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The physical appearance of a letter is very important to grasp the receiver’s attention．A letter’s appearance often reveals the writer’s character and the organization he belongs to．There are various ways in which the parts of a business letter can be laid out on the page．Choice of letter format is a matter of individual taste，but it is better to follow established practice，to which the business world has become accustomed．A good plan to make correct practice habits is to adopt one form of letter format and stick to it．You should be familiar with at least four business formats：full block，modified block，simplified and intended．
1．Full Block Format
The most common layout of a business letter is known as the full block format．Using this format，all the body parts（from the date line）start from the left margin．Paragraphs are singlespaced，not indented，with a double space between paragraphs．
A sample is as follows：
2．Modified Block Format
Modified block format is quite common in business letters．It is traditional and quite popular．In a modified block business letter，like the full block format，all the body parts（from the date line）begin from the left margin except that the date，complimentary close，and signature are aligned to the right．
A sample is as follows：
3．Simplified Format
With this format，all lines from the date line begin at the left margin．A subject line typed in all capitals replaces the salutation．Instead of a complimentary close，the sender’s name and title are typed in all capitals below the last line of the body part．
A sample is as follows：
4．Indented Format
The indented format is an old style which is less popular now．Each line of the inside name and address is indented two or three spaces．The first line of each paragraph is indented by four or five spaces from the left margin，while the date，the complimentary close and the signature are on the right-hand of the sheet．
A sample is as follows：
