Introduction to the Business Letter

A business letter differs from a friendly letter in the following

ways:
Forma
t

Tone
Audie
nce

Lengt
h
Purpo
se

Business
contains much more
information in
addresses, etc
typed
format is very specific
and must be followed
correctly for both letter
and envelope
more formal and serious
stranger or
acquaintance; often a
person managing a
business
must be at least three to
four paragraphs long
complaint, application,
requests

Friendly
contains little
information
often not typed
format is less stringent,
but envelope rules must
still be followed
correctly
less formal and serious
someone you already
know

length is not predetermined

to interact with
someone, express
thanks or regret, extend
invitation

Business Letter Format

Business letters follow a very particular format. All letters must follow the same
format, and
there is no room for creativity. Do NOT deviate from the format provided.
I. Envelope
i. Addresses should be typed or written in __________________________________ letters.
ii. All lines of the addresses must be formatted with a uniform ____________ margin.

iii. Punctuation marks (such as commas and periods) should

_________________________ unless they
are a part of the ______________ (ex. ________________________).
iv. The postal code should always appear on the __________________ as the
municipality and province
or territory name, and should be separated from the province name by two spaces.
v. The two-letter abbreviation for the province name
_______________________________________;
abbreviations for street (______), avenue (______) and boulevard (______) should also
be used.
vi. The return address should be formatted in the _____________________ as the
mailing address.

I. The Envelope

Example:

Now you do it:

Address a letter to your teacher at this school. It is to come from you at your own home address.
The schools address is 158 Sunwapta Drive. The postal code is T7V 1T7. The school is located in
Hinton, which is in the province of Alberta.

Write a business letter to persuade Don Ennis, principal of James T. Kirk Middle School, to
change the cafeteria menu at your school. Provide enough information to convince Don Ennis
of the need to make a change to healthier foods.

Use the following information for your letter and to address the envelope below.
Don Ennis
The principal of James T. Kirk Middle School is Don Ennis. The school is located at 267 Main Street in
Vulcan, Alberta. The postal code is T9W 3B6.

Jamie Corrigan
Jamie Corrigan lives in Troureaux, which is in the province of Alberta. The postal code is T9W 4J7.
Jamies address is 295 Wilson Avenue.

First Attempt:

Corrections:

II. The Letter

NOTE: There are other acceptable formats, but you will learn and use only one to
avoid confusion.

1. Heading
Your address, not including your
name, and the date; 2 spaces
between province & post code
space
2. Address of person you are writing
TO

space

Dear Mr. Hunt:

3. Salutation, followed by a
colon (:)

space

I am writing to you to request that your

company participate in the upcoming
career day at our school. The fair will be
held June 15 at 9:00 a.m.

4. Body
Paragraph 1 - State the purpose of
your letter using formal language;
only very basic information in this
paragraph.

space

As one of the major employers in our town, I

think it
is important that The Knitting Mill be
represented at
our annual career day. As you may know,

Paragraph 2 - State reasons

for your request or the
evidence that supports your
purpose, as stated in
paragraph 1. Elaborate as
needed. Use cohesive

The Knitting Mill employs more than 40% of

the towns adults, and many of our students
have expressed an interest in finding out
about the different kinds of jobs available at
the mill. In particular, students want to
know about the job responsibilities, the
salary expectations, and the hours they
might be expected to work.

devices! Write another

paragraph if needed.

space

I look forward to hearing from you. I will

need to hear from you no later than June 4
in order to include your company in our
career fair program.

Paragraph 3 Make your

request, including a specific
date if necessary. Be specific
about what you want!

space

Sincerely,

5. Closing, followed by comma (only first word is

capitalized)

space
6. Handwritten signature

space

Jean Brown

7. Your full name, printed or typed

Introductory Assignment:

Use the business letter format to write yourself a letter. Your assignment is to tell yourself
your goals and aspirations for this grade 9 year. Explain to yourself what you want to
accomplish, and make some specific plans for how you can accomplish these goals.

Use the following information for your letter and to address the envelope below.

Return Address
Harry Collinge High School is located in Hinton, Alberta. The street address is 158 Sunwapta
Drive, and the postal code is T7V 1K8. Make the name of the person sending the letter Ms. L.

Folliott ON THE ENVELOPE ONLY.

Mailing Address
Use your own address, which will be provided for you. Be sure to include the postal code.

Be careful to observe ALL the rules of business letter formatting.

If you are unsure at any point, refer back to the notes and
examples.