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Formal letter

1.Titles and addresses

If the letter is not written on headed paper, it is common to write your address and telephone number at the top of the page. In British English, this appears on the right-hand side, with the date underneath. In American English, this appears on the left-hand side of the page, above the name and address of the person that you are writing to.

There may also be a reference number, for example your order number or customer account number, beneath the date.

The full name (Ms Penny Smith) or a suitable title (The Manager, Customer Services), and the address of the person you are writing to goes on the next line, on the left-hand side of the page.

EXAM TIP

Many exams do not require you to write addresses and the date at the start of your letter, so make sure that you follow any instructions carefully.

USEFUL PHRASES

If you know the name of the person to whom you are writing, begin your letter: Dear Mr. Smith, Dear Ms Brown

If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, begin your letter: Dear Sir - if you know that you are writing to a man, Dear Madam - if you know that you are writing to a woman, or Dear Sir or Madam, if you do not know the gender.

If you do not know the particular company or person you are writing to (for example, a general reference letter), begin your letter: To Whom It May Concern.

Only write the title and the surname, not the first name x Dear Mr. John Brown.

In British English, there is usually no punctuation after the opening greeting, although a comma is possible. In American English, a colon should be used.

2Covering the issues

A formal letter is always written in response to another letter, piece of communication or a situation that has arisen. There are always some things that you must mention in your letter. These are always clear from the situation.

EXAM TIP

There is often a prompt for a negative and/or interrogative sentence in your reply. For example, the notes may contain information such as: No - Monday impossible. You are expected to write a negative sentence such as: I am sorry but I am not available next Monday.

Prompts may be in the form of notes, or in the exam question itself. Make sure that you take note of any such prompts.

In the sample letter at the end of this guide, there are five key points to make: the four points in the notes, the cost, the poor software, the technician, the price of the hotline, and the request for a visit by a technician in the first part of the question.

If you do not cover all the key points your letter will not receive a good grade, even if you use a wide, accurate range of language and vocabulary. In any exam, if you fail to mention a key issue, you will be heavily penalized or may automatically fail the essay task.

3 Beginning your letter

A formal letter can begin by referring to the previous communication, stating the relationship between the two people, or by summarizing the purpose of writing the letter.

USEFUL PHRASES

Begin by referring to previous communication: Following our telephone conversation this morning, I am happy to confirm your offer of work with James PLC. | I am writing in reply to your letter dated 27th July. | I am writing in response to your advertisement for the position of tour guide in your London office, which appeared in the Daily Times today.

State the relationship between you: I recently booked a holiday to Australia with your company.

Summarize the purpose of the letter: I am writing to inform you of some changes we have made to your schedule. | I would like to be considered for this post. | I am writing to request more information on the voluntary work programmes you run.

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