What Are Some Different Styles for Writing Business Letters
In all businesses, you must write a piece of business correspondence, be it is a quick email or a letter. There are three primary styles of business letter: Block, Modified Block, and Semiblock style. Each business letter style, while remaining mostly the same, has a few stylistic changes for the placement of certain information.
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Modified Block Style
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When using the Modified Block Style for business letters, your primary information will be in the top right corner. Underneath that, on the left side, will be the recipient's name and company information. In the modified block style, no paragraph indentations are used when writing the body of the letter. At the end of the letter, in the bottom right corner, place your name and title.
Block Style
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For the Block Style of business letter, your primary information will go in the upper left corner, with the recipient's contact information beneath it. Similar to the Modified Block Style, do not use any paragraph indentations when writing the body of the letter. Your information, such as name and title, go in the lower left corner. An easy way to remember the Block Style is that all information is found on the left side of the page.
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Semiblock Style
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The Semiblock Style varies from the other two styles. With this style, your primary information is in the upper right corner with the recipient's information underneath on the left side. However, unlike the other two styles, paragraph indentations are used with the Semiblock Style. Your information, such as name and title, are located in the bottom right corner at the end of the letter.
Choosing the Right Style
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Which style of business letter you choose comes down to personal preference and the preference of the recipient. For someone who is orderly, the Block Style works best, as all information is uniform on one side of the letter and is the most professional of the three styles. Use the Modified or Semiblock Style when the recipient is of a more casual nature. For example, you may use the Modified Block when dealing with a co-worker, but the president of the company would receive a letter in the Block Style.
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