2015-07-04
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Introductory paragraph.
It is an important part which sets the tone of the letter and gives your reader his first impression of you and your company.Here you will thank your correspondent for his letter introduce yourself and your company if necessary, state the subject of the letter, and set out the purpose of the letter.
Main paragraph(s).
This is 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.
Concluding paragraph.
You should thank the person for writing, if you have not done so at the beginning. Encourage further enquiries or correspondence, mention that you look forward to hearing from your correspondent soon. You have also wish to restate, very briefly, one or two of the most important of the points you have made in the main part of your letter.At the end of the letter, always include a way for your readers to contact you.
What complimentary close can you use?
| Your letter begines with: | You close it with: |
| Dear Sir, Dear Sirs, Dear Madam or Dear Sir or Madam | Yours fathfully, |
| A personal name – Dear Mr James, Dear Mrs Robinson, Dear Ms Jasmin | Yours sinserely, |
The comma after the complimentary close is optional.
Note that Americans tend to close even formal letters with “Yours trully” or “Trully yours”, which is unusual in the UK in commercial correspondence. Buta letter to a friend may end with “Yours trully” or “Best wishes”.
What does a signature block include? What does p.p. stand for?
Always type your name after your handwritten signature and your position in the firm after your typed sinature. This is known as a signature block.It is, to some extend, a matter of choice whether you sign with your initial(s) or your given name, and whether you include a courtesy title in your signature block. But if you give neither your given name nor your title, your correspondent will not be able to identify your sex and may give you the wrong title when he/she replies. It is safer, therefore, to sign with your given name, and safest of all to include your title.
The term per pro (p.p.) is sometimes used in signatures and means for anf on behalf of. Secretaries sometimes use p.p. when signing when signing letters on behalf of their bosses.
