Introduction

Letter writing, even with the amazing spread of literacy throughout the world in recent years, is still an art. A letter is in essence, an intimate personal conversation between persons beyond reach of conversation, and should be just as clear and communicative.

Business and official letters must conform to accepted standards. Private letters between friends and relatives may be informal, free and easy.

All letters must bear the name and address of the addressee, the date of dispatch. and the writer’s signature at the end at the appropriate place. Letters should be neatly written or typed, courteous, concise and clear in language and fully informative.

Letters may broadly be classified according to their different purposes. But for our convenience, let us classify them into two groups:

1. Formal letters (Business letter)
2. Informal letters (Personal letter)

Let us now discuss the format of the personal or informal letter.

An informal letter has six parts, besides the address on the envelope. These six parts are:

1. The address of the sender
2. The date
3. The salutation or greeting
4. The body of the letter (communication)
5. The subscription or complimentary close
6. The signature