5.

LETTER WRITING

Letter writing is a skill. It is the commonest form of written communication. Today’s

computer age has superfast methods of communication such as e-mail, fax etc. So, writing
letters start losing its importance now-a-days.
While writing a letter, you may have the following questions in your mind.
 How should I start the letter?
 What information do I include?
 Am I Communicating in the best way, needed for the situation?
 Is my approach the most effective one?
 Will the letter bring the action or reaction I want?
You may feel frustrated, aren’t you? Do you want to know how to make it easier?

Read on and learn now.

Letters can be categorized under two headings- Informal and Formal.

I. INFORMAL LETTERS - Personal Letters i.e. to parents, friends, and relatives fall under
informal category.

The Informal Letter has six parts.

1. Heading or Return address / Sender’s address with Date – the sender’s address – on
the right top.
Eg. Bangalore
February 5, 2015
2. Salutation
Dear / My dear ………… (relation / friend)
3. Body of the letter
4. Subscription - (Yours friendly / lovingly/affectionately)
5. Signature - Sender’s Signature / Name
6. Superscription - Receiver’s Address

INFORMAL LETTER: SAMPLE

1. Letter to a friend asking him to spend a week’s holiday with you.
(Heading or Return address with Date) 16, Fathima Nagar
II Street
Virudhunagar
6 March 2015
My dear Prema, (Salutation)
(Body of the letter)
Well and wish the same from you. I am sure you have done pretty well in your
Summative Examinations. Here, I have done my Papers well. I am satisfied with my
performance and I expect a good score with distinction.
My summer vacation starts at 18 May 2015 and our College reopens on 16 June
only. We plan to go on a tour to Kanyakumari on the 20 th May morning and return back on
the 22nd May morning. If you have no other programme, please join us. It would be really a
fun and I will be happy to spend a week’s time with you during the vacation. My parents will
talk to your mother if you are willing to join us. We shall feel honoured if you come over
here and spend a week with us. My parents and I are eagerly waiting for your arrival and stay
with us.
Convey my regards to your family members and kids. Awaiting your positive reply.
(Subscription) Yours lovingly
(Signature) R.Priya
Address on the envelope
To Stamp
Miss.S.Prema (Superscription)
D/O. Mr.T.Gopal
6, West Car Street,
Madurai

2. Letter to uncle thanking him for the gift that he sent on your birthday.
12, R.K.Puram
Madurai
12 March 2015
Dear Uncle,
 Received your letter with the greetings and gift sent by you on my birthday. It is really a
pleasant surprise to me and my parents and brother liked it very much. I thank you so much
for your kindness and care.
You have sent me a real great gift. I am badly in need of a good watch and your present
is a timely act. Now, I can wake up early with the help of the alarm setting and prepare
myself well for my examinations and routine college work. I couldn’t find words to express
my gratitude.
Convey my regards to Aunty and kids.
Yours affectionately
J.Geetha
Address on the envelope
To Stamp
Thiru. D.Rajesh
16, Town Hall Street
Madurai

II. FORMAL LETTERS – The following letters fall under this category:
A. Business Letters - Letters regarding business dealings such as –
Complaint / Claim letters, Adjustment letters (in response to a complaint letter),
Collective letters (reminding one to make a payment that is overdue),
Enquiry letters / Order letters (seeking information / asking for a quotation) and
Quotation reply (a reply to an enquiry)
B. Official letters - Letters to the Editors, Office …
C. Letter to the Staff / Head of the Department / Principal …
D. Job Application / Resume / Covering Letter [dealt in a separate chapter of this book].
In this text, let us have a detailed outlook on the format, form and elements of
FORMAL LETTER with examples and worksheet. It’s time to start your practice.

FORMAL LETTERS: BUSINESS AND ORDER LETTERS

The business letter is the basic means of communication between two or more
companies or between two or more individuals. It has to be written with care because they
leave a lasting impression and they can build or spoil the relationship between the parties
concerned. Writing business letter is like any other technical communication. It has to convey
specific information to the reader.
 Order letter is sometimes placed through letters. It follows the general format of
business correspondence. It gives a clear description of the items ordered, their quantities,
catalogue numbers and prices. It should also specify the date of delivery, the mode of
transport etc.
The General Format of Business Letter:
 A good letter should be clear and concise with short sentences and simple
words.
 It should be straightforward and polite.
 It is better if it is limited to one single - spaced typewritten page.
 A business letter is often judged on the proper construction – format, content,
grammar,
punctuation, openings and closings.
 There is no place for fancy fonts in business letters.

The elements of a standard business letter and their functions are given below
1. HEADING OR RETURN ADDRESS (Sender’s Address)
Your address (or the address of the company you represent) forms the Heading.
2. DATE
Leave two blank lines after the return address. Always spell out the month and then the day, a
comma followed by the year.
Eg. August 2, 2014
3. INSIDE ADDRESS (Receiver’s Address)
Leave two blank lines after the date. Then type the address of the person or company to
whom you are writing.
Eg.
The Manager
Nokia Service centre
15, Anna Salai
Chennai
4. SALUTATION
Type ‘Dear Sir’ (or) ‘Sir’, followed by the person’s name. End the line with a colon. If you
don’t know the name of the person, use
Eg.
Dear Editor, (or) Dear Madam, (or) Dear Sir,
  After the Salutation, mention about previous correspondence, if there is any.
 Subject :
 Reference :
5. BODY
Align your message on the left margin. Skip a line before starting a new paragraph. But do
not indent the paragraph’s first line. Make sure that each paragraph is clear and concise.
 The first paragraph of letter should introduce your purpose of the letter.
 The body of the letter should present the points to make clear your purpose. The
points could be covered in a bulleted or numbered list so that the information is easy
to process.
 Your concluding part should highlight your message. It should also clearly state what
action; the receiver of the letter needs to take, in order to achieve the purpose.
6. CLOSING
Leave two lines of space after your last paragraph. Then use a conventional closing, followed
by a comma.
Eg. Yours sincerely, /Yours respectfully, /Yours
truly,
7. SIGNATURE
Your signature appears below your closing. Use both your first and last name.
Eg. Mrs.Radha Mathivanan (and not) Radha
8. NAME AND POSITION
Four lines after the closing, type your full name. Do not include a title (Mr. / Mrs. / Shri /
Smty). If you are writing on behalf of an organization, type your title on the next line.
Eg. [RADHA MATHIVANAN]
SECRETARY OF TAJ SPORTS CLUB
9. ABBREVIATIONS AT THE END OF A LETTER
If you send a copy of letter to someone other than the person addressed, write ‘cc:’ and the
person’s name. Use ‘Enc.’ or ‘Enclosure’, if you enclose something with the letter.

Eg.
Enc : Copy of my sales receipt

SAMPLE BUSINESS LETTER

1. Write a complaint letter to the Customer Sales Representative about the faulty
mobile phone that you have bought recently.

From
Mrs. Sita Rajendran
121, New Street (Return address)
Madurai
January 11, 2015 (Date)

To
Customer Sales Representative
Sony Service Centre
15, Anna Salai (Inside address)
Chennai

Sirs, (Salutation)
Sub.: Request for replacement of faulty mobile phone - reg
Ref.: Invoice No. 115 dated January 10, 2015
I recently bought one of your mobile phones (Model - Xperia Z) from one of your
branches in Chennai. After observing the product, I discovered that two of the parts were
missing, i.e. the Charger and the Headphone. The instruction booklet is not in English but in
Japanese.

I am writing this letter to replace the missing parts. Also I want a copy of the
instruction booklet in English for the model I bought. I hope arrangements will be made for
replacing the missing parts.

If I did not receive any reply within ten business days, I will return the handset to your
branch and I expect a full refund / repayment.

I include a copy of my sales receipt and a list of the missing parts for your kind
reference.

Yours sincerely, (Closing)

Mrs.Sylvia Tan (Signature)
[SYLVIA TAN] (Typed Name)

Enc : Photocopy of my sales receipt (Enclosure)

2. Assume you are the Secretary of Taj Sports Club and write a letter to Mercury
Sports Club asking for quotation.
TAJ SPORTS CLUB
34, Anna Nagar, Manila -600 040. PH: +91-44-66222552.
7th April 2015

To
M/S. Mercury Sports Club,
No. 15, New Road,
Thousand Lights,
Manila

Sirs,
Sub : Supply of sports materials – Quotation called for.

We are leading sports club in Chennai. We are placing an order for the following
items with 20% discount for immediate purchase.

1. Volley ball (Practice) - 20

2. Volley ball (Tournament) - 15
3. Volley ball net (Practice) - 5
4. Volley ball net (Nylon) - 5
5. Basket ball - 15
Please take care to have the goods delivered carriage paid at the above address by 20 th April
2015.
We look forward to your immediate reply.
Yours faithfully,

K. Lat
Secretary – Taj Sports Club

SAMPLE OFFICIAL LETTER

Letter to the Editor, Office (Municipality, Commissioner etc.) fall under this category.
Letter to the Editor is an explanatory letter about an issue or problem in the area known to the
sender. The matter should be precise. The format for the letter to the editor is same as
business letters. The Salutation should be ‘Sir’ and the ending should be ‘Yours truly’. The
sender should mention his/her complete address as anonymous letters are not published by
the newspapers. At times, the sender may refer himself / herself as “A sufferer” but with his /
her complete address.
Write a letter to the Editor of a daily paper, pointing out the need for immediate
improvements in the roads of your place of living.
From
R.Norman
The Councillor – Ward No. 24
24, De Gracia Street
Manila

To
The Editor
The Peoples
Tarlac

Sir,
Sub. : Complaint about the bad condition of roads – regarding
I wish to bring to your kind notice, the very bad condition of the roads in Tarlac
locality. We have a rich Municipality but the badly broken roads are a dishonor to the town.
The buses which travel through gateway are many in number. Gateway is the only
route through which people can travel from Laguna or Rizal to Quezon, etc.
Some of the roads are full of pits. They become nuisance during rainy days. The
journey troubles people dangerously at such times. Sometimes, it results in loss of life also.
Many of the roads need to be repaired.
I hope this letter will awaken the authorities concerned, to their sense of duty.

Yours truly,
H. Lowell

Worksheet
Draft a letter to the Municipal Commissioner complaining of mosquito trouble in your
locality.

LETTER TO THE STAFF / HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT / PRINCIPAL

These letters fall under formal category and the format is same as the business letters.
Write a letter to the Principal of your College asking him for the testimonial.
From
Miss.M.Hema
D/O. Mr.K.Lim
16, Market Road
Tarlac
22 February 2015

To
The Principal
V.H.N. College (Autonomous)
Manila

Respected Sir,
Sub.: Requisition seeking for the issue of a testimonial – reg
I was a student of our College for the past five years. I passed M.Com., with
distinction last year. Last month, I applied for an American scholarship. Now I have been
asked to appear for an interview in Delhi with a certificate from my College Principal.
During my period of study, I was one of the best students of my class. I was awarded
the General Proficiency Prize. I was also the captain of our College Football team.
Kindly issue me the testimonial at the earliest.
Thanking you
Yours obediently,

M.Hema
Write a letter to the Head of the Department of your College, informing him that you
have secured a good job and thanking him for all that the College has done for you.

From
Mr.S.Gupta
16, West Car Street
Tarlac
February 12, 2015

To
The Head
Department of English
VHN College (Autonomous)
Manila

Respected Sir,
I am happy to inform you that I got selected as the Probationary Officer in Indian
Bank, Tarlac. I shall get Rs.25,000 as a basic pay.
I was your student (M.A., English) last year and it is my duty to offer my heartfelt
thanks to you and other faculty members of our department. You have taken pains to mould
our habits, characters and make us good citizens. The discipline that we learnt in the
classroom and the playground really guide us. Your words of advice and encouragement light
our path in life. I will never forget your effort in making us converse in English inside our
college campus. We can never forget your kindness and interest in building up our
career. I have no words to express my thanks for all your kindness.
Your most obedient pupil,

J. LAUDE

Worksheet
Write a leave letter to your Class – in – charge asking leave for three days.