Letter Writing – Personal & Formal Tips and Tricks

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Letters are probably the most widely used form of interpersonal written communication. In this age of innumerable apps, social networks and instant messaging platforms, the art of letter writing may seem to be dying, especially in the personal realm. However, at least in formal communication, letter writing retains its dignity and relevance. Familiarity with the basic forms and templates of letter writing will help you communicate effectively.

TYPES OF LETTERS

Letters are broadly classified into two categories: personal and formal. Formal letters may be business letters or official letters. The format of business and official letters is similar, but they differ in content, purpose, and language.

Personal Letters

It is also known as informal letters or social letters. They are written to friends, relatives or acquaintances to share information or to express views and opinions.

Formal letters

Formal letters may be business letters or official letters. The format of business and official letters is similar, but they differ in content, purpose, and language.

Official letters

An official letter is a formal letter, like a business letter. The following are the common types of official letters: 1) Letter of Application, 2) Permission/ Request letter, 3) Letter of Complaint, 4) Letter of Enquiry, 5) Letter of Thanks.

Business Letters

It is a formal letter. Letters to and from suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, inter-office or company communication, etc., are usually the subject of business letters.

Parts of a Formal Letter: There are generally 11 parts in a formal letter

1. Sender’s address: Give the complete address, including e-mail ID and contact number
2. The dateline: It can be in either the date/month/year format or month/date/year format. It can come before the address block or after the sender’s address.
3. Sender’s address: written inside the letter
4. Salutation: Select one according to the situation and the relationship with the addressee. It is always better to use “Dear Sir/Madam” rather than an incorrect title and get off to a poor start.
5. Subject line: It denotes the topic of the letter, in brief, written in a single line, with all capital letters, one space below the salutation.
6. The body of the letter: The most important part of the letter, but should not exceed three paragraphs. It states the purpose of the letter.
7. Complimentary close: Generally, “Regards,” “Warm regards,” “With warm regards,” “Yours sincerely,” “Yours faithfully,” and “Yours truly” are used as complimentary closes.
8. Signature of the sender: put before the name of the sender
9. Name of the sender:
10. Enclosures: if you are attaching any document with the letter, it should be mentioned as “Encl.” (Abbreviation for Enclosures) after the sender’s name. If there is more than one attachment, they should be numbered in the order in which they are attached to the letter.
11. If a letter is sent to multiple recipients, it is indicated as a “Cc” after the enclosure list.

Formats of Formal Letters

The widely used format is the Block format, also known as the full block format. Here, the entire letter is aligned with the left margin of the paper. A margin of one inch is left on all four sides; single spacing is used between the body of the letter, and double spacing is used between paragraphs. The punctuation marks are used only in the body of the letter and not anywhere else. The modified block is another format; in this format, the return address, complimentary close and signature lines begin at the centre of the page. In semi-block format, the first lines of the paragraphs are indented with five spaces and separated by double lines.

 

 

 

 

WORKS CITED

 Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (1979). The Elements of Style (3rd ed.). Macmillan.

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL). (n.d.). Writing the Basic Business Letter. Retrieved from https://owl.purdue.edu