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Part 4 ➤ Letters That Work

Passive: I was awarded a special distinction that led to the start of an employee con-
test called “Hero of the Month.”

Active: After I earned a special distinction for my achievement, I started a new com-
pany-wide contest called “Hero of the Month.”

Bonus Check
To come up with appropriately friendly language for your letter, imagine that you’re hav-
ing an easy chat with your prospective boss. What things would you talk to him about?
How would you phrase your sentences in that conversation? The answers to these ques-
tions will tell you how to write your letter.

Looking Smart with Good Grammar

This section highlights a few grammar rules that are important to letter writing. For a more
complete list of grammar and writing guidelines, refer to my other book, The Complete
Idiot’s Guide to the Perfect Cover Letter (Macmillan USA, 1997).

Consistency

Be sure that the subject and verb of each sentence agree, even in tricky situations like this
one: “The issue of falling profits is very serious.” Because the subject (issue) is singular, the
verb (is) must be singular.
Consistency is the most important rule in composition. Once you’ve chosen a punctuation
style (such as periods at the end of bullet-point phrases or commas before the and at the
end of a string of items), follow that style throughout your entire letter.

Periods

A period is optional at the end of each phrase in a list. Either of the following examples
would be acceptable:
For starters, let’s look at my experience in writing:

➤ Three published books.
➤ A multimedia package with nationwide distribution.
➤ Editorial work for the New York Times.

Periods are also optional after the initials of academic degrees, so either B.A. or BA would be
fine to use.

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