I. Points to remember:
冘 There are various of types of letters: They are a). letters of complaint, b). letters asking for / giving information, c). letters of invitation, d). letters accepting/ refusing an invitation, e). letters expression congratulations/regret/ sympathy, f) letters giving news (narrative/ descriptive), g) letters of apology f) letters of application for a job, etc.
冘 Friendly letters have only one address (yours) whereas formal letters have two (yours and the recipientˇs). Friendly letter begin with Dear + name and end with Love, Yours, Best Wishes + name. Formal letters begin with a) Dear Sir/ Madam and end with Yours faithfully+ full name or b) Dear Mr/ Mrs + surname and end with Yours sincerely + full name.
II. Organization of a letter
A good letter should consist of:
a. the correct greeting (Dear John, Dear Mrs Newton, Dear Sir/ Madam)
b. an introduction in which we clearly state the reason we are writing
c. the main body in which we develop our subject
d. a final paragraph in which we sum up what we talked about before or we express our wish for sth to be done
e. an appropriate ending (Yours / Best Wishes, + name; Yours sincerely / Yours faithfully / Yours truly, + full name)
III. Style in letters:
The characteristics of formal style in letters are:
冘 the greeting ( Dear Mr Rydd; Dear Sir)
冘 frequent use of passive voice
冘 formal language (complex sentences, non-colloquial English)
冘 no abbreviated forms
冘 the closing remark (Yours sincerely, / Yours faithfully, / Yours truly Mary Hill)
The characteristics of informal style in letters are:
冘 the greeting (Dear John, Dear Mum, )
冘 informal language and style (idioms, colloquial English)
冘 abbreviated forms, pronouns omitted
冘 the closing remark (Yours, Love, Best Wishes, Regards, Michael )
IV. Exercises
1. Read the following sentences and put an F for formal and an I for informal language. Then say:
a) which sentences can start or end a letter and
b) which kind of letter each sentence belongs to.
1) I am writing to request your advice on a business matter.
2) I trust this matter will receive your immediate attention.
3) Well, thatˇs all my news for now. Write back soon.
4) Thank you again for the invitation and I hope we can get together some other time.
5) Once again, thanks for all your help.
6) I am writing to inform you that new courses will commence on July 4th.
7) I look forward to receiving any information which might be of help.
8) Iˇm writing to say how sorry I am for the misunderstanding.
9) Hope this advice has helped.
10) Iˇm writing to invite you to our house-warming party.
2. Read the two letters and say the reason why they have been written. Then, compare and contrast them to find characteristics of formal and informal style.
Model A
24, Lancaster Terrace,
Heathfield,
W. Sussex
16th January, 2001
Dear John,
Just thought Iˇd drop you a line to congratulate you on your promotion. Lynda told me about it yesterday, and I can only say how pleased I am ---- though not surprised.
Considering what a hard-working and dedicated policeman youˇve been, itˇs only logical that they should decide to promote you to Detective Sergeant. Iˇm sure your part in solving that series of burglaries had an influence as well. It takes a special talent to solve a complicated case like that, and obviously you have it,. I hope in your new role youˇll have the chance to prove yourself again and again ---- not that I hoe thereˇs lots of crime, but you know what I mean.
Once more, congratulations. Hopefully we can get together soon and celebrate a bit. Give my love to Delia and the kids, and write soon.
Regards
Dave
Model B
2, Mission Street,
Huntersville,
17 January, 2001
Paul Harvey, President
Safetec Security Services,
Bristol
Dear Mr Harvey,
I have received your letter dated 12th November, which requests a reference for Mr Dean Guthrie. I am pleased to comply with your request and to provide the following information.
Mr Dean Guthrie has been employed at Millibank in Huntersville for five years, where he has held the position of Head of security. Mr Guthrie has decided to leave this post, as he is moving to Bristol.
After twenty years of dedicated service in the London Metropolitan Police Force, Mr Guthrie came to us in June 1990. Using his excellent skills and training, he helped to design the bankˇs security system. Mr Guthrie is very good at dealing with difficult situations, and is a patient, tactful man. His achievements include successfully managing a staff of fifteen security guards.
Mr Guthrie is modest, and friendly. His professionalism, honesty, and loyalty have made him a model employee.
I have no hesitation in recommending Mr Guthrie for any position in security r indeed for any post which requires his many admirable qualities.
Yours sincerely
John Smith
General Manager
3. Match the beginnings with the endings, then identify the type of letter.
BeginningsK.
1) I am writing to complain about the items which I ordered from your catalogue last month.
2) I would be grateful if you could send me further information concerning your summer courses in computer programming
3) Iˇm writing to ask for your advice on a small problem Iˇve got.
4) I am writing to apply for the post of junior manager.
5) I regret to inform you that you have not been accepted for the course.
6) I was pleased to get your letter, and I ˉll tell you what I think you should do.
K.. Endings
A. I hope you will consider my application and I look forward to hearing from you.
B. I hope that the matter will be resolved quickly and that my money will be promptly refunded.
C. Hope my advice is useful, and let me know how everything turns out.
D. Thank you in advance for your help, and I look forward to hearing from you.
E. Iˇm really anxious to hear your suggestions. Write soon.
F. Please d not hesitate to contact us again should you wish to reapply in the future.
4. Read Karenˇs letter and answer the following questions: a) What kind
of letter is it? b) How does it begin and end? C) Where and when will the event take place?
Dear Emily,
Iˇm writing to invite you to my birthday celebration on Friday, 15 June. Itˇs going to be an all-day affair, so you should be here by eleven oˇclock in the morning.
Since itˇs my sixteenth birthday, my parents want it to be a very special day, so this is what weˇre going to do. First weˇre going to take everyone to the stables and hire horses. Then weˇre going to ride to the Elmington Estate and have a picnic there. When we get back, there will be games and refreshments in the garden, and I the evening thereˇll be supper and dancing. I just hope the weather is fine!
Let me know if you can come, and tell me your news as well. Iˇm looking forward to hearing from you.
Lots of love,
Karen
冘 Suppose you are Emily, write a letter to Karen accepting the invitation
冘 Suppose you are Lynda, and you also got a letter from Karen inviting you to the birthday celebration, write a letter to Karen, telling her that you are unable to come to it.
5. Read Mr Strattonˇs letter and answer the following questions: a) What kind of letter is it? b) How does it begin and end? c) What is the reason for writing? d) How does it begin and end? e) How does the writer offer to make up for the mistake?
Dear Mrs Green,
I am writing in response to your letter of 22 July regarding the faulty equipment which was delivered to your office on 20 July, 2001.
Firstly, we would like to apologies for any inconvenience caused. After looking into the matter, we discovered that a number of the word processors of the model you received had a faulty part. We are at present waiting for the delivery of replacement parts, and as soon as they arrive we will send a service representative to correct the problem.
In compensation for any inconvenience caused, we would like to offer a two-year service contract completely free of charge. We hope this is acceptable to you. We will contact you as soon as the replacement parts arrive.
Yours sincerely,
L. Stratton,
Service Manager
6. Read the following topics and identify the type and style of each letter. Then write any three of them in an appropriate style using 100- 120 words.
1) You have been treated rudely by a shop assistant. Write a letter of complaint to the manager requesting that the matter be given immediate attention.
2) A friend of yours has sent you a letter asking for your advice as he and his parents disagree about what he should study at university. Write a letter giving him you advice.
3) You have just been offered a very good job abroad. Write to your best friend, giving details of your news and plans.
4) While visiting a friend at his house, you accidentally broke an expensive vase. Write a letter to him apologizing for the damage and saying what you intend to do I order to make up for it.
5) You have been invited by your friend to spend the weekend on his fatherˇs farm. Write a letter accepting or refusing this invitation.