Types of Business Writing
2
in unmistakable terms. One way to write clearly is to use
simple, direct language. Instead of “We beg to advise you
that Mr. Quest is out of town at this time,” write “Mr. Quest
is away.” Instead of “Enclosed please find,” just say “Enclosed”
or “Here is.” Don’t use heavy closing statements like
“Thanking you in advance, I am” or “Anticipating the
pleasure of an early reply, we remain.” Just say what you
have to say, and close with “Sincerely yours.” When it’s
necessary for you to sign the employer’s name (always sign
in ink, preferably black ink), put your initials directly under
your employer’s signature.
Conciseness
By conciseness, we mean that unnecessary information
should be omitted from the letter. You should always avoid
lengthy, repetitive explanations. Get to the point.
Conciseness also means avoiding wordy, repetitious phrases.
See Figure 1 for examples of wordy phrases and more concise
ones to replace them.
Completeness
You must never leave information out of a letter just to make
the letter shorter. Remember that the purpose of the letter is
to convey a message, and your message should be complete.
Before you start the letter, make a checklist of each item that
should be discussed in the letter, and make sure that all of
the important items are included. Once the letter is written,
read through it to make sure that you’ve included each of the
items you’ve listed and haven’t included extra items which
aren’t essential.
Courtesy
The success of a business office depends on the courteous
relationships maintained with clients, patients, business
colleagues, and other businesses. The employer’s correspon-
dence contributes a great deal to this relationship. Even
a collection letter can be written in a courteous way. In
appropriate places, you should include phrases of cordiality
and goodwill.
Types of Business Writing
3
WRITING A LETTER
WORDY CONCISE WORDY CONCISE
along the lines of like may perhaps may
similar to
at all times always past experience experience
attached hereto attached previous to, prior to before
at the present time now seems to be seems
at this writing
both of them both short space of time short time
by means of by there are many that many
depreciate in value depreciate there can be no doubtless
doubt that
due to the fact that as, because, up to this writing (or we have not
for the reason that since time) we have not
in view of the fact that
during the course of during with reference to about
with regard to
final completion completion in the city of Chicago in Chicago
in the month of August in August
in the year 19— in 19—
first of all first in the meantime meanwhile
for the month for September in the near future soon
of September
for the purpose of for in the neighborhood nearly, about
of around
inasmuch as since in this place here
in order to to made out of made of
with a view to
in the amount of for
in the case of if
in the event that
in the event of
FIGURE 1—Saying It Concisely
Types of Business Writing
4
Correctness
In any type of correspondence, correctness is a key ingredient.
If the letter isn’t correctly written, then it doesn’t matter if it’s
concise, clear, or courteous. Of course, any business commu-
nication must be correct in its content, especially in fields like
medicine and law, where incorrect information can have serious
consequences. In addition, any letter that contains errors,
either in the information given or in its grammar, creates a
negative impression about your office (Figure 2). After each
letter is composed, check it for correctness of
• Grammar
• Spelling
• Punctuation
• Capitalization
• The form of numerical expressions
• Abbreviations
• Typing
If you use a spell-check system, which you
should, make sure to run it on every letter.
Even if you think you’re an excellent speller, a
spell checker can call your attention to typo-
graphical errors that may have escaped your
eye. Spell checks won’t catch all errors, how-
ever. Proofreading is still necessary.
Keep those five C’s in mind when composing a
letter. And review your letter to make sure that
none of those elements has been overlooked.
In addition to the letters that the employer
has dictated, a good secretary composes some
letters. Either you or your employer may sign them. You must be
able to produce letters that are pleasing in appearance and
written in a professional manner. When you compose letters
for someone else’s signature, you should write them as that
person would. This will take a certain amount of experience
and familiarity with your employer’s letters and the way that
person thinks and talks. Above all, letters must be profes-
sional, clear, concise, and correct in every detail.
FIGURE 2—“When in doubt, look it up!” Don’t
risk creating a negative impression by sending
a letter marred with errors.
Types of Business Writing
5
Writing with Style
Everyone has a unique way of doing things. For example, if
you want to run well, you have to follow instructions and train
yourself to perform efficient motions to increase your speed,
but you’ll still have a certain way of running which is all your
own. Speaking style is also unique. Some styles of speech are
pleasing; others aren’t. But regardless of a person’s style, the
message is conveyed only if the spoken language is understood.
Writing style, like style in running and speaking, also differs
to some extent from individual to individual. Yet the difference
in your writing style shouldn’t be so great that, when you
write, it becomes difficult to understand what you’ve written.
Style is individual, but it must be regulated by certain time-
tested principles. A sentence that’s perfect in meaning,
grammar, and spelling can sound flat if it lacks style.
There are three basic principles of writing style: unity,
coherence, and emphasis.
Unity
If a person must spend considerable time trying to figure out
what a letter is trying to say, money is being wasted. A letter
must have unity. Unity means that the communication has
one main point and that everything in it relates to, develops,
and supports that point. In a business communication, it’s a
good idea to state your main point at the beginning: “Here is
the brochure you requested on November 6 and the answers
to the questions you asked.” Then make sure that everything
that follows relates to that main point. Here are some rules to
make sure that your writing is unified:
1. Write complete sentences, not sentence fragments.
2. Avoid any loose, illogical relationship of sentence parts.
3. Include everything that’s needed to make your idea fully
understood, but nothing more.
4. Avoid foggy ideas. When in doubt, rewrite.
5. Be clear in every way.
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6
Coherence
Not only is it important to know what you’re writing about,
it’s also important to express ideas in an orderly manner.
Ideas must be tied together logically. Follow these steps:
1. Have a general plan.
2. Let your thoughts flow in a natural and logical succession.
Thoughts and events have their own order. The details of
any happening or line of thought must be so arranged
and worded that the relation of one to the other is natural
and sensible.
3. Finish one topic before beginning another.
4. Use transition words or phrases as necessary to make
the relationship clear between sentences and paragraphs.
Here are some common transitions:
For location:
above behind in front of over
across between inside to the right
around down near under
For time:
about during prior to today
after first until soon
before second meanwhile immediately
For comparison:
as likewise in the same way
also like similarly
For contrast:
but nevertheless although
however on the other hand conversely
yet on the contrary otherwise
Types of Business Writing
7
For emphasis:
again with this in mind truly
to repeat for this reason to emphasize a
point
For concluding or summarizing:
as a result this in summary
finally therefore in short
consequently accordingly all in all
For adding information:
again and for instance furthermore
also besides likewise finally
additionally for example moreover along with
For clarifying:
that is put another way to clarify
in other words stated differently for instance
Emphasis
By stressing certain parts of your letter and playing down
other parts, you can emphasize important ideas over less
important ones. Proper emphasis holds the reader’s attention.
Arrange each sentence so that the most important idea
occupies the most prominent position. Don’t make the reader
hunt for the main idea. The beginning and end of every
sentence is a prominent position. These two parts of the
sentence shouldn’t be occupied by unimportant words.
For instance, the sentence “Our relations have been
satisfactory in every way” gains emphasis if the important
word satisfactory is placed at the end, thus: “Our relations
have in every way been satisfactory.”
Vary the word order. Show the reader what’s most important by
the way you arrange the ideas in your sentence. The sentence
“They’re today the biggest sellers in the field of low-priced
books” isn’t as forceful as the sentence “In the field of low-
priced books, they’re the biggest sellers today.”
Types of Business Writing
8
Omit words that add nothing to the thought. If you wish to be
emphatic, express your thoughts in the fewest words possible.
The sentence “Concerning the offer you made to me, I desire
to state that it appeals to me strongly” is weak because it’s
wordy. Why not come right to the point? “Your offer interests
me.” Wordiness weakens an idea. The greater the number of
words, the less emphasis you have.
External Customer Service
Tact and courtesy are indispensable ingredients in all business
correspondence. You wouldn’t think of slamming the door in
a customer’s face or of speaking to the customer with loud,
abusive language. Nor should you ever write a letter which,
in effect, does the same thing (Figure 3). Offensive, argument-
provoking phrases have no place in business letters.
Your attitude is reflected in your writing.
Once a letter is written and mailed, it can’t
be recalled. You can’t be there to show by
gesture, by tone of voice, or by the persua-
siveness of your personality that everything
you said was intended for the best interests
of the customer. The words you choose
must reflect an attitude appropriate to the
subject and audience.
Attitude
Your letter may be courteous and tactful. It
may be written so that it adheres strictly to
grammatical principles, and it may present
a pleasing appearance; yet it may lack a
“from me to you” attitude. Every person is,
to a greater or lesser degree, an egotist.
A letter should be written so that it appeals
to your reader, who is an egotist. Look at
the two letters that follow. Both say the
same thing, but the second letter would
make a better impression on the reader.
FIGURE 3—The friendly, professional manner
you use with customers should extend to your
correspondence.
Types of Business Writing
9
The “from me to you” attitude, however, isn’t conveyed merely
by a liberal sprinkling of “you’s” in the letter. It takes much
more than that. You must put yourself in the reader’s place.
You must think with the reader’s mind, see with the reader’s
eyes, and feel with the reader’s emotions. In other words, you
have to be both writer and reader. Your chief concern is the
question, How will these words affect my reader?
Patience
A good business letter will be patient. Even when you’re
answering a correspondent who seems unintelligent or
addresses you in a way which might ordinarily provoke anger
or resentment, you must be cool and careful in your own letters.
You must make detailed explanations when they’re necessary.
You must try to understand the stresses and problems of the
other person. As a business correspondent, you must never
give yourself the luxury of being short-tempered.
Firmness
A good business letter will be firm. It will make its points
with such clarity that a yes or no answer follows naturally.
It won’t deal in shades of meaning, in words or ideas like
perhaps or possibly. It will show decisiveness without
oversimplifying the problem.
Firmness results from the careful planning of your letters. It’s
difficult to be firm and decisive unless you know exactly what
you want to say and how you want to say it.
Typical Reply
We have received your letter of July 27, and we wish to say that we appreciate your response
to our survey. Our purpose is to provide the best service possible to our customers.
Better Reply
Thank you for your thoughtful comments in your letter of July 27. It was kind of you to take
the time to tell us you’re pleased with our service. When you call on us again, we’ll be happy to
serve you in any way we can.
Types of Business Writing
10
Knowledge of Your Company
To write the best possible letters to customers or clients, you
must have a complete knowledge of your company’s products,
policies, achievements, and plans for further growth. The
more you learn about your firm, the more fun you’ll get out of
working—and the more valuable you’ll become to your
employer. Only with the help of complete, practical, factual
knowledge can you hope to write a business letter that will
fulfill its purpose.
Interest and Freshness
Last of all, a good business letter shows that its writer has a
real interest in the matter at hand. Be sure your letters aren’t
repetitious. The addressee wishes to feel, for a time at least,
that you’ve devoted all your effort and attention to him or her.
Too many letter writers lack originality. They follow the path of
least resistance and wearily plod along with the same old ideas
expressed in the same old way. To develop reader interest,
avoid the clichés and tired phrases that can so easily creep
into business writing. You must compose each letter as a
separate entity, with its own special phrasing.
Internal Customer Service
The term customer service applies not only to a company’s
external customers, but also to relationships among company
employees. These relationships are no less important to the
success of the business than external communications. Your
correspondence, no matter how informal, should address
your internal customers respectfully and professionally.
Attitude and Medium
While memos used to be the standard method of inside
communication, e-mail has now become the quickest way to
contact others within the company. Since many people also
use e-mail to stay in touch with friends and family, they may
become accustomed to the informal, slapdash writing that’s
Types of Business Writing
11
accepted in very casual circumstances. But lax writing prac-
tices are never acceptable in business. Remember, even if you’re
writing a quick question to a friend in your own department,
business correspondence must meet professional standards.
At minimum, make sure you write in complete sentences and
use correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
Other types of internal communications—memos, announce-
ments, reports, policy documents, and so on—are written
more formally. Make sure you adjust your writing style to fit
the purpose and the audience for each type of document.
Some companies use standardized templates or forms for cer-
tain types of documents, which may make your job easier if
you’re assigned to produce one. If you don’t have a template to
work from, you may want to look at a few samples of the type
of document you have to write to get an idea of what it should
look and sound like.
Rewriting
Don’t be surprised if, especially at first, you’re asked to rewrite
your work. It can take some time to grasp exactly what your
supervisor wants (Figure 4). If you haven’t hit the mark the
first time, ask questions to help you focus on where you made
your mistakes. Perhaps you’ve got all the information right
and the grammatical points are fine, but the manager wants
her memo to sound more like her own style of expression. In
that case, ask her for a few specific words she would substitute
for what you’ve written to give you an idea of her phrasing. You
may even want to keep a list of “her” words—many people
have favorite expressions—to use in the future. As you get to
know the people for whom you write, you’ll pick up on their
preferences and the fine distinctions in their speech that
define their personal style of communication.
The corporate culture of your company also has a “voice” or
style. Pay attention to the structure and vocabulary of its
publications. Since communications reflect the company’s
mission and personality, they offer many good clues to what
the administration will be looking for in its written materials.
It may take some time to absorb all you need to know, but
looking for patterns and asking questions will help you adapt
more quickly.
Types of Business Writing
12
FIGURE 4—Your super-
visor is likely to check
your work, at least until
you’re familiar with the
company culture and
writing style.
Types of Business Writing
13
Practice Exercise 1
Your online store received a complaint about a sewing machine it sold. An assistant
jotted down the following draft as a response. However, you can easily see that the
letter doesn’t meet the five C’s of letter writing. Identify the writing errors, then
mark any grammatical errors you find. Rewrite the letter, keeping in mind customer
service, attitude, unity, coherence, and style, as well as the five C’s.
Mr. Kimmel,
At this time I have no reason to believe it is damaged or defective. You mean you think the
Shuttle Hook and Bobbin assembly is out of synchronization with the Motor, whichis impossible.
It seems to me that the problem is not with the machine but rather with the operator. There
can be no doubt about it that if you thread it right it will work without bunching up the thread
like that. Or if you need to adjust the tension. I make the assumption that you have already
gone ahead and read the instructions as anyone should do when they get a new piece of equip-
ment like this. If not than do so immediately. You may have to look under troubleshooting. This
happens alot.
Enclosed please find copies of the warranty, which you may perhaps should of also read before
final completion of the sale. You’ll notice it doesn’t cover this type of problem.
Yours truly,
Alex Cleaver
Alex Cleaver
CS Rep
Check your answers with those on page 85.
Types of Business Writing
14
Self-Check 1
At the end of each section of Types of Business Writing, you’ll be asked to pause and check
your understanding of what you’ve just read by completing a “Self-Check” exercise.
Answering these questions will help you review what you’ve studied so far. Please
complete Self-Check 1 now.
In the examples below, name the “C” quality of effective correspondence that’s
being violated.
1. Now at this point in time it can be said with absolute certainty that this is the appointed hour.
__________________________________________________________
2. Sitting long hours at the computer.
__________________________________________________________
3. He told him that his turn was next.
__________________________________________________________
4. I’ll fill your order when I can get to it.
__________________________________________________________
Answer the following as indicated.
5. Coherence in a paragraph or letter is achieved in large part by using _______ words
or phrases.
6. Two emphatic positions in a paragraph or letter are the _______ and the _______.
7. If a writer strays away from his or her main point to points not directly related to it, he or she
is violating the principle of _______.
8. Briefly explain appropriate tone in a business communication.
__________________________________________________________
(Continued)
Types of Business Writing
15
Self-Check 1
Indicate whether the following statements are True or False.
______ 9. Having a “from me to you” attitude in a business communication can be achieved by
simply writing a letter or memo with a lot of “you’s” in it. Explain your answer.
______ 10. The term “customer service” applies only to your company’s clients.
______ 11. Standard writing rules apply to e-mails in the office.
______ 12. Asking questions and reviewing company publications will help you adapt your writing
style to the needs of your employer.
Check your answers with those on page 91.
Types of Business Writing
16
WRITING E-MAIL
In today’s world, e-mail (electronic mail) has become the
workhorse of both personal and interorganizational commu-
nication (Figure 5). “Checking e-mail” has become an office
ritual people repeat many times in a business day.
Understanding how and when to use e-mail has become
a critical skill in the modern office.
E-mail communication is distinctive in a number of ways.
First, e-mail screens may be used to forward messages in
either memo or letter format. In fact, they may be used to
transmit images, graphs, charts, or tables. Second, unlike a
written memo or letter, an e-mail is both the message and the
medium. Written memos must be posted to employee mail-
boxes, and letters must be posted for mailing. E-mails,
however, can be quickly prepared and instantly sent.
Depending on the servers that handle them, e-mails arrive
any place in the world within moments of when they’re sent.
The marketing of personal computers has emphasized e-mail
as the new way to communicate all kinds of messages, senti-
ments, and images across distances. For that reason, e-mails
FIGURE 5—Millions of
people depend on e-mail
for both personal and
professional
communications.
Types of Business Writing
17
can clutter electronic mailboxes with jokes and animated
greeting cards from friends, chain letters, sales pitches and
other “junk mail,” as well as personal messages.
Because of the large volume of e-mail traffic, the office computer
has become a creature that needs managing. It may become
very tempting to respond briefly and ever so informally to e-mails
that need “clearing.” It’s also too easy to send ill-considered
responses. For these reasons and others, e-mail discipline is
a skill demanded of all kinds of people in all kinds of organiza-
tions in this new electronically linked twenty-first century.
Using E-mail Safely
Safety in e-mail use refers partly to your safety and partly to
organizational security. An e-mail that you send to one indi-
vidual may end up on the computers of people you didn’t
intend to address. E-mails that include company policies or
strategies may end up in places you would rather they didn’t.
And e-mail messages get stored on hard drives for a long time.
Ill-conceived or rash messages may end up creating a permanent
record that you wish didn’t exist. To be safe, assume that all
your e-mail correspondence will be monitored for quality
assurance. In that way, you’re more likely to be careful about
what you say.
You must also be careful of computer viruses. A virus is a
program or piece of computer code that gets into your
computer without your knowledge. E-mail arriving at your
computer may bring computer viruses with it. For that reason,
it makes sense to avoid opening e-mail messages that arrive
from unknown senders, even if your computer is protected by
antivirus software. Be particularly wary of e-mail with attach-
ments, especially if you don’t know the person who sent it.
The attachment itself may contain a virus that activates when
the attachment is opened.
Computers have become central to day-to-day operations in
business and industry. Pay attention to virus warnings, and
remember that carelessness on your part may cause or
contribute to a catastrophic loss of information or even the
collapse of an electronic information network.
Types of Business Writing
18
E-mail Etiquette
The etiquette followed in e-mail is sometimes referred to
as netiquette (short for Internet etiquette). It consists of
community-accepted standards you should follow when
corresponding by e-mail. Most of them are common sense.
• In general, keep the e-mails you send concise and to
the point. They shouldn’t exceed three monitor screens
in length.
• Differentiate between internal and external recipients.
Carefully create messages intended for external parties,
and generally make them a bit more formal than those
directed to people within your organization.
• Check the electronic address carefully. Computers are
totally unforgiving when it comes to address typos. To
avoid mistakes and wasted time, store frequently used
e-addresses in your online address book.
• Use standard grammar, punctuation, and word choices
just as you would for any type of written communication.
You may use contractions in e-mails, but avoid slang.
Always spell-check what you’ve written before you
send it.
• Use standard capitalization. Don’t type in all capital
letters—on the Internet, this practice is considered
shouting. SHOUTING often provokes flaming.
• Don’t encourage flames, and don’t participate in flame
wars. Flaming occurs when someone sends a message
that provokes an angry—and often nasty—response.
When others join in, a full-fledged flame war ensues.
The point of the original e-mail usually gets lost in the
heated exchange of flames.
• Don’t forward or respond to electronic versions of chain
letters, false warnings of impending Internet disasters,
and so on. Simply delete them as soon as you realize
what they are.
Types of Business Writing
19
• Don’t send anything you wouldn’t want published. What
you write and how you write it will be judged by the
recipient and, for all you know, by people checking
stored e-mails for years into the future.
• If you’re responding to another person’s message, keep
any original quotations or excerpts from that message to
a minimum. This courtesy will be especially welcomed
when you’re sending e-mail to a newsgroup, bulletin
board, or mailing list. Use only as much of the original
message as you need to provide a sense of context for
your response.
• Before sending any large attachments, such as photos,
be sure your recipient’s e-mail system won’t be overtaxed
by the memory requirements.
• Be careful about expressing your emotions in an e-mail
message. Irony, tongue-in-cheek humor, or a note written
in anger may come back to haunt you. Remember that
your reader can’t see your face or your body language
and therefore may misinterpret any subtle attempts
at humor.
• When using e-mail to send a memo or a letter, compose
it offline—on paper or with a word processing program,
for example. Write and revise it; use your spell checker
and, when in doubt, your grammar checker or thesaurus.
When you’re confident that your message is just the way
you want it, copy and paste it into your e-mail screen.
Check the copy again to make sure the transfer worked,
and then send it.
• Always include a subject line that clearly and specifically
states what the e-mail is about. Today, e-mail inboxes
are likely to be jammed with spam (promotional messages)
and other irrelevant messages that may contain viruses.
Most busy people simply delete e-mails with subject lines
like “Quote for the Day” or “Hi, What’s New.” Use appro-
priate subject lines in title case (capitalizing key words),
like “Pay Raises for Next Fiscal Year” or “Update on the
South Street Project.”
• Never use offensive language or include vulgar, racist, or
sexist comments.
Types of Business Writing
20
• Remember that you’re communicating with real people,
not machines. Extend the same courtesy you would to
someone you talk to in person or on the telephone. Don’t
make any remarks you wouldn’t make to the person’s
face. Take the time to put together a well-written mes-
sage. Once you hit the Send button, you won’t have
another chance to revise what you’ve written.
• Refrain from using emoticons (keyboard characters used
to represent a facial expression or emotion) or animated
pictures in business e-mails. They’re unprofessional and
may be misinterpreted by the receiver.
Formatting E-mail
Figure 6 shows a sample of an e-mail directed to a person
outside the organization. Study the sample to get an idea of
an effective formatting approach to e-mail messages. Pay par-
ticular attention to the following items:
• The subject line is specific and to the point.
• A standard, formal salutation is used, even though the
tone of the message suggests that the sender and the
receiver know each other well.
• The questions the sender wants answered, if any, are set
up as a list.
• Double spacing is used between the salutation and the
opening sentence, between paragraphs, and between any
listed questions or bulleted items.
• The message has an informal, cordial complimentary close.
• For convenience, the sender’s e-mail address is included
directly below the name of the sender.
The way your e-mail appears to a reader sends a message
about you, the writer. Watch out for misspelled words, typos,
and misused words. Don’t send an e-mail you haven’t thought
out. Remember that it may be stored on a hard drive for a
long time.
Types of Business Writing
21
FIGURE 6—Formatted e-mail can be an effective way to communicate quickly and in a professional
manner.
Types of Business Writing
22
Self-Check 2
1. What is meant by the concept of e-mail safety? Respond in a paragraph of four to
six sentences.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. Explain at least four sound practices to follow in writing e-mail messages.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Check your answers with those on page 91.
Types of Business Writing
23
WRITING MEMOS
When you need to communicate with someone who works
in your own company, you may choose to use the format
designed exactly for that purpose: the interoffice memo, short
for memorandum (Figure 7). The capitalized initials (JG) at
the end of the memo represent the author of the document
who dictated it to or assigned it to someone with the initials
srp, who typed it in its current form.
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
Interoffice Memo
TO: Timothy Middleton, M.D.
FROM: Janice Glaser, Medical Records Technician
DATE: August 15, 20—
SUBJECT: Transcription Procedures
Welcome to the staff. We in the Medical Records Department look forward to
assisting you with the documentation of patient care here at Community
Hospital. Please let us know if we can help you in any way.
We hope that you will find the enclosed Transcription Procedures Manual useful
in your orientation to hospital policies. Pages 12–18 outline the physician’s
responsibilities to the Medical Records Department.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call me (x378). Again, welcome.
JG/srp
enclosure
FIGURE 7—An Interoffice Memo
JG
Types of Business Writing
24
Why Write Memos?
Why and when should you write a memo? The answer
depends on your purpose and your audience. Some people
send too many memos, forgetting that there may be other,
better ways to communicate. For example, a memo frequently
isn’t the best way to deliver bad news—it’s usually better
to do so in person. Memos shouldn’t be used to confront,
threaten, or accuse people. If a problem exists, it’s better to
explore solutions in person. If you’re angry, try not to com-
municate in writing (the words may come back to haunt you).
On the other hand, memos are good communication tools for
these purposes:
• To congratulate people on promotions or a job well done
• To reach many people when you can’t do so in person
• To get a message to a person who is hard to reach
by phone
• To be sure a number of people receive precisely the
same information
• To provide a record of communication
You should have only one specific purpose per memo. If you
need to send two messages to the same person, write sepa-
rate memos. More than one message in a memo confuses the
reader and lessens the importance of each of your messages.
In addition, the recipient may want someone else to review
one memo but not the other. Combining the memos may
delay review and response.
Formatting Memos
Many of us have learned generally accepted formats for
memos in school, from our employers’ formats, or from the
memos we receive. In addition, sample memo formats are
presented in many books available at your local library.
We won’t, therefore, present all the possible formats here—
just the basics.
Types of Business Writing
25
Most companies make preprinted memo forms available to
employees. Word processors can also help you make attractive
memo forms.
A memo has a distinctive heading that provides the same
function as some of the parts of a letter. This heading is
made up of four subheadings. They can be formatted in
list form:
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
When typing a memo, be sure to align the headings along
with the information itself. Don’t just type the information
one or two spaces after the colons. If you do, it will look
unattractive.
Unattractive:
TO: All Office Personnel
FROM: Charlotte Perkins
DATE: March 28, 20—
SUBJECT: Office Procedures Manual
Better:
TO: All Office Personnel
FROM: Charlotte Perkins
DATE: March 28, 20—
SUBJECT: Office Procedures Manual
Headings can be either double-spaced or single-spaced. Some
formats include a line at least partway across the page that
separates the heading of the memo from the body. For the
exam, you should apply the format indicated in the previous
sample. Remember to use a specific subject in title case so the
reader(s) know exactly what topic or issue you’re discussing.
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26
Memo messages can be as informal as a quickly scribbled note
to be discarded after reading, or as formal as a carefully edited
report to be filed as a permanent document. Begin the body
of the memo three spaces after the headings. The body of a
memo is much like the body of a letter. Most writers start each
paragraph on the left margin, but indenting each paragraph
is also correct. Just remember to remain consistent within
any given document. You may find it useful to highlight
important information with descriptive headings, especially
if the memo is long.
Instead of using a complimentary close as in a letter, the
sender of a memo will simply initial his or her name in the
heading (the usual practice) or sign the bottom. In either case,
when you initial a memo or sign a memo or letter, whether or
not you’ve typed it, it’s an acknowledgment that you approve
it. So, if you initial a memo or sign a letter without reading it
over, you’re responsible for it—errors and all. The memo, like a
letter, includes the sender’s and typist’s initials (two spaces
below the end of the body) and may include enclosure
notations and/or a distribution list.
Using Headings
Headings serve as useful guides to the reader. Headings,
like outlines, can also help writers organize complex material.
But there’s a trick to using them. You can’t just throw in an
underline here and a few capital letters there. For headings
to guide the reader accurately, they must have parallel
structure—the same sort of parallel structure that applies to
sentence grammar. Headings of equal importance are most
effective when they have the same tone, part of speech, and
style of punctuation.
Headings and subheadings can be thought of in levels or
ranks (Figure 8).
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27
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A FIRST-LEVEL HEADING
Usually, the first level is in all capital letters, and may
be in bold, as well. All around the heading is plenty of
space to make these words the most prominent ones on
the page. A typical report or proposal has four first-level
headings that identify the introduction, body, conclu-
sions, and recommendations. Beneath each first-level
heading there may be subheadings that specify the
subtopics under discussion.
This Is an Example of a Second-Level Heading
The second level of heading is usually at the left margin
and has a line of its own, though it may instead have
a colon followed directly by text. It may be capitalized,
underlined, or both. Every second-level heading is a
subheading (identifying a subtopic) of the preceding
first-level heading.
This Is an Example of a Third-Level Heading
These headers are usually at the margin, with only the
first letter of important words in capital letters. Often
these headings are underlined.
This is a an example of a fourth-level heading. The
fourth-level heading will sometimes be indented. It may
be capitalized, underlined, placed in italics, or formatted
in some other way to make it different from first-level,
second-level, and third-level headings. It’s usually
directly followed by text. The fourth-level heading is a
subheading of the preceding third-level heading.
Once you choose a heading style for each level, make
sure you use them consistently throughout your project.
FIGURE 8—You can use headings to organize your writing.
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28
Practice Exercise 2
Write a memo related to your area of study or your intended career announcing the
promotion of a supervisor to a department manager. Make up enough details to make
it realistic. Make sure you use correct memo format and headings. Then check your
memo against the examples in the study unit.
This exercise is for your own benefit. Do not send your memo to the school.
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29
Self-Check 3
1. The four headings at the top of a memo are _______, _______, _______, and _______.
2. A long memo may be more readable if you use descriptive _______ within the body.
3. It’s best not to use a memo if you have to deliver _______.
4. A heading in prominent capital letters at the top of a page is a ________ heading.
5. More than one _______ in a memo may confuse the reader.
6. When you _______ a memo, you’re giving it your approval.
7. The purpose of headings is to ________ the reader.
8. A subheading in bold, capital letters, and/or italics followed directly by text is probably a
_______ heading.
9. True or False? A memo is a good tool for sending a message to a person when you can’t
reach him or her by phone.
10. True or False? A memo is useful for reaching many people with the same information.
Check your answers with those on page 92.
Types of Business Writing
30
WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS
Why is it important to use a special format for business
letters? Because conventional formats have two advantages:
they’re functional and familiar. They help you write effectively
and efficiently, and they help the reader read effectively and
efficiently. By knowing an established format for conveying
messages, you can put together a good letter very quickly.
You can even revise an old letter to fit a new situation. By
knowing an effective format for receiving messages, a reader
can understand information very quickly. For instance, any-
one who has received business letters knows exactly where to
look for the main point, where to find the sender’s name, and
where to locate the return address.
Parts of a Business Letter
Readers and writers alike have come to expect several standard
parts to business letters, including letterhead, dateline, inside
address, subject or attention line, salutation, body, compli-
mentary close, signature block, reference initials, enclosure
or copy notations, and postscripts. These parts of a business
letter are labeled in Figure 9. Of course, you won’t always use
all the parts for every letter. Which ones you use will depend
on your purpose and audience.
Letterhead/Heading
People in business, including doctors and lawyers, don’t just
type their return address at the top right corner of the page.
They have their name or the name of their business, often
with an eye-catching symbol called a logo, printed on good-
quality stationery. This embossed or imprinted stationery is
called letterhead. Since letterhead is expensive, it should be
used only for final drafts. To ensure a professional image,
as well as to assure the recipient that the letter is authentic,
letterhead should be used for all official correspondence
leaving the office. Store letterhead and its matching blank
stationery in a compartment where it will lie flat and remain
clean. Don’t let the edges stick out and get damaged.
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31
DESKTOP PUBLISHING COMPANY
1886 Emerson Drive
Cambridge Park, PA 29993-9483
October 12, 20—
Refer to Invoice A-8668
Mr. Richard R. Serif
Vice President and General Manager
Office Supplies Unlimited
88 Academic Lane
Emerson, PA 98980-9909
RE: Damaged shipment
Dear Mr. Serif:
We received today our standing monthly order of 50 boxes (500 reams) of
paper for our Neverfail copier. Six of the boxes of paper were damaged when
they were delivered to our warehouse.
It appears that the six boxes in question were exposed to excessive moisture
at some point before delivery. The paper is damp and will not work in our
machine. These damaged boxes of paper are still in our warehouse where they
can be picked up at any time by a representative of Office Supplies Unlimited.
I hope it will be possible for you to ship six replacement boxes of copier paper
at once. This is our busiest season and we will not be able to meet all of our
deadlines without a sufficient quantity of paper for our copier.
Sincerely yours,
Edwin M. Sheffield
Edwin M. Sheffield
Managing Editor
EMS/srp
Enclosure: copy of Invoice A-8668
pc: Marc Alighieri
Manager of Warehouse Operations
P.S. We are about to expand our printing facilities to include full-color printing and
would be pleased to receive a copy of your latest printing supply catalogue.
FIGURE 9—The Parts of a Business Letter
SPECIAL NOTATION
READER’S TITLE
INSIDE ADDRESS
SALUTATION
COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE
REFERENCE INITIALS OF DICTATOR AND TYPIST
ENCLOSURE NOTATION
PHOTOCOPY NOTATION
POSTSCRIPT NOTATION
BODY
BEGINNING
MIDDLE
END
PREPRINTED
LETTERHEAD
SUBJECT LINE
DATELINE
SIGNATURE BLOCK
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32
When you have no letterhead, type a return address at the
top of the page. This is called the heading. Center it or place it
on the left margin, depending on the letter style you’re using.
(A later section of this study unit explains letter styles.) The
return address should include the following:
Line 1: Company’s legal name (if a business)
Line 2: Complete street address
Line 3: City, state or province, and zip code or postal code
Line 4: Phone number (optional)
Line 5: E-mail address or Web site (optional)
When typing the return address, as opposed to using letter-
head, it’s customary to place the date on the next line after
the address, with no extra space.
Medical Arts Building, Suite 7
460 Washington Avenue
Anytown, State 12345-6789
May 26, 20—
Notice that the sender’s name doesn’t appear in a typewritten
return address, even though it does appear on some letter-
heads. The reader knows to find the name in the typed
signature line.
Dateline
Every letter should be dated. This may seem like a minor
detail in a letter to your mother, but in a professional docu-
ment the date is extremely important. Type the dateline at
least two or three spaces below the letterhead—it can be as
much as 17 spaces down the page in a very short letter. If
the letter has been dictated, the date of the letter should be
the day dictated, not the day placed in the mail. Spell out
the month in full, whether you use the traditional style
September 22, 20—
or the British and military style
22 September 20—
and note the difference in comma usage. You won’t get mixed
up if you remember that the comma is used to separate, and
in a written date it separates two numbers (date and year).
Types of Business Writing
33
Should you put the date on the right or the left? There are
variations here—as you’ll see during the discussion of
specific business letter formats.
Special Notations
You’re probably familiar with the types of notations that go at
the bottom of a letter, such as those indicating who did the
typing and whether there are enclosures. Did you know that
some special notations belong two lines below the date?
They’re the sorts of notations that require immediate attention:
CONFIDENTIAL
PERSONAL
via REGISTERED MAIL
Refer to Policy DVF—822
The Inside Address
You may wonder why the inside address is necessary, since the
address on the envelope should succeed in getting the letter
to its destination. Often, however, the envelope is thrown away
as soon as the letter is opened. In that case, the inside address
serves as identification. Furthermore, the United States Postal
Service (USPS) checks the inside address of a misdirected
letter when there’s no return address on the envelope. Here
again the inside address serves as identification.
The inside address of the letter follows the same format as
the address on the envelope. It should contain the name,
street address, city, state or province, and zip or postal code
of the person to whom the letter is being sent. Note, however,
that the inside address uses punctuation, which the envelope
address doesn’t. Also, the inside address is keyed in a mix of
upper and lowercase (except for the state or province code).
Spell and express the name of the person to whom you’re
writing according to the person’s preference. It’s discourteous
to do otherwise. Use the customary forms of address. Don’t
abbreviate (with the exception of the states’ or provinces’
abbreviations set up by the post offices). An address is
incomplete without the zip or postal code. Consult a zip code
directory or, if you don’t have one, just call the post office for
the information or look it up on the USPS Web site:
http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp.
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34
Examples of inside addresses:
Franz A. Heiden, M.D.
193 Wall Street
New York, NY 37781
Samuel Feldon, Attorney at Law
1216 King’s Place
Boston, MA 41467
Geoffrey K. DeRoberts
2066 Cray Street, #502
Montreal, QC H3A 1K6
If you know only the title or position but not the name of the
individual, first call the company to try to find out the per-
son’s name. If you’re unsuccessful, address the letter to the
individual’s title in the company:
Director of Human Resources
Community Hospital
101 Main Street
Anytown, State 12345-6789
If your letter is for an organization as a whole and not an
individual or specific group, then use the following format:
Childers Investment Group
4115 Market Boulevard
San Francisco, CA 90332
Subject or Attention Line
Use a subject line if the topic is part of a series of correspon-
dence, such as an ongoing problem with a customer or an
order. You may also use a subject line to speed the handling
of your letter if you know it will pass through the hands of an
administrative assistant. Most letters, however, don’t require
a subject line.
Use an attention line when you’re directing a letter to an indi-
vidual’s attention, but not adressing the letter directly to that
person. Usually, if you’re addressing a specific person, it’s
best to simply address the letter to that reader and not use
an attention line. However, sometimes that target reader will
be acting as part of a larger group. An attention line ensures
that the letter moves through the proper channels to receive
attention from all members of the group (Figure 10).
Types of Business Writing
35
The subject or attention line usually goes two lines after the
inside address and two lines before the salutation. The head-
ing for a subject line, especially in a field such as medical
records, is often RE:, which is short for regarding.
Example of a subject line:
Jacob Esau, M.D.
Chief of Staff
Community Hospital
101 Main Street
Anytown, State 12345-6789
RE: Tanya Owens-Lord
Dear Doctor Esau:
Example of an attention line:
Community Hospital
101 Main Street
Anytown, State 12345-6789
ATTENTION: Jacob Esau, M.D., Chief of Staff
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The attention line doesn’t mean the letter is being written to
Dr. Esau, so the greeting is given to the larger group. Also,
don’t include Dear when using Ladies and Gentlemen.
FIGURE 10—You may wish to use an attention line to ensure a letter will
be seen by a particular person, even though it’s addressed to a group.
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36
Salutation
Salutation is a fancy word for a greeting. Most business letters
begin the salutation with the conventional Dear. After that,
it can get tricky! If you know the name of the person you’re
addressing, you need to decide the level of formality to use.
Even in business letters, it’s possible to use an informal
salutation—but only when the letter writer is on very familiar
terms with the recipient.
Dear Jake,
Thanks again for that delightful surprise party. We’ve
never had a more enjoyable anniversary celebration. But
what I’m really writing about is the condition of the EKG
equipment at Community . . .
Business letters usually maintain a formal tone, even among
friends.
Dear Doctor Esau:
The tight economy has limited the availability of funds for
new equipment, and we certainly understand financial
constraints. Nevertheless, the physicians of Family Health
Associates have become quite concerned about the deteri-
oration of the EKG equipment at Community Hospital.
A formal salutation uses the person’s title and last name. It
ends with a colon. An informal salutation ends with a comma
when the first name is used alone. In a formal salutation,
type Doctor instead of Dr. Don’t use two titles meaning the
same thing. For example, in preparing the inside address,
use Mitchell Powell, Ph.D., not Dr. Mitchell Powell, Ph.D. For
the salutation, use Dr. Powell, followed by a colon.
The trick in writing salutations is deciding how to address
recipients whose gender you don’t know. Now that women are
prominent at all levels in all sorts of businesses, you can’t
just type Gentlemen or Dear Sir. It’s always preferable to use
a name in the address and salutation, but if you can’t do so,
you can rely on an old standby.
To Whom It May Concern:
However, many readers feel that this old standby is too old-
fashioned and stiff. Here’s a nonsexist salutation with a
slightly more personal tone.
Dear Sir or Madam:
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37
If you know the person’s name but you don’t know whether
the person is male or female, don’t guess. You don’t want to
use Ms. Donnelly just because the person’s first name is
Chris. In these instances, use Dear Chris Donnelly:
Groups can be addressed as follows:
Ladies: (when the group is composed entirely of females)
Gentlemen: (when the group is composed entirely of males)
Ladies and Gentlemen: (when the group is composed of
both genders, or when you don’t know the composition of
the group)
If all of your recipients belong to the same group, you can
use the name of the group in the salutation:
Dear Sales Team:
Dear Profile Committee:
Dear Colleagues:
The Body
The body of a letter, which begins two lines after the
salutation, is the actual text or message being conveyed.
While you may not be the person actually composing most
of the communications in your workplace, knowing the
components of an effective communication will be valuable
information when you’re typing or editing those communica-
tions. In addition, if you show yourself knowledgeable about
such matters, you may find your supervisor or office manager
turning over some of the correspondence to you.
We’ll look more closely at the body of a letter in the next section.
Complimentary Close
The salutation is the letter’s “hello,” and the complimentary
close is the “good-bye.” Select a close that matches the
salutation in tone and level of formality. Place the close two
spaces beneath the body of the text, aligned with the date.
Capitalize only the first word in the close, and follow the
phrase with a comma.
Most formal: Yours truly, Yours respectfully, Very truly yours
Formal: Sincerely yours
Types of Business Writing
38
Less formal: Sincerely
Informal: Warm regards, Cordially, Best wishes
When in doubt, choose the simple and useful Sincerely.
Signature Block
The signature block contains the letter-sender’s name written
twice—first handwritten and then in type, preferably in black
ink. The letter-sender’s name belongs four spaces directly
below the complimentary close. Under the sender’s name,
type his or her formal title, if appropriate.
Sincerely yours,
Katherine Schnell
Katherine Schnell
Chief Executive Officer
When two people have to sign the letter, you can type the two
signature blocks side by side or one beneath the other. The
side-by-side method saves space and suggests that the two
people are equally behind the letter.
Sincerely yours,
Kay Bell Joseph Roman
Kay Bell, M.D. Joseph Roman, R.N.
Chief of Staff Head Nurse
In most cases, the author will want to review any transcribed
letter and sign it (Figure 11). If you send out a transcribed
letter the author hasn’t seen, you can sign the person’s
name, followed by a slash and your own initials. Two spaces
below the typed signature, you can type the line dictated but
not read, or dictated but not signed by _______ (name).
Sincerely yours,
Katherine Schnell/lrf
Katherine Schnell, M.D./lrf
Chief of Staff
dictated but not read
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39
Reference Initials
Two spaces below the typed signature line,
flush to the left margin, type the reference
initials as preferred by the dictator. They go
first, in capital letters. Follow the dictator’s
initials by a slash or a colon, and then type
your own initials in lowercase letters. If the
dictator doesn’t want his or her initials
included, simply type your own initials in
lowercase. But you should usually follow
the common rule: If someone is dictating,
use his or her initials; if you’re writing for
someone, use your initials.
KS/lrf
or
KS:lrf
or
lrf
Be careful not to type initials that may be
(unintentionally) funny or offensive. For
instance, Patricia Ingrid Green may not
want to include her middle initial.
Dr. James Robert Kline and Mrs. Alice
Smith Simpson might prefer to omit theirs, too.
If the writer and signer of the letter also types his or her own
work, reference initials aren’t used.
Enclosure Notation
It’s important in formal business communication to indicate
whether there are enclosures accompanying the letter. The
enclosure notation allows you (or another sender) to double-
check and make sure the package is complete before it goes
out. The enclosure notation also helps the recipient know if
he or she has received what the sender intended to send.
When there’s more than one enclosure, note the number.
FIGURE 11—A letter-sender signs in the space
between the complimentary close and the
typed name and title.
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40
Even better, list what the enclosures are. This information
will also help you select the right-size envelope to use. Here
are some sample notations.
Enclosure
2 Enclosures
Enc.
Enc. (2)
Check enclosed
Enclosed: Urinalysis results
Enclosed: Trial transcripts (3)
Copy Notation
If copies of the letter will be distributed to more than one
person, you should type the pc: (for photocopy) or c: (for
copy), followed by a list of the recipients’ names. You can
place the names in order of rank—but in most cases, the
easiest (and safest) ranking to figure out is alphabetical.
Place a check mark beside the name of the person receiving
that particular copy.
lrf
c: R. Brennan
J. Esau ✔
S. L. Robel
Sometimes copies are sent to others without the c: or pc:
notation on the original. In these cases, be sure to include
the notation on the file copy to ensure a complete record.
The Postscript (P.S.)
P.S. is an abbreviation for postscriptus, which is a Latin
phrase meaning “something written after.” Any P.S. belongs
at the very end of the letter, two spaces below the last
enclosure or copy notation. Be careful not to use a P.S. for
information that really should have been worked into the
body of the letter. If you’ve overlooked an important point,
Types of Business Writing
41
don’t just tack it on later—instead, revise the letter. On the
other hand, it’s fine to add an afterthought that’s not really
crucial to the main point of the letter.
P.S. Thanks, by the way, for the surprise party. We’ve
never had a more enjoyable anniversary celebration.
Another acceptable way to use a P.S. is to emphasize an
important point that might get lost in the middle of a letter.
P.S. After May 15, please use my Maine address.
Writing the Body of a Letter
When anyone is composing the body of any communication,
he or she needs to consider the reader and the purpose. In
other words, to whom is the letter being written and why?
Is it a response to a memo from the boss regarding specific
information he or she has requested? Is the president of your
company being addressed regarding what’s considered an
unfair company policy? The answer to the question is key to
developing an effective business communication.
Like any other piece of writing, a business communication
has three essential parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end.
The Beginning
Business and professional people are busy, so a letter should
tell them what they want or need to know up front in the first
sentences. This can include
• A reference to any important previous correspondence
• A brief statement of the subject and purpose of the letter
or memo
• The establishment of a satisfactory tone, generally
pleasant—not harsh, critical, or arrogant
Types of Business Writing
42
Here are some examples of effective openers:
Dear Pete:
Our meeting last Thursday (May 3, 20—) established a
good start to our task of financially consolidating our
interests in Weatherby stocks and bonds. I hope you’ll
find helpful the following list of major points we agreed
to work on.
Dear Ms. Banks:
Thank you for your letter of August 1, 20—, in which
you answered my questions about the construction of
a new wing. May I ask you one more question about
your estimate?
It’s generally good advice to start on a positive note, even if
the letter will be delivering a negative message (Figure 12). If
a negative message isn’t buffered, the reader may simply not
read on to understand the decision. In addition to sounding
rude, a negative decision stated bluntly before the reasons
are given may seem to imply that the writer made the
decision with a closed mind.
FIGURE 12—If you have
to deliver a negative
message, try to start
your message on a
positive note.
Types of Business Writing
43
Not: No, I can’t speak at your meeting on July 14.
But: I am honored to have been asked to address your
July 14 meeting, but unfortunately I have prior commit-
ments on that date.
Not: You’ve been refused acceptance into our organization.
But: Because our organization must limit its membership
to 100 and since there were so many exceptionally
qualified applicants who applied for admission, I’m sorry
to inform you that we can’t offer you membership in our
organization at this time.
The Middle
The middle paragraphs of any communication will develop
and support the case or main idea. They may also
• Present those questions that needed answering
• Answer the ones posed by the reader
• Address the reader’s complaint
• Supply the information mentioned in the opening
In short, this is the place to make sure the reader under-
stands the what and why of the message.
The Ending
In most cases, what readers remember in a document or letter
is the last thing they read. Endings are especially important
parts of letters for that reason. This is the place to
• Restate the letter’s desired action
• Leave the reader with a lingering, positive impression of
the writer and the company or organization you represent
• Influence future business
If the letter requests an action, the closing paragraph should
promote that action by telling the reader what is to be done,
when, and how. If the response can be made easily and save
time for the reader, so much the better: “Phone me collect so
I can answer all your questions”; “Check the appropriate box
and detach the bottom of this letter along the perforated line”;
Types of Business Writing
44
or “For your convenience, you may answer my questions in
the margins of my letter and return it to me in the enclosed,
addressed, stamped envelope.”
If you focus your communication on the reader with an honest
attempt to treat him or her with respect, whether the message
is negative or positive, it’s likely that the reader will be left
with a positive impression about both the writer and the
company. Another way to achieve that is to extend an appro-
priate compliment, if warranted, or sincere congratulations
if the occasion deserves one. At the very least, appreciation
should be expressed for work well done, for business given, or
for the opportunity to say what had to be said: “Your interests
are our interests. Your success is our success. We look forward
to serving you again soon.”
Finally, try to close letters or memos by focusing on the future,
as in the following: “I will happily service any of your future
needs,” or “I’d be very happy to stop by your office and give
you a personal rundown of our other goods and services.”
One last note: Make sure the concluding sentence is a
complete sentence.
Not: Hoping to hear from you.
But: We hope to hear from you soon.
Also avoid ending by thanking the reader for something he or
she hasn’t done yet.
Not: Thanking you in advance.
But: Your attention to this matter will be much appreciated.
The Second-Page Heading
Most business letters fit on one page. In fact, if a letter goes
to two pages, it’s usually a good idea to edit it down to one
page. But in some letters, especially consultation reports or
other letters with a good deal of information to convey, you’ll
need a second page. The format of a two-page letter can vary,
but in general, follow these style guidelines:
Make sure the second page contains at least five lines of mate-
rial, and that at least two of those lines are the actual letter
(not just the closing, the signature, and other “end” matter).
To get the five lines, you may have to widen the margins and
Types of Business Writing
45
leave more space on the first page. A bottom margin of one
inch is usual, but it’s acceptable to use a two-inch margin if
that last inch of text would look better on page two.
If there’s still not enough material to look good on a second
page, try other typists’ tricks to get the letter all on one page.
For example, you can narrow the margins and remove the
extra spaces between the letter’s “front” parts (especially
the dateline).
Always use the same margins on the second page as you did
on the first page. Also, try to start the second page with a new
paragraph. If you must split a paragraph, try to have at least
two lines of it on each page.
To help the reader understand the material easily, be sure
the page turn comes between sentences or between phrases,
or at the very least between two words. Never hyphenate the
last word on the first page.
On the second page, type a heading that includes the name
of the addressee, the page number, and the date.
Jacob Esau, M.D. January 3, 20— Page 2
If a subject line was used on page one, also include the
subject in the heading for page two.
Jacob Esau, M.D. January 3, 20— RE: Tanya Owens-Lord Page 2
Leave three spaces between the heading and the continuation
of the letter.
Use the same heading on any following pages, numbering
consecutively. However, never number the first page.
Jacob Esau, M.D. January 3, 20— RE: Tanya Owens-Lord Page 3
In some places of business, it’s customary and acceptable to
simply number each additional page, number only, in the
upper right corner.
Types of Business Writing
46
Practice Exercise 3
Look carefully at the letter below. Then follow the directions for Parts A and B.
(Continued)
Wilcox Industries
1210 N. Summit Avenue 1
Chicago, Ill. 33302
Cory D. Taylor
421 E. 72nd Street 2
Dayton, OH
Dear Sir, 3
RE, Acc. # 407-201E 4
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________ 5
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_______________________
Wishing you best regards, 6
Marcia Miller 7
mm: tc 8
P.S. 9
enc. 10
Types of Business Writing
47
Styles of Business Letters
In school you may have learned “the right way” to set up a
letter. However, there are several “right” letter styles, and the
right ones to use in office correspondence will always be up to
your boss or your company to determine. Some offices even
use an individual letter style that has been created to suit
their own needs. Don’t worry, then, if your boss asks you to
format a letter in a way that seems to contradict the “rules”
you’re learning here. As long as the style is consistent, attractive,
and practical, the reader isn’t likely to object. Of course, if
the style is confusing, ugly, and difficult to type, then you
might want to suggest an alternative. (Suggest very tactfully,
of course!)
Letter styles don’t differ in their writing style, although they
may use different patterns of punctuation. They differ in
where they place certain lines on the page. And the differ-
ences in punctuation correspond to the placement of letter
parts, not to the punctuation of sentences in the letter’s
body. For instance, you’ll place a colon or comma after the
Practice Exercise 3
A. Identify at least five errors in the form of the letter.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
B. Identify each of the numbered parts.
1. ___________________________ 6. ___________________________
2. ___________________________ 7. ___________________________
3. ___________________________ 8. ___________________________
4. ___________________________ 9. ___________________________
5. ___________________________ 10. ___________________________
Check your answers with those on page 87.
Types of Business Writing
48
salutation in most letter styles. But in the simplified style,
you don’t use a standard salutation or close, and you don’t
need the “standard” punctuation, either.
Full-Block Style
In the full-block style, begin all lines at the left margin, except
the heading. This is obviously the most efficient way to type,
since you don’t have to spend time figuring out where to center,
set tabs, or indent items. But a letter in this style can also look
lopsided and unattractive, depending on the location of the
letterhead and the size of the paragraphs (Figure 13).
TO YOUR HEALTH DIET CENTER
P. O. Box 1234
Beverly Hills, CA 90210-1234
April 20, 20—
Jeffrey Partridge
Registered Dietician
548 Rock Avenue
Scranton, PA 18515
Dear Mr. Partridge:
We were pleased to receive your recent résumé and application for employment. We hope your
move to California will be pleasant. We are sure you will enjoy our state.
Your qualifications and experience are admirable. However, at this point, we have no openings for
someone of your caliber. We would like to add that this does not mean an opening will not occur
in the near future. We anticipate expansion of our facilities within the next few months. We will
keep your information on file, and when this expansion occurs, you will be considered a candidate
for employment.
Again, we wish you well in your move and hope to discuss employment opportunities with you in
the near future.
Sincerely yours,
Sebastian Melmoth
Sebastian Melmoth, M.D.
President
SM/xx
FIGURE 13—Letter in Full-Block Style
Types of Business Writing
49
Modified-Block Style
When using the modified-block style, also called the semiblock
style, align the following items at the center of the page:
• Dateline
• Reference or subject lines
• Complimentary close
• Signature block
All other parts begin at the left margin (Figure 14). You may
use a variation of the modified-block style in which the first
line of each paragraph is indented. Usually, you use five
spaces for the paragraph indent. That’s why many typewriters
and word processors come preprogrammed with a five-space
tab indent.
TO YOUR HEALTH DIET CENTER
P. O. Box 1234
Beverly Hills, CA 90210-1234
April 20, 20—
Jeffrey Partridge
Registered Dietician
548 Rock Avenue
Scranton, PA 18515
Dear Mr. Partridge:
We were pleased to receive your recent résumé and application for employment. We hope your
move to California will be pleasant. We are sure you will enjoy our state.
Your qualifications and experience are admirable. However, at this point, we have no openings for
someone of your caliber. We would like to add that this does not mean an opening will not occur
in the near future. We anticipate expansion of our facilities within the next few months. We will
keep your information on file, and when this expansion occurs, you will be considered a candidate
for employment.
Again, we wish you well in your move and hope to discuss employment opportunities with you in
the near future.
Sincerely yours,
Sebastian Melmoth
Sebastian Melmoth, M.D.
President
SM/xx
FIGURE 14—Letter in Modified-Block Style
Types of Business Writing
50
Simplified Style
The simplified style is even more efficient than the full-block
style (Figure 15). Not only does it begin every line on the left
margin, but it also leaves out the formal salutation, the
complimentary close, and the handwritten signature. Instead,
you type the following:
• An uppercase subject line three lines below the inside
address (Begin the body three lines below the subject line.)
• An uppercase typed signature on the fifth line below
the body
TO YOUR HEALTH DIET CENTER
P. O. Box 1234
Beverly Hills, CA 90210-1234
April 20, 20—
Jeffrey Partridge
Registered Dietician
548 Rock Avenue
Scranton, PA 18515
SUBJECT: RECENT EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION
We were pleased to receive your recent résumé and application for employment. We hope your
move to California will be pleasant. We are sure you will enjoy our state.
Your qualifications and experience are admirable. However, at this point, we have no openings for
someone of your caliber. We would like to add that this does not mean an opening will not occur
in the near future. We anticipate expansion of our facilities within the next few months. We will
keep your information on file, and when this expansion occurs, you will be considered a candidate
for employment.
Again, we wish you well in your move and hope to discuss employment opportunities with you in
the near future.
SEBASTIAN MELMOTH, PRESIDENT
SM/xx
FIGURE 15—Letter in Simplified Style
Types of Business Writing
51
Practice Exercise 4
Identify the letter styles configured here.
1.
The style is _______________.
(Continued)
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_______________
Types of Business Writing
52
Practice Exercise 4
2.
The style is _______________.
Check your answers with those on page 88.
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_______________
Types of Business Writing
53
Selecting and Addressing Envelopes
When writing to your mother, you may cram several 8? ? 11?
pieces of paper into a #6 envelope (the one that’s 3 5 / 8 ? ? 6 1 / 2 ?).
But business correspondence requires a more professional
approach. Be sure to use the right-size envelope, not only
for the letter but also for its enclosures.
If a short letter is typed on a small sheet of stationery, but its
enclosure is three pages of 8? ? 11? photocopies, then use a
#10 business envelope (the 4? ? 9? size). Even better, mail
the items flat in a 9? ? 12? envelope. But before you put
the letter in the envelope, you’ll want to print out or type
the address.
Letters addressed in cursive penmanship still reach their
destination (if the mail carrier can read your writing, that is).
However, handwritten envelopes aren’t considered appropriate
for professional correspondence. In addition, now that postal
services use computer scanning to sort mail, letters can
reach their destinations much more quickly if envelopes are
addressed so that the optical character recognition (OCR)
equipment can read them. Substantially the same format
is recommended by the Canada Post Corporation for the
optical scanning of letters in Canada.
Numerous publications available from the USPS tell you what
you need to know about business mailing. They include
information on addressing standards, design criteria for let-
ters and reply mail, rates and fees, and other topics
important to businesses. You can find the information on
the USPS Web site at http://www.usps.com/business/cus-
tomersupport/
welcome.htm.
Figure 16 shows a “business-size” (#10) envelope with the
dimension of the OCR read area indicated.
For complete addressing and mailing information, visit the
Canada Post Web site at http://www.canadapost.ca or the
USPS Web site at http://www.usps.com.
Types of Business Writing
54
FIGURE 16—A Properly Addressed Business Envelope
Types of Business Writing
55
Here are some general tips for addressing business mail:
• To ensure that the print is scannable, always type rather
than address the envelope by hand.
• Don’t use italic or script fonts (type styles), which OCR
can’t read.
• If the envelope is too large to fit into your typewriter or
printer, use an address label.
• Type the entire address in uppercase letters.
• Place information in this order:
Line 1: Recipient’s name or attention line. (If an attention
line is necessary, the USPS recommends that you always
put it first.)
Line 2: Company, department, title, or other important
subinformation. (You may divide this line into two and
end up with a five-line address, or omit this line and
end up with a three-line address.)
Line 3: Street address or P.O. box number and any defining
information such as room, suite, or apartment number.
(All of this information should go on one line, and that
line should be second from the bottom.)
Line 4: City, state or province, and zip code or postal
code. Use the following two-letter state or province
abbreviations (both capital letters with no period after
the second letter) on all letters:
United States
Alabama AL Montana MT
Alaska AK Nebraska NE
Arizona AZ Nevada NV
Arkansas AR New Hampshire NH
California CA New Jersey NJ
Colorado CO New Mexico NM
Connecticut CT New York NY
Delaware DE North Carolina NC
District of Columbia DC North Dakota ND
Florida FL Ohio OH
Georgia GA Oklahoma OK
Types of Business Writing
56
Hawaii HI Oregon OR
Idaho ID Pennsylvania PA
Illinois IL Rhode Island RI
Indiana IN South Carolina SC
Iowa IA South Dakota SD
Kansas KS Tennessee TN
Kentucky KY Texas TX
Louisiana LA Utah UT
Maine ME Vermont VT
Maryland MD Virginia VA
Massachusetts MA Washington WA
Michigan MI West Virginia WV
Minnesota MN Wisconsin WI
Mississippi MS Wyoming WY
Missouri MO
Canada
Alberta AB Nova Scotia NS
British Columbia BC Ontario ON
Manitoba MB Prince Edward Island PE
New Brunswick NB Quebec PQ
Newfoundland NF Saskatchewan SK
Northwest Territories NT Yukon Territory YT
• Avoid putting the zip code on its own line. If you must
use another line to stay in the OCR read area, begin it
flush with the other lines rather than indenting.
• Don’t use punctuation, even if leaving it out seems
incorrect to you—no periods after abbreviations, no
comma between city and state or province.
• If you don’t know a zip code or postal code, look it up in
the U.S. Postal Service Zip Code Directory or Canada’s
Postal Code Directory both of which are available online,
or you can order the U.S. zip code directory from the
Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC 20402.
Types of Business Writing
57
• Use standard abbreviations, especially when writing out
the material will cause the line to go beyond the OCR
read area.
Apartment APT Ridge RDG
Attention ATTN River RV
Avenue AVE Road RD
East E Room RM
Expressway EXPY Route RT
Heights HTS Rural R
Hospital HOSP Shore SH
Institute INST South S
Junction JCT Square SQ
Lake LK Station STA
Lakes LKS Street ST
Lane LN Terrace TER
Meadows MDWS Turnpike TPKE
North N Union UN
Park PK View VW
Parkway PKY Village VLG
Plaza PLZ West W
It’s also acceptable to use abbreviations of a long-titled
professional organization.
Instead of:
SOCIETY OF CHILDREN’S
BOOK WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS
P.O. BOX 66296
MAR VISTA STATION
LOS ANGELES CA 90066
Type:
SCBWI
P.O. BOX 66296
MAR VISTA STA
LOS ANGELES CA 90066
• Place any special markings in the appropriate corner,
outside of the OCR read area and bar code read area. For
instance, a notation for the person who mails the letter,
such as SPECIAL DELIVERY or REGISTERED MAIL,
should go in the upper right, beneath the space left for
Types of Business Writing
58
postage. A notation for the recipient, such as HOLD FOR
ARRIVAL or PLEASE FORWARD, should go in the lower
left corner of the envelope.
Now you’re ready to put the letter in the envelope. Be sure to
fold the letter carefully. Keep edges lined up straight so the
letter won’t get wrinkled or the creases won’t give the letter a
lopsided look when the reader opens it. Also, crooked creases
can lead to damaging the letter on the way in and out of the
envelope. Be aware that a sharp letter opener can cut a care-
lessly folded letter along with the envelope. If you follow the
conventional folding method in Figure 17, you’ll have perfect
creases every time.
FIGURE 17—Properly Folding a Business Letter
To fold a letter for insertion into a
large business envelope:
1. Fold upward from the lower edge
of the letter. Make the fold about
one-third the length of the sheet.
2. Fold down from the top. Leave a
1 / 2 ? margin at the first fold.
3. Insert the second fold into the
envelope. This will leave the 1 / 2 ?
margin near the envelope flap.
To fold a letter for insertion into a
window envelope:
1. Place the letter face down with
the top edge toward you.
2. Fold the upper third down from
the top.
3. Fold from the bottom third up so
the address is showing.
4. Insert the letter with the letter-
head and address toward the
front of the envelope.
Types of Business Writing
59
Practice Exercise 5
Look at the envelope below that’s addressed for OCR scanning and identify at least
six errors.
1. __________________________________________________________
2 . __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________
6. __________________________________________________________
Check your answers with those on page 88.
S. Smith
John B. Jeremy, President and Chief Executive Officer
Masterson Co.
Philadelphia, Pa.
REGISTERED MAIL
Types of Business Writing
60
Templates and Sample Letters
You’ll frequently send out letters that you’ve written in
response to a specific problem or situation. When you know
that a letter will be used frequently, take a few minutes to make
a template, or model letter. Edit and polish it so that you can
use the same format and content whenever a similar response
is needed. Then, if you’ve created it using a word processing
program, save the file in a folder labeled “templates” so you
can easily retrieve it. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll
collect sample letters. Eventually, you’ll discover you have a
template to fit nearly every situation. What a tremendous way
to become more efficient while providing top-quality letters!
In the material that follows, you’ll find some principles for
writing the more common kinds of letters used in business,
as well as examples of each kind. These will help you as you
draft your own letters.
Letters of Inquiry
Letters of inquiry, which request information, are frequently
needed in business correspondence. The subject of the inquiry
may be the business standing of an individual or a firm, the
price of goods, the price of some machine or device, or any
other matter. An effective letter of inquiry makes it clear
exactly what information is being requested and why. If a
number of questions are being asked, it’s a good idea to
itemize them or put each in a separate paragraph. If the
information is needed by a certain date, the fact is included
in the letter (Figure 18).
Types of Business Writing
61
At some point, you or your office or company may be answering
one of those letters of inquiry. The same principles that apply
to the writing of a good letter of inquiry apply to answering
such letters (Figure 19). Be clear, direct, and specific in
supplying the information requested. If company brochures
will help to answer the questions, be sure to enclose them.
If there’s a reason why you can’t give the information needed,
make sure to say so. Remember, any correspondence you
send out in the name of the company or office you work for
should attempt to create and maintain a positive image of
the company.
Box 234
Dalton, Pennsylvania 18414
September 23, 20—
Sarah Morgan, Ph.D.
The Business College
8120 Fourth Street
New Brunswick, AZ 85691
Dear Dr. Morgan:
Your school was recommended to me by a guidance counselor at my former high school, and I am
considering enrolling in your office management program. However, before deciding, I would like a
little more information. Here are the questions I would like to have answered:
How much math is required in the course? I must confess I’ve never been a stellar math student.
How long would it take me to complete the course? Would it be possible for me to complete the
course in six months or less if I devote all of my time to it?
Do you help your students find positions? Would it be unreasonable for me to expect to obtain a
position within 20 miles of New Brunswick?
When would be the earliest that I might be able to start my course of study? My family and I are
moving to Arizona next month and I would like to get started as soon as possible after that.
I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Very truly yours,
Albert K. Hall
Albert K. Hall
FIGURE 18—Letter of Inquiry
Types of Business Writing
62
8120 Fourth Street
New Brunswick, AZ 85691
September 30, 20—
Mr. Albert K. Hall
Box 234
Dalton, PA 18414
Dear Mr. Hall:
I am happy to know that you’re thinking of studying with us. We assure you that we will be able
to prepare you for a good position as an office manager if you’re willing to do your share by work-
ing hard and dedicating yourself to success.
I have mailed you a copy of our new catalog, which contains a synopsis of the subjects required
in the Office Management Program. You will find this program’s outline beginning on page 24. As
to your question regarding math requirements, while advanced courses such as calculus are not
required, basic mathematical concepts and statistics are. I’m sure you can understand why a
topnotch office manager would need to be proficient in those areas.
Our next semester starts January 4, but if you are intending to begin at that time you should
know that our filing deadline for applications for the spring semester is November 30. I have
enclosed an application form with the catalog. While most of our students require three semesters
to graduate, it is possible to graduate in six months by taking extra courses each semester.
Although we have no employment department, recent graduates have secured good, local posi-
tions within three months of graduating.
Let me suggest that you read the entire catalog very carefully, and then if you have further
questions, please contact me at my office phone (602) 333-3333 between the hours of 8:30 A . M .
and 5:00 P . M . I will be glad to answer any other questions you may have and to assist you in
any way I can.
Very truly yours,
Sarah Morgan
Sarah Morgan, Ph.D.
The Business College
P.S. Good luck to you and your family with your relocation. I’m sure you will find Arizona a
beautiful state and the living conditions here excellent.
FIGURE 19—Letter of Reply to Inquiry
Types of Business Writing
63
Complaint Letters
Probably the most challenging letter for anyone to write is a
complaint letter. When a person writes a complaint letter, he
or she has some problem. Often that person is upset, even
angry, if he or she is taking the time to write a letter. The
challenge, then, if you’re in the position of having to write a
complaint letter, is to address the problem without sounding
irrational or insulting the person or company you’re writing
to. This is especially true in business when you’re represent-
ing the company or office you work for. Belittling or calling
the addressee names is hardly likely to get you positive
action regarding your complaint and, perhaps even worse,
will tarnish your company’s or employer’s reputation.
What you should do, then, is be controlled, objective, and
specific about the nature of your problem.
In your letter, you should state what you ordered and when
you placed your order. State what inconveniences, if any,
have resulted for your company from lack of receipt of the
goods. Also indicate what action you expect to have taken.
Indicate if you would like to cancel your order. Figures 20
and 21 are examples of the bodies for ineffective and effective
complaint letters.
Dir Sir:
About three weeks ago I ordered some things from your company and asked that you ship them
immediately. So far nothing has arrived and this has had a negative impact on my business.
Please check my order and send it immediately if you have not already done so. Otherwise you
can just cancel my order.
Sincerely,
Pam S. Smith
Pam S. Smith
FIGURE 20—Ineffective Letter of Complaint
Types of Business Writing
64
What if you’re on the receiving end of a complaint letter? It
takes as much skill and control to write a good response letter
to a complaint as it does to draft a complaint. An effective
response to a complaint letter will do two things:
1. It will address and correct the complaint, if at all possible.
If the complaint can’t be satisfied, a reason will be given.
2. The tone and content of the letter will attempt to maintain
goodwill and business for the company or office.
Collection Letters
Unfortunately, not all individuals and companies pay their
bills on time. It becomes necessary, then, to write to an
individual or company to remind them that payment is due
or overdue and to encourage them to meet their financial
obligations. The usual approach is a series of letters that
increase in forcefulness. The first letter usually extends
the benefit of the doubt:
Everyone forgets things sometimes. Perhaps you’ve overlooked
your monthly payment of $______, now overdue. If so, please
send the payment now to keep your account current. If the
payment has already been sent, please ignore this letter.
Dear Sir:
Our oil order No. 307, acknowledged on January 16, hasn’t arrived. In view of the usual prompt-
ness with which you’ve always filled my orders, I am surprised at the delay.
Will it be possible for you to fill my order by the end of the week?
Sincerely yours,
Pam M. Smith
Pam M. Smith
FIGURE 21—Effective Letter of Complaint
Types of Business Writing
65
When that doesn’t receive a response, a second letter
might read:
Our records indicate that you still haven’t made your payment
of $_____ for the month of June. In addition, your July payment
is now due. We ask that you pay prompt attention to this
matter and mail your two payments immediately in order
to maintain your credit standing with our company. If you’re
having financial problems that are affecting your ability to pay
these bills, please call our credit department at (717) 666-6666
during regular company hours to arrange a payment plan.
If that doesn’t work, a third letter might be sent with a more
threatening tone:
We still haven’t received either your June or July payments
and neither has our credit department received a call from you
regarding a payment schedule. If we don’t receive payment or
hear from you in the next 10 days, we’ll be forced to revoke
your credit and turn your account over to a collection agency.
Letters of Introduction
Another kind of letter that one occasionally may be requested to
compose is a letter of introduction. Before you consider writing
such a letter, you need to look closely at both the person
who’s requesting the introduction and the person who will be
receiving the letter. Is the person who wants the introduction
someone who’s trustworthy and honest? Are his or her motives
for desiring the introduction ones that you can endorse? How
will the recipient of the letter feel when he or she gets the letter?
How will the letter affect his or her feelings towards you, the
writer? Will he or she feel imposed upon? These are consider-
ations that you should weigh before agreeing to draft such a
letter. See Figure 22 for a sample letter of introduction.
Types of Business Writing
66
Letters of Recommendation
As with a letter of introduction, you need to consider whether
you can honestly recommend the person for what he or she
is requesting. Sometimes it’s difficult to say that you can’t in
good conscience write a letter of recommendation for someone
and tell that person why, but certainly integrity requires that
you do so. If you agree to write the letter, be truthful and don’t
exaggerate a person’s attributes. Doing so may actually have
a negative impact on the person’s job quest. See Figure 23 for
an effective letter of recommendation.
Letters Accepting and Declining Invitations
In accepting an invitation, the writer of the letter should
express his or her willingness to comply with the request
of the person extending the invitation and should show
appreciation for having received it. In declining an invitation,
the writer needs only to state regret that the invitation can’t
be accepted and to give a reason if the writer thinks it’s
advisable to do so (Figures 24 and 25).
Dear Mr. Wilson:
I take great pleasure in introducing to you Mr. Harry L. Wells, who plans to open a plant in Troy if
he can find a building suitable for his button factory.
Mr. Wells has been a business associate and close personal friend of mine for more than ten
years. He is an honest and progressive gentleman, of good character. Any help that you can pro-
vide him in this venture will be much appreciated—both by him and me.
Very sincerely yours,
R.J. Keating
R. J. Keating
FIGURE 22—Letter of Introduction
Types of Business Writing
67
Dear Mr. Ambrose:
Ms. Joyce J. Allison has informed me that she has applied for a position as teacher of mathe-
matics in the Allegheny High School. She asked me to write you a word of recommendation on
her behalf, and I am certainly pleased to do so.
I have worked closely with Ms. Allison for the past three years since she has served as my teaching
assistant while she was working to fulfill requirements for a master’s degree in mathematics at
Sutler University, where I am a Professor of Mathematics. Every semester Ms. Allison taught a sec-
tion of freshman mathematics and conducted study sessions for several of my classes. Therefore,
I had an excellent opportunity to observe her as a teacher.
Without exaggeration, I can say that she is a most thorough mathematician and a conscientious
teacher who is able both to inspire and challenge the able mathematical student and make
difficult mathematical concepts clear for the less able student. In addition, she has been involved
in some research projects with me and I can assure you that, in addition to being an able mathe-
matician and teacher, she is also a researcher of the first order, eager to keep abreast of innovations
in her field and to make a contribution herself. Certainly the school or college that secures her
services will be most fortunate.
Personally, I shall be sorry to lose Ms. Allison’s services as my assistant. Nevertheless, I heartily
wish her the success and advancement she so well deserves, and I take pleasure in recommending
her to you.
Sincerely,
C.L. Dodgson
C. L. Dodgson
Professor of Mathematics
Sutler University
FIGURE 23—Letter of Recommendation
Dear Ms. Warren:
I am glad to accept your invitation to hear Professor Wainwright speak on the property tax next
Wednesday evening.
The subject of property tax is one of keen interest these days, and when it’s discussed by as
capable a speaker as Ms. Wainwright, her listeners will enjoy a definite treat. I appreciate your
remembering me and shall be at the Board of Trade Building promptly at eight o’clock.
Yours truly,
Richard Sloan
Richard Sloan
FIGURE 24—Letter Accepting an Invitation
Types of Business Writing
68
Letters of Application
At some point in most people’s careers, they find it necessary
to draft a letter of application for a job. Perhaps you’ve become
dissatisfied with your job, or there’s no place to advance
within the company. You may then find yourself reading the
want ads online or in the local paper. If you find a position
that interests you and that you feel qualified to fill, you’ll
want to write a letter of application. That letter will usually
be sent along with a résumé. (Never send a résumé without
a cover letter.)
Keep in mind that the letter of application is often the very
first encounter that a company has with you, so make sure
that your letter is neat and correct in format, punctuation,
grammar, and spelling. The tone of your letter should be
professional and confident, but not cocky. In the letter, you
should present evidence that your background and experi-
ence meet the needs of the employer. You may highlight or
call attention to particulars from your résumé that you think
qualify you for the advertised position. Remember that the
ultimate purpose of the letter is to get you an interview so
that you may then sell yourself in person. An effective letter
of application is given in Figure 26.
Dear Mr. Taylor:
I am sorry I can’t join you at the reception for Dr. Gray on the evening of November 16. If it were
not for a previous out-of-town engagement, I would be glad to accept your invitation.
I know you’ll have an enjoyable evening and expect you to tell me about it later.
Very sincerely yours,
Richard Sloan
Richard Sloan
FIGURE 25—Letter Declining an Invitation
Types of Business Writing
69
5400 Springfield Street
Dana Point, California 92629
May 6, 20—
Mr. Arthur Barnes, Personnel Director
The Howland Publishing Company
789 Commonwealth Avenue
Santa Ana, CA 92547
Dear Mr. Barnes:
In Monday’s Register I reviewed your advertisement for an Executive Secretary. Please consider me
as an applicant for the position.
I am a graduate of Garden Grove High School and Saddleback Community College. In high school
I took the regular business course and was in a special advanced-speed class for persons passing
a shorthand test at 120 words a minute. In junior college I majored in business administration
and took two years of creative writing as an elective.
Since receiving my Associate in Science degree three years ago, I have been secretary to Mr.
Martin K. Topper, Treasurer of the Univeral Printing Company in Anaheim. My duties have included
taking dictation up to 140 words a minute, using a word processor to create a company newslet-
ter, and supervising the work of several clerks. I have had the responsibility of composing many of
Mr. Topper’s letters and handling confidential matters for him. I can key in straight copy at 75
words
a minute and transcribe my shorthand at 40 words per minute.
Recently, I learned that I have reached the maximum salary for my position. I have decided, there-
fore, to seek employment with a larger firm—one engaged in work in which I have a special
interest—writing. Because of my secretarial experience, as well as my training in creative writing, I
am confident that I can do an outstanding job for you.
Mr. Martin K. Topper has permitted me to use his name as a reference.
May I have a personal interview at your convenience? If you wish to telephone me, my number is
555-9877.
Sincerely,
Virginia R. Smithson
Virginia R. Smithson
Enclosure: Résumé
FIGURE 26—Letter of Application
Types of Business Writing
70
Letters of Resignation
If at some point you decide to change companies, you should
send a brief, courteous letter of resignation to your current
employer. The letter should mention your reason for resigning
and the date when the resignation is to become effective. It’s
a good idea to express appreciation, or even regret. Most
importantly, make sure that the letter is one of goodwill. The
letter of resignation isn’t the place to express all your complaints
about the company. Besides, you never know when a letter
like that might come back to haunt you. An effective letter of
resignation is given in Figure 27.
Dear Ms. Thone:
I’m sorry that I must resign my position as bookkeeper for your firm. An unusually good position
has been offered me, and I feel that I must take advantage of such an excellent opportunity for
advancement.
Since my new duties begin July 1, I ask that my resignation take effect June 30.
I have enjoyed my work with you and appreciate the kindness you have shown me. My interest in
your firm will continue, and I wish you and your associates continued success.
Very truly yours,
Jill Jones
Jill Jones
FIGURE 27—Letter of Resignation
Types of Business Writing
71
Practice Exercise 6
A. A customer sent your company the following letter:
I’m having trouble with the Kutzit gasoline-powered lawn mower I bought from you this
spring. It sticks when I start it, and it doesn’t cut the grass close enough. I can’t find
any way to adjust the blade.
A very poor customer service representative responded with this:
We’re sorry you’re having difficulty with the Kutzit mower. This is an excellent item, but
intelligent care is necessary for its successful operation. We sent you a booklet that tells
you just how to care for the mower. Apparently you either failed to read it, or you didn’t
follow the instructions. We’re sure you’ll have no more trouble after you start caring for
the mower as it should be taken care of.
Write a response that’s more likely to please and keep the customer.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
B. In the following letter, there are at least 10 expressions that can be considered
offensive. Cross out the offensive expressions, and substitute better ones. Make
any other changes that you feel can improve the letter.
Your complaint concerning our service has just come back to my desk. If you’ll take
time to look through the catalog we sent you, you’ll see that it was due to your own
ignorance that the machine didn’t perform as you wanted it to.
It’s quite evident that either you misunderstood the directions, or you haven’t carefully
followed those directions. You imply that it was our fault that the tripper on the machine
broke. This is untrue. It seems to me that you simply were excited and didn’t give the
machine a fair trial.
I also call attention to the fact that you promised to let us have your check for the
last month’s payment before the end of the month. Please follow the directions in the
catalog we’ve already sent you. We would also appreciate your check by return mail.
(Continued)
Types of Business Writing
72
Practice Exercise 6
C. Now write a revised response to the letter in B, one that’s more customer-friendly.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
D. Devise a better opening sentence than those given below.
1. I know that you’re extremely busy at this time of year, and that you’re bothered by
many persons trying to interest you in fall fashions.
__________________________________________________________
2. We beg to advise you.
__________________________________________________________
3. Sometimes employees who work long hours become discontented.
__________________________________________________________
4. It’s contrary to the policy of our company to accept any returned merchandise.
__________________________________________________________
5. We received your order of July 17, but regret to state that we can’t fill it.
__________________________________________________________
Check your answers with those on page 88.
Types of Business Writing
73
Writing Tips
Here are a few tips to remember when you’re writing business
letters or memos:
• Remember that written communications can be seen by
more people than you may intend. You should assume
that the recipient of any memo or letter you write may jot
a note on it and forward it to someone else to look at or
handle. Be particularly careful if you’re angry or feeling
negative when you’re writing. Edit your letter or memo
closely. Remember that facts are difficult to refute but
negativity is easy to attack.
• Personnel-related memos have a long life. They may
remain in an individual’s personnel file for years. A
hastily written, poorly crafted memo that’s intended to
provide constructive criticism may, in fact, haunt the
recipient for a long time. Be sure any such memo says
precisely what you intend both in words and in tone.
• Don’t resort to writing memos because you want to avoid
confronting coworkers about problems. Memos can never
replace open discussions. Conversely, if your boss usually
communicates with you in person or by phone but sud-
denly starts communicating by memo, he or she may
for some reason be uncomfortable around you. Take the
initiative to determine what the difficulty is and get it
resolved before it balloons into a major problem.
• Are you having trouble beginning a letter or a memo?
Pretend that you have one minute to explain the subject
to your boss as she or he passes by on the way to catch
a taxi to the airport. What are the two or three points
you would stress? Quickly write these down on a piece of
paper. You now have the topic sentences or main points
you wish to make in your letter or memo. Add the
supporting arguments or details, and your rough draft
is completed.
Types of Business Writing
74
• Here’s another trick for getting started. Close your eyes
and picture the person to whom you’re writing. How would
you approach the subject about which you’re writing if
you were to discuss it in person? Write your opening
sentences that way—quickly, before the thoughts escape.
If the writing seems too casual, you can always edit to
get it right. But you’ll have quickly gotten the rough draft
on paper, with minimum difficulty.
• Don’t fall into the institutional writing trap. Although
most memos and letters need to be somewhat more formal
than spoken communication, you’re still communicating
with other people. Don’t let your writing sound as if it’s
developed by a machine or, worse yet, by a committee.
Too stiff: It’s important to note that the fully costed pro-
posal in final form must be received by 3:00 P . M . Friday.
Less formal: It’s important that I receive the fully costed
proposal in final form by 3:00 P . M . Friday.
This subtle change makes the message less threatening and
more motivating.
• Memo and letter writers sometimes fail to specify what
action should be taken or to ask that the action be com-
pleted by a specific time or date. Don’t be shy. After all,
there’s a reason you took the time to write the letter or
memo. Requesting certain actions by a specific deadline
is reasonable.
• Remember the ABCs of business correspondence:
A ccuracy
B revity
C larity
Types of Business Writing
75
12. The memo format may be used for
Self-Check 4
Underline the one best answer to each question.
1. Which of the following salutations is not considered acceptable form?
a. Dear Dr. Smith, M.D.: c. Dear Sir or Madam:
b. Dear Mrs. Scott: d. Dear Students:
2. If your company has letterhead paper, you should
a. use it for correspondence required in the department.
b. type the company’s address below the letterhead.
c. omit the inside address.
d. type the date below the letterhead.
3. The attention line of a letter is usually placed
a. above the inside address. c. after the secretary’s initials.
b. above the salutation. d. on the second line of the inside address.
4. The inside address of a letter
a. can be abbreviated.
b. contains the town and state only.
c. should be the same address as on the envelope.
d. is the same as the return address.
5. When you’re directing your letter to one particular person within a company, it’s best to
a. use enclosures.
b. put the person’s name in the address.
c. put the person’s name in an attention line.
d. put the name in a copy notation.
(Continued)
Types of Business Writing
76
Self-Check 4
6. When more than one person is to receive a copy of the letter, this can be indicated by one of
the following:
a. pc: Jim Crossen c. At/SM: Jim Crossen
Bob Granger Bob Granger
Bill Hart Bill Hart
b. Enc: Jim Crossen d. To: Crossen
Bob Granger Granger
Bill Hart Hart
7. When using the simplified letter format, which parts are omitted?
a. The typed name and title of the sender
b. The salutation and complimentary close
c. The complimentary close and the date
d. The typed name of the sender and the salutation
8. The four sentences below were part of the same letter. The letter can be made more concise
by eliminating which sentence?
a. I am writing this letter because my wife and I are planning a trip to your area in the near
future to attend a convention of my company.
b. Please send me your rates for a double room and bath.
c. Also include any information on available transportation facilities.
d. I am interested in reservations for the last two weeks in July.
9. You’re writing a letter to let a company know that you’re interested in a job now open with
the company. The best wording would be
a. I think I may be interested in your job. Please let me know more about it so I can decide.
b. I am definitely the most qualified person for the job now open with your company.
c. I desire to state that your offer appeals to me and I am prepared to offer my services.
d. I am interested in applying for the job as a secretary now open in your engineering
department.
10. You, Susan S. Smith, have typed a letter for your employer, Mr. George S. Shinn. Which of the
following identifying initials are correct?
a. GSS/susan c. gss/susan
b. GSS/ss d. susan/GSS
(Continued)
Types of Business Writing
77
Self-Check 4
11. Which address is formatted correctly for OCR scanning?
a. Mr. Jonathan Cardoni c. MR. JONATHAN CARDONI
504, Warford Drive, 504 WARFORD DR
Syracuse, New York 13224 SYRACUSE, NY
13224
b. Mr. Jonathan Cardoni d. MR JONATHAN CARDONI
504 Warford Dr. 504 WARFORD DR
Syracuse, NY 13224 SYRACUSE NY 13224
12. The memo format may be used for
a. any type of short, professional business communication.
b. interoffice communication within a company.
c. informal communication with other companies.
d. informal notes and rough drafts.
13. The date you type at the beginning of a letter or report should be the date that the
document is
a. filed. c. dictated.
b. typed. d. mailed.
14. The format of a business letter helps both the writer and the reader
a. do their jobs effectively and efficiently.
b. become familiar with each other.
c. learn to enjoy writing and reading.
d. function creatively to make everyday letters more interesting.
15. Which one of the following statements is the best reply to a customer complaint about the
high price of an item?
a. Your letter of the twelfth stated that you didn’t like our price.
b. Your complaint about our high price is hard to believe.
c. We can’t understand why you think the items are overpriced; no one else has
ever complained.
d. Your last shipment was priced slightly higher because we’ve replaced the item you ordered
with a new, improved model.
Check your answers with those on page 93.
Types of Business Writing
78
FORMS
While order letters and handwritten requisitions were once
an important part of business writing, for the most part,
they’ve gone the way of carbon paper and white-out. Many
everyday transactions now take place through standardized
paper or electronic forms. Employee preferences for benefits
packages, orders for office supplies or production materials,
and even petty cash purchases all require documentation.
But instead of letters, memos, and the occasional scribbled
note, today’s businesses rely on preprinted forms, Portable
Document Format (PDF) files, interactive online forms, and
e-mail forms, which efficiently provide the necessary informa-
tion, multiple copies, or long-term records they require.
Purpose of Forms
Whether you work in an office full-time or spend most of your
day selling products or providing a service to clients, you’re
bound to encounter business forms. Some common forms are
employment applications, insurance claim forms, expense
account reports or travel reimbursement forms, purchase
orders (Figure 28) and requisition forms, time sheets, activity
logs, accident reports, invoices, work orders, and client or
patient record forms.
Forms are designed to improve workflow and make office
procedures more efficient. With specific headings and spaces
for the needed information, they ensure consistency and help
prevent omissions. Of course, unless the information entered
on a form is complete and accurate, it isn’t useful or efficient.
Make sure that you double-check each entry before submit-
ting a form. Imagine the confusion that could result if “Bill
to” and “Ship to” information were reversed on a purchase
order or if someone accidentally entered two weeks of paid
vacation time as unpaid leave. It’s also important that dates
are entered correctly, since business transactions are time-
sensitive and employee attendance records must be accurate.
Types of Business Writing
79
PURCHASE ORDER
Mayfield Valley Municipal Hospital
2067 Washington Boulevard
Mayfield, OR 00000
123-555-6000
Approved (Manager) ________________________________Date ______________________
Approved (Director) ________________________________Date ______________________
FIGURE 28—Most larger companies use purchase order forms to ensure proper approval and documen-
tation of items they buy.
P.O.
Number
DATE
Vendor
Number
Account
Code
Requested
by
Department/
Budget
Number
Product ID Description Quantity Price Each Amount
Subtotal
Shipping
Total
Types of Business Writing
80
It’s most important to double-check any numbers you’ve
entered on a form. While spelling errors are never desirable,
information is usually still readable even if it’s misspelled.
However, entering 0 when you meant to hit 9 or transposing
two numbers on a form can completely change the result.
For instance, if you need part number 03476901 but you
accidentally write 03476991 on the order form, it’s guaranteed
you won’t get what you expected, even if they both happen
to be replacement gaskets or electric pencil sharpeners. It’s
much more serious if you make a mistake on a client’s
identification number or a refill number for a patient’s med-
ication. Quantities of items, department numbers, client and
patient identification numbers, billing hours, and dollar
amounts all must be precise and correct every time.
Types of Forms
Most businesses use a variety of forms and may choose
paper or electronic types, or use some of both. The choice
often depends on the size of the business and the owner’s
access to and comfort with technology. While paper forms are
fine, they must be kept in files, which can take up consider-
able space if there are hundreds or thousands of them to be
stored. In the event of a fire or other catastrophe, paper
records could be ruined or lost. Computer forms, which
can be produced in several formats, may eliminate some
problems, such as storage space, poor handwriting, mis-
placed papers, and delayed mail delivery. On the other hand,
computer files can be damaged or destroyed, too, although
backup systems are usually in place. A breach in security is
another threat to files stored on computers and could mean
a loss of confidential records, trade secrets, and private
financial information.
Here are several kinds of forms you may be working with.
Paper Forms
Some forms are simply single sheets of paper printed with
spaces in which to write specific information. Others consist
of several duplicate pages bound together, usually to provide
copies for the customer, salesperson or technician, billing
Types of Business Writing
81
department, and files. Some are generic and some are custom-
made for a specific business and purpose. Many are numbered
and some come in books with bindings of wire or glue, which
hold the copies together to keep them in order and prevent
them from getting lost.
Portable Document Formats (PDFs)
A PDF is a computer format that saves all the information
related to a document, such as fonts and graphics, as well
as the text. The most common program used to access PDFs is
Acrobat Reader, which may be downloaded free from the
Internet. Microsoft has its own format, XPS, which works in
a similar way. Forms created in these formats may be printed
out and filled in by hand, the advantage being that potential
customers or employees can access the forms instantly via the
Internet, rather than having to visit the facility or request forms
by phone or mail.
E-mail
Many businesses use the forms feature of their e-mail program
to create communications shortcuts for everyday tasks such
as requesting time off (Figure 29) or processing work orders.
With a few keystrokes, a brief form can be completed and sent
on its way to the correct individual or department.
Online Enrollment
The Web sites of some colleges and universities offer online
enrollment forms, which can be filled out and sent back elec-
tronically. Various government Web sites allow individuals
to enroll in programs that way, and many lending institutions
encourage customers to apply for loans electronically.
Consumers appreciate the convenience and speed of
these forms, as long as the forms are user friendly and
function properly.
Types of Business Writing
82
Using Forms
Electronic forms have streamlined record keeping in several
ways. It’s much more efficient to have employees, clients, and
customers key their own information directly into the computer
than to have them hand-write the information on paper forms
to be keyed into the computer later. Not only does it involve
less effort, but there’s also less likelihood of spelling or
numerical errors.
You’ll find that each business has its own assortment of
forms. The best way to become acquainted with them is to
simply ask your supervisor or a coworker to show you the
forms you’ll be working with and explain the procedure that
goes with each one. You might want to take notes, in case it’s
several months before you have to use a certain form, and
keep a file of samples along with your notes.
FIGURE 29—E-mail forms offer employees an efficient way to complete everyday tasks, such as
requests for time off.
Types of Business Writing
83
Self-Check 5
Underline the one best answer to each question.
1. Electronic forms streamline office records by
a. providing several copies of each form.
b. making records easier to find in files.
c. allowing customers to key in their own information.
d. reaching potential clients in their offices.
2. It’s most important to check on the accuracy of the _______ on a form.
a. names
b. numbers
c. headings
d. spelling
3. Electronic records are no safer than paper files unless they’re protected by both _______ and
_______ systems.
a. domestic, public
b. physical, electronic
c. encryption, security
d. security, backup
4. The best way to become familiar with your company’s forms is to
a. study a variety of forms on the Internet.
b. visit an office supply store and look at its selection of forms.
c. seek advice from a friend who works in an office.
d. ask your supervisor for samples of forms they use.
5. To make use of a PDF form, you must have _______ on your computer
a. Microsoft XPS
b. Acrobat Reader
c. Portable Document Facility
d. Windows Media Player
Check your answers with those on page 93.
Types of Business Writing
84
NOTES
PRACTICE EXERCISE
Practice Exercise 1
The assistant’s letter manages to be unclear, wordy, incom-
plete, rude, and full of errors in grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and capitalization. It also lacks unity and
coherence.
In addition to the bad writing and poor customer service,
there are at least 12 technical errors, which are marked
below. How many did you find?
Mr. Kimmel,
At this time I have no reason to believe it is dam-
aged or defective. You mean you think the Shuttle
Hook and Bobbin assembly is out of synchronization
with the Motor, whichis impossible. It seems to me
that the problem is not with the machine but rather
with the operator. There can be no doubt about it
that if you thread it right it will work without bunch-
ing up the thread like that. Or if you need to adjust
the tension. I make the assumption that you have
already gone ahead and read the instructions as
anyone should do when they get a new piece of
equipment like this. If not than do so immediately.
You may have to look under troubleshooting. This
happens alot.
Enclosed please find copies of the warranty, which
you may perhaps should of also read before final
completion of the sale. You’ll notice it doesn’t cover
this type of problem.
Yours truly,
Alex Cleaver
85
A n s w e r s
^
Dear/:
^
^
^
lc x 4
#
frag.
^
/e
#
/have
sp
CS Rep
Your response to the dissatisfied sewing machine owner
might look something like this:
Dear Mr. Kimmel:
I’m sorry that you have been unable to use your new
Swinger/3000 sewing machine. Based on your description of
how the thread is looping and knotting on the underside of
the fabric, our technicians believe there is no defect in the
machine, but a problem with the tension—a rather common
concern with sewing machines. The solution may be in
adjusting the tension or reviewing the way the machine is
threaded. Here are some suggestions that may help you make
the proper adjustments:
• See page 2 of the Swinger/3000 Instruction Manual for a
diagram showing the proper threading of the machine.
• See page 19 of the Swinger/3000 Instruction Manual for
guidelines on tension adjustment.
• Check the Troubleshooting section of the Swinger/3000
Instruction Manual for additional information on tension
settings for specific fabrics, correct positioning of the
bobbin, types of thread, and related topics.
I hope this information helps you to resolve the problem with
your Swinger/3000. If these adjustments don’t result in
improved stitching, please call me at 555-3498 and I will do
my best to assist you in identifying what may be causing the
loose thread.
Yours truly,
Andy Elpert
Andy Elpert
Customer Service Representative
Answers
86
Practice Exercise 3
A.
1. Heading should be centered on page.
2. The date is missing after the heading.
3. Illinois is incorrectly abbreviated by postal standards.
It should be IL.
4. A title is missing from the name in the inside address.
It should say Mr. (if the person has no other title like Dr. or
President).
5. The zip code is missing from the inside address.
6. There should be a double space between the inside
address and the salutation.
7. Since the person’s name is known, the letter should
be addressed to Mr. Taylor, not Dear Sir.
8. The salutation should be followed by a colon
rather than a comma.
9. RE should be followed by a colon.
10. RE should be placed above the salutation.
11. “Wishing you best regards” isn’t a suitable
complimentary closing.
12. Marcia Miller didn’t sign her name.
13. MM, the initials of the composer of the letter,
should be capitalized and a slash without space used
before the typist’s initials.
14. The P.S. should be the last thing mentioned.
15. Enc. should begin with a capital letter and be moved
above the P.S.
B.
1. Heading
2. Inside address
3. Salutation
4. Subject/attention line
5. Body
Answers
87
Answers
88
6. Complimentary close
7. Signature block
8. Reference initials
9. Postscript
10. Enclosure notation
Practice Exercise 4
1. full-block
2. modified-block
Practice Exercise 5
You should have listed at least five of the following:
1. The return address of the sender isn’t given.
2. The title of Mr. Jeremy is too long—it should be on
a separate line.
3. The street address of the Masterson Company isn’t given.
4. Pennsylvania should be abbreviated PA.
5. No zip code is given.
6. The address should be in all capitals
7. Punctuation should be eliminated.
8. The address isn’t in the OCR area.
9. REGISTERED MAIL should be under the stamp.
Practice Exercise 6
A. Your rewritten version of the letter should be similar
to this:
Thank you for taking time to let us know about your
troubles with Kutzit. Sometimes a new mower may need
a little adjustment, particularly if the terrain is rough or
if the grass is new. I notice you live in that new develop-
ment in Meshoppen, so if you have new grass, that may
explain some of the difficulties you’re having.
In case your Kutzit instruction manual isn’t handy, I’m
sending you another one. On page 88, there’s a diagram
showing an enlarged section of one of the two screws
that have to be adjusted on each side of the cutters.
These screws drop the cutters closer to the grass.
We’re also sending you, at our expense, a newly devel-
oped lubricant especially made for Kutzit. You’ll notice
the container has an applicator designed to keep you
from getting your hands covered with oil.
Apply the oil at the oil ports shown on page 92 of your
instruction manual. These lubrication points will assure
you of clean, fast starts.
We hope that this information will help get your Kutzit
into top working order, and we apologize for any incon-
venience your difficulties with the machine may have
caused you. If there’s any other way we may serve you,
please let us know. We look forward to continuing to
meet your lawn servicing needs.
B. The following expressions are poor examples in a reply to
the customer. Notice how many of them have an accusa-
tory “you” tone to them.
1. Your complaint
2. If you’ll take time
3. your own ignorance
4. you misunderstood
5. you haven’t carefully followed those directions
6. You imply
7. our fault
8. untrue
9. you simply were excited
10. didn’t give the machine a fair trial
11. I also call attention to the fact
12. you promised
Answers
89
C. Your rewritten version of the letter should look some-
thing like this:
Immediately after receiving your letter of August 8, I sent
you a copy of our catalog in case you had misplaced or
didn’t receive the first one we sent you. Will you compare
these points on page 43 in the catalog with your machine?
Part I must reach Part B. The tripper must fit beneath
and between Parts A and B.
If for some reason the tripper on your machine shouldn’t
be in the position shown and described in the catalog, you
may have a defective machine. If this is so, a replacement
will be shipped as soon as I hear from you again. But
before you return your machine, take a careful look at
Parts A and B. It may be that they weren’t in the required
position, which would explain the poor tripper action.
When you send your March payment, please include
a note telling me whether your machine is now
working satisfactorily.
D.
1. You’re eager, I know, to see our new fall fashions that
are already so much in demand.
2. You’ll be pleased to know . . .
3. Too much overtime may lead to exhaustion
and inefficiency.
4. We can’t accept returned merchandise.
5. Because of overwhelming demands for the lead
crystal goblets, we can’t fill your July 17 order
until August 15.
Answers
90
Answers
91
SELF-CHECK
Self-Check 1
1. Conciseness
2. Correctness (The word group is a sentence fragment.)
3. Clarity (Who’s turn was next, the speaker or the person
to whom he’s speaking?)
4. Courtesy (The tone is insulting and makes the
customer’s problem sound unimportant.)
5. transition
6. beginning, end
7. unity
8. The tone should be professional, courteous, and
objective.
9. False; the writer must put him or herself in the place of
the recipient and write with the reader in mind—how will
he or she receive the information and how will it affect
him or her?
10. False; it also applies to “customers” within your
own company.
11. True
12. True
Self-Check 2
1. E-mail may inadvertently be sent to the computers of
people who weren’t intended to receive them, thereby
compromising organizational plans or policies. E-mail
may also bring unwanted information to a computer,
including computer viruses. Because e-mail messages
may be stored on hard drives for an indefinite period,
rash, emotional messages may end up as part of your
permanent employee record. It’s also the case that
e-mail correspondence is often actively monitored
within an organization.
2. You should have listed four of the following:
a. Keep e-mails concise and to the point. They shouldn’t
exceed three screens in length.
b. Carefully write messages intended for external parties.
Make them a bit more formal than those directed to
people within your organization.
c. Carefully check electronic addresses before you send
a message. Store frequently used e-mail addresses in
your online address book.
d. To protect yourself, don’t send anything you wouldn’t
want published.
e. Be careful about expressing your emotions in a reply
to an e-mail. Angry messages in particular may cause
you problems.
f. When the message you need to compose demands
thought and reflection, compose it offline. Write and
revise it in your word processing environment. Use
your spell checker and your grammar checker
or thesaurus.
g. Make sure your subject line is actually about the
subject. Busy people may simply delete e-mails
with subject lines that don’t seem relevant.
Self-Check 3
1. To:, From:, Date:, Subject:
2. headings
3. bad news
4. first-level
5. message
6. initial
7. guide
8. fourth-level
9. True
10. True
Answers
92
Self-Check 4
1. a
2. d
3. b
4. c
5. b
6. a
7. b
8. a
9. d
10. b
11. d
12. b
13. c
14. a
15. d
Self-Check 5
1. c
2. b
3. d
4. d
5. b
Answers
93
NOTES
Answers
94
95
Objective
The objective of this examination is to give you an opportunity
to effectively apply (1) the writing process as covered by all
six study units and (2) the formats presented in this study
unit. To do this, you’ll produce the following three types of
business writing using standard written conventions for
American English. You’ll create all of these items in Word,
without the use of templates or e-mail programs, and submit
the three required items in ONE document:
• One business letter
• One interoffice memorandum
• One e-mail
Background
Assume that you’ve worked for the last five years as an
administrative assistant for the Human Resources Department
of Broadworth General Hospital. The Director of Human
Resources, Miriam Hopkins, has charged you with organizing
a two-hour training seminar to be attended by the hospital’s
20 office supervisors. The seminar should cover sexual
harassment and unlawful discrimination in the workplace.
For the last 20 years, the hospital has contracted all training
through the nationally acclaimed Wydade Consulting
Services. Jeremy Dittmer, employee relations specialist, is
manager of the local branch of Wydade. He requires a three-
month advance notice regarding any training Broadworth
needs so he can supply an appropriate trainer and any mate-
rials that may be required. This is the first time you’ve dealt
directly with Mr. Dittmer.
Ex a m i n at i o n
Types of Business Writing
FINAL EXAMINATION NUMBER
02800601
Whichever method you use in submitting your exam
answers to the school, you must use the number above.
For the quickest test results, go to
http://www.takeexamsonline.com
Examination
96
You must also make all necessary arrangements for the seminar, including time,
date, a room at the hospital for training, any resources the trainer needs, any materials
those who attend might need, and light refreshments for a 15-minute break.
Process
1. Create the necessary details for this scenario—for example, your title, the mailing
addresses for the hospital and consulting firm, the dates, the kinds of training
materials used, and so on.
2. Using either full block or modified block, draft a letter to Mr. Dittmer to set up the
seminar. Your letter must have at least two paragraphs and at least eight complete
sentences. Include the following items in your letter:
a. Thanks for the company’s reliable support
b. An explanation of the training need and any special topics to cover
c. A request for a trainer to teach the seminar
d. A request for a list of resources the trainer will need
3. Draft an interoffice memorandum to Miriam Hopkins, the Director of Human
Resources:
a. Assume that you’ve received confirmation from Jeremy Dittmer for the date,
time, and materials needed. The trainer he has assigned is Deb Walker (e-mail:
Deb.Walker@wydadecs.com).
b. Outline the arrangements you’ve made, providing explanations as needed. Your
goal is to assure her that you’ve covered all of the details.
c. Invent any additional details as needed.
4. Draft an e-mail of at least four complete sentences to Deb Walker, the designated
trainer:
a. Confirm the arrangements for the seminar, providing only the information
she needs to arrive at the right place at the right time.
b. Copy both Mr. Dittmer (Jeremy.Dittmer@wydadecs.com) and Ms. Hopkins
(m_hopkins@BroadworthGH.org).
c. Create an appropriate e-mail business address for yourself and include it
after the signature block.
5. Set all three items aside for at least 24 hours.
Examination
97
6. Review the letter, memo, and e-mail as you answer the following questions:
a. Have I applied the revision, editing, and proofreading strategies taught in
this and previous units?
b. Do my letter, memo, and e-mail include an appropriate beginning, middle,
and end?
c. Have I used the formats shown in the study unit for each type of
correspondence?
d. Have I included all of the necessary parts, like company letterhead, a
simulated signature in the letter in italics or a script font, a heading
for the memo, To/Cc/Subject lines for the e-mail, and so on?
d. Have I used either the full block or modified block format for the letter?
7. Make sure your work matches the evaluation criteria below.
8. Edit and proofread your work at least one more time before submitting it for
evaluation. Use your computer’s grammar and spell checks cautiously. Not
everything the computer suggests is correct, particularly for the purpose and
audience.
Evaluation Criteria
Content and Development (50 points)
I’ve effectively combined information from the background material with insightful
details of my own to communicate to the designated audience for the required pur-
pose. Those details are knitted together with reasonable, concise explanations. If I’ve
used bullet points as an organization tool, I’ve provided a sufficient introduction to
make the purpose and information of the list clear.
I’ve developed the main idea of each paragraph in a logical direction. Each paragraph
flows naturally into the next without blurring the main ideas. My details fit naturally
where placed. I’ve effectively used connective wording to weave information and expla-
nations into a cohesive whole.
Letter: 20 points
Memo: 20 points
E-mail: 10 points
Examination
98
Voice and Word Choice (15 points)
My letter, memo, and e-mail maintain a single point of view with appropriate pro-
nouns and verbs in active voice. I’ve used a formal tone in my communications with
Mr. Dittmer and the trainer. My tone and voice give an engaging flavor to the mes-
sage; they’re appropriate for both the audience and purpose.
Each word works smoothly with the other words to convey the intended message in a
precise, appealing, and original way. The words I’ve chosen are specific, accurate, and
energetic. I haven’t used slang, clichés, or jargon.
Letter: 5 points
Memo: 5 points
E-mail: 5 points
Conventions and Sentence Fluency (15 points)
I’ve demonstrated a skillful grasp of standard writing conventions for American
English, using correct grammar, usage, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. My
sentences are well written with varied length, type, and structure to give each para-
graph a sense of controlled yet graceful movement. When read aloud, my writing
exhibits a natural, pleasant rhythm.
Letter: 5 points
Memo: 5 points
E-mail: 5 points
Format (20 points)
I’ve correctly applied the formats shown in the study unit for a letter, memo, and
e-mail, along with the standard formatting requirements for the course.
Letter: 5 points
Memo: 5 points
E-mail: 5 points
Header and general format: 5 points
Examination
99
Submitting Your Work
You can submit your work either online or by regular mail.
Online Method
Follow this procedure to submit your work online:
1. Prepare a cover sheet for your work. On the sheet, include the following
information:
a. Name and complete mailing address
b. Student number
c. Course title (Types of Business Writing)
d. Examination number (02800601)
2. On your computer, save a corrected and revised version of your cover sheet,
letter, memo, and e-mail.
3. Go to http://www.takeexamsonline.com and log in.
4. Go to My Courses.
5. Click on Take Exam next to the lesson you’re working on.
6. Enter your e-mail address in the box provided. (Note: This information is required
for online submission.)
7. Attach your files as follows:
a. Click on the Browse box.
b. Locate the file that contains your cover sheet.
c. Double-click on the file.
d. Click on Upload File.
e. To upload the files containing the letter, memo, and e-mail, repeat steps a–d
for each file.
7. Click on Submit Files.
Examination
100
Regular Mail Method
Follow this procedure to submit your work by regular mail:
1. Print a clean copy of your letter, memo, and e-mail.
2. Remove the Cover Sheet from this study unit and fill in the required information.
3. Attach the Cover Sheet to your work and mail it to
Penn Foster
Student Service Center
925 Oak Street
Scranton, PA 18515-0001
4. In the return address on the envelope, print your name, address, student num-
ber, and examination number (02800601).
NAME ________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS ________________________________________________________________
CITY ________________________________________________________________
❐ Check if this is a new address
PHONE
PLEASE PRINT
—
FOR YOUR INSTRUCTOR’S USE
GRADE GRADED BY
COVER SHEET
STUDENT NUMBER:
STATE/PROVINCE ZIP/POSTAL CODE
CUT ALONG THIS LINE
Fill in the required information on this Cover Sheet. Attach your completed letter, memo, and e-mail,
and send them to the school in the envelope provided, or mail them to
Penn Foster
Student Service Center
925 Oak Street
Scranton, PA 18515-0001
On the envelope, include your student number and exam number with your return address.
Evaluation Criteria for
Examination 02800601
Skill Realized Skill Developing Skill Emerging
Skill
Not
Evident
Content and development
Letter
Memo
E-mail
20
20
10
19
19
9
18
18
8
17
17
7
16
16
6
10
10
4
0
0
0
Voice and word choice 15 14 13 12 11 7 0
Conventions and
sentence fluency
15 14 13 12 11 7 0
Format
Letter
Memo
E-mail
Header and general format
5
5
5
5
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.5
4
4
4
4
3.5
3.5
3.5
3.5
3
3
3
3
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
