BUSINESS LETTERS

2" top margin

The amount of blank space left at the top of the page on a business letter. The measurement can be read off of the vertical ruler that runs up and down the left side of the screen.

Margin

The blank white space around the edge of the page.

3 easy steps for setting up the page before starting the letter.

1. set to single spacing 2. remove the extra space between the paragraphs 3. hit ENTER 4-5 times to leave a 2" top margin at the top of the page.

BUSINESS LETTER

A form of communicating when a person or company needs to communicate in a FORMAL PROFESSIONAL way to another person or company. It should be formatted correctly and have no typos. example of reasons for sending a business letter: 1. applying for college 2. applying for a job 3. requesting information 4. reaching customers

Block Format

All lines of text start at the left margin. NO INDENTS in paragraphs. Leaves a nice clean block like appearance that is easy to read.

CLOSING

Closes out the letter. Uses professional language and open punctuation. Comes a double space (ENTER x2) after the body of the letter. example of format: Sincerely

Show/Hide Button

Formatting marks like dots (...) for spaces or arrows (→) for tab characters are used in Word to show the text layouts and spacing of documents. You might find these formatting marks useful when you're designing content with a specific look in mind.

View ruler

Make sure your ruler is showing so you can measure your top margin correctly. Go to: Insert Tab>View ruler checkbox.

GREETING/SALUTATION

Opens the letter by greeting the receiver. Uses professional language and open punctuation. Comes after the inside address before you start typing the body of the letter. Needs a double space (ENTER x2) before and after. example of format: Dear Ms. Doe (no punctuation used=open punctuation)

WRITER/SENDER'S JOB TITLE (optional)

Optional part. Added directly below the writer's name but ONLY IF NEEDED. No blank spaces should separate the writer's name from the job title. example of format: Mrs. Sara Alfred (writer's name) TSDE Teacher (job title)

Letterhead

The company information that is often pre-printed at the top of the paper. This is why a 2" top margin is needed.

DATE

The date the letter is typed. The very first thing you type after the page is setup correctly. It will start 2" from the top margin. example of format: November 27, 2016

INSIDE ADDRESS

The full address of the person or company receiving the letter. It comes a quadruple space (ENTER x4) after the date. example of format: Jane Doe (Full name) 1111 Elm Street (street info) Houston, TX 77080 (city, state, zip)

Single spacing (1.0)

The insertion point moves down one line at a time so there are no blank lines in between text. This saves space. Business letters need to be set to single spacing. SET SINGLE SPACING BEFORE STARTING THE LETTER. Go To: Home Tab > Paragraph Group > Line and Paragraph Spacing Command drop down menu > 1.0

SIGNATURE SPACE

The large blank quadruple space (ENTER x4) in between the closing and the writer's/sender's name. This is where the writer/sender will sign his/her name with a pen.

WRITER'S/SENDER'S NAME

The name of the person who has written the letter. It will usually be your name but may be someone else IF you are typing the letter for someone else. It will come a quadruple space (ENTER x4) after the letter closing.

Business letter font

The style and size of text used in a business letter. Should be basic, easy to read, and professional. Using the default font (Calibri 11) is fine. Arial, Times New Roman are other common choices.

BODY

The text of the letter itself. It comes a double space (ENTER x2) after the greeting. Paragraphs are never indented. Instead, there is a double space (ENTER x2) in between each paragraph to separate them.

Remove space between paragraphs

Using this command will take out the extra blank space that appears on Word 2013 every time you hit ENTER. A letter will not be single spaced correctly unless this is done. REMOVE THE EXTRA SPACE BEFORE STARTING THE LETTER. Go To: Home Tab > Paragraph Group > Line and Paragraph Spacing Command drop down menu > Remove space between paragraphs.