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HS 102

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Teacher: Barnali Saha

Business Letter

Forms of communication differ widely. Written communication transcribing formal needs to be


conveyed to a reader occupying an official position differs from communication intended for friends and
relations. Therefore, business letters, a quintessentially formal communication, must follow some
precise norms.

Business letters should be precise and concise carrying information with clarity. Such letters avoid non-
standard words and jargon. They follow the standardized parameters of grammar and syntax and avoid
abbreviations like adverts and ampersand.

Format of a Business Letter:

The form of a business letter is the same as any other kind of letter. The aspects include: a) The Writer’s
address.

b. The date

c. The courteous greeting or salutation

d. The main contents of the letter

e. The courteous leave taking

f. The signature

g. The information endorsed in an envelope.

A business letter should include the name and address of the business firm to whom the letter is
addressed. This should be written:

1. On the first page of the letter


2. To the left of the page
3. Just below the address of the writer

Modes of address:
The modes of address vary depending on the person to whom the letter has been addressed.
1. To a business person, the mode of address would be
Mr. Rahul Chaudhury
Sec 16 C, Dwarka
New Delhi
It should begin with “Dear Sir” and conclude with “Yours faithfully” or “Yours truly”
2. A business letter addressed to a firm should be:
Messers Chatterjee and Co. Ltd.
Connaught Place,
New Delhi
Begin letter with “Dear Sirs” or “Dear Gentlemen” and conclude with “Yours faithfully”. If
the firm has an impersonal title, the prefix Messrs. should be avoided.
3. A letter addressed to professional men would be

Dr. Asutosh Mohan

Dean, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University

Sec 16 C, Dwarka, New Delhi

Remember to always begin a business letter with “Dear Sir” or “My Dear Sir” and conclude with “Yours
truly” or “Yours faithfully” and never “yours sincerely”

When you are signing a letter on behalf of someone, put the letter pp (Latin per pro= on behalf of)
before the signature of the firm and put your own initials underneath it. For Ex:

Yours Faithfully

P.P. Infosys India Limited

B.S.

In replying to a business letter, always quote the reference number, provided there is one, and the date
of the letter you’re answering. For Ex:

“In reply to your letter No. SC/110/2/2017 dated 16th February 2017, I wish to state….”

Essentials Characteristics of a letter:

To sum up, the essential characteristics of a business letter are as follows:

1. It should be concise and devoid of unnecessary details, ideas or information.


2. It should have clarity. Clarity could be achieved by using standardized words and expressions,
avoiding abstractions and circumlocution.
3. Stereotypes should be avoided.
4. Technical jargon that may be obfuscating to a reader must be avoided.
5. It is desirable to use active voice instead of passive voice when composing a business letter. For
ex, it is better to say that “The dean of the Dept. of humanities has approved the proposal to
organize a student’s farewell party” instead of “The proposal for the organization of a farewell
party has been approved by the Dean”
6. Faulty sentence arrangements and the usage of too many complex and compound sentences
leads to ambiguity. Such errors must be avoided.
7. Punctuations must be precise, otherwise the intended meaning may not be scrupulously
conveyed.
8. Business letters must conform to the policy of the firm one is representing.
9. It should have information based on facts
10. It must conform to the standardized form of communication
11. It must be complete in all respects. They must convey the meaning in their entirety. A reply
must ensure it covers all queries.

Layout:

There is a need to place a business letter as per accepted norms. The spaces left in the letter are as
follows:

5 Centimeters at the top and the bottom

Not less than 2.5 Centimeters at the Left and at the right.

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