FORMAL LETTER (ADVANCED)

STANDARD LAYOUT

Open Door School of EnglishRua Boa Morte 2181

13400-140 PiracicobaEst. de Sao Paulo

BrazilTel (0194) 22-3487

The ManagerBoatrace International Bookshop37 Morse AvenueOXFORD OX3 3DP

24 August 1996

Dear Sir or Madam,

On 23 June I ordered 16 copies of ‘In at the Deep End’ by Vicki Hollett, to be sent to me at the above address.

Two months later, these books have not yet been received.

I would be grateful if you could look into this matter and ensure that the books reach me as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully

Cecilia Silveira Coelho

CECILIA SILVEIRA COELHO

Director

1. Your address but not your name2. When writing by hand, make sure your address is legible3. Your phone number may be important_ remember you’re trying to communicate with these people4. The name of the person you’re writing to (if you know it) followed by their position. The Manager is a good all-purpose option.5. The address of the people you’re writing to.6. The date7. If you don’t know the name of the person you’re writing to, you can use Dear Sir, Dear madam, Dear Sir or Madam, Dear Sir/Madam.If you know the name, use it. Make sure you spell it correctly. Dear Mr Blair (never Mister); Dear Mrs peacock (a married woman); Dear Miss Ball (an unmarried woman); Dear Ms Metcalf (a woman whose marital status you don’t know); Dear Mr and Mrs Benssin.If your correspondent has a title other than these, use it. Dear Dr Jekyll; Dear Professor Heger. 8. Reference. This sentence should tell your correspondent exactly what you’re writing about. If you are replying to a letter, mention the date of that letter.9. The substance of your letter10. How you want your correspondent to respond to your letter.11. Yours sincerely if you started with the name: Dear Mr Smith.Yours faithfully if you didn’t know the name: Dear Sir or Madam12. Your signature always written by hand13. Your name, in capitals when writing by hand. It must be legible because this is the only place your name is written14. Position. Only used when writing from a business.15. On this line you may write:

Enc or Encs (followed by a list of enclosures_ documents which you are sending together with the letter)P.S. (followed by information that you forgot to include in the main body of the letter_ not a sign of a well-organised piece of writing!)

LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

Beginning

I am writing to complain about….Further to my letter of May 13th in connection with….I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with….I am writing to express my concern about the fact that…

Demand

I would be grateful to receive a cheque for the outstanding sum without further delay.I must insist that you deliver the piano with no further delay and at no additional expense to myself.In view of the many ways in which it did not match the claims made for it in your publicity, I expect a substantial refund.Under the circumstances, I feel that an apology should be offered.I must insist that you…I must urge you to…..

Threat (Optional)

I shall have no alternative but to put the matter in the hands of my solicitors should your cheque not be received by May 1st.Unless I hear from you within 10 days, I shall have to take legal advice on the matter.If I do not hear from you before 3 May, I shall be obliged to take matters a step further.

ENQUIRY

Explain clearly what information you would like and why you need it. If there are different points you need to explain or to ask about, use a different paragraph for each

I am writing to enquiry about..I was interested in your advertisement in ‘The Daily Times’ and I would like to have further information about….I should be grateful if you would send me (full) details of….

A JOB APPLICATION

You should mention:

What job you are applying for (get the job title exactly right)Where you saw the advertisement or where you heard that a job might be available.Your relevant qualifications and experience, age, past employment…Why you’re interested in the job. Be positive, confident and enthusiastic.Your English is good enough

Do ask questions about any aspects of the job that aren’t clear to you_ but be careful not to sound completely ignorant of the work the job involves.It may be appropriate to refer to your enclosed CV. In an exam situation, you won’t need to produce a CV to support a job application.Use a different paragraph for each main topicIt’s also helpful to say when you would be available to attend an interview

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

When people who are not journalists wish to express their opinions in a newspaper or magazine, they write a letter to the editor.Although these letters speak to the readers of he papers, the convention is that the letter is actually addressed to the editor, This means that the word ‘you’ must be used with care (and courtesy), as it addresses the editor in person.

APOLOGY

Explain why you are apologising, give reasons for your behaviour, express regret for the damage/inconvenience/offence which has been caused and promise not to let it happen again or to make up what you’ve done, as appropriate.

I am writing to apologise about….For the fact that (+ clause)For (not) (+ ing)The reason I couldn’t telephone was…I’m really sorry to have wasted your timeIf you let me know where you bought it, I’ll gladly replace it.

OPINION

I f you’re replying or reacting to something such as a letter or an article, give the necessary details. Explain your opinion and the reasons for it clearly, using separate paragraphs for each main point. Sum up your argument in the final paragraph.

I reply to your letter of 12th September, I would like to say….I would like to respond to the article called ‘……..’ which appeared in Monday’s edition of your newspaper.In my opinion…..It seems (clear) to me that……

ENDINGS

It is usual to end letters which expect a reply with a sentence on a separate line. The most common ending is:

I look forward to hearing from you.I would therefore be grateful if you could……I would appreciate it if you could….Yours sincerely/faithfully