formal letter/email

FORMAL LETTERS/EMAILS

For formal letters when the name, gender or position of the recipient are not known:

OPENING: Dear Sir or Madam

CLOSING: Yours faithfully (In American English, sometimes: Yours truly,)

For the more formal style of letter when their name or position is known (for instance, when you are addressing the letter/email to someone specifically, for example, the Minister for Education) but you do not know them at all or not very well:

OPENING:

Dear Mr Jenkins,
Dear Ms Hopkins (or, if you know their marital status and know that they prefer to be addressed as Mrs or Miss: Dear Miss Hopwell, Dear Mrs Jenkinson)
Dear Minister for Consumer Affairs,

CLOSING: Yours sincerely (In American English, sometimes: Sincerely Yours, Sincerely,

In both cases, you will sign the letter using your full name (for example, Jesús García or Jesús García Pérez, not "Jesús").

If, for example, you are writing a letter of recommendation, or a statement, and you do not know who is going to read it (as several different people may read it), you can start by saying:

To Whom It May Concern:

(see explanation here)

In all of these cases, you will sign the letter using your full name (for example, Jesús García or Jesús García Pérez, not "Jesús").

Formal letter starters (only some examples, it depends on the subject matter of your letter):

I am writing this letter/email to voice my concern about [+ noun]

I would like to draw your attention to(wards) … [+ noun]

In this letter/email, I intend to highlight several issues …

To close a formal letter/email, you can use a farewell such as:

I look forward to hearing from you. (more formal than "looking forward to hearing from you")- [some readers may not like this, as it implies a demand that the recipient write back].
I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you for your consideration (for example, if you have submitted a cover letter for a job application)

writing a formal letter.pdf

It is a formal text type, which means:

DO NOT USE contractions (don't, can't, haven't, aren't…)--->use full forms (do not, cannot, have not, are not…)
DO NOT USE exclamation marks or ellipsis. These belong to very informal/spoken language.
DO NOT USE idioms (they are informal)
DO NOT USE phrasal verbs. Try to avoid them whenever possible. Try to find a more formal option instead.

BBC Bitesize- How to write a formal letter

NEUTRAL (not very formal, but not friendly either)

For "neutral" letters to business contacts that you know well:

OPENING: Dear Tony, Dear Estelle

CLOSING:

After your farewell, use one of these sign-offs:

How to close an email/letter (neutral tone)- don't use GREETINGS

Kind regards,

Best regards,

Best wishes,

Regards, (less formal-neutral)

Best, (less formal-neutral)

INFORMAL LETTERS (family, friends)

For letters to friends or close family members:

OPENING: Dear Maggy, Dear Freddie

CLOSING: Yours, Your, Love, Lots of Love (Hugs and Kisses)