1. The first goal in writing a business letter is to get the recipient's .......... .

2. One fundamental .......... of effective writing is to put the key information at the beginning.

3. Avoid .......... down the beginning of the letter with abundant information of which the reader is already aware, however.

4. Effective writing is .......... reading that makes the recipient want to read further.

5. In writing commercial correspondence, it is important to employ a friendly yet efficient .......... .

6. Try to aim for a .......... style, but without employing bad grammar, slang, or otherwise questionable English.

7. Be merciless in eliminating the .......... that most people put into letters: it wastes the recipient's time and tries his or her patience.

8. A good business letter is simple and straightforward without being simplistic or .......... .

9. The conclusion or ending paragraph should bring the communication to a polite and .......... close.

10. Unfortunately, the ending paragraphs in much commercial correspondence employ wordy and overused phrases that detract from the letter's .......... .