We know that there are four forms of a business letter, the Indented Form has become practically, obsolete.
It is now regarded as old and outdated, and no more business individuals and houses use this layout.
The main reason behind abandoning this form was probably it’s scattered and cumbersome design that asked for indenting each line of its different parts afresh.
Besides, the desire for innovation also forced business houses to look for better and convenient forms.
Table of Contents
ToggleFull Block Form of Letter – The Modern Form & Style
The other three forms i.e Semi-Block Form, Block Form, and Full Block Form of Letter are equally in practice, depending upon the choice and preference of different organizations.
See Also: Forms & Format of a Business Letter
Although Semi-Block Form and Block Form are also widely used, it is the Full- Block Form that is regarded as the modem form and style of writing.
Almost all top-ranking business houses, multinational companies, and international organizations prefer using this form, establishing its image as the most modern layout in the realm of written business communication.
Features of Full Block Form Letter
Essential Parts
Like in any other layout in Full-Block Form also all the essential parts of a business letter i.e Heading, Date, Inside Address, Salutation, Body, Complimentary Close, and Signature are placed-according to the requirements of this form.
Single Block
Unlike the Semi-Block Form and Block Form where at least two blocks are created, one to the right of the center and the other to the left side, in Full-Block Form the whole letter is arranged in a single block, beginning at the left-hand margin.
The creation of an economical of the typist’s time than other traditional forms. No indenting and no adjustments are needed for neat presentation of the different parts of the message.
Simply the touch of a button on the keyboard aligns its parts on the page and the typist is ready to type the message.
Spacing
In all other forms in general and in Full-Block Form in particular, standard marginal space is left both to the left and the right sides of the letterhead page.
Similarly, suitable space is left towards the top and the bottom of the page. The different parts of the letter are also spaced suitably and appropriately to give the letter a balanced look.
Double space is usually observed between every two parts of the letter.
However, if the letter contains a short message, space between the parts may be increased in proportion to the size of the letterhead page.
Paragraphing
Depending upon the nature and subject matter of the message, the letter should be divided into a suitable number of paragraphs, observing single space between the lines of each paragraph.
In Full-Block Form, no indenting is done to begin the first line of a fresh paragraph. The two paragraphs should just be marked off by observing double space between them.
The various points of the message to be communicated should be treated in the order of their importance and a separate paragraph should preferably be devoted to each point.
Open Punctuation
The layout of the Full-Block Form has punctual. This Needs that no punctuation symbols are to be used to mark off the different lines of a particular part of the letter.
See Also: Essential & Non-Essential Parts of a Business Letter
Similarly, no punctuation mark follows the Salutation, the Complimentary Close or the name of the signatory.
The contents of the message as contained in the body of the letter are of course grammatically and conventionally punctuated.
The followers of Full-Block Form do not regard the absence of punctuation as a disadvantage. They believe that the function of punctuation is to help make the meaning clear.
In the layout of Full-Block Form, each new bit of information is separated from the other which makes the meaning perfectly clear and thus saves the time and thought spent on the insertion of punctuation remarks.