LETTER WRITINGPrepared by :

Sally Cho Hui MinTan Meng Li

Tenh Ching LingYee Jia Hui

LETTER

FORMAL LETTER INFORMAL LETTER

FORMAL LETTER

Rules for Writing Formal Letters in English

Addresses:1) Your Address

The address should be written in the top left-hand corner of the letter.

2) The Address of the person you are writing toThe receiver address should be written on the left, starting below your address.

Date:• write the date on the right on the line after the

address you are writing to. • Write the month as a word.Salutation or greeting:1) Dear Sir or Madam,If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, use this. It is always advisable to try to find out a name.2) Dear Mr Jenkins,If you know the name, use the title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, Dr, etc.) and the surname only.If you are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for married and single women.

Subject: After the salutation comes the subject line where you have to mention the purpose of the letter in short. Make sure that the subject line is in uppercase characters and is aligned either to the left or to the center

Content of a Formal LetterOpening (First paragraph)• The first paragraph should be short and state the

purpose of the letter- to make an enquiry, complain, request something, etc.

Content• The paragraph should contain the relevant information

behind the writing of the letter. Most letters in English are not very long, so keep the information to the essentials and concentrate on organising it in a clear and logical manner.

Last Paragraph The last paragraph of a formal letter should state what action you expect the recipient to take- to refund, send you information, etc.

Ending a letter:• 1) Yours faithfully

If you do not know the name of the person, end the letter this way.

• 2) Yours sincerelyIf you know the name of the person, end the letter this way.

• 3) Your signatureSign your name, then print it underneath the signature. If you think the person you are writing to might not know whether you are male of female, put you title in brackets after your name.

There are some abbreviations are widely used in letters :

Abbreviations Used in Letter

WritingAbbreviatio

nsMeaning

asap as soon as possiblecc carbon copy

(when you send a copy of a letter to more than one person, you use this abbreviation to let them know)

Abbreviations

Meaning

enc. enclosure (when you include other papers with your letter)

pp per procurationem (A Latin phrase meaning that you are signing the letter on somebody else's behalf; if they are not there to sign it themselves, etc)

ps postscript (when you want to add something after you've finished and signed it)

Abbreviations Meaning

pto (informal)

please turn over (to make sure that the other person knows the letter continues on the other side of the page)

RSVP please reply

How to write a formal letter

• Nowadays with the advent of email, it is becoming less and less common to write letters.

• However, there are also some letters that we will write will probably be very important ones, such as :

1. covering letters for job applications

2. covering letters for questionnaires or surveys which are part of your research, or letters of complaint to your bank manager.

It is very important, therefore, that your letters have the desired effect on the reader. In order to achieve this, they should be:• in the correct format• short and to the point• Relevant• free of any grammatical or spelling

mistakes• polite, even if you’re complaining• well presented

Mistakes will create a very bad impression. It will lessen the

effect of what you’re saying and in the case of a job application letter, could well also consign it

to the bin.

Don’t rush the letter, many mistakes occur. Allow plenty of time for checking. If necessary, rewriting. The letter may well

help to decide your future.

Check your grammar and spelling very

carefully

1.Use the spellchecker if you’re

using a computer.

2.Check the spelling yourself, as

the spellchecker won’t

recognize incorrect use.

3.Check the grammar carefully. If

it’s been pointed out to you

that you make mistakes.

When writing the letter :

4.Get someone else to

check it for you if

necessary.

5.Check the sentences and

punctuation. Are the

sentences complete? Does

the punctuation help to

make what you’re saying

clearer?

It’s important to use the right type of language. Most letters we write will need to be formal, but not overly so. In fact, we should use similar language which we use in our academic writing. 1. Avoid everyday, colloquial language;

slang or jargon

2. Avoid contractions (I’m; it’// etc)3. Avoid emotive, subjective language

(terrible, rubbish etc)4. Avoid vague words such as nice, good,

get etc

Use the right tone of language

We should always be polite and respectful, even if complaining. One way of doing this

in English, which is common in formal letter writing, is to use ‘modal verbs’ such

as would, could and should.

Instead of simply writing Please send me, we could express this more formally as

I would be grateful if you could send me.

Don’t overdo it though, and make your language too formal or maybe old

fashioned; don’t look through a thesaurus and put in lots of unnecessarily long

words.

INFORMAL LETTER

Guidelines to write an informal letter

1. Informal letters are written to friends and relatives.

2. The language used is simple and friendly.– You can use contractions such as can’t,

I’m, won’t, you’re and so on.– For examination, do not use slang like

“Hey ,Wassup.” , “gonna”, “kinda”, “wanna”

Format

1. Address– The writer’s address is written at the top

right-hand corner.2. Date– After you have written the address, leave

a line and write the date.– Written below the address

3. Greeting – Written on the left-hand side of the

letter– Begin with :• Dear…… (eg: Dear Sarah, Dear Ali)• Dearest ….., Or My dear……, (for close friends

and family)

4. Opening (1st paragraph)– Asking about the person’s health.• Eg: How are you? I hope you’re in the pink.• How your family getting on?

– Asking what the reader had been up to?• How’s the weather at your place? Not too hot I

hope?• Did you get to visit your grandparents?

– Expressing happiness• I received your letter on …..• I’m so glad to hear …..

– Expressing sorrow:• I’m sorry to hear that …..

– Expressing apology• I’m sorry for not writing …..

5. Content (several paragraph)– In the 2nd paragraph, mention your

main reason for writing the letter.– You may use the following phrase :• In your last letter, you wanted me to

describe / advice …. • I’m writing this letter to …..

6. Closing (last paragraph)– Inform the reader that you are ending

the letter. You may use the following phrases:• I’ll write again soon.• Do write to me soon.• Please send my regards to …..• Bye / Goodbye

7. Signing off– If you are writing to your parents, you

can sign off using:• Your loving daughter,• Yours loving• Yours affectionately

– If you are writing to friends or relatives, you can sign of using:• Your friend• Yours sincerely• Your nice / nephew

8. Signature – Sign your name at the bottom of the

letter in the right-hand corner.

Practical Tips for Writing Specific Types of Letters

Letters of Invitation

Letters Accepting an Invitation

Letters of Apology

Letters Declining an Invitation

1. Letters of Invitation Can be informal, semi-formal or formal. Must contain additional information about the

event (place, date, dress code) with clear directions of how to get to the place, if necessary.

Opening remarks: We would be honoured if you…/ Your presence would be appreciated at…/ I’d love if you could come to…

Closing remarks: We would be grateful if you could…/ please indicate whether you would be able to attend…/ I hope you can make it…/ Looking forward to seeing you at…/ Please let me know if you can come.

2. Letters Accepting an Invitation

Can be informal, semi-formal or formal. Must contain a clear response regarding your

attendance at the event. Opening remarks: I am writing to thank you for the

(kind) invitation…/ Thank you for the invitation which I would be honoured to accept…/ Your invitation sounds lovely/ I am very much willing to go.

Closing remarks: We await the event with great anticipation/ I will be looking forward to the party/ See you then/ We’re really looking forward to your party.

3. Letters Declining an Invitation

Can be informal, semi-formal or formal.

Opening remarks: Thank you for the recent invitation, but unfortunately …/ I am afraid I will not be able to make it/to accept your invitation/to come to your event/party.

Closing remarks: I am sorry to miss the opportunity of greeting you in person/ Thank you again for the invitation/ I am really sorry I will have to miss it/ I’m sure we can get together some other time.

4. Letters of Apology Can be formal or informal. Should include reasons for the inconveniences caused

or an explanation of why the duty/promise cannot be fulfilled.

Opening remarks: I am writing to apologize for…/ Please accept my sincerest apologies for…/ I must apologize profusely for…/ I owe you an apology…

Closing remarks: Once again, my sincerest apologies for…/ I hope my apologies will be accepted…

Do and Don’tDo Don’t

Do remain polite no matter how informal your letter is.

Don’t overuse exclamation marks, even when writing to a friend or close relative.

Do state the purpose of your letter right from the start.

Don’t refrain from using opening and closing remarks to format and frame your letter

properly.Do use simple connecting words to make

your writing flow more logically: then, later, but, at the same

time, finally, etc.

Don’t jump from one thought to the other without a logical general pattern. Organize

your thoughts and follow some sort of structure as you write.

Do start a new paragraph for each new aspect of the topic instead of writing one

solid-core never-ending paragraph.

Don’t use long complicated sentences with compound clauses and complex structure. Letter writing in general and informal letter

writing in particular are about making it easy for the recipient to understand the idea

without having to reread the sentence to get a sense of it.

Do remain mildly emotional, especially in semi-formal letters (like a letter of complaint,

greeting, invitation, etc.).