Writing a formal letter is a vital skill for every student and adult. Whether it is to the principal or to the consumer court, you must know how to write a formal letter. As this skill is so useful, here is a blog to help you know what a formal letter is and how to write one. Moreover, there are samples for four types of formal letter and other topics.
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A formal letter is a written document that has a specific tone and format. It includes specific elements like address of recipient and sender. These are very formal in style and structure and are usually written for professional purposes. Here are a few reasons listed to write a formal letter:
1. To address any issue in a professional setting
2. To circulate official information across your workspace
3. To order ware and services
4. To apply for a job role
5. To convey on social issues faced by your or someone else to the editor or a newspaper
These are some of the prompt reasons why you need to learn letter writing in English. The next section will talk about its structure that you can use in any type of formal letter.
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Here is the format of formal letters that you can follow to write a proper formal letter:
1. Header (date/address/return address)
Date: It is important to add the date on the letter.
Address: Write the full address of the recipient. This must include their post office box number.
Return Address: Also include your company’s complete address so that it is easy for the recipient to respond.
2. Subject
This is a very important part of a letter. You summarize the purpose of writing this letter in one line for the reader.
3. Salutation
If the name of the recipient is known, you can write “Dear” before the name. However, if you are not aware of the name, you can use their title (Mr., Miss, Ms., Mrs.) instead.
4. Body
This is where the main text of the letter is. You start off with an introduction after the greeting. It can be used to introduce the writer, the purpose of writing the letter, or both.
The Further paragraphs will explain the details of the issue one by one. You can include 2 to 4 paragraphs, depending on how brief you wish your letter to be. Additionally, it also depends on what you want the receiver to know. This part of the format can also sound like essay writing in English.
Make the final paragraph summarize the key points. This is also where you can thank the recipient or the reader.
5. Closing
Lastly, close the letter with a simple sign off. You can end your letter with the following sign offs:
6. Signature
The final component has to be your signature. You can include your full name and job title (if needed).
Hopefully, the format above helped you learn how to write formal letter. There are several types of formal letters that are written for various purposes. The next section will talk about them.
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You can draft a formal letter for various reasons. From addressing a social issue in your locality to applying for a job role, a formal letter is the best way to communicate. Here are types of formal letters, their samples, and example topics:
A letter to the editor is a fast and cost-efficient way to bring forward an issue. It is because the editorials are widely read sections of the newspaper. Here is a formal letter sample:
Write a letter to the editor for a public campaign for cleaning the Yamuna River.
61/4255, Padham Singh Rd,
Regarpura, Karol Bagh
Date: 24th February 2025
To,
The Editor,
Hindustan Times
New Delhi
Subject: Need to initiate a campaign to clean river Yamuna
Dear Editor,
I am Zainab C, a member of NGO Jheel. I am writing this letter to highlight the deteriorating situation of the river Yamuna.
The issue of pollution in Delhi, the capital city, has been a persistent one. Moreover, it has not spared the rivers and other natural resources either. Yamuna has been one such victim for a long time now.
The residents living near the river bank complain about the polluted water. The recent reports claim that the major cause of this level of pollution is plastic, bacteria, and chemicals. Moreover, the public has demanded for a water treatment plant to be installed at Yamuna, from the authorities. However, the officials have not responded yet.
For this reason, I request you to address this issue and shed light on the consequences the nearby population is facing. This will develop public interest and strengthen our resolve to clean river Yamuna.
Thanking You,
Yours sincerely,
Zainab C
Member Jheel
Here are some more topics you can write a letter to an editor on:
1. Increasing Road Accidents
2. Dowry System
3. Longer Traffic Jams
4. Persistent Child Labour
5. Expensive Quality Education
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A letter to the principal is written for very specific reasons. Either you can write as a student of that school or an outsider. Below is a sample formal letter to the principal:
You have to write a letter to the principal of XYZ school to request for permission to take some students as volunteers for your master’s thesis research.
February 22, 2025
Mr. Dhruv Bansal
Principal/Head of School or Center
XYZ School,
Kshipra Path, 3020xx
RE: Permission to Conduct Research Study
Dear Mr. Bansal,
I am writing to request permission to conduct a research study at your school campus. I am currently enrolled in the master's program in psychology at ABC University. I am in the process of writing my thesis. My proposal has been accepted and approved by ABC University.
I am hopeful for your school’s cooperation in the matter. For this, I will need to recruit 5 students from all classrooms. The only condition is that both of their parents must be alive and living together. They will only have to go through a 3-page questionnaire (enclosed below).
If the approval is granted, the students will then take the questionnaire in a quiet setting. There will be a second questionnaire of 2 pages for the parents of the students chosen. This has to be filled by them at home and shared the filled questionnaire via their children.
I assure you that all the details and the answers to the questionnaire will stay confidential and will not be used for any other purpose. No cost has to be incurred by your school.
Your approval to conduct this study will be greatly appreciated. I will contact you via telephone after a week from the date mentioned in this letter for a follow up. If you have any further questions or concerns regarding anything mentioned in the letter, kindly contact me at the Email address: hjk451gnkfn@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Poonam Sangtani
Here are some more topics you can write a letter to the principal on:
1. Long Leave Application
2. Addressing a Harassment Case
3. Apology Letter for Misbehavior
4. Seeking Permission for Re-test
5. Asking to Waive Off Fee
A formal letter can also be written as a complaint to a business owner or anyone regarding issues with the product or services. Here is a formal letter example for a complaint:
Write a letter to the owner of a furniture company complaining about receiving the wrong product.
ABC Main Street
Ajmer, TX 77008
February 22, 2025
Dhananjay Singh
Customer Relations Director
Furniture Showroom
Vijay Path
Jaipur, 302020
Re: Broken Massage Chair
Order Number: M-95298
Dear Mr. Singh,
I ordered a black colored massage chair from the furniture showroom on February 14, 2025. I paid 28,000 Rupees on my debit card for the chair including delivery. The Furniture Showroom delivered the massage chair to my house on February 18, 2025.
Unfortunately, I have been delivered a brown colored massage chair instead of the black one. The black color I ordered went perfectly with my drawing room. However, the brown one does not. Moreover, I checked your website to know the price of the same chair in brown color that has been delivered to me. It costs less than the black chair.
Further, I filed the complaint reports on your website’s customer service page. I also provided the proof of bill and pictures of the product I have received. I have not received any response from you or your team neither on call nor on mail or message.
I would like you to look into this matter on an urgent basis and deliver the black massage chair I opted for. If unavailable, I urge you to take the brown massage chair back and provide a complete refund of 28,000 Rupees.
I look forward to a reply and a solution to my problem. I will wait until February 27, 2025, before I approach the consumer court for legal help.
Kindly contact me on the above-mentioned Email or my phone number at xxxxxxxx4x.
Sincerely,
Nikunj Gupta
Here are some more topics you can write a letter for complaint on:
1. Abnormal Delay in Receiving an Order
2. Wrong Quantity
3. Defected Product
4. Wrong Address Delivery
5. Quality of Goods or Services isn’t Up to the Mark
Also Read: Idioms in English
A job application is one of the most common formal letters that everyone must know how to write. Hence, writing a formal letter is one of the vital skills that you must learn. Here is a sample to help you with writing a formal letter for a job application:
Write a letter to XYZ Technologies for the post of content manager.
February 22, 2025
XYZ Technologies
B Street, New York 4342-6242
RE: Content Manager
Dear Hiring Manager,
In my pursuit of a creative professional journey, I was glad to find the Content Manager opportunity with XYZ Technologies. As a progressive individual with experience in team building, management, and content creation strategy development, I think I can bring great value to your team.
Challenges drive and motivate me to help me find solutions better. My management philosophy makes it possible for me to handle huge team and strict deadlines simultaneously.
Previously in my role as a content manager, I had mastered all the skills a digital marketeer needs. This made me coordinate with my team better. Furthermore, it helped me enhance our bond as a team. This facilitated better growth on both and macro level.
For a better presentation of my skill sets and further understanding of the projects I have worked on, kindly review my attached resume. I am eager to hear from you and greatly appreciate your consideration.
Sincerely,
Avani Agarwal
Here are some more topics you can write a letter for a job application on:
1. Write a letter for a job application as a fresher
2. Write a letter for a job application with experience
3. Write a letter for a job application with less experience than required
4. Write a letter to switch your job profile
5. Write a letter to apply for a job outside your city
These were the samples for various types of formal letters. You must have noticed that daily use English words were not used in abundance. Besides, the tone of all the above letters was professional. Moreover, you also have 5 more topics for writing these formal letters.
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Tips to write an effective and persuasive formal letter, you must follow the tips below:
1. Stay clear and concise with your tone and content
2. Mention the purpose of the content in the starting
3. Proofread the written letter at least twice to perfect the English grammar used
4. Stick to a formal letter format and structure
To sum up, you must know how to write a formal letter in English. This will help you communicate in a professional and polite manner with authorities and officials. There are several purposes of a formal letter like addressing issues, applying for a job, putting a research proposal, and others. Hopefully, the samples in this blog helped you learn to write a formal letter.
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