Writing An Effective Business Letter

E-mail may be the quick and convenient way to relay daily business messages, but the printed business letter is still the preferred way to convey important information. A carefully crafted letter can be a powerful communication tool. To make sure you are writing the most professional and effective letter possible, use the business letter format and template below and follow these basic business letter-writing.

Use a standard business letter format and template

The most widely used format for business letters is "block style," where the text of the entire letter is justified left. The text is single spaced, except for double spaces between paragraphs. 

This business letter format illustrates the specific parts of a business letter:

Business Letter Template Fields: Sender's Address: It is a good idea to include sender's email and url, if available. Don't include this information if it's already incorporated into the letterhead design. This will allow customers to find your small business more quickly. Date: Use month, day, year format, e.g., March 3, 2012 or 3 March 2012 Inside Address: Use full name. Mr./Ms. is optional Salutation: Be sure to use a colon at the end of the name, not a comma as in personal letters Body Text: State why you are writing. Establish any connection/mutual relationship up front. Outline the solution, providing proof in the way of examples and expert opinions. Group related information into paragraphs Closing "Call to Action": State what the reader needs to do and what you will do to follow up Signature Block: Sign your letter in blue or black ink

Use a professional tone.

Save casual, chatty language for email - your printed business letter should be friendly but more professional. As Scott Ober suggests in his book Contemporary Business Communication, "The business writer should strive for an overall tone that is confident, courteous, and sincere; that uses emphasis and subordination appropriately; that contains nondiscriminatory language; that stresses the "you" attitude; and that is written at an appropriate level of difficulty." That said, be sure to sound like yourself - you don't want your letter to read as if a machine wrote it.

Write clearly.

State your point early in your letter. To avoid any miscommunication, use straightforward, concise language. Skip the industry jargon and instead choose lively, active words to hold your reader's attention.

Be persuasive.

Establish a positive relationship with your reader right away. If you have a connection to the reader - you've met before or have a mutual colleague, for example - mention it in your introductory paragraph. Whether you think your reader will agree with the point of your letter or not, it is important to find common ground and build your case from there.

Understand your reader well enough to anticipate how he or she will react when reading your letter. Address his or her needs or wishes, or a specific problem, and then outline your solution. Provide proof in the way of examples and/or expert opinions to back up your point. Make sure to maintain a friendly tone.

Conclude your letter with a "call to action." State clearly what your reader needs to do or believe to achieve the desired solution and then state what you, the writer, intend to do next to follow up.

Proofread your letter!

All your careful crafting and printing can't cover up spelling or punctuation errors, which leave a lasting negative impression.

Now that you've learned the secrets of writing an effective business letter, you're ready to start composing. Good luck!

The Business Letter (sites)

http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonplans/format.pdf

http://esl.about.com/cs/onthejobenglish/a/a_basbletter.htm

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Business-Letter

sentences

Experienced writers use a variety of sentences to make their writing interesting and lively. Too many simple sentences, for example, will sound choppy and immature while too many long sentences will be difficult to read and hard to understand. 

This page contains definitions of simple, compound, and complex sentences with many simple examples.  The purpose of these examples is to help students to identify sentence basics .   After that, it will be possible to analyze more complex sentences varieties.

SIMPLE SENTENCE

A simple sentence, also called an independent clause, contains a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete thought. In the following simple sentences, subjects are in yellow, and verbs are in green.  

A. Some students like to study in the mornings. B. Juan and Arturo play football every afternoon. C. Alicia goes to the library and studies every day.

The three examples above are all simple sentences.  Note that sentence B contains a compound subject, and sentence C contains a compound verb.  Simple sentences, therefore, contain a subject and verb and express a complete thought, but they can also contain a compound subjects or verbs. 

COMPOUND SENTENCE

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinator. The coordinators are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. (Helpful hint: The first letter of each of the coordinators spells FANBOYS.) Except for very short sentences, coordinators are always preceded by a comma. In the following compound sentences, subjects are in yellow, verbs are in green, and the coordinators and the commas that precede them are in red. 

A.  I tried to speak Spanish, and my friend tried to speak English.  B.  Alejandro played football, so Maria went shopping.  C.  Alejandro played football, for Maria went shopping.

The above three sentences are compound sentences.  Each sentence contains two independent clauses, and they are joined by a coordinator with a comma preceding it.  Note how the conscious use of coordinators can change the relationship between the clauses.  Sentences B and C, for example, are identical except for the coordinators.  In sentence B, which action occurred first?  Obviously, "Alejandro played football" first, and as a consequence, "Maria went shopping.  In sentence C, "Maria went shopping" first.  In sentence C, "Alejandro played football" because, possibly, he didn't have anything else to do, for or because "Maria went shopping."  How can the use of other coordinators change the relationship between the two clauses?  What implications would the use of "yet" or "but" have on the meaning of the sentence?

COMPLEX SENTENCE

A complex sentence has an independent clause joined by one or more dependent clauses. A complex sentence always has a subordinator such as because, since, after, although, or when or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which. In the following complex sentences, subjects are in yellow, verbs are in green, and the subordinators and their commas (when required) are in red.

A. When he handed in his homework, he forgot to give the teacher the last page.  B. The teacher returned the homework after she noticed the error. C. The students are studying because they have a test tomorrow. D. After they finished studying, Juan and Maria went to the movies. E. Juan and Maria went to the movies after they finished studying.

When a complex sentence begins with a subordinator such as sentences A and D, a comma is required at the end of the dependent clause. When the independent clause begins the sentence with subordinators in the middle as in sentences B, C, and E, no comma is required. If a comma is placed before the subordinators in sentences B, C, and E, it is wrong.

Note that sentences D and E are the same except sentence D begins with the dependent clause which is followed by a comma, and sentence E begins with the independent clause which contains no comma.  The comma after the dependent clause in sentence D is required, and experienced listeners of English will often hear a slight pause there.  In sentence E, however, there will be no pause when the independent clause begins the sentence. 

COMPLEX SENTENCES / ADJECTIVE CLAUSES

Finally, sentences containing adjective clauses (or dependent clauses) are also complex because they contain an independent clause and a dependent clause.  The subjects, verbs, and subordinators are marked the same as in the previous sentences, and in these sentences, the independent clauses are also underlined. 

A. The woman who called my mom sells cosmetics. B. The book that Jonathan read is on the shelf. C. The house which Abraham  Lincoln was born in is still standing. D. The town where I grew up is in the United States.

Adjective Clauses are studied in this site separately, but for now it is important to know that sentences containing adjective clauses are complex.

CONCLUSION

Are sure you now know the differences between simple, compound, and complex sentences?  Click QUICK QUIZ to find out.  This quiz is just six sentences.  The key is to look for the subjects and verbs first.

Another quiz, this one about Helen Keller contains ten sentences.

These quiz sentences based on the short story, The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen, by Bruno Lessing.
Quick Quiz:  Shadrach

After each quiz, click GRADE QUIZ to see your score immediately. 

Remember that with the skill to write good simple, compound, and complex sentences, you will have the flexibility to (1) convey your ideas precisely and (2) entertain with sentence variety at the same time!  Good luck with these exercises!

chapters 7-17

Quiz based on chapters 7- 17

1.       Why did Queen caution Japheth about the amount of water he should pull from the well? Ans: There was a drought

2.      Japheth  boasted about his knowledge about which letter? Ans: The Queen’s letter

3.      How many companies did Deacon Bogle raise? Ans: Four companies

4.      How many men were in each of Bogle’s company ? Ans: 50 men

5.      How did Charlie Murray escape from the gaol? Ans: Moses Bogle and company grabbed when the constables were taking him out of the lock up for remand.

6.      Name five places Bogle’s army of men came from. Ans: Mount Lebanus, Bath, Coley, Barracks, Somerset, Serge Islands, Coward’s Ridge and Monklands.

7.      Why was a troop of militia called out to form a line infront of the court house?

Ans: A large crowd had gathered along with Bogle’s army.

8.      Outline the conversation between Bogle and the Lieutenant. Ans: Pg 50- 52

9.      Who read the Riot Act? Ans: Custos von Ketelhodt

10.  Where did Japheth and Grandpa hide when the riot started? Ans: In the nearby Anglican Church.

11.   Outline the experience in the church hall. Ans: chapter 13- 14

12.  What was Amelia’s reaction to the uprising in Morant Bay?

13.  Describe the secret meeting between Grandpa Joe and Paul Bogle. Ans: Chapter 17

preparation for test

Explain : This asks the student to say why something happens. They have to use reference from the novella to substantiate the points made.

Outline: This asks students to list the details of something.

Describe: This asks students to tell how something looks, smells, give a pictorial view for the reader.

Discuss: This asks students to show both sides of a situation, the positive and the negative. After which, students should come to a conclusion, as to which side they agree with. 

Sample questions

1.      Outline three events that led up to the uprising in Morant Bay.

2.      Describe the scene at the Morant Bay court house on October 11, 1865.

3.      Describe the gathering in Stony Gut on the evening of October 10, 1865.

4.      Discuss Paul Bogle’s strategy in dealing with the injustices of the people of St.Thomas.

5.      Explain how the Murray’s family was affected by the Morant Bay Rebellion.

Main Points of Chapters 4-6

·         Deacon Bogle led men from Stony Gut and Torrington to Morant Bay.

·         Deacon Bogle intervened in the court case of the Stony Gut man by appealing the verdict and putting up money for bail.

·         The Stony Gut man ran into the crowd of men in front of the court house to escape punishment.

·         Grandpa Joe was still resistant about Bogle’s method of confrontation.

·         Japheth admired Bogle’s poise as a leader

·         A lot of military language is used

·         Japheth gives a brief history of the warrior spirit  in the mountain men

·         The dynamics of Grandpa and Japheth’s relationship played out- caring, rough at points, close/intimate, friends, adventurous.

·         Grandpa confronts Paul Bogle at his chapel- warns him of the coming trouble with the Militia men

·         Grandpa learns Charlie Murray, his son is in Morant Bay.

Themes to be examined: Love and Family Relationship,  Rebellion

 Some Figurative Language

Ø  Onomatopoeia- “ boom boom boom of the drums”pg 17

Ø   Personification-“ I am a man of lightning” pg 18

Ø  Imagery-“ They sang the road hymn in a way that matched the fighting tune, and you marched with them with your chin up and trumpets sounding in your head.” Pg 18 (visual imagery)

Ø  Simile- “Their sticks went in and out like snakes’ tongues, beating back the constables” pg 20

Essay writing

Essay responses are required of students studying Literature. This means that the examiner expects a piece of writing that demonstrates a smooth flow and is written with an excellent level of grammar and well- developed paragraphs. The question on the exam paper may be broken up in sections labeled a),b),c) to help guide students, but these letters should not be written in the response.

An essay should have an introduction, body(usually 3 or more paragraphs) and a conclusion.

Tips for students:

·         Read essay questions carefully, making sure you understand what is required.

·         Check that you have answered each part of the question.

·         Be guided by the mark allocation when considering how much time you send on each section.

·         Read over your response to correct any obvious errors.

Essay introduction

This will give a general overview as to what your response will be, the title of the text and the author should be mentioned here. Your last sentence in this paragraph will be your thesis statement. The thesis statement will state your response or argument of two or three main points that will be answered in the other paragraphs.

The body

If the question is structured for you(a,b,c), you can use one paragraph for each section. If not, you will have to plan how your points will be explained in the body paragraphs.

Don’t retell the story, just select parts that are important to answering the question. Ensure your opinion/response is not just the evidence from the text, but your own voice discussing the issue. Transitional phrases should be included, especially when moving to another paragraph.

Conclusion

Restate your thesis statement in another. Support this by saying what you have discovered while writing about the question. This should be a complete paragraph(about  sentences).

Sample Literature Item

‘History can come alive through Literature.’ Support this statement with evidence from the text ‘Sixty- Five’ showing:

a)      The setting of the novella ( 5 marks)

b)      The main characters discussed in the novella (8 marks)

c)      The two causes and one effect of the conflict of rebellion that is supported in the novel.(12 marks) Total 25 marks

            Sample Response

1865 is an important year in Jamaica’s history. The then, freed slaves, were unhappy with the treatment they were receiving from the crown. The novel, ­Sixty- Five by V.S. Reid highlighted a rebellion that was caused by injustice in Jamaica. Paul Bogle is one of the main characters of the novel, that is known to many Jamaicans today as a national hero. Paul Bogle and George William Gordon led a rebellion Morant Bay, Jamaica. History comes alive in the novel through: setting, the development of the character Paul Bogle and the development of the causes and effects of the Morant Bay Rebellion.

Sixty –Five is set in the rural district of Stony Gut and the capital of St. Thomas, Morant Bay. At that time, Stony Gut was a dry place. A drought was on the land, and it cause the market to be bad. Also, during the summer of 1865, the people of Stony Gut were increasingly upset with the poor lands, taxes and the injustice of the laws, that  they sought conference with Governor Eyre.  However, Eyre refused to see them. This left them upset and tensions grew in Stony Gut as the drought lingered. After this disappointment, Paul Bogle become more steadfast in giving the poor people of Jamaica justice and equality.

 In chapter one of the novella, Japheth and Queenie are eager to hear Grandpa’s discussion on the latest plans of Paul Bogle. Grandpa Joe seemed to disagree with Bogle’s plan to march to Morant Bay.Paul Bogle was portrayed as a stubborn leader, as he did not listen to the advice given by Grandpa Joe and in the face of defeat still tried to match the Militia, who were more armed. He used his leadership position, as a deacon of the Baptist church, to influence the parishioners to join him in his march to the court house. He also led them, as they burnt and destroyed many places including the Morant Bay Court House. History records this as true, but seeing the destruction from Japheth’s point-of- view, made the scene frightening and real.

The causes of the rebellion made understandable because of how the events are portrayed. One cause of the rebellion was the long drought in the country. As a result, farmers were made making a living and the author showed how long their faces were on market day. The second cause of the rebellion is the injustices of the poor. The court case of the Stony Gut man in October 1865, is an example, as he was given a trial with a judge who usually sides with the planters and charged a fine that was too high for his deed. Consequently, when the rebellion broke out, Martial Law was placed on the area, so soldiers killed many civilians, who were not involved in the uprising.

History came alive because of the author’s clever way of characterization, setting and development of plot. The novella causes the reader to question, why Paul Bogle was named national hero, especially he seemed to have led foolishly. It causes the reader to wonder what would have been the outcome for Jamaicans, if Grandpa Joe’s advice was followed. The novella also showed that children were affected by the rebellion, like the characters Japheth and Queenie. In these ways, History came alive through Literature.

NEW POST FOR 2E

Check out the bogs from November 2009; the ones on characterisation and family. Thank you.

Sixty Five- essay writing

Essay responses are required of students studying Literature. This means that the examiner expects a piece of writing that demonstrates a smooth flow and is written with an excellent level of grammar and well- developed paragraphs. The question on the exam paper may be broken up in sections labeled a),b),c) to help guide students, but these letters should not be written in the response.

An essay should have an introduction, body(usually 3 or more paragraphs) and a conclusion.

Tips for students:

·         Read essay questions carefully, making sure you understand what is required.

·         Check that you have answered each part of the question.

·         Be guided by the mark allocation when considering how much time you send on each section.

·         Read over your response to correct any obvious errors.

Essay introduction

This will give a general overview as to what your response will be, the title of the text and the author should be mentioned here. Your last sentence in this paragraph will be your thesis statement. The thesis statement will state your response or argument of two or three main points that will be answered in the other paragraphs.

The body

If the question is structured for you(a,b,c), you can use one paragraph for each section. If not, you will have to plan how your points will be explained in the body paragraphs.

Don’t retell the story, just select parts that are important to answering the question. Ensure your opinion/response is not just the evidence from the text, but your own voice discussing the issue. Transitional phrases should be included, especially when moving to another paragraph.

Conclusion

Restate your thesis statement in another. Support this by saying what you have discovered while writing about the question. This should be a complete paragraph(about  sentences).

Sample Literature Item

‘History can come alive through Literature.’ Support this statement with evidence from the text ‘Sixty- Five’ showing:

a)      The setting of the novella ( 5 marks)

b)      The main characters discussed in the novella (8 marks)

c)      The two causes and one effect of the conflict of rebellion that is supported in the novel.(12 marks)

                                                                                                    Total 25 marks

           

Sample Response

1865 is an important year in Jamaica’s history. The then, freed slaves, were unhappy with the treatment they were receiving from the crown. The novel, ­Sixty- Five by V.S. Reid highlighted a rebellion that was caused by injustice in Jamaica. Paul Bogle is one of the main characters of the novel, that is known to many Jamaicans today as a national hero. Paul Bogle and George William Gordon led a rebellion Morant Bay, Jamaica. History comes alive in the novel through: setting, the development of the character Paul Bogle and the development of the causes and effects of the Morant Bay Rebellion.

Sixty –Five is set in the rural district of Stony Gut and the capital of St. Thomas, Morant Bay. At that time, Stony Gut was a dry place. A drought was on the land, and it cause the market to be bad. Also, during the summer of 1865, the people of Stony Gut were increasingly upset with the poor lands, taxes and the injustice of the laws, that  they sought conference with Governor Eyre.  However, Eyre refused to see them. This left them upset and tensions grew in Stony Gut as the drought lingered. After this disappointment, Paul Bogle become more steadfast in giving the poor people of Jamaica justice and equality.

 In chapter one of the novella, Japheth and Queenie are eager to hear Grandpa’s discussion on the latest plans of Paul Bogle. Grandpa Joe seemed to disagree with Bogle’s plan to march to Morant Bay.Paul Bogle was portrayed as a stubborn leader, as he did not listen to the advice given by Grandpa Joe and in the face of defeat still tried to match the Militia, who were more armed. He used his leadership position, as a deacon of the Baptist church, to influence the parishioners to join him in his march to the court house. He also led them, as they burnt and destroyed many places including the Morant Bay Court House. History records this as true, but seeing the destruction from Japheth’s point-of- view, made the scene frightening and real.

The causes of the rebellion made understandable because of how the events are portrayed. One cause of the rebellion was the long drought in the country. As a result, farmers were made making a living and the author showed how long their faces were on market day. The second cause of the rebellion is the injustices of the poor. The court case of the Stony Gut man in October 1865, is an example, as he was given a trial with a judge who usually sides with the planters and charged a fine that was too high for his deed. Consequently, when the rebellion broke out, Martial Law was placed on the area, so soldiers killed many civilians, who were not involved in the uprising.

History came alive because of the author’s clever way of characterization, setting and development of plot. The novella causes the reader to question, why Paul Bogle was named national hero, especially he seemed to have led foolishly. It causes the reader to wonder what would have been the outcome for Jamaicans, if Grandpa Joe’s advice was followed. The novella also showed that children were affected by the rebellion, like the characters Japheth and Queenie. In these ways, History came alive through Literature.

Main Points of Chapters 4-6

·         Deacon Bogle led men from Stony Gut and Torrington to Morant Bay.

·         Deacon Bogle intervened in the court case of the Stony Gut man by appealing the verdict and putting up money for bail.

·         The Stony Gut man ran into the crowd of men in front of the court house to escape punishment.

·         Grandpa Joe was still resistant about Bogle’s method of confrontation.

·         Japheth admired Bogle’s poise as a leader

·         A lot of military language is used

·         Japheth gives a brief history of the warrior spirit  in the mountain men

·         The dynamics of Grandpa and Japheth’s relationship played out- caring, rough at points, close/intimate, friends, adventurous.

·         Grandpa confronts Paul Bogle at his chapel- warns him of the coming trouble with the Militia men

·         Grandpa learns Charlie Murray, his son is in Morant Bay.

Themes to be examined: Love and Family Relationship,  Rebellion

 Some Figurative Language

Ø  Onomatopoeia- “ boom boom boom of the drums”pg 17

Ø   Personification-“ I am a man of lightning” pg 18

Ø  Imagery-“ They sang the road hymn in a way that matched the fighting tune, and you marched with them with your chin up and trumpets sounding in your head.” Pg 18 (visual imagery)

Ø  Simile- “Their sticks went in and out like snakes’ tongues, beating back the constables” pg 20

Just a reminder

Just to remind you guys about the format of the exam papers.

LITERATURE

The paper is divided into 4 sections.

• The first section is compulsory ( comprehension- unseen drama extract)
• From the remaining sections, choose 2 questions (from the six questions). No 2 questions should be done from one section. The questions in these 3 sections are all essay type questions. (prose- Sixty Five, poetry- World of Poetry, and Drama-Plays for Today)

LANGUAGE (2 papers)

Paper 1

• 60 multiple choice questions
• synonyms
• antonyms
• sentence completion
• spelling
• homonyms
• sentence structure
• comprehension (letter to the editor, narrative, poetry)

Paper 2

The paper is divided into 3 sections

• The first section is compulsory (comprehension- advertisement/ persuasion)
• Choose one question from the second section (2 stories, 1 descriptive piece)
• Choose one question from the third section (3 cause and effect questions)

ALL THE BEST !!!

FORGIVE MY GUILT

SUMMARY	METAPHOR
An adult is reminiscing about a traumatic childhood experience. The persona went hunting and shot two birds, plovers He suffers extreme guilt about this action in adulthood. The poem describes the event, the actions of the bird, how he reacts, and, by the last line, asks the birds to forgive his guilt.	Line 4: The nature of frost is that it covers everything in its path, therefore, when the flowers are compared to frost, it implies that there were a lot of flowers, enough to hide the boy from the birds.  Line 8: the sand is being compared to gold – colour. It is emphasizing how beautiful the setting was. Line 12: emphasizes the injuries that the birds sustained. The bones are compared to jagged ivory which are a direct    contrast to the smooth feathers that existed before the injury. Lines 20 – 21: the birds are compared to a flute, an instrument that plays beautiful music, emphasizing the sadness that is related to their death.
SIMILE	AIR/AIRY – THE IMPLICATION
Line 5: comparison of the air with flowers – both are blue and seem to cover the area Lines 6 – 7: emphasize the beauty and delicacy of the birds – beautiful dreams, beautiful birds. Line 7: highlights the speed of the birds, but maintains the beautiful visual imagery Line 12 – ‘cried like two sorrowful high flutes’ - expresses the extreme pain and agony the birds were in	These ‘airy’ – light and beautiful – birds can no longer fly and feel the pleasure of the ‘air’ – sky – rushing past them and through their feathers.
IMPORTANT WORDS/PHRASES	MOOD/ATMOSPHERE Nostalgia, sadness and guilt.
1.       ‘blue’ – the sky. Birds were crying out to other birds as they flew away. 2.       ‘in war or peace’ – the guilt the persona feels about killing the birds causes him to think about them all the time, even though their cries were heard for one day – literally- his guilt made it seem like ‘eternity’ -  ‘in war or peace’   3.       ‘drown’ – for the persona means death.  He continually hears the sorrowful sounds that the birds made as they were dying.
	TONE Sad, sorrowful.
	THEME Death, childhood experiences, nature, guilt, loss of innocence, desire/dreams