Which salutation for a business letter is correct?

A.

Dear Senator Smith,

B.

Dear Senator Smith

C.

Dear Senator Smith-

D.

Dear Senator Smith:

Unlike a personal or informal letter, which calls for a comma, a colon is used after the salutation when writing a formal business letter. Never use a semi-colon, em dash, or ellipsis.

In a business letter or any formal letter you will traditionally use the salutation of.

A. Dear Senator Smith,

This is only slightly different from Dear Senator Smith - however the comma is an important element grammatically that should be included in a formal letter.