Letter Writing
A letter is a way of communicating with another person.
There are two main types of letter :
1. Formal
2. informal
1.Formal
Formal letters are used for writing letters to business contacts, i.e.
partners, suppliers, customers, clients, college or institute manager,
professionals, etc..
2.Informal
An informal letter/ friendly letter, is a personal letter. It is written to
people, whom you are familiar with, like friends, classmates siblings,
parents, relatives or any other closed one. While writing an informal
letter, it can be friendly, and make use of personal or emotional tone.
Why might you write a letter?
Formal
1. To complain
2. To apply for a job
3. To give your opinion or comment on an issue( problem)….
Informal
1. Conveying messages
2. Congratulate ( Wishes )
3. To thank
4. To update friends or family with news about your life
5. To tell good news
6. Delivering bad news
7. Asking for help
8. Apologizing ( asking sorry)
9. To give advice
10. Inviting for a party
11. Inviting to visit your house during the vacation
Formal Letter :
THE LAYOUT OF A BUSINESS LETTER / AN OFFICIAL LETTER /
FORMAL LETTER
Useful Language For Writing Formal Letter :
Useful Phrases to begin your letter:
I am writing to ask/enquire/complain about …
I am writing to inform ../ I am writing to request information about..
I wish to express my dissatisfaction with …
Thank you for your letter regarding …
In reply to your letter of 11 July, …
It has come to my attention that …
Useful Phrases to end your letter:
I look forward to your reply. / I look forward to hearing from you.
Please advise as necessary.
I would appreciate your immediate attention in this matter.
Should you need further information, please do not hesitate to
contact me.
I await a response at your earliest convenience.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Greeting: (Open formula)
» Dear Sir or Madam,
If you don't know the name of the recipient, you may write this way.
» Dear Mr Azman,
If you know the recipient’s name, use a suitable title for that person.
For instance, Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Dr etc…
Signing-off:
» Yours Faithfully,
Write this way if you don't know the recipient’s name.
» Yours Sincerely,
Write this way if you know the recipient’s name.
How to write a formal letter :
Step 1: Starting a formal letter
a. Sender’s address :
Begin with the sender’s address. The sender’s address is usually put
on the top right-hand corner of the page.
The address should be complete and accurate in case the
recipient of the letter wishes to get in touch with the sender for
further communication.
Some companies use special paper, called letter head, that
includes contact information and the company’s brand logo.
Example : Brenda Houser
321 Hyacinth Lane
Culver City, CA 90230
b. Date :
The sender’s address is followed by the date just below it, i.e. on
the right side of the page.
This is the date on which the letter is being written.
It is important in formal letters as they are often kept on
record.
You can format the date in a couple of ways, after your
address.
Example : December 1, 2017
12 January 2018
c. Receiver’s address :
After leaving two spaces we write the receiver’s address on the left
side of the page. ( close to the margin)
Whether to write “To” above the address depends on the
writer’s preference.
Make sure you write the official title/name/position etc of the
receiver, as the first line of the address.
Example: The Manager
Business Corporation
555 Industry Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
Step 2: Writing a letter, formally
This is where you greet the person you are addressing the letter to.
Bear in mind that it is a formal letter, so the greeting must be
respectful and not too personal.
The general greetings used in formal letters are “Sir” or
“Madam”.
If you know the name of the person the salutation may also be
“Mr. XYZ” or “Ms. ABC”.
But remember you cannot address them only by their first name.
It must be the full name or only their last name.
Skip a space from any addresses you’ve included.
Note that the first letter “ D” is capitalized in the word Dear.
Place a comma after the person’s name. Dear Mr Donald
Trump , Respected Sir,
Example: Dear Manager,
Dear Sir/Madam,
Dear Mr Donald Trump,
Step 3: Writing the body of a formal letter
After the salutation/greeting comes the subject of the letter.
In the centre of the line write the ‘Subject” followed by a colon.
Then we sum up the purpose of writing the letter in one line.
This helps the receiver focus on the subject of the letter in one
glance.
Body of a letter :
This is the main content of the letter. It is either divided into two or
three paragraphs.
The purpose of the letter should be made clear in the
first paragraph itself. ( open paragraph)
The tone of the content should be formal.
And always be respectful and considerate in your language.
Avoid contractions. Write out each word fully.
Another point to keep in mind is that the letter should be concise
and to the point.
Keeping paragraphs short also helps keep your message clear;
Aim for no more than four sentences in a paragraph.
Step 4: Ending a formal letter
Leave a blank space between your closing paragraph and the
complimentary closing.
A complimentary close is a polite way to send your regards to
your receiver.
The words “Yours Faithfully” or “Yours Sincerely” are
printed on the right side of the paper.
Generally, we use the later (“Yours Sincerely” ) if the writer
knows the name of the person.
Remember, only the first letter of the phrase is capitalized.
Leave another couple of spaces for the last step—your
signature!
Write your full name underneath it, for formal letters. This is
how the recipient will know who is sending the letter.
Example: Yours Sincerely,
Theresa Grant
(Signature)
Theresa Grant
