10th Class English Paper 2 - Letter Writing

Letters may be broadly classified into two groups. They are: i) Formal letters and ii) Personal letters. Official and Business letters come under formal letters. They are written with a practical purpose and should be courteous.
Personal letters are those which we write to our friends and relatives. They are written in a conventional style. We feel that the person to whom we are writing is sitting in front of us!

Forms of a letter

A letter can be divided into a specific number of parts. It is customary that a personal letter is less formal
and has fewer parts :

1. Heading: It consists of (a) writer's address, and (b) the date at the right hand top corner.

2. Inside address: In formal letters, the full title and address of the person to whom you are writing should be written on the left-hand side. However, in a personal letter, the inside address is never used.

3. Greeting (Or) Salutation: Put the salutation on the left hand side of the sheet at a lower level than the heading. The form of the courteous greeting depends on your relationship with the receiver.
Dear father/ mother/ brother/ friend, etc. When you are writing to persons in official or business positions, use: Dear Mr. Rao/ Dear Mrs. Murthy, etc. When you are writing to companies, business houses, use: Dear Sir/ Dear
Sirs/ Gentlemen, etc. When you are writing to officials, use: Sir/ Madam, etc.

4. Body: This is nothing but the letter itself! It consists of an introduction, message with details and concluding remarks. Begin the body a little below the salutation.

5. Subscription: It is the 'complimentary close' - an expression corresponding in formality with the salutation, written to the right side of the sheet. The words of leave-taking are depended on the person to whom you are writing.

6. Signature: Put your handwritten signature just below the closing.
7. Superscription: It is the 'Address on the Envelope' to whom the letter is written.

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