Writing business letters: Formatting matters

Maybe you’re writing to complain about your broken latte machine. Or to thank your financial advisor for investing your money wisely… Or to get some information on Mongolian tourist sites.

Whatever the reason for your message, you need to know the proper formatting guidelines to help you create a professional-looking business letter. Test your knowledge of the guidelines with this quiz!

1. In full block letter style,

only the date is indented;

the date and the signature block are indented;

no lines are indented.

2. In a business letter, side margins should not be less than

2.5 cm (1 inch);

4 cm (1.5 inches);

5 cm (2 inches).

3. A business letter should have

a ragged left margin

a ragged right margin

fully justified margins

4. In Canada, it is best to write the date as follows:

July 6, 2014

6 July 2014

07-06-2014

5. A continuation-page heading includes

the page number

the receiver’s name, the page number and the date

the receiver’s name and mailing address

6. In mixed punctuation, use a after the salutation and a after the complimentary close.

semicolon; comma

colon; semicolon

colon; comma

7. In modified block letter style, the heading, complimentary close and signature block

begin at the centre of the page;

are centered on the page;

begin at the left margin.