formatting letters guide

8/9/2019 Formatting Letters Guide

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Style

The Full Bock styleis the simplest

letter style to type because all

lines begin at the left margin.


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Margins

Side, top, and bottom margins

should be 1 inch. Vertically centerone-page letters and memos.


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Date Line (Required)

Type the current month (spelled out),

day, and year on the first line. Begin

at the left margin for block style.


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Inside Address (Required)

The inside address gives the name and location ofthe person to whom you're writing. If you use the

addressee's job title, type it either on the same line

as the name (separated from the name by a comma)

or on the following line by itself. Type the inside ad-

dress at the left margin and skip one line below the

date. For international letters, type the name of the

country in all-capital letters on the last line by itself.


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Salutation (Required)

Use the same name in both the inside address andthe salutation. If the letter is addressed to a posi-

tion rather than a person, use a generic greeting

("Dear Human Resources Manager:"). If you ad-

dress the reader by first name, use the first name

("Dear Cara:"); otherwise, use a personal title and

surname ("Dear Ms. Currigan:"). Leave one blank

line before and after the salutation.


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Body (Required)

Single-space the lines of each paragraph and

leave one blank line between paragraphs.


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Complimentary Close (Required)

Begin the complimentary closing at the same margin point

as the date line. Capitalize the first word only, and leave

one blank line before and four blank lines after, to allowroom for your signature before your full typed name.


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Signature (Required)

Sign your name legibly in blue or black ink.


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Writer's Identification (Required)

The writer's identification (name or job title or both) begins

four lines below the closing. The job title may go either on

the same line as the typed name, separated from the name

by a comma, or on the following line by itself.


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Subject Line (Optional)You may include a subject line (identified by

the words Subject or Re followed by a colon)

to identify the topic of the letter. Type it be-

low, or instead of, the salutation, with one

blank line before and one after.


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Enclosure Notation (Optional)

You may use an enclosure notation if items are included in

the envelope and are not obvious. Type "Enclosure" (or

"Attachment" if the items are physically attached) on the line

immediately below the reference initials, and as an option,

add the description of what is enclosed.


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Copy Notation (Optional)

If someone other than the addressee is to receive a copy of

the letter, type a copy notation ("c:") immediately below the

enclosure notation or reference initials, whichever comes

last. Then follow the copy notation with the names of the

people who will receive copies.

formatting letters guide

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