How to write Good letter ?
Letter writing is an art. A well written letter not only conveys your message to the receiver in clear terms but also reflects on him about your over all personality. Everyone has to write letter of some sort in his life so one must learn the art of letter writing
.Letters can be classified broadly in two categories :
1) Personal or friendly letters, including invitational letters
2) Business letters, including letters to government semi government officials, letters to newspapers, letters of application etc.
All letters in general consist of following parts:
1. The Heading
2. The Greeting
3. The Body
4. The Complimentary close
5. The Signature line
In this vlog we are going to learn about personal letters .
Personal Letters
Personal letters, also known as friendly letters, normally have five parts.
1. The Heading : This includes the address, line by line, with the last line being the date. Skip line after the heading. If using pre-addressed stationery, just add the date.
The heading of a friendly letter contains the return address followed by the date.
If the correspondents are familiar enough and the recipient knows the writer’s address, or if the stationery is imprinted with the return address, then the return address may be omitted. Although another reason for the return address is backup in case the envelope gets damaged…) But don’t forget to include the date. For example :
129, South West Block,
Alwar (Rajasthan)
August 24, 2006
Most writers skip a line between the address and the date.
2. The Greeting (Salutation) The greeting always ends with a comma. The greeting may be formal, beginning with the word “dear” and using the person’s given name or relationship, or it may be informal if appropriate.
Formal: Dear Uncle Jimmy, Dear Mr. Walker,
Informal: Hi Joe, Greetings,
The greeting in a friendly letter capitalises the first word and any noun. It normally ends with a comma, though it might be all right to end with an exclamation point when writing to someone with whom you are very familiar and the emphasis is appropriate. (Occasionally very personal greetings may end with an exclamation point for emphasis.
3. The Body : The body of the letter contains the main text. This includes the message you want to write. Normally in a friendly letter, the indented, be sure to skip a space between paragraphs. The block style (no indented paragraphs) is considered too formal for a friendly letter, so each new paragraph should be indented. Skip a line after the greeting and before the close. Skipping a line between paragraphs, especially in typed or printed copy, helps the reader.
4. The Complimentary Close (The subscription) This short expression is always a few words on a single line. The complimentary close begins with a capital letter and ends with a comma. It should be indented to the same column as the heading. Skip one to three spaces for the signature line.
Sincerely yours
Truly yours
5. The Signature Line Type or print your name. The handwritten signature goes above this line and below the close. The signature line and the handwritten signature are indented to the same column as the close.
Unless there is great familiarity between the correspondents, the signature should be in blue ar black ink. For example:
Truly yours,
(Signature goes here)
Postscript: If your letter contains a postscript, begin it with PS and end it with your initials. Skip a line after the signature line to begin the postscript.
Punctuating Letters
Commas
Use commas after the salutation (also called the greeting) and after the complimentary closing in all letters, eg.
(i) Salutation:Dear Ram,My dearest Hina,
(ii) Closing:Sincerely.Truly yours,
Colons in Special Cases
1. Numerical expressions of time.eg.: 5:31 p.m.
The colon goes between the hour and minute. If seconds are noted, a colon goes between the minute and second also.2. Colons follow labels that identify important ideas meant to get attention.
Warning: To be opened by authorised personnel only
Capitals in Letters There are two additional rules for capitalising when writing letters.
1. Capitalise the first word and all nouns in the salutation (or greeting). eg.Dear Sir,My dearest Aunt, Greetings!
2. Capitalise the first word in the complimentary closing. eg,Sincerely yours,Truly yours,With best wishes.
Example :
Write a letter to your younger brother advising him to take part in evening games.
12, South West Block
Alwar
February 15, 20..
My dear XVZ.
I met your class teacher yesterday. He told me that you stood first in the class. I was glad to hear it. But he also told me that you have become a bookworm. You do not take part in any kind of games. It is not good. It will affect your health.
I suggest you to take part in evening games. Do not study at the cost of your health. Play hockey or football. Play any game at least for an hour. It will refresh your mind and keep you physically fit. This will help you in your studies. Do study hard, but do play a while. Always remember the saying ‘Work while you work and play while you play, that is the way to be happy and gay’.
With love,
Yours affectionately,
ABC
I hope you like this vlog and in the next lesson we will learn about business letters .
