The structure of the letter
Business letters are correspondence that consists of a sequence of certain elements and is used to conduct official correspondence at the business level.Among the main elements of a business letter are:
- Address and name of the recipient
- Contact details of the sender
- Date of writing
- Reference
- Greeting
- The main part or "body"
- Conclusion
- Signature
- Initials of the author
- Annexes (if any)
General rules for writing an official letter
Maintain a professional tone and presentation of information.
- Avoid formal clichés.
- Do not use jargon and abbreviations.
- Give preference to personal pronouns.
- End the letter with a request.
- Do not use idioms and exclamation marks.
- Check the document for errors before sending.
- Of course, if the letter is electronic, you need to take care of its appearance: align it to the left edge, choose a standard font and 12 point font, set paragraphs and take care of spaces.
What phrases should be used for the letter
The choice of phrases for writing a letter directly depends on what part of it you are writing. Below we will tell you about the main types of phrases that should be used in business correspondence.
Greeting
You can use the following phrases:
Dear colleagues - dear colleagues. It is used for correspondence with a group of well-known people.
Dear Emily Smith/Harry Page - dear Emily Smith/dear Gary Page. The most informal option, which is suitable if you know the person well, their gender and communicate with them often.
Dear Mr. Abramson/Dear Ms./Mrs. Abramson - Dear Mr. Abramson/Mrs. Can be used if you know the gender and initials of the recipient. If the letter will be received by a woman, prefer Ms. to Mrs., especially if you do not know her marital status.
Dear sir/Dear madam - dear sir/dear madam. Can be used if you do not know the name, but you know the gender of the addressee.
Dear HR - dear HR. This greeting will be appropriate if you know only the position of the recipient, in the example above - human resources (HR) employee.
To whom it may concern - to all interested parties. The most neutral option that is suitable if you do not know the gender, position, name of the recipient.
The beginning of the letter
This section should contain information about the purpose of the letter so that the recipient can understand what the main part of the letter will be about. In essence, the beginning is a short announcement, an extract that introduces the recipient to the purpose of your letter in advance.
If you are responding, you can use expressions:
I am writing in response to... - I am writing in response to...
In reply to your letter of June 15... - In response to your letter of June 15...
I recently wrote to you about...
To follow up on/following our discussion...
You can form a goal in this way:
I am writing to enquire about/confirm/in connection with... - I am writing to inquire about/to confirm/in connection with...
If you need to ask for something:
- It would be helpful if you could...
- Could you possibly...
- I would be grateful if you could...
- Please could you send me...
- The main part
The second or third paragraph of the letter is used to convey the main point. It is necessary to be concise, to express your opinion as briefly as possible. The information in the "body" of the letter varies depending on your goals and the purpose for which you are writing it. For example, if you want to report a refusal to cooperate, tell about the product, agree to an interview, etc.
The following common expressions are suitable for this purpose:
- I am particularly interested in this job because... - I am interested in this job because...
- I am writing to apply for the position of... - I am writing to apply for the position of...
- Our new product will be released next month, and we are excited to share with you.
- After careful consideration we have decided to...
- I regret to inform you that...
- Conclusion