530. Order of pages. In the personal letter written on a four-page sheet of paper it is simpler and clearer to write on the pages in their regular order, as if they were pages in a book, without regard to whether the message is to fill two, three, or four pages. THE FORMAL PERSONAL LETTER 531. Formal personal letter. The following letters written by Washington and Lincoln illustrate the formal personal letter: General Washington having been informed, lately, of the honor done him by Miss Kitty Livingston in wishing for a lock of his Hair, takes the liberty of inclosing one, accompanied by his most respectful compliments. Camp, Valley Forge, 18th March, 1778. Mrs. Bixby, Boston, Massachusetts. Dear Madam, Executive Mansion, Washington, November 21, 1864. I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Yours very sincerely and respectfully, 532. Address and date. Washington's letter to Miss Livingston is a formal note rather than a letter. The address of the writer is placed at the bottom, at the left ; the address of the addressee is omitted. The day of the month would now usually be written out: 'March the eighteenth' (or 'The eighteenth of March'); the year would ordinarily be omitted. The note is written in the third person, and hence has no salutation or conclusion. A formal invitation omits not only the salutation and conclusion, but the address and date; the answer to a formal invitation should be equally formal: 'Mr. and Mrs. Charles Browne request the honor of Mr. and Mrs. James Scott's presence at', etc.; 'Mr. and Mrs. James Scott accept with pleasure (regret that they cannot accept) Mr. and Mrs. Charles Browne's invitation to', etc. Lincoln's letter to Mrs. Bixby illustrates the formal personal letter. The name of the addressee (with title, §§ 529, 544, 545) would now usually be placed at the bottom of the letter, at the left, the residence (street, city, and state) being omitted : Dear Madam, Executive Mansion, Washington, November 21, 1864. I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General, etc. Yours very sincerely and respectfully, Mrs. Bixby. A. Lincoln. 533. Salutation; conclusion. For the salutations and conclusions of the formal personal letter, see §§ 544, 545; for the capitalization of the conclusion, see § 425. For the punctuation after the salutation, see § 527. 534. Paragraphing, etc. For the paragraphing, envelope and paper, stamp, punctuation after salutation, and abbreviations, see §§ 522, 525, 527-529. THE BUSINESS LETTER 535. Business letter. The business letter should be natural, and as brief as possible (§518). Avoid using hackneyed expressions, such as 'your esteemed favor', 'has come to hand', 'contents duly noted', your communication of yesterday's date' (business jargon), 'unforeseen circumstances', 'enclosed please find', 'beg to advise', 'pleased to inform', 'as per' (§ 289), 'earliest convenience', 'in compliance with your request', 'assuring you of our best attention', 'awaiting your further orders', 'trusting this will be satisfactory'. In addressing a letter, use only one title ('Superintendent David Warren', not 'Mr. David Warren, Superintendent'; 'Henry Jackson, Treasurer', not 'Mr. Henry Jackson, Treasurer'. See § 544, 1, N. 1). Write out 'In care of'; use it only when writing to a person at a temporary address. Study the following letters (for dates, see § 128, b, 2): 504, ALBEMARLE STREET, LONDON, W.1. 24th March, 1916. Messrs. & Boston. Dear Sirs, I am in receipt of your letter of March 6th, in reference to copies of "The Classical Review" and "Quarterly" for Miss Hurst. I understand that your London House is despatching the January and February numbers direct, and I have noted that in the case of future re-subscriptions your London House is to be notified in the first instance. Yours faithfully, JOHN MURRAY. 34 Washington Street, Montclair, New Jersey, Mr. John A. Brown, 216 Jefferson Street, Dear Sir, The goods ordered by you in your letter of June 25th were sent [see ‘ship', §417] by express today. If you do not receive them promptly, please let us know. Yours very truly, Tomson and French. NOTE. In general, typewritten letters should have double spacing. Single spacing, which arises from a desire to save space and paper, should be confined to informal interdepartmental letters and the like. In either case the spacing should be uniform throughout. 536. Address and date. In the business letter, for the sake of convenience of reference, the address of the writer, the date of composition, and the address of the person written to (addressee) are usually placed at the top. In England, and sometimes in the United States, a comma is placed after house numbers: '27, Beacon Street '. NOTE. The so-called block arrangement (without indention) is not to be recommended. It is not established by good usage; it lacks symmetry, and hence is not pleasing to the eye; it is less legible; it is not approved by the Post-Office Department. 537. Salutation. The salutation in the business letter should be what the writer would naturally say to the addressee if speaking to him, with or without Dear or My dear before it (§§ 544,545): Dear Sir, Dear Sirs, Dear Mr. Senator, Sir, Sirs, Dear Madam, Dear Mother Superior, Mesdames. See §§ 521, 524, 540, 544,545. 538. First paragraph. The first paragraph should have the same indention as the others, and no more (§ 522). 539. Body of letter. The business letter should be as easy and natural in expression as if the writer were talking. 540. Conclusion. The conclusion in the business letter should be in harmony with the salutation (§§ 544, 545); for the capitalization, see § 425: Very truly yours, Sincerely yours, Faithfully yours, Most respectfully yours, Your obedient servant. 541. Envelope and paper; stamp. The envelope and the paper should be of the same quality and style. As much pains should be taken with the envelope as with the letter itself, that the recipient may be pleased with the courtesy shown him. Abbreviations should be avoided (§ 529); they cause the loss of much mail matter; the Post-Office Department says, "Do not abbreviate or use lead pencil." For the stamp, see § 525. If the paper is a narrow sheet of a width that matches the length of the envelope, and needs to be folded but once, transversely, it should be folded as in § 525. If it needs to be folded twice transversely, it should be folded first from the bottom, on a line about one third of the way to the top of the paper; the top edge of the paper should then be brought down and laid about half an inch above the first fold, and held there while the second fold is being made (see 1 and 2 in the diagram above); the letter should be inserted in the envelope with the first fold (1) at the bottom of the envelope, and the folded top (3) next to the back (the sealed side) of the envelope. |