Tips for Descriptive Paper: Letter Writing

Every educated person should know how to write a clear and readable letter. Everyone has sometimes to write business letters, applications 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.

1. THE FORM OF LETTERS

Letters are messages, and 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.

There are several different kinds of letters (such as friendly letters, business letters, etc.) each of which has its own particular form; but there are certain matters of form which apply to all,

In all kinds of letters there are six points of form to be attended-

1. The Heading consisting of (a) the writer’s address and (b) and date.

2. The courteous Greeting of Salutation.

3. The Communication or Message – The body of the letter.

4. The Subscription, or courteous Leave-taking, or Conclusion.

5. The Signature.

6. The Superscription on the envelope.

1.THE HEADING – This informs the reader where you wrote the letter, and when.

The position of the heading is the top left-hand corner of the first page- the address above and the date just below it. 

24 M.G. MARG

New Delhi 110 057

10 March 2017

2. SALUTATION or Greeting – The form of Greeting will depend upon the relation in which you stand to the person to whom you are writing.

To members of your family for example, it will be-

Dear Father, My dear Mother, Dear Uncle, Dear Hari etc.

To friends, it will be-

Dear Shri Desai or Dear Desai or Dear Ramchandra etc.

To business people, it will be-

Dear Sir, Dear Sirs, etc.

3. The COMMUNICATION or Body of the letter- This is, of course, the letter itself, and the style in which it is written will depend upon the kind of letter you wish to write. The style of a letter to an intimate friend will be very different from that of a purely business letter or an official communication. But a few hints that apply to all letters are given below.

(a) Divide your letter (unless it is very short) into paragraphs, to mark changes of Subject-matter etc.

(b) Use simple and direct language and short sentences. Do not try to be eloquent, and drag in long words, just because they are long words. Be clear about what you want to say, and say it as directly as possible.

(c) Try to be complete. It is a sign of slovenly thinking when you have to add postscripts at the end of a letter. Think out what you want to say before you begin to write; and put down your points in some logical order. 

(d) Write neatly. Remember that your correspondent has to read what you write, and do not give him unnecessary trouble with bad penmanship and slovenly writing.

(e) Mind your punctuation, and put in commas and semicolons and fullstops in their proper places. Incorrect punctuation may alter the whole meaning of a sentence. 

4. The SUBSCRIPTION or courteous Leave-taking – A letter must not end abruptly, simply with the writer’s name. This would look rude. So certain forms of polite leave-taking are prescribed. Such as-

Yours sincerely, Yours sincere friend, Yours faithfully, etc.

5. The SIGNATURE or name of the writer – This must come below the Subscription.

Thus:

Yours sincerely

K.R. Deshpande

6. The address on the envelope (or postcard):- The address on the envelope or postcard should be written clearly, like this:

To sum up:

• In writing a letter, first write your address and under it the date in the top left-hand corner of the first page. 
• Then write the Salutation (e.g. Dear Shri Desai,) lower down at the left side of page, beginning with the capital and putting a common after it.
• Next begin your letter (with a capital letter) on the next lower line, to the right of the salutation.
• At the end of the letter write the Subscription, or words of leave-taking (e.g. Yours sincerely), at right side of the page, with your signature below it.

Some expected letter writing topics:

• Letter to Editor
• Informal Letter (to friend/family member discussing any issue in news or a social issue)
• Complaint Letter/ Grievance Redressal
• Letter to branch manager for transfer of account/policy or others

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