FORMAL LETTER

A formal letter is one written in a formal and ceremonious language and follows a certain stipulated format. Such letters are written for official purposes to authorities, dignitaries, colleagues, seniors, etc. and not to personal contacts, friends or family.

WRITING Types of Letters to be asked in CBSE Class 10 English Exam are:

• Letter to the editor of a newspaper (drawing the public’s attention towards social or common issues)
• Complaint letter (reporting a lost wallet, cycle, etc., complaint on neighbours, poor facilities at a tourist place, etc.)
• Order placing letter (ordering books, equipment for school, etc.)
• Enquiry letter (planning a trip, details for joining a class, etc.)

TOPICS FOR LETTER TO EDITOR 

• Expressing your views about child labour, unemployment , crime against women, habits of smoking, problems arising due to increasing population, etc.
• Pointing to the rash driving by the DTC drivers, over speeding by bikers, etc.

TOPICS FOR COMPLAINT

• Regarding some products that you purchased, like defective mobile handset, camera, etc.
• Regarding misbehaviour of staff or salesman
• Regarding problem faced in society like shortage of water, frequent power break down, etc.

TOPICS FOR ORDER PLACING LETTER

• Placing an order for school uniforms for dress store of school.
• Placing an order for books for the school library or other educational purpose.
• Placing an order for sports items for your school team.
• For placing orders for some eatables for your birthday party or any other event.

TOPICS FOR INQUIRY

• Asking about the details for taking admission in a course.
• Inquiring about some welfare schemes launched by the government.
• Writing to a tourism company to inquire about the details of some tour package.

Formal letter writing

• Written only for official purposes
• Written to ‘The Editor, The Principal, The Municipal Commissioner, The Secretory of a Society, The Mayor’ etc.
• Should be brief and precise
• Formal tone and polite expression
• Preferably left side of the page

How to write a letter to the Editor?

A letter to the Editor may be written to the editor of a newspaper or a magazine. It is written to highlight a social issue or problem. It can also be written in order to get it published in the said medium.

As it is a formal letter, the format has to be followed strictly. Only formal language can be used i.e. abbreviations and informal language should be avoided.

Let us discuss the Letter to Editor Format

The format of a letter to the editor of a Newspaper is as follows-

1. Sender’s address:  The address and contact details of the sender are written here. Include an email and phone number, if required or if mentioned in the question.
2. Date: The date is written below the sender’s address after Leaving one space or line.
3. Receiving Editor’s address: The address of the recipient of the mail i.e. the editor is written here.
4. Subject of the letter: The main purpose of the letterforms the subject. It must be written in one line. It must convey the matter for which the letter is written.
5. Salutation (Sir/Respected Sir/Madam)
6. Body: The matter of the letter is written here. It is divided into 3 paragraphs as follows-

• Paragraph 1: Introduce yourself and the purpose of writing the letter in brief.
• Paragraph 2: Give detail of the matter.
• Paragraph 3: Conclude by mentioning what you expect from the editor. (For example, you may want him to highlight the issue in his newspaper/magazine).

7. Complimentary Closing

8. Sender’s name, signature, and designation (if any)

Learning to write formal letters is truly vital. Hope this little information was of help to you. Do subscribe to our blog  for more English related doubts and learning.

Janet