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Question Mark
Making Letters Uniform In Appearance
Part IV
The Dress Of A Business Letter
Chapter 15
Business
stationery should reflect the house that sends it out but unless specific
rules are adopted there will be a lack of uniformity in arrangement, in
style, in spelling, in folding--all the little mechanical details that
contribute to an impression of CHARACTER and INDIVIDUALITY. Definite
instructions should be given to correspondents and stenographers so that
letters, although written in a dozen different departments, will have a
uniformity in appearance. What a book of instructions should contain and how
rules can be adopted is described in this chapter
* * * * *
Just as progressive business houses now aim to have their correspondence
uniform in policy and quality, so too, they aim at uniformity in letter
appearance--the mechanical production. It is obvious that if the letters
sent out by a house are to have character, one style must be adopted and
definite rules must be formulated for the guidance of the stenographers. The
authorities differ on many points such as the use of capital letters,
abbreviations, the use of figures, and so forth, and it is not to be
expected that stenographers, trained at different schools and working in
different departments, could produce uniformity unless they all follow
specific instructions.
And so the more progressive firms have adopted a fixed style and codified
certain rules for the guidance of stenographers and typists. In the writing
of a letter there are so many points that are entirely a matter of personal
taste that a comprehensive rule book touches an almost infinite number of
subjects, ranging from an important question of house policy to the proper
way of folding the sheet on which the letter is written.
It is not the purpose of this chapter to give a summary of the rules for
punctuation and capitalization or to pass judgment on questions of style,
but to emphasize the necessity for uniformity in all correspondence that a
house sends out, and to call attention to a few of the more common errors
that are inexcusable.
As far as the impression created by an individual letter is concerned, it
really makes very little difference whether the paragraphs are indented or
begin flush with the line margin. But it is important that all the letters
sent out by a house follow the same style. A stenographer should not be
permitted to use the abbreviation "Co." in one part of her letter and spell
out the word "company" in the following paragraph.
In formulating the rules, two things should be kept in mind-- clearness, to
make the meaning of the writer plain; and a pleasing appearance that will
make a favorable impression upon the reader. The sole purpose of punctuation
marks is to help convey a thought so clearly that it cannot be misunderstood
and experienced writers learn to use the proper marks almost intuitively.
The rules are applied unconsciously. Many correspondents in dictating
designate the beginning and the close of each sentence but others leave this
to the intelligence of the stenographer, and there is no better rule for
those to whom such matters are left than to be liberal in the use of
periods. Avoid long, involved sentences. There is little danger of
misunderstanding in short sentences.
Most of the rules can be made hard and fast--a simple regulation to do this
or to avoid that. They should begin with the date line. Instructions should
be given as to the place for the date line: whether it should be written on
one or two lines and whether the month should be expressed in figures or
should be spelled out, and whether the year should be printed in full or
abbreviated. There is a growing tendency to use figures, such as 10-15-10,
and supplementary letters, such as "rd," "th," and so forth, are being
eliminated. Some firms are placing the date at the bottom of the letter at
the left hand margin, although for convenience in making a quick reference
the date line at the top of the letter is much to be preferred.
* * * * *
A Page of Instructions to Stenographers:
City and date must be written about three spaces below the lowest printed
matter on letterhead, as follows: Chicago, date single space below,
regulated so that it will precede and extend beyond "Chicago" an equal
distance, the end of date being in line with margin of body of letter; spell
the month in full, followed by the date in figures, after which use comma;
add year in figures and end with period.
Commence letter by addressing customer, then double space and follow with
city and state (do not give street address) except where window envelope is
to be used; double space and address as "Dear Sir" or "Madam." Also double
space between this salutation and first paragraph.
Paragraphs must begin ten points from margin on a line with city. Use single
space, with double space between paragraphs.
In closing use the phrase "Yours very truly" and sign "The Wilson-Graham
Company." Have correspondent's and stenographer's initials on line with
margin on left hand side of sheet. Margins must be regulated by length of
letter to be written, using your judgment in this respect.
The half size letterhead should be used for very short letters.
Envelopes must be addressed double space, with beginning of name, street
address, city and state on marginal line, as per sample attached.
* * * * *
The points that are suggested here, however, are entirely a matter of taste.
There is no court of last resort to which appeal can be made as to the
better method. Each house must use its own judgment. The important thing is
to secure uniformity.
Rules should govern the name of the addressee, whether it should be prefaced
by such titles as "Mr." or "Messrs." The form of the salutation, the size of
the margin, the spacing between lines and between paragraphs, the
indentation of paragraphs, if any--all of these points should be covered by
rules. The subscription, the placing of the dictator's and the
stenographer's initials are all proper subjects for the instruction book.
The use of capital letters is a disputed question with writers, printers and
proofreaders. But there is a growing tendency to use the small letters
wherever possible. One large firm in the east has this rule:
"When in doubt regarding the use of a capital letter, don't. Use a small
letter."
A great many business houses, for the sake of emphasis, capitalize the names
of their own products. For instance:
"In this Catalogue you will find listed a very complete line of
Countershafts, Magnetos, Induction Coils, Lubricators, Mufflers, Spark
Coils, and a complete line of automobile accessories."
* * * * *
There is no rule that justifies such capitalization but it is a common
practice in business correspondence.
There are some correspondents who write a word or a sentence in capital
letters for emphasis. Occasionally this may be done to advantage but the
tendency is to overwork the scheme. At best it is a lazy man's way of trying
to secure emphasis without the mental exertion of thinking up some figure of
speech or some original expression that will give force to his thought.
The rule book should help out the stenographer in the use of numbers and
prices. Usage and a practical viewpoint both commend the use of figures for
expressing sums of money. "Twelve hundred dollars" may be understood but it
takes longer to write and does not make such a sharp image in the mind of
the reader as $1,200. A common rule for figures is to spell out numbers
under one hundred and to use numerals for larger amounts.
The use of abbreviations should be restricted and an inflexible rule should
be never to use a man's initials or abbreviate his given name if he spells
it out. If you find by a letterhead that the one to whom you are writing
spells out the name of his state it is wise to follow the trail.
The errors in punctuation found in business correspondence are of infinite
variety, although a surprising number of stenographers make similar errors
in using hyphens for dashes and in misplacing quotation marks. Here is a
common error:
"A model No. 8,--the one we exhibited at the Business Show last week,--has
been sold to a customer in New Zealand."
* * * * *
There is no excuse for the comma used in connection with the dash and yet
this construction is found in letters every day.
Unfortunately most typewriters do not have a dash and so the hyphen is used,
but stenographers should be instructed to use two or, better yet, three
hyphens without spacing (---), rather than a single hyphen as is so
frequently seen. Here is a sentence in which the girl was versatile enough
to combine two styles in one sentence:
"The auto---although it was completely overhauled a few days ago---could not
be started."
* * * * *
In the first place, the single hyphen gives the appearance of a compound
word, and placing a space on each side is scarcely less objectionable.
Insist upon two or three hyphens without spaces when a dash is wanted.
Quotation marks are another stumbling block. There is no occasion to put the
name of well-known books, magazines, and newspapers in quotation marks. If
you refer to Harper's Monthly the reader will get your meaning just as well
without the quotation marks. Many stenographers in writing a sentence that
ends with a quoted word place the quotation mark first and the period or
question mark following, as:
Johnson's last words to me were: "I will accept your terms".
* * * * *
Put the period inside the fence where it belongs. This is a rule that is
violated more often than it is observed, the confusion coming from an
occasional exception where a punctuation mark has nothing to do with the
quotation, as in the sentence:
"May we not send you a trial order of our "X Brand"?
* * * * *
Here it is plain that the question mark should follow the quotation mark.
There is no excuse for the frequent misplacing of these marks, for the
quoted part of a sentence invariably shows the proper position for each
mark.
A chapter could be filled with errors to be avoided--only a few of the most
common ones are mentioned here. This reference to them may suggest to the
heads of correspondence departments the range of points to be covered in a
rule book.
Some rule books go further and devote pages to faulty diction that must be
avoided and print lists of words that should not be used and words that are
"preferred".
The folding of the typewritten page usually comes in for a rule and
instructions are generally given regarding corrections--whether the pen can
be used at all or if letters must be rewritten.
With these rules laid down for the guidance of the stenographer, her mind is
left free for other things that will contribute to her usefulness. It is no
reflection on their knowledge of correct English to say that the majority of
correspondents, working under high pressure, make mistakes that the
stenographer must catch. It is extremely easy in dictating to mix up the
tenses of verbs and to make other slips which most letter writers look to
their stenographers to correct. It should be a hard and fast rule that an
ungrammatical letter must never be sent out under any circumstances. Some
correspondents not only look to the stenographer to edit their "copy" but to
come back for a new dictation if the meaning of a letter is not perfectly
clear. The thought is that if the stenographer does not understand it, there
is danger of its being misinterpreted by the one to whom it is addressed.
Many rule books include a list of trade terms and phrases that the most
expert stenographer may never have met with in their previous work. Legal
terms are especially difficult to take down until a girl has become familiar
with the unknown Latin words. This may also be said of technical terms,
mechanical terms, architectural and building terms, and so forth. It is a
saving of time and annoyance in many offices to have a list of frequently
used words that the new stenographer can study before she attempts to take
dictations.
It is not likely that any two business houses could adopt the same rules
throughout. But this does not lessen the desirability of having specific
instructions covering all these points, for without uniformity, the letters
will not have the character, the dignity and the individuality that is
desired by every concern.
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