WAJ3103 English Language Proficiency II

TOPIC 4

Writing for Different Text Types

4.0 This topic intends to assist course participants to be aware of different types of report
writing and that they may be able to write these reports accurately. Course participants will also
be aware of how to write various types of summary, formal and informal letters effectively.
4.1 Learning Outcomes

Study different text organisations for reports and discuss the purpose/objective,
language used and audience
Write effectively different kinds of reports namely newspaper reports, events, minutes of
meeting and writing reports based on graphs or charts
Write different types of summary effectively based on guidelines given
Identify the format of letter writing
Use correct and appropriate language, tone and format in letter writing
Assess own language progress through self and peer evaluation

4.2 Content

WRITING DIFFERENT TEXT

TYPES

4.2.1 Writing Reports

4.2.2 Writing Different

Types of Summary

4.3.3 Writing
Formal and
Informal Letters

4.2.1 WRITING REPORTS

Descriptions
This form of writing is used to organise and record information
Its purpose is to describe or classify the way things are or appear to be
Format & Style
This genre begins with a general statement.
Reports then move on to being more specific and technical in nature
They describe certain qualities, functions, habits and behaviours, for example, Lift is
produced because of the shape of an aircraft wing. Air takes longer to travel over the
upper surface of the curved wing. This causes a difference in pressure between the top
and the bottom of the wing.

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Uses the Present Tense.

Descriptive language is used that is both factual and accurate.
Reports use action verbs such, using the first person (I, we).

Examples
Newspapers, schools, academic research, etc.
i. Reporting Sports
Main Objective
Recognise bias and objectivity, distinguishing facts from hypotheses, theories or opinions.
Additional focus
Analyse the overall structure of a text to identify how key ideas are developed.
Think about
How does fact differ from opinion?
Fact is truth, reality, information that is verifiable
Opinion is a view, belief or an assessment
Fact: Ibrox Park, Glasgow, 70,000 people had assembled, on a Saturday afternoon
Opinion: a shocking accident, the scene was one of wild disorder
One cannot reasonably disagree with a fact
It is reasonable to disagree with an opinion
Make a list of words nouns, verbs, adjectives that could be used in a newspaper report on a
football game or any other sport that has mass appeal, for example, spectator, crowd,
cheers and jeers, roar, applause
Read and understand
Read Grandstand Calamity at Ibrox Park and identify parts of the text that are out of date.
How would you write this report to appeal to present-day readers? Would you
o Make the sentences and paragraphs shorter?
o Edit the language to make it more direct, simple, precise?
o Change the headline to one more dramatic?
o Introduce subheadings where meaningful?
Writing Task
You have just watched a very important team game at the local stadium. Write a report to be
published in the sports section of a newspaper.
In your report, clearly show
What happened during the game
How the spectators behaved and
The outcome of the event

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Disaster at Ibrox
The following report is from the Daily Telegraph on Monday, 7 th April, 1902. It describes a
tragedy at Ibrox during a Scotland-England football game the previous Saturday. Twenty-six
people were killed and hundreds injured when a section of the stand collapsed.
Grandstand Calamity at Ibrox Park
IBROX PARK, GLASGOW, was on Saturday
afternoon the scene of a shocking accident,
involving the loss of many lives and injuries to
over 100 people. To witness the annual
Association football match between England
and Scotland fully 70000 people had
assembled there, but as the ground is
arranged to accommodate 80 000, the
presence even of so vast a gathering as that
of Saturday occasioned no anxiety.

play between the forcing of a corner kick and

the taking of it. Within a few minutes the
scene was one of wild disorder, the police
being quite over-powered in their endeavours
to keep people off the playing area.
Spectators dashed madly across the field and,
almost before it could be realized, there must
have been 10000 people in the middle of the
ground. The white shirts of the English players
could still be distinguished, but, clad in dark
blue, the Scotsmen were at once swallowed
Before the start of the game the pressure up, and very soon the players on both sides
became so great that the spectators began to made their way to the pavilion. For fully 20
clamber over the iron railing in front of the minutes the field remained in the possession
huge uncovered stand. In this rush several of the crowd.
people were hurt and received medical
attention. The injuries so far were few and not Comparatively few people, apart from those on
very severe.
The invading spectators, the stand, knew what had happened to cause
however, spread out in all directions, crowding such an uncontrollable rush.
What had
up to the goal line and the touchline on one occurred was this. On the highest part of the
side of the ground. It seemed as if no play stand a portion of the planking had proved
would be possible, but the efforts of the police unequal to the strain to which it was being
eventually resulted in the people being driven subjected, and, giving way, had precipitated
back to the cinder path.
the spectators standing there to the earth.
One or two people were killed outright; others
The game was accordingly commenced, and received such terrible injuries that they
had been in progress some seven or eight succumbed during the evening; and a number
minutes, when from the uncovered stand had their limbs fractured or sustained serious
people swarmed on to the field in thousands, internal damage.
the rush being so tremendous that it stopped
Report Language
1.

Write down two facts and two opinions from the passage.
Facts :

_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

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Opinions:

_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

2.

The words below are all used in the extract and now seem rather dated. Replace
them with words you think would be more likely to appear in a modern newspaper
report.
calamity

_____________________________________________________

occasioned

_____________________________________________________

spectators

_____________________________________________________

commenced

_____________________________________________________

disorder

_____________________________________________________

endeavours

_____________________________________________________

clad

_____________________________________________________

precipitated

_____________________________________________________

succumbed

_____________________________________________________

fractured

_____________________________________________________

WRITING FRAME
The difference between a fact and an opinion is that

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Here are some facts from the passage about the Ibrox disaster

Here are some opinions

Some examples of dated expressions used in the passage are

I replaced them with these modern expressions

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Here is the first paragraph of a report of the tragedy in the style of a modern newspaper

ii. Newspaper Article News Item

The purpose of a newspaper article is to present the news clearly and objectively. A reporter
must state the facts, rather than his or her own views. A newspaper must also be very careful
not to print anything libelous. This could result in the newspaper being taken to court and sued.
A journalist must be particularly careful when writing about crimes. People who have been
arrested are suspects, since they have not yet been proved guilty. They should not be called
robbers, murderers, etc. No facts should be given that cannot be substantiated (given
substance, proved). As well as being accurate in content and neutral in tone, newspaper
articles must be interesting. Pay particular attention to the beginning of the story, so that people
want to read on.
Model
Summarise the most important
facts first

SOGO FIRE KILLS TWO

Two people were killed and 15 injured when fire swept
through the two basements of the Sogo Department Store
in Causeway Bay yesterday.

Use adjectives to add detail

The up-market Japanese-owned store, which opened only

three years ago, was packed with customers attracted by
the New Years sales. At about 7.15 p.m. a fire started in
a store-room on the lower ground floor.

Use quotations to supply further

detail

The fire spread very quickly because of all the cooking oil
in that area of the store, said Chan, 19, a part-time cook
in the fast-food area.

Use direct speech to add tension

and excitement

There was absolute chaos, said Mrs. Mak Shukhan, a

Taikoo Shing housewife, who was in the basement at that
time. Everything happened so quickly. People started
running and shouting and smoke began to fill the air. The
stampede for the escalators was frightening. Im surprised
more people werent trampled to death.

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The fire brigade arrived at about 7.25. At first it was

difficult for them to get their men and equipment down to
the fire because of the crush of people. By 7.30 the upper
basement was also ablaze, and the fire was upgraded to
third alarm.
State the official position

Standard formula for such reports

Avoid making judgements. Its not

your job and it could land you in
court.
Add any additional facts that are
relevant

The Senior Divisional Fire Officer (Wanchai), Mr Hu Waishing, said that he was afraid for a while that the fire
would spread to the ground floor. Basically we started to
flood the basements as the quickest way to put out the
fire. Luckily, although the flames spread quickly, there
was not very much inflammable material around. The
stores sprinkler system was also of some help despite its
being slow to start working.
When firemen finally penetrated to the lower-basement,
two badly burnt corpses were found. Fifteen other people
were injured in the stampede or suffered burns. They
were taken to Tang Shiu Kin Hospital; where seven were
treated and discharged. Four people were kept in for
observation and four were transferred to the Burns Unit of
Queen Mary Hospital. The dead have not yet been
named.
The cause of the fire has not yet been established. The
police investigating the case have refused at this stage to
rule out arson, although faulty wiring in the store-room is
considered a more likely cause.
This is the second fire in a department store in Hong Kong
this year.

Style and Content

1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.

Avoid the word I. Only a few top journalists are paid to give their views rather than to
present the facts. Be impersonal.
Give a lot of details peoples ages, the numbers involved, the precise times.
A newspaper is usually concerned with what happened yesterday. Remember this, and
dont just write a short story!
Use a fairly exciting style. You are trying to interest the reader. Use adjectives freely
a huge explosion, an enormous crowd, dazzling sunlight, etc. Help your readers to
imagine what happened and to feel some of the emotions involved. For example, dont
write , Mr Chan said . Instead, write something like Mr Chan, with tears in his eyes,
begged the kidnappers to return his daughter.
Use direct speech. Include short quotations from witnesses, spokesmen, etc.
Use short, punchy paragraphs.
Give any relevant statistics and information. Your job is to provide the reader with the
facts so that he or she can form their own judgement.

Vocabulary
The following words and phrases are often used in newspaper articles.
a spokesman for
witness

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passer-by
established the cause
investigations are proceeding
in a statement the government said
an inquiry will be held
Hospital :
admitted
treated
discharged
certified dead on arrival
in a fair / serious/ critical condition

Writing task
Write a news item using the following elements
Accident involving a bus

__________________________________________

and a lorry

__________________________________________
__________________________________________

Anyone killed or injured?

__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

More information: time, place, was

__________________________________________

the bus crowded? If so, why?

__________________________________________

What happened? (Remember

__________________________________________

not to prejudge!)

__________________________________________

Eye-witnesses: any? What did

__________________________________________

they see? (Use direct speech.)

__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

Arrival of police, ambulance.

__________________________________________

Action taken

__________________________________________

__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Comment by hospital.

__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

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__________________________________________
Comment by police spokesman.

__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

Action to be taken inquiry etc.

__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

Other recent accidents.

__________________________________________
__________________________________________

iii. Writing a Report Based on an Event

How to write an event report
1.
Start thinking on making your report happen as soon as the event is sure
happening.
2.

Take pictures of all the main parts of the day.

3.

Get reaction quotes from people in the crowd during and after the event.

4.

Before and after the event, talk to the people responsible for planning and
speaking at the event.

5.

Make notes of pertinent stats such as the number of people attending, the
location, the time, the theme, as well as anything else that stands out or makes
the event distinct.

6.

Get a close up picture of everyone you get a quote from.

7.

3 hours to 3 days after the event, sit down and compile all the information onto
one page.

8.

Include the important stats in a prominent location (top right corner). Sprinkle the
page liberally with scaled-down pictures of the event. Include 2-4 of the best quotes you
found along with pictures of the person who said it.

9.

Write out a paragraph length summary of the day, highlighting all the most
exciting and meaningful elements so that anyone can get a general overview of
the scope and schedule of the day.

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Writing Task
Your college had just organized a successful jogathon recently to raise funds for the college
library. Write a report describing the jogathon for your college magazine. Sketch the map for
the said jogathon and use that and the guidelines below to write your report.
10 km jogathon
Start
:
Flagged off by The Director of the college
Check points
:
Write at least 5 checkpoints based on your map
Prize-giving ceremony
Speech - The Director of the college
iv. Writing Minutes of a Meeting
The secretary of a committee takes down notes on what is being discussed during a meeting.
Then the notes are written in a formal manner using a particular format. This written official
record is called the Minutes of Meetings.
Guidelines for writing minutes:
1. The name and the society
2. The date, place and time of the meeting
3. Names of persons present at the meeting
4. Names of persons absent (with or without reasons)
5. List of things to be discussed at the meeting
6. Confirmation of issues raised during previous meeting
7. Reports from sub-committee
8. Person or persons assigned to a given task
9. Issue or issues brought to the attention of the committee
10. The time the meeting adjourned
11. Signature of the persons who prepared the minutes and his or her position
12. The date when the minutes were prepared
Headings used when writing Minutes of a Meeting
Minutes of the Fourth Committee Meeting
English Language Society, IPG Kampus Raja Melewar, Seremban
Date

Venue

Time

Present

Absent with
apologies

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:
Agenda

1.
2.
2.
3.

Welcome Speech by Chairman

Confirmation of minutes of the last meeting
Reports from sub-committee
Other matters arising

1.

Welcome Speech by Chairman

1.1

2.

Confirmation of Minutes of the Third Committee Meeting held on

2.1

3.

Reports from Sub-committee

3.1

4.

Other Matters Arising

4.1

The meeting was adjourned at with a word of thanks to the chair.

(Name (Caps)
Secretary
Date:

Writing Task
You are the secretary of the English Language Society of your college. Write the minutes
of the meeting held at the beginning of the semester.
v. Writing Reports based on Graphs
Information in Graphs and Charts
Information can be derived easily by analyzing charts and graphs. Graphs and charts are often
used to:
1. Show changes of things over a period of time
2. Show parts of whole things
3. Make a comparison of things effectively and quickly
Guidelines
1.
Study the given graphs or charts carefully.
2.
Pay attention to the following details:
(i)
title or topic
(iv)
Years
(ii)
Key
(v)
The pattern of the graph (if it is a line graph)
(iii)
Source
3.
A report should include the following points:
(i)
An introduction
- what is the chart about
(ii)
An analysis of the chart or graph
- Interpreting and identifying the pattern of the graph

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(iii)
(iv)
(v)

Classification of the information in the graphs and charts. Then clarify it by giving
proof from the charts and graphs as well as logical and appropriate explanation.
Additional notes, if any.
Conclusion
- This includes opinions, comments and suggestions. If it is a line graph you
have to
make prediction on the future trend of the graph. The predictions you make
need not
necessarily be true or accurate.

Remember to write in a formal tone or language and always refer to the chart or graph when
you are writing your report to avoid writing out of point.

Writing Task
Based on a chart or graph that you have, write a report based on what is shown on it.
More task
Read up on other forms of report writing and make notes on each report based on text
organisation, the type of language used, the audience. Then compile your notes in your folio.

Bibliography
Fournier, P. (2004). Strategies for correct writing. New York: Longman
Green, M. (2003). English writing workshop. Analyse, review, comment. TG Building,
Singapore: Learners Publishing Pte Ltd.
How to write an event report. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.wikihow.com/Write-an-EventReport
Langan, J. (2008). College writing skills. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill International Edition.
Oshima, A. and Hogue, A. (1999). Academic English. 3rd ed. New York: Longman.
Rose Tunku Ismail. (1996). A students guide to writing resumes, reports, memorandums and
minutes of meetings. Minden, Penang: Pusat Pendidikan Jarak Jauh Universiti Sains
Malaysia

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4.2.2 SUMMARY WRITING

What is a summary?
A summary is a condensation or a shortened version of a text.
The purpose of writing a summary is to capture the key ideas of another author.
A summary has to be brief because the summary writers job is mainly to
convey the information contained in a peice of writing in as few words as
possible.
A summary has to be objective because the summary is concerned with
stating the ideas of someone else and showing your understanding of them and
is definately not the place for you to respond to the writers ideas.
TYPES OF SUMMARY
There are different types of summaries:

The one-sentence summary is frequently used in academic writing as a way to

introduce the reader to the author's central idea or thesis statement.
The informative summary expresses the original author's main ideas, main
supporting details, data and arguments. It is much longer than the one-sentence
summary and is often incorporated into longer works.
The precis condenses the original text to a specific length, usually one-third or onefourth the length of the text. In precis writing, you keep to the author's approach,
organisational scheme and sequencing of ideas.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD SUMMARY

A good summary has the following characteristics:
1.
2.

3.

It gives a proper citation.

The title, author and source of the text are given as an in-text citation within the
sentence or at the end of the sentence.
It includes the main ideas.
The central idea or thesis statement is summarised clearly and accurately.
Key ideas that the author makes are included without adding your personal opinions,
views and judgements.
Specifics such as examples, illustrations, descriptions and detailed explanations are
omitted (unless the concepts of the original are complex and could only be understood
with examples).
It uses paraphrases.
The author's ideas are restated using your own words and sentence structures.
Language (vocabulary, grammar, punctuation) is checked to ensure that the original

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4.

meaning of the text is retained.

It is of appropriate length.
A summary is much shorter than the original text.
The length of the summary will depend on the purpose of summarising and the length of
the original document. If the purpose is to concisely state the main information (the
thesis statement) of the text, then a oneor two-sentence summary is appropriate. An
informative summary of a short text will include a little detail for each main point. A
precis will condense the text to one-third or one-fourth of the original length.

HOW TO SUMMARISE A TEXT

STEP 1
Read the article carefully several times.
Make sure you understand the ideas presented

STEP 2
Write one very broad thesis statement.
Ask yourself what the text is about.
Then, write one very broad statement about the text, as if telling your friend
about the article you havejust read.

STEP 3
Identify the main points of the article.
What are the main points of the article?
Identify the primary idea, assertion or finding that is being discussed.
Look out for the main supporting details, the most effective example, the most
telling statistics and the most important authority cited.
Read each paragraph carefully and use one or more of the following helpful
techniques to identify the main points:
Underline or highlight the main ideas that you believe are important.
Make margin notes of the main ideas that you believe are important.
Mark the topic sentence of each paragraph. (Often, the first and/or the last
sentence of a paragraph captures the key idea of the paragraph.)

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STEP 4
Write the first draft of the summary.
Put away the original text.
Using only your notes from step 3, write your first draft.
Make sure you paraphrase the original sentences.
Begin the summary with an in-text citation.
Next, write a sentence using your own words stating the central idea.
(identified in step 2).
Combine all the main ideas you have identified (in step 3).
Use discourse markers (e.g. therefore, however, because) to show the
coherence.
relationships between the ideas.
Check with the original text for accuracy of meaning.

STEP 5
Rewrite your summary
When rewriting your summary, focus on the meaning of the original text,
correcting the content or tone of the draft to ensure you do not distort the
author's message.
Make sure your language is clear and objective.
Remember, your final summary should be a shortened version that is
comprehensive, concise, neutral and accurate.

Example of Summarising
Step 1. Read
understand
ideas presented.
For and
many
years, Malaysian
Chinese were hardly interested in tracing their
ancestors who had migrated to this country. In recent years, however, many Chinese
have developed an avid (interest in their family tree or descent and their cultural
background for many reasons). Firstly, many Chinese became inquisitive and highly
interested in their descent, their long lost relatives and the culture of China because
travel to and from China has become more liberalised and easy. Secondly, the culture
and the people of China are constantly featured on satellite TV - Discovery Travel and
Adventure which is viewed by millions. As a result of these two reasons, a new
passion has been created for thousands of Chinese migrants in Malaysia.

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Step 2 .Write one very broad thesis statement.

Many Chinese have developed an avid interest in their family tree or descent and
their cultural background.

Step 3. Identify the main points of the article and make outline notes.
For many years, Malaysian Chinese were hardly interested in tracing their
ancestors who had migrated to this country. In recent years, however, many Chinese
have developed an avid (interest in their family tree or descent and their cultural
background for many reasons). Firstly, many Chinese became inquisitive and highly
interested in their descent, their long lost relatives and the culture of China because
travel to and from China has become more liberalised and easy. Secondly, the culture
and the people of China are constantly featured on satellite TV - Discovery Travel and
Adventure which is viewed by millions. As a result of these two reasons, a new passion
has been created for thousands of Chinese migrants in Malaysia.

Making outline notes:

1. Malaysian Chinese's recent interest in their background:
(a) Family trees
(b) Cultural background
2.

Reasons for interest:

(a) Travel to and from China has become more liberalised and easy
(b) Discovery Travel and Adventure - features China

Step 4. Writing out the first draft of the summary

Recently, many Malaysian Chinese have developed a keen interest in their family tree or
descent and the cultural background for many reasons.

Writing out important supporting details:

'... because of ( liberalisation Of travel to and from China and the televised programme
featuring China on Discovery Travel and Adventure

Step 5. Rewrite your summary and make sure the content and tone of the author is not
distorted.
Recently, many Malaysian Chinese have developed a keen interest in their descent and
cultural background because of liberalisation of travel to and from China and TV
programmes featuring China's culture and its people.

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Exercise 1
The important points in the passage have been underlined.
(a) Use these important points to make outline notes.
(b) Use the outline notes to:
i. write out the thesis statement with controlling ideas
ii. write out some important details
Our dreams do not come from 'another world'. They are not messages from some outside
source. They are not a look into the future, nor do they prophecy anything.
All our dreams have something to do with our emotions, fears, longings, wishes, needs,
memories. But something on the 'outside' may influence what we dream. If we are hungry, or
tired, or cold, our dream may include this feeling. If the blanket has slipped oft our bed, we may
dream we are on an iceberg. The materials for the dream we have tonight is likely to come
from the experiences we will have today.
So the content of our dream comes from something that affects us while we are sleeping
(cold, noise, discomfort, and so on) and it may also use our past experiences and the urges
and interests we have now. This is why very young children are likely to dream of wizards or
fairies, older children of school exams, hungry people of food, homesick soldiers of their
families, and prisoners of freedom. Psychoanalysts, people who study Our minds, have made
a special study of why we dream what we dream, and what those dreams mean. Their
interpretation of dreams otters an interesting approach to the problem. They believe that
dreams are expressions of wishes that didn't come true, or of frustrated yearnings. In other
words, a dream is a way of having our wish fulfilled.

Exercise 2
Write a summary of about one-third the length of the passage.
Classroom teachers can encounter speech and language problems in several forms in
children. The first of these, language delay, is commonly linked with mental retardation, or
slowness of the mind. Children with poor mental cognitive development or poor learning ability
may show a slow rate of language development as well.
Another form of speech problem, stuttering, seems to involve speech production mainly,
and to a lesser extent, the overall thinking ability. Stuttering occurs when a person finds it
difficult to say the first sound of a word and so often hesitates or repeats it two or three times.

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The causes of stuttering are still unclear, though it does become worse if the children become
stressed and excited. But this does not mean that teachers should avoid at all costs to excite
children who stutter. lt does mean, however, that teachers should expect fluctuations or changes
in amount of stuttering produced depending on the degree of excitement in different
circumstances.
A third form of speech problem, speech or articulation disorders, is the most common
among school children. Such children may mix up, omit, or substitute certain sounds of
language, giving their speech a'babyish' quality, a vewy fuwwy beaw', they may say, instead of
'a very furry bear'. Although such error occur most commonly among younger children, they can
persist well into adolescence for a few people.

CHECKLIST
Use this checklist when double-checking your summary.
1.

Have you read the original text carefully and understood it completely?

2.

If the author's name and the title of the source is mentioned, have you
included it in the opening section of the summary?
Have you included the thesis statement of the original text?

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Have all the main ideas of the original text been included?
Have all the important findings, ideas and arguments been accurately and
objectively paraphrased?
Have you checked that you did not include your personal opinions, views
and judgement?
Have you omitted specifics such as examples, descriptions and detailed
explanations?
Is your summary comprehensible even after cutting down words to
condense it?

9.

Have you checked your summary against the original text for accuracy?

10.

Have the tone and intention of the original text been maintained?

11.

Does your summary make sense to someone who has not read the original
text?

Key:
Exercise 1
Making outline notes:
Dreams - not messages from outer source
- not a look into future
- not prophecy
Dreams are related to emotions, fear, longings, wishes, needs, memories influenced by
environment. Content of dream - influenced by past experiences, urges and interests,
aunfulfilled wishes, yearnings. A dream is a way of having our wish fulfilled
Writing out the thesis statement with controlling ideas:

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Dream are a way of having our wish fulfilled, not a prophecy, or messages from an outer
source.
Writing out some important details:
All dreams are made of unfulfilled emotions,fears, longings, wishes, needs memories
influenced by past experiences, urges and interests.
Exercise 2
Classroom teachers often encounter different forms of speech and language disorders in children
like language delay, stuttering and articulation disorder. Language delay is linked to slow mental
and language development, while stuttering affects speech production but hardly affects thinking
ability. Articulation disorder on the other hand, occurs when children mix up, omit, and substitute
certain sounds of language.

Bibliography
Ng, K. S., Lim, S. K. and Tan, L. H. (2009). Getting ahead with English. Grammar and
writing. Shah Alam: Federal Marshall Cavendish Education.
Krishnakumari Karuthan, Nor Azni Abdullah and Ahmad Mazli Muhammad. (2010). Writing with
sources. A guide book for academic writers. Shah Alam: McGraw-Hill Education.

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4.2.3 LETTER WRITING

There are basically two types of letter writing namely formal letter and informal letter. Formal
letters are such as letter of complaint , letter to order stationery, letter to protest, etc whereas
Informal letters are such as letter to a friend, letter to family members, etc.
A:

FORMAL LETTER
(i) Language features
Formal tone
Words which tell us how, when or where
Words which express judgements
Words such as because, as a results to establish cause /effect relationship.
(ii)

Format
Business Letter Format
Block Format: Business Letter

Return Address Line 1 1

Return Address Line 2

Date (Month Day, Year) 2

Mr./Mrs./Ms./Dr. Full name of recipient. 3

Title/Position of Recipient.
Company Name
Address Line 1
Address Line 2

Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. Last Name: 4

Subject: Title of Subject 5

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Body Paragraph 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
...................................................................
...................................................................
Body Paragraph 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
...................................................................
...................................................................
Body Paragraph 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
...................................................................
...................................................................
6
Closing (Sincerely...), 7
Signature 8
Your Name (Printed) 9
Your Title
Enclosures (2) 10
Typist Initials. 11
The block format is the simplest format; all of the writing is flush against the left margin.

Your Address 1
The return address of the sender so the recipient can easily find out where to send a reply to.
Skip a line between your address and the date. (Not needed if the letter is printed on paper with
the company letterhead already on it.)

Date 2
Put the date on which the letter was written in the format Month Day Year i.e. August 30, 2003.
Skip a line between the date and the inside address (some people skip 3 or 4 lines after the
date).

Inside Address 3
The address of the person you are writing to along with the name of the recipient, their title and
company name, if you are not sure who the letter should be addressed to either leave it blank,

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but try to put in a title, i.e. "Director of Human Resources". Skip a line between the date and the
salutation.

Salutation 4
Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. Last Name:, Dear Director of Department Name: or To Whom It May
Concern: if recipient's name is unknown. Note that there is a colon after the salutation. Skip a
line between the salutation and the subject line or body.

Subject Line (optional) 5

Makes it easier for the recipient to find out what the letter is about. Skip a line between the
subject line and the body.

Body 6
The body is where you write the content of the letter; the paragraphs should be single spaced
with a skipped line between each paragraph. Skip a line between the end of the body and the
closing.
Closing 7
Let's the reader know that you are finished with your letter; usually ends with Sincerely,
Sincerely yours, Thank you, and so on. Note that there is a comma after the end of the closing
and only the first word in the closing is capitalized. Skip 3-4 lines between the closing and the
printed name, so that there is room for the signature.
Signature 8
Your signature will go in this section, usually signed in black or blue ink with a pen.
Printed Name 9
The printed version of your name, and if desired you can put your title or position on the line
underneath it. Skip a line between the printed name and the enclosure.
Enclosure 10
If letter contains other document other than the letter itself your letter will include the word
"Enclosure." If there is more than one you would type, "Enclosures (#)" with the # being the
number of other documents enclosed, not including the letter itself.
Reference Initials 11
If someone other than yourself typed the letter you will include your initials in capital letters
followed by the typist's initials in lower case in the following format; AG/gs or AG:gs.
(i)

Example
(ii)

Sample Business Letter

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2020 Jalan Sikamat

70400 Seremban
January 5, 2012
Mr. Bruno
Accounts Payable
The Delicious Store
1010 Jalan Megamall
70100 Seremban
Dear Mr. Bruno:
It has come to my attention that your company, The Delicious Store has been late
with paying their invoices for the past three months.
In order to encourage our customers to pay for their invoices before the due date,
we have implemented a discount model where we will give you 2% off your invoice
if you pay us within 7 days of receiving the invoice.
I hope that everything is going well for you and your company. You are one of our
biggest customers, and we appreciate your business. If you have any questions,
feel free to contact me at (06) 888-8888
Sincerely,
Signature
Mars
Accounts Receivable

B: INFORMAL LETTER
(i) Language features
Informal tone
Social expressions
Language forms and functions.
(ii) Format
Friendly Letter Format

Dear Name of Recipient, 3

Return Address Line 1 1

Return Address Line 2
Date (Month Day, Year) 2

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Body Paragraph 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.............................................................................
.................
Body Paragraph 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.............................................................................
.................
Body Paragraph 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.............................................................................
.................4

P.S. 7

Closing (Sincerely...), 5
Signature 6

In the friendly letter format, your address, date, the closing, signature, and printed name are all
indented to the right half of the page (how far you indent in is up to you as long as the heading
and closing is lined up, use your own discretion and make sure it looks presentable). Also the
first line of each paragraph is indented.
Your Address 1
All that is needed is your street address on the first line and the city, state and zip on the second
line. (Not needed if the letter is printed on paper with a letterhead already on it.)
Date 2
Put the date on which the letter was written in the format Month Day Year e.g. August 30, 2003.
Skip a line between the date and the salutation.
Salutation 3
Usually starts out with Dear so and so, or Hi so and so. Note: There is a comma after the end of
the salutation (you can use an exclamation point also if there is a need for some emphasis).
Body 4
The body is where you write the content of the letter; the paragraphs should be single spaced
with a skipped line between each paragraph. Skip 2 lines between the end of the body and the
closing.
Closing 5
Let's the reader know that you are finished with your letter; usually ends with Sincerely,
Sincerely yours, Thank you, and so on. Note that there is a comma after the end of the closing
and only the first word in the closing is capitalized.
Signature 6
Your signature will go in this section, usually signed in black or blue ink with a pen. Skip a line
after your signature and the P.S.

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P.S. 7
If you want to add anything additional to the letter you write a P.S. (post script) and the message
after that. You can also add a P.P.S after that and a P.P.P.S. after that and so on.
(iii) Example
Sample Friendly Letter

Dear Samatha,

506 Country Lane

North Baysville, CA 53286
December 02, 2011

It feels like such a long time since the last time I saw you. I know it's only been a month
since I saw you. So far my holidays have been great!
I spend all my weekends at the beach. I am getting a nice tan and you can no longer say I
am paler than you. I have been playing lots of volleyball, surfing and building a nice collection of
sea shells. Just this past weekend I took second place in a sandcastle building contest!
On the weekdays I work. I drive an ice cream truck around and sell ice cream to the kids. It
is so cool. It is a combination of the two things I love most, ice cream and kids. The pay isn't too
great but I love the job so much.
I hope the holidays been going well for you too. There's only a month left before it's back to
school. Would you like to meet up some time before school starts?

P.S. William says hi.

Your friend,
Signature

Writing Tasks
(a) A Letter of Complaint
You are a resident of Taman Sinar Harapan. You and several of the residents in your area
are unhappy with the presence of numerous stalls in your area/
Your complaints are about:
Stalls sprawling onto the roads
Unhygienic conditions at the stalls
Lack of parking space
Clogged drains

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Write a letter to the town council complaining about the conditions

When writing the letter, you should;
Mention the complaints
Give suggestions on how to overcome the problems
Include any other relevant information.
(b) A Letter to a Friend
Write a letter to a friend tellinghim/her about a frightening experience.

Bibliography
Maryann, S., and Roy,J. (2007). Model compositions and summaries. 3rd ed. Kuala Lumpur :
Oxford Fajar .
Letter writing guide. (2004-2011 LetterWritingGuide.com ). Sample business letter. Retrieved
http://www.letterwritingguide.com/samplebusiness.htm
Letter writing guide. (2004-2011 LetterWritingGuide.com ). Sample friendly letter format.
Retrieved from http://www.letterwritingguide.com/friendlyletterformat.htm

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