writing in the discipline

In block format, everything including your contact information, the date, the employer’s contact information, the body of the letter, and the greeting and closing, is all left justified. It is a clean and professional look for your letter. In this format, the letter is also single-spaced, with the exception of a space between each paragraph (as well as a space above and below the date, and above and below the salutation and signature). If you don't have contact information for the employer, start your letter directly after your contact information.

Indented Letter The indented/semi-block style of business letters is very similar to the  modified block  and Dixie would suggest you follow the link above if you haven't been to her page about modified block business letter yet. The only difference between the two is that the semi-block letter's paragraphs are indented one tab stop. Another page Dixie highly recommends to the first-time visitors of her site is  full block business letter  where she describes the major parts of a business letter.

Like the full-block  format , the  simplified format  left-justifies every line except for the company logo or letterhead. The date line is either slightly right of center or flush with the center of the page.  Letters  written in the  simplified format  have fewer internal sections, such as the body, salutation and date line.

The Hanging Indent A  hanging indent  is an indentation of the second and subsequent lines of text on a page. They're also known as a 'negative indents.' They're always used in bibliographies, Works Cited and References pages, and sometimes in scripts, dictionary entries, and footnotes.

Full Block Format Full block style business letters have a formal appearance, however they can be used in informal business situations as well as formal ones. If you are looking for a single format that will work well in every situation, this is a good one to use. Notice that the following business letter format is laid out so that it is easy to read. It is also a template that is very easy to type, as there are no indents to worry about.