Writing Letter in English - Example Letter

WRITING LETTERS

COMPETENCIES

1. Writing Formal – Letters for various functions letters

(a) inviting
(b) accepting/declining an invitation
(c) asking for information
(d) asking for permission to visit
(e) asking for permission for projects
(f) requesting goods to be supplied(placing an order)

2. Writing letters to the Editor


(a) congratulating
(b) criticising
(c) discussing social problems

Although form and formalities in letter writing change with time, there are basic rules and methods of approach that should be followed in all kinds of letters, for all occasions, under all circumstances.
The general principles of letter writing are outlined in the first few pages of this unit, with advice on basic points. They are then applied to the writing of communications with the authorities, businesses and the media.

Thus, in this unit you will learn:

.how to lay out your letter
.the correct way to begin and end a letter
.the advantages of making a rough draft before you write or type the final version
.which punctuation is best to use, and which is best avoided

Whatever kind of letter you are writing, there are important rules to be observed. Whether you are making an application for a job, raising a query about a holiday booking, or writing a protest to the local authority, if these rules are followed you are more likely to achieve the results you are looking for.

You will want your letter to be read easily, and without too much effort by the reader.You will want the letter’s contents to be taken seriously and to create an impression that you are a person whose requests, complaints or views cannot be brushed aside.

Laying out your letter

In a semi-formal letter, if the paper has no printed heading, your address should be written in the top right-hand corner. Slightly below this goes the date on which you are writing. Opposite, on the left (or on the left at the bottom of the page, level with your signature) goes the name and address of the person to whom you are writing; this is necessary with business letters, but not with private letters.

Dear Mr.Vijay,

My wife and I have only recently moved to Nungambakkam.When we lived in Bombay we enjoyed playing tennis at our local club, and I would be most grateful if you could let me have membership details for the StarTennis Club.

Yours sincerely,
James

Sub: (subject) When writing a business letter it is sometimes useful to put a brief, underlined heading as an indication of what the letter is about just below the ‘Dear Mr. Brown’. It might be,
for instance, claim for cancelled hotel booking or Proposed Ending of a Bus Route.
Ref: (Reference) If you are replying to a business letter, this may have a reference number, in which case you can put this in place of the identifying words above – i.e.Your Ref. No. 123. This should at least prevent your letter from floating around various uninterested departments before finding its way to the right desk.

There is now the layout itself to be considered, and this will depend on the length of your letter. It will look at its best if it is well spaced on the page, with rather more white space below the
end of it than there is at the top, and with good margins at the sides. Two problems should be avoided. The first is writing a short letter with the lines close together, so that the final product has an immense area of white space filling the bottom two-thirds of the paper. The second is bringing the end of your letter so close to the bottom of the paper that there is hardly any room left for the conclusion and signature. The first mistake can be avoided by double - or even triple-spacing the letter if you are typing, or by giving enough space between the lines, an equal amount of ‘air’ if you are writing by hand. In the second case just leave an inch or
two of white at the foot of the page and continue on the other side.