How to Say it When Writing a Letter

The Parts of a Letter

Personal letter writing has been trumped by modern technology. Gone are the days of penning a letter to someone who is not near – an email or text message now suffices. However, in the workplace, letter writing still plays an important business role.

Fundraising, public relations and sales are dependent on sharing information with customers, clients and potential users. These professionals use letters to communicate important information. While there are no hard and fast rules for personal letter writing, business letter writing is a specialized craft.

A business letter will have the following parts:

Sender’s address – You only need to provide the sender’s address if it is not included in the letterhead you are printing your letter on.
Date – For more formal letters, spell out the month: November 16, 2015.
Recipient’s address – Include the recipient’s address in the letter at the very top. You should use the post office-approved address and put the same address on the envelope.
Salutation – Address your recipient by his or her formal title. For example, Dear Allison, or Dear Mrs. Smith. Read more about salutations.
Body content – Your letter should be written in block format, indents are not needed.
Closing – A closing is the last line before your signature. Popular closings include “thank you,” “kind regards,” “very truly yours” and “sincerely.”
Enclosures – If you are including any other material with your letter you should note it by including an enclosures line.
Typist initials – If you are writing a letter on behalf of someone else you should include your initials at the bottom of the letter, for example: amg.

Each part should appear in a certain format and location on the page. Below are examples of popular business letters:

While the practice of writing personal letters has decreased in the digital age, personal letter writing is still appropriate in certain instances. There are times when nothing but a handwritten, mailed letter will do such as when you need to thank someone or inform them of bad news.

Some basics for personal letter writing include: