imagine you are the disciple in the story 'The kingdom of fools'
write a letter to your guru to thank him for his timely intervention which saved your life
Answers
Types Of Letter Writing
Letter writing can be classified into two types:
Informal Letters
Formal Letters
Informal Letter
Informal letters are also known as personal letters. Such types of letters are usually written to relatives, family, friends, or acquaintances. These letters may or may not have a concrete reason for writing. The aim of writing informal letters is to create a personal memoir. It need not adhere to any formalities or follow any set pattern.
Formal Letters
The letters that follow a certain formality and set pattern are formal letters. Such letters are precise, directly addressing the concerned issue and are kept strictly professional in nature. Formal letters are short and to the point. A variety of letters that fall within the category of formal letters are –
Business letters
Official letters
Social letters
Circular letters
Employment letters
Letter Writing Format
In general, everyone needs to be aware of the format of letter writing, more so candidates appearing for examinations. A letter is composed of different elements that change depending upon its nature. The format for both the types of letters is given below.
Letter writing format of Formal Letter
A formal letter must adhere to the prescribed format. The letter writing format of a formal letter is as mentioned below:
Sender’s address
Date
Receiver’s address
Subject
Salutation
Body of the letter
Complimentary closure
Signature line: sender’s name, signature and designation
Sender’s address: One of the most essential components, also known as the return address. It is the mailing address of the sender. The address and contact details of the person sending the letter are written here.
Date: Immediately after the sender’s address comes the date on which the letter is written. Candidates, while writing the letter in the exam, can follow any of the formats to write the dates: DD/MM/YY OR MM/DD/YY.
Receiver’s address: The corresponding address, i.e. the address of the recipient of the mail is written here. Candidates must start with the receivers’ designation followed by the name of the organization and then the full address, Pincode and country (if the information is known).
The subject: This highlights the aim of writing the letter. The subject of the formal letter should be very brief (6 to 8 words) and must be preceded by the word ‘Subject’. The receiver, through the subject, understands the purpose of the letter at a glance.
Salutation: This is a customary greeting to the recipient of the letter. If the name of the recipient is known, the salutation starts with ‘Dear’ followed by Mr/Mrs/Miss, etc. If the person is unknown or even the gender is not known the recipient can be addressed as Dear Sir/Dear Madam.
Body: The most important element of any letter. It furnishes the reason behind writing the letter. For formal letters, candidates should use short, clear, logical paragraphs to state the subject matter. The body of the letter is generally divided into 3 paragraphs:
Introduction that states the main point.
Middle part: Supporting points and details to justify the need and importance of letter writing.
Conclusion: Request for some action or what is expected.
Complimentary Closure: This is to end the letter with respect in a polite manner such as ‘Yours faithfully’, ‘Yours sincerely’, etc.
Signature Line: This is the last part where the sender of the letter signs off with his first or last name. The signature line may also include a second line for the title or designation of the sender.
Candidates writing formal letters in the exam must remember the following pointers.
Use of colloquial words, short forms, slang language and abbreviations are restricted.
The letter must be to the point, precise and clearly indicating the message.
The subject line is very important in Formal Letters.