Writing Personal Letters

The term personal letter includes all letters not written to businesses. Writing personal letters is a way of keeping in touch with absent friends or of expressing your feelings in certain social situations. Personal letters, which are usually handwritten, have five main parts:

1. The heading contains three lines: one line for the writer´s street address, one for the city, state, and ZIP code, and one for the date. None of this information should be abbreviated. The heading appears at the top right corner of your letter.
2. The salutation is the greeting. Usually beginning with Dear, it is written on the next line below the heading. It starts at the left margin of the page and is followed by a comma.
3. The body of the letter is the main part. There you write what you want to say in a detailed and conversational way. The body begins on the line following the salutation. Each paragraph of the body should be indented.
4. The closing is your way of saying "goodbye." You may say Love or Your friend, for instance. The closing is written on the line below the last line of the body and is followed by a comma. The first word of the closing should align with the first words of the heading.
5. Your signature is the last part of a letter. Skip a line after the closing and sign your name in line with the first word of the closing. Usually, only your first name is needed.

There are some forms of personal letters written only for special occasions. These social notes include invitations and thank-you notes. The notes also have five main parts, but the heading may be shortened to the date only.

1. If you send an invitation, include all information about the event. If you receive an invitation, reply at once.
2. Sometimes you will send thank-you notes. One kind of thank-you note is written to thank someone for a gift your have receive. Another kind of thank-you, called a bread-and-butter note, thanks someone for his or her hospitality. You would write this kind of note if you stayed overnight as a guest in someone´s home.

Sample personal letter format: (If you type a personal letter, always handwrite your signature.)

Writing Business Letters

Business letters should be neat. Plain white paper, 8 ½ by 11, is considered standard, and typing is considered an advantage. It is not required that you type any of your business letters. However, most businesses type letters and reports.

Any business letter you write may take one of two forms.

1. One form is the block form, which should be used only if you type a letter. In the block form, begin every part of a letter at the left margin. Leave a blank line between paragraphs and do not indent them.
2. Another form, the modified block form, may be used either for handwritten or typewritten letters. In this form, place the heading, closing, and signature at the right side of the page. Indent the paragraphs and do not leave extra space between them.

Every business letter has six parts   the five parts of a personal letter, plus an inside address. The inside address is the name and address of the company to which you are writing. Whenever possible, the inside address should include the name of a particular employee or department within the firm. Place the inside address at the left margin below the heading and above the salutation.

More formal language is used in business letters than in personal letters. For the greeting use Dear Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms. Before the person´s name. Or, use a general greeting like Dear Sir or Madam. Place the salutation two lines below the inside address and use a colon (:) after it.

For the more formal closing, write Sincerely, Yours truly, or Very truly yours, followed by a comma. If you type a letter, leave four lines of space between the closing and your typed signature. Then write your signature in the space.

Business letters are polite, specific, and neat. Keep a copy of all business letters you write.

Sample business letter, block format:

Sample business letter, modified block format:

Information from: Book 5, Basic Skills in English, McDougal, Littell & Company, 1981