Formal and Informal Letter

By: Amanda Bruce

Differences between a formal and informal
letter
• The purpose of writing an informal letter is totally different from the
purpose of a formal letter.

• The content of the two styles is also different.

• The style of greeting and addressing the letter is different.

• Slang words can be used in an informal letter but not in a formal

letter.
Formal Letters
• Sent to organizations, government departments, chair holders, etc to make
complaints, requests, inquiries, orders etc. In case of formal letters, the
person to whom you are addressing is a professional and not your friend. Your
tone is full of respect making use of formal words and sentences.
• Use a business letter format:
• include your return address
• the current date
• formal greeting such as , Dear Mrs. Jones, Dear Sir, To whom it may concern..
• Formal closing such as, Sincerely, Yours sincerely, your respectfully
• be brief and to the point, use formal language, not overly friendly, no
abbreviations.
• use proper, standard English grammar, punctuation and spelling,
November 17, 2012

Dear Ms. Adair,

This letter will confirm our arrangements for our son’s rehearsal dinner at your facilities. The Whitt-
Bryson dinner will be held on the evening of Friday, July 6, 2013 in the Sunset Room. As we discussed, our
florist and caterer will both be able to access the room by 3:00 to begin preparations. We will need seating
arrangements for 75 people, which will be set up prior to that time.

I have enclosed the initial deposit and will forward the remainder within 4 weeks of the event. We thank
you for all of your help thus far in planning this important event. We look forward to continuing to work
with you to make this evening a night the couple and their friends will never forget.

Sincerely,

Paul Bryson
Informal Letters:
• Informal letters are written to friends and relatives. The purpose of
writing a letter is not to make a complaint or inquiry, and the tone is
also casual. The words used can be everyday style and slang, and you
are not trying to create an impression.
• Openings: Hi, Howdy, What's going on? Hey girl, Hey bro
• Closings: Chao, see ya, catch ya later, bye, later
Steps to Writing
• Pre-writing: Brainstorm. Make bulleted list of ideas.
• Drafting: Write down ideas in complete sentences and in proper
format
• Revisiting: Review, modify, and reorganize
• Editing: Grammer,spelling,capitalization, punctuation
• Publishing: Neatness, well-organized, proper letter format
Read about a Veteran
• Choose a veteran to read about

• Choose what type of letter you want to write:

• Thank you letter to the veteran

• A letter as the veteran to a loved one
• A letter as the loved one to your veteran serving overseas.