Types of letters. Part of a letter. Letters of complaint, letter of apology, letter of request. Genre. Register. Formal and informal letters. vocabulary

1. LETTERS
EQUIPO DE TRABAJO EN INGLES JURIDICO.
E.T.I.J.
UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA DE CUYO SEDE SAN LUIS.
Elaboró este material: Dra./ Esp Adela Perez del Viso.

2. TYPES OF LETTERS
 Letters of REQUEST
 Letters GIVING INFORMATION
 Letters of ADVICE
 Letters MAKING SUGGESTIONS RECOMMENDATIONS
 Letters of COMPLAINT
 Letters of APOLOGY
 Letters of APPLICATION
 Letters to the EDITOR/ AUTHORITIES
 Transactional letters.

3. A successful letter should consist of:
 An appropriate greeting: Dear Ms. Crawley, Dear Tony.
 An introductory paragraph which would state your reasons for writing
 A main body in which you develop the subject and deal wth additional objectives of the letter
if necessary.
 A conclusión in which you summarise the subject. And
 An appropriate ending : e.g.: Yours faithfully/ sincerely + full name. OR: Best Wishes + first
name.
 PARAGRAPH PLAN FOR LETTERS
Introduction: Paragraph 1 Reasons for writing
Main Body: Paragraph 2,3,4 Development of the subject
Conclusion: Final paragraph Closing remarks
……………..FULL NAME.

4. LET´S PRACTISE !!
AS REGARDS THE NEXT TWO SLIDES:
MATCH THE BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS
(FROM THE NEXT 2 SLIDES) AND THEN
IDENTIFY THE PURPOSE OF WRITING THE
LETTER FROM WHICH EACH PAIR OF
PARAGRAPHS IS TAKEN…

5. BEGINNINGS
1. I am writing in response to your advertisement in yesterday´s Daily Scope, concerning a
vacancy in your sales department.
2. I am writing in reply to your letter requesting information about our products
3. I am writing in my capacity as chairman of the residents´ association to draw your
attntion to the problema of excessive noise levels in your neighbourhood.
4. I am writing to request permission to use the Company premises for a meeting which
will be held during the holidays.
5. I am writing to advise you of the changes in the Schedule for the forthcoming seminar
on “Safety in the Home”.

6. Endings
A. I hope that these changes will not cause you too much inconvenience and that you will still be able
to attend.
B. We feel confident that you will find something in our range that meets your requirements and look
forward to receiving y gour order.
C. I am available for interview any weekday between 9 am and 5 pm and I look forward to meeting you
in person to discuss the possibility of my employment.
D. We trust that you will give this matter your urgent consideration and look forward to receiving any
suggestions you might have to help overcome the problema
E. We would be extremely grateful if you were to allow us to use the facilities for the duration of our
meeting. Thank you in anticipation of your kind cooperation.

7. LETTERS OF REQUEST
 A formal letter of request is written to ask for PERMISSION, HELP, INFORMATION, ADVICE, etc.
 It may also provide information, explain a situation, make suggestions, present arguments in support of
an opinión, etc., as requested in the topic instructions.
 Each point should be presented in a separat paragraph containing a clear topic sentence supportd by
examples and justifications.
 PARAGRAPH PLAN:
Introduction: Paragraph 1 Reasons for writing
Main Body: Paragraph 2,3 Explain reasons for making the
request.
Paragraphs 4 -5: State expected results and
consequences.
Conclusion. Final Paragraph Closing remarks
……..FULL NAME.

8. Letters of complaint
 A formal letter of complaint is written to complain about a problema which has arisen (e.g. faulty
merchandise, rude staff, inaccurate information, etc).
 It should explain the reasons for the complaint.
 It usually includes a suggestion, request or demand concerning what should be done (refund,
compensation, etc).
 TWO TIPES OF LANGUAGE TO USE:
 A) MILD LANGUAGE……………….. OR B) STRONG LANGUAGE.
 Let´s see…

9. MILD LANGUAGE / STRONG LANGUAGE

10. SOME TIPS for LETTERS OF COMPLAINT
 The nature of the complaint should be clearly stated in the first paragraph.
 Each aspect of the topic should be presented in a separate paragraph, containing a clear
topic sentence
 Each complaint should be SUPPORTED BY CLEAR JUSTIFICATION.

11. USEFUL LANGUAGE FOR LETTERS OF
COMPLAINt
To begin letters:
MILD COMPLAINT: I a writing to complain about / draw your attention to (the problema of…)/
express my disappointment/ dissatisfaction with
STRONG COMPLAINT: I am writing to express my annoyance/ extreme dissatisfaction with …. //
or: I regret to feel / or I must inform you how appalled/ shocked I was…
To end letters:
MILD COMPLAINT: I hope / trust this matter will be dealt with / resolved as son as posible// or: I
feel that you should …/ I am entitled to compensation…
STRONG COMPLAINt: I must insist on /… insist that../ I demand… /I warn you that…
I will have no choice but… I will be forced to take further legal action.

12. Letters of Apology
 If you have received a letter of complaint, it would be polite to APOLOGISE.
To reply to it.
 The purpose of a letter of Apology is to explain the reasons for the
problems stated in the letter of complaint and to ensure that the situation
will be improved. You may also offer some form of compensation.
 A letter of apology is written in a formal style and requires a dignified and
polite tone.
 You should deal with each aspect of the complaint in a separate paragraph.

13. Useful language
 Opening remarks:
 I am writing to apologise for…/ offer my apologies for …
 Please accpt my sincere apologies for …
 To introduce new points:
 With regard to / as regards… / As far as … are concerned… / Firstly/ Secondly/ Finally.
 To emphasise what you say:
 Clearly/ Obviously/ Needless to say…
 To express reality:
 In fact/ As a matter of fact/ Indeed.
 Making amends:
 Please allow me to offer/ suggest … as compensation for… I hope that you will accept my
apologes … / I hope hat you can forgive/ overlook thie regrettable error.

14. End of Letters (even though there are
more types of letters)
 SOURCES:
EVANS, VIRGINIA. Successful writing. Proficiency. Express Publishing. Newbury. 2013.

15. THANK YOU !!!!
By Dra. / Esp Adela
Perez del Viso.
October 2018