Letter Writing

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Course Objectives
Aims to augment student’s overall
communication and interpersonal skills by
making them realize the importance of
good oral and written English Language in
professional life.
To enrich reading capability and inculcate
business sense with special emphasis on
expanding vocabulary, grammatical
formations and analytical ability.
Write business documents clearly,
concisely and analytically in correct syntax.
Speak coherently, concisely in social and
professional environment.
What is a Letter?
“A written or printed communication
directed to a person or organization.”

Letters may be created and sent

as:
E-mail or electronic transmissions
Hand-delivered transmissions
Regular mail transmissions
Business letters are
documents created to:
 Persuade or inform readers (Ex: a letter
from a candidate requesting your vote)

 Analyze a concept or situation (Ex: a

letter from the human resources manager
explaining the new payroll deposit system
to company employees)

 Propose a solution (a letter offering a plan

to reduce or prevent school violence)

 Correct some perceived error or

miscommunication. (Ex: a letter to a
Letter Writing Etiquette
Etiquette is good manners or appropriate or accepted social
practices that reflect and promote civility.

When should you write a letter?

To thank someone who has been gracious, kind or helpful to you.

When you need assistance or answers to help you make intelligent

decisions.
To respond to a letter or letter request that you have recently

received.
To create legal documents that record information and support claims.

To show that you are a courteous, professional, detail- oriented person

who is aware of etiquette.

To write a complaint for something/someone.
Letter Mechanics:
1. Pronoun (Point of View)
The use of personal pronouns is

important in letters . . . I, he, she, it, we,

they, you
In a letter, do not refer to yourself in the

third person by using one or the writer.

It is perfectly natural and appropriate to

refer to yourself as I and to the reader as

2. Focus and Specificity
Be Focused; however, avoid long
sentences.

Don't be so concise that your tone is

blunt.

Use terminology and concepts related to

the industry / field. (Jargon may not be
appropriate in business writing. )

Avoid vagueness. Be specific in your

requests or statements of facts.
3. Active vs Passive Voice
Examples
PASSIVE Sentence : It was discovered that the
salary totals were incorrect.

Who discovered “it” [the problem]? The

underpaid employee, The payroll specialist,
The Accounting Department, An Intern, The
IRS? (Be specific.)

Revised ACTIVE sentence: The Accounting

Department discovered that the salary totals were
incorrect.
Parts of a Business Letter
 Sender’s address and date (Include
telephone number and email if available)
 Inside Address (recipient’s address) -person
receiving the letter
 Salutation (greeting)
 Body (paragraphs) -The message
 Complimentary Close - Yours faithfully or Yours
sincerely
 Signature Line (with or without title) -Write
name in block letters
 Enclosure (optional)
 cc notation (copies sent to others)
 Sender/typist initials (optional)
Letter head 1. Block
Style
(Simplified)
Letter
Format
SAMPLE
Everything flush
to left margin
with no indents.

Signature Block: Align this with the

Complimentary Close. Leave four blank lines
to sign your name. Don’t forget to sign your
name exactly as you typed it. Your title is
optional and depends on the relevancy and
degree of formality you need or want to
establish.
 Business Letter - Content
Each paragraph in the business letter
should contain different topics.

The first paragraph should grab

attention and state the reason for the
letter.

The middle paragraphs, as in most

letters, should support your reason and
go into details.

In the final paragraph, it professional

etiquette for the writer to thank the
reader for taking his or her time to read
 Closing
The end of a business letter marks the
biggest difference between business and
personal letters.

The ending of a business letter usually

states ‘Sincerely,’ followed by three
blank lines for the writer’s signature and
then the writer’s typed name.
Enquiry Letters
ENQUIRIES
Letters of enquiry describe what the writer wants
and why.
 Solicited enquiry: An enquiry made in response
to the seller’s advertisement and publicity.
 Unsolicited enquiry: An enquiry made by the
buyer’s own initiative.
 Enquiry for some favor: An enquiry not about
goods but about some other information, may be
about some special price or some favorable terms.
 Routine enquiry: An enquiry made by an old
buyer in the usual course of business.
A letter of enquiry should be:
 Straightforward, compact and courteous;
 Positive and confident in tone;
Content
Subject Heading:
This should inform the reader that this is
an enquiry or request; e.g.
o Enquiry about Textbooks
o Request for Brochure
o Query about Website
o Question regarding Product
Components
First Paragraph
This should tell the reader what you want; e.g.

1. Please send me... (for things that the organization

offers to send)
2. I would be grateful if you could tell me... (for
things that are not normally offered)
3. I am writing to enquire whether... (to see if
something is possible)
 
4. I would especially like to know... ( + a more
detailed request)
5. Could you also... ( + an additional enquiry or
request)
Second Paragraph
This paragraph tells the reader why you are
contacting his or her organization, and gives
further details of the enquiry.
There are two reasons why you may
contact an organization:
1. you have contacted this organization
before, and want to again.
2. you have not contacted this organization
before, but you have heard about them. You
should describe from where, such as from
an advert or a recommendation;
Example openings for the
second paragraph
• I saw your advert in the HK
Daily on Tuesday, 22
September 2009.
• Your company was
recommended to me by Ms.
Elsie Wong of Far Eastern
Logistics
Final Paragraph
This paragraph should contain a polite
expression and/or an expression of thanks
to the reader.
The degree of politeness (and therefore the
length), depends on how unusual or
difficult your request is.
Final Paragraph
Possible language includes:
1. Thanks. (For a very informal and normal
enquiry or request)
2. I look forward to hearing from you.
3. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
4. Thank you for your assistance.
5. Thank you very much for your kind assistance.
6. I appreciate that this is an unusual request, but
I would be very grateful for any help you could
provide. I look forward to hearing from you.
If you think the reader might have further questions, you
can suggest that he or she contact you; e.g. 'If you have
any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me'.
 1
Golden Gate Engineering
Prince Square,
Prince Street,
Dehradun
 
24 September 2009

Pro-Skills Training Centre

Jubilee Building
Silver Road
Dehradun

Sub: Enquiry about Quality Control Course

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to enquire whether  your company could offer a

course on Quality Control for our managers.
I saw your advert in the HK Daily on Tuesday, 22 September
2009, and the Quality Control Training Course (Ref.: QC 101 )
mentioned in the
advert might be suitable for us. I would like to know if it is
possible for you to offer a 3-month training course starting
before or, at the latest,
on Monday, 12 October 2009, for a group of 20. Could you
send us some information about the teaching staff and the
possible schedule for
this course?
I am looking forward to receiving your reply.

Yours faithfully,
(signature)
David Mathur
Sales Letter
 A document designed to generate sales
 Convinces the reader to place an order; to
request additional information; or to lend
support to the product or service or cause
being offered
 Influences the reader to take a specific
action by making an offer – not an
announcement
Sales Letters
 Grab the reader’s attention
 Highlight the product’s appeal
 Show the product's use
 Conclude with a request for action (buy it!)
 Appeal to the reader with reader-centered
issues (health, convenience, service, saving
money…)
 Use concrete words and colorful verbs
 Be ethical and truthful
 Don’t brag or go on
Advantages Of Sales Letter
They are less costly
They are convenient
They are effective

specific
They are addressed to a
audience or target market
They can be very
comprehensive. They can fully
explain things regarding a product
Commandments
1. Focus on what your prospect wants, needs,
hopes, dreams, and desires … or appeals to
their emotion
2. Always write to someone specific.
3. Get your readers’ attention immediately!
4. You must write to sell!
5. Don’t put them to sleep
6. Please tell them exactly what you want them
to do.
7. Never use negative tone in a letter.
SAMPLE LETTER
[Senders Name]
[Address line]
[State, ZIP Code][Letter Date]
[Recipients Name]
[Address line]
[State, ZIP Code][Subject: Normally bold, summarizes the intention of
the letter] -Optional-

Dear [Recipients Name],

It is with great pleasure and pride that we introduce to you our newest
product ? the 64-inch plasma screen television.

It is the first of its kind to hit the market, and it comes with a lot of fantastic
features. It is a digital television, so you do not have to subscribe to pay TV. It
is 3D enabled which means you can watch it in 3D so long as you have the 3D
glasses. It has a Bluetooth feature and many other incredible features all at a
reasonable price.

We welcome you to sample our new product.

Sincerely, 

[Senders Name]
[Senders Title] -Optional-
[Enclosures: number] - Optional - 
FOLLOW-UP ON A SALES OFFER (Main
Body of Letter)
Last month I sent you our catalogue and gave
you the opportunity to order merchandise at a
drastically reduced price. This offer ends soon,
and I haven't heard from you, so I can't help but
think you have overlooked this unusual
opportunity.

You have often mentioned how satisfied your

customers have been with our merchandise, and
I know how important it is for you to please
them. Maybe this is the time for you to take a
minute and browse through our catalogue again.

In addition to offering a payment plan to fit your

COMPLAINT LETTER SAMPLE (Main Body
of Letter)
I had availed Packing and Moving Services from your
company for my house-hold goods from New Delhi to
Chandigarh by road on 2 June2018. I made a
payment in advance of Rs 7000, a copy of which is
attached.

The delivery date for my goods was 06 June 2018,

but the same was completed on 18 June 2018; a
delay of twelve days. I had to rent essential items for
this interim period and endured unexpected financial
expenditure. I have suffered immense mental and
physical strain.
Instead of an apology from your representative; I was
asked to make the remaining payment of Rs 5000
without which he refused to offload my goods.
ORDER LETTER SAMPLE (Main Body of
Letter)
Thank you for sending the catalogue/quotation so promptly. It
arrived really quickly within two days of my request. We are
SL. Description Quantity Weight Unit
glad to place our first order with you for the followingAmount
items:
No: price (Tk.)
1 Enamels 25 Tins 100 1bs 1000 25.000
paint
2 Synthetic 20 Tins 2001bs 2000 40.000
paint
3 White paint 10 Tins l0 lbs 500 5.000
70,000
The above goods are required immediately as our stock is
about to exhaust very soon. We request you to send the goods
through your “Motor” van as the carriage inward is supposed to
be borne by you.

We shall arrange payment within ten (10) days to comply with

5/10, Net 30 terms. Please send all commercial and financial
documents along, with goods. We reserve the right to reject the
Course Outcomes
Demonstrate the ability to listen and read
attentively, express ideas with clarity in
both oral and written communications.
Exhibit contextually correct ideas for a
specific audience and purpose in the
business world.
Demonstrate spoken competency in
contextual business environment.
Exhibit competence to write business
correspondence strategically in correct
English.
Critically evaluate written text and form an
References
 www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/powerpoints/how_t
o_write_a_letter.ppt

 www2.econ.iastate.edu/classes/econ292/deiter/Letterwrit
ing.ppt

 writing.pppst.com/letters.htmlclassroom.jc-

 schools.net/samst/Unit1/friendlyletters.ppt

 https://ylejoe.wikispaces.com/file/view/Formal+letters.ppt
Thank You