Business letters are formal documents used to communicate information both internally and externally. They range from routine matters to complex issues and can be used to request information or persuade recipients to take action. Key components of business letters include a letterhead, date, inside address, subject line, salutation, body, complimentary close, signature, and potential notations. Common formats are block, modified block, and semi-block, which vary in justification and indentation of components.

1. Business Letters
QURATUL AIN

2. What are Business Letters?
• Letters are formal documents that convey information mostly to
communication partners outside the organization
• Business letters are still the backbone of communication between
people
• Some business letters are sent internally, most often to superiors
• It can range form routine, informational matters to complex and
controversial matters.
• Business letters also can be used to persuade recipients to take some
type of action

3. Examples of Business Letters
• Inquiry letter
• Offer letter
• Order letter
• Cover letter
• Notices
• Termination of employment

4. Components of a Business Letter
• Letterhead: Use the printed letterhead from your organization, if at all
possible. The letterhead should contain the organization’s address,
telephone number, fax number, Web address, and e-mail address.
• Heading: Includes the date and the sender’s address. The sender’s
address is included only if the letter is not written on an organization’s
letterhead.
• Date line: The date is typed two lines below either the letterhead or
the heading.

5. • Inside address: This includes the name of the person who is receiving
the letter, the person’s title, organization name, and full address
(street, city, state, and zip code)
• Subject line: It gives a brief indication of the subject of the letter. It
adds to the clarity of the letter, especially if the letter is long. It helps to
focus the reader's attention. It is also used for classifying and filing the
letter.
• Salutation: The formal greeting appears two lines below the inside
address. Use courtesy titles in the salutation, such as “Dr.,” “Mr.,” “Mrs.,”
“Ms.,” or “Reverend.”

6. • Some names are gender neutral, such as Casey, Taylor, Chris, Tracy, or
Ashley. Salutations in formal letters end with a colon (“Dear Mr.
Smith:”). Salutations in informal letters sent to friends should include
the recipient’s first name and end with a comma (“Dear Ted,”).
• Body of the letter: The paragraphs in the letter are single spaced, with
double spaces between paragraphs. Paragraphs in letters are rarely
more than six or seven lines long, which means three to five sentences
in length.
• Signature block: Includes a complimentary close, your signed name,
and your typed name.

7. • Complimentary close: This is placed two lines below the last line of
the body. Examples of a complimentary close are “Sincerely,” and
“Yours truly.” When the close contains two words, only the first is
capitalized. The complimentary close is followed by a comma.
• Your typed name appears four lines below the complimentary close.
• Your signed name appears between the complimentary close and
your typed name.
• Special notations: These are placed two lines below your typed name.
Common special notations are as follows:
• CC: Followed by a person’s name: This means that a copy of the
letter is being sent to the person named.

8. • Enclosure or encl.: A separate document or item mentioned in the
letter is enclosed in the same envelope as the business letter.
• Attachment or att.: A document has been attached to the letter.
• Postscript or P.S.: This is a notation meaning postscript and is
usually handwritten and added at the very end of all other notations.

10. Formats of Letter
• Block Format
• When writing formal letters, you must pay special attention to the format and font
used. The most common layout of a formal letter is known as block format. Using
this format, the entire letter is left justified and single spaced except for a double
space between paragraphs.
• Modified Block
• Another widely utilized format is known as modified block format. In this type, the
body of the letter and the sender's and recipient's addresses are left justified and
single-spaced. However, for the date and closing, tab to the center point and begin to
type.
• Semi-Block
• The final, and least used, style is semi-block. It is much like the modified block style
except that each paragraph is indented instead of left justified.

11. Block Format

12. Modified Format

13. Semi Block Format