Module 2

The Structure and

Parts of Business
Letters

SMC5
Corporate Communication

to your second module!

This module is a combination of

synchronous and asynchronous
learning and will last for two weeks.

John Francis G. Ducusin

Instructor

0948-342-9355
[email protected]
[email protected]

No part of this module may be

reproduced in any form without prior
permission in writing from the
Instructor/Author.

March 11, 2023

Date Initiated
March 25, 2023
Date of Completion
 SAN MATEO MUNICIPAL COLLEGE
Gen. Luna St. Guitnang Bayan I, San Mateo, Rizal
Tel No. (02) 997-9070
www.smmc.edu.ph

MODULE 2

Module Duration

a. Week 4-5 - Synchronous Meeting and Asynchronous Learning

b. For asynchronous learning inquiries, you may reach me every Monday or Wednesday through the
following social media accounts and cellphone number:
- Cellphone (09483429355)
- Messenger (direct message or group chat)
- Viber (09483429355)
- Google Mail ([email protected])

Learning Objectives

Upon completing this module, you are expected to:

 understand the use business letters as a means of confirming transactions;

 differentiate Style of writing business letters;
 lay-out original business letter correctly; and
 demonstrate the proper lay outs, addressing of envelope and folding letters.

Input Information

Styles in Business Letter Writing

Business letters can be written with different styles such as: Full block, modified block , and semi-block.

The full block style is commonly used in business letters because of its simplicity. All parts (dateline,
inside address, salutation, body of the letter, complimentary close and signature) are justified to the left margin.

Modified block or Simplified-style business letters contain all the same elements as the full-block
and semi-block letters. The dateline, complimentary close, and signature are aligned to the right while the rest
of the parts are aligned to the left. This is preferred by many writers since it presents a balanced alignment of
the parts of the lette

This Semi-block or the simplified style is exactly the same as the modified except that the first line of
each paragraph is indented.

Below are some examples of the abovementioned styles.

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College of Business and Accountancy Prepared by: Mr. John Francis G. Ducusin
 FULL-BLOCK STYLE MODIFIED BLOCK STYLE

SEMI-BLOCK STYLE

PUNCTUATION STYLES
There are three kinds of punctuation styles used in business letters: Open, close and
standard.

1. The open punctuation does not make use of any punctuation marks in the parts like heading, inside address,
salutation or closing. This is also the most common style in most letters and applied in the full block format.

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College of Business and Accountancy Prepared by: Mr. John Francis G. Ducusin
2. In the closed style, punctuation marks appear at the end of every line except the message.

3. Lastly, the standard punctuation uses a colon after the salutation and a comma follows the complimentary
close. Many companies use different punctuation styles so it would be best to carefully observe which one is
applied in their letters.

STRUCTURE OF THE BUSINESS LETTERS (BASIC, OPTIONAL, LETTERHEAD)

Major Parts of the Business Letter

1. Letterhead consists of identifying items such as the name of the company, it’s slogan and mailing address
(zip code, telephone number, cable address, telex address or code, address of the main office and the address
of the warehouses and branch offices).

2. Heading serves as the return address if the reader needs to answer the letter. It shows the
street, town, province, country, zip code. This is usually followed by the dateline.

3. Dateline indicates the time when the letter was written. There are two ways of writing the dates:
Formal: April 30, 2021
Informal: 30 April 2021

4. Inside Address tells to whom the letter is written. It includes: the recipient’s name and address

Example:
Dr. Benjamin P. Paulino, President
Philippine School of Business Administration
1029 Aurora Blvd.
Quezon City, Metro Manila

5. Salutation is the formal or informal greeting used to open the business letter as a form of courtesy.

6. The body of the letter contains the message of the letter that is normally typed single spaced with double
spacing between paragraphs. It begins two spaces below the salutation and ends two spaces above the
complimentary close.

The second page uses a plain (not printed letterhead) paper of the same size and quality as the letterhead.

Leave one inch or 6 spaces below the top edge of the second sheet before typing the heading. Leave three to
six lines between the second-page heading and the continuation of the messages.

7. The complimentary close is the polite and

courteous way to end the letter. The same
degree of formality should be observed in the
complimentary close as observed in the
salutation. Common closings are:

8. Signature consists of the name of the writer and his business title (if
he has one). The signature is typed two spaces below the complimentary
close. It consists of three parts– the pen-written signature, the typewritten
signature, and the writer’s designation in the company.

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College of Business and Accountancy Prepared by: Mr. John Francis G. Ducusin
MINOR PARTS OF THE BUSINESS LETTER

1. Attention Line is used to speed up handling of the letter by a specific person of a department within the
company.

2. Subject Line is an advance notice of the topic of the letter but it is optional. It is normally typed on the same
position occupied by the attention line. The illustrations below show the arrangement in case the writer wants
to use a subject line and an attention line.

3. Reference Line is sometimes indicated to make it easy for the addressee to locate the letter in his files
referred to by the writer. It may occupy the position as that of the subject line.

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College of Business and Accountancy Prepared by: Mr. John Francis G. Ducusin
4. Company Signature is the name of the company typed in all capital letters two spaces below the
complimentary close. When the stationery used does not have a letterhead, the business name is included in
the signature.

5. Foot Notations are found after the typed signature. They consist of the following:
a. Reference initials – These refer to the initials of the person typing the letter. The initials of the dictator
and the transcriber are separated by a colon, dash, hyphen, or diagonal line.
Examples: CDSM:SM CDSM/SM
CDSM-SM CDSM:sm /sm
b. Enclosure – This refers to materials enclosed in the letter. It is typed two spaces below the reference
initials. Placing this notation is helpful to the writer and the recipient in confirming that all the enclosures are
there when the letter is received.
Example: Encls. Minutes of the Meeting
December Financial Report
c. CC (carbon copy) or CF (copy furnished) notation and the BCC (blind carbon copy) – This refers to
copies sent or furnished to certain individuals. It is typed two spaces below the enclosure line. The writer’s
files however should bear all cc and bcc notations.
Examples: cc: Mr. Tom Cruise cc Sales Department
Mr. Robert Niro bcc: Ms. Julia Roberts
6. P. S. (PostScript) – it is used to cover a point thought of after the message has been typed or to give emphasis
to some particular points. It is typed two spaces after the last line (whichever is last) of the foot notations used.

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College of Business and Accountancy Prepared by: Mr. John Francis G. Ducusin
Learning Activities
WAIT FOR POSTING AND ANNOUCEMENT

Assessment/Evaluation
Synchronous Test with time limit.

Link for the quiz will be provided through our group chat. This is a synchronous test with a time limit.

Assignment
WAIT FOR POSTING AND ANNOUCEMENT

Learning Resources

 Huckin, Thomas (1995) Technical Report Writing and Professional Communication, Harper and
Rowe Inc., NY USA Nandy, Milan (1995) Principles of Business English and Correspondence; S.
Abdaul Majced and Co., Malay

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College of Business and Accountancy Prepared by: Mr. John Francis G. Ducusin