Writing Business Letters

Writing Business Letters
Business letters should be neat. Plain white paper, 8 ½ by 11, is considered standard, and typing is considered an advantage. It is not required that you type any of your business letters. However, most businesses type letters and reports.

Any business letter you write may take one of two forms.

One form is the block form, which should be used only if you type a letter. In the block form, begin every part of a letter at the left margin. Leave a blank line between paragraphs and do not indent them.
Another form, the modified block form, may be used either for handwritten or typewritten letters. In this form, place the heading, closing, and signature at the right side of the page. Indent the paragraphs and do not leave extra space between them.
Every business letter has six parts the five parts of a personal letter, plus an inside address. The inside address is the name and address of the company to which you are writing. Whenever possible, the inside address should include the name of a particular employee or department within the firm. Place the inside address at the left margin below the heading and above the salutation.

More formal language is used in business letters than in personal letters. For the greeting use Dear Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms. Before the person´s name. Or, use a general greeting like Dear Sir or Madam. Place the salutation two lines below the inside address and use a colon (:) after it.

For the more formal closing, write Sincerely, Yours truly, or Very truly yours, followed by a comma. If you type a letter, leave four lines of space between the closing and your typed signature. Then write your signature in the space.

Business letters are polite, specific, and neat. Keep a copy of all business letters you write.

Sample business letter, block format: