Parts of a

Business Letter
IMPROVE YOUR WRITING
SKILL
Seven parts of a business letter:
1. The letter head
2. The reference and date
3. The inside name and address
4. The salutations
5. The message
6. The subscription or complimentary close
7. The writer’s signature and designation
Some more optional:
8. Subject line
9. Writer and typist initials
10. Enclosure notation
11. Copy notation
• Personal Address
• Street address
• City
• State
• Zip Code
• Company Address
• Company’s name
• Street address
• City
• State
• Zip Code

3
• Full Calendar Date
• May 31,2019
• 31May 2019
• 31st May 2019
• 2-4 spaces

4
• Address of the reader
• Reader’s Name
• Reader’s Title
• Company Name
• Company Street Address
• Company City
• Company State
• Company Zip Code
• 2-4 spaces

5
• IF you know the reader’s
name, salutation will be
• First / Last Name
• Followed by Colon OR Comma
• For example
• Dear Mr. Smith:
• Dear Ms. Jones,
• Dear Miss / Mrs. Jones:
• Dear Chris Evans,
• OTHERWISE
• Use title
• Dear Vice President:
• Use department’s name
• Accounting Department:
• 2 spaces
6
• Includes
• Introductory Paragraph
• Discussion Paragraph
• Concluding Paragraph

• 2 spaces below salutation

• 2 spaces between
paragraphs

7
• Place a comma after
complimentary close

• Preferred close is
Sincerely,

• 2 spaces below body

8
• Sign your name legibly

9
• Type your name
• Mention your title
(Optional)

• 4 spaces below
complimentary close

10
• Must have a topic & focus

• Can be used instead of

salutation

• All CAPS (for getting

attention)

• 2 spaces below inside

address OR 2 spaces
below the salutation
11
• If writer and typist are two
different persons
• Writer’s initials- ALL CAPS
• Typist’s initials-
LOWERCASE

• Separate both initials with

a colon

• 2 spaces below typed

signature

12
• Enclose information as
• Enc.; OR
• Enclosure; OR
• Enclosures(2); OR
• Enclosure: August Report

• 2 spaces below writer’s

and typist’s initials

13
• For a copy of letter,
write
• cc (complimentary copy)
• pc (photocopy)

• For copies sent to other

readers, write
• pc: Reader Ma,e

• 2 spaces below enclosure

notation

14
Practice makes perfect
Please check out the links in the description box.