Informal
letters
How do you keep in touch with family and
friends? Do you write letters, emails, speak on the telephone, send cards, text
using a mobile phone, or use a social networking site such as Facebook?
Sometimes we need to communicate a lot of
information and a letter or email may be the easiest way to do this. We may
write a letter to mark a special occasion or to communicate something that’s
difficult to say face-to-face: for example, a letter expressing our sympathy
when somebody has died, or a letter sending our congratulations on the birth of
a new baby. These are personal letters. Personal letters may be short or long
but they are usually chatty and informal.
Formal
letters
Formal letters are letters to people who we
don’t know on a personal level. We may need to write formal letters or emails
for many different reasons. For example, we may write to find out information, to apply
for a job or a course, to make a
complaint, to give information
or to send an apology.
It can be helpful to look at examples of
different kinds of letters that other people have written to get an idea about
how to lay out your letter and the kind of language to use.
If you’re writing a formal letter, ask
yourself:
- Who am I writing to?
- Why am I writing?
- What do I need to tell them?
- What do I want them to do?
When you write a formal letter, it’s
important to have all the information you need with you, such as dates, names and addresses. If you’ve
been given a contact name or a reference number, make sure you use it as this
will help the person dealing with your letter. Keep copies of formal letters so you have a record of what you've
sent, and so you can follow up any letters at a later date.
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