The Reason for Writing

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 570.

The Reference

The Start

The start of any business letter begins by addressing the recipient of the letter.

· Dear Personnel Director,

· Dear Sir or Madam: (use if you don't know who you are writing to)

· Dear Dr, Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms Smith: (use if you know who you are writing to, and have a formal relationship with - VERY IMPORTANT use Ms for women unless asked to use Mrs or Miss)

· Dear Frank: (use if the person is a close business contact or friend)

Note: If you are unsure how formal you should be, always choose a more formal form. Writing to a specific person is always preferred if at all possible.

Begin by referencing a specific conversation or other contact means. If this is the first letter in a conversation, you can also provide the reason for writing.

· With reference to your advertisement in the Times, your letter of 23 rd March, your phone call today,

· Thank you for your letter of March 5th .

· I am writing to...

... inquire about …

... apologize for …

... confirm …

... comment on …

... apply for …

Examples:

· I am writing to inquire about the position posted in The Daily Mail.

· I am writing to confirm the shipment details on order # 2346.

· I am writing to apologize for the difficulties you experienced last week at our branch.

Once you have introduced the reason for writing your business letter, move on to stating more specifically the purpose of your letter. Here are a number of possibilities: