MECHANICS OF

LETTER WRITING &

ROUTINE LETTERS
SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:
DR. NEHA GULATI NAVNEET KAUR (17)
 LETTER WRITING MECHANICS
• SETTING THE MARGINS:
Nearly all your letters will be printed on a standard sheet of 8.5-by-11-
inch letterhead paper and matching plain paper for all additional pages.
Consider the following guidelines. As the need arises, you can modify
them, but we recommend you follow them fairly closely.
1. Top Margin.  The top margin should be at least 1.5 inches to
accommodate the Corporate View Letterhead. If the letter is very short,
you can center it vertically on the page using the associated feature of
your word processing software.
2. Bottom Margin. The bottom margin should be no less than one inch. As
mentioned above, consider centering very short letters vertically on the
page.
3. Right and Left Margins. The side margins should be between one and two
inches. Longer letters should have narrower margins. You can always use
your word processor’s default side margins and center the page vertically.
• Heading or Letterhead
• The heading is your address and sometimes your name or the
company name that you key when using plain paper for your
letter. Letterhead paper, of course, already has the company name
and address and sometimes other information like phone number,
FAX number, email address, and Web address. 
• If you print the letter on letterhead paper, you don’t key a heading
since the information is already printed on the paper. If you are
using plain paper, key your return address immediately above the
date line. For the block and simplified block letter styles, the
address will begin at the left margin. For the modified block letter
style, the address should begin at the horizontal center point
above the date line. (The email address is optional.)
• 45 North 32 East
Fargo, ND 34544
[email protected]
January 10, 1999
• Date Line
• As the name suggests, the date line contains the date on
the letter. The current date is usually used when the letter is
written, but if you know the letter won’t be mailed for
several days, you can use a later date. If the letter is printed
on plain paper, place the date line immediately below the
return address. If the letter is printed on letterhead, put it
at the top margin as the first line of the letter. The date line
is placed two or three lines below the letterhead on longer
letters, and as much as six to eight lines on shorter letters.
• When keying the date, spell the name of the month and use
digits for the day and year, as shown in these two examples:
• December 27, 1999
• 27 December 1999
• Letter Address
• The letter address, sometimes called the inside address, is the full name, title, and
address of the person you are writing to. Convention dictates that the inside address
be written the same way it appears on the recipient’s business card or letterhead.
Write the recipient and company names exactly as they appear there. For example,
use Inc. if that is how it appears on the letterhead, not Incorporated.
• Use titles such as Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., Vice President, Director, Ph.D., or M.A. If a
short title of one or two words follows a name, place it on the same line, separating
the name and title with a comma. If the title is longer, place it on a separate line
below the name.
• Dr. Gary Frazier
Human Resources Manager
Software Today
1683 N. Moor
Salt Lake City, UT 84055
• If the letter will be transmitted electronically, consider placing the email or other
electronic address as the last line of the letter address.
• Dr. Gary Frazier
Human Resources Manager
Software Today
1683 N. Moor
Salt Lake City, UT 84055
[email protected]
• Salutation
• Type the recipient’s name here. Type Mr. or Ms. [Last Name] to show
respect but don’t guess spelling or gender.
• The salutation is a greeting. It appears after the letter address and is
placed at the left margin, a double space after the letter address.
Some people think the salutation still calls for the use
of Dear followed by the person’s name (Dear Mr. Jones, Dear Ms.
Berg). Dear is being used less and less, and you can omit it
completely if you wish to do so. Instead, you might opt to use Mr.
Jones or Ms. Berg. 
• Some common salutations are:
1. Respected Sir
2. Respected Ma’am
3. To Whom it May Concern
• Reference Line
• If the recipient specifically requests information,
such as job reference or invoice number, type it
on one or two lines, immediately below the
Date.
• If you’re replying to a letter, refer to it here. For
example,
• Re: Job #625-01
• Re: Your letter dated 1/1/200x
• Body of the Letter
• The paragraphs are the body of the letter. This is where
you say what you need to communicate. The text of
your letter should be well organized. Single-space the
paragraphs with a double space between paragraphs.
The first line of each paragraph may be indented one-
half inch only on the modified block style. More
commonly, the paragraphs begin at the left margin.
• The organization of a letter is critical. Start with a
general statement or paragraph telling the reader
exactly what the letter is about. Provide detail and
specific information later, in the second and third
paragraphs. Summarize briefly and, if appropriate, call
for action in the closing paragraphs of the body.
• Closing and Signature
• The closing is where you formally end your letter. An uncomplicated
closing such as Respectfully or Sincerely is appropriate. Avoid long,
flowery, or overly familiar closings. For mixed punctuation style,
place a comma after the closing.
• The signature block for a letter consists of your handwritten
signature and your typed name. The signature adds verification and
authenticity to the letter.
• Leave three blank lines between the closing and the typed name. If
the person has a title, place the title to the side of the name
preceded by a comma. If the title is three or more words, place it
below the typed name.
1. Respectfully,
Marty Lewis 
Senior Technical Writer
2. Sincerely 
Madeline Tucker, President
• Reference Initials
• When a letter is keyed by someone other than the
author, the typist’s initials are included at the
bottom of the letter for reference purposes.
Sometimes both the author’s initials (in caps) and
the typist’s initials (in lowercase) are used. Place the
reference initials a double space below the typed
name.
• Respectfully, 
Robert Carter    
Technical Engineer
RC: es
Enclosure Notation:
This line tells the reader to look in the envelope
for more.
• John Roberts, Manager  

JR:tc 
c Wilma Perez
   Kim Yung
   Ellen Turnquist

Enclosures: The Jones Proposal Expansion

Contracts
ROUTINE
LETTERS
• Have you ever written a letter to a
company? Did you expect a
response?
• If you receive a fan letter
complimenting your services, do you
respond? Why might you do so?
• Why is it important to answer
complaints or letters of concern
immediately?
PURPOSE OF ROUTINE LETTERS
• Encourage product feedback
• Project a favorable company image
• Promote future business
• Routine business Letters through which we
conduct everyday business and convey
goodwill to outsiders.
• It encourages product feedback, project a
favorable company image and promote future
business.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A ROUTINE LETTER
• Opening: Begin with the main idea and tell
immediately why you are writing (purpose)
• Body: Present your details that explain the request
or response. Group ideas together, and include
graphic highlighting to spotlight main points.
• Closing: Be specific about what you want and what
action you want taken. Provide an end date or
deadline if appropriate.
 PLACING AN ORDER
• Opening: Tell your reader exactly what you want.
“Please send ....”
• Body: List items, provide quantity, order number,
complete description, unit price and total price. Prevent
mistakes by including as much information as possible.
When responding to an order, do the same thing.
• Closing: State how you plan to pay for the merchandise,
when you want to receive the items and supply any
special instructions. Express your appreciation.
 MAKING CLAIMS
• Opening: Immediate describe what you want done
(purpose). When a remedy is obvious state it. If not,
explain your goal.
• Body: Explain the problem to justify your request. Provide
details, be organized in your thoughts. Avoid being angry,
or place blame.
• Closing: End with a tone that promotes goodwill. Request
specific action, including an end date. Make sure they know
how to respond to you.
 GRANTING A CLAIM
• Opening: When approving a claim, announce the
good news immediately (purpose).
• Body: Strive to win back confidence and explain what
went wrong. Be careful about admitting
responsibility avoid negative language trouble,
regret, fault, blame don’t blame the customer, and
don’t blame your staff.
• Closing: Show appreciation, and offer a goodwill gift
if necessary.
REQUESTING INFORMATION
• Opening: Ask your question. Avoid long
explanations. Be direct in your approach.
• Body: Explain your purpose and provide details
to assist your reader with your request. Use open
ended questions, rather than yes/no questions.
Suggest reader benefits if there are any.
• Closing: Be specific about what action you want
to be taken. Set an end date. Make it easy for
them to respond, and show appreciation.