Chapter 8

business letter

a formal document typically sent to external communication partners

subject line

brief statement that specifies the letters subject

block letter style

format for a business letter in which all lines, with the exception of the letterhead, begin at the left margin

modified block style

format for a business letter in which the date, complimentary closing, written signature, and keyboarded name start at the horizontal center point and the first line of each paragraph is indented one-half inch

attention line

in the address block, drawing attention to a specific person or position

business memo

informal document used to exchange information among people within an organization

modern business style

language characterized by confident, conversational, courteous, and sincere tone; active voice; strong verbs; parallel structure; short sentences; everyday, concrete, and precise words.

passive/impersonal style

language characterized by official, bureaucratic tone; passive voice; excessive nominalization; convulated sentence structure; superfluous, outdated, and, redundant language; business and legal jargon; and abstract words

informal/colorful style

language characterized by personal, conversational tone; active voice; strong verbs; colorful adjectives and adverbs; parallel structure; short sentences; everyday, concrete, and precise words

indirect strategy

letter-writing style used for negative news in which the main idea is presented after the reasons building to the bad news have been presented

persuasive strategy

letter-writing style used for persuasive letters in which the request is made after the reason(s) have been presented

direct strategy

letter-writing style used for positive or neutral news in which the main idea is presented at the beginning of the letter

complimentary closing

the letters closing

saluation

the letters greeting