How to write a business letter

What kind of letter is it?

A business letter is a letter written in formal language. There are many reasons to write a business letter. It could be:

to request direct information or action from another party,
to order supplies from a supplier,
to identify a mistake that was committed,
to reply directly to a request,
to apologize for a wrong
or simply to convey goodwill.

Elements of a business letter

The parts of a business letter are as follows:

Sender's address
Date
Inside address
Attention line
Salutation
Body of the letter
Complimentary close
Signature
Enclosure

Positions of the elements

Styles of business letters are of two main types:

Full block style:
In this type you align all elements on the left margin.
Modified block:
In this style, some elements are on the left page margin.

The following is an example of the modified block style.
Example

[SENDER'S NAME]
[SENDER'S ADDRESS]
(optional[SENDER'S PHONE]
(optional[SENDER'S E-MAIL]
[DATE]
[RECIPIENT W/O PREFIX]
[RECIPIENT'S COMPANY]
[RECIPIENT'S ADDRESS]
(Optional) Attention [DEPARTMENT/PERSON],
Dear [RECIPIENT],
[CONTENT.]
[VALEDICTION (Sincerely, Respectfully, Regards, etc.)],


[SENDER]
[SENDER'S TITLE]
Enclosures ([NUMBER OF ENCLOSURES])