The form of the letter

Every letter should have certain standard elements. What are they?

The heading

The heading consists of your address. Write it at the top-right hand corner of the letter.

Example:

101, Paradise

Dombivli

Put the date directly under the address. The date can be written in many different formats.

June 12, 2021

12th June, 2021

12 June, 2021

12 June 2021

In formal and business letters, put the name and address of the recipient below the date. In informal letters there is no need to mention the recipient’s address.

Greeting or salutation

Leave a line or two after the date or the recipient’s address in formal letters and then write the salutation.

In informal letters, the salutation will be:

Dear Sam

My dear mother

My dear Suma

In formal letters write:

Dear Sir or Madam

Dear Mr. Sharma

Dear Mohan

The body of the letter

This is the most important part of the letter. Your body paragraphs should clearly express the purpose of writing the letter.

In personal letters, the tone should be friendly and affectionate. In official or business letters, it should be formal. Avoid contracted verb forms in formal letters.

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Letters that begin Dear Sir or Madam usually finish Yours Faithfully. Note that there is no apostrophe in Yours. Formal letters that begin with the recipient’s name (Dear Rahul) usually finish Yours Sincerely.

In informal letters, use expressions like:

Best regards

Warm regards

Regards

Best regards

Kind regards

In very intimate letters, you can write Yours, Yours affectionately or Affectionately yours.