Letters / 203-^ Copy notations, which appear immediately after any enclosure notation and
indicate who will receive copies of the letter, such as cc: Sales Department.
-^ A postscript (PS), which appears immediately after any copy notations. Note:^
A postscript is always the last item in a letter. It allows the writer to include
something he forgot to mention in the body or sometimes to call attention to
an important detail.
Style
The parts of the business letter should be arranged in one of three styles:
-^ Block style, which begins every line in every part of the letter at the left margin.
-^ Modified-block style, which uses no indentation and which begins all lines in
the heading and closing at the center of the page (a style often referred to as
standard format).
-^ Modified-block style with indented paragraphs, which follows the same
format as the modified-block style, with the addition of an indentation for
every paragraph.
[Examples of each of these styles appear in the Samples and Analyses sections
later in this chapter.]Good Writing Standards
The good business letter maintains characteristic standards of writing, so it
-^ follows standard grammar, mechanics, and usage rules,
-^ follows standard spelling,
-^ maintains courtesy and diplomacy,
-^ displays clear, precise writing,
-^ avoids complex, convoluted sentences,
-^ omits ambiguous words, phrases, or sentences,
-^ eliminates excess words, phrases, or sentences.
PRoCESS
Developing a business letter goes quickly after a few preliminary preparations. Fol-
low these steps for best results.
STEP 1: Prewriting—Gathering the Necessary
Information
To work efficiently, gather the necessary names, titles, addresses, records, or other
papers you need to develop the letter. Verify that titles and addresses are current,