Writing

Capitalization and Punctuation Needed in Letters

People write letters for a variety of reasons:

(1) to ask for or to give information
(2) to place an order
(3) to express gratitude
(4) to make a complaint

Whatever its purpose, however, every letter must conform to certain rules.

This lesson describes the parts of a letter and the rules of punctuation and capitalization that correspond to each part.

Headings for Letters

The first part of a letter is its heading. A heading contains the writer's address and the date the letter was written.

2900 Old Lakeshore Road

Chicago, IL 60657

March 30, 1996

Most businesses and organizations have pre-printed stationery which includes the company name and address.

Stereo Electronics

2900 Old Lakeshore Road

Chicago, IL 60657

The date is written or typed below the printed heading.

Punctuation in a Heading

A comma separates the city and the state.
A comma separates the day and the year.
No period is needed after two-letter state codes.
All other abbreviations are followed by a period.

Capitalization in a Heading

The first letter of each word in the street name and city is capitalized.
Both letters in a two-letter state code are capitalized. The name of the month is capitalized.

2900 Old Lakeshore Road	Stereo Electronics
Chicago, IL 60657	606 Moonglow Road
March 30, 1997	San Diego, CA 45279

Inside Address

Business letters have an inside address. The inside address consists of the address and full name of the person or the firm (or both) to whom the letter is being sent.

Ms. Jane Pearce

Personnel Manager

Successful Temporaries

3000 Ridgeway Rd.

Tulsa, OK 74106

Punctuation in an Inside Address

A comma separates the city and the state.
No period is needed after a two-letter state code. Periods are needed after abbreviations.

Capitalization in an Inside Address

All names and titles are capitalized.
The first letter of each word in the street name and city is capitalized.
Both letters in a two-letter state code are capitalized.

Prof. Elsa Smythe	Mr. David King
English Department	Parts Manager
University of Michigan	Stereo Electronics Corp.
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104	2900 Old Lakeshore Road
	Chicago, IL 60657

Greetings in Letters

The greeting, or the salutation, follows right after the inside address in a business letter. In a personal letter, it follows the heading or date.

In a business letter, the greeting is always punctuated by a colon. In a personal letter, the greeting is always punctuated by a comma.

Dear Ms. Wheatley:	Dear Mom,
Dear Gentlemen:	Dear Charlie,

Punctuation in a Greeting

A colon follows the greeting in a business letter.
A comma follows the greeting in a personal letter.
A period follows abbreviations.

Capitalization in a Greeting

The first word of a greeting is capitalized.
All names, titles, and abbreviations are capitalized.

Dear Senator Smith:	Dear Linda,
Dear Mrs. Holmes:	Dear Mrs. Jones,
Dear Dr. Herriot:	Dear Jimmy,
Gentlemen:	Dear Dad,

Closings

The closing is the last part of a letter. It comes right before the writer's signature.

Only the first word in the closing is capitalized in both business and personal letters.

A comma follows the last word in a closing in both business and personal letters.

Sincerely,	Very truly yours,
Cordially,	Your friend,

Identifying Language Mechanics Errors

The passage that follows is a letter from Jamison Outboard Motors. It is a business reply to a customer who inquired about the kinds of motors available for small fishing boats.

The language mechanics errors in the letter emphasize the following:

Capitalization	Punctuation
First words	End marks
Greetings and closings	Commas
Names of cities and states	Greetings and closings Addresses