Mahatma

(Affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi)

Letter-Writing
LETTER-WRITING:

Letter-Writing is an important channel of communication between people who are

geographically distant from one another. In earlier times when the telephone and e-mail were
not available, the only means of communication between people was through letters. Letter-
writing is a skill that has to be developed. In general there are two types of letters: formal, that
are written to convey official business and information and informal, which are personal
letters to communicate with friends and family. A letter is usually one in a series of
exchanges between two people or parties.

Types of
Letter-
Writing

Formal Informal
Letter Letter
FORMAL LETTER:

Formal letters are sent to organizations, government departments, chair holders, etc to
make complaints, requests, inquiries and orders. In case of formal letters, the person to whom
you are addressing the letter is not a friend or a relative. The tone of formal letter is full of
respect making use of formal words and sentences. Formal letter follow a set format that
gives the letter a formal and professional outlook.

INFORMAL LETTER:

Informal letters include personal letters. If it is a personal letter the format is flexible.
Informal letters are written to friends and relatives. The purpose of writing a letter is not to
make a complaint or inquiry. The tone of an informal letter is casual with more informal
diction.

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MODEL 1: You are a resident of 7, Club Road, Hyderabad-13. Write a letter to the
Editor of Hyderabad Times, P.O. Box 350, Hyderabad-1, about the bad quality and
inadequate supply of water in your locality.

7, Club Road,
Hyderabad.

6th August 2022

The Editor
Hyderabad Times,
P.O. Box 350,
Hyderabad.

Subject: Bad quality and inadequate supply of water in your locality

Sir/Madam,
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would want to draw the attention
of officials-in-charge to the issue of inadequate water supply and the bad quality of water in
the locality of club road colony in Hyderabad. There are around fifty families living together
in our locality and we are getting water only for an hour in morning. We are unable to get
adequate water supply that will suffice for our daily needs. The water that is supplied to our
locality is often unhygienic with bad smell. Such an unhygienic supply of water might lead to
the spread of diseases like typhoid and jaundice in our neighborhood. I suggest you to address
this issue in your newspaper and highlight the need for more water connections from the main
water supplying board of the respective Municipal Water Corporation.
Thank you
Yours’ Truly,
(Your Full Name with Initials)

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