WRITING LETTERS

Informal vs formal letters

(neuradna in uradna pisma)
INFORMAL LETTERS
• Hardly anyone writes them
• No specific rules
• Language used is close to colloquial or spoken language
FORMAL LETTERS
• 1. Layout
• 2. Types
• 3. Structure
• 4. Language
 1. LAYOUT
Your address

Date
Recepient‘s address

Dear Sir or Madam, (Dear Ms Brown),

Par 1
Par 2
Par 3

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully, (Yours sincerely),

Your signature
Your printed name
2. TYPES OF FORMAL LETTERS
 Application
 Inquiry
 Complaint
 Invitation
 Thank you
 Apology
3. STRUCTURE
Paragraph 1 = opening paragraph; you state your „business“ (express clearly why
you are writing it)

Paragraph 2 = explain why you want that; support your claim with examples

Paragraph 3 = write more about yourself to support the previous paragraph; give
more examples

Paragraph 4 = concluding paragraph; you express clearly what you expect the
recepient to do; how he should respond to your letter
4. LANGUAGE
Formal language
No short forms
No phrasal verbs
No colloquial or slang expressions
No abbreviations
No emoticons

Specifically for the exam:

You have to show that you master the language