II. Define, whether the statements are true or false. Prove your point
1. You have to adopt the English way of writing the address, even if the order is different in your culture.
2. On envelopes the post office requires all addresses be typed flush left, with no punctuation marks.
3. In American English the day is usually put before the month.
4. Sender’s address is also called “inside address”.
5. Attention line should be used when the letter is addressed to a company or organization as a whole, but you want it to be handled by a specific individual at the company or within the organization.
6. Dropping the Mr. and Ms. from the inside address and the salutation line works well when you do not know the sex of the reader and do not have time to find out.
7. The terms To Whom It May Concern, Dear Sir/Madam, or Ladies and Gentlemen, are still widely used in the USA, when the name of the reader is unknown.
8. The KISS formula means “keep it short and structured”.
9. All the paragraphs of a business letter shouldn’t exceed 4 lines.
10. Salutation is a polite, formal way to end a letter.
11. The practice of adding reference initials is fading as many people now type their own material.
12. “c.c.” formerly stood for “carton copies”.
III. Compare the English post office format for addresses to the Ukrainian one. Write down your home or business address using both formats respectively.
TEXT 3
STANDARD LETTER FORMAT aND STYLES
FORMAT
There are certain standards for formatting a business letter, though some variations are acceptable (for example between European and North American business letters). Here are some basic guidelines:
· Use A4 (European) or 8.5 x 11 inch (North American) paper or letterhead
· Use 2.5 cm or 1-1,5 inch margins on all four sides
· Use a simple font such as Times New Roman or Arial
· Use 10 to 12 point font
· Lay out the letter so that it fits the paper appropriately
· Single space within paragraphs
· Double space between paragraphs
· Double space between last sentence and closing (Sincerely, Best wishes)
· Leave three to five spaces for a handwritten signature
· Fold in three (horizontally) before placing in the envelope
· Use right ragged formatting (not justified on right side)
STYLE
Today most business letters are typed in one of three styles: block (or full-block), modified block, or semi-block (also known as modified semi-block).
In the block style, which is the most common, all parts are aligned with the left margin, including the date, inside address, subject line, text, signature block, and the continuation page heading. The right side is ragged.
| 1,5 inch margin | ||
| <1,25 inch margin > | Company Logo or Letterhead 6-10 spaces March 15, 2001 2-4 spaces Mr. John Smith, Director of Operations SomeGroup Group SomeStreet Drive Sometown, VA 12345 2 spaces Dear Mr. Smith : 2 spaces Thank you for your inquiry about Full-Block format for letters. What follows is a quick summary of the format and the conventions it uses. Full block format is considered the most formal of the three styles. In full block format or style, every line is left justified. The dateline is placed two to six line spaces below the last line of the heading or letterhead. The inside address placement varies depending upon the length of the letter. A common spacing is four line spaces below the date line. The salutation is placed two lines below the attention line (if an attention line is provided). The first line of the body is placed two lines below an attention line or two to four lines below the last inside address line. When using full block, paragraphs are single spaced, with a double space between paragraphs. While there are no set rules governing format use, full block is generally used for (1) requests or inquiries, (2) claims, (3) announcements, (4) records of agreement, (5) transmittal of other technical documents, and (6) job applications. Most other types of letters use semi-block or simplified format. This page illustrates the spacing and layout of full block format. 2 spaces Sincerely yours , 4 spaces Dr. Sheila Carter-Tod English Instructor 2 spaces SCT/jm 2 spaces Enclosure | <1,25 inch margin > |
| 1,5 |
The modified block style is similar, except the date is centered on the page or placed about five spaces to the left of the center. The complimentary close and the signature block are aligned under the date. The continuation page heading is spread across the top of the page.
| 1,5 inch margin | ||
| <1,25 inch margin > | Company Logo or Letterhead 6-10 spaces March 15, 2001 2-4 spaces Mr. John Smith, Director of Operations SomeGroup Group SomeStreet Drive Sometown, VA 12345 2 spaces Dear Mr. Smith : 2 spaces Thank you for your inquiry about Modified Block format for letters. What follows is a quick summary of the format and the conventions it uses. Modified block format or style is a slight modification of full block format. This letter style places the date line in alignment with, or slightly to the left of dead center. Similar to full block, modified block places the inside address, salutation, body and any end notations flush with the left margin. However, unlike full block, the complimentary close and signature block are aligned under the date. This page illustrates the spacing and layout of modified block format. Both full block and modified block formats generally contain all of the necessary parts of a letter. 2 spaces Sincerely yours , 4 spaces Dr. Sheila Carter-Tod English Instructor 2 spaces SCT/jm 2 spaces Enclosure | <1,25 inch margin > |
| 1,5 |
In the semi-block style the first line of each paragraph is indented six spaces. The right side is ragged; the date, complimentary close, and signature block are centered, placed five spaces to the right of the center, or aligned with the right margin. The continuation page heading is spread across the top of the page.
| 1,5 inch margin | ||
| <1,25 inch margin > | Company Logo or Letterhead 6-10 spaces March 15, 2001 2-4 spaces Mr. John Smith, Director of Operations SomeGroup Group SomeStreet Drive Sometown, VA 12345 2 spaces Dear Mr. Smith : 2 spaces Thank you for your inquiry about Semi-Block format for letters. What follows is a quick summary of the format and the conventions it uses. Semi-block format or style is frequently called modified semi-block because it is a slightly less formal modification of full block format. This letter style places the date line in alignment with, or slightly to the right of dead center. Another option for placing the date line in semi-block is flush right. Similar to full block, semi-block places the inside address, salutation and any end notations flush with the left margin. However, unlike full block, each body paragraph of semi-block is indented five spaces. The complimentary close and signature block are aligned under the date. This page illustrates the spacing and layout of semi-block format. Both full block and semi-block formats generally contain all of the necessary parts of a letter. 2 spaces Sincerely yours , 4 spaces Dr. Sheila Carter-Tod English Instructor 2 spaces SCT/jm 2 spaces Enclosure | <1,25 inch margin > |
| 1,5 inch margin |
Besides the three most widespread styles, there also exist square-block and simplified business letter styles, which may also be used for correspondence.
Square-blocked: This is the same as a full-blocked letter with two changes: the date is typed on the same line as the start of the inside address and ends at the right margin; reference initials and enclosure reminder are typed on the same lines as the signature and signer’s identification. As a result, corners are squared off. This arrangement saves space, allowing longer letters to fit onto a single page. (Be sure to use a line at least 50 spaces long so that the inside address won’t run into the dateline.)
Simplified: Designed by the Administrative Management Society, this style is the same as full-blocked, except: (1) no salutation or complimentary closing is used; (2) an entirely capitalized subject line (without the word “subject") must be used; (3) the signer's identification is typed in all capitals; and (4) lists are indented five spaces unless numbered or lettered (in which case they are blocked with no periods after the numbers or letters). This style is extremely efficient, requiring much less time to type than other styles. However, it is also impersonal. For this reason, the reader’s name should be mentioned at least once in the body.