LETTER WRITING

PREPARED BY-

SURYA NARAYAN HANSDAH

PGT,(ENGLISH)

JAWAHAR NAVODAYA VIDYALAYA,PURULIA,(W.B.)

INTRODUCTION

The most common form of written communication is the letter. Letter writing is an indispensable activity of human society. Letters are written communications. Letter writing is one of the very effective modes of communication. It is a written message conveyed from one person to another person through mail or post.

 We write letters to friends and relatives to maintain contact with them. However, in present times with the boom in methods of communication, many of us don’t have the time or inclination, or the temperament and the art of writing letters. So, telephone, mobile, various social media platforms, fax and e-mail have replaced personal letters.

However, formal letters are in use for several purposes .

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TYPES OF LETTER��

1 FORMAL LETTERS

2 INFORMAL LETTERS

The formal letters are written for business or professional purposes with a specific objective in mind. It uses simple language, which is easy to read and interpret.

Informal letters are written to friends and relatives for personal communication and require a casual or an emotional tone.

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Difference between Formal letter and Informal letter

FORMAL

• Formal letters are used for writing letters to business contacts, i.e. partners, suppliers, customers, clients, etc., college or institute, employer, professionals,.
• The size of a formal letter should be concise; that does not include irrelevant matter.

INFORMAL

• Informal letters are written to parents, friends, relatives, acquaintance, siblings etc.
• The informal letter can be lengthier
• The language used is mostly casual and it can also have an emotional undertone to it.

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FORMAT OF INFORMAL LETTER�1^st Component

ADDRESS

• The very first thing that you need to write is the address of the sender. This is written on the left corner of the paper and is the starting point of the letter. Give your complete address and pin code is a must. Though it is an informal letter and you are sending it to your friends and relatives, it is essential to write the full address so that the recipient can write back to you. country’s name. If this letter is for someone staying outside the country, do not forget to mention the

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EXAMPLE

• C-52, sector-A

  Reshma Bihar

  Purulia-723103

• JNV, DabarBalrampur,

Purulia,(W.B.)

723103

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2^nd Component

DATE

• Next just below the address we write the date. This allows the reader to have a reference as to when the informal letter was written. He can then relate better to the contents of the letter. The date, preferably, should be in expanded form.

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EXAMPLE

• 3^rd July 2020
• July 3,2020
• July 3 2020
• Don't write 03/07/2020

3^rd Component

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SALUTATION

• The greeting can be absolutely informal like ‘Dear Mom’ or ‘Dear Alan’. If you are writing a letter to someone of your age, you can mention his or her name after ‘Dear’. If it is for your mother, uncle, aunt or anyone senior to you, you need to write- ‘Dear Uncle’, ‘dear dad’ etc. You can write ‘Mr. or Mrs.’ for someone who is elder to you. For example, if you are writing a letter to your teacher to enquire about her health, you can write- ‘Dear Mrs. Margaret’

EXAMPLE

• Dear Sonu
• Dear uncle
• Dear Mrs Suruchi

4^th Component

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

• And now we begin writing the actual letter. The introductory paragraph sets the tone for the whole letter. You might begin by asking the recipient about their well-being. Or you may say that you hope the letter finds them in good health and great spirits. The opening of informal letters should be casual and comforting. It must not be formal and direct as in business letters.

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EXAMPLE

• My happiness knew no bounds when I got to know that-----
• How have you been? I hope my letter finds you in best of health and spirits.
• It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you.
• I just heard that you have received a new job.

5^th Component

BODY OF THE LETTER

• The letter overall should maintain a friendly tone. But you have to adjust the language and the wordings according to who you are writing to. With a friend, you can afford to be very casual and flippant even. But if you are writing to an elder relative, you must be extremely respectful and considerate.
• One way to determine the tonality of your letter is to remember how you talk to the person in a conversation. And then apply the same syntax and sentiments to the letter.

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EXAMPLE

• Main issue
• Problem if any
• Reason there of
• Solution
• Suggestion
• Hope to see you soon.
• With lots of love and best wishes.
• Please, pay my regards to your parents.
• Give my regards to aunty and uncle.

6^th Component

SUBSCRIPTION

• In the conclusive paragraph sum up the reason for writing the letter, i.e. summarize the letter. Say a meaningful and affectionate goodbye to the reader. And do not forget to invite the reader to write back or reply to your letter. It shows an intention to keep the conversation going.

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EXAMPLE

• Yours lovingly/affectionately etc.
• Your loving /affectionate son/daughter etc.
• Yours sincerely/truly. Obediently etc.

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7^th Component

NAME/SIGNATURE

• There is no one way to sign off informal letters. Since they do not follow a strict format, you may sign off as you please.

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EXAMPLE

• Krishna
• Name mentioned in the question ,if any.

You are Shivani. Write a letter to your friend describing your boarding school in about 120-150 words.

C-52, sector-A

 Reshma Bihar

 Purulia-723103

 June 25, 2020

 Dear Suneli

 How have you been? I hope my letter finds you in the best of health and spirits. It has been almost a month since I transferred to the boarding school.

 I am very happy in my new school. The classes and dormitories are very spacious. There are well equipped science laboratories and a library with a great collection of books.

 The school has amazing sports facilities such as swimming pool, horse riding track and archery range.

 I believe my life here will be interesting and enjoyable. Although I have made many new friends, I still miss you and the other friends.

Please, pay my regards to your parents.

Yours sincerely

 Shivani

THANKS