Introduction: Letter Writing | English Grammar Advanced - Class 10 PDF Download

Letter Writing

Questions on the following types of letters can be asked in the examination.

• Business Letters
  • asking for and giving some information
  • placing orders and sending replies.
• Official Letters
  • making enquiries
  • registering complaints.
• Letters to the Editor
  • giving suggestions on an issue.

The Form of a Letter

A letter has usually the following seven parts:

1. Sender’s Address at the top right-hand corner

9, Mahatma Gandhi Road,
Adayar,
Chennai—600 020.
This is written at the top right-hand (or nowadays left-hand) corner of the page. Look at the punctuation shown above. At the end of each line of the address, there is a comma. There is a full stop at the end of the last line of the address. In recent times, there has been a change in the style of punctuation. The commas and full stops at the end of the lines are omitted. The address can be written as shown below :
9 Mahatma Gandhi Road Adayar
Chennai—600 020

2. Date

The date is written below the sender’s address. There are many ways of writing the date.
Here is an example:
9, Mahatma Gandhi Road,
Adayar,
Chennai—600 020.
September 12th, 20.
If you omit commas in the address, the date also must be written in the same manner:
9 Mahatma Gandhi Road
Adayar
Chennai—600 020
12 September 20    
Other ways of writing the date are:
12th September 20    
12th Sept. 20    
12 Sept. 20

3. Receiver’s Address

In a business letter, the Name and Designation of the addressee is placed on the left, two or three lines below the line of the date (which is on the right). Each line of the inside address begins on the left margin.
Here is an example:
Shenai and Shenai Auditors
Court Chambers Mumbai—400 020
Another Example:
The Divisional Superintendent
Central Railway Vijayawada—520 001

4. Salutation

Sir or Dear Sir for an individual.
Sirs or Dear Sirs for a firm or company.
If the letter is addressed to a woman, the form is:
Madam
If the person who will read the letter is known to you, you can address him by name:
Dear Mr. Reddy

5. Body of the Letter

A business letter must be very brief and to the point. Nothing except things related to business should be written in it. All unnecessary details should be avoided.

6. Subscription or the Complimentary Close

The following phrases are used in the ending of a business letter:
Yours truly
or
Yours faithfully
In very formal letters such as to high dignitaries, we can write:
Yours respectfully
If we have used a personal name in the salutation, the subscription should be:
Yours sincerely

7. Signature 

A formal business letter requires your full signature. Below the signature, the name and designation of the person are written or typed.
For example:
Yours faithfully
Satinder Sikka
Manager
These seven parts will be found in every business letter. But in some letters you will find a few more parts.
When there is a long correspondence on a particular subject and the letters have to be filed for future reference, they are given reference numbers above the inside address. With the help of these reference numbers, the receiver of the letter will be able to trace the previous correspondence on the subject and gather the information necessary for making decisions.
After the signature at the close of the letter, there is a mention (on the left-hand margin) of the papers enclosed with the letter. You can mention the number of papers enclosed, or give a list of the enclosures.

Types of Formal Letter

Since we are clear with the elements of formal letter format, let’s include in the below-mentioned pointers the various types of a formal letter:

• Letter of Enquiry: For collecting information or details regarding a course/product/service, etc. from a certain institution/business/organisation
• Order Letter: Written by a buyer to place an order for certain products they need to buy from the seller.
• Letter of Complaint: As a formal letter of a complaint regarding a certain product/service, a complaint letter is addressed to the seller and generally includes the details regarding the lack of quality/quantity and the like.
• Reply to a Letter of Complaint: Written by the seller in reply to the buyer’s letter of complaint, this letter commonly includes a clarification or an apology for the buyer’s complaint.
• Promotion Letter: For promotion or advertisements of certain products or services to the customers.
• Sales Letters: Mainly curated for sales promotions, a sales letter is sent by a business to its customers to familiarise them with its products and services.
• Recovery Letters: Written by a business in order to recover their money from the customers who haven’t paid for their products or services.

Difference between Formal and Informal Letter Format

Examples

Example 1: Informal Letter: Letter to Your Cousin Enquiring about Her First Visit to Ethiopia

Example 2: Formal Letter: Letter to the Editor about a road that needs repair