Writing a Professional Letter

A large part of your future career will be using written correspondence. Written communication has typically consisted of letters, memos, emails, and these days, texts and instant messages.



Full-Block Format

We will be using full-block format for your letter writing assignment. This format is used by nearly everyone for most correspondence. Follow these 4 standards for the letter writing assignment:

  1. All lines begin at the left margin. (so no paragraph indents!) For this assignment, use one-inch margins all around.
  2. Text in paragraphs is single spaced.
  3. Put a double space between paragraphs and all letter parts (like the salutation) except for these sections:
    - Extra space should be added between the date and the address (probably between 3-10 blank lines)
  4. Between “Sincerely,” and your typed name and title, leave 4 blank lines. This will be where you sign your name.
The letter should be centered vertically on the page. This is NOT the same thing as center aligned. Watch the business letter slideshow if you are still confused about what this is.

HERE is an example full block letter written in Google Docs. You can view this letter and model your own letter after this one.

Here is another example of what your full block business letter assignment will look like. This one has red marks on it where you need to pay attention to special formatting.


Last modified: Friday, August 6, 2010, 1:29 PM