Business Letter Form

A business letter is any letter that is not personal; that is, it is a letter you write to anyone except your family and friends. Business letters in English have a special form.

Study the model and notice the location, spacing, capitalization, and punctuation of the different parts.

225 Water Street Boston, MA 12356 December 15, 199_

(skip 4 lines)

Mr. Darnel Perotti Perotti Imports 666 Knoll Lane Denver, CO 30303

Dear Mr. Perotti:

I am writing to

Thank you very much for your time and attention.

David Kennedy /

Here are some things to learn about business letters.

1. Your address and the date are in the upper right-hand corner, just as shown. The number and street are on the first line; the city, state, and zip code are on the second line; and the date is on the third line.

2. Skip four lines between the date and the name and address of the person you are writing to. Also skip four lines between the closing and your printed (or typed) name.

3. Skip one line between every other part of the letter, including each paragraph.

4. A business letter usually begins with a sentence that directly states your purpose. Typical openings are I am writing to complain... or I am writing to request...

5. A business letter usually ends with a paragraph or sentence that thanks the person. A typical ending is Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

6. Capitalize all of the words in a greeting and the first word in the closing.

7. Put a colon (:) after the greeting and a comma after the closing.

8. Start the closing and your signature around halfway across the

9. There are several possible closings for business letters. They are listed below, in order from neutral to very formal:

Business Correspondence

Business Correspondence


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