Beginning your letter

You need to start your letter with something that is appropriate for the situation and that will
capture the reader's attention. If it is a formal letter, you should mention the purpose in the
opening paragraph. If it is an informal letter, you should start with a more general opening
paragraph.

Look at these different ways of beginning a letter.

Formal

 I am writing with regard to / in connection with ...

 I am writing in the hope that ...
 I would like to express my concern about ...
 I am a resident of ... and I would like to draw your attention to ...

Informal

 It was lovely to see you and your family last month ...
 Apologies for not writing for so long, but I've been really busy ...
 It was great to get your postcard ... and I'm thrilled to hear you are ...
 It's been a long time since we saw each other.

Salutation and endings examples

Dear Sir, Dear Sirs

 Use only when you are writing a formal or official letter and you do not know the person
you are writing to, or their name.
sign off with Yours faithfully

Dear Mr. Smith, Dear Ms. Austen, Dear Dr Phil

 Use the tale with the family name when you are writing a formal letter to someone you
know or whose name you have been given. Use this salutation for people you don't know
very well or where you need to show respect.
sign off with Kind regards, Yours sincerely

Dear Darlene, Dear John

 Use given names only with people you know quite well. In business this is sometimes
acceptable, but if in doubt, use the family name. Always use given names when writing
an informal letter to a friend or relative.
sign off with Kind regards, Best wishes, Lots of love
Polite expressions for letter writing
There are many standard phrases used in polite letters.

making requests

 I am writing to request ...

 Would you mind ... ing?
 Would it be possible to ...?
 I would be extremely grateful if you could ...
 I was wondering if you could ...

apologising and asking for understanding

 I am afraid that ...

 Unfortunately, ...
 I hope you can understand (my situation).
 I am sorry for any inconvenience caused.

showing understanding

 I understand/realise that ...

 I am aware that ...

introducing information

 As you know, ...

 As I am sure you are aware, ...

closing

 Yours sincerely/Yours faithfully

 I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Basic features of formal style

 All verbs’ forms must be written in full: do not write contractions such as can't, don't,
etc.
 Do not use abbreviations such as info for information or ads for advertisements.
 Avoid using the active voice and the first person singular; in a formal letter you should
write: ‘A copy of the receipt will be forwarded to you as soon as possible’ instead of ‘I
will send you a copy of the receipt ASAP.’
 Avoid using informal intensifiers such as really, so, absolutely; use extremely, highly,
entirely, fully instead.
  Avoid using phrasal verbs which tend to be used in informal writing and conversation;
for example, use seek a job instead of look for a job; most phrasal verbs are idiomatic in
nature, that is, their meaning cannot usually be inferred from their individual parts.
 Avoid using informal discourse markers and link words such as besides or by the way and
use incidentally instead.
 Do not use set phrases and idioms, for example, ‘I am not going to pay you a penny’
instead of ‘Your fee will not be paid.’
 Avoid ellipsis (leaving out words), for example, leaving out the subject I in ‘Hope to hear
from you soon.’

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Mock test 1

1. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You recently spent a night in a hotel and had to put up with a great deal of noise very early
in the morning because of a faulty central heating system. The manager promised to
contact you regarding compensation but you still have not heard from him.

Write a letter to the hotel. In the letter

 describe the problem at the hotel

 explain what the manager had said at the time
 say what you want the manager to do.

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer:

Dear Sir,

I am writing with regards to the complaint I made to you on 25th October concerning the stay I
had at your hotel the previous night.

You may remember that on the day in question, you had a serious problem with your central
heating system and that there was a great deal of noise, which started as early as 5 o'clock in the
morning. Not surprisingly, this resulted in a very poor night's sleep for my wife and me. We
complained about this to you when we checked out. You agreed that we had a cause to complain
and assured me that you would be contacting us regarding compensation.

It has now been three weeks since that conversation and we have yet to hear from you. Could
you please confirm that this issue is being dealt with? I would also be grateful if you could let me
know when we can expect to be told the amount of compensation we will be receiving.
I look forward to hearing from you very soon.

Yours faithfully,

Nick Brewer

2. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have heard that a developer plans to build a shopping centre near your home.

Write a letter to the council. In your letter

 say how you heard about the plan

 explain how you feel about it
 ask for more information about it

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Model answer:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am a resident of Boundary Road and I have recently read in the local newspaper that a shopping
centre is going to be built near where I live.

This news was rather a surprise to me. I have been living in Boundary Road for five years now
and it has always been a very quiet street with very few tall buildings. I think a construction like
this will change the atmosphere of the area considerably and, like many other residents I have
spoken to, I am not at all happy about it.

I think people who live in the area have a right to know more about the plan before it goes ahead,
so I would like to request further details regarding the dates of the planned building work and the
size of the centre. Also, I sincerely hope you are planning to provide a car park, as otherwise
parking will become very difficult for everyone in the area.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

John Carlson
 3. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You recently bought a camera while travelling overseas. When you got to your destination
you discovered that some important items were missing from the box.

Write a letter to the local representative of the company. In your letter

 give details of the camera and where you bought it

 explain what has happened
 say what you want him/her to do about it

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing in the hope that you can help me with a problem regarding a camera that I recently
bought.

On 27 June, I purchased a Canon DSLR camera from the 'Heinemann Duty Free' store at
Frankfurt Airport on my way from Moscow to Toronto. The camera cost $799 and I paid for it
on my Visa credit card.

When I arrived at my hotel in Toronto almost 24 hours later, I discovered, to my horror, that the
box which contained the camera did not include the battery charger. The space in the box for the
charger was empty.

I am now in Toronto and not returning to Frankfurt, so I need to get the missing parts here. As
you are the representative of the company in this country, I would be grateful if you could
arrange for the charger to be sent to me. A copy of the receipt is attached with this letter for your
information.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Ulrich Nielsen

4. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You arranged to visit a friend in Canada but an important event at home now means that
you must change the dates of the visit.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

  explain the important event
 apologize for the situation
 suggest a new arrangement

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer:

Dear Ana,

How are things with you? I am afraid something has come up here which will probably affect my
visit to Canada. Last week I was chosen to play tennis for my regional team in a national
tournament. It was completely unexpected. I am sorry but this probably means that I will not be
able to visit you for the first week of January, as we planned. I must stay here and practice until
the tournament begins, later that month.

I wonder if it is possible for me to visit you later in the year. I can take some time off in early
March and my air ticket can be changed with no problem. Is March a possibility for you?

Please write and let me know what your reaction is. I am sure you realize that it is an honor to be
selected to represent your region and so I do not want to miss this great opportunity. I hope you
will understand.

I am looking forward to hearing from you,

Best wishes,

Fernanda

5. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Last Wednesday you flew from London to Vancouver. When you arrived home, you
discovered that you had left your hand luggage on the plane.

Write a letter to the airline. In your letter, you should explain:

 where and when you lost your bag

 what your bag looks like
 what its contents were

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Model answer:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I would like to report lost property. It seems that I left my hand luggage on one of your flights. Last
Wednesday, November 22nd, I flew from London to Vancouver on LB118 and took my hand luggage
with me. I put it in the overhead bin. Unfortunately, after the long flight, I must have forgotten it on the
plane.

It is a blue hand luggage on wheels. It has one outside pocket and is locked with a small lock. I had all my
school work and books in it. I also had a new jacket in it. I had just received it as a gift from my
grandmother in London.

As you can imagine, these items are very important to me. Please let me know if you have my
hand luggage and how I can get it back. Write to me at my return address or email:
ana(at)feldman.ca

I am looking forward to your reply.

Many thanks,

Ana Feldman