Formal letters

Remember that formal letters begin and end with either Dear Sir/Madam, > Yours faithfully, or Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms Smith, > Yours sincerely, Bill White.

All formal letters begin with the reason for writing -e.g. I am writing to request... / inform you…/ complain about…/ apologise for... / apply for… / I am writing in reply to your article…/ in response to the column… etc. In addition, you can include one or more of the following:

• who you are - e g I am writing on behalf of my English class…

• a reference to something you have seen or read -e.g. I am writing in response to your article in last Tuesday's issue of Education News.

• details of place, time, people spoken to, etc, e.g. … while I was attending the seminars for students on 4th May.

Some other formal phrases you are expected to use:

The principal reason for this is…, / I would like to take issue with your comments about…, / we find it difficult to believe…, / to express my disagreement…, / I am entitled to inform you…, / to voice my concern about…, / with regard to…, / you are entirely correct to point out that…, etc

Depending on the reason for writing, letters can end with one or more of the following:

• A summary of the main body

• A reiteration of the reason for writing

• A reassurance

• A reference to future action

• An expression of gratitude