Letter Writing (Formal and Informal)
A letter is a written document that serves as a form of communication between two individuals, companies, or officials.
Letters have two categories:
1. Formal Letter (Application letters (Jobs), Business letters)
2. Informal Letter (or Personal letters)
1. Formal letters
Formal letters are typically written for the following purposes:
ü To apply for a job.
ü To request information.
ü To file a formal complaint.
ü To place an order for goods.
ü To make a booking for a holiday, etc.
ü To the editor-in-chief of a major newspaper.
ü To ask for something, such as a form or an appointment.
ü To write a leave application, address it to the head of the institution.
ü To invite someone to an event or to visit such as a School/College/Institute/Organization
Points to note:
Ø When you do not know the name of the person to whom you are writing,
you may start with 'Dear Sir/Madam' or ‘Respected Sir/Madam’
Ø If you begin with 'Dear Sir/Madam' or ‘Respected Sir/Madam’ you end the letter with 'Yours faithfully', and your full name.
Ø If you know the name of the person you are writing to, write “Dear+ his/her surname Sir/Madam", for example, Dear Shukla Sir, and you end the letter with ‘Yours sincerely’ and your full name.
Ø Ø Use paragraphs in your letter – at least 3.
Formal Letter Writing Format:
1. Sender’s address (From: your address)
2. Date (British Format: DD/MM/YYYY)
3. Recipient’s address (To)
4. Greeting or Salutation (Dear, respected etc.)
5. Body of the Letter (3 paragraphs)
6. Subscription (Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely, etc.)
7. Signature (your name)
8. (Optional) Enc/ PP/CC
Enc= Enclosure (list of attachments to the letter)
PP= Post Script
CC= Carbon Copy
Please direct your attention to the following example:
Letter making a booking:
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(From) 1/21 Netaji Nagar Damoh- 470661
9th May 2023
To The Principal Govt. P.G. College Hill City- 470661
Subject: Application for Hostel Room Booking
Dear Sir/Madam, Thank you for the information on hosteling which you sent me. I enclose completed application forms and a Postal Order to cover membership fees for five friends and myself. We would like to book accommodation in Vivekanand Youth Hostel for June 4th, 5th and 6th, 2023. Please confirm that these nights are available, and I will send on payment immediately. Looking forward to our stay at your hostel. Yours faithfully, Rakesh Kumar
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2. Informal Letter (or Personal letters)
Informal letters are written to Relatives, Friends, etc.
There's no specific rule about how long, how it looks, or how you say it.
Example: Letter to a friend in reply to her about planning a trip together
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1/21 Netaji Nagar Kolkata- 700075
16/01/2023
Dearest Uma
Your letter made me happy, and I really loved your idea. I've been wanting to go on a trip with you for ages, and I think we can finally make it work. I made a list of fun places to visit. I've got a list of things I want to do on our trip too. I'm scared of heights, just like you, but I've always wanted to go bungee jumping together. Give me your opinion on this. We can also hunt down some budget-friendly and stunning accommodations, and I'm sure we can plan it all. I'm so excited to go on this adventure with you. It's a secret, just between us, which makes it even more exciting. Trust me, it's gonna be worth it. I'll make sure to see you next weekend so we can discuss the trip. It'll be tough to convince our parents, but let's give it a shot. Catch you later. Love, Shankar
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Formal Letter Vs Informal Letter
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Formal Letter |
Informal Letter |
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Written for professional or business purposes |
Usually written for personal purposes |
|
Should be precise and to the point |
Informal letters can be lengthy |
|
Formal writing tone is used (accepted and standard) |
Casual writing tone and emotional writing style is common |
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Examples - Application addressed to the head of the institute/colleges, Bank Manager, Editor, etc. |
Examples - Relatives, friends, etc. |
Multiple-Choice Questions:
1. Letters are important means of ___________.
(a) communication
(b) formal letter
(c) informal letter
(d) none
Answer: (a) communication
2. The appropriate sign-off for a formal letter addressed to an individual by (surname) name is
a) Yours faithfully
b) Yours sincerely
c) Lots of Love
d) None of these
Answer: b) Yours sincerely
3. Which of these is typically included in the heading of a formal letter?
a) Recipient's name
b) Subject line
c) Sender's address
d) Date
Answer: c) Sender's address
4. What is the purpose of the subject line in a letter?
a) To greet the recipient
b) To indicate the main topic
c) To sign off respectfully
d) To introduce yourself
Answer: b) To indicate the main topic
5. In a formal letter, what is the function of the complimentary close?
a) To introduce the main topic
b) To indicate the sender’s contact information
c) To politely end the letter
d) To summarize the main points
Answer: c) To politely end the letter
6. What does "PS" stand for in a formal letter?
a) Post Script
b) Please See
c) Personal Statement
d) Previous Statement
Answer: a) Post Script
7. Which part of the letter consists of the written address: [2024]
a) the envelope
b) the subscription
c) the heading
d) the signature
Answer: c) the heading
8. A formal letter should have the desired effect on the recipient: [2024]
a) in the proper format
b) to the point and relevant
c) grammatically correct
d) All of these
Answer: d) All of these
9. What is the correct way to write the subscriptions in the formal letter? [2024]
a) Yours truly
b) Your truly
c) You truly
d) None
Answer: a) Yours truly
10. What is the purpose of writing a letter to the editor? [2024]
a) to ask him to take action
b) to order him
c) to request him to give some space to your views in his column
d) None
Answer: c) to request him to give some space to your views in his column
11. Which letter is formal letter?
a) Mother
c) Friend
b) The editor
d) Son
Answer: b) The editor
12. Which of the following letter is informal?
a) To Parents
b) Business letter
c) Official letter
d) To The editor
Answer: a) To Parents
13. In which letter is the closing 'yours affectionately' typically used?
a) Informal
b) Formal
c) Both
d) None of these.
Answer: a) Informal
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