Letters

Apply correct letter formats.

Types of Letters
Personal Letter/ Informal Letter
 A personal letter is an informal letter in the form

of a private dialogue. It may follow the norms of

private conversation but it normally does not
follow any set pattern of writing and the writer
is free to choose any style or pattern that suits
his/her mood and content.
• Personal letters are varied in their language,
style, tone, presentation and content
Types of Letters
Personal—Business Letter
 A personal-business letter is a letter that is s ent

from an individual using their home address to a

person or business/organization.
Business Letter
 A business letter is sent from a business or

organization to an individual or to another

business or organization.
 Business letters are usually keyed on

letterhead. The letterhead can consist of

the business’ name, address,
phone/fax/email, and logo.
 Major Parts of a Letter
1. Return Address-the address of the
person writing the letter. Letterhead if
the letter is from a business.
2. Dateline-Complete and current date.
3. Letter Address/Inside Address-the
address of the person receiving the
letter.
4. Salutation-the greeting of the letter.
Example: Dear Sir or Madam:
5. Body-the message of the
letter.
6. Complimentary Close-the ending of
the letter. Example: Sincerely yours,
7. Keyed Name-the authors typed name.
8. Handwritten Signature-the author
signs the letter after it has been printed.
Formatting a Letter
Margins: TM-2inches RM-1inch
BM-1inch LM-1inch
Block Style left margin.

 Paragraphs should not be indented in this style of letter.


Use a standard font style and font size i.e. Times New
Roman/Arial and 12 point font.
 Single
Space within paragraphs and double space between
paragraphs.
Sender’s Address
The writer’s address should be put in the top right-
hand corner. The street address, city and pin code,
telephone, fax, and e-mail address should be
mentioned. The writer should not include his/her
name or title, as it is included in the letter’s closing. If
a printed letterhead is used, the address should not be
written again.
Date
The date line is used to indicate the date the letter was
written. The month, day, and year should be written
two inches from the top of the page.

Reference
This is an optional element and may be placed below
the dateline. The writer’s reference number as well as
the reference number of the recipient should be
mentioned. (Your Reference/Our Reference).
Inside Address
The inside address is the receiver’s address. Include a
personal title such as Ms., Mrs., Mr., or Dr. The inside
address begins one inch below the date. It should be left
justified, no matter which format is used.
Subject
This is also an optional element. It may be placed either
before or below the salutation. The topic of the letter
should be written in phrase form.
Salutation
As salutation is a greeting used to address the receiver of
the letter, it should be the same as that used in the inside
address, including the personal title
Body:
All information
General to specific or vice versa

Complimentary Close
Begins one line after the last body paragraph
Signature
Contains the writer’s name and title and, in some cases,
the name of the organisation or company
Enclosures
This is an optional element, which may be included in the
letter. If any documents are enclosed along with the
letter, they should be listed at the end of the letter
Attention: optional element
 Parts of a Block Style Letter

Return
address Date
Lette
r
addre Salutation
ss
Body

Complimentary
Close Copy Notation
Enclosure Writer —key a DS
notation after the last
line of the
letter.
Personal—Business Letter
with Mixed Punctuation
Return Address:
The personal-business letter
uses the return address with the
dateline a single space beneath.

Mixed Punctuation:
The colon is keyed in
the salutation and the
comma is keyed in the
complimentary close.