Writing the Basic Letter
There are 2 type of writing.
1. Block – In a Block format letter, (1) all text is aligned to the left margin, (2) paragraphs are not indented. Semi-Block – In a Semi-Block format letter, (1) all text is aligned to the left margin, (2) paragraphs are indented, and (3) paragraphs are separated by double or triple spacing.
2. Indented, Semi-block - Indented style is somewhat more complicated than other popular styles of business writing. In indented style, new paragraphs in a piece of writing are indented—that is, they begin about 1.5centimeters to the right of the left margin. Other parts of a business letter are moved farther to the right half of the page. Indented style is one of the older formats for business writing currently in use, though other formats are becoming more popular. Indented style is a format that many of today’s business people were trained to use.
3. Modified Block - Modified block layout is quite common in business letters. It is traditional and quite popular. Dixie suggests you have a look at it and you will instantly recognize the format.