The Main Parts of a Business Letter

The Heading

If you do NOT use letterhead stationery, the heading is located at the top right of the page and includes the writer's complete mailing address and the date.

e.g.

*******Laboratory
Technical Development Group
Kobe Steel Ltd
5-5 Takatsukadai 1-chome
Nishi-ku
Kobe
Hyogo
Japan 651-2271
March 21 1997

If you DO use letterhead stationery, the address is already printed on the paper; only the date must be added, at least two spaces below.

e.g.

KOBE STEEL LTD.
*******Laboratory, Technical Development Group, 5-5 Takatsukadai 1-chome
Nishi-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan 651-2271

March 21 1997

 

When writing the date, it is best to state MONTH, DAY, YEAR, in that order as above. Using the short form of the date i.e. 7/10/96 can sometimes be confusing. In some countries 7/10/96 means October 7, 1996.

The heading above is in Semi-Block form. See Layouts to see the Block form.

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The Inside Address

The inside address is always placed even with the left margin (left justified) and at least two (2) spaces below the heading.

It contains the full name of the person being written to - including a proper title - (see Salutations below) and the complete mailing address.

e.g.

Dr. Frederick Johnston, Senior Researcher
Materials Research Laboratory
NUCOR
1649 Telegraph Road
Crawfordsville, IN 58936
USA

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The Salutation

All letters begin with a salutation or greeting. It is placed two spaces below the inside address and even with the left margin. Most people still use 'Dear__' to open their letters. When you have a person's name in the inside address, use the name in the salutation. When you do not have a name use 'Dear Sir' or 'Dear Madam'. When you are addressing a firm or a group of men you can use 'Gentlemen'. Use of the correct title is important. Look at the chart below:

Note that the American style has a period after the title ( Mr. Dr. Ms.). It also uses a colon (:). The British style does not have a period after the title and uses a comma (,).

Ms. or Ms (pronounced Miz) is now in common use as a female equivalent to Mr. However, if possible, it is best to find out which title the woman herself prefers (Ms. or Mrs. or Miss)

All of the examples above are in formal style which should be used for all business letters. Use of the first name (Dear Tom, Dear Sue, etc) is only for informal, personal letters.

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The Body

The body of the letter, or its message, begins two spaces below the salutation. It is structured in paragraphs, which may or may not be indented, depending on the layout used. See 'Layouts'.

Hints on structure:

1) Expressing thanks for a favour done.

2) Writing about future events.

3) When writing to someone you have not met, let the person know why you are familiar with him or her.

4) When asking for a favour, leave the person as much time as possible. Nevertheless, if you expect to have a reply within a certain time, make that request specific.

5) Referral statements.

6) Tone.

A business relationship can often become fairly informal. If you find yourself in this situation, you can alter the tone of your business correspondence from impersonal to personal.

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The Closing

The closing of a business letter is placed two spaces below the body. It is a conventional expression, indicating the formal close of the letter. The first word is capitalized. Closings end with a comma.

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The Signature

Every letter should have a handwritten signature. Four to six spaces below this is the typewritten signature. A woman may include (Miss), (Mrs.) or (Ms.) to the right of the typewritten signature.

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Special Parts

Layouts

Example Business Letters