It is becoming harder and harder to write a letter well. Slang, unconventional grammar and computer email-lingos have moved in and become second nature in our way of writing. But when writing a letter, we should keep in mind that we can’t take back the written words once it has been sent. It’s common for us to say or do things impetuously and emotionally and letter writing is no different. So, we need to put a letter down and wait before sending it, just like one may walk away from an argument to cool down or think things over before responding. Spend some time to read over what has been written in the letter before actually putting it into the mail.

Letter writing etiquette is an important and valuable lesson one should learn in his/her life. Some people may misunderstand it as just a bunch or words on paper, but it actually means much more than that. It might be the only impression the reader can get of you when a letter arrives at its destination, and the reader may get a good picture of who you are through your writing. That’s why letter writing etiquette is really an essential tool for everyone to know.

Letter writing etiquette applies to in all kinds of letter, no matter it is a personal one or a business one. First and foremost, give thought to your writing, considering carefully how you want to come across to the recipient of your letter. Make sure to use proper wording to express your feelings and thoughts. Many times a letter can be brought back at a later date as proof of your character, though it might actually be a result of writing on impulse, not a real reflection of who you truly are. So, jot down ideas and thoughts before writing, and then develop them into sentences and paragraphs. Once you have finished the letter, put it aside and read it again a few hours or days later before you actually send it out.

Letter writing etiquette suggests writing in a certain order so that the reader can easily understand. Begin at the beginning of your story or problem and go forward from there. Don’t jump around from the present to past and back again. This will confuse your readers and throw them off of what you’re trying to tell them. So, you should express your ideas clearly and concisely, staying with short sentences and using descriptive words to convey your meaning. Following good letter writing etiquette will keep you from sounding dull and long-winded, and will keep the reader interested and reading quickly through the paper to find the ending.

Another point of letter etiquette that you can’t neglect is grammar. You will distract the readers if your letter is full of grammatical errors. Whenever they read cross something that is grammatically wrong, their brain will stop and focus on the thing that just looks wrong. Mentally they will be concentrated on this error and it takes them away from what you are trying to express in the letter. And even worse, you might run the risk of losing your reader completely if your letter is full of grammatical errors. They may possibly give up reading before they ever get to the end where you might have some important conclusion statement for them.

Everyone should make time to learn letter writing etiquette. Sending letters is an extension of showing whom you are, and bad writing and grammar will show the readers that you are one that doesn’t need to be taken seriously. What’s worse, a letter sent in anger or full of insults and threats will only serve to show you in a negative light that can be used against you at anytime. So, take time to learn good letter writing etiquette which will come in handy many times in your life.

Are you bothered when you receive a letter that is not well-written, properly formatted, and presented? We all know that good first impression is crucial to success, and we also know the importance of good handshake to giving a good first impression when meeting someone in person. Equally important as part of your total appearance is making a good first impression with your correspondence.

■Letterhead

Formal letters are generally written on 8.5×11 sheets of quality plain paper or pre-printed stationery. Your name or your company name should be clearly identifiable, while your address and other contact information should also be easy to find and read.

■Formatting the Letter

The type size and style of a letter should be consistent, and this may make it easy to read and help define your overall company image. The most common layout style for business correspondence is to justify the left margin and place an extra line space to indicate a new paragraph. It doesn’t matter whether you indent the first line or not. Our only recommendation is not to right-justify a letter because it actually makes the letter more difficult to read. Take care in laying out your letter to have balanced margins all around.

■Heading

Start a formal letter with the following information, in this order:

◆ Date

Write down the date that the letter is being sent, spelling out the entire date in either the American style (May 1, 2012) or European style (1 May 2012). Never use any form of abbreviation. Typically no more than two to three line spaces follow this line.

◆ Addressee and Inside Address

The items below should be written on separate lines:

It’s best to address the person properly as Miss, Ms., Mrs.or Mr.(as applicable) followed by their first and last name to show your respect if it is the first-time letter to him/her. If the addressee has a designation, such as M.D. or Ph.D., use only one style at a time. For instance, list “Alice Green, M.D.”, not “Dr.Alice Green, M.D.”.

When entering the name of a state, type the entire name, such as “California”, not the postal code “CA” which just appears on the envelope. There usually are two-lines spaces following this block.

■Greeting and Salutation

Letter writing etiquette dictates all letters begin with “Dear” followed by the addressee’s honorific and last name, then followed by a colon, or a comma (in USA), such as “Dear Dr.Green;” or “Dear Dr.Green,” (in USA). Again, “Dear Ms.Green” is best for first-time letters. As you become better acquainted with the person, you can use a popular greeting style which is to type in his/her proper name, and then strike it out by pen and hand writing his/her first name to show less formality. Follow this information with two line spaces.

■Body Text

The current style is to write letters in as conversational a manner as possible. Long gone are the days where letters were written to sound more formal in an attempt to elevate your level of education and professionalism. Avoid phrases such as “Pursuant to” or “Please find enclosed” and stick with the same phrases you use in business conversation. So many people are now using a sandwich approach in writing a letter: begin and end all correspondence with positive and cordial sentiments; sandwiched in the middle, write the core information they want to convey. Separate each paragraph of the body text with two line spaces.

■Closing

You can end the letter with a cordial phrase you are comfortable using—Love, Sincerely, Truly, Yours, or Best Regards—followed by a comma. Depending on space at the bottom of the sheet, allow four to five lines spaces for a signature.

■Signature Lines

Type the full name of the person who wrote and signed the letter. When a woman wishes to be addressed in a specific way, she should add Mrs., Ms., or Miss in parenthesis before her name. If the letter was written by more than one person, be sure to include a signature line for each. A second signature line may be used to list the person’s position or title, as applicable.

■Notations

At the bottom of the letter, typically two line spaces below the second signature line list notations for enclosures, postscripts, and courtesy copies. You can list courtesy copies as “cc” with the names of all individuals who are receiving a copy of the letter. It’s better to highlight each “cc” person’s name when sending their copy.

■Identifying Initials

If the letter is not typed and finalized by the author himself/herself, it is customary to include a line indicating who performed this work. Show the initials of the author of the letter in capital letters, followed by either a colon or forward-slash and the assistant’s initials in lower case letters. For instance, “RFH:sjs” or “RFH/sjs”.

■Proof Read

Never forget to print out a copy of your letter and read it before signing and mailing. Read the letter for spelling, grammar, and correct contact. Make sure that the format and margins are pleasing to the eye.

■Folding

Another problem you should take notice is how the letter is folded, since sometimes a sloppy and incorrectly folded letter makes the reader frustrated and disappointed. A crookedly folded letter conveys a lack of interest, care, and professionalism. Letters typed on standard 8.5×11 paper, mailed in a standard #10 business sized envelope should be folded in thirds, leaving the top flap just slightly short of meeting a perfect one-third fold, leaving a little flap allows the receiver to open the letter more easily. If the letter is mailed a smaller envelope, fold the paper first in half lengthwise, then in thirds horizontally.

■Inserting

Place the folded letter into the envelope with the top flap in front and upright in the envelope, so that the receiver can easily pull the letter out, open it, and read it. Inserting it any other way makes it more difficult to open and read.

■Addressing the Envelope

It’s best to use a printed envelop that matches your letter for leaving a good first impression. Make sure your return address is easy to find and read, and use the Postal Service guidelines for the fastest delivery service: use all capital letters; type all addresses; eliminate all punctuation; insert one space between the city and state and two spaces between the state and zip code; again, there is not comma between the city and state; use only the two-letter state code.

Letter Writing

1.If you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to,begin the letter with Dear Sir/Madam.

2.You can end the letter by signing off with Sincerely.Sincerely yours or Yours truly.

3.You should not use short forms,such as I’m or don’t, or intormal phrases in tormal letters.

Letter Folding

Envelop Addressing