The

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The Basics of Business Letters
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The iPhone 5 just came out, and of course, as one
who keeps up with technology, you were the first
in line at Best Buy to buy it.
Scenario
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Problem There are major glitches with your new
iPhone 5. Your terrific touch screen freezes
every five seconds, the internet connection isnt
compatible with your wireless network at
homeand your battery life is non-existent.
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What do you do now??
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First, you attempt to call Apples toll-free
customer service number.
But we all know after an hour of waiting on the
phone to talk to a service agent, we would all
rather write a couple of five paragraph essays!
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A better way to get results Write a BUSINESS
LETTER.
(Butweve never written one!) Help is on the
way
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S.A.P.F. SUBJECT

• What is the primary focus of your letter?
• How do you want the audience to respond?

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S.A.P.F. Audience To whom are you writing?
How will you dress your voice? What tone will
you use? Can a tone be both friendly and formal?
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Consider Pigs letter to his girlfriend, Pigita
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Remember, you are writing a formal letter to your
organization.
What is TONE?
the overall attitude a writer projects toward the
reader and the subject matter
How do we create a FORMAL tone?
Sentence structure, formality and specificity of
vocabulary, and neatness all contribute to a
letter's tone.
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Compare the following conversations
Vanessa, your BFF since 6th grade, wants to know
all about your date with Tommy last night.
Vanessa TELL me all about it!! Me Okay, like,
oh my goodness, he showed up with a dozen roses
and took me to this bomb restaurant, and we
totally hung out at the pier. Vanessa Shut
up!! Me Serious!
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Now, at dinner with your grandparents, they
somehow found out about Tommy and want to know
all about your date
Grandma How was your date last night, dear? Me
It was delightful, Grandma. Tommy was a
gentleman. Grandpa Of course he would be only
the best for my granddaughter. Me Tommy took
me to Cheesecake Factory and then we went for a
walk on the pier. Grandma Well, isnt that sweet!
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S.A.P.F. Purpose Why are you writing this
letter?
Your request/proposal should follow the statement
of the problem.
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S.A.P.F. FORMthe business letter

• Business letters require
• Inside/outside addresses
• Date
• Formal heading (Dear ___ )
• Block format of paragraphs
• Intro and conclusion paragraphs
• Signature line

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Business Letter is in Block Style (no indents)
(Notice that you dont indent at all in a block
style business letter!)
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Margins the space around your letter should be 1
inch all the way around.

• When typing
• Go to File.
• Scroll down to Page Set-Up
• On the Margins Tab, Put 1-Inch for the top,
  bottom, left, and right margins.

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Your address is first in order. This part goes
in the heading section. Underneath your
address, put the date.
quadruple space (skip four lines)
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INSIDE ADDRESS the recipients (organizations)
address in the inside address section.
Double space (skip 1 line)
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Salutation/Greeting
Dear Mr. ___ (name of whomever is the head of
the organization)
Use To Whom it May Concern or Ladies and
Gentlemen when name is unknown
Double space (skip 1 line)
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Body Paragraph 1 Introduce yourself. State
your purpose for writing this letter. State
problem or concern.
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Body Paragraphs 2-4 Propose solutions to
problem and state reasons your proposed solutions
would be in recipients best interest.
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Body Paragraph conclusion Summarize solution
and why it would be mutually beneficial. Thank
recipient for considering and responding to
request.
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You may or may not have more than one paragraph,
(depending on requirements). Between each
paragraph, be sure to double space (skip 1 line).
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Closing Sincerely Yours,
Four spaces after the closing
Signature goes between the closing and your name.
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Business Letter Assignment

1. Think of a request you have for Mr. Paulson
   regarding a change you would make to AIMS
   Advisory classes (schedule, materials, etc.).
2. Come up with three ways your request would help
   students achieve higher scores on the AIMS
   Reading and Writing.
3. Complete a 4-5 paragraph business letter to Mr.
   Paulson asking him to consider your request and
   stating the reasons it would be beneficial to
   students on AIMS.