Block Form Business Letter Format -- This Also Applies to Emails

Block Form Business Letter Format

Well-built communications are part of college and of life; sloppy letters do not help you present yourself as a young professional.  Follow the block form business letter format when writing to your instructors, employers, business associates, and customers.

No excuses – last term a student emailed me from her car while in labor as her husband was driving her to the hospital.  If she can construct a proper business letters in such circumstances, big guy, you can too.

In the block form business letter format the margins are one-inch all around; your computer’s WP program probably defaults to this.  Don’t obsess on measuring the margins; if they look good, they are good.

When writing an email, be sure to state your full name and the subject or professional connection in the subject line: “Rodney Snortberg, English 1301.”  Without this information your letter might be discarded in the Orwellian Memory Hole as just another annoying advertisement or attempt at electronic fraud.  If you expect to be taken seriously, take your correspondent seriously.

The six parts of a business letter are:

Heading                  (sender’s complete address and the date)

Inside address       (recipient’s complete address)

Salutation             (conventional greeting, usually “Dear”)

Body                      (The business.  K.I.S.S. - Keep It Short and Simple)

Close                               (conventional farewell, usually “Sincerely”)

Signature              (In an email your handwritten signature won’t be there

Of course, but keep the format)

 

An example follows.

 

 

Rt. 33, Box 33

Trestleburgh, Texas 77777
Clearaddress33@aol.com
33 Octember 2013

Lawrence Hall, Adjunct Instructor
English Department
Angelina College
Jasper Teaching Center
450 Bulldog Avenue
P.O. Box 278
Jasper, Texas 75951
Mhall46184@aol.com

Dear Mr. Hall:

This letter is to remind you that Poncy Tworbst, Massive Ferguson, Misty McNguyen, and I are off to represent our school as the Jasper High School Battlin’ Sacrificial Pawns (Go, Sacrificial Pawns!) Chess Team at Vladivostok, Texas in the state championship competition as sanctioned by the U.I.L., and will miss our classes next week.

We will note the lessons and assignments on angryverbs.blogspot.com, and will check with our classmates.  We will also have the essay you assigned last week ready for submission upon return.

Thanks!

Sincerely,

                                  (In an email these four lines are blank; in a

                                   letter-on-dead-tree Miss Murphy-O’Chang signs here)

Elizabeth Murphy-O’Chang

Chess Team Captain
Jasper High School