UNIT 6 PRINCIPLES OF LETIER WRITING

Structure

6.0 Objectives
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Basic Principles of a Business Letter
6.3 Form and Arrangement of a Business Letter
6.3.1 Form of letter
6.3.2 Arrangement of a Letter
6.4 Supplements to the Arrangement of the Letter
6.5 Let Us Sum Up
6.6 Key Words
6.7 Answers to Check Your Progress
6.8 Terminal Questions

6.0 OBJECTIVES

After reading this unit, you should be able to:

• explain the basic principles of business correspondence;

• describe the format and arrangement of a business letter and
• write various supplements to a business letter.

6.1 INTRODUCTION

Letter writing is an important and effective tool in clinching an issue almost in every field.
Although talking and discussing an issue over the phone is helpful, it has some limitations.
The most important being the time constraint and involvement of only two persons. On the
other hand, in the form of a letter, you put some proposal or argument concrete in hand,
which may be deliberated upon and given due thought in a relaxed manner. However, a letter
may act in both ways – while a nicely drafted and appropriately worded letter may be helpful
in achieving your objective, a poorly drafted and inappropriately worded letter may act as a
spoiler and make your job more difficult. It has been rightly remarked that, “a letter reveals
something about your personality that a machine cannot do. Your style of writing, choice of
paper and words all say something about you as an individual.” In fact, office letters are
silent ambassadors of a business enterprise. The correspondence is the most important
channel through which various business enquiries, negotiations, purchase orders, debt
recovery, complaints, redressal of grievances, etc. are made. In view of this, it is utmost
important that a business letter is drafted carefully in such a manner that it conveys your
feelings and purpose in a concrete and precise manner, but at the same time, it should not
offend the feelings of the recipient and encroach on his precious time unnecessarily. There
are certain principles of letter writing and the good writers should try to follow these
principles while writing a business letter. In this unit, you will be acquainted with the basic
principles of business correspondence and the format and arrangement of business letters.
6.2 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF A BUSINESS LETTER

To convey any message effectively, business letter writing needs the application of certain
communication principles. They provide guidelines for the content and style of presentation.
A business letter should be written keeping in view the following basic principles of business
correspondence.

1) Clarity and Coherence: In order to be effective, a good business letter should be

concise, precise, relevant, concrete and consistent. Be clear about what you want to
say and then say it clearly. Difficult words requiring the use of dictionary, flowery
expression and poetic language should be always avoided. The words used should not
be vague or ambiguous. The letter must convey to the recipient the exact meaning
which the writer wants to communicate. The clarity of a letter, to a great extent,
depends upon its unity or coherence. Therefore, a letter should be written in a logical
manner and reflect consistence of thought. One thought should follow another in a
proper sequence. An orderly arrangement of the subject is necessary and the same
should be expressed in appropriate words. It is better to use short sentences and short
paragraphs that are easier to read. “Send telegrams, not essays.”

2) Consideration: The writer of the letter should place himself in the position of the
reader and give a consideration as to what does he need. Emphasise on “you-attitude”
instead of “I-attitude”.

Example: -
Improper: We sold 4000 dozens of handkerchiefs of this description last month.
Proper: You and other businessmen like you bought 4000 dozens of handkerchiefs of
this description in the last month.

3) Brevity: A good business letter should be concise and exact. Economy of words is
possible only if the writer of letter has extensive vocabulary at his command. A long
letter containing irrelevant matter gives a poor impression of the writer and also of the
business house. But for the sake of conciseness, completeness or clarity should not be
sacrificed. The letter must explain in full what it all desires. “Be conscious that the
reader does not have much time”.

4) Courtesy and Friendliness: The tone of the business letter should always be
courteous and polite. While drafting a business letter bluntness should never be
regarded as a sign of strength. On the contrary, a poor image is bound to result from
an offensive attitude conveyed through the letter. Courtesy is like the oil which
removes friction and creates goodwill. Courtesy should not be restricted to obligatory
words like “Thank you” or “please”. There must be politeness even in declining a
proposal. Words like “please and “kindly” always bring positive response. However
such words ought to be used without sacrificing one’s self-respect and dignity.

5) Conciseness: A business letter should be concise and direct, written in simple

language with a natural flow of words. Wordy phrases and high flow expressions
should be avoided. The letter should not contain quotations, or words which are
pedantic (bookish) and which sound artificial. Business people are very busy and may
be irritated by unnecessary lengthy letters. Therefore, one must focus directly on the
message.
6) Correctness: A business letter should be grammatically correct and factually
accurate. Incorrect information and inaccurate facts conveyed through a letter are
bound to make the position of the writer vulnerable. The addressee, may stop further
dealings with the writer of the letter. In letters of enquiry, orders, complaints,
references, etc. information given should always be correct and exact. If, for some
reason, it is not possible to communicate the necessary information, the reason may be
clearly stated in a polite language.

7) Completeness: A business letter should include all the necessary facts and
background information that supports the message being sent. An enquiry which does
not contain necessary particulars, or explanation which is partial, is never appreciated.
An incomplete letter may compel the receiver to make further correspondence on the
subject involving waste of time or prompt him to act according to his own judgement
which way lead to disputes.

8) Originality: Originality of form, expression and style are often necessary to make
business letters more appealing, particularly for sales promotion, and on special
occasion, such as introduction of a new product. Indeed, with changing times, old and
stereo-typed forms and expressions have been replaced by more appealing forms,
expression and style of presentation of matters in business letters. For instance, the
layout of the contents of a letter is often intended to mark-out significant lines. New
phrases are used in place of old ones, and a conscious attempt is made to give a
personal touch where necessary.

9) Neatness: A neat and tidy letter, clearly typed or written on a reasonably good paper
with proper paragraphing makes a letter attractive to the reader. Any overwriting,
rubbing or cutting of expressions, improper spacing between paragraphs etc. do not
create a favourable impression. So the appearance of a business letter should be
impressive, neat and tidy to the maximum extent possible.

10) Effectiveness: The ultimate goal of a business letter is the desired response in a
positive manner within a reasonable time. Obviously, delayed or negative response
shows the ineffectiveness of the letter. The time and stationery used in writing such
letters involve wasteful expenditure. Thus, effectiveness may be regarded as the most
essential feature for a business letter.

Proof Reading: Though proof reading is not an essential part of writing a letter, it is a very
important precautionary aspect of business correspondence. A good letter can be ruined by
careless attitude towards grammatical and typing errors. Thus, wrong spelling of names,
incorrect numbers typed, and failure to enclose specified items need to be corrected before a
letter is signed. Proof-reading is essential for correcting grammatical mistakes, errors of
spelling and typing errors. Indeed, proof reading is a double check on competences.

Ten commandments for writing a good business letter are:

i) Write as you would talk.

ii) Be courteous and friendly.
iii) Be natural.
iv) Learn to visualise your reader and be helpful.
v) Keep an open mind. Appreciate your reader’s point of view.
vi) Practice real diplomacy.
vii) Be willing to admit mistakes.
viii) Write clearly and to the point.
ix) Tell your readers what they want to know.
x) Dramatise your letter/Show them reasons.

6.3 FORM AND ARRANGEMENT OF A BUSINESS LETTER

6.3.1 Form of Letter

The form and wordings of business correspondence determine its attraction value. A good
appearance of the letter creates a positive impression on the mind of its receiver or reader.
Hence, the following points should always be kept in mind while writing letters:

1) Paper: Paper of good quality and standard size should be used for all official
correspondence. Proper care should be taken to avoid over-crowding or over-
decoration while printing the necessary particulars regarding the receiver's name,
address, phone number, telex no. etc. Nowadays the use of fullscap paper for office
correspondence has become outdated. Instead, a standard size paper is used for
writing letters.

2) Typing: All office letters should be neatly typed by an efficient typist. Usually,
official letters are typed in single space between lines and double space between the
paragraphs. One duplicate copy of each letter is needed for office record.

3) Margin: Proper margin on the left and right hand side of the letter as well as adequate
space at the top and bottom of the letter make the letter more appealing and attractive.
Usually, a standard space is provided on the left hand side and on the right side of the
paper.

4) Folding: Folding of letter is done according to the type and size of envelop that is
used for sending the letter. Nonetheless, as far as possible, minimum number of folds
should be made to keep the attractiveness of the letter intact.

5) Envelopes: Size of the envelope to be used depends upon the size of the letter as well
as the number of sheets or enclosures. Usually, the name and address of the addressee
are printed on the back of the envelope. Some firms also get their logo, monogram,
brand message or brand name printed on the envelopes.

Window envelops may be used to save the time of typing the name and address of the
party for whom it is meant. The letters are folded in such a way that the full address
typed on the letter-paper is visible through the window on the envelope. For this
purpose, it is necessary to type the full name and address of the party in the letter.

6) Address on Envelop: Full name and address of the party should be written or typed
on the envelope. Abbreviations for street, village, district, city or country must be
 avoided as far as possible. If pin code of the city is known, it is always better to type it
correctly for quicker delivery.

The address of the sender is also typed on the envelope so that in the event of non-
delivery, the letter may be returned to the sender and does not go to the dead-letter
office. When the letter is sent by Book Post, Under Certificate of Posting, Registered
Post or Speed Post, the same should be clearly indicated on the letter as well as on the
envelop.

Check Your Progress A

1) What do you mean by effectiveness of a business letter?

………………………………………………………………………………………….
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2) Explain, “send telegrams not essays.”

………………………………………………………………………………………….
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3) What do you mean by coherence of the language. Give an example.

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4) In what context, “Be conscious that the reader does not have much time.” has been
used?

………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….

5) State whether following statements are “True or False” ?

i) In a business letter poetic language should be avoided.

ii) Originality makes a business letter more appealing.
iii) Delayed response shows the ineffectiveness of the letter.
iv) In a business letter wordy phrases should invariably be used.
v) The form of business correspondence determines its attraction value.

In the previous two sections, you learnt about the basic principles of a business letter. Now
you will study how different sections in a letter are arranged.

6.3.2 Arrangement or Parts of a Letter

The contents of a business letter should be arranged in a scientific manner so as to make it
more effective and attractive. On the basis of custom, experience and exigencies, a regular
form and structural arrangement of a business letter has been evolved over the years. A well
structured business letter contains several parts which are outlined below:

1) Heading Name of the Company/ Firm

Address
Telegraphic Address: __________________
Telex: ______________________________
Fax: ________________________________

2) Date ……………………………………………….
3) Inside Address (addressee) ……………………………………………….
4) Salutation ……………………………………………….
5) Main Body ……………………………………………….
6) Complimentary Close or subscription ……………………………………………….
7) Signature ……………………………………………….

1) Heading: It consists of sender firm’s name, address complete with pincode,

Telephone Numbers, Telegraphic Address, (if any), Telex Fax number etc., printed on
the letter paper in ornamental blocks so as to give an attractive appearance. Date is
also printed on the right hand side of the paper. An illustration is give below:

GOURI SHANKAR & COMPANY

530 Chandni Chowk
Delhi-110006

Telegraphic Address: SCALE, DELHI Telephone Numbers…………….

Telex : SHAN IN 239826
Fax : 011-22325458
Code: A.B.C. (5th Ed.) Dated : ………………… 20……
Reference No. ……………………….

Punctuation: The punctuation in the above example should be carefully noted:

i) No full stop is placed after the name of the firm.

ii) All the items appearing on the left hand side begin at the same distance from the
margin.

iii) A colon is put after Telegraphic Address, Telephonic Numbers, Telex, Fax, Code
No. and Date after which the relevant word or number is put.

iv) No full stop is used at the end of each.

 v) The address of the firm may either be given just under the name of the firm or on
the right hand side of the paper. It should be complete with number of shop or
flat, number of the floor (if any) of the building, street name, and the name of the
city with pin code. Name of the country is also mentioned if the correspondence
is with a foreign addressee.

vi) A comma is placed after the number of shop, floor, building and street. The name
of the city is written in capital letter smaller than the one used for the name of the
firm. A full stop is put after the pin code.

vii) Where address is printed under the name of the firm, the telephone numbers may
be given just opposite the telegraphic address, on the right hand side.

viii) Leaving a little space, date is given on the right hand side with two blanks to be
filled later.

ix) While writing date, the American style is now used quite often. The month is
stated first and then the date and year, are given in figures, such as ‘January 23,
2020’.

As per English style, date is given first followed by the month in letters and then
year in figures e.g. 23 January, 2020. The practice of writing date like ‘24-9-
2020’ or ’24-IX-2020’ should not be followed for then one may have to count as
to which is the ninth month.

x) As far as possible, advertisements on the letter paper, however small they may be,
should be avoided. Such advertisements do not give a favourable impression of
the sender.

xi) Every official letter should have a proper ‘Reference Number’ and therefore, the
word ‘Reference Number’ or ‘Ref,’ with blank space for writing, is printed on a
letter paper just after the printed heading.

2) Insider Address: In business letters, sender’s address is written on the left hand side
of the page just after the printed heading of the letter paper. The correct address to be
used while writing to any company or individual, should be that which the latter uses
on its stationary or advertisement.

It should be kept in mind that the address on the envelope should be the same as the
inside address. It must be written in three or four lines, distinctly giving the name of
the firm, then the number of shop or office, and the street name, and finally the name
of the city with pin code. The name of the country should also be given if the address
is that of a foreign country.

Every line of the address should commence from the margin. Commas should be placed after
each distinct aspect and each line, while a fullstop be put after the city pin code, e.g.,

Messars Ramdas
65, Bunder Road,
 Mumbai – 400 003.

Writing inside address is useful in many ways:

i) In case the address on the envelop, is not correct, the Dead Letter Office can find out
the right address from the body of the letter and redirect it to the addressee.

ii) In a big business house, the person who writes the letter does not despatch it. This
work is done by the junior clerk, usually known as Despatch Clerk. He can write the
address on the envelope from the inside address, in the absence of which he would have
to trace the same from the correspondence file and waste time in finding out the same.

Besides, the following rules regarding courtesy should be carefully observed in writing
addresses:

i) Messers is prefixed to the name of a firm or company if the name begins with a
personal, name e.g., Messers Sohan Lal & Co. But if the name is impersonal the prefix
‘Messers’ should not be used. In such cases article ‘the’ may be prefixed to its name.
Writing ‘Messers’ before ‘the’ is a common mistake and should be carefully avoided.

ii) When a firm or company is titled with the names of ladies, the word ‘Mmes’
(abbreviation of the French ‘Mademes’) should be prefixed to the name, as in Mmes
Sara Smith and Lucy John.

iii) Mr. (especially for foreign nationals) or Shri is used before the name of an individual
e.g. Shri Shyam Prakash. Sometime Esquire or Esq. is written after the name but it
should not be used when writing Mr. or Shri is prefixed to the name. For instance, ‘Mr.
David Johnson Esqr.’ is wrong.

iv) Title of honour like ‘Padmashri’ or Padmabhushan’ should always be written before the
name of an individual addressee. University degrees are usually avoided but if they are
to be written, they should be given after the name.

v) For a person holding a titled position, proper prefix must be used along with his name
thus ‘Professor’ before the name of a University Professor, ‘Dr.’ before the name of a
medical practitioner and names of those holding doctoral degree in science, or
philosophy, or literature, ‘Capt.’ before the name of a person holding a commission in
the army or ‘Rev.’ or ‘Rt. Rev.’ before the name of clergyman according to his position
in the Church.

vi) When writing the address of a lady, the prefix ‘Ms.’ is now most commonly used for
both married and unmarried ones. ‘Shrimati’ is used if a married lady is to be
addressed in a typical Indian Fashion. If unmarried, ‘Kumari’ may be used.

It is a common practice in business correspondence to invite the attention of a particular

person to the letter. The letter is addressed officially, but below the heading, or at the right
hand side, after the address of the firm, the following words are added:

Attention: Mr. A. Pasha.

Or
Att. Mr. A. Pasha.

3) Subject: It is a statement in brief indicating the matter to which the letter relates. It
attracts the attention of the receiver and helps him to know what the letter is about.

Example: Subject: Your order No. D318/8 dated 12th May 2020.

4) Opening Salutation or Greetings: Salutation is the counterpart of personal greetings

to the addressee in social life. In order to avoid crowding of the letter, three to five
spaces should be allowed below the last line of the inside address, to write the
opening salutation. This is mostly used in official correspondence.

The opening salutation depends upon the writer’s relation with the addressee or his status as
compared to the addressee. The oldest form of salutation is ‘Sir’ or ‘Dear Sir’. If a firm is
being addressed, Dear Sirs or Gentlemen should be used. Do not write ‘Dear Gentlemen’.
Another usage ‘Shrimanji’ is also seen quite often these days. The saluting words like Dear
Mr., Dear Miss, Dear Mrs., are written to give personal touch to the correspondence or when
the writer is closely known to the addressee. These words show intimacy between the two
and gives the business letter a personal touch and good impression. In the salutation,
capitalize only the first letter of the first word except for proper names and titles, e.g.

Dear Mr. Richardson

My dear Mr. Richardson

My dear sir,

5) Main Body of the Letter: A business letter is composed of various parts. This is the
core and the most important part of a business letter and, therefore, needs to be written
very carefully. Again, for convenience, this part is divided into several paragraphs such
as the introducing para, middle ones and the concluding para. These paragraphs can be
numbered also.

Moreover, the body of the letter should be written in several paragraphs so as to achieve the
desired objective of the letter. For this, the following sequence should be pursued:

i) Attention : It should compel reader’s attention.

ii) Interest : It should arouse interest by enthusiasm and originality of the subject.
iii) Desire : It should stimulate and sustain the interest to the point of finalizing
the business for which the letter is actually intended.

We may now discuss the above three paragraphs.

i) The Introductory Part: The opening paragraph serves as an introduction to a letter.

In this part, attention of the reader should be drawn to the previous correspondence.

For Example: - With reference to your letter number …………. dated ………, your
attention is drawn to the new brand of LCD.
In large organisations there are separate departments to deal with different matters.
Therefore, separate letters should be written to deal with the respective subjects such as
asking for business reference, placing an order, or introducing a new product, etc. This will
result in prompt subject-wise response.

ii) The main Communication: The next part of the letter should deal with the main
subject matter. It should be divided into two or more paragraphs if necessary, to deal
with the whole matter systematically. As far as possible, abbreviations referring to
product, pricing, quotations, persons, cities, dates, etc., should be avoided. The length
of each paragraph will depend on the nature of the subject matter and topics dealt
with.

iii) The Closing Paragraph: The concluding paragraph should be suitably worded so as
to sustain the addressee’s interest from beginning to the closing paragraph.

Phrases like ‘Hoping to be favoured with an early reply’, or ‘Thanking you in

anticipation’, have lost their appeal and do not convey anything. Hence, they should
be avoided. ‘Please reply soon’ or ‘We await your reply’ are simple and appealing
expressions which may be used instead. Conclude with terms like ‘Thanking you’,
‘With regards’.

6) The Complimentary Close: This is an expression of regard or respect which the

letter writer wants to convey to the addressee and formally take leave. In fact, it is a
kind of hand-shake and should be consistent with the introductory salutation. For
example, when for salutation it is ‘Dear Sir’, the complimentary close will be ‘Yours
faithfully’. The complimentary close corresponding to the usual salutation are given
in the Chart.

Salutation Complimentary Close Nature of

Correspondence
Dear Sir Yours faithfully Business Letter
Gentlemen Yours truly
Dear Mr…... Yours truly Business Letter
Dear Madam Yours very truly
Truly yours
Yours sincerely
Sincerely yours
Sir, Madam Your obediently Government
Yours respectfully or
I am, We are Semi-Government
I remain, We remain

Like salutations, complimentary close in the case of Members of Parliament, Mayor,

etc. are special ones, which should be appropriately used.

7) Signature: Signature forms the last part of a letter. It is not typed. It is always
written in hand writing. As the signatures are mostly illegible, it is customary to type
 the name of the signatory below his signature. The following is a specimen of an
individual signature:

Yours faithfully,

D.N. Jha

(D.N. Jha)

The rules for putting the writer’s signature on the letter vary form writer to writer. For
instance, in the case of a sole trader, the proprietor signs his own name or under the name of
the firm, e.g.,

For D..H. Mehta & Co.

Harish Chander
Proprietor

In case of partnership, the name of the firm is typed and below this any partner, who is
authorised to do so, puts his signature, also signifying that the signatory is a partner e.g.,

Ahmad Ali and Co.

Ahmad Jan
Partner

When a lady puts her signature, it is now a common practice to use the letters Ms. As prefix
along with the name, without in any way showing the distinction whether the signatory is a
married or unmarried lady. For instance,

Ms. Rekha Sehgal

An employee of the firm like manager or secretary, cannot sign for the firm himself. In case
he is legally authorised, by power of attorney, to sign for or on behalf of the firm, he should
sign as follows:

Per. Pro. D.N. Mehta & Co.

K.C. Agarwal
Manager

‘Per procuration’ or Per Pro.’ or P. Pro.’ or PP implies that the signatory is legally authorised,
by power of attorney, to sign in this way. If the signatory is not authorised by power of
attorney to sign, he must simply write ‘For’ before the name of the firm and sign as follows:

For D. N. Mehta & Co.

K.C. Agarwal
Manager
It is important to remember that if the employee puts his name and then his official
designation, he would be deemed to have written the letter in his personal capacity. This
should not be done. For instance,

K.C. Agarwal
Manager
D. N. Mehta & Co.

It is wrong.

Routine letters may be signed by a clerk who embosses the Firm’s name with a rubber stamp
and puts down his initials below it, adding ‘Per’ or ‘By’ before his name, thus:

D. N. Mehta & Co.

By B. B. J.

In the case of joint stock companies, letters are generally signed by the secretary or manager.
The Managing Director generally signs all important letters. Whoever the signatory is, he
must show that he is signing for and on behalf of the company by putting down For or Per
Pro before the name of the company or to signify that he is ordinarily authorised or
authorised by power of attorney to sign on behalf of the company. Junior executives or
departmental head may also sign in the same manner but they should indicate the section or
department to which they are attached.

In any case, the signatory bears the responsibility for the correctness of the contents of the
letter. So one should sign letters after reading the contents carefully.

6.4 SUPPLEMENTS TO THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE LETTER

Besides the main content of a letter, there are a few supplements which should also be noted
carefully. Each supplement either adds to or supplements the information, or further
strengthens its presentation and completeness. These are discussed below:

1) Enclosures: Very often one or more documents are required to be sent along with a
letter. In such a case it should be indicated on the left hand corner of the letter by
writing the word ‘Enclosures’, ‘Encl;’ or ‘Encls’ noting against it the number of
documents enclosed. If the enclosures are important, their nature is also briefly
mentioned as for instance:

Encl. One Copy of Invoice.

The despatch clerk must ensure that all the enclosures indicated in the letter are attached to
the letter.

2) Copy Circulation: This is required where copies of letter are sent to persons other than
the addressee.

For Example:
 CC: (i) The Chairman
BSES
(ii) The Secretary,
Ministry of Energy

3) Post Script (P.S.): If something is written after the completion of letter, it is known as
Post Script or P.S. Only important and urgent information, not known earlier, should
be written as post script. As the P.S. is a part of a letter, it must bear the initials of the
writer below it. If we have to write more than one P.S., it is better to rewrite the whole
letter and not spoil the compactness of the communication.

For Example:

P.S.: We provide two years warranty with all purchases.

4) Margin and Indentation: As mentioned earlier, margin on both sides as well as at the
top and bottom gives a better look to the letter and makes it attractive to hold and read.
The typist should take care of the requirement at the time of typing. Moreover, if more
than one page is used for a lengthy letter, extra care should be taken to see that identical
margins are provided on each page.

Indentation is used mainly in two situations:

i) For marking out the significant lines of the ‘inside address’: While writing the
‘inside address’, the name of the addressee, the number of the house or shop, the
name of the street, and the name of the city, are indented to facilitate quick
spotting by the reader.

ii) For marking out the beginning of each new para: In the body of a letter, the
first line of each paragraph should be indented a little from the margin, and the
first line of each paragraph should begin exactly at the same distance from the
margin.

5) Identification Marks – Initials: The writer and the typist of the letter are required to
put their respective initials so as to bear the responsibility of their work. Initials may
also be typed, for instance K.C. R.S. means Karam Chang has written the letter and
Ram Sahai has typed the same.

Check your Progress B

1) What do you mean by Post Script?

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2) Explain one responsibility of the signatory of a letter.

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3) Write a sample heading of a business letter.

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4) What do you mean by complementary close? Give an example.

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……………………………………………………………………………………………

5) State whether the following statements are True or False ?

i) Salutation is the counterpart of personal greetings to the addressee in social life.

ii) Signature is always written in hand writing.
iii) In the case of Joint Stock Companies, letters are generally signed by the Junior
Officer.
iv) Supplement strengthens the presentation and correctness of the letter.
v) Salutation is the core of a business letter.

6.5 LET US SUM UP

Business letter writing is an art which needs something more than ordinary letter writing. To
be effective, it should be governed by certain basic principles of correspondence. The basic
principles of business letter are: clarity and coherence, consideration, brevity, courtesy and
friendliness, conciseness, correctness, completeness, originality, neatness and effectiveness.
Furthermore, before signing the letter, it is better to do proof reading so that grammatical or
spelling mistakes, if any, can be corrected. Such types of mistakes create poor impression
about the sender.
Ten commandments should be followed while drafting a business letter.

From the point of view of the writer and the addressee, the business letter should be brief,
clear, complete and exact so that there is prompt understanding and a positive response.

For creating a good impression in the minds of the addressee, the letter needs to be written in
a systematic manner. Simplicity and courtesy should run throughout the letter. Paper of
good quality and standard size should be used for all official correspondence. Letters should
be neatly typed with proper margin. A well-structured business letter consists of the heading,
inside address, salutation, the main body, complimentary close and the signature of the
writer. The body of the letter should be divided into paragraphs so that the sequence in
thoughts and messages is maintained. In every letter, the writer of the letter or the authorised
person should put his/her signature at the end of the letter.

Lastly, a business letter is complete only if the enclosures, if any, are attached to the letter.
Also, if there is any last minute information to be added, it should be incorporated as post
script.
6.6 KEY WORDS

Salutation: Form of greeting while addressing an individual or a firm or company.

Complimentary close: Formal expression of respect or regard of the letter writer towards
addressee, written just below the body of a letter.

Supplements: Documents enclosed or information included after the main body of the letter.

6.7 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

A 5 (i) True, (ii) True, (iii) True, (iv) False, (v) True

B 5 (i) True, (ii) True (iii) False, (iv) True (v) False

6.8 TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. List and explain the principles of business communications.

2. “A good letter is one which is clear and brief”. Comment.

3. Briefly discuss the arrangement of a business letter.

4. Explain the importance of salutation and complimentary close in a business letter.

Illustrate both as used in business letters.

5. What purpose does indentation serve in a letter? Why are margins necessary?

6. Why should enclosures be mentioned on the body of the letter? Give two examples of
enclosures which may have to be attached to a business letter.