SSC Descriptive Writing Letter Writing SSC-CGL (TIER-III) - Letter Writing

Letter Writing

LETTER WRITING -INTRODUCTION

Jawaharlal Nehru, Lord Byron, Jane Austen, Sigmund Freud, Gertrude Stein, H.G. Wells, Mahatma Gandhi. Do you know what these people have in common? They were all ardent letter writers. If you go deep into history; you will be able to find that the persons who were called great minds of all times were also great letter writers. They shared their ideas with their contemporaries through letters, and even replied to their followers who kept those letters like treasures.

Before the advent of social networking, people used to communicate with each other through letters. The ability to communicate instantly almost put an end to the art of letter writing. There are different kinds of letters, depending on the purpose for which one is writing the letter. They are:

1. Informal

These are personal letters, or the letters one writes to a friend or a relative. In these type of letters, one can use conversational notes.

2. Formal

These are letters written for certain fixed purposes, and addressed to people holding official positions. They can also be called Official letters or Business letters.

Official or Business Letters are addressed to newspapers, leaders, high officials, for business purposes and are often in the form of business enquiries or circulars. They may be addressed to superior or subordinate officers or customers.

The art of letter writing requires patience and the ability to put your thoughts into words. This is when the letters are of a personal nature, and when written in an informal context. The sort of letters one has to write for a competitive exam has a fixed structure, and one has to adhere to this format.

GENERAL FORMAT FOR LETTER WRITING

There are four parts in every letter,

1. Heading: This includes the writer's address and the date.
2. Salutation or Greeting: This depends on the letter type with personal letters taking an informal greeting and formal letters taking a business-like greeting.
3. Body of the letter: This part of the letter elaborates on the topic, forming the content part.
4. Closing: This should be written according to the type of letter, like the salutation, and should always be courteous in nature.

Informal Letters - With love, With regards, Lovingly.

Formal Letters - Yours faithfully, Yours truly, Thanking you.

PERSONAL LETTER

Sender’s address

Date

Greeting,

Main body

Complimentary close,

Name

BUSINESS/ OFFICE LETTER

Sender’s address

Date

Receiver’s address

Subject

Greeting,

Main body

Complimentary Close,

Name