158 Harmon Drive NU BOX #1989

Northfield, VT 05663

September 26, 2016

Mr. Sean Prentiss, Professor
Writing Letters
158 Harmon Dr.
Northfield, VT 05663
Dear Professor Prentiss:
Thank you for providing valuable communication skills that will enhance my professional
performance after I graduate. I am writing this letter to discuss key components that go into a
letter. This letter is important because when I make my way into better leadership positions I will
be expected to write more. The information I am presenting is referenced by the author, Philp C.
Kolin who wrote Successful Writing at Work.
A letter has many parts and each part has a certain placement in order for the letter to accomplish
a purpose. The parts consist of a heading, date line, inside address, salutation, body of the letter,
complimentary close, signature, and if applicable; an enclosure line. I will be describing how to
properly write a letter in modified-block format because I do not have a letterhead with a
company name and logo.
To begin the heading of a letter there will be the writers full return address aligned to the left on
the center of the page. Four spaces below the heading is the date line, which is written with the
full spelling of the month, then in numerical text; the day, followed by the year. This is
specifically for North America. International countries may have different expectations.
The inside address is the address of the reader. It is always placed along the left margin two lines
below the date line. It contains the name, title, company, street address, city, state, zip code of the
reader, and is single spaced. Two spaces under the inside address follows the salutation. This
usually begins with Dear, accompanied by a courtesy title and a colon.
Furthermore, two spaces underneath the salutation start the letter with an opening which can be
an acknowledgement of some sort to the person. The body of the letter contains the key message.
After the body comes the conclusion, which can be followed by more appreciation for the reader
and is very clear about what is being asked of the person.
Eventually, the letter comes to a complimentary close which is two lines below the last line of
the conclusion. It is almost as if telling a person farewell. A standard close may be, Sincerely
followed by a comma. Capitalize only the first letter of the first word. Four spaces below the
close is the typed name of the writer. This is to give enough room so the writer can sign without
squeezing letters in between the texts. Black ink is the preferred ink of choice for a letter. Finally,

the title is below the typed name of the writer which distinguishes his or her professional
outlook.
It is my pleasure to work diligently alongside you in your professional environment because this
is the first class that has actually become a valuable asset in my overall career preparation. I will
continue to achieve more knowledge and work ethic throughout this semester.
Very respectfully,

Cody Clauson
Professional Communicator