1. ASManager2_6.zip Driver
2. d_bsns1.txt File Contents

d_bsns1.txt Driver File Contents (ASManager2_6.zip)

Name: <  >
Class: <  >
Date: <  >

Business Letters, Part 1

To get information for a special project or a research paper, try writing a business letter! Write to a company, school, government office, travel agent, or even a foreign embassy. To request information about references in a magazine article, brochure, or newspaper story, write a business letter to the editor. Then, too, if your new bike or music player has a defect, you may need to write the company that sold it or the company that manufactured it.

A business letter has a specific form. Using it adds seriousness to what is said. A business letter looks professional.

The model business letter below has formal wording. Its layout uses "full block" style. This means paragraphs are not indented, but typed flush with the left margin. Also, the heading and complimentary close are left justified -- started at the left margin.

Read the letter. Then type in items you think the writer may be requesting. Begin typing at the markers in the third paragraph of the letter.

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980 Bailey Avenue
Eugene, OR  97890
September 9, 1989

Samuel Higgins, Director
Habitat Management Program
Department of Natural Resources
450 Capitol Avenue
Portland, OR 97764

Dear Mr. Higgins:

I am a member of a Girl Scout troop and I am working towards a habitat management badge.

I read in the newspaper that the DNR is managing some land near Eugene for white tail deer habitat. I would like to know more about your activities including the name of a contact person in this area. Also, my troop would like to help with the management program, if we can.

Please send me the following information:

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Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Terry Smith


Name and save this file now. (Press ctrl+S, type a name for the file, and press enter.)

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Note the parts of the letter and the form for each part:

Heading:

The letter writer's address and the date. Full block style places the heading at the left margin:

980 Bailey Street
Eugene, OR  97890
September 9, 1989

"Semi-block" style for a business letter places the heading at the right side of the page.

Type your own address and date as a sample heading below. Use the full block style.

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Inside Address:

The "inside" address is the name and address of the person or group to whom you are writing. It is always placed on the left margin at least four lines below your heading. If your letter is short, you should add more lines here so the letter will be centered nicely on the page when it is finished.

Put the title of a person after the person's name, separated by a comma, or if the title is too long, place it underneath the person's name.

Samuel Higgins, Director
Habitat Management Program
Department of Natural Resources
450 Capitol Avenue
Portland, OR  97764

Type the following information in correct form as the inside address for a business letter. Type at the markers using full block style.

Katherine Wang, President, Independent Retailers, Kingston, Utah  87890, 34 Placer Street, Suite 9

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Salutation:

Place the salutation two lines below the inside address. A colon (:) is placed at the end of the salutation. In a formal business letter the salutation used will depend on how much you know about the person you are writing to.

If you know the person's name, use their last name, unless they are good friends of yours. Address them as:

Dear Mr. _______:
Dear Miss _______:
Dear Ms. _______: or
Dear Mrs. _______:

If the person has a title that you know, include this in the salutation. Address them as:

Dear Professor _______:
Dear President _______:
Dear Dr. _______:
etc.

If you know only the person's title, use this in the salutation. Address them as:

Dear Professor:
Dear Mr. President:
Dear Doctor:
Dear Madam Chairperson:
etc.

If you know neither name nor title:

Dear Sir:
Dear Madam:

If you do not know if the person reading the letter will be a man or a woman, you could use:

Dear Sir or Madam:
Ladies and Gentlemen:

Type salutations in correct business form for letters to the following six people or organizations.

1. Sally Carlson

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2. Dr. Maria Mendoza

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3. Fred Zahler

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4. Director of Marketing

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5. Mrs. Epstein

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6. Santiago City College Personnel Department

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Compare your salutations with the ones below:

Dear Ms. Carlson:
Dear Dr. Mendoza:
Dear Mr. Zahler:
Dear Mr. or Madam Director:
Dear Mrs. Epstein:
Dear Sir or Madam:


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Body:

Type the body of the letter two lines below the salutation. Remember, do not indent paragraphs for full block style. Indent paragraphs about five spaces for semi-block style.

Write two paragraphs for the situation given below. Write simply; be direct and formal. Use full block style, leaving one blank line between the paragraphs.

Situation:

You are requesting information from the census bureau on illiteracy for a school report about adults who cannot read. You want to know the average age of adults who can't read; regions of the country with highest percentages of adult illiterates; and their average incomes, sex, and so on.

Skip the salutation; just type the body of the letter.

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Complimentary Close:

The closing of the letter includes the letter writer's name. Put the complimentary close for full block style on the left margin. For semi-block style, align the closing under the heading, on the right side of the paper. Type the close two lines below the last line of the body of the letter.

Leave space for a pen-and-ink signature (usually three blank lines), then type your full name. For example:

Sincerely,

(space for signature)

Terry Smith

The complimentary close should be formal. Delete all the closings in the list below which seem too informal for a business letter.

Love,
Yours truly,
Your friend,
Sincerely,
Very truly,
Til later!


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Compare your final list to the one below:

Yours truly,
Sincerely,
Very truly,

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Summary

Parts of a Letter

Heading -- letter writer's address and the date

Inside Address -- (for business letters) the name and address of the person or group to whom you are writing, always placed on the left margin at least four lines below your heading

Salutation or Greeting -- on the left margin about four lines below the heading, followed by a comma for a friendly letter, followed by a colon for a business letter

Body -- contains everything you want to say, type two lines below the salutation

Complimentary Close -- placed two lines below the body of the letter, should be aligned under the heading, capitalize the first word and follow the closing with a coma


Letter Forms

Full Block

*all parts of letters are left justified -- meaning they are started at the left margin
*do not indent paragraphs
*usual form used for business letters

Semi-block

*heading and closing on the right side of the page
*indent paragraphs about five spaces
*usual form used for friendly and handwritten letters


If you haven't done so already, name and save this file now. (Press ctrl+S, type a name for the file, and press enter.)

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end of activity
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