How to Write Formal Letter?

Introduction To Formal Letter ​​​​​​​

Letter Writing is one of the best communication between two-person expressing their feeling. But when the letter writing is for official work or anything else then there should be a decorum to be maintained in the letter writing process. A letter of such decorum is known as a formal letter. We have to look up for various points to write a formal letter.

Formal Letter 

A formal letter is a letter written to any officials or business associates or in a similar context. We should look for various grammatical errors, the decorum of language, format, and presentation. The letter writing should be in a professional manner. Formal letters have a systematic format and the format goes.

1.   Sender's Address 

It is the first step in the letter writing process. It is written on the top right side of the sheet. It is written in the context of the address of the sender which means you. It should be specific enough so that the receiver has no problem finding the sender and helps in establishing good communication. The address should only utilize three lines. 

2. Date 

The date appears next to the sender's address. It is a very essential step as it helps you in keeping a record of the date you wrote it. 

3. Recipient's Address 

It is written on the left side of the page after leaving the space of one line. It expresses the address of the recipient. It should be precise as the letter has to be delivered to that address. If it is incorrect or incomplete then it may not be delivered to you and there is a chance that all your secrets can get public which neither you nor the recipient will like it.

4. Greetings 

After leaving a line from the recipient's address, there comes the greeting. Greetings is a very primary point for a formal letter as it is posted to an official address. It is expected to be 'sir' or 'madam'. You also have an option of salutation 'Mr. ABC' or 'Mrs. ABC' but you should either write the full name or only the last name. 

5. Subject 

The subject should be written after the greetings leaving one line. It should be written in the middle so that it is easily accessible to the reader. A subject should always be small, understandable and sweet to the reader. A colon should appear between the word subjects and the subject.

6. Opening Paragraph

The opening paragraph appears after the subject. There should be a gap of one line between the subject and the opening paragraph. The opening paragraph comprises of your information and a short idea of the reason for the letter writing process. 

7. Main Body 

It is to be written after the opening paragraph. It contains the main content of the letter. It should have least or no grammatical error as no one likes to read something with errors. It should be polite and optimistic. You should provide all the details about your concern for which you are writing the letter. It should be clear so that the reader can get the knowledge he or she needs. The absence of these factors can lead to misunderstanding.

8. Closing Paragraph 

It occurs after the main body in the letter writing process. It includes your request to the recipient to perform the discussed points in the above two paragraphs. It should be a humble request and is suggested to start from 'Humbly' or 'Kindly'. 'Thanking you' is your emotion of expressing thanks to the reader which has to be written after the closing paragraph.

9. Signing off 

Every letter requires signing off a statement to convey respect. Signing off statements are 'yours faithfully', 'yours sincerely', 'yours truly' and much more.

Example - A letter to the police commissioner regarding a gang of thieves and frequent robbery performed by them.

1012, Satyam Apartments,

Ghatkopar West,

Mumbai – 400086.

21st, December 2019.

To,

The Police Commissioner,

Police Commissioner’s office,

Near Crawford market,

Mumbai – 400001.

Sir,

Subject: Complaint regarding the frequent robbery by a single gang in the local vicinity.

I, a respectful citizen of the city of Mumbai would like to enlighten on the robberies occurring in my vicinity through this letter.

For two weeks there have been three robberies took place in three houses in my neighbourhood. Police have suspected that all the robberies have been performed by a single gang but still, they are unable to find them. The people living in our locality are terrified due to these robberies. We cannot leave the house with no one inside. Our watchmen are also afraid because the robbers have beaten up hard all the people who tried to stop them. No females, kids and senior citizens feel safe to even step out of their houses. I would request you to increase the patrolling of police in our locality. 

I kindly request you to look into this matter and solve it as soon as possible so that everybody can roam around without any fear. 

Thanking you.

Yours faithfully,

Krish Shah