Before the wide-spread use of modern technology that made communication so easy, the art of writing a letter was considered an important requirement. Even today a letter is an important means of communication in both the workspace as well as our personal lives.
A letter is a written message that can be handwritten or printed on paper. It is usually sent to the recipient via mail or post in an envelope, although, this is not a requirement.
Now that E-mails and texts and other such forms have become the norm for communication, the art of letter writing has taken a backseat. However, even today a lot of our communication, especially the formal kind, is done via letters. Whether it is a cover letter for a job, or the bank sending you a reminder or a college acceptance letter, letters are still an important mode of communication. Which is why it is important that we know the intricacies of letter writing.
Types of Letters
Let us first understand that there are broadly two categories of letters: the Formal Letters, and the Informal Letters. Within those two categories there are sub-types of letters based on their content, tone, the purpose of writing, etc.
Formal Letter: These letters follow a certain pattern and formality. They are strictly kept professional in nature, and directly address the issues concerned. Any type of business letter or letter to authorities falls within this given category.
Informal Letter: These are personal letters. They need not follow any set pattern or adhere to any formalities. They contain personal information or are a written conversation. Informal letters are generally written to friends, acquaintances, relatives etc.
Below are a list of the sub-types that are formed out of either of these two categories:
Business Letter: This letter is written among business correspondents, generally contains commercial information such as quotations, orders, complaints, claims, letters for collections etc. Such letters are always strictly formal and follow a structure and pattern of formalities. [As the title suggests, this letter comes under the formal category.]
Official Letter: This type of letter is written to inform offices, branches, subordinates of official information. It usually relays official information like rules, regulations, procedures, events, or any other such information. Official letters are also formal in nature and follow certain structure and decorum. [Like the business letter, this type also is naturally Formal and uses impersonal language.]
Social Letter: A personal letter written on the occasion of a special event is known as a social letter. Congratulatory letter, condolence letter, invitation letter etc., are all social letters. [Social letters cover a lot of topics - some of them may be formal, some may be informal. It all depends on who you're writing to - whether or not you know the recipient well.]
Circular Letter: A letter that announces information to a large number of people is a circular letter. The same letter is circulated to a large group of people to correspond some important information like a change of address, change in management, the retirement of a partner etc. [Similar to the social letter, this type can be Formal (like a weekly newsletter to your subscribers/supporters/people interested in your business), or Informal (like when you're sending a casual update to your Subscribers or Fans).]
Employment Letters: Any letters with respect to the employment process, like a joining letter, promotion letter, application letter etc. [By nature these are Formal, since you likely are not close friends or related to the person you are sending this type of letter to.]
How to write an Informal Letter
Informal letters have different features in comparison to formal letters. They aren’t as rigid in the way they are structured or written. And this means when you write a letter to your friend you can have some fun by breaking the usual letter writing rules.
The way you structure your letter will depend on the type you are writing. But there are a few common features that are noticed when writing informally. These are:
Addresses of the sender (and recipient depending on the type of letter)
A date of writing
A friendly Salutation/Greeting
Informal and chatty language
Paragraphs written in first person POV
Conclusion
A closing ( E.g.: yours truly, your sister, etc.)
Signature of the sender
There could be many topics to write informal letters, here are some of them:
Inviting a friend for a ceremony say for a birthday
Calling a friend for a trip or holiday
Asking sorry or apologizing to someone for mistakes you have done
Congratulating a friend for his success or achievement
Writing just to ask for the well-being of a person
Invitation for a marriage
Asking help from someone
Informing about someone’s death in family or friends
Below is an example of a friendly letter taken from a correspondence between "Chuck" and "Sunny".
(They use nicknames because they are friends)
How to write a Formal Letter
Although most of our written communication is by email, text message or social media, there are still all sorts of reasons that you might need to write a formal letter. These could include making a complaint, questioning a decision, making a travel reservation or writing to an employer to apply for a job or work experience.
Whatever the reason for writing a letter, you should create the right impression. So, just like dressing-up more formally for a special occasion, it is a good idea to ‘dress-up’ your words in a formal letter, too. This involves following a number of different conventions, or rules.
Addresses and date
The first thing that you need to know about is layout.
Begin with your address in the top-right corner of the page.
Immediately below this include the date.
Below this, on the left hand side of the page, comes the name and address of the person that you are writing to - the recipient of the letter.
Beginning the letter
Most formal letters will start with ‘Dear’ before the name of the person that you are writing to:
‘Dear Ms Brown,’ or ‘Dear Brian Smith,’
You can choose to use first name and surname, or title and surname. If you don't know the name of the person you are writing to, use:
‘Dear Sir/Madam,’
Remember to add the comma.
Your opening sentence should clearly state why you are writing the letter - get to the point straight away:
‘I would like to apply for the position of ...’
‘I am writing to complain about the poor service we received at ...’
Tone and purpose
Your letter, like the opening sentence, needs to be precise and to the point. Tone, or the way your letter sounds, is very important and finding the right tone can sometimes be difficult. You may need to be firm, but polite. In a formal letter, the aim is to sound ‘businesslike’. Avoid any language that seems casual or chatty.
Think about the purpose of your letter and include all the relevant details to help the reader to respond. For example:
In a job application, include some specific details about why you are an ideal candidate for the role.
In a letter of complaint, include a summary of what has happened to prompt your complaint, with names, locations and dates, if necessary.
Make sure that each point you make is given a separate paragraph.
Ending the letter
Before you sign off and end your letter, make sure that you provide a clear course of action for the reader.
Making a complaint? Make it clear that you need a reply.
Applying for a job? End on a positive note and say that you are looking forward to hearing from them.
Signing off will depend on how you started your letter.
If you used someone’s name, end with ‘Yours sincerely,’
If you didn't use their name, you used ‘Sir/Madam’ instead, so end with ‘Yours faithfully,’
Finally, don’t forget to proofread your letter for spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Example 1.: A formal letter replying to someone seeking employment.
Example 2.: A formal letter requesting permission for the use of something from a Government institution.
EXERCISE:
Write a formal letter to a business/company (GTT, Giftland Mall, GWI, etc.) to express your frustration at something that has affected you. This is a letter of complaint, and it requires you to talk about the problem and what SPECIFICALLY happened and WHEN. You must also suggest some kind of solution that you think is fair and sensible. DO NOT attack or be petty to the company or the Manager/Representative/C.E.O. whom you are writing to. Express your problem clearly, give details.
Use a body of 3-4 paragraphs (One paragraph is roughly 5 sentences).
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