Creating a Business Letter
Freshman Composition
What is a Business Letter?
Why write one?
 To Whom is one written?
 What should be in one?
 What is proper format?
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2
What are the types of
Business Letters?

Personal Business
Not on Letterhead
 Contains your typed Return Address
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Formal Business
Typed on Letterhead
 Letterhead
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• Already contains your return address
• You don’t retype it
3
What are the Required
Parts of a Business Letter?
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Heading
Inside Address
Salutation
Body
Complimentary Closing
Signature
Optional:

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Enclosure
Typists Initials
4
What’s in The Heading
(your information)

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Single Spaced – followed by four lines
Always includes the date

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As the last entry
Personal Business Letter

(no letterhead)
Your return address
• Only abbreviation is Postal Code - NJ

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May include Phone#, Fax#, Email@
Date
Formal Business Letter

(on letterhead)
Date only
5
What is the Inside Address
(addressee’s information)
Person’s Name, Title
 Company Name/Department
 Company Address
 Single Spaced

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Followed by one blank lines
(Enter Key
twice)
6
What is the Salutation?
(a greeting)

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Dear Mr. Soandso
Dear Dr. Smith
Dear Ms. Jones
To Whom it May Concern
Dear Sir or Madam
7
What is the Body?
(The actual letter)
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Brief and to the point!
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Guideline – 3 paragraphs
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Strictly Business
Brief Introduction
Contents - What I want
Conclusion and Thank you
Each paragraph:

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Single Spaced
Followed by one blank lines
(Enter Key twice)
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Complimentary Close
Sincerely,
 Yours truly,
 Respectfully yours,
 Followed by three lines


(Enter Key 4 times)
After printing you will sign the letter here
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Signature

Your Full Name


Your Title (if appropriate)


Mrs. Regina Sikorski
Computer Club Moderator
Followed by one lines

(Enter Key twice)
If optional parts are required
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Optional Parts

Typist Initials
If your secretary typed this for you
 RES/js


Enclosure
If something else is in the letter or
package
 Followed by one lines (Enter Key twice)
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11
What is the spacing for a
Business Letter?
All Parts are Single Spaced
 Skip a line (Enter key twice)
after most Parts and Paragraphs
 Skip 3 Lines (Enter key 4 times) after:

Heading
 Complimentary Closing
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12
What are acceptable formats
for a Business Letter?
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Block

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All parts are Left Justified to the margin
Modified Block
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All parts Left Justified
Heading, Close, Signature at
tab position 3
Indentation – choose either
• No paragraph indentation
• All paragraphs first line indent .5
13
What are acceptable punctuation
styles for a Business Letter?

Open
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No punctuation after
• Salutation or Complimentary Closing
• Dear Mrs. Smith
• Respectfully yours
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Mixed
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Punctuation after
• Colon (:) after Salutation
• Dear Sir:
• Comma (,) after Complimentary Closing
• Sincerely,
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Business Letter One
Letter to Ms. Smith, Owner of
Fashion Today
 You ordered a pair of shoes from
Fashion Today’s website and they
sent the wrong size
 Write a business letter expressing
your concerns and how you would
like the problem solved
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15
HOMEWORK!
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Create your own business

Come up with a name and product
for your business
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Due tomorrow, Wednesday,
November 9
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