Overview of… Business Letters

Overview of Letter Parts Letterhead Date Letter Address Salutation Body Complimentary Closing Writer’s Name and Title Reference Initials

Spacing Requirements Double Space (DS) – This means to strike the Enter key twice. This will provide 1 blank line between parts of the letter. Quadruple Space (QS) – This means to strike the Enter key four times. This will provide 3 blank lines between parts of the letter.

Date and Letter Address Date letter is mailed QS below date Include personal title Letter address Person who receives the letter Include personal title One space before Zip Code One space before Zip Code

Salutation Salutation Punctuation Salutation is the greeting Mixed punctuation requires a colon after the salutation and a comma after the closing Open punctuation requires no mark following the salutation or closing

Proper Salutations To Whom it May Concern Dear title and last name If you don't know a reader's gender use a salutation, such as "To Whom it May Concern” Dear title and last name Standard letter address Use professional titles (Dr., Rev.) or personal titles (generally Mr. or Ms.) Example: Dear Mr. McDonald:

Letter Parts Body Complimentary closing Writer’s name and title Body is the message Complimentary closing The complimentary closing is the closing of the letter Writer’s name and title QS below complimentary close Reference initials Initials of the typists in lowercase

Block Letter Style All lines begin at left margin Default side margins

Print Preview Shows how a document will look when it is printed Use it to check the placement and format of the letter before printing

Steps to Creating a Letter Key the letter Use correct spacing between parts Correct errors Check the letter using the Spelling and Grammar Tool in the Review Tab Use Print Preview to check placement Print, proofread, edit if necessary

Resources http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/KR/WRITE/LETTER/index.html http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/653/01/