FORMAL LETTER WRITING

Formal letters are letters to people who we don’t know on a personal level. WE may need to write formal letters or emails for different reasons. For example, we may write to find out information , to apply for a job or a course, to make a complaint, to give information or to send an apology.

If you’re writing a formal letter, ask yourself:

·         Who am I writing to?

·         Why am I writing?

·         What do I need to tell them?

·         What do I want them to do?

Points to Remember:

A formal letter will always bear the subject which will clearly state the purpose of the letter in 5-6 words.

The language should be divided into three paragraphs-Introduction, Body/Content and Conclusion.

The opening salutation: Sir/Madam

The language should be direct and formal.

The closing salutation: Yours faithfully, Yours truly, Yours sincerely.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Guidelines:

You may write a letter to the editor of a newspaper to bring a social issue to the public forum or voice your own perspective on it. Your point of view or opinion in a debate may be published in a special column in the newspaper meant for the reader to express his ideas in response to an earlier article by an expert or even on a fresh issue you want to introduce.

Points to remember:

Include contact information

Be clear

Be Concise

Be Accurate

Be interesting

Avoid personal attacks.

Proofread.

Notice Writing:

 A notice is a short piece of writing which is usually formal in style. It is widely used by individuals and organizations to announce schedules, programmes, events and celebrations.

An effective notice includes:

Name of the organization/institution

The word NOTICE in block letters.

Date of issuing the notice

A suitable, description, caption or heading.

Purpose for which the notice is being put up

Detailed schedule(date, time, venue, duration)

Signature, name and designation of the person issuing the notice.

Style and tone of the language: formal, semi-formal or informal.

How to write a notice

List the points to be included

Prepare a rough draft

Check grammar

Observe word limit

Revise the draft.

Prepare the final draft.

Draw a box around the material.

Story Writing

A short story is a narrative of moderate length that revolves around a single incident involving one or more characters. It usually has a well-marked beginning, middle and end.

Note: Always read a few short stories before you start writing one.

The most important elemrnt of a short story are:

1.       Plot

2.       Time and setting

3.       Action

4.       Characters

5.       Dialogue

When writing a story, keep these points in mind:

Plan the incidents before the beginning.

Set the story in a certain time and place.

Make the begiings dramatic or full of suspense.

Describe the actions using verbs in the simple past, past continuous and past perfect tenses.

Include dialogue to make the characters come alive.

Add adjectives to describe characters so that they stand out.

Close-ended: Give your story an appropriate ending which is convincing and does poetic justice by giving punishment to the evil and bringing prosperity to the good.

Open-ended:Give your story a surprise ending or one that invokes grand philosophical questions or raises more doubt than is clarified or that which keeps one thinking.

Add a suitable title to the story

Bring out a moral lesson, if any, that the story teaches.