The Business Letter

Business Letter Formats

•Block Styleor

•Traditional

Traditional

1953 Kingman Drive Page, Arizona 86040 January 17, 2012

Underhill Edge Tool Company, Inc.92 Second StreetFall River, Massachusetts 21892

Dear Sir or Madame:

I saw an advertisement for a “Borden Centennial Hatchet,” model number 1892LAB, in the latest edition of Field and Stream magazine and I would like to purchase one. According to the advertisement the cost of the hatchet is $39.95 plus 4.49 for shipping and handling. Tax is included in the price.Enclosed please find a personal check for $44.44 to cover the costs. Please send my “Borden Centennial Hatchet” to the above address.

Sincerely,

Michael Hatfield Michael Hatfield

The

HEADIN

G,

CLOSIN

G,

and

SIGNATU

RE

are offse

t.

Block Style

1953 Kingman DrivePage, Arizona 86040January 17, 2012

Underhill Edge Tool Company, Inc.92 Second StreetFall River, Massachusetts 21892

Dear Sir or Madame:

I saw an advertisement for a “Borden Centennial Hatchet,” model number 1892LAB, in the latest edition of Field and Stream magazine and I would like to purchase one. According to the advertisement the cost of the hatchet is $39.95 plus $4.49 for shipping and handling. Tax is included in the price.Enclosed please find a personal check for $44.44 to cover the costs. Please send my “Borden Centennial Hatchet” to the above address.

Sincerely,Michael HatfieldMichael Hatfield

All parts of the letter are aligned left.

The 6 Parts of a Business Letter

A business letter has six parts:1. Heading

(Your address and the date)2. Inside Address

(Address of the person or business you are writing)

3. Salutation (Your greeting to the person you are writing)

The 6 Parts of a Business Letter

A business letter has six parts:4. Body

(Your message)5. Closing

(Ending such as “Sincerely”, et cetera)6. Signature

(Your name typed and signed)

222 North Navajo DrivePage, Arizona 86040January 17, 2012

Underhill Edge Tool Company, Inc.92 Second StreetFall River, Massachusetts 21892

Dear Sir or Madame:

I saw an advertisement for a “Borden Centennial Hatchet,” model number 1892LAB, in the latest edition of Field and Stream magazine and I would like to purchase one. According to the advertisement the cost of the hatchet is $39.95 plus $4.49 for shipping and handling. Tax is included in the price.

Enclosed please find a personal check for $44.44 to cover the costs. Please send my “Borden Centennial Hatchet” to the above address.

Sincerely,

Michael HatfieldMichael Hatfield

HEADING

INSIDE ADDRESS

SALUTATION

BODY

CLOSING

SIGNATURE

Peer Edit: the business letter• Look at your typed business letter.• Exchange papers with the person next to

you.• Peer edit your partner’s business letter

using the information you now have about form, conventions, and etiquette.

• Sign your name at the bottom, return the letter to your partner, and explain your corrections.

The Business Letter: lesson 2

Keep these things in mind when writing a business letter:1. Always put the date in your heading. You may need to

refer to it at another time. Make a copy of important letters.

2. Use all the information you have in your inside address. If you have the person’s name, use it; their job title, use it. When you don’t have either of these, use the name of the company or organization along with their address.

Mr. Benjamin SmithManagerGoodwill Retail Industries1347 West Fond du Lac AvenueRacine, Wisconsin 53213

Keep these things in mind when writing a business letter:

3. The salutation is followed by a colon (:).

EXAMPLES:

Dear Mr. Smith: Dear Sir:Dear Ms. Kelly: Dear Madam:Dear Goodwill Manager:Dear Sirs:Dear Sir or Madam:

Keep these things in mind when writing a business letter:

4. The body of a business letter carries your message. Say what you have to say clearly. Keep your letter as short as possible.

5. Some typical closings are: Sincerely, Yours truly,Respectfully yours, Cordially yours,Very truly yours,

NOTE: Only capitalize the first word. A comma comes after the closing.

Keep these things in mind when writing a business letter:

6. If your business letter is handwritten, write your signature neatly. If you type your letter, you still must sign your name. Type the closing and your name. Leave enough space between the closing and your name for your signature.

Sincerely yours,

John SteinerJohn Steiner

The Business Letter: lesson 3