Unlike an informal letter written to acquaintances, friends, or family, a formal letter is written for official purposes. When writing this kind of letter, some rules must be followed. Some conventions must be adhered to while drafting formal letters.
Formal letters are Professional letters written or drafted carefully in a specific format. They are naturally much more formal in style and can be written to apply for a job, to the newspaper editor, etc.
When writing a formal letter, always be mindful of your language and manners of approach. Most importantly, you must be respectful in your writing.
Also, when writing this kind of letter, you must try to avoid
- Using abbreviations
- Unprofessional language
- Over-emphatic vocabulary
Types of Formal Letters
- Business Letters
- Letters of Application
- Letters to Newspapers
Characteristics Or Features of Formal Letter
Some features must be included in writing a formal letter.
Sender’s address: This must appear at the top right-hand side of your letter and follow by the date.
Receiver’s address: This comes next immediately after the sender’s address on the left-hand side. The receiver can be the firm’s name or the one who represents the firm.
Salutation: It comes immediately after the receiver’s address. In most cases, you use Dear Sir/Ma’am.
Subject of the letter: This is an overview of what you want to write about. It is a statement of the purpose of the letter.
The body of the letter: This is where the letter’s content will be. You can make it into 3 paragraphs. The first paragraph should be aimed at introducing yourself and stating the purpose of your letter, the second paragraph should furnish all the information about the matter, and the third paragraph can be concluding.
Complimentary clause. This is where you close the letter. You can use a complimentary closing like ‘Yours faithfully’. The format can be Yours faithfully, followed by your signature, then your full name.
Read: How to read and understand
Sample of Formal Letter Features
No 2, Olugbogi street,
Allen Avenue,
Lagos state.
14th March, 2022
The Registrar,
WSC University,
Bodija Avenue,
Ibadan.
Dear Sir/Ma’am
Application for the Position of an Assistant Lecturer
Body
Paragraph 1: introduce yourself and state the purpose of your letter
Paragraph 2: information about the matter
Paragraph 3: concluding paragraph. For example, I would be grateful if my application were favorably considered and granted.
Yours faithfully,
Signature
Oluwole Peace Joy
