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[Coop and Dino singing]

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Letter writing is perhaps one of the oldest forms of communication. [Person writes a letter]

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After… grunting.

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Yes, before the telephone…

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…texting…

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…email…

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…social media…

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…and every other way we have to bug other people

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…there was the letter.

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The basic form of a letter is pretty simple to master and is comprised of five parts: [Dino and Coop with five parts of a letter]

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The heading, the greeting, the body, the closing, and the signature.

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Let’s start with the heading. Since it’s uh…first.

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In formal letters, it’s important to use a heading. [Coop discussing letter heading]

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This is usually the sender’s – that is, your – address. It’s placed here, in the

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top-right corner of the letter.

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You might also choose to put the address of the person you’re writing to. [Address of person writing to on a letter]

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Next comes the greeting, or, if you want to get fancy about it, the “salutation.”

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The greeting will be either formal or informal, depending on who you’re writing to, and

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the occasion. Usually, the greeting will begin with “Dear”.

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Next would come the name of the intended recipient of your letter.

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But, if the person you’re writing to isn’t someone you know well, it’s appropriate

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to use titles such as Mr., Mrs. or Ms.

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And, if you really aren’t sure exactly who you’re writing to, there’s always the

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old stand-by: “To Whom It May Concern”.

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Totally inappropriate writing home to your parents two months after leaving for [Woman reading a letter]

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college…

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Next comes the body of the letter.

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This is the fun part, because it’s where you write what you have to say. [Coop explaining body of a letter]

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In other words: the whole reason you’re writing this person in the first place.

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Once the body’s written, we get to the closing.

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This is just how you sign-off your letter. Examples include: “Sincerely,” “Your

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Friend”, “Love”, “Very Truly”, “Your Sworn Enemy,” and so on.

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As with the greeting, the closing you use depends on who you’re writing to. [Dino discussing the closing of a letter]

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It’d be strange, for example, to send a letter to the guy who sold you printer ink

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with the closing, “Love.” [Man holding letter]

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Uh…can we say awkward.

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Finally, there’s the signature. Located under the closing, this is where you sign

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your name. So go ahead and jot down your John Hancock. [Signature of author of letter]

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And just remember: letters don’t have “send” buttons.

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So please make sure to actually put it in the mail… [Person puts letter in mailbox]

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There you go.

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