Business Letters for Busy People

CHAPTER 3Format of a Business Letter

Business letter formats have changed over the years. If you went to school prior to the 1970s, you probably learned one basic form of business letter now called the Modified Semi-Block. It was the bane of every beginning typist because of its strict rules concerning spacing. Luckily, the movement in business has been to simplify and provide choices. Now you have a choice of six different forms, some extremely simple, others more complex. This chapter will review the various forms. The six forms of business letters most commonly used are:

• Block

• Modified Block

• Modified Semi-Block

• Simplified

• Hanging Indented

• Memo

It is likely that your organization may prefer one form over another. In the following ...