[b.] An inside address and a greeting are required in business letters. Personal letters contain the greeting, but may omit the inside address, or may supply it at the end of the letter.
- The Jeffrey Chemical Works,
510 Marion Street,
Norfolk, Virginia.
Gentlemen: - Mr. Joseph N. Kellogg
1411 Lake Street
Cleveland, Ohio
Dear Mr. Kellogg: - Secretary of Rice Institute,
Houston, Texas.
My dear Sir:
Greetings used in business letters are:
- My dear Sir:
- My dear Madam:
- My dear Mr. Fisher:
- Dear Sir:
- Sir:
- Sirs:
- Gentlemen:
- Ladies:
Greetings used in personal letters are:
- My dear Miss Brown:
- Dear Professor Ward:
- Dear Jones,
- Dear Mrs. Vincent,
- Dear Robert,
- Dear Olive,
"My dear Miss Brown" is more ceremonious than "Dear Miss Brown". As a rule, the more familiar the letter, the shorter the greeting.
A colon follows the greeting if the letter is formal or long; a comma, if the letter is familiar or in the nature of a note.
Both inside address and greeting begin at the left-hand margin. The body of the letter begins on the line below the greeting, and is indented as much as an ordinary paragraph (about an inch).
[c.] The body of a letter should be written in correct style.