8.1. Business Documents http://www.ck12.org
The Date
The first line of your letter should be the date the letter was finished. Use the date format acceptable in the recipient’s
country. For instance, if you are writing to someone in the United States, you would format the date as January 1,
- However, if you are writing to someone in Europe, you would write 1 January 2010. Do not abbreviate the
month for any date format. Place a blank line after the date.
The Sender’s Address
The next section of your letter should be the sender’s address; since you are writing the letter, this will be your
address. Write your name on the first line of the address. Write your street address on the second line, and your city,
state, and zip code on the third line. Leave a blank line after your address. You can also place the sender’s address
after the signature and printed name on the last line of your letter; however, this is stylistic and entirely up to you.
The Recipient’s Address
Next, you need to include the recipient’s address, also called the inside address, in your letter. No matter what format
you are using, this address will always be left-justified. The first line of the inside address should be the recipient’s
name. If you cannot find out their name, you can leave this line out.
When writing a business letter, always address the recipient by their title. For instance, you would write “President
Obama” instead of “Mr. Obama” or “Barak Obama.” If you do not know a woman’s marital status, you can address
her as “Ms.” If a person has several titles, try to find out which one they prefer being addressed by. If you can’t get
this information, use the highest ranking title they have. For instance, if someone has a PhD and is also a Professor,
you can address them as either “Dr. John Doe” or “John Doe, PhD.”
If you are writing to someone in a company (for instance, if you were writing to inquire about potential internship
opportunities), include the company name on the next line. If you are writing to an individual not associated with
a corporation, such as a politician, you do not have to include the company name. The next line should be the
recipient’s street address. The line after that should be the city, state, and zip code. If you are writing to someone
outside of the country, include the recipient’s country on the following line in capital letters. Leave a blank line after
the recipient’s address.
The Salutation
The next line of your letter should be the salutation. The salutation will say “Dear” followed by the same name you
used in the recipient’s address. If you addressed your letter to “John Doe, PhD,” you can write “Dear Dr. Doe” in
your salutation. If you do not know the name of the recipient, you can use the salutation “To Whom It May Concern.”
You can also use this salutation if you do not know the recipient’s gender. Use a colon (:) after your salutation, and
leave one blank line after it.
The Body
The first paragraph of a business letter lets the recipient know what the letter is about. You should begin your letter
with a polite opening line explaining who you are and why you are writing. Next, state the purpose of your letter,
but keep it concise–you will explain all the details in the rest of your letter. Place a blank line between each body
paragraph.
The next paragraphs will explain all the relevant details of your letter to the recipient. In this section of the body,
explain why the purpose of your letter is important, and provide facts to support your case. However, be sure to keep
your language concise. Also, divide your paragraphs logically. If your letter has two main points, you should use
two body paragraphs to provide details and your reasoning.
The last body paragraph acts much like the conclusion of a paper. You should restate your purpose and include a
brief word on why it is important. You should conclude a business letter by thanking the reader for their time. Place
a blank line between your last body paragraph and your closing.
Closing
The closing of your letter should be brief. “Sincerely” is generally accepted as a formal closing, but if you are writing