1. Identify the type of letter you are being asked to write.
Step 2 will help you recognize each type of letter.
2. Identify the purpose of the letter.
| TYPE | PURPOSE |
|---|---|
| Formal | Requesting information from a company Applying for a job Complaining to a bank, store, airline re:product/service Making a recommendation/suggestion |
| Semi-formal | Complaining to a landlord Explaining to a neighbor Asking a professor for permission |
| Informal | Inviting someone you know well Thanking a friend Apologizing Asking for advice |
Read lots of sample questions. Decide whether the question requires a formal, semi-formal, or informal response. Steps 1 & 2 will help you choose the right language, style, and tone for your letter.
3. Open and close the letter correctly. Do this based on the type and purpose of the letter.
| STYLE | CHARACTERISTICS | OPENING | ENDING |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formal | To someone you have not met, whose name you don’t know | Dear Sir/Madam, | Yours faithfully, |
| Semi-formal | To someone you may or may not have met, whose last name you know | Dear Mr Brown, Dear Ms Stone |
Yours sincerely, |
| Informal | To someone you know well, whose first name you know and use | Dear John, Dear Anita, |
Best regards, Warm wishes, |
4.Start the letter appropriately.
a. Open a formal and semi-formal letter with a formal sentence and paragraph. Get down to business and say why you are writing. Don’t try to be friendly, as you do not know the person you are writing to.
Formal:
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to inquire about…
I am writing in connection with…
Semi-formal
Dear Mr Johnson,
I am writing to inform you that…
I am writing to…
b. Open an informal letter with a general, friendly paragraph. Acknowledge your friendship first, before explaining the reason for your letter. In fact, the first paragraph could include just friendly small talk, unrelated to the reason for your writing.
Dear Susan
I hope you and your family are all well! It was so wonderful to spend
time with all of you last month. It felt great to catch up with you and
Bob, get to know your children, and have fun together after so long. You
have always been dear friends of mine, and always will be.
Anyway, the reason I’m writing is that I have some good news: I am getting married in September…
5. Learn and use standard written phrases.
In English letter writing, we use a number of standard expressions and phrases. These not only save time and effort, but also make it easier for the reader to understand our meaning. You can add on the specific information you wish to communicate to these standard phrases. See the list of Useful Expressions below.
6. Spell commonly used words correctly. Learn and practice the correct spelling of words you are likely to use on the exam. Examples are: “sincerely”, “faithfully”, “in connection with”, “apologize”, and so on. This is an easy way to boost your score.
7. Divide your letter into paragraphs.
Usually you need four paragraphs:
Make sure to signal the start of a new paragraph in one of two ways:
Indenting: Do NOT leave a line space between
paragraphs. Start writing a little to the right of the left margin.
Skipping a line: Leave a line space between paragraphs.
Start writing directly from the left margin.