Business letters/ Official letters/ Letters to the Editor, Letters to the Principal, and their formats
Format
Sender’s address
Date in DD.MM.YYYY format
Recipient’s address (including their name and title if you know it).
Subject of the letter in headline formal
Dear Mr [surname], for a man, or Dear Ms [surname] for a woman. If you don’t know the name of the recipient, use Dear Sir or Madam or Dear Sir/Madam.
Content
First paragraph
The first paragraph should be short and state the purpose of the letter- to make an inquiry, complaint, request something, etc.
Here are some options for starting your letter:
I would like to inquire about (or whether) …
I am writing regarding …
I am writing in response to …
I am writing to inform you that/of /about…
I am writing to complain about …
Further to my letter of 15th May…
This is to inform you about…
This is to bring to your notice…
Second Paragraph
The paragraph or paragraphs (in the middle of the letter) should contain the relevant information behind the purpose of writing of the letter. Keep the information to the essentials and concentrate on organizing it in a clear and logical manner rather than expanding too much.
Last Paragraph
The last paragraph of a formal letter should state what action you expect the recipient to take- to refund, send you information, etc.
Here are some expressions you can use to end a business letter.
Please let me know if …
I look forward to receiving your reply.
Thank you in advance for your help.
I would be grateful if you could inform me …
A formal ending (if you know the recipient), use Yours sincerely. A formal ending (if you don’t know the recipient): Yours truly or Yours faithfully.
Signature
Name
Sample letter to the editor of a newspaper about noise pollution in your city
House No.B-110
DLF City Phase 1
Gurgaon
Pin Code:122001
Haryana
18 March 2014
The Editor
The Times of India
Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi-110 001
Subject: Noise pollution in the city
Respected Sir,
I am Sarthak, a student of grade twelve, and with reference to the article published in your newspaper on 10 July 2013 regarding health problems resulting from noise pollution, I would like to put in my observations on the same. That noise pollution affects us mentally and physically is a known fact for many. Some of the side-effects may be obvious while others may take time to manifest themselves.
Scientists and experts state that any noise level exceeding 90 dB. constitutes noise pollution! Continued exposure to noise pollution can lead to hypertension, heart-related problems and also irritation and lack of patience. Just last week I witnessed an incident of road rage in which a couple of young boys driving in a car were beaten up by a driver and his passenger in another car just because they had been using the horn and were trying to overtake the latter! Noise pollution can also cause deafness which can be permanent or temporary, that is why traffic controllers at airports wear ear muffs or ear protectors. This in itself is proof that we need to save ourselves from the impact of noise pollution.
As a concerned citizen, I very strongly believe that we need to educate the common man about the harms of noise pollution. It is after we take up this step that we can proceed towards the formulation of laws to curb noise pollution. The next important step after the formulation of laws is to enforce them with strict punishments and consequences. Ultimately what matters is developing a sense of ownership and civic sense. Banning of use of loudspeakers in residential areas after a particular time, banning of the use of power horns in vehicles, and shifting of factories are just a few steps that can help solve the problem. Kindly print my letter in the columns of your esteemed newspaper so that the concerned authorities and responsible citizens take specific steps to address the problem.
Thanking you
Yours Truly
S.D.
(A concerned Citizen)
Letter of Placing an Order
Angel Public School
14th Main Road
Nungambakkam
Chennai – 34
March 23,2014
The Sales Manager
Galgotia Book Store
Connaught Place
New Delhi
Subject: Letter of placing an order
Dear Sir
Since your name comes highly recommended for the supply of educational books, we have decided to place our trust in your bookstore. We hope to develop a mutually beneficial and long lasting business relationship with your store. We will start by ordering a few books.
Based on the catalogue of new books put up by you on your website, we would like to place an order for the undermentioned:
- Indian History by Peter Jackson (Jack son and Co.)- 10 copies- code no, 103
- Festivals by Margaret Smith (DC Publishers)- 10 copies-code no,203
- Caring for Earth by Janet Patterson (Nature Ltd.)- 5 copies- code no,403
Kindly send these items before the 10th of April, also ensure that the books are properly packed in order to prevent damage in transit. We are enclosing a cheque for Rs. 1000/- as advance payment. The balance amount will be paid by the accounts department after receiving the order.
Yours sincerely
Ketan Darshan
(Principal, Angel Public School)
Letter of Cancellation of order
Angel Public School
14th Main Road
Nungambakkam
Chennai – 34
April 23,2014
The Sales Manager
Galgotia Book Store
Connaught Place
New Delhi
Subject: Letter of cancellation of order
Dear Sir,
This is with reference to the order no. 01/468 for the new books placed with you on 23 March 2014. The order was to be executed by 10 April 2014, but unfortunately, there has been no response from your side.
We, therefore, regret to inform you that the order placed earlier stands canceled. We needed the books for an event on 15 April 2014, but till date, we have neither received the consignment nor any clarification from your side even after telephonic reminders.
The delay has caused us a great deal of inconvenience. The unprofessional handling of the order by you has also forced us to take the action which was completely unnecessary. We request you to kindly refund the amount of Rs. 1000/- as advance payment sent to you earlier.
Yours sincerely K.D.
(Ketan Darshan)
Letter of Inquiry(I)
1802, Hope apartments
Sector 15
Gurgaon
April 30,2014
The Manager
Western Hotel
Panjim
Goa
Subject: Information regarding hotel accommodation
Dear Sir
With reference to your advertisement in The Hindustan Times dated the 15th of April 2014, I am writing this letter to know more about your hotel as my family and I will be visiting Panjim after two months.
I will be arriving with my parents and wife in Goa to celebrate my parents’ wedding anniversary on Saturday, the 4th of July and will be leaving on the 9th of July afternoon. I wish to book double rooms with a seaside view for my parents. I would also appreciate if you could provide me with the information about adventure activities, local sight-seeing tours, and places of tourist importance.
I am awaiting a response from you at the soonest. It would be great if you could send me the detailed information through email or fax no later than the 2nd of July with the total cost of stay during the weekend.
Yours sincerely
Roxy Khanna
Reply to the inquiry
Western Hotel
Goa
May 5,2014
Mr XYX
1802, Hope apartments
Sector 15
Gurgaon
Subject: Information regarding the hotel stay
Dear Sir
We are glad to provide all the information required by you as per your letter dated the 30th of April, 2016 regarding the tariff, facilities and stay in our hotel from 4th and 9th of July 2014. We thank you for showing interest in our hotel!
We will be able to provide the rooms with a seaside view as per your requisition. The room tariff is Rs 5000/- per day which also includes complimentary breakfast.
We have tied up with Blue Waters Adventures for family fun activities which can be booked after your arrival. Day tour packages are available for sightseeing.
We hope to hear from you soon. Kindly write to us if you have any other query.
Yours sincerely
M.K.S
(Manager-Western Hotel)
Letter of Inquiry (II)
Question: You are Tanmay Kumar, a student of grade twelve. Since you have just had your exams and are now free, you want to do something creative during your spare time. You would like to do a short-term course on personality development. Draft a letter to the Director of Just Right Personality Development Institute, Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi to learn about the personality development courses offered.
B-26
Sector 14
Gurgaon
11th of September, 2017
The Director
Just Right Personality Development Institute
Mukherjee Nagar
Delhi
Subject: Enquiry regarding personality development courses
Respected Sir,
I am Tanmay Kumar, a student of grade twelve. I have just completed my board exams and have two months to spare before the results are announced and admissions in colleges start. Since I have the spare time, I would like to join one of the personality development courses offered by your institute about which I have heard a lot from my friends.
It would be great if you could provide me information related to the date when the new batch will start, the duration of each course, and the timings of the same since I will be coming all the way from Gurgaon. Last but not least, I would like to know about the fees for each course.
I will be highly obliged if you could send me the information required by me at the soonest. In case there is a prospectus with all the information, then kindly inform me about how to get it.
Thanking you
Yours sincerely
Tanmay Kumar
Letter of Complaint about a Product
House Number 245
XYZ Apartments
Gurgaon
May 02, 2014
The Sales Manager
Bloom Electronics
Lajpat Nagar
New Delhi
Subject: defective washing machine
Sir
I regret to state that I purchased a top-loading, LG, BXZ washing machine, with a capacity of 6 liters from your shop on January 01,2014, vide invoice no. 46 for Rupees ten thousand which has turned out to be defective. The washing machine has been giving me problems from the very day I bought it. The nature of the defects is given in the next paragraph.
A list of problems faced by me is as follows: water from the spin basket does not drain properly, as a result, the machine stops abruptly without finishing the complete washing cycle. To make matters worse, the machine vibrates a lot and makes a lot of strange noises.
I request you to send your technician to look into the matter. The machine is still under warranty period. Hence, I expect you to either get it repaired or replaced at the earliest. I also wish to know about the annual maintenance contract to prevent any further problems.
Yours sincerely
M.K
name
Enclosed: A copy of the invoice