Question

Subject: Water Issue in Lower Dauphin County

Dear Senator Thomas,

Thank you for your hard work on behalf of the citizens of our community. The purpose of this email is to bring the issue of water quality to your attention. A state commission could investigate this issue, document problems, and suggest solutions if necessary.

Several citizens in Lower Dauphin County have reported discolored water and foul smells coming from their faucets. Personal water quality tests have found elevated levels of lead in the water. Local officials have refused to do further testing.

I did some research on the pipes in the area, and I could not believe that they were so old! Some of them were installed in 1910! I bet they are leaking lead! Further, there have been complaints that a local welding company may be dumping metals into the Choctaw River. The company denied this to a local journalist.

People remain deeply concerned about the quality of their drinking water. I am writing to ask for your assistance in dealing with this community issue.

State authorities could investigate the issue. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Sincerely,

Kirsten Clare
Student at Central City High School

What formatting error has been made in the passage?

The paragraphing is incorrect.
The closing is incorrectly placed.
The subject line is not clearly written.
The greeting uses incorrect punctuation.

Answer 1

The greeting uses incorrect punctuation.

In a formal letter/salutation, you should use a colon (Dear Senator Thomas:) rather than a comma.