The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 362–366 · Part 2: Part Second

104. Business letters

Goal: Your child writes a short, clear, courteous business letter in the proper form.

⏱ About 30 minutes · 7 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗ 🖨 Copywork sheet

You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • Paper and pencil (a notebook kept just for this book works well)

What's in the book

Section 362 explains how business letters differ from friendly ones: plain, concise, courteous, with the writer's full address. Section 363 is Mrs. Alice T. Atwood's letter about a damaged picture frame, to answer. The next section (printed as 365) is Miss Ella S. Meade's letter asking about a school, to answer. Section 366 is a short business letter to copy for its arrangement.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Read about business letters

    Read Section 362 together.

    Never write a rude or unkind letter.

    Ask: How is a business letter different from a letter to a friend?

  2. Study the form

    Look at Mrs. Atwood's letter on page 251. Find: the heading, the name and address of the company (the inside address), the salutation "Gentlemen:", the body, the ending "Yours very truly," and the signature. Notice "(Mrs. E. M. Atwood)" under her name, so the reply can be correctly addressed.

  3. Copy (Section 366)

    Your child copies Elmer A. Cutting's short letter on page 252, keeping its arrangement exactly.

  4. Plan the reply (Section 363)

    Your child pretends to be E. M. Blake & Co. What will they say to Mrs. Atwood? (Sorry; we will replace the frame or send a man to fetch it.)

  5. Write the reply

    Your child writes the reply, 3 to 5 sentences in the body, in full business form. "Dear Madam:" is the book's salutation for a lady.

  6. Check it gently

    Check the form first: all the parts in the right places. Then ask: Is it short, clear and polite? Fix one thing.

  7. What a good result looks like

    Example (written for this guide, not from the book):

    Dear Madam:

    We are very sorry that the frame of your picture was damaged. If you will kindly return the picture to us, we will put it in a new frame at once and send it back to you without charge.

    Yours truly,

    E. M. Blake & Co.

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