Student Question
How do you write formal and informal business letters? Can you provide examples?
Quick answer:
Writing formal business letters involves using clear, direct, and concise language. Common styles include block, modified block, and semi-block, with variations in paragraph indentation and placement of headings and signatures. Formal letters use "Dear Sir or Madam:" and "Sincerely," for salutation and closing. Informal business letters are more flexible, omitting inside addresses and using casual greetings like "Dear [Name]," followed by a comma. They should be personal, organized, and free from errors.
While business letters cover a wide variety of purposes, they all have as their purpose the conveyance of information in as clear, direct and brief a manner as possible. Therefore, stylistically complex sentences are not used in business letters. In general, the writer should come directly to the point of the purpose of the letter and convey all the essential information quickly.
There are three styles of business letters: block, modified block, and semiblock.In the modified block and the semi block style, the heading of the letter is placed in the upper right-hand section of the page, rather than along the left margin as in block. The closing and signature are placed in the lower right-hand section parallel to the heading. The other parts of the letter--the inside address, the salutation, and the body--are placed along the left margins. The only difference between modified block and semi-block style is in the setup...
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of the paragraphs as in modified, the paragraph are NOT indented; in semiblock, they are indented.
[Note that the salutation is followed by a colon. The "To Whom it may concern" is not used at all; use "Dear Sir or Madam:" or "Dear +name:" The closing is no longer "Sincerely Yours" or "Yours Truly"; use "Sincerely,"]
***The link below provides sample business letters.
Here is the one for the strict block style:
______________________
_________,_____________ (heading)
___________,___________
[4 spaces]
_______________________
_______________________ (inside address)
_______________________
[2 spaces]
_______________________: (salutation)
[2 spaces]
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ (body)
[2 spaces]
_________________________, Closing
[4 spaces]
Signature
_________________________ typed Name
___________________________________________________
Informal letters allows more choice of content than in formal writing. For one thing, they do not include an inside address and the greetings and closings are more casual. For instance, Dear +name is followed by a comma, not a colon. Friendly letters should express a person's own ideas in a personal style; nevertheless, they should also be clearly organized and well thought out. Here are some steps that can be taken
1. Be sure to include answers to the person's questions who has written to you if you are responding.
2. Choose the letter style you want to use indented or semiblock and adhere to it.
3. Strive to be clear, specific, interesting, and neat in your handwriting.
4. Proofread your letter by reading it aloud.
5. Correct any errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling.
References