This document provides an overview of different types of letters and their formats. It begins with defining a letter and discussing the importance of letters. It then covers the introductory components of a letter including the heading, address, date, salutation, and body. The document discusses the classification of letters into formal and informal letters. It provides examples of different types of formal letters including business letters, letters of application, and official letters. It also covers informal letter types such as social letters and friendly letters. The document concludes with providing samples of different letter formats and structures.

2. 2
TOPIC
Letter Writing:
PRESENTED BY :
USMAN IDREES
WAQAR HASSAN
HAIDER MEHBOOB
ABUZAR IQBAL

3. CONTENTS
• INTRODUCATION
• FORMAT
• CLASSIFICATION
• SOCIAL LETTER
• FRIENDLY LETTER
• BUSINESS LETTER
• LETTER OF APPLICATION
• LETTER NEWSPAPER

4. 4
Definition of “Letter”
Letter
“A written or printed communication
directed to a person or organization.”

5. The Importance of Letters
• Represent your company’s public image
and your competence
• More personal than a report, yet more
formal than memos or e-mail
• More permanent than e-mail
• Constitute an official legal record of an
agreement

6. Introductory Components of a Letter

7. • Personal Address
– Street address
– City
– State
– Zip Code
• Company Address
– Company’s name
– Street address
– City
– State
– Zip Code

8. • Full Calendar Date
– May 31,2009
– 31May 2009
• 2-4 spaces

9. • Address of the reader
– Reader’s Name
– Reader’s Title
– Company Name
– Company Street
Address
– Company City
– Company State
– Company Zip Code
• 2-4 spaces

10. • IF you know the reader’s
name, salutation will be
– First / Last Name
– Followed by Colon
– For example
• Dear Mr. Smith:
• Dear Ms. Jones:
• Dear Miss / Mrs. Jones:
• Dear Chris Evans:
• OTHERWISE
– Use title
• Dear Vice President:
– Use department’s name
• Accounting Department:
• 2 spaces

11. • Includes
– Introductory Paragraph
– Discussion Paragraph
– Concluding Paragraph
• 2 spaces below salutation
• 2 spaces b/w paragraphs

12. • Place a comma after
complimentary close
• Preferred close is
Sincerely,
• 2 spaces below body

13. • Sign your name legibly

14. • Type your name
• Mention your title
(Optional)
• 4 spaces below
complimentary close

15. Letter Formats
• Full-block format
– All text typed on left
margin
– Spaces between
paragraphs
• Simplified format
– Same as full block
format except
• No Salutations
• Subject Line introduced
• No Complimentary
Close

16. Full Block Format

17. Simplified Format

18. CLASSIFICATION OF
LETTERS

19. Classficat
ion
Formal Informal

20. FORMAL LETTERS

21. Formal Letter
• A formal letter is a letter written to a business, a
college, or any professional that are not considered
friends or family.
Name Address Phone number Email
Example of layout:
Dear (Name),
(Body of letter)
Sincerely, (Name) (Sign in pen under typed name)

22. • ADDRESSEE: someone you don’t know
• WE TALK ABOUT: work, business or
offical subjects
• KINDS OF FORMAL LETTERS:
What kind of business letter am I writing?
CHARACTERISTICS
Letter of inquiry
Letter of application
Letter of complaint
Letter of regret
Thank you letter

23. LAYOUT

24. 1. Address + date
2. Salutation
3. Body
4. Complimentary close
5. P.S.

25. ADDRESS & DATE
• In the top left
corner..
– Address and date of
the person/company
you are writing to
• In the top right
corner...
- Address and date (leave
a line between the
address and the date)
Hillcrest Secondary School,
P.O Box 60453,
Livingstone,
ZAMBIA
10101
7th February 2004

26. SALUTATION
• The most common salutation in an
informal letter is “Dear….”
• Note that it is followed by a comma.
Dear Mr / Ms Harkness (if you know the
name) /
Dear Sir or Madam NOT Dear Manager (if
you do not know the name).

27. BODY
TOPIC
FORMAL REASON
(ENCLOSURE)
CONTACT
4. COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yoursfaithfully, (if you do not know the name)
Yours sincerely, (if you know the name).

28. STYLE

29. STRUCTURE AND CONTENT

30. USEFUL LANGUAGE

31. SAMPLES

32. 123 Pine Street
Oak Ridge, NJ 07438
October 30, 2005
ABC Company
345 Spruce Street
Whatever, IL 01233
Dear Mr. Brown,
Insert the part of the body of the letter here. The
body of the letter should tell something about what
you hope to convey.
It should also have a closing paragraph in it. There
should be at least two sentences per paragraph.
Sincerely,
Mrs. DeGraw
Mrs. DeGraw, Chairperson
Enclosure

33. INFORMAL LETTERS

34. Informal letter
• An informal letter is a letter you would
write to a friend of family member. It
doesn't necessarily need a format, but
there is a standard.
Example of layout:
Dear (Name),
Body of letter
Sincerely, (Name)

35. Format
Explanation
Address
· The writer’s address is written at the top right-hand corner
· For example:
25, Jalan Tebing 8/8,
Seksyen 8,
40000 Shah Alam,
Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Date
· Written below the address.
For example: 6 June 2011 For example: 6 June 2011
The format of writing an informal letter

36. 36
Informal letter
The format

37. SOCIAL LETTERS

38. Social letters
Between friends and relatives, to promote
communication and enhance friendship.

39. The structure of a social letter
• Headings: the writer’s address and the date
• Inside Address: the receiver’s name and
address
• Salutation: complimentary greeting as Dear John
• Body of the Letter: introduction, purpose
(matter) and conclusion
• Complimentary close: Sincerely yours, etc.
• Signature: Your full name, Christian name or
a nickname
• Postscripts (P.S.): supplemented information

40. ①Headings
② Salutation,
③ Body of Letter
------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
④ Complementary
Close

41. The Language of Social Letters
1. With clarity: short sentences
concrete , specific words
2. Simple: plain, familiar word
vigorous words, verbs
3. Conversational: contractions, occasional asides, telling
a story or incident

43. Whatarethepartsofafriendly
letter?
heading greeting body closing signature

44. heading
311 East College Street
Stanley, N.C. 28164
August 15, 2004
greetingDear Phil,
How has your summer been? Not too hot I hope. Did you get to visit
your grandparents? Did you go on your trip to Toronto as you had hoped?
They say Toronto is a beautiful city.
This is my second season at Camp Bellaire. I just passed my
swimming test. Now I can swim out to the raft and also use the boats. To pass
I had to jump into the water with my clothes on (as if I had just fallen out of a
boat). Then I had to take them off down to my trunks, even my shoes and
socks, and finally swim back to shore. It was tough, but I did it!
I’m looking forward to seeing you soon. There is lots of news to catch
up on!
body
Your friend,
Mike
closing
signature

45. INVITATION LETTERS

46. What is an Invitation Letter?
• An invitation is a request to attend an event. It
could be an invitation to a barbecue, a night at
the theater, a birthday or anniversary party, a
housewarming, or a wedding.
• It could be a formal event or a casual one, even
a religious event.

47. Formal Invitation Letter
• Format: Handwritten or typed.
• published; engraved or preprinted invitation or
card. R.S.V.P. (usually on separate card)
• Style/Tone/Voice: Formal. Active or passive
voice.
• Structure: (1) State the occasion, (2) State when
(be specific), where (include address; also a
map, if necessary), (3) R.S.V.P., (4) Other
information, e.g. a luncheon will be held, formal
dress is required (white/black tie, etc.)
• Handy Phrases: R.S.V.P.; We invite you to
share our joy; Request the pleasure of your
company.

48. Sample of Formal Invitation Letter
Twila Lockard Davis and Gladys Lockard
invite you to an
Open House
celebrating the fiftieth wedding anniversary of our
parents,
Thomas and Susannah Lockard
Saturday, May 25th, 2002
from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
at the home of
Dr. and Mrs. David Hasbro
4776 Wailing Wind Dr.
Indiana, Pennsylvania
Please no presents, just your presence!

49. Informal Invitation Letter
• Format: Handwritten or typed
• Tone: Informal. Active voice
• Structure: What, When (be specific),
where (include address), charge (any), RSVP,
dress (casual, costume,…)
• Handy Phrases: R.S.V.P. (Please Reply)

50. A Sample Informal Invitation Letter
Dear Dr. and Mrs. Davidson,
We will be celebrating Paula and Steve’s thirtieth
year of ministry with a dinner at the Floribunda
Commons Restaurant, Saturday, November 29th,
at 8:00 p.m. Please let us know by
Monday the 24th if you can join us on this happy
occasion.
With love,
Armineh Izadi

51. BUSINESS LETTERS

52. What is a Business Letter?
• A business letter is a letter written in formal
language, usually used when writing from one
business organization to another, or for
correspondence between such organizations
and their customers, clients and other external
parties.

53. Functions of the Business Letter
1. It provides a record of the activity
for someone's file.
2. It allows the writer to provide more
context or explanation than is
usually possible on a form.
3. It helps the audience( reader )
remember what is to be done.

54. The Main Components of a Business
Letter
• Business letters usually contain the following information (in this order):
• Writer's address (street, city, country).
• Date of writing
• Recipient's name, job title, and address
• Subject
• Salutation or Greeting (Dear Mr./ Mrs./ Ms…..)
• Message (body of the letter)
• Closing
• writer's signature, typed name, and position of sender
• In some situations, a business letter may also include the following
optional information:
• Writer's Initials: typist's initials ( if writer did not type letter).
• Enclosures (Encl:)
• Carbon copy Recipients (cc:)
• Photocopy recipients (xc:)

55. Writing a Business LetterWriting a Business Letter
• A formal business letter usually consists of six
parts:
 Heading,
 Inside address,
 Salutation,
 Body,
 Close,
 Signature
 Sometimes, notations are included, but they are
optional.

56. Heading
• It gives your detailed address and the date
on which the letter is written. You should
write your address as follows:
Sample 1
17 Trumpington Street
Cambridge, CB2 1QA
U.K.
29 May, 2002

57. Writing a Business LetterWriting a Business Letter
– Line 1: The doorplate number and the name
of the road (or P .O. box )
– Line 2: The name of the city or county
– Line 3: The name of the province or state and
the postal code
– Line 4: The name of the country
– Line 5: The date

58. Writing a Business LetterWriting a Business Letter
Inside Name and Address
• It refers to the addressee's name and address,
including his or her full name, title, and address.
This part can be dropped from private letters.
• There can be various types of honorific(showing
respect) titles, such as Mr. , Miss, Mrs., Ms.,
Dr. , Prof. , and Pres. (President).
• If you are not sure about a person's specific
name, you can use such a title as "The Sales
Manager".

59. Writing a Business LetterWriting a Business Letter
Salutation
The most typical form of salutation is:
Dear + title + name. For example, you can
write "Dear Prof. Smith" or "Dear Miss
Chen". It is usually followed by a comma
(in British English) or a colon (in American
English)

60. Writing a Business LetterWriting a Business Letter
• If you are not sure about the specific name
of the addressee, you can use such forms
as:
– (a) "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam" when the sex
of the person is known;
– (b) "Dear Sir or Madam" when the sex of the
person is unknown;
– (c) "Dear Sirs" when it is a collective body;
– (d) "To whom it may concern" when it is a
letter of certification, recommendation, etc.

61. Writing a Business LetterWriting a Business Letter
Body
It usually includes three
components:
–(1) the purpose of writing
the business letter;
–(2) the detailed message of the
business letter; and
–(3) the conclusion of the business
letter.

62. Writing a Business LetterWriting a Business Letter
Complementary Close
–It usually takes the form of
"Yours sincerely" or "Sincerely
yours" followed by a comma.
–It can also be "Yours faithfully"
(in British English) or "Yours
truly" (in American English)

63. Writing a Business LetterWriting a Business Letter
Signature
It should be placed
between the
complimentary
close and your
printed name. If
you want to
indicate your title
or position, put it
below your printed
name.

64. Format of Business Letters
• Usually, there are two formats of English
business letters:
The semi-indented style
The blocked style

65. • According to the
semi-indented style,
the heading, inside
name and address,
salutation,
complementary close,
and signature are
flush with the left
margin. The body is
also flush with the left
margin, but the
paragraphs in it are
indented five spaces.
semi-indented style

66. Blocked Style
• According to the blocked
style, the heading,
complementary close,
and signature are flush
with the right margin,
whereas the rest
components of the letter
are flush with the left
margin, including every
paragraph of the body.

67. LETTER OF APPLICATION

68. Format
26 Brookbank Road,
Chalkside,
Surrey SN 5 3BQ
The Managing Director, (sender’s address)
Sinton Experts LTD,
3 Castle Chmabers,
Chalkside,
Surrey.
(recipient’s address)
December, 10th 2012
(date)
Dear Sir, (salutation)

69. Following greetings and salutations are appropriate for a
letter of application
1. Dear Sir/Madam,
Yours faithfully,
2. Dear Sally Brown.
Love,
3. Dear Mr Carver, Yours sincerely,
4. Dear Mr Davies,
Yours,

70. 1. Dear Sir/Madam, √
Yours faithfully,
2. Dear Sally Brown, × (do not start with Dear+person’s full name)
Love,
3. Dear Mr Carver, √
Yours sincerely,
4. Dear Mr Davies, × ( the ending is too informal)
Yours,

71. Read the letter and complete the paragarph plan:
age/qualifications reasons for writing closing remarks
experience/personality
• Dear Mr Savage,
1 I am writing to apply for the position of part-time shop assistant at the
Cobweb records as advertised in The Evening Post yesterday.
2 I am an eighteen-year-old student. I am currently studying Music at Preston
College.
3 I have some experience as I worked in a department store last summer. I
am very friendly and polite, which I believe are necessary qualities for
dealing with customers. I am also hardworking and don’t mind working
shifts.
4 I hope you will consider me for the job. I would be happy to attend an
interview. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
• Yours sincerely,
• Simon Smith
• reason for writing age/qualifications
• experience/personality closingremarks

72. OFFICIAL LETTERS
Official Letters also called Formal Letters

73. 45 Orange Close
West Burnham
West Yorkshire
23rd March 2000
The Manager
Barclay Building Society
Long Street
West Hartlepool
Dear Sir
Thank you for your letter dated 15th March.
I am afraid I cannot agree with your letter. I have studied my bank statement
and still cannot find the charges you say are outstanding.
This is the third letter I have sent and if no action is taken within the next five
days I will contact my solicitor.
I hope this matter can be settled as soon as possible.
Yours faithfully
(Ann Angry)
ADDRESSES
AND DATE
Space for signature but write or type your
name clearly underneath

74. LETTERS OF NEWSPAPER
A written report and analysis of the news,
often providing forecasts, typically directed
at a special audience, as business people,
and mailed to subscribers: a stock-market
newsletter.

75. Format of letter Newspaper
 Decide on one or two main points.
 Do whatever you can to make your letter timely.
 Know pertinent information about the publication
to which you are submitting your letter.
 Read letters that have been published recently
in the newspaper to which you are submitting
your letter.
 Be sure your letter includes several different
methods by which personnel from the
newspaper can contact you, such as your
mailing address, home and cell phone numbers
and an e-mail address.
 Print your name under your signature.

76. SAMPLE
• Letter to the Editor of a newspaper
complaining about the reckless driving
on the roads

77. Perera No. 2, 1st
Lane,
ABC
Aug 21, 2013
To,
The Editor,
The Indian Express,
ABC-62.
Dear Sir,
With due respect, I wish to draw kind attention of the concerned authority and general public
through your esteemed daily, towards increasing incidents of road accidents. Road accidents
are a frequent feature of newspapers. Road accidents are on a rise especially in big cities.
Persons sitting on steering do not have control over it. They do not have any regard for the
traffic rules. Over-speeding, jumping red lights, overtaking from wrong side are common
place. In most of the cases they escape unpunished due to their social status and corrupt
bureaucracy. Every year, large numbers of people die in road accidents. It is one of the
biggest reasons of unnatural deaths in India. In the past fifty years, more persons succumbed
to death due to road accidents than in wars with our enemy countries. So the time has come
to develop a movement against reckless driving.
I hope, civic authorities and civilized people will pay heed to my prayer.
Yours faithfully,
XYZ