Business Letter Format and Example | English Writing

Business writing should be clear and concise. Take care, however, that your document does not turn out as an endless series of short, choppy sentences. Keep in mind also that “concise” does not have to mean “blunt”—you still need to think about your tone and the audience for whom you are writing.

 Business Letter Format and Example | English Writing

Points to remember 

Start your letter in full block format (i.e., to the left).

State your reason for writing in the first paragraph and stay on track.

Be brief, clear and to the point.

It may be strongly worded, but always be courteous and use polite language and pleasant tone.

Use separate paragraphs for separate topics.

Self-introduction should be avoided.

Informal expressions, greetings or contracted forms of words should not be used.

If you know the person you are writing to, use ‘Dear Mr/Mrs …’

In case you do not know the person you are addressing to, use ‘Dear Sir or Madam’

The standard business letter 

The standard salutation for a business letter is the salutation Dear, followed by the person’s name and sometimes a title, closing with a colon.

We don’t comma in a business letter although it is not mandatory. 

Dear Ms. Reader:

Dear Janet:

Dear Attorney Adams:

Ending Phrase

If you know the person you are addressing to, use, ‘Yours sincerely’

In case you do not know the addressee, use ‘Yours faithfully’

‘Dear Sir or Madam’ connected with ‘Yours faithfully’

‘Dear Mr Smith’ connected with ‘Yours sincerely’ 

Format

If you know the person you are addressing to, use, ‘Yours sincerely’

In case you do not know the addressee, use ‘Yours faithfully’

‘Dear Sir or Madam’ connected with ‘Yours faithfully’

‘Dear Mr Smith’ connected with ‘Yours sincerely’ 

Stephen Naga 

(Your organisation/company) optional

Kuda Village, Half Nagarjan

Dimapur, Nagaland-797112

20th September, 2020

Mrs Susan Nakhro

Principal 

Daffodil School

Highway Road, Vasant Vihar

Delhi-110067

Piers Morgan 

Dear Mr Morgan:

Nini Nakhro 

Dear Mrs Nakhro: 

If you know the name or the person use his/her last name or surname 

In the first paragraph, deliver a friendly and clear introduction. 

State the main points of your letter here. Keep the section short and to the point. 

Do not wait until the second paragraph to tell your audience what your main point is – they most likely won’t get that far.

Use evidence and persuasive reasoning to justify your main point. 

If needed, use an extra paragraph to further support your point via empirical evidence.

Avoid unnecessary points. 

 The closing paragraph should restate the point of the letter, and most importantly, include a call to action. 

A call to action is a passage that compels your reader to do something. 

Ask yourself, “what do I want my reader to do right after reading this letter?”

Example of calls to action: “Please let me know how I may be of assistance during this period.”

Yours faithfully, 

……………

Signature

(Full Name in capitals)

Designation (if needed)