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How To Write Formal Letters With Sample

The document provides instructions on how to write different types of letters. It discusses how to write formal letters specifically, including starting with your address and the recipient's address, greeting the recipient with "Dear" followed by their name, keeping paragraphs short with concise sentences, and ending with a complimentary closing and signature. Formal letters are important for business and career purposes, while more casual formats can be used for friends and close relatives. The type of letter should match the level of formality required by the recipient and context.

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Teresa Marie Yap Cordero
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93 views5 pages

How To Write Formal Letters With Sample

The document provides instructions on how to write different types of letters. It discusses how to write formal letters specifically, including starting with your address and the recipient's address, greeting the recipient with "Dear" followed by their name, keeping paragraphs short with concise sentences, and ending with a complimentary closing and signature. Formal letters are important for business and career purposes, while more casual formats can be used for friends and close relatives. The type of letter should match the level of formality required by the recipient and context.

Uploaded by

Teresa Marie Yap Cordero
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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herever you write.

Everything You Need to Know about How to Write a Letter

Everything You Need to Know about How to Write a Letter

Jennifer Calonia

Jennifer Calonia

Updated on September 8, 2020 · Writing Tips

Everyone should be familiar with how to write a letter—from what type of letter you should write to the
letter-writing format you should choose. These are the basic concepts of letter writing you need to
know, along with some helpful examples.

Write the perfect letter for every occasion.

Grammarly can help make your letters shine.

GET GRAMMARLY

What type of letter should you write?

There are no hard-and-fast rules. What letter-writing format you choose depends on your audience. For
a friend or close relative, a casual message is usually the best way to go. There are different types of
letters that are appropriate for a friend or close relative. Some include:

Handwritten letters

Emailed letters

Typed social media messages

However, for business contacts or people you don’t know well, a typed formal letter is almost always the
most appropriate choice. When used for professional purposes, writing a formal letter is effective for:
Cover letters

Letters of intent

Value proposition letters

Business memorandum letters

Promotion letters

Reference letters

Resignation letters

Thank-you letters

These are just a few types of letters that you might need to write in a casual or formal environment.
Before writing a letter, consider the formality level of your letter: casual or formal. Each has a distinct
format you’ll want to follow.

Formal letters

Knowing how to write a letter, especially formal letters, is essential in business and throughout your
career. Here’s what formal letter-writing involves.

Step 1: Starting a formal letter

Begin with the sender’s name and address. Some companies use special paper, called letterhead, that
includes contact information and the company’s brand logo.

Brenda Houser

321 Hyacinth Lane

Culver City, CA 90230


The next line of formal letter-writing is the date. You can format the date in a couple of ways, after your
address.

December 1, 2017

12 January 2018

Additionally, formal letters need the name and address of the recipient two spaces after the date.
Incorporating all this information ensures that your letter can be used as a reference to contact you after
the recipient discards the envelope.

Business Corporation

555 Industry Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

Step 2: Writing a letter, formally

When writing a letter, you’re ready to greet the person (or business) to whom you’re writing. Skip a
space from any addresses you’ve included.

Formal letters begin with “Dear” followed by the name of the receiver. If you don’t have a contact at a
certain company, search online for a name, a job title, or department.

“Dear Manager,”
“Dear Human Resources Department,”

As a last resort, use the generic salutation “To Whom It May Concern.” A comma follows all greetings.

Step 3: Writing the body of a formal letter

Although the body of every letter looks different and the information in it varies, there are a few key
rules to follow.

Keep it focused. Business letters should have a clear objective.

Proofread. Errors can cause misunderstandings.

Avoid contractions. Write out each word fully.

Be tactful. Avoid writing anything you’ll regret being recorded for posterity.

Each thought should be contained in its own paragraph. Keeping paragraphs short also helps keep your
message clear; aim for no more than four sentences in a paragraph and keep each sentence concise.

Step 4: Ending a formal letter

Leave a blank space between your closing paragraph and the complimentary closing. A complimentary
close is a polite way to send your regards to your receiver. One of the most common closers is
“Sincerely,” and it’s generally a safe bet.

Remember, only the first letter of the phrase is capitalized. Leave another couple of spaces for the last
step—your signature! Type your full name underneath it, for formal letters.

Sincerely,

Signature

Theresa Grant
With sincere gratitude,

Signature

Dr. Malcolm J. Carl, Jr.

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