Business Letters Layout
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“ABC” ltd 123 Sumskaya str, Kharkiv, 61000 Tel: 057 7123 456, Fax: 058 7123 655 www.abc.com | |
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Your ref: RJ Our ref: AS/90/34 |
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10th October, 2013 |
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Quantumtech Ltd. 10 North Lane London SE1 3PL |
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Dear Mr. Jones |
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We thank you for your letter of 1st October, and would like to inform you that we can deliver ... |
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... |
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We look forward to hearing from you in the near future. |
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Yours sincerely |
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Anna Simonenko |
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Anna Simonenko |
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Managing Director |
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Enc |
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Letterhead
Reference
Date
Addressee’s
address
Opening
salutation
Body
of the letter
Closing
salutation 
Signature
Sender’s
name 
Sender’s
designation or department
Enclosures
Letterhead
Business letters have a heading which provides the reader of the letter with essential information about the organisation sending it ‑ the name, address, telephone and facsimile number, telex code, e-mail address, logotype and some other information about the company.
PARTS OF LETTER
Reference
References are usually printed below the letterhead or on the same line as the date, but on the left. References consist of the initials of the person who signs the letter and those of the typist. Sometimes other letters or figures are added, according to whatever may suit the filing system of the firm in question.
Date
Date is written under the references or on the same line but on the right. You should be very careful writing the date. In Britain, they write the day first, but in the United States they write the month first. So 10.02.03 is the tenth of February in Britain and the second of October in the United States. That is why to avoid any misunderstandings the date should be written like this:
10 February, 2003 OR
10th February, 2003 OR
February 10, 2003 OR
February 10th, 2003 OR
10 Feb., 2003 etc.
Inside Address
The name and the address of the firm written to should be typed on the left against the margin. The address should be written in the following way:
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The addressee’s name (not necessary) |
Mr. A.J.Fisher |
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The name of the firm |
Great Furniture Ltd. |
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The building number, the name of the street |
18 Hill Street |
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The name of the town or city, post code |
London W1M 5RN |
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Country |
Great Britain |
Opening Salutation
There are several types of opening salutation:
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Dear Sirs |
to a company |
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Dear Sir |
to a man if you do not know his name |
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Dear Madam |
to a woman if you do not know her name |
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Dear Sir or Madam |
to a person if you know neither the name, nor sex |
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Dear Mr. Green |
to a man |
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Dear Mrs Green |
to a married woman |
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Dear Miss Green |
to an unmarried woman |
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Dear Ms Green |
to a married or unmarried woman |
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Gentlemen: |
the most common salutation in the United States |
Body Of The Letter
A question frequently asked is: «How long should a good letter be?» The answer is: «As long as it is necessary to say what has to be said». The manner of interpreting this varies, of course, with the writer, and also very greatly with the nationality of the writer and of course it depends on the subject of the letter. It is a question of how much information you put in the letter. Your letter should be neither too long nor too short. The right length includes the right amount of information. Still it is better to include too much information than too little.
The way to get the right amount of information in your letter, and to get it in the right order, is by planning your letter in advance. This four point plan provides a useful but simple framework for structuring all business communications:
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1 |
Introduction (Background and Basics) |
Why are you writing? Refer to a previous letter, contact or document. |
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Details (Facts and Figures) |
Give instructions Ask for information Provide all relevant details Separate into paragraphs for separate themes Ensure a logical flow |
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Response? Action? |
What action is necessary by the recipient? What action will you take? A conclusion |
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Close |
A simple, relevant closing sentence is all that is often necessary |
The first sentence or paragraph of a letter is an important one since it sets the tone of the letter and gives your reader his first impression of you and your company. Here are some ways to begin a letter:
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We are writing to enquire about... у цьому листі просомо повідомити / Нас цікавить інформація про … | |
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We are writing in connection with... Ми звертаємося до вас, тому що … | |
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We are interested in... and we would like to know... Ми зацікавлені у … і хотіли б дізнатися про … | |
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Thank you for your letter of (date), Дякуємо Вам за Ваш лист від… We have received your letter of (date), Ми отримали Ваш лист від … |
asking if... enquiring about... де було виражене прохання … enclosing... , що містить… concerning... , що стосується… |
Middle paragraphs are the main part of your letter and will concern the points that need to be made, answers you wish to give, or questions you want to ask. It is in the middle paragraphs of the letter that planning is most important, to make sure that your points are made clearly, fully and in a logical sequence.
When closing the letter, encourage further enquiries or correspondence and mention that you look forward to hearing from your correspondent soon.
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We look forward to hearing from you soon. Ми сподіваємося отримати Вашу відповідь якомого швидше. |
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We look forward to receiving your reply / order / products / etc. Із нетерпінням чекаємо на Вашу (е) відповідь (замовлення) тощо. |
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Please acknowledge receipt. Будь ласка, підтвердіть отримання. |
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Your soonest reply will be appreciated. Ми будемо вдячними за найшвидшу відповідь. |
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We hope that this information will help you. Сподіваємося, що ця інформація допоможе Вам. |
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Please do not hesitate / feel free to contact us if you need any further information. Будь ласка, не зволікайте зв’язуватися із нами щодо подальшої інформації. |
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We hope to hear from you soon. Сподіваємося отримати Вашу відповідь. |
Closing Salutation
Closing salutation or complimentary close depends on opening salutation you used.
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Dear Sirs Dear Sir Dear Madam Dear Sir or Madam |
‑ Yours faithfully / Faithfully yours |
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Dear Mr Green Dear Mrs Green Dear Miss Green Dear Ms Green |
‑ Yours sincerely / Sincerely yours |
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Gentlemen: |
‑ Truly yours OR Your faithfully / Faithfully yours |
Signature
Signature is put under the complementary close. The name of the person signing the letter is typed below the space left for the signature and it is followed on the next line by his or her position in the company or by the name of the department he or she represents.
Enclosures
If there are any enclosures with the letter they should be mentioned in the body of the letter and abbreviation «Enc.» («Encs.», «Encl.», «Encls.») should be typed against the left-hand margin at the bottom of the letter.
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