Midterm Exam: Optional Parts of a Business Letter PDF

OPTIONAL PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER Optional parts of a  These parts are classified as optional because they are only business used when the need arises. letter  They are also called miscellaneous, specialized, or additional parts....

OPTIONAL PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER Optional parts of a  These parts are classified as optional because they are only business used when the need arises. letter  They are also called miscellaneous, specialized, or additional parts.  Their use is not compulsory and only depends on the need. 1.Attention Line 2.Subject Line 3.Continuation Line 4.Identification Initials 5.Enclosures 6.Reference Notation 7.Carbon or Photocopy Notation 8.Postscript 9.Mailing Notation  ATTENTION LINE  This line is used when you want your letter to be taken cared of by a particular person in an agency or you want the organization to respond even if the person you write to is unavailable.  This is useful especially when the letter is urgent and needs immediate attention.  ATTENTION LINE  It is written two spaces below or above the salutation. The word "Attention" can be written in full or in abbreviation, "Attn."  It ideally ends with a colon. The position of the recipient can be written beside the name after a comma or below the name Attn: Miss Grace Ayonayon College Instructor Attention: Miss Grace Ayonayon, College Instructor  ATTENTION LINE  However, when a letter has to pass through to an office within an organization for recommendation or indorsement purposes, the "through" line can be used. This is written two spaces below the last line of the inside address and is preceded by the word "Through" Juneended with a colon. 24, 2003 Mr. Adarito V. Corsino College Registrar St. Lois Academy Bauan, Batangas Through: Mrs. Gregoria Gocal Dean, College of Arts and Sciences St. Lois Academy Bauan, Batangas  SUBJECT LINE  This line contains the main topic of the letter. It can be a keyword or a brief phrase.  It helps the reader to know the message of the letter in a glance.  It is written below the inside address or below the salutation. The word "Subject" or the abbreviation "Re“ for regarding can be used to signal its presence. However, "Re" is now becoming obsolete; hence, the word "Subject" is preferable. If the letters of the word "subject“ has been capitalized, the topic should be a combination of upper and lower cases, and vice versa  CONTINUATION LINE  This line is used when there is a need for other sheets for the continuation of the letter. When using this part, the writer should see to it that a part of the body is written on the new sheet and that the first page does not bear any page number.  The quality, color, weight, texture and size of the additional sheet should be similar with the first sheet; however, the second or succeeding sheets should not bear letterheads. This line should be written six lines below the top edge.  CONTINUATION LINE  There are three ways of indicating the continuation line:  IDENTIFICATION INITIALS  As the word suggests, this part identifies the dictator of the letter and the typist or the encoder. It can be written in many ways. For example, if the dictator Joel Joseph L. Egipto and the encoder or the typist is Grace R. Ayonayon, it can be written these ways:  IDENTIFICATION INITIALS  This part written below the signature and flushed on the left margin regardless of the letter style used is utilized for administrative or reference purposes in case there is a need to know who typed or encoded the letter and the source of the body.  If the writer typed the letter himself, this part can be omitted.  In cases when there is a need to indicate the office where the letter came from, this can be placed before the initials of the dictator and the encoder. For example, if the letter originated from the Office of Planning, it can be written this way:  ENCLOSURES  Also called attachments, this line indicates the enclosed or attached documents to the letter. Written below the identification initials, it is used to safeguard the accompanying sheets of the letter. These can be written in the following ways:  ENCLOSURES  If the accompanying documents are already enumerated and identified in the body, either of the following styles can be used:  It is also advisable to write the number of documents attached to a letter.  REFERENCE NOTATION  This part facilitates the handling of the correspondence for it indicates the previous letters, orders, invoices, policy numbers and document control number, serial or model numbers, credit card or account number that have direct bearing with the present letter. This is good especially if volume of correspondences is involved.  REFERENCE NOTATION  This line follows either the same position with the subject line, top of the letter below the letterhead or at the right of the page on a line with the last line of the inside address. It can also be placed four lines below the date and the same line as the first line of the inside address.  CARBON OR PHOTOCOPY NOTATION  Written below the identification initials or enclosures, this line also called courtesy copies (cc)  shows the other recipients of the letter other than the addressee.  Indicated in all the copies, the names and positions of the other recipients are ideally stated here. However, either the names or the positions can suffice.  CARBON OR PHOTOCOPY  NOTATION The abbreviations "cc" (carbon copy), "ccf" (carbon copy furnished) or "ccn"(carbon copy notation) are used when carbon paper is used for the other duplicates.  However, when a photocopier is used, it is either "pcf" (photocopy furnished) or "pcn"(photocopy notation). The phrase "Copy to" or "Copies to" can also be used.  CARBON OR PHOTOCOPY  NOTATION The abbreviations "cc" (carbon copy), "ccf" (carbon copy furnished) or "ccn"(carbon copy notation) are used when carbon paper is used for the other duplicates.  However, when a photocopier is used, it is either "pcf" (photocopy furnished) or "pcn"(photocopy notation). The phrase "Copy to" or "Copies to" can also be used.  CARBON OR PHOTOCOPY  NOTATION If there are a lot of other recipients, you can group them according to their positions or use "cc'd" which is a. distribution list of people who will receive their own copy of the document.  POSTSCRIPT  This part is written below the last written line of the letter. It begins with its abbreviation "P.S." and it usually consists of only one short statement.  POSTSCRIPT  However, except for sales letters, the use of this should be avoided for itimplies disorganization on the part of the writer. It shows that the writer wrote theletter without any plan at all  MAILING NOTATION  This refers to the mode of delivery of the letter either registered mail, via air mail or others; hence, it refers to special mailing instructions.  It also indicates the nature of the letter or on arrival notations whether confidential, personal or otherwise. This may be written below the date or above the inside address or below the identification initials.  Oftentimes, this is also found in the envelope, specifically below the stamps and written in capital letters.