Basic formal letter
Formal letters have simple, clear rules, making them highly conventional. But here is the secret: because the rules are so strict, you can have a lot of fun playing with them! Imagine writing a long, perfectly polite complaint letter, and then suddenly switching to something completely blunt and direct. That contrast gives your words incredible power. Once you master the basic rules, you learn exactly how to use them to your advantage.
On being polite & clear…
The key advice is…
- Follow the simple, basic format
- Above all, be clear.
This certainly applies in real life, and it is very good advice for writing Formal Letters in English B exams. "First be clear ... and only then be clever (if you really can)" would be another way of putting it.
Handout
Basic formal letter: format + example - a layout of the basic format of a formal letter (p.1) and an invented example illustrating the format in action (p.2)
The basic format
Review the diagrammatic layout in the handout, making sure you note all the annotations.
While people often argue about exactly where to put addresses (left side, right side, or even at the bottom), the truth is that there is no single "correct" layout. Different schools, businesses, and organisations use different styles.
The only golden rule you need to remember for your English B exams is this: your layout must look neat, organised, and clear.
An invented example
TransylTravel
17 Impaler Boulevard
06660 Zslrp
Transylvania
3 September 2010
Mr Willm Vyctim
c/o Fawlty Towers Hotel
Little Wittering
Devon
8LW DV2
United Kingdom
Dear Mr Vyctim
You contacted this office some two months ago asking for information concerning our RadicallyDifferent! Budget Tours of Transylvania. It appears from our records that you were not sent a reply. Sadly, the employee concerned has transferred to another form of occupation and cannot be contacted (at least, during office hours). If you have already received a reply, please accept our apologies.
With regard to your specific enquiries:
1. It is certainly possible to reserve a single bedroom throughout the tour. Indeed, from our point of view, this is desirable, and we recommend this service for all of our clients.
2. The reason that the schedule of the tour becomes nocturnal during the second week of the tour is due to requests from previous customers, who have found the night-life of Transylvania fascinating, if not compelling.
3. The reason that return flights are not indicated on the booking form is that we are happy to arrange such flights to suit each client's personal wishes, and experience has shown that many wish to extend their stay.
It is regretable that you may have received misleading publicity about possible risks to travellers in Transylvania. Please be reassured that we take great care of the health and safety of everyone who books a RadicallyDifferent! tour. The TransylTravel Medical Centre is available at all times, with guaranteed personal attention, elaborate facilities, and a wide variety of resources, including the full range of blood types.
TransylTravel hopes to be able to welcome you on one of our tours in the near future. Please contact this office if we can be of any further assistance.
Yours sincerely,
Vladimir Trypp
Director
Style and Format
When you read through this text for the first time, focus purely on how it is put together. It follows the rules of formal writing perfectly. Look closely at the language choices and the layout to see how a professional letter operates.
Key Features of the Style
- Direct and Professional: The opening goes straight to the facts ("You contacted this office...") instead of using casual chat like "I hope you are well."
- Impersonal Language: The writer uses phrases like "It appears..." or "It is regrettable..." to sound objective. Notice how much more emotional it would sound if he said, "I think..." or "I am really sorry..."
- Stock Phrases: Look at the phrases highlighted in blue. These are "language chunks" specific to formal writing. No one would ever use them in a casual chat with a friend, but they are perfect here.
- Short and Clear: Sentences and paragraphs are kept brief and to the point. No time is wasted.
- Numbered Lists: The main section uses numbering to make the information as simple and clear as possible.
Reading between the lines
Now that you have mapped out the formal features, do a second pass of the text. This time, look closer at what the travel company, TransylTravel, is actually saying.
The humour in this letter comes from a clever contrast. The tone is perfectly polite, helpful, and professional, but if you look at the actual clues, is the courteous Mr Trypp really to be trusted? Is TransylTravel all that it seems?
He may be striving to appear honest in his responses, but look out for these suspicious details:
- Why exactly are single bedrooms "from our point of view... desirable"?
- Why is he so specific about having "the full range of blood types" at their medical centre?
- And that missing employee... why exactly can he not be contacted during daylight... sorry, office hours?
Once you spot the clues, it becomes clear that the letter is playing around with a very famous vampire myth. Did the innocent tourist Mr Vyctim ever actually make it back from Transylvania?
Ah, that is another story entirely!