Writing Effective Letters Correspondence

Writing Effective Letters

1

What Is This Module About?

Communication is part of our everyday living. We generally communicate byeither talking or writing. It is therefore important for us to be able to understand whatpeople are saying to us and for us to be able to be understood as well.

Imagine yourself engaged in business or working in a company. One of your jobsis to prepare business letters. Do you know how to do it or are you one of thosepeople who have difficulty in doing so? Do not worry if you are. You will learn how towrite effective business letters in this module.

This module is made up of two lessons:

Lesson 1—How Would My Letter Look?

Lesson 2—What Will My Letter Contain?

What Will You Learn From This Module?

After studying this module, you should be able to:

♦ exhibit knowledge of the mechanics of letter writing;

♦ write the appropriate content of a letter depending upon the occasion; and

♦ apply the skills acquired on letter writing in your everyday life.

Let’s See What You Already Know

Before you start studying this module, take this simple test first to find out howmuch you already know about the topics to be discussed.

Put check marks in the boxes that correspond to the statements that describeyour present skills and experience in writing business letters.

1. I wrote a company inquiring about purchasing a product and received areply.

2. I was asked to write an invitation letter to a speaker to talk in ourprogram.

3. I wrote letters that seem unclear or incomplete.

4. I wrote letters that do not seem to get the attention or interest of myreaders.

5. I wrote letters without knowing the proper format.

2

There are no right or wrong answers to this test. If you checked numbers 1 and 2,that’s very good! This means you already have experience in writing business letters.You may still read this module for additional information.

However, if you checked numbers 3, 4 and 5, this means you still need to developyour skill in writing business letters. This module will help you do just that.

You may go now to the next page to begin Lesson 1.

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LESSON 1

How Would My Letter Look?

Like you, a letter must have a personality. First impressions count. And this isdependent on a letter’s content, appearance and attention to detail. The stationary, thefont and format used all contribute to the effectiveness of a letter.

This lesson will introduce you to the art of writing letters. You will learn thedifferent parts and styles of business letters.

After studying this lesson, you should be able to:

♦ identify the different parts of a business letter;

♦ use various styles in writing a business letter.

Let’s Try This

Look at the picture below. What do you see?

If you studied the picture closely, you will note the free space around the picture.On a written page, this is called margin.

4

Let’s Learn

A letter must look like a framed picture that has margins. The layout orarrangement of the various parts of the letter must look orderly in order to beattractive. Below is a representation of the parts of a letter indicating margins,indentions and positions of the different parts of a letter on the page. Note the labels.

Letterhead

Heading

Date line

Inside address

Attention (optional)

Salutation

Body of the letter

Complimentary close

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

_________________________

________________________________________________________________

_________________________

______________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________

Signature

(Composer’s printed name)

(Composer’s printed name)

Reference initials (optional)

Enclosure line (optional)

Cc notation line (optional)

___________________

__________________

or

5

Let’s Study and Analyze

Below is an example of a letter using the format on page 4. Identify its variousparts using the list provided below as your guide. Write your answer on the sampleletter provided below.

letterhead inside address salutation

complimentary close date composer’s printed name

body of letter reference initials

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 30. Did you get aperfect score? If you did, very good. If not, don’t worry. Just continue reading themodule to learn more about the parts of a letter.

D.V. CRUZ ENTERPRISES9 E. Rodriguez Avenue

Quezon City

November 16, 2000

MS. MARIVIC SARMIENTOManagerCarousel House, IncorporatedSarmiento BuildingOrtigas Avenue, Pasig City

Dear Ms. Sarmiento:

Please accept our deepest gratitude and sincere appreciation for allowingus the use of your facilities during the conduct of our in-house activity.

Indeed, your support contributed immensely to the success of our project.

Thank you and warmest regards.

Very truly yours,

MILETTE CRUZManaging Director

MC/ric

6

Let’s Learn

Let us now take a closer look at the layout of the sample letter on page 5 andexplain what each part contains briefly.

♦ The letterhead states the name ofthe company, address and telephonenumber (if any) of the person writingthe letter. This will also serve as thereturn address if the letter is notdelivered to the receiver or if thereceiver decides to send his/herreply.

♦ A heading can substitute for aletterhead if the company or thewriter has no stationery with aletterhead.

♦ The date line indicates the datewhen the letter was written.

♦ The inside address tells to whomthe letter is addressed. It includesthe name of the person written to (ifused), his/her position, the companyname and the company address.

Ms. Marivic SarmientoManagerCounsel House, IncorporatedSarmiento BuildingOrtigas Avenue, Pasig City

Formal —November 16, 2001Informal—16 November 2001

D.V. Cruz Enterprises9 E. Rodriguez AvenueQuezon City

D.V. Cruz Enterprises9 E. Rodriguez AvenueQuezon City

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♦ A salutation is a formal or an informalgreeting used to open a business letter. Thesalutation used should have the samedegree of formality as observed in thecomplimentary close.

For Men For Women

Sir: Madam:

My dear Sir: My dear Madam:

Dear Sir: Dear Madam:

My dear Mr. _____: My dear Ms. _____:

Dear Mr. _____: Dear Ms. _____:

♦ The body of the letter contains themessage making it the most importantpart of the letter. It aims to get somethingdone.

♦ The complimentary close is a politeand courteous way to end a letter. Itshould have the same degree offormality as the salutation. Note that youcapitalize only the first word, and thereis a comma (,) at the end.

Most formal: Respectfully yours,

Yours respectfully,

Formal: Very truly yours,

Yours very truly,

Less formal: Very sincerely yours,

Yours very sincerely,

Dear Ms. Sarmiento

Please accept our deepestgratitude and sincereappreciation for allowing us theuse of your facilities during theconduct of our in-house activity.

Indeed, your supportcontributed immenselly to thesuccess of our project.

Thank you and warmestregards.

Very truly yours,

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♦ After the complimentary close, the letterwriter affixes his/her signature toindicate that he/she is really the senderof the letter.

The appearance of the letter depends on its layout and the stationery used. Thefollowing are the basic things you should know when writing letters:

♦ Stationery—The paper used for business letters should be of high quality.The most common color is white. However, the colors beige, grey, blue andmustard are already being used. The usual size of the paper is 8 ½ ×11inches.

Most companies use stationeries with letterheads. Some are simple whileothers are elaborate. There are even letterheads with embossed or printed logosor designs.

EXAMPLE

♦ Business Envelopes—The most commonly used business envelopes are theordinary business reply ones (size no. 10) and the window type ones (9 ½ ×4 1/8). The window type envelope is usually used when sending checks andbills.

EXAMPLE

D.V. CRUZ ENTERPRISES9 E. Rodriguez Avenue

Quezon City

Ordinary business replytype envelope

Window type envelope

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♦ Folding the Letter—For a size no. 10 business reply envelope, the lettershould be folded into three. First, place the letter face up on a table. Next,fold the bottom one-third of the letter toward the top. Then, fold the topdownward. Be sure that the top portion of the letter is bigger than the foldedtwo-thirds.

♦ Addressing the Envelope—The return address is typed two spaces fromthe top of the envelope and three spaces from the left. The name, address andzip code of the addressee is typed 2 ½ in. from the top and 4 in. from theside.

EXAMPLE

(1) (2) (3)

Ms. Menchi Paghubasan3 Colt St., FairviewQuezon City

Dr. Hercules C. de la CruzDeanCollege of Arts and ScienceUniversity of the EastManila, 1008

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♦ Zip Code—The zip code is composed of four numbers. It is a code assignedto a certain locality. The zip code is very important because it will help postoffice personnel in sorting out letters. This is placed after the address of theperson you are writing to. Refer to the example on page 9.

There may be instances when you write to government or school officials. Listedbelow are sample forms of address you can use when writing to them:

The President of the Philippines

Address : His/Her Excellency (Name)President of the PhilippinesMalacañang, Manila

Salutation : Sir/Madam:Dear Mr./Mrs. President:Mr./Mrs. President:

Complimentary : Respectfully yours,close

Senator

Address : The Honorable (Name)Senate of the PhilippinesManila

Salutation : Sir/Madam:Dear Sir/Madam:

Complimentary : Respectfully yours,close Very truly yours,

Congressman/Congresswoman

Address : The Honorable (Name)House of RepresentativesBatasan PambansaQuezon City

Salutation : Sir/Madam:Dear Congressman/Congresswoman:

Complimentary : Respectfully yours,close : Very truly yours,

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Governor or Mayor

Address : The Honorable (Name)Governor/Mayor of (Name of the place)

Salutation : Sir/Madam:Dear Gov. (Surname):/Dear Mayor (Surname):


Dean of College or Graduate School

Address : Dean (Name)(College/University)(Address)

Salutation : Dear Dean (Name)Dear Sir/Madam:


College or University Professor

Address : Professor (Name)(College/University)(Address)

Salutation : Dear Prof. (Name):

Complimentary : Very truly yours,close

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Let’s Review

A. Look at the business letter below closely. Identify its various parts.

1. ____________________ 5. ____________________

2. ____________________ 6. ____________________

3. ____________________ 7. ____________________

4. ____________________ 8. ____________________

Sunware Promotions, Inc.Ground Floor Mabini Bldg., Imelda Ave.

Cainta, Rizal

September 7, 2000

Miss Rosalie H. Dominguez7 Makiling RoadCainta, Rizal

Dear Ms. Dominguez:

Enclosed is an original and a carbon copy of our company’s financialreport for the month of June 2000. Please sign both documents, retain theoriginal and return the carbon copy.

Please acknowledge receipt and let us know your comments as soonas possible.

Very truly yours,

ADAM R. SANTOSPresident

ARS/nip

Encl: Financial Report

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

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B. Label the parts of a letter below.

1. Dean Gilda L. Uy ________________________University of the PhilippinesDiliman, Quezon City

2. Gentlemen: ________________________

3. Very truly yours, ________________________

4. September 4, 2000 ________________________

5. Herbalife International Phil., Inc. ________________________103 Esteban St., 1229 Legaspi VillageMakati, Metro ManilaTel. No. 883-42-07

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 31. Did you get aperfect score?.


Now that you know the parts of a letter, let us now study the different letterstyles. The full block, modified block and simplified formats or styles arerecommended for typewritten letters. The semi-block style, on the other hand, is idealfor handwritten letters. However, the full block style is the most popular because ofits simplicity. You can use any of the formation styles in writing your business letter.Let us examine the example below:

____________________

________

______________________________

__________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________

____________________

________

______________________________

__________

________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

__________

Full block formatEvery line in this format begins at theleft margin.

Semi-block styleIn this format, the first line of each paragraphis indented.

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Let’s Try This

Now, let us see if you can arrange the following letter using the full block style.

Fresh Fields, Incorporated; Legaspi Village, Makati City; Tel. No. 885-24-56 /September 4, 2000 / Mrs. Agnes Sarmiento / 50 Colt St., Fairview Park, QuezonCity / Dear Mrs. Sarmiento: / We thank you for your order of 100 pcs. of 150-mlbottles of Peach Organic shampoo, 20 dozens of Garden Fresh bath soap and3000 capsules of Wheat’s Multivitamins. We shall deliver your order onSeptember 25, 2000. If you wish to make some changes with your order, pleaseinform us before the delivery date. We are always ready to serve good customerslike you. / Very truly yours, / / MARLON C. PASION / Sales Manager

After you finish, compare your work with the one in the Answer Key on page 31.How well did you do?

____________________

________

______________________________

__________

________________________________________________________________________________________

__________

__________

______________________________

______________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________

Modified block formatThe date line, complimentary close andsignature are typed at the right side of thepage.

Simplified styleThis is similar to the full block except thesalutation and complimentary close areomitted. The writer’s name and title aretyped in all caps.

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Let’s Learn

Another type of business communication used is the memorandum. What is thedifference between a memorandum and a business letter? Business letters arewritten by an individual to another who is in another company or place of work. Amemorandum, on the other hand, is a communication addressed to other employeeswithin an organization. For example, the manager would like to send a message to his/her staff. He/She, therefore, sends a memorandum not a business letter.

The main parts of a memorandum are:

♦ The heading which shows the date, towhom the memo is addressed and fromwho it came from. The TO and FROMsections should include the positiontitles of both parties.

♦ The subject is a brief statement ofwhat the message is all about.

♦ The message refers to the content of thememorandum. After the message, the name andsignature of the person sending the message appears.

EXAMPLE

Memorandum

To : Mr. Carlos S. NeriComptroller

From : Mr. Antonio CruzManager

Date : November 17, 2000

__________________________

__________________________

__________

Subject : October Financial Report

Libra Trading Corp.

MEMORANDUM

TO : Mr. Carlos S. NeriComptroller

FROM : Mr. Antonio CruzManager

DATE : November 17, 2000SUBJECT : October Financial Report

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Board of Directors will hold a meeting on November 29, 2000 to discuss thefinancial standing of the company.

May I request a copy of our 3rd quarter financial report before the end of the week.

For compliance.

ANTONIO CRUZ

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Let’s Review

Fill in the blanks in the following statements.

1. The _________ is the part of a business letter that contains the message.

2. The _________ is a letter style in which every line of the body of the letterbegins at the left margin.

3. The _________ indicates when the letter was written.

4. The _________ is a formal or informal greeting used to open businessletters.

5. The _________ is similar to the full block style except that the first line ofeach paragraph is indented.

6. The _________ tells to whom the letter is addressed. It indicates the nameand address of the person written to or the receiver.

7. The _________ is a polite and courteous way of ending a letter.

8. The _________ is a letter style similar to the full block format except thatthe salutation and complimentary close are omitted.

9. The _________ states the name of the company, its address and its telephonenumber.

10. The _________ is a letter format or style in which the date line,complimentary close and signature are typed at the right side of the page.

Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 32. How well didyou do?

Let’s See What Have You Learned

Arrange the following parts of letter in semi-block format.

Marivic Gaudicos / Manager / / Yours very truly, / September 4,2000 / Mrs. Rio Sunga; 18 Sunrise St., Greenland Subdivision, Marikina City /Libra Sales International; 1458 Ortigas Ave., Pasig City / Dear Mrs. Sunga: /We are pleased to learn that you are interested to invest in our company. We shallinclude your name as one of our prospective investors as soon as we receive theenclosed information sheet. We hope to hear from you soon / Enc: InformationSheet

Compare your work with the one in the Answer Key on page 32. How well didyou do?

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Let’s Remember

♦ The letterhead states the name of the company, its address and its telephonenumber of the person writing the letter. This will also serve as the returnaddress if the letter is not delivered to the receiver or if the receiver decidesto send his/her reply.

♦ A heading can substitute for a letterhead if the company or the writer has nostationery with a letterhead.

♦ The date line indicates the data when the letter was written.

♦ The inside address tells to whom the letter is addressed. It includes thename of the person written to (if used), his/her position, the company nameand the company address.

♦ A salutation is a formal or an informal greeting used to open a businessletter. The salutation used should have the same degree of formality asobserved in the complimentary close.

♦ The body of the letter contains the message making it the most importantpart of the letter. It aims to get something done.

♦ The complimentary close is a polite and courteous way to end a letter. Itshould have the same degree of formality as the salutation.

♦ After the complimentary close, the letter writer affixes his/her signature toindicate that he/she is really the sender of the letter.

♦ In the full block format, every line begins at the left margin.

♦ In the semi-block style, the first line of each paragraph is indented.

♦ In the modified block format, the date line, complimentary close andsignature are typed at the right side of the page.

♦ In the simplified style, the salutation and complimentary close are omitted.The writer’s name and title are typed in all caps.

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LESSON 2

What Will My Letter Contain?

In Lesson 1, you learned about the different parts and forms of business letters.You also learned about memoranda in the first lesson. In this lesson, you will learnsome techniques in writing a good letter. Are you ready?

After studying this lesson, you should be able to write effective business letters.


Kristel landed a job as a secretary in a printing company. One of their clientssent them a letter with the intention of changing her purchase order. Kristel’s bossasked her to answer the client’s letter and inform her of the delivery date. But Kristeldoes not have much experience in writing business letters. She does not even knowwhere to begin.

Do you have the same problem with that of Kristel? Look at the client’s letterbelow and we will analyze it together.

To whom it may concern:

This is to inform you of my intention to change the kind of answeringmachine I am ordering. Please send me a brochure of your products.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely yours,

Mrs. Katherine Santos

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Now, look at how Kristel should answer their client’s letter.

Dear Mrs. Santos:

We received your letter and have therefore enclosed a brochure of our company’sproducts in this letter.

Thank you for your continued patronage.

Sincerely yours,

Kristel CastroCustomer Service Assistant

Before preparing a letter, you should always consider who will read it first. Thenyou should decide what your letter will contain and write this in the shortest possibleway. Bear in mind the level of formality you should use too and be consistent onwhatever you decide.

Let’s Learn

In writing business letters, you should always be straightforward. On the leftcolumn, you will find words you should avoid using in business letters. On the rightcolumn are suggested phrases you can use instead.

1. I acknowledge receipt of 1. Thank you for/I received

2. Advice 2. Say/Tell/Let us know

3. I/We am/are in receipt of 3. Thank you/I/We have received

4. As per 4. As/According to

5. At an early date 5. Soon/(Give a specific date)

6. At this time/At present 6. Now/(Omit entirely)

7. Attached hereto 7. Attached/Here/Enclosed

8. Beg 8. Ask/Request/Hope

9. Due to the fact that 9. As/Because/Since

10. Enclosed, please find 10. Enclosed/Here

11. In re 11. Regarding/Concerning/As to

12. In the amount of 12. For

13. In the event 13. In case of/If

14. Kindly 14. Please

15. Party (person being referred to) 15. (Use a specific name or title)

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16. Same 16. It/They/Them

17. State 17. Say/Tell

18. The writer 18. I/Me/My

19. Trust 19. Hope/Know/Believe

20. Subsequent to 20. After

Let’s Try This

Rewrite the statements by replacing the confusing words.

1. Enclosed, please find a check in the amount of P500.

_________________________________________________________

2. In the event that the writer fails to submit this report on time, the writer shallbe fined.

_________________________________________________________

3. Kindly return the equipment at the gym.

_________________________________________________________


Let’s Learn

You must remember though that the phrases given in the previous pages are notthe only things that can confuse a reader. Using very long words in your letter has thesame effect too. So, use short words. Be sure that the words you use can be easilyunderstood by your reader. In other words, keep your words simple.

Look at the table below. Notice that the words in the right column are easier tounderstand.

Long Words Short Words

Assistance Help

Category Class

Compensation/Remuneration Pay

Contribute Give

Correspondence Letter

=

21

Domiciled Live

Endeavor Try

Facilitate Help

Ideology Faith/Belief

Inadvertency Error

Inaugurate Start

Incarcerate Jail

Indisposed Ill

Inundate Flood

Majority Most

Mentality Mind

Monumental Big

Objective Aim

Prevaricate Lie

Proceed Go

Procure Buy

Promulgate Issue

Purchase Buy

Request Ask

Reside Live

Subsequent After

Summon Call

Terminate/Culminate End

Utilize Use

Witness See

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Let’s Try This

Replace the long words in the statements below with short words. Refer to thelist on the previous pages.

1. Please proceed to Room 202.

_________________________________________________________

2. We shall procure the necessary materials.

_________________________________________________________

3. She now resides at Greenhills, San Juan.

_________________________________________________________

4. Please prepare the necessary correspondence.

_________________________________________________________

5. Our program will culminate with the signing of the agreement.

_________________________________________________________


Let’s Learn

In writing letters, you should keep the following guidelines in mind:

♦ Take time out to learn the correct spelling of words. You can do this byreading a lot with a dictionary beside you. This way, you can also increaseyour vocabulary. Those who are too lazy to use the dictionary tend tobecome poor spellers.

Keeping a spelling notebook can also help you improve your skill inspelling.

♦ Know your subject well. You should be able to discuss it confidently andnaturally. After all, how can you write about something you are not familiarwith? So, be knowledgeable about your subject before you start writing aboutit.

If for example, you were asked to write about yourself or about thearms agreement, which topic would you choose? The easier topic would,therefore, be writing about yourself simply because you know yourself well.

♦ Use specific and personal nouns in your letter. Try to avoid being tooimpersonal. Your readers might be turned off if you address them as theparty.

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Imagine yourself receiving a letter similar to the one below.

Dear Applicant:

This Office received your application letter. As advertised, one of itsdepartments is in need of five data machine operators. You will be informed

of your final interview by our secretary.

What do you think of the letter? Would you be happy to receive one like it? Why/Why not?

Looking at this letter, you could see that it is too formal and cold. You can feelthat the writer is too impersonal and without any human touch. You, as the reader, willthen become nervous and afraid of the interview.

Let’s Think About This

Read the letter below. Note that it does not use any negative words. Itsapproach is positive. You can be sure that if you write this kind of letter,your sales will increase.

Dear Mr. Jose:

I am happy to send you samples of our new hollow blocks. These come in awider range of textures than the shingles you inquired about. They are a greatimprovement on the old style we just replaced.

If you received this kind of letter, would you consider the offer and buy theirhollow blocks instead of the shingles you originally wanted to buy? Or would you buyshingles somewhere else?

Let’s Learn

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After learning tips in writing letters, you will now learn about thedifferent kinds of letters. The most common kinds of letters areacknowledgment, thank you, invitation, answer to complaints, solicitation,

response to an application and excuse letters. When do you write these letters? Readon to find out.

♦ Acknowledgment letters are written to answer letters you received.

EXAMPLE

Dear Mr. Corpuz:

I received your letter requesting for a list of the new products ourcompany offers. Please be informed that we are currently preparing ourbrochure to advertise these products.

We shall send you our brochure by mail as soon as it is available.

Sincerely yours,

ARMANDO REYESAdvertising Officer

♦ Thank-you letters are written to express appreciation or compliment toservice rendered, favors granted or gifts received. When writing this type ofletter, the writer must be sincere.

EXAMPLE

Dear Mr. Toralba:

Thank you for the hospitality and care you and your family accorded meduring my visit to Zamboanga City. It was a wonderful experience for me tohave met your family. For this, I am most grateful to you.

Sincerely,

Jose Reyes

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♦ Invitation letters are written when one wants to invite someone to anoccasion.

EXAMPLE

Dear Ms. Monte:

Our office shall conduct a seminar on the enhancement of teachingskills for our P.E. teachers on sports offered in the curriculum. This will beheld on April 3–6, 2000 at Teachers’ Camp, Baguio City.

In view of this, may we invite you to be one of our resource persons inathletics. Your expertise in this field will be of great help to our participants.

We hope you can accommodate us.

Sincerely yours,

ARLENE DELA CRUZTraining Officer

Invitation letters must also tell the occasion, date, time and venue. Have you everwritten an invitation letter to your friends to a get-together party before?

♦ Responses to complaint letters are written because of poor servicesreceived by customers, errors in selling goods and errors in the delivery ofgoods. In such cases, these should be answered by the owner of the store orhis/her staff.

EXAMPLE

Dear Ms. Aguilar:

We appreciate your informing us that you are dissatisfied with theservice you received during your visit to our store. We made an investigationof your complaint and have already warned our salesclerk against a repetitionof her action.

Thank you for the patronage you have extended us. Please don’t hesitateto call us if you have any other problems. We hope we can provide you betterservice in the future.

Sincerely,

RICHARD REYESManager

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♦ Solicitation letters are written to get sponsors or donors for a project in acommunity or an organization.

EXAMPLE

Dear Sir:

Our parish community plans to construct an adoration chapel for ourparishioners. Knowing your interest in supporting this noble cause, wewould like to solicit any amount you could give. Please consider it as yourgift to our community.

Thank you.

A solicitation letter should state the reason why he/she is soliciting money orgoods for a cause.

♦ Responses to applications are written to answer applications filed byapplicants to their company.

EXAMPLE

Dear Mr. Perez

We are pleased to inform you that we have included your application asbookkeeper in our prospective applicants for interview.

Your schedule for the interview is on Thursday, April 3, 2001 at 9:00a.m. Please proceed to the office of Mrs. Paz Garcia, Personnel Officer.

In answering application letters, the writer must state whether the applicant has achance to be accepted in the company or not. If not, the usual phrase written is “. . .your application is being considered and we will just call you. . .”

♦ Excuse letters are normally written by parents or guardians when their childor ward is absent from classes.

EXAMPLE

Dear Mrs. Solano:

Please excuse my daughter, Esther Torillo, from her classes lastMonday and Tuesday, September 12–13, 2000 because of cough and fever.

Thank you for your consideration on this matter.

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Let’s See What You Have Learned

Do the following:

1. Write a letter to Mr. Agustin Buenaventura, publisher of Newsprint Printersrequesting for a copy of the science manual his company published.

2. Write a letter of complaint to SL Department Store because they gave you adifferent item from the one you bought.

3. Write a solicitation letter addressed to Mr. Fidel Calleja, Vice-President forFinance, Ascend Department Store. Request that they sponsor yourbasketball team that will compete in your inter-barangay sports competition.

Have your Instructional Manager check your work.

Let’s Remember

To write effective letters, follow the guidelines below:

1. Adopt a conversational style.

2. Use short words that can be easily understood by your reader.

3. See to it that the words are correctly spelled.

4. Know your subject well.

5. Avoid using negative words.

Well, this is the end of the module! Congratulations for finishing it. Did you likeit? Did you learn anything useful from it? A summary of its main points is given belowto help you remember them better.

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Let’s Sum Up

This module tells us that:

♦ The letterhead states the name of the company, its address and its telephonenumber of the person writing the letter. This will also serve as the returnaddress if the letter is not delivered to the receiver or if the receiver decidesto send his/her reply.

♦ A heading can substitute for a letterhead if the company or the writer has nostationery with a letterhead.

♦ The date line indicates the data when the letter was written.

♦ The inside address tells to whom the letter is addressed. It includes thename of the person written to (if used), his/her position, the company nameand the company address.

♦ A salutation is a formal or an informal greeting used to open a businessletter. The salutation used should have the same degree of formality asobserved in the complimentary close.

♦ The body of the letter contains the message making it the most importantpart of the letter. It aims to get something done.

♦ The complimentary close is a polite and courteous way to end a letter. Itshould have the same degree of formality as the salutation.

♦ After the complimentary close, the letter writer affixes his/her signature toindicate that he/she is really the sender of the letter.

♦ In the full block format, every line begins at the left margin.

♦ In the semi-block style, the first line of each paragraph is indented.

♦ In the modified block format, the date line, complimentary close andsignature are typed at the right side of the page.

♦ In the simplified style, the salutation and complimentary close are omitted.The writer’s name and title are typed in all caps.

♦ We should follow these guidelines when writing business letters:

1. Adopt a conversational tone. Your message should be clear and stateddirectly.

2. Use short words. The words you use must be easily understood by yourreader.

3. Spell words correctly. Take time out to check your spelling.

4. Know your subject. Write only on what you know about. Do not attemptto write on something you do not know at all.

5. Avoid using negative words. As much as possible, use only positivewords to insure positive results.

29

What Have You Learned?

Imagine yourself as an applicant for your dream job. Write the best applicationyou can come up with in the space provided below.

Have your Instructional Manager check your work. Make sure he/she gives yousome feedback before studying another module.

30

Answer Key

A. Lesson 1

Let’s Study and Analyze (page 5)

1. Letterhead

2. Date

3. Inside address

4. Salutation

5. Body of the letter

6. Complimentary close

7. Signature

8. Composer’s printed name

9. Reference initials

Part of the Letter Letter Content

D.V. CRUZ ENTERPRISES9 E. Rodriguez AvenueQuezon City

November 16, 2000

MS. MARIVIC SARMIENTOManagerCarousel House, IncorporatedSarmiento BuildingOrtigas Avenue, Pasig City

Dear Ms. Sarmiento:

Please accept our deepest gratitude andsincere appreciation for allowing us theuse of your facilities during the conductof our in-house activity.

Indeed, your support contributedimmensely to the success of our project.

Thank you and warmest regards.

Very truly yours,

(signature here)

MILETTE CRUZ

MC/ric

31

Let’s Review (pages 12– 13)

A. 1. Letterhead

2. Date

3. Inside address

4. Salutation

5. Body of the letter


7. Signature

8. Composer’s printed name

B. 1. Inside address

2. Salutation


4. Date

5. Letterhead

Let’s Try This (page 14)

Fresh Fields, IncorporatedLegaspi Village, Makati City

Tel. No. 885-24-56

September 4, 2000

MRS. AGNES SARMIENTO50 Colt St., Fairview ParkQuezon City

Dear Mrs. Sarmiento:

We thank you for your order of 100 pcs. of 150-ml bottles of Peach OrganicShampoo, 20 dozens of Garden Fresh Bath Soap and 3000 capsules ofWheat’s Multivitamins. We shall deliver your order on September 25, 2000.

If you wish to make some changes with your order, please inform us beforethe delivery date.

We are always ready to serve good customers like you.

Very truly yours,

MARLON C. PASIONSales Manager

32

Let’s Review (page 16)

1. body

2. full block format

3. date

4. salutation

5. semi-block format

6. inside address

7. complimentary close

8. simplified style

9. letterhead

10. modified block format

Let’s See What You Have Learned (page 16)

Libra Sales International1458 Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City

September 24, 2000

MRS. RIO SUNGA18 Sunrise St., Greenland SubdivisionMarikina City

Dear Mrs. Sunga:

We are pleased to learn that you are interested to invest in our company.We shall include your name as one of our prospective investors as soon aswe receive the enclosed information sheet.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Yours very truly,

MARIVIC GAUDICOSManager

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B. Lesson 2


1. Enclosed, please find a check worth P500.

2. If I fail to submit this report on time, I shall be fined.

3. Please return the equipment at the gym.


1. go

2. buy

3. lives in

4. letter

5. end

References

Clark, Lyn R., Kenneth Zimmer and Joseph Tinervia. Business English andCommunication. 8th ed. U.S.A.: McGraw-Hill, 1984.

Macaraeg, Bienvenido B. Sr. Write Better Letters the Modern Way. Manila:National Book Store, Inc., 1987.

Mills, Gordon H. and John A. Walter. Technical Writing. 4th ed., Holt, Rinehartand Winston, 1978.

Mojica, Celsa S., Fundamentals of Business Writing. Redman Printing, 1995.

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Writing Effective Letters Correspondence