Writing Formal and Informal Letters. Part 1. Домбровская И.В - 11 стр.

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etc). While writing a transactional letter, make sure you have included all the infor-
mation provided in the question using your own words.

       General outline for letters

 Salutation    Paragraph 1        Paragraphs 2,3 –           Final paragraph      NAME
               reasons for        development                closing remarks
               writing


 There are quite a few types of letters such as: letters of invitation, letters accepting or
refusing invitations, letters asking for or giving further information, applications, let-
ters of complaint, letters of apology, letters giving or asking for directions, letters
asking for advice, letters to a friend about the latest news, letters expressing
thanks/regrets/congratulations.
Before we start writing a letter it is important to think about who we are writing to. If
we use the wrong style, the letter will look odd, silly or impolite. For example, if we
wrote to a company and used informal language, the letter would look impolite. In
the same way, if we wrote to a friend and used formal language, the letter would look
odd.
There are certain factors which help us decide whether a letter is formal or in-
formal. These are:
- The opening of the letter (e.g. Dear Sir/Madam / Dear Mary)
- The topics in the letter (e.g. when formal, they should be only facts)
- The language used (e.g. formal or informal)
- The closing of the letter and the name at the end of it (Yours sincerely, Peter Brown
/ Love, Peter etc)

Formal letters                                     Semi-Formal or Informal letters
Salutation: Dear Sir / Madam,                      Salutation: Dear Mary,

• formal style - impersonal – language             • short, zappy style (abbreviations)
not too direct                                     • use of slang or colloquial English - use
• complex sentence structure – frequent            of idioms – phrasal verbs
use of Passive Voice - single word verbs           • pronouns are often omitted
- non colloquial English – advanced vo-            • chatty, use of literary devices
cabulary                                           • use of short forms
• each paragraph develops one specific
area
• only facts, no use of literary devices
• no use of short forms
Name:                      Yours faithfully,       Name:               Best wishes / Love /
                            Peter Brown                                Yours / Regards,
                                                                                   Peter