Another use of indentation is in outlining, in which each subordinate entry is indented under its major entry. A long quotation may be indented in a manuscript instead of being enclosed in quotation marks. "The most common use of indentation is at the beginning of a paragraph, where the first line is usually indented five spaces.You indent at the beginning of a paragraph to signal, 'Hey, Reader! I'm shifting gears now.' All of the ideas in this paragraph are about the same main thing. The indent-a nice big indent of at least half an inch-also makes things easier on the reader's eyes." (Gloria Levine, The Princeton Review Roadmap to the Virginia SOL. "The whole idea of a paragraph is to make things easier for the reader.Common closings are Best regards or Sincerely, followed by a comma. The best greeting is Dear followed by the person’s family name. Remember, business letters should always reflect professionalism. Many English learners make the mistake of using the same informal greetings they use with friends, such as Hey or Hi. Your greeting at the beginning is very important. Only use expressions that are appropriate for business. You can let your English skills shine in your writing by using formal, appropriate phrases that are related to the topic of the letter.
#Business writing indenting paragraphs letter professional
Knowing idioms and phrases is great for conversational English, but they are too informal to use in business letters. Native English speakers do not usually use these phrases in professional letters. And you can use words such as therefore instead of because, and likewise instead of also. For example, instead of saying that a decision is crappy or annoying, you can say that it is challenging. In a business letter, try not to use informal transitions and adjectives. The very definition of a business letter is that it should use business English, which is formal or polite language. That way you’re sure to include the files you need. One way to avoid this mistake is to attach your documents first. If you promise an attachment in your letter, don’t make the mistake of forgetting to attach it! It’s so embarrassing to send a second email apologizing for your lack of detail. A lack of editing or proofreading shows that you are not serious about the content of your letter. Typos and misspellings are easy to check, so when people see these errors they often discredit the entire message. A simple spell check can save you lots of embarrassment later. This is a mistake that is easily avoidable.
Be sure to edit or delete the examples that come with the template.Īlways carefully review and edit your letter before you send it off. However, a common mistake is to forget to delete the sample information from the template. It is not uncommon for people to use a template. You can check the best format for your industry by doing a quick search online or reading a sample letter written by a trusted colleague. If you don’t feel comfortable formatting your own letter, you can use a template. There are many types of formats for business letters. Be sure to use an appropriate greeting and closing. The text of the letter should be aligned left with spaces in-between paragraphs. You want to get it right to make a good first impression.įormal letters should include the date at the top, followed by the address of the company.
The format of your letter is important because it is immediately noticeable. Common Mistakes of Writing Business Letters 1. Here are seven things to avoid when you are writing a business letter. Areas of common mistakes are usually in the formatting and the use of language. It can be easy to mess up a business letter if you’re not careful. Writing great business letters requires both attention to detail and formal English.
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