Writing Letters

There are some parts of business letters:

1. The letter head or heading (kop surat).

     The letter head is printed on the top of the paper. 

The simple form of letterhead contains:

  a. Name of the firm

  b. Address of the firm

  c. Telephone number

2. The date line (baris tanggal).

    The date line ia placed on the right corner, in the middle, or on the left corner below the letterhead. It consists of "date", "month", and "year".

There are two ways to write the date line:

  a. 25 August 2001.

  b. August 25, 2001.

3. The inside address (alamat dalam surat).

    The inside address identifies the person to whom your letter is addressed. It is placed on the left side of the page at least three or four lines spaces below the date line. It consists of the name  of a person to whom your letter is being sent with his title or position if any, and you must include his complete address, name of a firm, city, and country.

4. The attention line (baris untuk perhatian).

    It is used when you want your letter to be delivered immediately to the person who is best qualified to handle the subject of the letter.

5. The salutation(salam pembuka).

    It is the introductory greeting of the letter. It always starts at the left margin. Example:

 Dear sir, 

6. The subject line (perihal surat).

    Some time you may think it is necessary to use the subject line in your business letter, because it will be helpful to the person to whom you write to know at a glance what your letter is about. It is placed two lines below the salutation.

7. The body of the letter (isi surat).

    It contains your "message" directed to the person with whom you wish to communicate. 

The content of the letter is divided into three lines:

   a. Opening paragraph.

   b. Message of the letter.

   c. Closing paragraph.

8. The complimentary close (salam penutup).

    The complimentary close serves as a courteous to our letter. It should be placed two lines spaces below the line of the body of the letter. 

Example: your faithfully.

9. The signature (tanda tangan).

    It gives authenticity to the message. It includes name and title. It is good to write your name below your signature.

10. The identification initials (inisial atau huruf besar awal nama).

     Identification initials are the initials of the dictator followe by those of the tupist. If Mr. John Brown dictatez the letter it will be J:B, or J/B. And the secretary types the letter "Siti Aminah" S:A or S/A.

11. The enclosure (lampiran).

    The work enclosure tell the recipient that some material in addition to the letter ia included. The word is placed one or two lines below the identification initials. Example: "Enc" or "Encl".