LETTER WRITING
Letters are messages. Certain letter forms have been established by experience and custom as the
most useful forms learned and used by every letter-writer, for neglect of them is a sign of
ignorance and carelessness.
Every educated person should know how to write a clear and readable letter. Everyone
sometimes has to write business letters of some sort and may have to face the problem of writing
an important letter that will vitally affect his interests in life. The art of letter-writing is,
therefore, no mere ornamental accomplishment, but something that every educated person must
acquire for practical reasons.
TYPES OF LETTERS
1. Informal letters (friendly or personal letters)
One can write an informal letter to a brother, a friend, or anybody about anything! It
appears just like an ordinary conversation. Of course, there are different degrees of
informality. For example, an informal letter to one’s brother would be much more
informal than an informal letter to one’s uncle. They include informal invitations,
congratulations, condolence messages, requests, introductions, etc
Sequential patterns of Informal/ friendly/personal letters
i. The sender’s/ writer’s address
ii. Date
iii. The courteous greeting or salutation
iv. The communication or Body of a letter
v. Subscription/ complimentary close
vi. Name of the writer/ sender
vii. Superscription
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2. Business/ Official/Formal letters
These are written to/or by the officials of government, private offices, industrial units or
public bodies, businessmen, companies, or firms. They include letters of complaint,
information to officials, applying for various posts, ordering goods, seeking information
or acknowledging receipt of goods, etc. Letters to the editors also are treated as business
letters.
Sequential patterns of Business/friendly/formal letters
i. Letterhead
ii. Sender’s/ writer’s address
iii. Date
iv. Inside address/ Receiver’s address
v. The courteous greeting or salutation
vi. Heading
vii. The communication or Body of a letter
viii. The subscription /courteous leave-taking / complimentary close
ix. Signature
x. Name of the writer/ sender
xi. Superscription
STYLE OF BUSINESS/ OFFICIAL/FORMAL LETTERS
❖ BLOCK STYLE
❖ INDETED STYLE
SEQUENTIAL PARTS OF LETTERS
In all kinds/ forms of letters, there are points of form to be attended to.
i. Letterhead
This is often used in letters between companies, governments, departments, associations,
and private individuals.
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ii. Sender’s/ Writer’s address
This informs the reader where you wrote the letter and when. This consists of a writer’s
address and the date. They should be put at the top right-hand corner of the first page.
Example: P.O BOX 705,
DAR ES SALAAM
iii. Date
The date may be written in any of the following ways
➢ 10 June, 2017
➢ 10th June, 2017
➢ June 10, 2017
➢ 10-06-2017 – to the British person this means the tenth of June; to an
American, it is the sixth of October (Americans put the month before the
day)
iv. The receiver’s address
This should be put on the left-hand side of the first page just below the heading
v. The courteous greeting or salutation
The form of greeting will depend upon the relation in which you stand to the person to
whom you are writing. Examples; Dear Sir, Dear Mother, Dear John, etc
The use of the term Dear is purely formal and is a mere polite expression, not necessarily
implying any special affection. It should be put on the left-hand side of the first page at a
lower level than the DATE/ RECEIVER’S ADDRESS.
The following table gives a clear picture of the correct forms of salutation along with their
respective subscriptions;
s/n Relation Salutation Subscription
1 Blood relation older than the • My dear father, • Yours affectionately,
writer • Dear father, • Your loving son,
• Dearest sister, • Yours in love,
2 Younger relations • My dear • Your loving sister,
Jasmine, • Yours affectionately,
• Dear Samuel,
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3 Friends • My dear, • Yours Sincerely,
• Dear, • Yours affectionately,
• Jasmine, • Your loving friend,
4 Acquaintances • Dear Mr. John, • Yours truly,
• My dear Sir, • Your Sincerely,
• Dear Prof. (sign full name)
Rashid
5 Strangers • Dear Sir,
• Sir, • Yours truly,
• Dear Madam, (Sign full name)
• Madam,
6 From one officer to another • Sir, • Yours faithfully,
• Madam, (Sign full name)
7 Application for employment • Dear Sir, • Yours obediently,
• Dear Madam, • Yours faithfully,
• Sir,
• Madam (Sign full name)
8 To instructors, principal, and • Dear Sir, • Yours obediently,
Rector, for leave or other • Dear Madam, • Yours faithfully,
purposes • Sir,
• Madam (Sign full name)
vi. Heading
This reflects the purpose of the letter itself. It is written in capital letters.
vii. The communication or Body of a letter
A few hints that apply to all letters include:
a) Divide your letter into paragraphs to mark changes in subject matter, etc
b) Use simple and direct language and short sentences
c) Try to be complete and logical
d) Write neatly
e) Mind your punctuation
viii. The subscription or courteous leave-taking or complimentary close
i.e. Yours sincerely, Your sincere friend, Yours faithfully, Yours truly, Yours
affectionately, etc. This must be written below the last words of the letter and on the
right-hand side of the page. This is a traditional method. Nowadays, there is a growing
tendency to place subscriptions on the left-hand side.
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ix. The signature or /and name of the writer: This must come below the subscription
x. The superscription: This is an address on the envelope or postcard
FOUR QUESTIONS THAT YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF AS YOU WRITE YOUR
LETTER
i. What do you want to say?
This simply means that you have to think clearly and concisely before you write.
ii. Is what you are saying logical?
iii. How should your paragraphs be?
Paragraphs are signposts to the reader that you have finished with one point and
you are moving on to the next.
iv. What is the central theme/ message of your letter?
Useful expressions in Business/friendly/formal letters
➢ Further to my letter of (date)…
➢ Perhaps you would be kind enough to let us know…
➢ We enclose with this letter…
➢ We note from your letter of (date)…
➢ We are wondering whether…
➢ We were sorry to hear that…
➢ We trust that…
➢ Closure: Hoping to hear from you soon…, Thanking you once again…, Awaiting
an early reply…, Looking forward to reading from you… etc.
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