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Example of a Formal Letter Acknowledgments
F. Scott Fitzgerald Information for this brochure was adapted from:
481 Laurel Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55104 “Writing the Basic Business Letter.” The Online
Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University. 27 Jan.
January 10, 2009 2009.
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/653/0
Maxwell Perkins 1/>.
Charles Scribner’s Sons
2112 Fifth Avenue “Business Letters.” The Writing Center at the
New York, NY 10034 University of Wisconsin-Madison. 27 Jan. 2009.
<http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/BusinessLetter.
Dear Mr. Perkins: html>.
Enclosed please find a new manuscript for my Where to Find Help on Campus
novel, which you so adroitly rejected upon our last Consultants at the Hamline University Writing
correspondence. I have made many of the changes Center, located in the basement of Bush Library,
you suggested and am confident that you will find are eager to help you with all stages of your
the book to your liking. writing. We will work with you whether you have
just received an assignment and have no idea how
Please let me know your opinion as soon as to begin or you have a finished draft and want help
possible. with revisions.
Sincerely, You can make appointments online at WC Online.
Simply follow the instructions at:
F. Scott Fitzgerald
http://rich37.com/hamline
Enc: manuscript
We look forward to seeing you!
F. Scott Fitzgerald
fscott@fitzgerald.com
651-523-2912
Accessing More Information
The Writing Center at the University of
Wisconsin – Madison: www.wisc.edu The Writing Center
/writing/Handbook Hamline University
Bush Library, Lower Level
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue 651-523-2026
University: http://owl.purdue.english.edu writingcenter@hamline.edu
As a graduate or undergraduate student, you have 1. Heading or Return Address 6. Salutation
already written a formal letter applying for school.
You may need to write formal letters in the future Contact information for the person who is sending If you can, find a contact within the organization.
for other reasons. the letter should be easily located, so it is usually This adds a personal touch. When addressing an
placed at the top left-hand corner of the page. You unknown person use Dear Sir or Madam. Use
To make a request or inquiry may also use letterhead. courtesy titles such as Dr., Mr., Ms., Professor. Use
To complain a colon rather than a comma; it is more
To apply for a job 2. The Date professional.
To issue an announcement
To sell something After the contact information, skip one line and Dear Professor McGonagall:
To respond to a previous letter include the complete date—month, day, and year.
7. Body
To acknowledge or thank someone
3. The Recipient’s Name and Address
The body usually includes an introductory
The Content of Formal Letters
After the date, skip another line and type the name paragraph, one or more body paragraphs, and a
Some rules apply to any formal letter, regardless of and address of the person or organization to whom concluding paragraph.
its purpose. you are writing.
8. Complimentary Close and Signature
4. Attention Line
Know your audience.
Capitalize the first letter of your closing, and
Establish the objective of the letter fairly
There are at least two instances where an attention follow all phrases with commas.
quickly. Are you complaining? Inquiring?
line should be included:
Thanking?
Sincerely,
Always use a tone that is friendly, courteous,
When you do not know the name of the person Yours truly,
and professional, not curt. Best regards,
you are trying to contact
Write multiple drafts of your letter until you
are completely happy with the results. Make Attention: Human Resource Manager 9. Enclosure Lines
sure the content is organized, the grammar and
punctuation are correct, and the text is free of
When you want the organization to respond Use the abbreviation Enc. to indicate any
typos. Write formal letters carefully as they documents enclosed.
even if the person to whom you are writing is
are an expression of your professionalism and
unavailable. In such a case, type the name of
capabilities. 10. Contact Information
the organization or division in the attention
line.
Formatting Formal Letters Include a way for the recipient to contact you.
5. Subject Line (optional)
Formal letters normally use full block format;
every line starts at the left margin. A letter with
Describe the contents of the letter using key words
indented paragraphs is usually more informal.
or a brief phrase.
The many format options appropriate for formal
letters all include the following common elements:
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