Letters: how to write

Formal letters

• There are three accepted styles on what a one-page
• business letter should look like

• Modified block style

• Block style

• Semiblock style

Style in Formal letters

• Formal style-impersonal
• Complex sentence structure (Passive Voice, non-colloquial English, advanced vocabulary)
• Each paragraph develops one specific area
• Only facts, no use of literary devices
• No use of short forms
• Example:

Transactional letters

• We write a transactional letter to respond to some kind of written input. This input may be a letter, an advertisement, an invitation, notes, etc, or a combination of these.
• When we write a transactional letter, we have to:
• -Read the rubric carefully, underlining the key words/phrases
• -Choose a writing style depending on who we are writing to (informal, semi-formal or formal)
• -Cover all the points in the rubric in full sentences.
• -We should use our own words.
• Example:

Your address

• 6 Pushkin St.,
• Dmitrov 146150
• Russia

• The number of your house

• The street you live in

• Your city/ town

• The postcode of your city/town

• The country you live in

The date

• 24-4-99

• 24th April

• 24th April 1999

• Three ways to write it:

Salutation

• Dear Sirs- to a company
• Dear Sir – to a man if you don’t know his name
• Dear Madame – to a woman if you don’t know her name
• Dear Mr Smith – to a man
• Dear Mrs Smith –to a married woman
• Dear Miss Smith – to an unmarried woman or a girl
• Dear Ms Smith – to a married or unmarried woman (if her marital status is not known to you or if she prefers to be addressed this way)