How to write a business letter

How to write a business letter

What kind of letter is it?

A business letter is a letter written in formal language. There are many reasons to write a business letter. It could be:

• to request direct information or action from another party,
• to order supplies from a supplier,
• to identify a mistake that was committed,
• to reply directly to a request,
• to apologize for a wrong
• or simply to convey goodwill.

Elements of a business letter

The parts of a business letter are as follows:

• Sender's address
• Date
• Inside address
• Attention line
• Salutation
• Body of the letter
• Complimentary close
• Signature
• Enclosure

Positions of the elements

Styles of business letters are of two main types:

1. Full block style:
   In this type you align all elements on the left margin.
2. Modified block:
   In this style, some elements are on the left page margin.

The following is an example of the modified block style.

Example

[SENDER'S NAME] [SENDER'S ADDRESS] (optional[SENDER'S PHONE] (optional[SENDER'S E-MAIL] [DATE] [RECIPIENT W/O PREFIX] [RECIPIENT'S COMPANY] [RECIPIENT'S ADDRESS] (Optional) Attention [DEPARTMENT/PERSON], Dear [RECIPIENT], [CONTENT.] [VALEDICTION (Sincerely, Respectfully, Regards, etc.)], [SENDER] [SENDER'S TITLE] Enclosures ([NUMBER OF ENCLOSURES])

Punctuation

Generally speaking, a comma follows the salutation/greeting, but in the United States a colon is often preferred. The valediction/closing is followed by a comma.