The name, title, and complete mailing address make up the part of the letter described as the inside address. Some people might argue why there should be an inside address since it already appears on the envelop¹. The rationale for the existence of inside address lies partly in the long-established tradition, partly in the fact that the recipient² frequently throws away the envelop once it is torn open; therefore, the letter itself must indicate clearly to whom it is addressed.

Courtesy Title  When writing to a specific individual, make sure you use the proper courtesy title which includes Mr. , Mrs. , and Miss. If you are not sure of a woman's marital³ status, simply use Ms. Why make a distinction between married and unmarried women, the feminists⁴ argue, when we do not distinguish between married and single men? As you will notice, Ms. appears throughout the text, referring to the female recipient as a whole.

When writing to a person whose name sounds neutral in terms of gender⁵, you can be assured to use the abbreviated⁶ title M. For example, M. Leslie R. Higgins.

One common mistake frequently found among Chinese students in addressing is that they use courtesy title along with the recipient's first name.

Examples:
Mr. David ( wrong)
Mr. David White ( right )
Mr. White ( right )

Organizational Title   If the addressee has an organizational title, indicate it (a) immediately after the person's name, (b) partially⁷ on the first line with the rest on the second line, and (c) completely on the second line -- whichever arrangement is most attractive and balance-keeping.

Examples:
(a ) Mr. Paul Smith, Manager
       Smith and Sons, Inc.
       3107 Western Avenue
       New London, Connecticut 06320

( b ) Ms. Linda Cook, Assistant
        Direct of Public Relations
        3117 Avenue E
        Seattle, Washington 20103

( c ) Dr. Robert Dixon,
        Associate Dean of Student Activities
        District of Columbia Polytechnic⁸
        900 Avenue E. NY
        Washington, DC 20025

( d ) Ms. Gillian Johnson
        Export Sales Manager
        Block and Brown PLC
        55 Horizons Drive
        Bough⁹ BN5 9KL

中文参考：

　　姓名，头衔和完整的地址构成信件的信内地址部分。有些人会说，既然信封上已经有了地址，为什么还要有信内地址这一部分呢？其中的原因一部分是因为一个长期的传统，另一部分是因为人们经常拆开信封以后就会把信封扔掉。因此，信的本身就一定要清楚的说明是写给谁的。

　　礼貌的头衔 当写给具体的人的时候，一定要使用恰当的礼貌的头衔称呼，比如Mr. Mrs. 和Miss。如果你不清楚一个妇女的婚姻状况，你可以使用Ms.。
　　
　　如果收信人的名字很中性，你不清楚到底是男的还是女的，就可以简单地使用M.。比如M. Leslie R. Higgins.

　　中国学生犯的一个常见的错误就是使用收信人的第一个名字。

　　职位头衔 如果收信人有一个职位头衔，那么要把它写在(a) 直接跟在人命后面，(b) 部分在第一行，其他的在第二行，(c) 完全在第二行——排版吸引人和保持平衡的时候。