If you choose to include your name, which is not required, put it in the very top left, rather than your address, which will then occupy the second and third lines. Here is a sample of how we might write our name and address: John Smith 21 Jump Street Milwaukee, WI, 12345

Dates are written in the form: month, day, year. Always spell out the month of the date, but not the day or year. Here is a sample date of this form: April 1st, 2014

Here is an example of an inside address: Mrs. Jane Doe Director of Stadium Operations Wrigley Field 1060 West Addison Street Chicago, IL, 98765

In the U. S. , you should typically use a colon instead of a comma after the salutation when writing a business letter. [5] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

For example, we might begin our letter to Jane Doe with the simple “Dear Mrs. Doe,”. If we want, we can include her title: “Dear Director Doe,”.

If you’re unsure of the gender of your recipient, use “Dear Sir or Madam”, or simply use their full name (i. e. , “Dear Lee Anderson,”) If you don’t know whether you’re writing to a man or a woman, but you know your recipient’s title, you may use it instead (like “Dear Professor,”, “Dear Senator,”, etc. ). If you don’t know a female recipient’s marital status, use “Ms. “, rather than “Mrs. “, as in “Dear Ms. Norton,”. Finally, if you are sending a letter to a business or institution rather than to a specific person within the business or institution, you may want to use “To whom it may concern,” rather than a traditional salutation. Some find this salutation undesirable[7] X Research source - it is also acceptable to use “Dear [Name of Institution],” though this is somewhat informal.

If you’re writing to a good friend or a close family member, you may want to use a nickname or pet name in your salutation (“Dear Gator,”, “Dear Fonz,”, etc. ) If you’re writing to a lover or significant other, you can be flowery and affectionate in your salutation, though you don’t have to be. “My true love,” “Dear Smooshums,” and “To my one and only angel,” are just as valid as simpler romantic salutations, like simply writing your recipient’s name, followed by a comma (i. e. “John,” or “Jane,”)