How+to+write+formal+letter

=//**How to write a formal letter**//=

first of all, a formal letter, or business letter, is letters who may would be: letters of inquiry, letters of complaint, letters to newspapers, and cover letters that appear together with a CV or job applications. A formal letter should be short, straightforward and polite. The vocabulary is also usually formal and sophisticated. But yeah, how to write one?

- First, the heading, it consists of the name, post address, telephone, and email address of the sender or the address of the company the sender represents. - Then you write the date. since this is a wiki around the english language, I may remind you that in USA they write the date backwards, like 9/11(-01) instead of 11/9(-01) which they do in Britain and many(most?) other countries in Europe. - After the date, you write the adress and the recipient you're writing to, this adress is by the way called "the inside adress". - After all this, you actually start writing the letter, by writing dear (or sometihing similar and appropriate), then you write: -gentlemen/Sirs/sir/madame, if you're writing to a company, not knowing the name of the person or if it's married or not. - Mrs/Miss if it's a woman you know if is married or not. - Ms if you don't know if she's married or not. - Mr if you know it's male. If you write American, you place a comma or colon after the salutation and if you write British, you don't use neither a comma nor a colon regardless if it suits or not. - But you haven'r really startet writing after all, because you got to have a SUBJECT HEADING (in capital letters, yes) it consists of the subject of the letter. - Then you start writing the content of the letter, it may be divided into four paragraphs: - First, an opening statement, which would consist of a friendly greeting that sets the tone of the letter, a reference to an earlier telephone call, letter or where the sender saw the advertisement, and why you're writing this. - You'r background,

The Body/Contents of the Letter
The body of the letter may be divided into 4 paragraphs and a complimentary close.
 * 1) An Opening Statement (first paragraph) consists of a friendly greeting that sets the tone of the letter, a reference to an earlier telephone call, letter or where the sender saw the advertisement, and the subject or purpose of the letter.
 * 2) Sender's Background (second and 3rd paragraphs - most often used on applications; click on the link to **How to Write a Letter of Application** in the menu on your right.) such as: personal description of self, details describing background, qualifications, education, and work experience.
 * 3) Requests/Reminders/Closing Remarks (4th paragraph)
 * 4) Requests /reminders may include


 * contact information
 * dates to be aware of
 * a reference to enclosures such as CVs, attachments
 * I look forward to...
 * Thank you