D.7.8 Letters : Components & Variables
|
Component |
Variable |
1. Date of letter |
Should be written as Month Date, Year with month in full and date as a number. Example : February 13, 1999. |
2. Name of individual to whom letter is being sent |
Should be written as Mr./Ms. Initials Surname e.g. Mr. A.B. Alphabet. No comma at the end. |
3. Title/Designation of the individual |
Should be stated in full and match the visiting card or correspondence of the person. Avoid short forms or abbreviations unless used by the addressee. If unsure about the exact title and if you cannot obtain it, skip it. No comma at the end. |
4. Name of the company to which letter is being sent |
Should be written the way the company writes its name. Note that words like Limited (used in India) depend on the country, Eg. GmbH (Germany). Avoid using Messrs. or M/s. before the name of the company. No comma at the end. |
5. Mailing address of the company |
No commas should be used at the end of the address lines. If both city and state are mentioned, zip code should follow city, with state on another line. The zip code must be written as "City xxx xxx" without being prefixed by a hyphen. |
|
6. Salutation |
Written as "Dear Sirs," when addressing the company i.e. when you are not mentioning the person or the title. Written as "Dear Sir," when letter is being addressed to a title, but you are not mentioning the person’s name. Written as "Dear Sir," if the person's name/title is mentioned, but the letter/relationship is formal. Written as "Dear Mr./Ms., ______" when the name or name and title is mentioned but letter/relationship is informal. Written as "Dear first name", when you know the addressee on a personal basis. Use a comma after this line. |
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7. Subject, reference |
Should be short and precise preferably limited to a line. Sometimes, a second line giving details of reference number and/or date may be necessary. Use Century Gothic in bold type, 12 point, for the subject. |
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8. Body of the letter |
Should be split up ideally into introductory, main and concluding paragraphs. |
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9. Sign off |
"Yours faithfully" followed by "Ion Exchange (India) Limited" when salutation is "Dear Sir/s" "Yours sincerely" when salutation is "Dear Mr./Ms. _______". Follow this by "Ion Exchange (India) Limited" if the letter is related to a business purpose. "Sincerely" when salutation is "Dear first name," |
|
10. Sender’s name |
Usually, initials with last name or first and last name if relationship is personal/letter is very informal. No comma at the end. |
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11. Sender’s title |
Accurate title, as in your visiting card. No comma at the end. |
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12. Enclosed |
Written as Encl : |
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13. Copies to external parties |
Written as c. Mr. X. Y. Alphabet Title Company Address |
Notes
1. Use upper lower case.