English Writing: How to Write a LETTER on Any Topic

Education

Introduction

In the digital age, knowing how to write a letter is still a very important skill to have. So much so that high-stakes English tests including IELTS, CAE, and even OET still have it as part of their tests. Even plenty of high school students in countries like Germany or Japan have to write letters as part of their English class tests. So in this article, I'm going to teach you how to write a letter for any topic and any scenario. Let's get into it.

The Importance of Letter Writing

A letter can be a super important skill to have. In addition to English tests, a well-written letter can get you a job; it can help build a beautiful friendship; it can inspire people. However, it is definitely a skill that can take time and effort to get good at. Now before we start, don't forget to subscribe and feel free to download the four sample letters from the description below that you can use to help you write your own letter.

Formal vs. Informal Letters

So, letter writing can be different depending on several situations. Usually, you'll have a formal letter if you're writing one single letter. But, you might be writing an informal letter if you know the person better or if you have letters going back and forth.

Formal Letter

A formal letter might be a letter of complaint or a letter to your local city council with suggestions on where to build the new library.

Steps to Write a Formal Letter

Step 1: Include the Date

  • Start with the date at the top. The format generally doesn't matter; some countries have different formats but these two should be fine.

Step 2: Write the Salutation

  • You could do a few things here. If you know the person to whom you are writing, you can write "Dear Mr. Keating" or whatever their name is. In terms of Ms, Miss, or Mrs., it's Ms if you don’t know their marriage status, Miss if they are married, and Miss (M-I-S-S) if they are unmarried. If you don't know who is going to receive the letter, you can write "Dear Sir/Madam" or "To whom it may concern."

Step 3: State the Purpose or Subject

  • If you're writing a formal letter, it's pretty important to state the purpose quickly:

    • "I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with your service."
    • "I am writing to let you know of my intention to leave my position here at Google."
    • "I am writing to inquire about the city's plan to rebuild the State Library."

    There are so many situations you could be writing about that I couldn't possibly cover them all. The main point is that it's a good idea to state your purpose at the beginning.

Step 4: Write the Content of the Letter

  • The content is the purpose of the letter. It could be well, anything. A simple rule of thumb is to make the point in the first sentence, kind of like a topic sentence, and then let the rest of the paragraph extend that idea. Conversely, in a formal complaint letter, your letter might be more like a narrative or story about what happened, in which case you would start at the beginning of the story and then explain what happened.

Step 5: Write the Complementary Close

  • To finish your letter formally, we just end with a simple close like "Kind regards". To be honest, in formal letters, this is really all you need; don't worry too much about memorizing too many alternatives.

Step 6: Put Your Full Name at the Bottom

Let's have a look at two samples. Remember you can download these samples by clicking the link in the description.

Sample Formal Letters

Letter of Complaint to a Doctor's Office:

  • It has a clear purpose in the beginning and then tells the story of what happened. Note, in this case, I don't have a topic sentence but you can see how I’ve made a clear choice in where to break the letter into two different paragraphs: the first part of the trip to the doctor and the second part where the situation actually gets worse.

Letter to a Boss Asking for Time Off:

  • This one starts with a clear purpose. In the first content paragraph, I explain why I’m taking the course, then I explain the potential problem, and I sign off.

Both of these have all the key components of a letter that most teachers or examiners would probably expect in a writing test.

Informal Letter

In this case, there will be a few key differences to look at.

First of all, a formal letter would have been professional or formal in tone. You don’t use contractions, you use formal greetings and a formal close. In an informal letter, you would use a casual tone. You can definitely use contractions and you can use informal greetings and an informal close.

Keep in mind if this is a test, it's best to keep it simple and follow these rules. In the real world as you start going back and forth in your writing with a real person, whether formal or informal, you might start by following these rules, but you'll see that the tone can change as you get to know the person better.

Steps to Write an Informal Letter

Step 1: Start with the Date

  • Typically "Dear" is your go-to for an informal or personal letter.

Step 2: Write the Salutation

  • When it comes to the purpose in an informal letter, you obviously don’t have to have a purpose, but oftentimes you may need one. It’ll probably be a bit less serious:

    • "I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing."

    If you’ve been writing back and forth for a while, your message might possibly start with something like this:

    • "Hey Johnny, how’s it going? I hope the job interview went well. I’m sure you crushed the interview. Anyway, I just wanted to send a quick thanks for..."

    As I said, once you start becoming more familiar with someone, you’ll find your own style of letter writing. If you’ve got an English test and are asked to write to a friend, I would not be too liberal with this approach. When in doubt, keep your letter introduction simple and polite. In real life, it’s the same thing: start simple and polite and then let the writing relationship develop.

Step 3: Write the Content or Body of the Letter

  • That’s the actual message. You could start each section with a topic sentence like "I have great news" or "To answer your question about my plans," and then extend, or you could just tell them a story. Pro tip: In letter writing, describe what happened and then describe how you feel about that.

Step 4: Write the Complementary Close

  • This can be more casual:

    • Cheers
    • Take care
    • Love
    • With love
    • Warm regards

    Don't worry too much about having multiple options available.

Step 5: Sign Off with Your First Name

Sample Informal Letters

Letter to an Unfamiliar Person (like the brother of a friend):

  • It has a clear purpose and each paragraph has a single focus.

Quick Letter to a Friend:

  • This one is super short and very casual.

And that's it! Remember that in the real world, writing can change depending on so many situations. Hopefully, these tips will help you with an upcoming English test or that first scary letter you have to write to someone at your new job or in your new home. Don't forget to subscribe to this channel for more videos on writing in English, and I'll see you in the next video.

Keywords

  • Digital Age
  • Write a Letter
  • Formal Letter
  • Informal Letter
  • Salutation
  • Subject
  • Content
  • Complementary Close
  • Casual Tone
  • Professional Tone
  • Clear Purpose
  • Letters of Complaint
  • Time Off Letter

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is the difference between a formal and informal letter? A: A formal letter uses a professional tone, formal greetings, and does not use contractions. An informal letter uses a casual tone, contractions, and informal greetings and closings.

Q: How should I start a formal letter? A: Start with the date at the top, followed by the salutation. If you know the person, use "Dear [Title] [Last Name]." If you don’t know the recipient, use "Dear Sir/Madam" or "To whom it may concern."

Q: What should be included in the body of a formal letter? A: State the purpose of the letter in the first sentence and then extend that idea in the following paragraphs. For complaints, describe the event in a narrative format.

Q: How do you close a formal letter? A: End with a simple close like "Kind regards" followed by your full name.

Q: When writing an informal letter, how casual can I be? A: While you can be more relaxed and use contractions, always start simple and polite, especially if you are not very familiar with the recipient.

Q: How do I begin an informal letter when responding to a friend? A: You could start with a casual salutation like "Hey [Name], how's it going?" and then discuss your point or respond to previous correspondence.

By following these guidelines, you can effectively write both formal and informal letters, whether it's for a test, a job, or personal correspondence.