HeadingThe writer's address on separate lines, then the date. It starts near the middle of the page. On paper that already carries the address, the heading is just the date.
Greeting (salutation)Also called the salutation. It usually begins with Dear, and its first word and every noun take a capital letter: Dear Aunt Rosa. It sits at the left margin with a skipped line below it.
BodyThe main text of the letter. Here each paragraph begins with an indent. When paragraphs are not indented, a line is skipped between them so the reader can see where each one starts.
Closing (complimentary close)A few words on one line, such as Your nephew or Sincerely. Only the first word takes a capital letter. It lines up with the heading. Other names for it are complimentary close and valediction.
SignatureThe writer's name, signed by hand in blue or black ink. It goes in the same column as the closing. A typed letter leaves a few blank lines under the closing so there is room to sign.
Lines, commas and extras: 7 parts 7
Street addressFirst line of the heading. It is the writer's own address, so the reader knows where to send a reply. A friendly letter has no inside address for the reader. That extra block belongs to a business letter.
City, state and ZIP CodeSecond line of the heading. In a letter, a comma separates the city from the state. Commas in addresses are a grade 3 skill in the Common Core language standards (L.3.2b).
DateLast line of the heading. Month, day, year, with a comma between the day and the year. Commas in dates are a grade 1 skill in the Common Core language standards (L.1.2c).
Comma after the greetingA friendly letter puts a comma after the greeting. A business letter in the United States uses a colon there. Commas in greetings and closings of letters are a grade 2 Common Core language skill (L.2.2b).
Paragraph indentEach paragraph's first line starts a little right of the margin. The other common way to mark a new paragraph is block style: every line flush left, and a blank line between paragraphs.
Comma after the closingEnds the closing in every kind of letter, friendly or business. It is the second of the two commas in Common Core language standard L.2.2b, commas in greetings and closings of letters.
Postscript (P.S.)From the Latin post scriptum, written after. It begins with P.S. and comes after the signature, with a line skipped above it. A second one is marked P.P.S.
The envelope: 3 parts 3
Return addressThe sender's address, at upper left on the front. A letter that cannot be delivered is sent back here. Mail does not have to carry one, and in the United Kingdom it usually goes on the back.
Delivery addressName, then street address, then city, state and ZIP Code. It sits at bottom center on the front. The U.S. Postal Service asks for capital letters and no commas or periods here, unlike the heading inside.
StampShows that postage has been paid. It goes in the top right corner. The post office marks it so it cannot be used again. The first adhesive stamp, the Penny Black, went on sale in the United Kingdom in 1840.
How this list was compiled: All references were read on 2026-09-19 for facts only, and nothing was copied. The five main parts are named by references 1 and 2, and every other ringed part is named or described by at least two of the references. (1) English Plus, Grammar Slammer, Personal Letters (Friendly Letters), https://www.englishplus.com/grammar/00000143.htm: five parts; the heading is the address line by line with the date as the last line, set toward the middle of the page, and only the date on paper that already carries the address; the greeting ends with a comma; the body is the main text, with paragraphs normally indented and a line skipped between them when they are not; the complimentary close is a few words on one line, ends in a comma and lines up with the heading; the signature line sits in the same column and is signed in blue or black ink; a postscript begins with P.S. after a skipped line. (2) ReadWriteThink (NCTE), The Correspondence Project lesson, https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/correspondence-project-lesson-letters: the friendly letter has heading, greeting, body, closing and signature, and the business letter adds an inside address; and its Letter Generator page, https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/letter-generator: a postscript can be added to a friendly letter. (3) English Plus, Commas in Letters, https://www.englishplus.com/grammar/00000086.htm: a comma after the salutation of a personal letter and after every letter's complimentary closing. (4) English Plus, Capitalization in Letters, https://www.englishplus.com/grammar/00000051.htm: the first word and all nouns of the salutation are capitalized, and only the first word of the closing. (5) Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Language Standards K to 5, as published by the California Department of Education, https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards.pdf: L.1.2c commas in dates, L.2.2b commas in greetings and closings of letters, L.3.2b commas in addresses. (6) Purdue Online Writing Lab, Basic Business Letters, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/professional_technical_writing/basic_business_letters/index.html: the sender's address sits one line above the date, a business salutation ends in a colon, only the first word of the closing is capitalized, and lines are left under the closing for the signature. (7) Wikipedia, Salutation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salutation: a salutation is the greeting of a letter, Dear is the most common, a comma follows it, and the colon belongs to United States business letters. (8) Wikipedia, Valediction, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valediction: complimentary close is the American name, and it comes just before the signature. (9) Wikipedia, Postscript, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postscript: from the Latin post scriptum, written after; P.S. after the signature and P.P.S. for a second one. (10) Wikipedia, Paragraph, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragraph: a new paragraph is usually shown by indenting its first line, and the other common style is block paragraphs with white space between them. (11) U.S. Postal Service, How to Send a Letter or Postcard, https://www.usps.com/ship/letters.htm, and Addressing Mail, https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm100/addressing-mail.htm: return address in the upper left corner of the front, delivery address in the bottom center, stamp in the upper right corner, the order of the address lines, capital letters, and no commas or periods. (12) Wikipedia, Return address, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_address: what it is for, upper left in most countries, on the back in the United Kingdom, and not required. (13) Wikipedia, Postage stamp, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postage_stamp: a stamp shows postage is paid, it is affixed to the address side, a cancellation stops reuse, and the Penny Black of 1840 was the first adhesive stamp. The sample letter, the names and both addresses are invented for this site. Labels, hints, detail lines, groups and position notes were written for this site. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-28 to the art brief in this file, with its sample letter used word for word as live text; each line has a transparent hit area behind it. The delivery address point moved to x 668, where its middle line really ends. Nothing traced; the names and addresses are invented. Licence: own work
How it works
A friendly letter has five parts: heading, greeting, body, closing and signature. This page rings them on a short letter from Mateo to his Aunt Rosa. It adds 10 smaller parts, from the three lines of the heading to the P.S. and the envelope.
Read the full guide
Label the five parts, then the details
Start with the five parts. Then come the lines and commas, and the envelope. Study shows all 15 names beside their numbers, ready to project for a parts of a letter for kids lesson.
Where the commas go
The group Where the commas go: 4 parts holds the city and state line, the date, the greeting and the closing. Common Core language standards teach commas in dates in grade 1, in greetings and closings of letters in grade 2 and in addresses in grade 3. The envelope has none, because the U.S. Postal Service asks for capital letters and no commas or periods on mail.
The heading, the closing and the signature all start at the same point, near the middle of the page.
Capitalize the first word and every noun in the greeting (Dear Aunt Rosa), but only the first word of the closing (Your nephew).
For a parts of a letter anchor chart, enlarge Print labelled. Print blank gives each student the same letter with 15 numbered lines.
Questions and answers
What are the five parts of a friendly letter?
Heading, greeting, body, closing and signature, from top to bottom. The heading is the writer's address and the date. The greeting says Dear and a name. The body is the message, the closing is a short sign-off, and the signature is the writer's name.
Is the greeting the same as the salutation?
Yes. Salutation is the formal word for the greeting, and the closing is also called the complimentary close or the valediction. The greeting, closing and postscript labels show the other name in parentheses, as in Greeting (salutation). With Type it, either name counts.
Whose letter is this, and what is left out?
The letter was written for this site. Mateo, Aunt Rosa, both addresses and both towns are invented, and the ZIP Codes are five zeros. The inside address and the colon after the greeting have no ring because they belong to business letters.