Regarding the TOPIC/REFERENCE line in your FORMAL LETTER / REPORT

SHSS.Term 3 Week 2.6-7 July 2010

In the real world of communications, in order that people may do business and provide information, instructions or governance in one way or another, transactions need to be CLEARLY spelt out. There are many daily transactions, either through the internet or via the paper route.  To keep track of the flow of communication, we need to put REFERENCES to the letters we write or receive.  In our case, we are not concerned with the filing clerks managing their files so that they can put away and retrieve the different letters as and when necessary for whoever need them. 


We are concerned with WHAT EACH LETTER IS ALL ABOUT AT A GLANCE.  So letters need to be ENTITLED - they must be CLEARLY given a topic or a reference. 

How to write a proper TOPIC/REFERENCE and get it RIGHT all the time? 

SIMPLE - understand what the MAIN PURPOSE (there will always be some side purposes, but we tell ourselves, what do we want to achieve in our letter - what is it we want to get across to the AUDIENCE - the person or persons who are going to receive your letter? )

Let me go back to the N level September/October 2005 Formal Letter on the anonymous generous donor who has given you a huge sum of money.  Your principal has authorised you to write to the editor of the Straits Times for two purposes: 


[a]  to explain what has happened  [TAKE NOTE OF  PURPOSE 1]

[b]  to thank the stranger [TAKE NOTE OF PUPROSE 2]

What are the possible topic/references you can use?

• Generous Donation By Stranger At St. Hilda's Children's Charity
• Children's Charity: A Generous Unknown Donor
• Single Huge Donation By Generous Unknown Contributor
• Unknown Generous Donor At Red Cross Children's Charity Run
• Surprising Act Of Generosity By Unnamed Donor
• Stranger's Act Of Generosity At Red Cross Children's Charity Run
• Generous Donation By Anonymous Donor
• Request For Help To Find Generous Unknown Donor
• Red Cross Children’s Charity Walk And A Huge Donation
• Help Needed To Find Generous Unknown Donor
• Charity Walk's Single Largest Contribution By Anonymous Donor
• Stranger's Generosity - St. Hilda's Children's Charity 

Do you notice that:
MOST, if not ALL the topics/references above are  PHRASES? 
They should not be too long.
They should not be too short.
MAKE SURE THE WORDS DO NOT RUN BEYOND ONE LINE IN YOUR LETTER OR REPORT.
[ALTHOUGH PEOPLE DON'T ALWAYS OBSERVE THIS IN THE REAL WORLD]
They should say what you intend to say.
ALWAYS GET TO THE POINT.

I hope the above answers Kenneth Tham's (4D.2010.SHSS) question. 

Avoid using VERBS and Sentences: 
[X]  A Generous Donor Gives A Large Contribution.
[X]  A Large Contribution Is Given by a Generous Donor.

I hope the above answers Wien Chua's (4D.2010.SHSS) question.