Letter Writing - What is Letter Writing? Different Types
with Examples
Ever wondered how the practice of writing letters came into being? Letters were
one of the earliest forms of passing communication across to family and friends,
and it has continued to exist since then. Letter writing is no mere ornamental
accomplishment. Even today, letter writing has been thought of as a necessary
skill that every individual should acquire.
This article will take you through the following topics
What Is Letter Writing?
Different Types Of Letters
Types Of Letters Examples
Faq On Letter Writing And Its Types
What is Letter Writing?
Letter Writing has been deemed as one of the most useful forms learnt and used
for various reasons. There are several kinds of letters, each of which has its own
form and style. However, there are certain parts of the letter which remain the
same. They include:
Sender’s address
Date
Greeting or Salutation
Body of the Letter
Subscription
Signature
Sender’s Address
The writer’s complete postal address has to be mentioned at the beginning of the
letter on the left-hand side of the paper. This lets the receiver know where you
wrote the letter from.
1
,Date
The date is written just below the sender’s address, and It lets the recipient know
when exactly the letter was written. The date may be written in any of the
following ways:
4th July 2005
July 4, 2005
4/6/2005
4-6-2005
4.6.2005
Greeting or Salutation
The Salutation depends on the relationship between the sender and the receiver.
To members of your family and friends, it could be Dear Father, My
Dearest Friend, Dear Uncle, Dear Diana, etc.
To Business people or any officer of higher rank, it could be Dear Sir, Dear
Sirs, Sir/Ma’am, etc.
Body of the Letter
The message that you want to convey is stated in the body of the letter. The style,
however, depends on the type of letter you are writing. The style of a friendly
letter differs completely from that of a business letter or an official letter, but
there are certain points that apply to both formal letters and informal letters.
Generally, when you draft the body of your letter, see to that you divide it into
short paragraphs, according to the change in the subject matter. Use simple and
direct language that is easy to comprehend. Put down all your points in a logical
order. Mind your punctuation; incorrect punctuation will alter the meaning of
the sentence completely.
2
,Subscription
The subscription helps you end the letter in a polite and courteous manner. The
subscriptions change according to the type of letter you are writing. It can be
written as Yours faithfully, Yours lovingly, Yours sincerely, With love, etc.
Signature
The signature or the name of the writer should be written just before the
subscription.
Different Types of Letters
Letters can be classified into two main types according to the purpose of the
letter. Informal Letters, also known as Social Letters, include Friendly Letters
and Notes of Invitations.
Formal Letters, also known as Business Letters, include Letters of Application,
Letters to Higher Authorities, and Letters to Newspapers.
Informal Letter
Letters to friends and family can be written in a conversational style. They are
just a composition of spontaneous thoughts, and they are easy and personal.
When writing an informal letter, you are free to use colloquial language, which
would be quite out of place in a formal letter. This does not mean that you can
pen down random thoughts that are totally disconnected and make no sense.
Wrong spelling, punctuation and grammar are not allowed even though the
letter is informal and personal.
An informal letter can be written by following a basic format that includes the
sender’s address, date, greeting, body of the letter, subscription and signature.
To know more about how to write an informal letter, visit Informal Letter
Format.
Formal Letter
Formal letters or Business letters should be clear and concise. You should always
remember that formal letters are written to bring important information into
3
, consideration, so you should always take care to draft the letter carefully by
providing only the necessary information.
The language used in formal letters is a lot more professional than informal
letters. The format of formal letters is the same as explained above, with a few
additions, viz., ‘the Receiver’s Address’, ‘Subject’ and ‘Signature’. Check out
Formal Letter Writing in English for more information on formal letters.
Types of Letters Examples
Sample Informal Letter – Letter to a friend in reply to her about planning a trip
together
16/65, Martins Castle
DB Road
Hyderabad 500023
20/05/2020
Dearest Caro,
I was happy to see your letter, and I loved your idea. I have been wanting to go
on a trip with you for a long time, and I think both of us can finally make time to
plan and make it happen.
I have a list of places that I thought would be fun to visit. I also do have a list of
things I would like to do on our trip. I am too scared of heights, and I know you
are too, but I have always wanted to try out bungee jumping with you. Let me
know what you think about it. We can also find affordable and beautiful places
to stay, and I am sure we can chart it all out. I cannot wait to go on this
adventure with you. I know it is a secret to be kept since it is going to be just us,
and that makes it all the more exciting. I know for sure that it is going to be
worth it too.
I will make sure that I meet you next weekend and make plans for the trip. It
would definitely be difficult to get our parents to allow us on this trip, but let’s
try hard and make this work. See you soon.
Love,
4
with Examples
Ever wondered how the practice of writing letters came into being? Letters were
one of the earliest forms of passing communication across to family and friends,
and it has continued to exist since then. Letter writing is no mere ornamental
accomplishment. Even today, letter writing has been thought of as a necessary
skill that every individual should acquire.
This article will take you through the following topics
What Is Letter Writing?
Different Types Of Letters
Types Of Letters Examples
Faq On Letter Writing And Its Types
What is Letter Writing?
Letter Writing has been deemed as one of the most useful forms learnt and used
for various reasons. There are several kinds of letters, each of which has its own
form and style. However, there are certain parts of the letter which remain the
same. They include:
Sender’s address
Date
Greeting or Salutation
Body of the Letter
Subscription
Signature
Sender’s Address
The writer’s complete postal address has to be mentioned at the beginning of the
letter on the left-hand side of the paper. This lets the receiver know where you
wrote the letter from.
1
,Date
The date is written just below the sender’s address, and It lets the recipient know
when exactly the letter was written. The date may be written in any of the
following ways:
4th July 2005
July 4, 2005
4/6/2005
4-6-2005
4.6.2005
Greeting or Salutation
The Salutation depends on the relationship between the sender and the receiver.
To members of your family and friends, it could be Dear Father, My
Dearest Friend, Dear Uncle, Dear Diana, etc.
To Business people or any officer of higher rank, it could be Dear Sir, Dear
Sirs, Sir/Ma’am, etc.
Body of the Letter
The message that you want to convey is stated in the body of the letter. The style,
however, depends on the type of letter you are writing. The style of a friendly
letter differs completely from that of a business letter or an official letter, but
there are certain points that apply to both formal letters and informal letters.
Generally, when you draft the body of your letter, see to that you divide it into
short paragraphs, according to the change in the subject matter. Use simple and
direct language that is easy to comprehend. Put down all your points in a logical
order. Mind your punctuation; incorrect punctuation will alter the meaning of
the sentence completely.
2
,Subscription
The subscription helps you end the letter in a polite and courteous manner. The
subscriptions change according to the type of letter you are writing. It can be
written as Yours faithfully, Yours lovingly, Yours sincerely, With love, etc.
Signature
The signature or the name of the writer should be written just before the
subscription.
Different Types of Letters
Letters can be classified into two main types according to the purpose of the
letter. Informal Letters, also known as Social Letters, include Friendly Letters
and Notes of Invitations.
Formal Letters, also known as Business Letters, include Letters of Application,
Letters to Higher Authorities, and Letters to Newspapers.
Informal Letter
Letters to friends and family can be written in a conversational style. They are
just a composition of spontaneous thoughts, and they are easy and personal.
When writing an informal letter, you are free to use colloquial language, which
would be quite out of place in a formal letter. This does not mean that you can
pen down random thoughts that are totally disconnected and make no sense.
Wrong spelling, punctuation and grammar are not allowed even though the
letter is informal and personal.
An informal letter can be written by following a basic format that includes the
sender’s address, date, greeting, body of the letter, subscription and signature.
To know more about how to write an informal letter, visit Informal Letter
Format.
Formal Letter
Formal letters or Business letters should be clear and concise. You should always
remember that formal letters are written to bring important information into
3
, consideration, so you should always take care to draft the letter carefully by
providing only the necessary information.
The language used in formal letters is a lot more professional than informal
letters. The format of formal letters is the same as explained above, with a few
additions, viz., ‘the Receiver’s Address’, ‘Subject’ and ‘Signature’. Check out
Formal Letter Writing in English for more information on formal letters.
Types of Letters Examples
Sample Informal Letter – Letter to a friend in reply to her about planning a trip
together
16/65, Martins Castle
DB Road
Hyderabad 500023
20/05/2020
Dearest Caro,
I was happy to see your letter, and I loved your idea. I have been wanting to go
on a trip with you for a long time, and I think both of us can finally make time to
plan and make it happen.
I have a list of places that I thought would be fun to visit. I also do have a list of
things I would like to do on our trip. I am too scared of heights, and I know you
are too, but I have always wanted to try out bungee jumping with you. Let me
know what you think about it. We can also find affordable and beautiful places
to stay, and I am sure we can chart it all out. I cannot wait to go on this
adventure with you. I know it is a secret to be kept since it is going to be just us,
and that makes it all the more exciting. I know for sure that it is going to be
worth it too.
I will make sure that I meet you next weekend and make plans for the trip. It
would definitely be difficult to get our parents to allow us on this trip, but let’s
try hard and make this work. See you soon.
Love,
4
