Formal Letter Module

Topic            :  Formal Letter

Prodi             : D3-Secretary

Meeting        : 1

Day/Time     : Monday/9.30-11.00


This handout is the module for Secretarys’ students. In this module, it explain about formal letter. It is part of Formal letter. In this module, students will learn more about the elements of a formal letter.

Definition of Formal Letter

A formal letter will encompass many things and is related to the business letter. To put this into perspective, all business letters are formal letters  but not all formal letters are business letters. The term formal letter can be used to entail any written letter for a formal purpose, whether that be a recommendation letter, an invitation letter, a complaint letter and so on.

Any communication that is considered to be official enough to be explicitly written or typed in a letter can be called a formal letter. However, in everyday use of the phrase we tend to be referring to something  along the lines of what is a business letter they will share many of the same characteristics, if not all. 

Layout of Formal Letter 

Layout of formal letters Letters are made up of different parts:

 The Greeting     

If you know the name of the person you are writing to, begin:

 • Dear Mr Jones, (to a man)

 • Dear Mrs Jones, (to a married woman)

 • Dear Ms Jones, (to a woman)

 • Dear Miss Jones (not used much these days)

 If you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, begin:

 • Dear Sir, (to a man)

 • Dear Madam, (to a woman)

 • Dear Sir or Madam, (when you don’t know which)

2.      The opening paragraph     

This paragraph (1 or 2 sentences) contains a clear statement of your reason for writing. Some       typical openings are:

 • I am writing in/with reference to.....

• I am writing in response to....

• I am writing to complain about...

 The body of the letter    

 The body can contain 1-3 paragraphs, very rarely would it contain 4 or more paragraphs. The       body contains all relevant information.

4.      Signalling the end   

  The final sentence or paragraph often indicates that the letter is going to finish.

Some typical          sentences are:

 • I look forward to receiving your reply

 • Thanking you in advance for your consideration

 • I look forward to hearing from you

 • Please find enclosed a copy of my CV for your perusal

5.      The closing     

 This phrase puts an end to the letter. If you know the name of the person you are writing to, end  with

 • Yours sincerely,
 If you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, end with

• Yours faithfully,

6.      The signature     

In a formal letter it is common to print your name under your signature.

Kinds of formal letter

Kinds of Formal Letter

1. Business Letter

2. Writing Letter about Employment

3. Personal and Social Correspondence

Example :

Language Analysis

Read text A and decide:

 1. who it is written by 

2. why it was written 

3. the register (remember that lexis is very important in register) 

Text A

 Dear Ms Roberts,

 I am writing in reference to your advertisement for summer language courses abroad. I would like to receive more detailed information about the courses you offer. I would be able to attend a course for two or three weeks in June. Could you please send me more information and details of prices?

I would particularly like to know how many students attend the school, and the maximum number of students per class. I would also like to know the resources the school has. Your article mentioned a language library and fully equipped computer rooms. Would it be possible to use these facilities also in the evenings? Could you inform me of the staff? Are they all qualified teachers?

I would be grateful if you could send me more details regarding the social and sports programmes offered. Are the activities included in the price of the course? Furthermore, I would appreciate your informing me on the amenities near the school. I look forward to receiving your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Robert Black

 Now you are going to transform text A into an informal piece of writing that says exactly the same but looks quite different. Before attempting the transformation of the text look at the 2 columns below and match each word in column A to its equivalent in column B, then write 1 phrase or sentence for each. There might be more than 1 equivalent. An example has been given.       

                        A (informal)                                       B   (formal)

                        can’t wait                                            in reference to (st) 

about                                                   would be able to

                        tell                                                       furthermore

can                                                        please / would you

                        say                                                        inform (sb)

 answer                                                mention

 also                                                     would like

                        want                                                                look forward to

                                                                                    reply 

1.      Informal  I can’t wait to receive your answer.    

Formal    I look forward to receiving your reply.

2.      Informal
Formal 

3.  Informal      
     Formal

 4.  Informal      
      Formal 

5.  Informal      
     Formal 

6.  Informal      
     Formal 

7.  Informal      
     Formal 

8.      Informal
Formal 

Now re-write text A using informal language. Pay close attention to the areas highlighted in grey.  

Formal letters are written for different purposes such as to complain, to request information, to give information, in response to a letter or a fax, to confirm details, to apply for a position, etc. They are letters that are written to people you do not know well or might not know at all so you should use a more formal, polite tone.

Below are some phrases and types of language that you could find in letters. Decide whether the phrase or type of language would be found in a formal or informal letter and put a tick in the proper column.

Phrase or Type of Language	Formal	Informal
“I am sorry to inform you that…”
phrasal verbs; idioms and slang
“I am very grateful for…”
“Why don’t we…”
contracted verb forms
“Yours faithfully”
“Yours sincerely”
“Yours”, “Best wishes”, “Write soon”
polite phrases
refers to reason for writing
“I look forward to receiving your reply”
nevertheless,” “therefore”
“but”
P.S
“Everything is OK.”
simple linkers, e.g. then, later, so

The writing process

Questions to consider while growing your writing:

I.                   Pre-writing: Time to think

-          What do I want to say ?

-          How do I want to say it ?

-          Who will read my writing?

-          Who can I talk to about my ideas?

-          Where will I record my ideas?

II.                Drafting: Time to write it down

-          Are my thoughts organized?

-          Which ideas do I want to develop?

-          In what order do I want to say them?

-          Who can read this and offer suggestions?

III.             Revising : Time to improve my writing

-          Have I read what I’ve written?

-          Are my details clear?

-          Should I add or take out parts?

-          Have I used the best ideas and words?

-          Is my writing in a logical order?

-          What suggesstions  have others given me?

IV.             Editing : Time to make things correct

-          Have I used complete sentences?

-          Are my spelling, capitalization and punctuation correct?

-          Have I marked corrections that I need?

-          Has someone checked my work?

-          Do I have a corrected copy that I can publish?

V.                Publishing : time to share my writing

-          How should I publish this writing?

-          Should I illustrate and display it?

-          Should I make it into a book?

-          Should I read it out loud?

 TASK 

 Instructions

You are keen to study English in Canada. Read the advertisement on the Rockland School Of English and the notes that you’ve written. Then write a letter to Ms Peabody at the Rockland School asking for details about the school. The letter should be between 150 and 180 words. Do not write any addresses.

Writing plan 

·         Mention that you saw the advertisement and that you want to attend a course. 

·         Ask for more information and prices 

·         Questions: 

 - students: how many?

- staff: qualified teachers (native tongue / bilingual / etc)

- resources at school: (self access computer rooms / libraries / language laboratory /etc)

 - sports and social programmes (what is offered) + accommodation included in price?

 - amenities in the city (discothèques / cinemas / internet cafés / theatres / etc)

 End the letter in an appropriate manner.

Layout 

·                  Start the letter by using an appropriate greeting. 

•      Do you know the name of the person you are writing to?
• ·       Opening paragraph: should give a clear statement of your reason for writing. (you want more details and information regarding the language course)
• ·        Body of the letter: can contain 1-3 paragraphs. Here you state everything you have to say and ask all questions 
• ·         Signalling the end: use an appropriate phrase. Do you want that person to contact you, to write to you, etc. 
• ·         The closing: use an appropriate ending  The signature: write your signature

Language Notes

Some expressions that can be used when asking for information:

- I would particularly like to know…

 - I would be interested in having more details about…

- Could you tell me something about…?

- Does the school organise…?

- I would be (most) grateful if….

- Use formal conjunctions: furthermore / moreover /  in order to / therefore / nevertheless

N.B. Do not use object pronouns in place of noun phrases 

Example of an answer

Dear Ms Peabody,

I am writing in reference to the advertisement I saw about the language courses you offer abroad. I would like to attend a course for the first two weeks in July and need more detailed information.

I would particularly like to know how many students attend the school, and how many students there are in a class. I would also like to know something more specific about the resources the school has. Is there a language laboratory and a library where I could study in the evenings? Do students have free access to internet? Are students permitted to use all the learning facilities available even on weekends?  Moreover, are all the teachers on staff qualified native tongue speakers?

Furthermore, I would like to receive more details of the social and sports programmes you offer. I am keen on football and tennis. Are these activities part of your sports programme? If so, are they included in the price of the course? Could you tell me about the cost of accommodation and what it includes?

Finally, could you tell me what amenities there are near the school?  For instance, is there an Internet café and a theatre within walking distance of the school?

I look forward to receiving your reply.

Yours sincerely, 

Robert Black