Letter writing is a lost art, but something that you could treasure for a lifetime. Imagine finding a letter in the attic of your house ten years later! Guess what—it is a letter from your best friend. Wouldn't it be lovely to take a trip down the memory lane? Think of it as a time capsule!
Letter writing helps tap into your creativity because you can take your time to think deeply about what you would like to share. In due course, it enhances the style of writing. There are two types of letter writing: formal and informal. Let us look at the important elements to structure a formal letter.
The first critical rule to remember is Date (on the top right corner of the letter). Why do you think a date is important? So that, when you read a letter ten years hence, it takes you back to the exact time and place and connects to your memory. Moreover, the reader gets to know the value and relevance of information on that particular day of the year.
Following the date, comes the subject of the letter. The subject of the letter is like the title of a story. The subject provides the reader with the basic idea of the content of the letter. For example,
Sub: Request to open an after school club to provide a platform for creativity to flourish
Salutation and Introductory paragraph follow next.
The key to writing an impressive introduction is to be polite. You would not want to read a letter that commands you or throws an impolite tone, right? So, remember to be courteous and place your point across. You could even thank the receiver for considering your requests earlier or considering listening to your viewpoints (if you know the receiver). Few phrases that you could consider: Thank you for your time to hear my viewpoints/I would like you to consider/I am writing with reference to/I hope you find my points insightful, etc.
Look at the following examples:
Example 1:
Dear Mr. Smith,
I would like to discuss introducing an after-school club at school. The goal of the club would be to let students explore their creativity. As you might already be aware of the benefits of an after-school club, you still have not considered opening it.
Example 2:
Dear Mr. Smith,
My name is Jane Doe and I am a Year 5 student at your school. I would like to put forward a few ideas to push our school to the top of the league. Creativity is like a bird's wings; it should fly and soar high. With this idea in mind, I would like to propose an after school club.
Which one sounds better? The second example contains the goal of the subject, in a nutshell. It provides the reader with precise information. In addition, the tone is polite. On the other hand, the first example is rude and directly blames the reader
For the body of the letter, include at least three paragraphs. Each paragraph starting with a topic statement and supported by valid reasoning with examples. Include as many persuasive devices as possible to sway the reader's opinion. Remember, the aim is to convince the reader to agree to your ideas.
Consider the following examples:
First of all, more than 80% of Year 5’s agree with me that our school really needs an after-school club. Few of the suggestions are self-defence classes, art classes, drama classes and cooking classes. Did you know you have talented people in this pool who dream of soaring high in life? And for that, the training needs to start early on. (Note the use of statistics and rhetorical question)
Secondly, there are many advantages of an after-school club. (Move on to talk about enhancing social skills, learning to overcome challenges, exploring the inner potential, etc. You could add information by using connectives such as in addition, moreover, in order to, since, due to, etc.)
The third paragraph could talk about how after-school clubs are advancing in full swing. You could personalise the experience and talk about how you met a neighbour from a different school and you had a productive discussion on the advantages of an after-school club.
Continue using phrases such as I strongly believe/In my opinion/I trust you to take a decision/In my view (to express opinions).
Before the concluding paragraph, add a counter-argument and refute to sway the reader in your favour. For example,
On the other hand, you might be thinking that it would be an additional expense to hire instructors for different clubs; however, there are teachers in our school who have additional skills and would be interested to lead. It is worth a discussion, is it not? Whereas there are pupils who are ready to take a lead in organising a Sunday fair, where hidden talents would be showcased. There would be a minimal entry fee. Look, we have already started finding resolutions. Nevertheless, it is your final decision: I trust you to take the best one.
Note the use of phrases like on the other hand, however and whereas as connectives for contrasting ideas.
Last is the conclusion of the letter. Now, you could call the conclusion as a backbone of letter writing. After all, the last words stick to the mind like glue. Hence, touch on the key points briefly and summarise. Look at the following examples:
Example 1:
I hope my letter has convinced you to consider opening an after school club. You would want your students to achieve greater heights, wouldn't you?
Example 2:
Looking at the various advantages of an after school club such as enhancing creativity, improving social skills, learning to share, and most importantly, believing in the kid's potential, it can be safely assumed that after school clubs are a must-have. There are other ideas that I would like to discuss. Hope you think it over and come back with a positive answer.
In the second example, the key ideas are summarised and the ending politely persuades the reader to listen to you. Surely, you can make out the difference, right? Use phrases such as To sum up/In short/I look forward to/Hope you would consider a discussion/Should you need further information/you know where to find me/I would be happy to discuss, etc.
Final Salutation:
Finally, sign off with:
(In cases where you know the name of the person you are writing to)
Yours sincerely,
Jane Doe
OR
(In cases where you do not know the name of the person you are writing to)
Yours faithfully,
Jane Doe
In formal letters, consider writing complete name and not just the first name.
Key takeaways:
- Use formal language
- Use full verbs and not contractions (use would not instead of wouldn’t)
- Use standard and advanced vocabulary (using phrases mentioned in the content above)
Let's encourage everyone to preserve the art of letter writing.