of payment
g. Manner of delivery
h. Date when the goods or services are required

3. Letter Giving Instructions. This is usually sent to subordinates or to others in the workplace who
need information and advice. These usually take the form of memos and are either sent, handed, or
e-mailed to the recipient.
Parts of the Letter of Instruction:
a. Reason for the letter
b. Detailed instructions
c. An expression of cooperation and opening the way for further correspondence

4. Claim Letter and Letter of Adjustment. These are used whenever a misunderstanding arises
between two parties. It aims to express what has been wrong or unfair in a given transaction and
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ask for justification or rectification on the alleged error in a certain transaction. It should be written
with strict clarity, courtesy, and honesty which are essential for maximum effectiveness.

Parts of the Claim Letter: Parts of the Letter of Adjustment:

a. Complete statement of what is wrong
b. Statement showing the inconvenience
experienced by the writer
c. Request for adjustment
d. An appeal for fair play of the reader
a. Expression of interest, sympathy, or apology
b. Clear and complete statement of the facts for
an understanding of the adjuster’s point of
view
c. Offer of a fair adjustment to both parties
d. Assurance that the situation will not happen
again and the establishment of goodwill

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY 2.
BUSINESS LETTER WRITING

MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT 3.
 Photocopy a sample memorandum and bring it to the class next meeting.
Note: the sample memo will be used in the quiz.

INTERNAL CORRESPONDENCE

A. THE MEMORANDUM
- Commonly called memos are brief written messages sent within an organization. Sharing
information between people and divisions is essential to smooth and effective operations i n
business and industry. It is designed to meet internal communication need.

Parts of a Memo

1. Caption. The word “MEMO” or “Memorandum” should be placed at the top of the page.
2. TO Line. The name of your audience. You can name one person, or you can name a group. On occasion
you may need to name several readers who are not connected by unit or committee. In this case, you
may simply list their names connected by commas or in column-style list.
3. FROM Line. List the name or names of the sender of the message. If you are the only person responsible
for sending the message, your name appears. If the memo comes from a group, then the group name is
listed. Don’t forget to write your initial or sign your full name after you typed name in the FROM section.
Initialing or signing is especially important on memos that may deal with important legal or
organizational matters. In addition, your initials or signature tells the reader that you accept full
responsibility for the message.
4. DATE Line. Usually appears after TO and FROM and before the SUBJECT line or in the upper right corner
across from the TO line.
5. SUBJECT Line. Logically appears as the last of the headings. It summarizes the main point of message. It
should be brief and should capture the reader’s interest.

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6. First sentence. It is an explanatory sentence which precedes the main idea. It expresses the following:
a. Polite request
b. Polite command
7. Body. Provides the details of the memo. If you would like to ask several data, group smaller information
logically, and then list them by using side headings in bold print, number/letter them or apply bullets.
8. Closing of the Memo. It should be ended clearly. When no action is requested a simple closing though,
is necessary. Memos maybe ended with any of the following:
a. Request for action
b. Summary of the message
c. Closing thought

B. MINUTES OF THE MEETING

- A written record of proceedings in a meeting. It includes the date, time, presiding officer, the
members who are present and absent. Everything that is talked about in the session es pecially
important information must be recorded accordingly. The length of the minutes of the meeting
depends on the proceedings of the meeting. In writing the minutes, use past tense.

Three Parts of Minutes of the Meeting:

1. Call to Order is the announcement establishes that the meeting is legally called which facts the
secretary may enter in the minutes. In addition, opening ceremonies, greetings, introduction and
ceremonial rites that they observed as the custom of the organization are put into records.
2. Agenda is a list on program of thing to be done, as at a meeting is the blueprint of a meeting; it provides
the sequence in which business will be introduced and may include the hours at which certain items will
be presented.
3. Adjournment is to put off to another day or place, as a meeting or session; to postpone or suspend
proceedings for a special time. Adjourn means to terminate a meeting. The motions to adjourn take one
of the following forms. It is therefore advantage for the transcriber to decode texts f rom various
speakers to bring with him a tape recorder for easy task.

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