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EXERCISE 80

Arrange and punctuate the following according to the forms given:

1. Huntsville Ill January 14 Montgomery Ward & Co Madison st and Michigan ave Chicago Ill Inclosed find American Express order for Yours truly J L Murphy

2. Mexico Mo Jan 17 1909 Hon Clayton Marks President Board of Education Chicago Sir We the pupils of the Walter Scott School hereby petition Respectfully

3. 6642 Harvard Ave New York City May 16 1909 To the President White House Washington DC Mr President I have the honor to be your obedient servant James Simpson Secretary of the Municipal Art League

4. 114 Baxter Ave St Louis Mo May 9 1909 Messrs Brown Coleman & Brown Kansas City Mo Gentlemen Your letter just received I remain Very truly J N Lacy Dept Mgr

5. Portland Oregon June 11 1909 Mrs John Burton 186 Fleet street London England Dear Mrs Burton We shall sail for England on the 25th Yours very truly J L Buford Mrs John C Buford Box 464

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EXERCISE 81

Write a letter to a former employer asking for a letter of recommendation.

LESSON XL

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE BUSINESS LETTER WRITER

1. Clean type every morning.

2. Avoid such expressions as "I beg to acknowledge receipt of your esteemed favor," "Believe me, my dear sir, to be," etc.

3. Avoid interlineations and postscripts. Outline the letter before writing, and no postscript will be necessary.

4. In answering a letter always refer to its date.

5. Avoid abbreviations in a letter as much as possible. Do not abbreviate the name of a state in the body of a letter, unless it constitutes part of an address. Never abbreviate the name of a city.

6. Abbreviate "number" to "No." when followed by the numeral; otherwise write "number" out in full.

7. Use figures before "%" and words before "per cent;" as, "10%" and "ten per cent."

8. Spell out all numbers less than one hundred except dates, time of day, amounts of money, rates and prices, and numbers in statistical form. Sometimes in order to avoid error both words and figures are given; as, "Three hundred fifty dollars and twenty-five cents ($350.25)." (If figures alone are used, the parentheses should be omitted.)

9. Do not place a comma between the month and the day of the month. The proper punctuation is "June 14, 1909."

10. "Nd" and "rd" have been superseded by "d;" as: "2d," "3d," etc.

11. When the month precedes a date expressed in figures, the best newspapers and magazines do not use the affixes "d," "st," and "th;" as, "Your letter of November 6 is received." When the month follows or is not expressed, the affixes are used; "as, "The 6th of November," "The 6th inst." Many business men, however, prefer to use the affixes except when the year follows; as, "November 6th," "November 6, 1909.”

12. Consult the dictionary when in doubt about the division of a word at the end of a line. Never divide a syllable.

13. Avoid the use of the sign "&" except in names of firms and railroads. If the sign "&" is used, abbreviate "Company;" if the sign "&" is not used, spell out "Company."

14.

Leave at least an inch and a quarter margin at the bottom of each sheet when the letter occupies more than one page.