Have you ever written a letter? No? We are here to guide you. Ever wondered why people write formal letters? Formal letters are written for a serious cause.
This can be any job application, resignation, cover letter, etc. People write letters to convey their message formally and professionally to the authorities.
Formal letters are used at formal places; for example, formal letters can be written for office work, Jon applications, job holidays, resignations, and more. Moreover, formal letters can be written to seniors and higher authorities.
Introduction
The concept of a letter is simple; it’s a form of communication between two or more parties. A letter can be written in formal, personal, business, or many other formats. Commonly there are two formats of letter names, formal and informal.
A formal letter format is followed where a person writes letters to seniors, higher authorities, and formal colleagues or friends.
A formal letter format is written to the point; however, it’s essential to know that a formal letter should have a friendly or conversational tone. Using a friendly and conversational tone is important because it makes letters unique and interesting to the reader.
Do you know how to write a formal letter efficiently? No? The article is all about it. The article below discusses letter format and how to write a letter with the format. Moreover, we’ll highlight the letter format and free letter format templates. The article will discuss email format with some quick tips for writing better letters.
Part 1: How to Write a Letter with Format
Letters are of two types; a formal letter and an informal letter. There are written letters and email letters. It’s essential to know how to write a letter in a format to communicate and convey your message efficiently. Below, the article will guide you to write the perfect letters of different types.
1. Letter Format Sample and How to Write
Knowing how to write the perfect letter is important nowadays as it’ll help you communicate better. Here is the letter format you can apply.
Contact information
A written always should have your and the recipient’s contact information. The information can be name, title, company name, address, number, email, or more. Moreover, you are required to write the date.
Greeting
Following a formal letter format, you can address/greet the recipient using professional words such as “Dear, Mr./Ms./Mrs./Dr.” Your greeting should be followed by a formal title.
Additionally, if you are following an informal letter format and want to write to friends and family, you can address them with whatever you love to call them or simply use “Dear” for them, followed by a title.
Body of letter
The content of the body of the letter matters to the type of letter you want to write. If you are following a personal letter format, you need to write about a personal issue or topic. If you are following an offer letter format, you need to write about the offer. Similarly, if you are following an experience letter format, you need to mention your experience and skill about something. However, every letter format will follow the same structure; the body’s content changes.
The first paragraph of the letter
The first paragraph of your letter should mention the reason for writing the letter. It’s important because it clarifies the intent of the letter.
Middle paragraphs of the letter
In the middle paragraphs (paragraphs 2,3,4,5, etc.), you should add details of your problem or information. In these paragraphs, you should add the information and details that you need to convey to the recipient.
The last paragraph of the letter
In the last paragraph of your letter, you should mention the intention of writing the letter and ask politely for a response to the letter. Moreover, you can ask the recipient to arrange a meeting or call or you can ask them for further communication to discuss your matter or request further.
Closing
When closing your letter, you must use a simple and formal sign-off. This can be “Kind Regards”, “Best regards”, or “Sincerely”.
It’s important to know that you can sign off, in other words when writing an informal letter. You can use “Yours Truly”, “Love,” or any other sign-offs that you are suitable with.
Signature
You must end the letter with your handwritten signature and typed name under it.
Here’s an example of a written letter:
Your contact information
Name
Address
City & State
Phone number
Email address
Date
Date when the letter is written
Greeting
Dear Sir/Madam etc.
Body
First paragraph
Purpose of the letter.
Middle paragraph
Details of the matter, issue, or request.
Last paragraph
You must repeat the purpose and request for response and further communication.
Closing
Best regards
Signature
Your signature here with black or blue pen
Typed signature
Your typed name
2. Free Letter Format Templates
What are free letter format templates? How can you use them in your letters? Why should you use letter format templates? These are a few questions you might have in your brain.
Free letter format templates are letter formats that contain the basics of the letter you need. The free templates are easy to use and save you time. They quicken your work and increase your productivity as you’ll be able to save time and use it somewhere more important.
The format of a letter is simple. You can begin with a greeting, followed by the title or subject of the letter. Further, you must add body texts (body paragraphs) and sign off the letter at the end. You must add a handwritten signature to the letter and type your name below it.
You can get templates easily online; finding the best and free templates can sometimes be challenging. But don’t worry! WPS Office has a large library of templates that you can customize and add pictures, logos, and more to them. Download them here!
3. Email Format
Email letter has a little different letter format, and hence it should be written according to that. Below is the email letter format.
Subject line
The subject of the email should be your name, such as “Subject: Your name — reason for writing the letter”.
Greetings
Dear/Mr./Mrs./Ms./Sir/Madam
Body of message
The body of the email/message should consist of two to three paragraphs explaining your issue or request in detail. You should start with the purpose of the letter, add details and request further communication and response.
Closing
Sincerely/Best regards
Types signature and contact information
Types signature is your name. You must add your contact information after typing the signage.
Here’s an example:
Alice Odinaeva
Aliceodinaeva@email.com
When writing an email letter, you may find it difficult to follow the format or forget it. How about using a free email letter format template from WPS Office? They have a huge library of free templates which can be customized easily using images, signatures, and logos. You can download and use them for free here.
Part 2: Tips for Formatting Letters
Professional letters are simple, to the point, and precise. However, informal letters can be long, more friendly, and may contain slang words too. Below are a few tips that’ll assist you in writing the best letter.
Length of the letter
Formal letters with personal or experience letter format is one page. They are to the topic and have no fluff.
Font style and size
You must use a plain font such as Times New Roman or Calibri, or Arial. The font size should be 10 or 12.
Margins
It’s essential that you use a one-inch margin and left justify your text
Spacing
Add single space between paragraphs. Moreover, align your texts to the left justify, and add a one-inch margin. Add extra space after the salutation, before the closing, and before and after the handwritten signature.
Printing
Professional/formal letters should be printed on plain white paper.
It’s essential to have a friendly tone throughout the letter. A formal letter with a friendly tone makes the letter interesting and appealing; hence, it increases the chance of an optimistic response.
Learn More About Practical Letter Format
It’s important to know the basic structure and format of different kinds of letters. There are personal letter formats, experience letter formats, informal letter formats, and more. All of them share some basic structure with little changes. To write the perfect letter you must add contact information, salutations, a title or subject line, body paragraphs, and closing with signatures. Moreover, it’s important to note that formatting a letter is crucial. You must add relevant spaces, and margins, and use proper font types and sizes. Professional letters are printed using plain white paper.
Writing a letter might be complex if you are doing it for the first time; hence free letter format templates might help. WPS Office offers a huge library of free templates. Download the WPS Office, install it, and log in to register. You can use and customize all letter format templates. Moreover, you can use WPS Office’s free PDF converter option to convert PDFs to other document formats. Download yours now!
