Deciding on the right letter format mainly depends on the type of letter you want to write and who you are addressing the letter to. The letter format you can use when writing to a friend will be very different from the format used to write formal letters. What's more, the traditional letter format sent by post is different from the format used for email. Keep reading to learn more about how to properly format a letter that you can use to write your next letter.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Formatting a Business or Formal Letter
Step 1. Write your name and address at the top of your letter
Include street addresses, cities, provinces, and postal codes in blocks, left-aligned and single-spaced.
- The city, province, and postal code are written on one line, while street addresses are written on a separate line.
- If you're sending a letter using letterhead that already includes this information, skip this step. Do not include the return address twice.
Step 2. Write the date right below your address
Write the date the letter was written or the date the letter was completed, it's up to you.
- The date is written to the left, the same as writing the address that is right above it.
- Write the date in “month-day-year” format. Write the month with letters, but use numbers to write the day and year. For example: February 9, 2013.
Step 3. Leave a blank line between the date and the next part of the letter
This will separate the address from the next section, making it easier to read.
Step 4. Write down the reference line, if needed
If the letter is written with a reference to a particular point, it can help the reader to write a line of reference that begins with "Re:"
- Reference lines are written left aligned and try to consist of only one line.
- Write down the reference line when responding to letters, job openings, or requesting information.
- If you are writing a line of references, leave a blank line after it to separate the line of reference from the rest of the letter.
Step 5. Write down the recipient's address
Write down the recipient's name and title, as well as company name, street address, city, state, and postal code.
- All of this information is left aligned and single spaced. The recipient's name is written on a separate line, along with the recipient's title, company name, and street address. The city, province, and postal code are written on one line.
- If sending a letter to another country, write the name of the country in capital letters on a separate line below the recipient's address.
- Address the letter to a specific person, if possible, and write the person's name with an appropriate title such as “Mr” or “Mother”. If you don't know the gender of the recipient, you don't need to write down the title.
- Leave a blank line below the recipient's full address.
Step 6. Begin the body of your letter with a polite greeting
A common greeting usually begins with “Dear Sir,” followed by the recipient's title and last name. Put a comma after the recipient's last name.
- Greetings are written left aligned.
- If you don't know the gender of the recipient, you can address the recipient by his or her full name, or write down the recipient's job title followed by his or her last name.
- Leave a blank line after the greeting.
Step 7. Write a subject line, if desired
Write the subject line in capital letters below the greeting, left aligned.
- Keep the subject line short but descriptive. Try to consist of only one line.
- It should be noted that this is unconventional and should not be used frequently.
- Do not include a subject line if you have already included a reference line.
- Leave a blank line after the subject line if you include a subject line.
Step 8. Begin the body of the letter with a brief introduction explaining the purpose of your letter
The paragraphs of the letter are written left aligned but the beginning of each paragraph is written indented.
Step 9. Follow the introduction of the letter with the longer body of the letter
This section should explain the purpose of the letter and also include a conclusion summarizing everything that is written in the letter.
Write the body of the letter briefly. Each paragraph is single-spaced, but leave one blank line between each paragraph and after the last paragraph
Step 10. End your letter with a polite closing greeting
Examples of polite closing greetings include "Sincerely," "Greetings," or "Thank you." Remember to write your closing salutation left-aligned and followed by a comma.
Only the first letter of the first word of the closing greeting is capitalized
Step 11. Follow the closing greeting with your name
However, leave three blank lines under the closing greeting before writing your full name, followed by your job title on the line below.
Step 12. List the attachments at the very end of your letter
If you are attaching an attachment, write “Enclosures” / “Attachment” one line below your name and title and write down any attachments that are included with the letter.
- Note that this is not mandatory if you don't include any attachments.
- Attachments are left aligned and single spaced.
Step 13. Enter the typist's initials, if desired
If someone else is typing the letter and you are dictating, list the typist's first and last name at the very bottom of your letter, one line below the attachment.
Step 14. Sign the letter after printing
Sign the letter with a pen between the closing greeting and your name. Signing a letter with a pen shows the recipient that you are taking your own time to send this letter to them and that this is important.
Method 2 of 4: Formatting a Letter to a Close Friend or Relative (Personal Letter)
Step 1. Write down the date
Include the date the letter was written or the date the letter was completed at the top right of the letter.
- Write the date in “month-day-year” format. Writing the month in letters is usually the standard format, but for this type of letter you can write the entire date in numbers.
- The date is written right aligned.
Step 2. Write a friendly greeting
The “Dear” greeting is still the most commonly used greeting, but, depending on your relationship with the recipient, you may be able to write the recipient's name without any formality.
- Greetings are written left aligned and followed by a comma.
- When writing to a friend or colleague, you can usually only write their first name. For example: “Dear Jane”.
- For an even more personal letter, you may want to replace “Dear” with a casual greeting such as “Hello,” “Hi,” or “Hey.”
- If you're writing to a parent or someone you really need to respect, include the recipient's personal title and last name. For example: “Dear Mrs. Roberts”
- Leave a blank line between the greeting and the main text of the letter.
Step 3. Write the introduction, body/body, and conclusion to the main text of your letter
The introduction and conclusion should be just one short paragraph each, but the body of the letter is usually much longer.
- The main text of the letter is left aligned, but the first line of each paragraph is indented.
- The entire main text of the letter is single-spaced. You usually don't leave paragraphs between paragraphs in a personal letter, but you can if it makes your letter easier to read.
- Leave a blank line after the last sentence of your main text to separate the main text from the closing greeting.
Step 4. Close with an appropriate closing greeting
"Sincerely" is still quite commonly used, even for personal letters. If the letter is casual enough, however, you can include a less conventional closing greeting. Try something like “See you later!” or “See you later!” if you write to a close friend.
- Put a comma after the closing greeting, but don't type your name after it.
- The closing greeting is written parallel to the letter head.
Step 5. Sign your letter
Sign your letter under the closing salutation. Usually, your name is written by hand, rather than printed on a printer.
If you usually call each other first names with the recipient of the letter, you can just write down your first name and be done with it. However, if the recipient may not know who you are from your first name, make sure you include your last name as well
Method 3 of 4: Formatting an Official or Business Email
Step 1. Start by writing a short but accurate description of the purpose of your email
This description is located in the subject of your email, not in the body of the email.
If your e-mail recipient is really looking forward to, this description can only be a reference to the subject being discussed. If this email is not waited on, writing a description can be a bit difficult. The purpose of writing a description is so that readers can guess what your email is about when they open and read your email. This means that the description needs to motivate your readers to open and read your email
Step 2. Start writing the email with a formal greeting
It usually begins with “Dear” and is followed by the official title of the recipient of the email or the company you are emailing.
- Address the letter to a specific recipient if possible. Avoid sending letters to anonymous recipients. Use “To Whom It May Concern” only if there is no other option.
- Actually, the most appropriate punctuation to use after a greeting is still a colon. However, nowadays, most people use a comma after the greeting in writing official emails.
- If you're not sure whether to greet the recipient with “Mother” or “Father,” just write down the recipient's full name.
- Leave a blank line after the formal greeting.
Step 3. Write the main text of the letter, keeping it short but informative
Like any type of letter, the main text should include an introduction, body, and conclusion. Keep all parts, including body parts, as short and precise as possible.
- The main text is left aligned.
- The beginning of each paragraph does not need to be indented.
- The main text is single-spaced, but leave a blank line between each paragraph and after the last paragraph.
Step 4. Use a polite closing greeting
Type “Sincerely,” or another equally polite closing greeting, after the main text of your letter and follow it with a comma.
- Remember to write the closing salutation left-aligned and only the first letter of the first word of the greeting is capitalized.
- Other formal closing greetings that can be used include “Thank you,” “Greetings,” and “Greetings.”
Step 5. Type your name just below the closing greeting
Unlike letters written/printed on paper, you will not be able to sign your emails with a pen.
Your name is left aligned
Step 6. Write your contact information at the bottom
Leave a blank line after your name, then type in your physical address, phone number, email address, and your website or blog if you have one.
All information is written left aligned and single spaced. Each contact information is typed on a separate line
Method 4 of 4: Formatting Emails for Friends
Step 1. Start by writing a brief but precise description of your email subject in the email subject section
This description lets recipients know the subject of your email at a glance before opening it, and gives them enough information so they can guess what your email is about.
Step 2. Start by writing a polite greeting or greeting in the text section of the email
You can write down whatever polite greeting you like, such as “Dear one”. Follow this with the recipient's name.
- Greetings are written left aligned.
- If you're writing to a close friend, you can leave the greeting completely out of the way and just start with their first name followed by a comma.
- Leave a blank line between the greeting and the body of your email.
Step 3. Type the body of your email
Like all types of letters, the body of your email should include an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, if you're writing an email to a close friend, this type of format may not be necessary.
Step 4. End your email with a closing greeting
When closing an email for a friend, the closing greeting doesn't need to be formal, but it should be a sign that your email is ending.
If you're writing to a very close friend, sometimes it's okay to just end your email with your name, without writing a closing greeting at all
Tips
- It should be noted that there are slight differences between official letters in the United States and official letters in the United Kingdom (UK). In the UK, the return address and date are right aligned and the subject line, if any, is centered. In addition, the date is written in the “day-month-year” format, and a comma is written after the greeting, not a colon.
- If you do not like the format described here, which is sometimes referred to as the block format, you can also use the modified block format and the semi-block format. These formats contain basically the same information, and only the locations are different.
