The Business Letter
Business Letter Formats Block Style or Traditional
The HEADING, CLOSING, and SIGNATURE are offset. Traditional 1953 Kingman Drive Page, Arizona 86040 January 17, 2012 Underhill Edge Tool Company, Inc. 92 Second Street Fall 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 The HEADING, CLOSING, and SIGNATURE are offset.
All parts of the letter are aligned left. Block Style 1953 Kingman Drive Page, Arizona 86040 January 17, 2012 Underhill Edge Tool Company, Inc. 92 Second Street Fall 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 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) Closing (Ending such as “Sincerely”, et cetera) Signature (Your name typed and signed)
Michael Hatfield 222 North Navajo Drive Page, Arizona 86040 January 17, 2012 Underhill Edge Tool Company, Inc. 92 Second Street Fall 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 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: Always put the date in your heading. You may need to refer to it at another time. Make a copy of important letters. 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 Smith Manager Goodwill Retail Industries 1347 West Fond du Lac Avenue Racine, Wisconsin 53213
Keep these things in mind when writing a business letter: 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: 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 Steiner
The Business Letter: lesson 3