Session 1
Definition of Letter and Letter Writing
A letter is a written message that can be handwritten or printed on paper. It is usually sent to the
recipient via mail or post in an envelope.
Divisions of Letters
Letters
Formal Informal
Social Business Personal
_Personal Letters
By personal letters we mean those letters that are written between two people, whether friends, brothers,
relatives, or colleagues.
Style
Characteristics:
1. Informal (except for rare cases), both routine and non-routine
2. Less reciprocal
Note: Considering the five important C’s when writing a personal letter:
1. Correct: Your letter should be grammatically, orthographically, and semantically correct.
Any ungrammatical, misspelled, and ambiguous words, phrases, sentences or paragraphs should
be strictly avoided.
2. Clear: There should not be any ambiguities in your letter. So, your letter should be a
straightforward, explicit, and plain one.
3. Concise: Don’t beat around the bush.
4. Courteous: Personal letters are by nature informal. But informality should not be interpreted as
impoliteness.
5. Coherent: Your letter should be solid and consistent. There should be essential and reasonable
links among words, sentences, and paragraphs.
Layout
The layout of personal letter contains the following items:
1. Heading
It is written in the top right-hand corner of the page.
It includes: a. sender’s address, and b. date.
a. Address
It is written from minor parts to major parts. Thus, we start with the number of the house / flat; then the
name / number of the street, avenue, road, square, etc. Finally, the name of the city.
Note: If the letter is sent abroad, the name of the country should be mentioned as well.
For example:
No. 200,
Duxbury Rd., (Rd. is the abbreviation of road)
London,
England
b. Date
Two spaces below the address, we put the date.
We can use cardinal numbers (e.g., 1, 4, …), and the full forms of the month (in words), and finally the
year (in numbers).
For example:
28 September, 2023
September 28, 2023
2. Salutation (or Greeting)
The word or phrase of greeting that comes before the body of a letter.
It is put on the left-hand side of the letter, usually two spaces above the body of the letter.
For example:
Dearest Sara:
Sara dear:
3. Body
It is divided into three parts:
a. Reference
In this part, you would refer to any points that prompted you to write the letter. For example: if the letter
is a ‘Thank-you’ letter, you would refer to the beautiful gift, warm hospitality, the great help, etc.
For example: How considerate of you to send me this very handy minicomputer for my birthday.
b. Purpose
In this part, you would elaborate on the reason why you are writing the letter. For example: you thank
your friend in a ‘Thank-you’ letter, you invite your friend in an ‘Invitation’ letter, you sympathize with
someone dear in a ‘Condolence’ letter, etc.
For example: You know that Dave is to depart London for New York soon for his further studies. So, we
are giving a good-bye party. Everyone in the group is attending, and I was wondering if you could drop
by.
c. Conclusion
In this part, you would round up your letter and add some good wishes for your addressee.
For example: I just can’t say how grateful I am for this lovely gift of yours. I am anxious to hear from you
soon.
Note: Paragraphs are usually set off from one another by two spaces.
4. Subscription (Closing)
At the end of the letter, just two spaces below the body, usually on the right hand side, we say good-bye
to our addressee.
For example:
5. Signature
This is the last item we use in personal letters. Sign your letter beneath your closing.
For personal letters, your first name is usually enough, unless the person doesn’t know you very well.
For example:
With love,
Richard
6. Postscript (P.S.)
It is mentioned when the writer remembers that he / she has forgotten something to say in the body of the
letter. Then, he / she puts down ‘P.S.’ at the bottom of the page.
Recapitulation (Recap.):
1. Heading
2. Salutation
3. Body
4. Subscription
5. Signature
6. Postscript
Format
Personal letters have two format:
1. Indented
An indented paragraph is a paragraph where the first line is set slightly inward from the left margin.
This indentation is usually achieved by pressing the ‘Tab’ key or using the space bar multiple times at
the beginning of the paragraph.
2. Block
A block paragraph doesn’t have any indentation at the beginning. The first line starts directly from the
left margin.
