Letter Writing

CHRISTIAN B. LLAGUNO, LPT

• We write letters to convey our message in a clear and
forceful manner.
• Writing letters is considered to be an easy thing to do but
very few write really good letters.
• A good letter should follow all the rules of good
conversation and good composition.
 Types of Letters
• Personal letters
• Personal letters/social letters/informal letters written to relatives & friends (e.g., invitations,
etc.)

• Business letters
• Business letters/formal letters written by the traders, firms, companies etc. for business
purposes (e.g., leave letter, ordering letter etc.

• Official letters
• Letter of application, letter to government officials, letter to newspapers, job applications,
recommendation letters, reference letter, termination letters
 Application Letter
• It is a formal letter which serves as a means of
communication between two concerned parties: the
applicant and the prospective employer. It is the letter
that offers one’s attitudes, skills and knowledge
Parts of a Business Letter

• Letterhead/heading
• Date
• Inside address
• Salutation
• Body of the letter
• Complimentary close
• Name & signature
 Letterhead or heading
• The part that includes the company’s name, address and logo of the
company that sent the letter of communication.
• If the communication comes from an individual like in the letter of
application, it consists –
• Complete address (i.e. no of the house, name of the street, barangay, town
and province
• Exact date when the letter is written
# 247 P 3 San Isidro Street,
Santo Domingo, Albay
February 8, 2018
 Date line
• Typed two or four spaces below the letterhead
Two standard ways:
A. American
• February 8, 2018
B. British
• 8 February 2018
 Inside address
• This part indicates the addressee’s name, position, firm or office address, city,
zip code.
• Ex:
CAPT. JUAN C. COPE
President
Amando Cope College
Baranghawon, Tabaco City
• In case you don’t know the name of the president or the head of the
institution or company:
The President
Amando Cope College
Baranghawon, Tabaco City
 Salutation
• The complimentary greeting. An expression of courtesy usually ends with a
colon ( : )
MOST COMMONLY USED
FEMALE MALE
Most Formal Madam: Sir:
Dear Madam: Dear Sir:
Formal My dear Madam: My dear Sir:
Dear Dr. Gonzales: Dear Atty. Cope
Less Formal Dear Mrs. ________ Dear Mr. ___________
 Body of the letter
• The message that the sender wants to convey to the
reader. This is typed in single space with two spaces after
the salutation (and for every other paragraph:
introductory, the body paragraph, and the concluding
paragraph) and before the complimentary close.
 Complimentary Close
• The courtesy word ending with a comma and which most of the time is
written in phrase and only the beginning word is capitalized.
• Ex:
Respectfully yours, Sincerely yours,
Very respectfully yours, Very truly yours,
Truly yours,
Very truly yours,
 Name and signature
• The name of the sender of the message typed four spaces after the
complimentary in all CAPITAL letters. This part most of the time includes
the designation of the writer and is duly signed by the writer.

• Ex: Ronald M. Rivera

RONALD M. RIVERA
Marketing Manager
Use simple direct words to communicate a
message
WEAK: I am applying as dietician because I heard you need one. I am very
willing to apply as dietician that you published in well-known
broadsheet today.
PREFERABLE: I was told you are in need of a dietician; please consider me
in the position. I am applying as dietician which you
published in Manila Bulletin today.
WEAK: Enclosed hereto are my bio-data and Transcript of Records for
further reference.
PREFERABLE: Enclosed are my bio-data and Transcript of Records for
further reference.
 .
WEAK: Honestly speaking, I have been working as a part time clerk for two
years.
PREFERABLE: I have been working as a part time clerk for two years.
WEAK: I would be delighted if you grant me an interview at any time
convenient to you.
PREFERABLE: I am willing to have an interview at your most convenient
time.
Supplementary Parts of
a Letter
Attention Line
• The part that shows the urgency of action and respect to the superior of the person
who was the one you want to do the service like in a letter of complaint, you need
to address your letter to the company that rendered the service. This is written two
(2) spaces below the inside address.
__________________
__________________ Inside address
__________________
--------2 spaces---------

Attention: The Registrar

Subject Line
• The subject line gives the reader an overall idea of what your letter is all
about without reading the entire text. This may be in all CAPITAL letters or
Half Case Capitalization and is written two spaces below the salutation.
Dear Miss Julian:
Subject: ENROLMENT PROCEDURES
Enrolment Procedures
Identification/Reference Initials
• Refer to the initials of the typist/encoder and the writer of the
letter. In general, the initials of the writer are in capital letters,
while the initials of the typist/encoder are in small letters.
• The reference initials are placed two spaces below the writer’s
name and title.
CBL/mfgn
Enclosure Notation
• The enclosure line informs the recipient that there are
attachments in the letter. This part is placed right after the
reference initials.
Encl.: Company Profile
Enclosure: Company Profile
Copy Furnished Notation
• Indicates that the same copy of the business letter has been sent to other
recipients.
cc: Dean, College of Education
• If there are more than one whom you furnish the copy, indicate them all.
cc: Dean, College of Education
Director of Linguistics
VP, Administration & Finance
 Directions: Using either full or semi-block style,
rewrite the business letter below on a separate sheet
of paper. Be sure to follow the correct format.
• JMSantiago
Jenny M. Santiago
• Encl.: Tutorial Schedule
• October 05, 2012
• Dr. Analiza A. Gomez
Principal
St. Lawrence Learning Center
Sanchez St., Davao City
• SUBJECT: Request for a Change of Work Schedule
• Respectfully yours,
• HLF/ajf
• I would like to request a change of work schedule from the morning shift to
the afternoon shift. The afternoon work shift will enable me to
accommodate my tutorial duties which have been scheduled from 8:00 am to
11:00 am.
I will deeply appreciate your consideration and approval
Attached is my tutorial schedule for your reference.
• Dear Dr. Gomez:
• Kinder 1 Teacher
• Cc: Finance Office
 An Effective Letter
• L – egibly written in black
(block style in a regular sized bond paper – 8 ½ X 11 in.
• E – nclose it with prayer in a business envelope.
• T – rust in God. He will help you.
• T – ell HIM the desires of your heart.
• E – nsure Him your true intentions
• R – eassurance lies in His hands.
Application Letter
 Application Letter
• It is a formal letter which serves as a means of
communication between two concerned parties: the
applicant and the prospective employer. It is the letter
that offers one’s attitudes, skills and knowledge
Types of Letter of Application

• Solicited Application Letter – is a letter written in

response to an advertisement.
• Unsolicited Application Letter – is a letter written at a
suggestion or believing that there is a vacancy.
Purposes of an Application Letter

• Introduce the resume

• Highlight your strengths as to how they could benefit
your reader
• Be called for an interview
Tips in Writing an Application Letter
• Do not write anything in your letter which you cannot
substantiate in the interview.
• Do not laud or extol your personal honors and distinctions in an
attempt to impress the employer. You should appear confident
without sounding arrogant.
• Do not address your letter to a title only.
• Do not buy your employer’s favour, but sell your potentials by
presenting your qualifications and experiences suited for the job
applied for.
• Do not forget to make your letter neat and free from any
typographical errors in structure and grammar. No employer
would want a careless and sloppy worker.
• Do not forget to check for consistency in your level of formality.
• Do not forget to attach additional documents like transcript of
records and certificates.