8 Steps To Write a Formal Letter are given in this article and we hope you find it educative and able to satisfy your research demands.
8 Steps To Write a Formal Letter
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Formal letters as the name implies are those letters that we turn in official settings to make certain requests.
Below are the 8 procedures for Writing a Formal Letter:
1. First Address
2. Date
3. Second address
4. Salutation
5. Title
6. The Body of the letter
7. Concluding salutation
8. Proofread your Letter
The letter a person submits as a job application is a good example of a formal letter. Formal letters are often written to inform the receiver of some serious matter, sometimes within the organization or from outside the organization.
More examples of situations requiring formal letters include an application for maternal leave for an expectant mother who is a member of staff in a certain establishment, a student writing to the principal or vice chancellor for whatever reason, job application letters, etc.
There are two common formal letter formats. Namely, Administrative Management Style (AMS) and block style which is the most used format. This article will show you step by step.
So if you are looking to apply for a job soon as a fresh graduate or writing your principal as a student.
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8 Procedures to Write a Formal Letter:
1. First Address
There are always two addresses informal letters. The first is the sender’s address which is usually written on the top left-hand side of the page.
Sometimes, the sender is you or the establishment you are working for or writing on behalf of. If the latter is the case, write the company’s address instead of yours.
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2. Date
The date is often written directly under the sender’s address. You do not need to leave any space in between. The format for the date is a day, month, and year, i.e. 4 September 2019.
3. Second address
This is the receiver’s address and details such as title or position in the establishment that the sender we wrote to. This is usually written on the next line after the date.
4. Salutation
Unlike informal letters, formal letters do not give room for lengthy salutations. It is a one-liner salutation. It is mostly “Dear Sir/Madam,”. In situations where the full name and title of the recipient are known, it is allowed to use it.
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5. Title
In the modern-day electronic mail era, this title is usually like the subject of the email. The title should be such as conveys a summary of the letter. If the title is written in all caps, it would not need to be underlined but in cases when it is not, it has to be neatly underlined.
6. The Body of the letter
This is usually short, written in as few words as possible. Verbosity is not allowed in informal letters. Writers must go straight to the point and make their requests brief. Word economy is very important here. This is mostly in 3 short paragraphs.
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7. Concluding salutation
IN most cases “Yours faithfully” or “Yours sincerely,” is used. After which the full name of the sender is written with the first name first and then the last name and a signature duly appended.
8. Proofread your Letter
Proofread and edit your letter to ensure it is free of typographical and grammatical errors.
