Unit 1. Letter Layout

There are some important parts in a typical standard letter: the sender’s address, date, the recipient’s address, salutation, the subject (optional), the body of the letter, complimentary close, signature, the name and the title of the sender, enclosure (optional).

The Heading or the Letterhead (the return address/the sender’s address) is usually placed in the top right-hand corner of the page. It bears all the necessary information about the sender: the name and address of the institution, organization’s identity, position, title and address of the sender, the telephone, telex, fax numbers, e-mail or any other details that may be required, such as reference numbers, codes, etc.

To avoid difficulties in writing Russian names and surnames the following information may be of use:

ё - io, yo, ie: Semionov, Semyonov, Semienov;

ж - zh: Zhukov;

з - z, s: Kuznetsov, Vosnesenskiy;

й - ei, iy: Aliseichik, Bykovskiy;

х - kh, h: Malakhov; Astahov;

ц - ts: Tsvetkov;

ч - ch: Chugunov;

ш - sh: Timoshenko;

щ - sch: Paschenko;

ы - y: Bykov;

ь - ': Belen’kiy;

ю - yu, iu: Yurkov, Mavliukov;

я – ja, ya: Slepian, Yakovlev.

The Date should be placed below the sender’s address usually one or two spaces lower. The date may be written as month-day-year (US style) 11/06/2010 or day-month-year (UK style) 06.11.2010 and the year written with all four digits. A comma should be put between the day of the month, and the year to separate the numerals and prevent confusion November 6^th, 2010.

The Inside Address (the recipient’s address) is always on the left margin, two spaces below the date. It includes the recipient's name, job title, address and postal (zip) code or zone number.

The initials of the first name are placed in front of the surname.

The words street, road or avenue may be abbreviated: St., Rd., Ave.,.

The postal (zip) code or zone number is a geographical abbreviation. Be sure to put it in all addresses in countries that use it. In the United States the zip code uses five numbers; some countries use numbers and letters.

The Salutation (the greeting) begins two spaces below the receiver’s address and is written with the margin on the left. In Great Britain the salutation is followed by a comma (Dear Sir,), in the USA – by a colon only in formal letters (Dear Sir:) and sometimes by a colon and dash (Gentlemen:-). The salutation is never followed by an exclamation mark or by a dash only.

The type of salutation depends on your relationship with the recipient, the purpose of the letter, the position that your correspondent holds. It normally begins with the word "Dear" and always includes the person's last name. A title, such as Prof. or Dr. is used only with the surname.

In writing letters the following salutations are used:

A. formal salutations:

· Dear Sir

· Dear Madam /Dear Ms. (If the letter-writer is not sure whether the lady is married or unmarried)

B. less formal salutations:

· Dear Mr. Smith

· Dear Mrs. Smith (to married woman.)

· Dear Miss Smith (to unmarried woman.)

· Dear Dr. Smith

· Dear Prof. Smith

· Dear Colleag u es

 

The Subject (optional) can help the recipient in dealing successfully with the aims of your letter. Subject line may be emphasized by underlining, using bold font, or all capital letters. It is usually placed one line below the greeting but alternatively can be located directly after the "inside address," before the "greeting."

The Body of the Letter should begin two spaces below the salutation. The body of a letter is the main part because it contains the message for the recipient and should fulfill some requirements. The first paragraph of the letter should introduce the subject matter and either state or imply your purpose in writing. If there is more than one paragraph, each paragraph should focus on a separate aspect of the subject matter and there should be clear links between paragraphs. The final paragraph should leave the reader in no doubt about your attitude towards the subject of the letter. It should be positive and unambiguous. Regardless of format, skip a line between paragraphs or indent them. Short letters are usually double-spaced (two-lines); longer letters are single-spaced (one line) with double spaces between the paragraphs.

The Complimentary Close follows the body of the letter, about two or three spaces below it. Only the first word should be capitalized and a comma is placed at the end.

The traditional rule of etiquette in Britain is that a formal letter starting " Dear Sir or Madam " must end ‘ Yours faithfully/ Faithfully yours”, while a letter starting " Dear Mr. Brown " must end “ Yours truly/Yours sincerely / Truly yours/ Sincerely yours”. It is customary for colleagues, especially among scientists, to write “ Yours sincerely” rather than “ Yours truly or Yours faithfully”.

The complimentary close of a letter may begin as follows:

I look forward to hearing from you.

I look forward to hearing from you in the nearest future.

We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.

Thank you for your time/ effort/ help/ consideration.

Please, contact me if you require further details.

I trust that you will give this matter your urgent attention.

The Signature is written directly beneath the complimentary close. It is indented a little to the right. You should sign your first and last names. The first name can be written in full or with an initial. The signature line may include a second line for a title, if appropriate.

The Enclosure. If you include other material in the letter, put “Enclosure”,” 'Enc.”, or “Encs”.