LETTER STYLES

Full Block
all elements are aligned at the left margin

Modified Block
return address, dateline, complimentary close, and signature
block are aligned just to the right of centre page, and all other
elements are aligned at the left margin

LETTER STYLES

LETTER STYLES

LETTER ELEMENTS
Return Address (The writers address)
At top of page
Company
Company Name
Number + Street Name
City, Province Post Code
Telephone
Fax
Website

Dateline
Month Day, Year

Personal
Number + Street Name
City, Province Post Code

ex. February 2, 2015

Full Block: Two lines below Return Address

Modified Block: One line below Return Address
Dont use short form: Oct., Nov, Dec., and dont use 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th

Inside Address (The readers address)

Two to ten lines below Dateline depending on length of letter
No line should end with a comma or go past the middle of the page
1st line: Mr. or Ms. First and Last Name
- If you dont know the gender, just put the name
nd
2 line: Write the persons job title (or this can go on the first line)
3rd line: Company Name
4th line: Number + Street Name
5th line: City, Province Post Code
Attention Line
(Optional)
Used when you are sending a letter to a department in an organization or to a person who holds a
particular position, rather than to a specific person
Wanda Group
Tower B, Wanda Plaza, No. 93
Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing
100022

LETTER ELEMENTS
ATTENTION: MARKETING DIRECTOR
Subject Line
(Optional)
Tells the reader what the letter is about in one line
Can go two lines above or below Salutation
Can be written in different ways:
SUBJECT: IMPROVED HEALTH BENEFITS PACKAGE
RE: GUEST SPEAKERS ARRIVAL TIMES
Subject: Request for updated schedule

Salutation
It is a greeting to the reader of the letter
It is followed by a colon
Different ways to write it:
Dear Mr. Johnson:
Dear Ms. Jackson:
Dear Jennifer: (when you know the person well)
Dear Sales Representatives: (when addressing a group)

Message Body
Begins two lines below Salutation
This is the message of your letter
Single spaced within paragraphs
Double spaced between paragraphs
Should be in the middle of the page, not the top or bottom
Full Block: dont indent paragraphs
Modified Block: you can indent paragraphs

Complimentary Close
Two lines below last line of letter
Sincerely,
Yours truly,
Regards,
Best wishes,
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LETTER ELEMENTS
Signature Block
Leave four blank lines after the Complimentary Close and type your name
Sign your name in pen in the blank space
If your name can be used for either males or females, put a courtesy title in parentheses
ex. (Ms.) Pat Quinn

Enclosure Notation
(Optional)
Tells the reader you have included documents with the letter
Put below Signature Block
Can be written in different ways:
Enclosure: Purchase Receipts
Enc.
Continuation Page Heading
If a message cannot fit on a single page, at least three lines of text should be carried over to the
next page
Each new page should have a heading in the upper left corner with the readers name, the page
number, and date

LETTER ELEMENTS
(The elements in this letter are not in the correct order. In the box below, list the elements
in the correct order and write in the name of the element.)
ATTENTION: SALES MANAGER
April 24, 2013
Subject: Poor Quality of Photocopying
Quick Copy
2167 Xian Road
Changchun, Jilin, P.R. China
Restaurant Supply Solutions
387 Renmin Road
Changchun, Jilin, P.R. China
Dear Sir or Madam:
Please cancel the charge of $438.75 for Invoice # 4073.
On April 20, I placed an order for 100 colour copies of a 13 page full-colour handout. The
products I received were of such poor quality that I was unable to use them in my recent
presentation.
I have enclosed one of the handouts that were copied for me. As you can see, the colours run
together, and the type cannot be read. This is not the quality of work I had hoped for when I saw
an advertisement for Quick Copy on page 154 of the April issue of Business Management
magazine.
As I have already given the presentation, providing me with new copies would not solve the
problem. I understand that mistakes happen and I am confident you will not charge me for
something that I could not use.
enc.
1) ____ _________________

Sincerely,

6) _____

___________________
2) ____ _________________

7) _____

___________________

Claire D. Scriven
Account Manager

3) ____ _________________

8) _____

___________________
4) ____ _________________

9) _____
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CLAIM LETTER
You write a Claim Letter when you have a problem that you want fixed
For example, you buy something online, and it is broken when you receive it
READ THE CLAIM LETTER ON THE NEXT PAGE AND ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS
Paragraph 1: What does the writer want?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: What happened on the following dates?
January 12:____________________________________________________________________
January 14:____________________________________________________________________
January 15:____________________________________________________________________
What did Sean include with his letter?
______________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 3:
What did the contract say?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What happened on February 1?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 4:
What nice thing did Sean say about Atlas Fitness?
______________________________________________________________________________
What does Sean want Atlas to do?
______________________________________________________________________________

4 Weixing Road
Changchun, Jilin Province
P.R. China, 130000
February 2, 2015
Mr. Richard Doherty
Manager
Atlas Fitness
24 Gongnong Road
Changchun, Jilin Province
P.R. China, 130000
Subject: Refund of Fees for Cancelled Membership #00583
Dear Mr. Doherty:
Please refund the $69 in fees that were charged to my credit card after I cancelled my gym
membership on January 15.
I first visited Atlas Fitness on January 12 and paid for a $789 one-year membership. On January
14, I came to the gym to work-out and after talking to several staff members, I learned that this
gym is not a good place for beginners like me. On January 15, I sent a letter to you cancelling
my membership. I have enclosed a copy of that letter.
The contract I had with Atlas Fitness said that I would not have to pay any money if I cancelled
my membership within ten days of signing. On February 1, I received my monthly credit card
statement, and I was surprised to see a charge of $69 from Atlas Fitness.
Your gym has a great reputation for customer service, so I am sure you will agree with my
request that this billing error be corrected.
Sincerely,

Sean Acheson
Enc: Original Cancellation Letter

Writing the Body of a Claim Letter

What should the first, middle, and last paragraphs of a claim letter include?
First Paragraph:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Middle Paragraph(s):
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Last Paragraph:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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