Writing Letter

Types of Letters

Let us first understand that there are broadly two types of letter, namely Formal Letters, and Informal Letters. But then there are also a few types of letters based on their contents, formalities, the purpose of letter writing etc. Let us have a look at the few types of letters.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Employment Letters: Any letters with respect to the employment process, like joining letter, promotion letter, application letter etc.

STRUCTURE OF LETTERS

• Not all social and business letters feature the exact conventional structured format as outlined below.  A social letter, for example, would likely not include an address heading, an inside address or a subject line.  An informal business letter may not include a subject line or a notation.
  A letter written in good taste strikes a balance between the conventional format and the writer’s own personal style.  While it is convenient for the reader to read a letter structured in the conventional format, as outlined below, slight adaptations are accepted.

  1. Address Heading
     This is the writer’s full address.  Business letters usually have preprinted, letterhead stationery which contains this information. An address heading is optional for informal letters.

  2. Date
     This is the month, day and year that the letter is written on.

  3. Inside Address
     The recipient’s full name and address.  Generally, informal letters do not include an inside address.
     *Note:  Refer to Addressing Persons of Title when writing letters to these people.

  4. Attention
     With formal letters, the "Attention: [full name of recipient]" is placed two vertical spaces below the inside address.

  5. Greeting
     Also known as the “salutation,” this is the introductory phrase, “Dear [name of recipient].”  Either a comma or a colon can be used at the end of this phrase.  Today, a comma is more extensively used, with the exception of the use of a title (i.e. “Dear Member:”) and not a proper name.  In this case, the use of a colon would be more appropriate.
     *Note:  Refer to Addressing Persons of Title when writing letters to these people.

  6. Subject line
     A word or phrase to indicate the main subject of the letter, which is preceded by the word “Subject:” or “Re:” (Latin for “matter”). Subject lines may be emphasized by underlining, using bold font or all capital letters.  They can be alternatively located directly below the "inside address," before the "greeting."  Informal or social letters rarely include a subject line.

  7. Body
     The complete text of the letter; the subject matter content.

  8. Closing
     This is the farewell phrase or word that precedes the signature and is followed by a comma.  Closing should reflect a type of farewell or goodbye as the writer signs off.  Examples:  “Yours truly,” “Sincerely,” “Respectfully yours,” “Regards,” etc.
     *Note: "Thank you," is not considered an appropriate closing for a formal or business letter. 

  9. Signature
     The signed name of the writer. 

  10. Identification Line
      Formal or business letters include the full name of the writer printed below the signed name (two vertical spaces below the Closing).  It includes the writer’s professional designations and title with the organization.  Directly below that, the name of the organization which the writer represents.

  11. Postscript
      Is a brief sentence or paragraph introduced by the initials, “P.S.” (post scriptus) - Latin for “after having been written.”  It implies that the writer, having completed and signed the letter, had an after-thought.  Although this is still commonly used in informal letters, it is not widely accepted for use in formal or business letters.

  12. Notation
      Part of a formal or business letter consisting of brief words or abbreviations as notations.
      Examples:
      “R.S.V.P.” (Répondez s’il vous plaît) - French for “Please reply.”
      The use of this notation indicates that the writer expects the recipient to contact the writer with a “yes” or “no” response to the invitation extended in the body of the letter.  Often a corresponding address and/or phone number is printed directly below this notation.
      “cc:” (carbon copy) - These initials are followed by a name or column of names, indicating those people to whom a copy of the letter is being sent to.  (One-sided inked carbon paper slipped between two pieces of paper was once the method used for duplicating copies of correspondence, hence use of the word "carbon" in this notation).
      “encl.” (enclosure) - Indicates that something else accompanying the letter is enclosed.
      “PL/rm” (initials of persons) - Indicates that a person typed or even composed a letter on behalf of someone else. The capitalized initials are those of the sender of the letter (Paul Lazarman). The lower-case initials are those of the person who typed or composed the letter (Rachel McDonald) on behalf of the sender. The most common use for this notation is for situations where an administrative assistant composed and/or typed the final version of a letter that was dictated by his/her boss.

Today we are learning the generic structure and some examples of how a personal letter is composed.

To make clear how to write a personal letter, below is some elements should be included when writing a personal letter. They are:

1. Date: It is the month, day and year that the letter is written on.

2. Greeting: Some times we call it “salutation”. It is the introductory phrase. It can be a phrase like:

• Dear Tono, Dear My friend, Dear My Brother, etc

• Body: All kinds of letter formal or informal have the letter body. This is the complete text of the letter or the subject matter content.

3. Closing: It is the farewell phrase. That is a word that precedes the signature and is followed by a comma. The phrases can be like; Yours truly, Sincerely, Respectfully yours, Regards, etc.

4. Signature: This the place where you write your name and signature.

Examples of Personal Letter 

After understanding the generic structure of how a personal letter is organized, now we see some sample below.

Have you notices that personal letter can be different from one to the others? It can be as informal letter is written by some individual subject to another and does not limited by some rules of writing and styles.

For more reading on the example of personal letter, you can find over the Internet which surely there will be a bunch of examples. However if you don’t like to search by yourself, you can go reading the following articles below: