Letter Writing- Formal and Informal
Letters
form an integral part of inter-personal communication. It may be a written
message, request, account of events, etc. sent by one person to another. It has
become absolutely necessary for modern man to interact in his personal, social
and professional life through letters. The length of a letter depends upon the
nature of the subject-matter. The ultimate aim of any letter is communication.
Therefore, it is essential that you write in simple, readable, logical and
grammatically correct sequences of sentences. It should be free of ambiguities.
In order to achieve this, the writer should be careful about the use of the
right choice of words, correct spellings, punctuation, and effective style and
neat and legible handwriting. As a normal practice, there should be more margin
at the bottom than at the top. There are different types of letters-letters to
friends and relatives. which may be informal or even casual; business letters,
letters to employers seeking jobs, applications for leave, letters to some
organisation for redressal of grievances, letters of public concern which
appear in the newspapers, etc., which are formal in nature. The main aim of any
communication is to convey an idea, thought or message. Hence, a letter should
be communicative and convey the idea clearly and coherently. So, apart from the
content which ought to be communicative, to write a letter effectively, one
should be aware of the general principles of letter writing. The letter should
impart the necessary information to the receiver. Letter writing requires skill
and practice and the need of an apt vocabulary for the right expression. By
familiarising oneself with the techniques involved and by constant practice,
one can achieve mastery of the craft.
Formal letters:
Ø A formal
letter, as the name suggests, is written to a person in a company or an
organisation for some work-related or business related purpose. Examples of
official letters are those written as part of business transactions,
application letters, letters of enquiry, letters to the editor of a newspaper,
and letters written to one's colleagues on matters concerning work. As
students, you may be required to write some official letters during the course
of your education. For example, if you want a transfer certificate after the
completion of your degree, you will have to write an official letter to the
principal with a request for the same. You will learn how to write applications
in the 'block' format, which is the preferred modern style. This pattern can be
used for all types of formal letters. You will need to change the subject
matter according to the situation that needs to be addressed. They should be
correct and accurate in all respects complete with all the necessary details.
These letters clear without any room for ambiguity. They should be courteous
and polite and should beconcise or brief but not at the cost of clarity.
Ø Informal letters:
Informal letters are written to people we know on a personal level. There is no
fixed length or format for an informal letter.
They should be written in simple and clear language without any formal
or flower words. Informal letters should always be written by hand. If the
letter is typescript, as often a business letter is, it should be attractive
enough. Blots, erasures, shoddy paper, violent shades of ink, insufficient use
of margins, improper punctuation, etc. should be avoided. 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. They
are mostly written for invitation, apology, congratulations, condolence, thanks
etc.
Part of a Letter (General Principles):The form and style of different types of letter vary, but the
following points are common to all letters:
Ø Heading: It
consists of the writer's address and the date of writing. Mostly, heading is
written at the top of the page. Then
write date in any format. The date should appear under the address.
Ø Name and Address of the Person (Addressee-to whom the Letter is
addressed): This may be
written on the left hand side of the page at the top or at the foot of the
letter. Often, this is used for formal and business correspondence.
Ø The Salutation:
Usually, Dear Sir, or Dear So and So, is written on the left hand side of the
page, a line below the date. Put a comma after the salutation. Salutation
depends upon the relation in which the writer stands to the person addressed.
It also differs according to the type of letter. If the salutation consists of two words, the
first letter of both should be in capital. But, if there are three words, the
second one should not be capitalised. For example: Dear Father, My dear Father.
Dearest should not be used for father, mother, wife, husband, etc. as this
implies more than two entities. However, it can be used for a friend, brother,
sister and uncle. Never use two adjectives together. It is wrong to write My
dear respected Father.
Ø The Body of the Letter: This is the most important part of the letter. This embodies the
purpose of writing the letter. The body should be written in direct, simple
style using the reported speech. It should be concise and split into easily
readable paragraphs.
Ø (b) For business
and official letters-formal, matter of fact style.. short and simple sentences.
These letters should be to the point without any unnecessary details. (c) Do
not add postscript to formal letters.
Ø The Concluding Line: It
comes at the end of the body and begins as a new paragraph. It is determined by
the writer's relation with the addressee. (a) For parents and elders: With love
and respect, With-respect and
affectionate regards, (b) For younger relatives: With love. Best wishes. With
best wishes. (c) For friends With best regards, With best wishes. (d) For
official letters Thanking you. With best regards.
Ø Subscription (Complimentary Close): A letter must not end abruptly just with the writer's name. So,
certain polite forms of leave-taking are prescribed. This should always agree
with the salutation. (a) For relatives and friends (b) For friends and
acquaintances (c) Editors, Government Officials, Shopkeepers, Private Firms,
etc. (d) Principals, Headmasters, ele,(e) Strangers.The first letter of the subscription
is capital and the first letters of all other words are small. No apostrophe is
used in "yours. 'Your's' is wrong Use a comma after subscription. Yours affectionately. Yours loving, etc.
Ø Signature:
Write name in block letters (this is to ensure that the person receiving the
letter knows exactly who has sent it. Signatures may not be very clear).
Format for writing Letter in Examination:
1. Sender's address
Examination
Hall .......
Centre..............
15
Nov 2022
2.Salutations
Dear/Mr/Mrs/Miss/
XYZ (No name)
3. Subscriptions
Yours
sincerely/ affectionately.....
A.B.C.
