GROUP 5
Writting Letters
DEFINITION
A letter is one person's written message to another
pertaining to some matter of common concern.
What Type of Letter Should You
Write?
There are no hard-and-fast rules. What letter format
you choose depends on your audience. For a friend or
close relative, a casual, handwritten message is usually
the best way to go. However, for business contacts or
people you don’t know well, a typed formal letter is
almost always the most appropriate choice.
What Is the Difference Between
Informal and Formal Letters?
Informal Letter Formal Letter
An informal letter is a letter The formal letter, on the
that is written in a personal other hand, is written in a
fashion. You can write them professional tone using
to relatives or friends, but carefully chosen and polite
also to anyone with whom you language for an official
have a non-professional purpose. Unlike the informal
relationship letter, there is nothing
friendly or quirky about this
type of letter, which must
adhere to a strict format
Before You
Start a
Formal Letter
Formal letters begin with
the sender’s name and
address. Some companies
use special paper, called
letterhead, that includes
contact information
Formatting a formal letter
Adhering to the standard conventions of good formal letter
writing and presenting your letter attractively will ensure that
your thoughts are seriously considered by the recipient and given
the attention and consideration they deserve.
Here are a few formatting tips:
Heading
The heading consists of your address (but
not your name) and the date. Telephone
numbers and email addresses are not
Example: usually included here, but they are
acceptable. Using block format, the
123 Elm Ave.
heading goes in the top left-hand corner
Treesville, M1N 2P3 of the page.
November 24nd, 2008
The inside address consists of the name and
Inside address of the person to whom you are writing.
Address You should try to address the formal letter to a
specific person, but if you do not know his or
her name, at least try to include his or her title.
This address is usually placed four lines below
the heading if a word processor is used or one
line below the heading if the letter is
Example: handwritten.
Mr. M. Leaf
Chief of Syrup Production
Old Sticky Pancake Company
456 Maple Lane
Forest, 7W8 9Y0
Skip one line after the inside address and
Salutation then type the salutation. Your choice of
salutation depends on whether or not you
know the intended recipient of the formal
letter. The most usual greeting is
Dear
followed by the person's name and
punctuated with a colon. If you don't
know whether the person you are
Here are some examples of addressing is a man or a woman, you may
each salutation: begin with
•Dear Mr. Trunk, Dear Sir or Madam,
again followed by a colon.
•Dear Ms. Root,
Ms.
•Dear Mrs. Branch, may be used if you don't know the marital
status of a woman. Furthermore, if the
•Dear Dr. Acorn, person has a specific title such as
Dr.
make sure that you use it.
Body
Skip one line after the salutation and
begin typing the body of the formal
letter. This is the main part of the letter.
Keep in mind the rules outlined above
regarding brevity and coherence. It is
best to use short, clear, logical
paragraphs to state your business.
This is the end of the formal letter. Skip
Closing and one line after the last paragraph of the
Signature body of the letter and type the closing.
Only the first word of the closing should
be capitalized. It is punctuated with a
comma. Leave several lines after the
closing and type (or print) your signature.
Your actual handwritten signature is to be
Example: inserted between these two printed lines,
written in ink.
Your typed signature marks the end of
Yours sincerely, your letter, and while you can write a
postscript containing additional
Ezra Twig information, it is better to include all
pertinent details in the body of the letter
itself so nothing is accidentally
overlooked
Example of a Formal Letter
How Do You Address
Start an Your personal address should be the first
thing you write on your letter. It should be
Informal located at the top right corner of the page,
since you do not always know if someone has
Letter? your address if they want to reply.
Remember also to fill in your country of
residence if you are sending the letter
abroad.
Example:
Format
1000 S. Grand Avenue
• Number and street name
Los Angeles, CA 90015 • City, state and postal code
United States • Country
Date
The date is usually located below
your own address. The most American
Format British English
English
common way to write the date
includes the month, day and year.
Sometimes, only the month and day
22nd November November 22nd,
are sufficient. In English, the A
2011 2011
names of months are always
capitalized, but there are some
22 November November 22,
differences in formatting between B
2011 2011
American English and British
English. C 22/11/2011 11/22/2011
How Do You Write an Informal
Letter?
A informal letter can be written in nearly any way you choose, but there are a
few organizational guidelines you can follow if you are unsure of what to write
or how to format your letter. The perfect informal letter consists of three
sections:
■ Opening
■ Body text
■ Closing
There is one final part of an informal letter that doesn't need listed here: the
signature, which consists of no more than a farewell remark and your name.
Learn about each of the three main parts of an informal letter below
Opening
The first step is addressing your reader. But how do you address someone in English?
This is fairly straightforward and is usually not as important as it would be with a
business or formal letter. There are still a few things that you should know in terms of
addressing someone properly in an informal latter.
First, British English does not employ the use of a period after abbreviated titles, but
American English does.
Mr Johnson (British English) Mr. Johnson (American English)
Secondly, if you are sending a letter to a married woman, the correct abbreviation is
"Mrs," and if you are sending an letter to a non-married woman, the correct
abbreviation is "Ms."
- Mrs. Johnson is the wife of Mr. Johnson
- Ms. Johnson and her fiancé will be married this summer
Choosing whether or not to use a title depends on how well you know the person to
which the letter is addressed. If you are on very friendly terms, simply use their first
name. The way in which you greet your reader is up to you. The examples below
showcase some common greetings.
– Dear Richard,
– Richard,
– Hi Richard,
– (Be sure to never forget the comma after the name)
Some sample opening sentences are
included below. Your opening should
be casual and not as stiff as it
would be if you were writing a
professional or formal letter.
Examples of • How are you?
• How have you been?
Opening • How is life treating you?
Sentences • How are the kids?
• I hope you are doing well.
• I hope you, Mike, and the kids
are having a great time in.
Body
The contents of your letter should be Subjects to Include in the Body
written in a personal and friendly
tone. However, it's important to • State your reason for writing
adjust your use of language to the
person you are writing to. A good way • Expand on what you mentioned
of assessing how you should write is
to think about how you would interact in the first paragraph
with the person you are writing to in
real life. Also, keep in mind that the • Ask about the person you are
people of England and America are writing to
fond of exchanging social niceties.
For example, they like asking a few • Make some concluding remarks
polite questions "How are you?" or • Invite the person to write back
"How was your holiday?" In general,
they are not as direct as most
Europeans.
Signature
In terms of signing off, the choice is yours and you have a lot of freedom here. Below
are some commonly used sign-offs that maintain a friendly, informal tone. After you've
chosen one that fits the overall tone of your letter, simply sign your name.
Examples of Signatures
• Best wishes,
• Best,
• Kindly,
• Kind regards,
• Best regards,
• Lots of love,
• Love,
Example of an Informal Letter
