Letters are both verbal and written forms of communication. It can contains various information about different things. It has been used as early as 500 BC mainly to pass on information and to help preserve early traditions and memories through story telling, music writing and festivals. It has always been a significant part of people’s lives and has continued to be of use until today. You may also see formal letter examples and samples.
In the early days of letter writing where pictures where painted in caves to tell a story, through evolution and continuous improvements, leaves were then used as paper and tree barks as pen and its precedent has been slowly left behind. Fast forward to the present times when the only means of communication from people separated by distance was writing letter or what is called the snail mail. It then evolved after the invention of the telegraph in the 19th century, however, it eroded the necessity to write letters rendering it as only one option of the many.
To this day, the necessity to write letters has only become limited to the professional aspect of one’s life. The need for letters are only remembered when writing a cover letter for a job or scholarship application and transacting business related activity. Especially in the advent of technology and social media where sentences and phrases are abbreviated and emoticons are used for communicating instead of actual words, the art of letter writing has slowly gone downhill.
However it is still considered as a major form of communication, it still effectively helps people communicate and relay information. Although there are a couple types of letters out there, the most commonly used are either the formal and informal types. There are quite a few differences to each but it is still used to express complete thought and used as means to exchange information. You may also see email cover letter examples.
A formal letter is any letter written with a professional language that follows a specific format that serves a formal purpose. It is the standard genre in letter writing used in the professional and academic setting. It is normally used for recommendation letters, inquiry letters, complaint letters, cover letters, and so on. Although all business letters are formal letters, it is impossible when applied vice versa. Business letters are used for various reasons like making a complaint or inquiry, applying for a job, etc.
Formal letters are different from e-mails and even professional letters in some ways. Formal letters are usually used for serious reasons as mentioned above. Information that are too important to be written in an e-mail and memos are written in a formal letter especially when a permanent copy of the letter is kept under you file. Furthermore, formal letters provide the necessary formal gesture such as the affixed signature of the sender. You may also like complaint letter examples & samples.
Normally, applicants for a job or promotion opts to use formal letters as form of formal correspondence. If you seek a position in your field, you will need to write this letter to express you interest in the position and to showcase your qualifications. The same can be said if you are applying for a university scholarship, research grant, business proposal letters, and so much more.
Before you head on to write your own version of a formal letter, it is best to know the key differences between a formal and informal letter. In order to avoid confusion with the two, here are the differences between a formal and informal letter:
In conclusion to the differences between the two, before writing a letter you must identify who is the recipient of the letter, what is the nature of your relationship and what purpose does the letter serve in order to clearly choose which type you should follow. You may also check out two weeks notice letter examples & samples.
As been said earlier, a formal letter follow a stipulated format. It should include the following in order to be effectively called a formal letter:
You may also see how to write a personal letter with examples.
Here are some documents that follow a formal letter format:
Since a formal letter follows a specific format, it is best to know how to do it properly. In order to formulate a flawless formal letter you must first know what and how to write each of its parts.
This is the sender’s address. It includes the name and address of the letter’s sender. The return address can be printed in a letterhead, if this is he case do not type it out. If the return address is not on the letterhead, include it as the first column in your letter. You may also see employee reference letter samples.
As all letters should have a date in order to arrange it in a file, it should not be forgotten. The date indicates when you wrote the letter and not when the letter will be received. After tow spaces down the letterhead or return address, type the date out.
The inside address is the recipient’s address. It includes the name and address of the recipient of your letter. However, it can be omitted in an informal and social semi-formal letters. It is typed out two spaces after the date. And regardless of format, it is always flushed to the left. You may also like reference letter examples.
The inside address must start with the title of the recipient so it is always advised to research his/her title beforehand. However, there are names that can confuse you on the person’s gender (unisex names), it is understandable to omit it. For a female recipient, if you are unsure whether she is married or not, just use the title Ms. And in case you do not have knowledge about the recipient’s name, just use his/her job position and company name. You may also check out how to write a job resignation letter.
This uses the same name indicated in your inside address along with including a title. If you have personal connections with the recipient, it acceptable if you just use the first name in the salutation. For example: Dear John. In all other cases, use the title and the last name of the recipient followed by a colon. For example: “Dear Mr. Smith:” If you are unsure of the recipient’s gender, it is acceptable to write his/her full name in the salutation. You might be interested in recommendation letter examples & samples.
The body of the letter contains all the details regarding the purpose of the letter.
The closing of your letter is not the conclusion of the body of the letter. It is the final sign off your entire letter. It should be brief and courteous. Common closings include Best regards, Sincerely, and Yours truly.
If you have other documents attached to your letter, be should to indicate it in the last part of your letter. In a cover letter, a resume or CV usually comes along the cover letter. In order to let the recipient know their is in fact a resume that comes after the cover letter, you can simply indicate it by typing Enclosures below the closing. In case there are more than one included enclosures, it is better to list the names of the said document for easier perusal for the recipient. You might be interested in what is an application letter?
To formally acknowledge that the letter is in fact from the sender and is true and relevant, it is better to affix a signature below the closing and above your printed name.
This is the most popular format used in formal letters. In this style, the letter follows a specific direction of where to put the primary contents of the letter such as the return address, date, inside address, salutation, closing, the signature along with the name of the sender, and all the beginning of each paragraph. All the aforementioned details are typed out flushed left. For example:
[Your Name / Company Name]
[Title (Optional)]
[Address]
[Tel]
[E-mail (Optional)]
[Date]
[Recipient’s Name]
[Title (Optional)]
[Company Name]
[Street Address]
[Town, County Postal Code]
Dear [Recipient Name]:
[1st paragraph of the Body of the letter]
[2nd paragraph of the Body of the letter]
[3rd paragraph of the Body of the letter]
Yours sincerely,
[Signature]
[Your Name, Title]
The only difference of this format with the full-block style is that the return address, date, the closing and the signature along with the name of the sender and his/her title are all flushed to the right. The inside address, salutation and all the beginning of each paragraphs remains flushed to the left. For example:
[Your Name / Company Name]
[Title (Optional)]
[Address]
[Tel]
[E-mail (Optional)]
[Date]
[Recipient’s Name]
[Title (Optional)]
[Company Name]
[Street Address]
[Town, County Postal Code]
Dear [Recipient Name]:
[1st paragraph of the Body of the letter]
[2nd paragraph of the Body of the letter]
[3rd paragraph of the Body of the letter]
Yours sincerely,
[Signature]
[Your Name, Title]
In this format, flushed to the right are only the return address and the date. The rest of the parts of the letter are flushed left. For example:
[Your Name / Company Name]
[Title (Optional)]
[Address]
[Tel]
[E-mail (Optional)]
[Date]
[Recipient’s Name]
[Title (Optional)]
[Company Name]
[Street Address]
[Town, County Postal Code]
Dear [Recipient Name]:
[1st paragraph of the Body of the letter]
[2nd paragraph of the Body of the letter]
[3rd paragraph of the Body of the letter]
Yours sincerely,
[Signature]
[Your Name, Title]
Here is a list of the most commonly used abbreviations used in letters:
Before you even start writing your letter, understand why you are writing in the first place. Consider the purpose of your letter first, ask yourself “What am I hoping to achieve with the letter?” After finding out the reason and purpose of your letter, it will be easier for you to structure and write your letter towards achieving your goals. You may also see writing a cover letter.
The next thing you need to do is identify who your recipient is. You need to identify more than just the name of the recipient, you need to understand you he/she is (his/her designation and importance) and determine what type of communication will they expect and accept. For an instance, there is a huge difference when writing for a close friend and for the CEO of a company. Carefully consider what type of language is appropriate to use for your recipient and make sure the tone of your letter directly reflects it. You may also like how to write a letter for failure to meet minimum sales goals.
Just because it is a formal letter does not mean it needs to lengthy. The people you usually write formal letters for are very busy people and very much appreciates brevity. They do not want to wade through details the are unnecessary to the point at hand. Stick to the key purpose of your letter and only include relevant supporting details. The main goal of your letter is to deliver the information as efficiently and as simply as you can. In fact, it is well known that shorter letters have a higher chance of being read and entertained than the lengthy ones. You may also check out incident report letter examples.
The letters does not need to be complicated, either. It is best to avoid using technical terms if possible and avoid using jargon. The simpler and not complicated your sentences and paragraphs are, the easier for you to get your point across. Avoid using long words and complicated sentence constructions, and use terms that are easy to understand in first glance to avoid confusion and misunderstanding. You might be interested in simple two week notice letter.
As you open up your letter, it should be made clear from the start what the purpose of the letter is. The introduction should quickly summarize the point you are trying to make. Avoid leading the tension to your main point as it may waste more time for your recipient, and annoy him/her causing him/her to uninterested to the rest of the letter. You may also see
Make sure you follow the appropriate format for your formal letter. If you fail to do it may result in your letter going straight in the garbage.
It doesn’t matter how good your command with the language is or how good you are with spelling words, there is bound to be a mistake anywhere – in the format, punctuation, name spellings, etc. Always proofread and check if your letter is polished to perfection. A single mistake in spelling or sentence construction can lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings. Never rely in spell check alone as it cannot detect minor errors. You may also like writing a touching farewell letter to colleagues with examples.
If you still have enough time after writing your letter, let rest for awhile. If you are writing to complain or are addressing a topic that you feel particularly passionate about, apply this technique. Taking time to let it rest can help you read your letter in a more relaxed manner and can easily spot what you don’t want in your letter and what you want to include. You may also check out temporary job resignation letter examples.
In conclusion, a formal letter serves various purposes. However, it differs from the informal format since it follow a strict format. But just like any letter, it aims to get the point across and to help people communicate with each other. We hope this guide can be of big help to you and your letter writing activities. You might be interested in examples of writing a board resignation letters.
