Whats the correct way to set out a formal letter?

Question

I need to write a formal letter and need to know how to set it out

eg

date(left alligned)
address:(left alligned)

etc

any help appreciated

Answer 1

There are several different ways to set up a "formal" letter.

The block style is most common: everything begins at the left margin. To correctly address a person, look in the back of the dictionary for the proper forms of address.

Start the date on the left about 2" down from the top (depending on the length of the letter), drop down four lines (use enter key) to begin the address. Drop down two lines to add the salutation (also found in the dictionary). Drop down another two lines.

Type the body of the letter. Make sure you have no typos!

For closing, add two more lines after end of letter. I would suggest you use "Respectfully" for closing a formal letter. Yours truly is outdated; in a formal letter you are not "sincerely yours" so stick to respectfully.

Drop down four lines and type your name.

In typing your letter this way, you will have used the block style. Remember to put two lines in between paragraphs.

Also, I would suggest you use an uneven right hand margin (rather than a right justified margin) because it's easier to read.

Good luck!

Answer 2

There are different acceptable formats, depend on the purpose of the letter. Some formats depend on the person you are addressing. (Like the President of the U.S. or Her Royal Majesty, etc, etc.)

Most word processing applications will come with templates for different types of letters. Word does. Apple Works does. FileMaker (data base app.) does.

If you Google "letter format" you will find all kinds of websites providing you with guidelines for different types of formal letters -- including business letters, personal letters, engineering memos, etc. to name a few.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000149.htm