NALD: Fulltext Documents - The Companion to SARAW: An Exercise Workbook

As you can see, both letters are the same in content. They are only formatted a little differently. The one on the left is a block style letter with everything lining up on the left hand side and no paragraph indents. The one on the right is the indented style of letter with the date, heading, closing and signature on the right hand side of the page and the paragraphs indented. Either kind is acceptable.

Punctuation and Capitalization

Both punctuation and capitalization are very important. Each makes your letter easier to understand. Here are some rules to follow when you are writing a friendly letter.

Heading

Capitalize street names
Cameron Street
Put a comma between the city and the province
Regina, Saskatchewan

Greeting

Capitalize each word in the greeting
Dear Melissa
Use a comma after the greeting
Dear Melissa,

Closing

Capitalize only the first word in the closing
Yours truly
Use a comma after the closing
Yours truly,

Remember to use proper punctuation and sentence structure in the body of your letter. If you don't, the reader may not be able to understand what you are trying to say.

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