Caroline BushGrand Canyon University

EDU 542: Module 5September 28, 2011

Personal-Business Letters

Personal-Business Letters

Personal-business letters are letters written by an

individual of a personal nature. Personal-business

letters are usually less formal than business letters.

Basic Parts of Personal-Business Letters

Return Address – address of the individual sending the letter.

Date – month, day, and year the letter is typed. Letter Address – address of the individual the

letter is sent to. Salutation – greeting of the letter, for example,

Dear John. Body – the part of the letter that contains the

message. Complimentary Close – the closing or farewell

of the letter, for example, Sincerely yours. Name of the Writer – typed name of the person

writing the letter.

Special Parts of Personal-Business Letters

• Reference Initials – the initials of the individual that actually types the letter.

• Attachment/Enclosure Notation – the word Attachment or Enclosure is typed at the end of the letter if there is another document attached or enclosed in the envelope.

Formatting Personal-Business Letters

• Left and right margins should be set at 1-inch.• Letters should be centered vertically on the page.• Letters should be typed in block format with open

punctuation.• Letters arranged in block format have all parts of the letter

beginning at the left margin. The paragraphs are not indented.

• Letters with open punctuation contains no punctuation after the salutation or complimentary closing.

• The return address is the first part of the letter. The address consists of a line for the street address and one for the city, state, and ZIP Code. Single space after the return address.

• Type the date of the letter (month, day, year). Quadruple space after the date.

Formatting Personal-Business Letters

• Type the letter address. Double-space after the letter address.

• Type the salutation. Double-space after the salutation.• Begin the body of the letter. Use word wrap. Single-space

the body and double-space between the paragraphs .• Type the complimentary close. Quadruple space after the

complimentary close.• Type the name of the writer.• All letters will not have special parts. Reference initials in

lower case letters and no punctuation a double-space below the writer’s name.

• Attachment/Enclosure notation are typed a double-space below the reference initials.

Features to Enhance a Personal-Business Letter

Font Style Font SizeUnderline

Bold

Italics

Other Features to Enhance a Personal-Business Letter

Inserting tables, pictures, clip art, and shapes is another feature used to enhance personal-business letters.

Personal-Business Letter Sample

Return AddressDate

Letter Address

Salutation

Body

Complimentary Close

Writer’s Name

Enclosure Notation

Personal-Business Letter Student Notes

Personal-Business Letter Interactive Activity

In this personal-business letter interactive activity, students will match the word to the letter part.

Personal-Business Letter Interactive Activity

In this personal-business letter interactive activity, students will match the letter part to the description.

508 Disability Resources

• The student in the wheelchair will sit at the first computer by the door so he may have easy and quick access to the entry/exit of the classroom.

• The student is allowed extra time to complete assignments and is allowed to arrange the keyboard to fit his/her comfort level.

• The student will leave the classroom approximately 3 minutes before dismissal of other students.

Summary

In summary, personal-business letters are used as a way to communicate with another individual or organization. These letters are also used to request information, give information or give feedback. Knowing how to properly format and use features to enhance letters will provide a great impression to the receiver.