BUSINESS LETTER

Heading The heading gives the writer’s address and the date. A comma is placedbetween city and state. States are abbreviated into 2 letters. (FL, not Fla.) Follow with date.

234 South 3 rd Street Drew, MS June 6, 2001

Inside Address The inside address gives the name and address of the person or company receiving the letter.

Dr. Robert Harris, Director Health Care Center P.O. Box 123 Drew, MS 38737

Formal Greeting The formal greeting is always followed by a colon (:).

Dear Sir: Dear Madam: Dear Mr. Harris:

The Body The body states the purpose of the letter. Facts are given in a brief, logical way. Each paragraph is indented, or has a space separating it from the previous paragraph.

The Body When you write a business letter, make your message clear and brief.

Closing The formal closing is followed by a comma. Only the first word is capitalized.

Signature The writer’s name is typed four lines below the closing. Use Yours truly or Sincerely

Yours truly, Susan Jones Susan Jones Sincerely yours, Sincerely yours, Susan Jones Susan Jones Susan Jones

Addressing an envelope See the board!!

Common errors Spell out words like Street, Road, Circle etc. Do not use contractions. Do not use the term “myself”. Write out numbers unless they are in addresses. Watch using “I”. In this assignment, you can only use “I” three times. Do not say “you”. Who me? There, there, they’re.

Write a formal business letter Write me a formal letter. A huge meteor dropped from the sky and you died instantly. Pretend I am a gatekeeper for a wonderful afterlife. Write me a letter convincing me to let you in. Use proper grammar and punctuation. Watch the normal pitfalls!! Write concisely and formally. Thank me for my consideration. Fold your paper into thirds. On the outside, address the paper as if it were an envelope.

For my address use: Cynthia Jorgensen, RN th Street Vero Beach, FL You can use your address for the return

Use dictionary. Hand in today_____________. Handwritten in cursive.