LETTER WRITING

Definition
✗ A written, typed, or printed communication, sent in an envelope by post or messenger.
✗ A written or printed communication addressed to a person or organization and usually
transmitted by mail.

Two Main Types of Letters

Basically, there are two types of letters namely Formal and Informal.
1. Formal Letter
✗ The advancement in technology and the extensive use of emails has reduced the frequency of
formal letter being written and dispatched. However, still there are some letters which are
significant to write like the ones which are written for job applications, requests for surveys,
questionnaires that are a part of a research you are conducting or letters of enquiry or complaint
written to a bank manager. All of these fall under the category of formal letter writing.
It is very significant that the formal letter which you write has a desired impact on the recipient.
For achieving this, the following simple rules should be followed:
✗ The letter must be written in the appropriate format
✗ Formal letter should be clear, concise and to the point
✗ Only relevant information should be written
✗ Avoid all kinds of spelling and grammatical errors
✗ The tone of the formal letter should be courteous even if it is written for a complaint
✗ The letter must be well presented

What is a Formal Letter Format

While writing formal letter it should be kept in mind that a proper formal letter format needs to be
followed throughout the letter. This is because the recipient of the letter will expect you to follow a few
conventions and not following them will create a bad impact. Following is standard formal letter
format:

Writing Your Address

✗ The address of the sender is written on the top right side of the letter. This does not include the
name of the sender, his contact number or email address.
 ✗ The writer’s address goes top right, with the date beneath. Commas are not required at the end
of each line. Each word should begin with a capital letter, e.g. 5 Harbour Road.
Details of the Recipient
✗ The recipient’s name and address are written below the sender’s address on the left hand side
of the letter. If the name of the recipient is unknown then a title or designation is sufficient. If
possible, a formal letter must always refer to a specific person.

✗ A space of two or three lines is left between the address and the salutation.
Mentioning the Date
The date on which the letter is written can either be written on the right or left side of the letter and is
mostly mentioned under the address. There is flexibility in terms of the format of the letter. The
following formats are applicable:

1. 1 January 2020
2. 1st January 2020
3. 1/1/2020

Salutations
The letter begins with a salutation. This is determined by the fact that the name of the recipient is
known to you or not.

✗ If the name is known, then the formal letter begins with Dear Mr. Jones, Dear Mrs Jones or
Dear Miss Sarah.
✗ However, if the status of a woman is unknown to you then you can write Dear Ms. Sarah.
✗ If the person is a doctor then refer to the title of the person by saying Dear Dr. Jones.
✗ On the other hand, if the name of the person is unknown, then you can write Dear Sir/Madam
etc.
Subject of the Letter
Usually the subject of a formal letter is written below the salutation. It must be underlined and bold.
The reason for writing this is to give the recipient of the letter an idea about what the letter is going to
say so that it may be forwarded to the concerned department or person. If the letter is being written as a
reply or response to a previous letter then the subject must include the word reference or ref.
Formal Letter Content
The content of letter must be very concise and clear to keep the reader engaged. For this purpose the
letter should be divided into clear cut and short paragraphs to retain the attention.

Ending the Letter

A formal letter usually concludes with a line saying “looking forward to your response”. This is not
necessary to write however it is good to mention this if you are expecting a prompt response from the
reader. This is followed by the term “Yours sincerely” if the name of the person is known to you.

However if the name of the person is unknown and you began your letter with “Dear Sir”, then you can
conclude it by saying “Yours faithfully”. This is followed by your signature and printed name below it.

Rules to Follow in Formal Letter Writing

There are some general rules to be followed while writing formal letters:

Relevancy and Conciseness

It may be a case that the person whom the letter is to be written will have a number of other letters to
read at the same time. If your formal letter is too long the recipient might not read it and it will end up
in a bin. Hence, the letter should be short enough so that the reader can read it in a few seconds
rather than minutes. The writer must be specific in his purpose for writing and should stick to the
point. There is no need to add irrelevant details and the use of long words and flowery language.
Lastly, Avoid repetition as much as possible.

Grammar and Spell Check

A letter that is full of mistakes creates a bad impact on the reader and will decrease the chances of
getting a response back. Therefore, it is advised to use a spell checker in your computer. In other cases
use a good dictionary to check spellings. Also look for errors related to grammar. You can ask someone
to check it for you. Punctuation and sentence structures should be revised. If required, write the letter
again in case of several mistakes.

Accurate Tone of Language

While writing a formal letter, one should be careful about the tone and use of appropriate language. For
this purpose, slangs and colloquial language should be avoided. Similarly, contractions and
subjective language should not be used. The tone used should be courteous and respectful.
Example:
Q: Write a letter to the editor of a daily newspaper complaining about the construction work on
your road in the middle of monsoon season causing inconveniences to the people of your locality.

Ans: A sample of such a formal letter may be as follows,

D- 1801, Neptune Society,

DS Marg, Lower Parel,

Mumbai 400 008.

11th June 2018.

The Editor-in-Chief,

Hindustan Times,

Main Street,

Mumbai 400 001.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Subject: Construction work in our locality during monsoon season causing us difficulties.

Through the medium of your esteemed and respected daily, I wish to inform the municipal authorities
of the difficulties the residents of my locality are facing due to the construction and repair work
currently happening in our area. Monsoon season has started a few days ago and is compounding our
problems.

The repair work has been ongoing for five weeks now and is falling way behind schedule. And now
with the current weather conditions, we are having persistent problems of water logging and flooding in
our area. Another worry is about the accidents that may occur due to the debris lying around the road.
Diseases caused due to water lodging are another one of our concerns.
Therefore I wish to draw the attention of the concerned authorities with the help of your newspaper.
Hopefully, you will be able to help us in drawing their attention and resolving this matter at the earliest.

Your Sincerely,

**signature**

Mr. Jones Michaelson

2. Informal Letter
✗ Informal letters are written to close acquaintances of the writer, their friends, family,
relatives, etc. Since they are written to close relations the letters have an informal and
personal tone. Casual language is used while writing informal letters. And sometimes the
letters may even have an emotional undertone.

✗ Informal letters are mainly used for personal communication. So they do not have to follow any
specific pattern, format or conventions. They can be written as per the writer’s wishes and the
requirement of the situation. So the letter is written in a personal fashion in casual unassuming
language.

as can the valediction, e.g. Cheers / See you later

Format of Informal Letter

✗ As we discussed earlier there is no set format when writing an informal letter. But there is a
general pattern, some conventions that people usually follow. These can act as guidelines
when you are drafting a letter, they are not hard and fast rules.

Address

✗ The writer is still expected to write their address, in the top right-hand corner, but not the
address of the recipient.
✗ Even when writing to close friends or relatives the address must be written, so they can reply
back to the letter with ease. If the recipient of the letter is in another country, do not forget to
write your country as well in the address.
Date

✗ Next just below the address we write the date. This allows the reader to have a reference as to
when the address was written. He can then relate better to the contents of the letter.

Greeting

✗ The salutation can vary, e.g. Dear Claire / Hi Claire,

✗ If you are writing to your relative like your mother/father/aunt/uncle etc, you may greet them
as such, for example, “Dear Mom”. And if you are writing to an elder person, someone you
respect greatly you can address them as Mr or Mrs. Like say for example you were writing a
congratulatory letter to your teacher, it can be addressed as “Dear Mrs. Alex”.

Introduction Paragraph

✗ And now we begin writing the actual letter. The introductory paragraph sets the tone for the
whole letter. You might begin by asking the recipient about their well being. Or you may say
that you hope the letter finds them in good health and great spirits. The opening of informal
letters should be casual and comforting. It must not be formal and direct as in business letters.

Body of the Letter

✗ The letter overall should maintain a friendly tone. But you have to adjust the language and the
wordings according to who you are writing to. With a friend, you can afford to be very casual
and flippant even. But if you are writing to an elder relative, you must be extremely respectful
and considerate.

✗ One way to determine the tonality of your letter is to remember how you talk to the person in a
conversation. And then apply the same syntax and sentiments to the letter.

Conclusion

✗ In the conclusive paragraph sum up the reason for writing the letter, i.e. summarize the letter.
Say a meaningful and affectionate goodbye to the reader. And do not forget to invite the reader
to write back or reply to your letter. It shows an intention to keep the conversation going.
Signature

✗ There is no one way to sign off informal letters. Since they do not follow a strict format, you
may sign off as you please. Some commonly used phrases are

• Lots of Love
• Best,
• Best Wishes,
• Kind Regards,
• Kindly,

Pick the one that best suits the occasion and then simply sign your name below the greeting.

Example: