Composition-Rhetoric Part 29

+101. Business Letters.+--Since the purpose of business letters is to inform, they should, first of all, be characterized by clearness. In asking for information, be sure that you state your questions so that there shall be no doubt in the mind of the recipient concerning the information that you desire. In giving information, be equally sure to state facts so clearly that there can be no possibility of a mistake.

Brevity is the soul of business letters as well as of wit. Business men are busy men. They have no time to waste in reading long letters, but wish to gain their information quickly. Hence we should aim to state the desired facts in as concise a manner as possible, and we should give only pertinent facts. Short explanations may sometimes be necessary, but nothing foreign to the subject-matter should ever be introduced. While we should aim to make our letters short, they should not be so brief as to appear abrupt and discourteous. It shows lack of courtesy to omit important words or to make too frequent use of abbreviations.

We should answer a business letter as soon as possible. This answer, besides giving the desired information, should include a reference to the letter received and an acknowledgment of inclosures, if there were any.

All questions should receive courteous replies. The facts should be arranged in a form that will be convenient for the recipient. As a rule it is best to follow the order which the writer has used in his letter, but in some cases we may be able to state our facts more definitely and concisely if we follow some other order.

What has been said in general about attention to forms in letter writing might well be emphasized here, for business men are keen critics concerning letters received. Be careful to use the correct forms already suggested. Also pay attention to punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Write only on one side of the paper and fold the letter correctly. In fact, be businesslike in everything connected with the writing of business letters.

A few examples are here given for your notice:--

(1) ______________________________________________________ | | | Ypsilanti, Mich. | | April 4, 1905. | | | | Mr. William Wylie, | | 807 Linn St., Peoria, Ill. | | | | Dear Mr. Wylie; | | Inclosed is a letter from Superintendent Rogers | | of Rockford, Ill. The position of teacher of | | mathematics is vacant. The salary may not be so | | much as you now receive, but in many respects the | | position is a desirable one. I advise you to apply | | for it. | | Sincerely yours, | | Charles M. Gates. | | |

(2) ______________________________________________________ | | | 586 State St., | | Chicago, Ill. | | July 20,1905. | | | | Mrs. Charles H. McNett, | | 2345 Franklin St., | | Denver, Colorado. | | | | Dear Madam:--Your card of July 9th is at hand. We | | beg to say that we sent you the books by express, | | prepaid, July 9th, and they have probably reached | | you by this time. If you have not received them, | | please notify us, and we will send a tracer after | | them. | | Very truly yours, | | Brown and Sherman. | | | | |

(3) ______________________________________________________ | | | Elgin High School, | | Elgin, Ill. | | Sept. 4, 1905. | | | | | | Miss Ella B. Walker, | | Herkimer, New York. | | | | My dear Miss Walker: | | I am very sorry to have to trouble you, | | but I am desirous of obtaining some information | | concerning the High School Library. Will you kindly | | let me know whether the card catalogue was kept up | | to date prior to your departure and also whether the | | accession book was in use up to that time? | | I shall be greatly indebted to you if you will | | give me this information. | | Very sincerely yours, | | Edward J. Taylor. | | |

EXERCISE

Write at least three of the following suggested letters, paying attention to the rules for writing business letters:--

1. Write to a dry goods firm, asking them to send you one of their catalogues.

2. Write to the manager of a football team of some town near yours, proposing a game.

3. Write the reply.

4. In reply to an advertis.e.m.e.nt, write an application for the position of clerk or bookkeeper.

5. Write to the publishers of some magazine, asking them to change your address from 27 K Street, Toledo, Ohio, to 2011 Prospect Avenue, Beatrice, Nebraska.

6. Suppose yourself doing postgraduate work in your high school. Write to the president of some college, asking him concerning advanced credit.

+102. Letters of Friendship.+--While a great deal of information may be obtained from some letters of friendship, the real purpose of such letters is, usually, not to give information, but to entertain. You will notice that the information derived from letters of friendship differs from that found in business letters. Its nature is such that of itself it gives pleasure. Our letters to our relatives, friends, and acquaintances are but visits on paper, and it should be our purpose to make these visits as enjoyable as possible.

So much depends upon the circ.u.mstances attendant upon the writing of letters of friendship, that it is impossible to make any definite statement as to what they should contain. We may say in general that they should contain matter interesting to the recipient, and that they should be characterized by vividness and naturalness. Interesting material is a requisite, but that of itself is not sufficient to make an entertaining letter. Interesting material may be presented in so unattractive and lifeless a manner that much of its power to please is lost. Let your letters be full of life and spirit. In your descriptions, narrations, and explanations, express yourself so clearly and so vividly that those who read your letters will be able to understand exactly what you mean.

EXERCISES

1. Write a letter to a cla.s.smate who has moved to another town, telling him of the school of which he was once a member.

2. Write to a friend, describing your visit to the World's Fair at St.

Louis.

3. Suppose yourself away from home. Write a letter to your little brother or sister at home.

4. If you have ever been abroad, describe in a letter some place of interest that you have visited.

5. Write to a friend who is fond of camping, about your camping experience.

6. Suppose your mother is away from home on a visit. Write her about the home life.

7. Write to a friend, describing a party that you recently attended.

8. Suppose you have moved from one town to another. In a letter compare the two towns.

+103. Adaptation to the Reader.+--The golden rule of letter writing is, Adapt the letter to the reader. Although the letter is an expression of yourself, yet it should be that kind of expression which shall most interest and please your correspondent. In business letters the necessity of brevity and clearness forces attention to the selection and arrangement of details. In letters to members of the family or to intimate friends we must include many very minor things, because we know that our correspondent will be interested in them, but a rambling, disjointed jumble of poorly selected and ill-arranged details becomes tedious. What we should mention is determined by the interests of the readers, and the successful letter writer will endeavor to know what they wish to have mentioned. In writing letters to our friends we ought to show that sympathetic interest in them and their affairs which we should have if we were visiting with them. On occasion, our congratulations should be prompt and sincere.

In reading letters we must not be hasty to take offense. Many good friendships have been broken because some statement in a letter was misconstrued. The written words convey a meaning very different from that which would have been given by the spoken word, the tone of voice, the smile, and the personal presence. So in our writing we must avoid all that which even borders on complaint, or which may seem critical or fault-finding to the most sensitive.

+104. Notes.+--Notes may be divided in a general way into two cla.s.ses, formal and informal. Formal notes include formal invitations, replies, requests, and announcements. Informal notes include informal invitations and replies, and also other short communications of a personal nature on almost every possible subject.

+105. Formal Notes.+--A formal invitation is always written in the third person. The lines may be of the same length, or they may be so arranged that the lines shall be of different lengths, thus giving the page a somewhat more pleasing appearance. The heading, salutation, complimentary close, and signature are all omitted. The address of the sender may be written below the body of the letter. Many prefer it a little to the left, and the date is sometimes written below it. Others, however, prefer it directly below or a little to the right.

Replies to formal invitations should always be written in the third person, and should in general follow the style of the invitation. The date and the hour of the invitation should be repeated in the reply, and this reply should be sent immediately after receiving the invitation.

A few examples are here given to show the correct forms of both invitations and replies:--

(1) ______________________________________________________ | | | Mr. and Mrs. Frederick William Thompson | | request the pleasure of your company | | on Monday evening, December thirtieth, | | at half-past eight o'clock. | | |

(2) ______________________________________________________ | | | Miss Barrows accepts with pleasure Mr. and | | Mrs. Thompson's invitation for Monday evening, | | December thirtieth, at half-past eight o'clock. | | |

(3) ______________________________________________________ | | | Mr. Morris regrets that a previous engagement | | prevents his accepting Mr. and Mrs. Thompson's | | kind invitation for Monday evening, December | | the thirtieth. | | |

(4) ______________________________________________________ | | | Mr. and Mrs. Albert W. Elliott request the | | pleasure of Mr. John Barker's company at dinner | | on Wednesday, December sixth, at seven o'clock. | | | | 1068 Euclid Ave. | | |

(5) ______________________________________________________ | | | Mr. Barker regrets his inability to accept | | Mr. and Mrs. Albert W. Elliott's invitation to | | dinner at seven o'clock, Wednesday, December | | sixth. | | |

EXERCISE

1. Write an invitation to a golden wedding.