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Communication: Written English | 267

A memo is written almost the same way. Instead of ‘Notice’, you write
‘Memorandum’. Next follows ‘To’. On the next line, you have the name(s)
and designation(s) of your addressee(s). Then provide the actual matter of
the memo.
Minutes are the official record of the business carried out during a meet-
ing. Essentially mnemonic, they guide further action. So minutes should
have, in addition to the name of the department/unit, a mention of the
date/time/venue. Next, minutes should list the names of chairperson(s),
members, special invitees etc. The minutes should include an item-wise
record of the discussion and finally, the signature of the authority.

Other Official Letters
These include letters of recommendation, letters to educational authorities,
letters of appreciation, etc. You have studied formal letter writing since the
days of your higher secondary days. Here we point out some details regard-
ing mechanics. Please note:
1. Mostly the Americanized, left-aligned style is preferred today.
2. The sender’s address is either on top left-hand side of the page, or at
the bottom left.
3. Just below is the date, separated by single space.
4. Spacing is very important in such writing.
5. The receiver’s address is two spaces below.
6. Next is the addressee’s name and designation.

7. Next follows the attention column.
8. It is followed by the body of the letter that consists of salutation, subject,
content, complimentary close, sender’s signature, and designation.
Please remember that often these days MS-Word takes care of all such
details. It is necessary hence to consistently use either the Americanized or
the British spelling, as the computer mostly prefers the American spelling as
well as spacing. Your formal letter should look as follows:

Box 10.7: Specimen of a Formal Letter

Letterhead: HPS School,
Jubilee Hills,
Hyderabad
Sender’s Address: The Principal,
HPS School,
Hyderabad

(Continued)

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