Letter and types

Letter
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1. Letter
Letter writing is the exchange of written or printed messages. Distinctions are
commonly drawn between personal letters (sent between family members, friends, or
acquaintances) and business letters(formal exchanges with businesses or government
organizations).
Types of Letter
Letter is an important symbol of human civilization. It has been used as a media of
exchanging information from the primitive age. Letter can be categorized into different
types based on formalities maintained, information contained, purpose of use etc. A
comprehensive classification of letter is shown below-














 Formal Letter: The letter which is written according to the formal rules and
regulations of an organization is called formal letter. This type of letter always
maintains the formalities of the office strictly. Institutional and business letter fall in
this category.

2.  Informal or Personal Letter: The letter which does not follow any formal rule
and contains personal information is known as informal or personal letter. This type
of letter is written to relatives and friends for exchanging news or feelings or to seek
favors. The basis of writing personal letter is personal relationship.
 Business Letter: The letter which contains commercial information and is written
among business people is called business letter or commercial letter. Business
letters are formal, structured and non-personal. Commercial letter contains
information relating to trade inquiry, circular, order, complaint, claims, adjustment,
collection relating to trade inquiry, circular, order, complaint, claims, adjustment,
collection etc.

 Official Letter: When letter is written containing the official information like rules,
regulations, facts and figures, activities, system, procedure etc. it is called official
letter. In other word, when
 a letter is written following the official decorum, it is known as official letter. Officials
use this type of letter to send official message to other branches and offices. Official
letter strictly follows the prescribed rules, regulations, structure and style of the
office.
 Social Letter: Letter that is written on any social occasion or purpose is called
social letter. Invitation letters for different programs, thanks letter, condolence letter,
congratulation letter etc. fall in the category of social letter. It is actually one kind of
personal letter.
 Report Letter: Letter that is prepared in the form of report or investigation and is
sent to the person, who has assigned it, is called report letter. In real sense, it is a
short report in the form of letter. The letter sent to the sales manager by the sales
man on every day’s sales volume in an example of report letter.
 Notice Letter: Notice letter is a letter that is sent to a person notifying or informing
him about any special topic.
 Circular Letter: A letter that circulates or announces the same information or
message to a large number of people at a time is called a circular letter or a circular.
Announce of new product, change of business address, retirement or admission of
partner etc. requires circulating the certain message. For this purpose circular letter
is written.
 Order Letter: When the quotation of the seller satisfies the queries of the
prospective buyer, he places order through an order letter. So, after granting the
quotation, the letter which the buyer writes to the supplier or seller, requesting him
to deliver the prescribed amount of goods is called an order letter.
 Complaint Letter: However efficient an organization may be in running a
business, everything does not go all the time according to plan. There will be some
mistakes and some accidents. Letters written to bring these mistakes to the notice
of those who must own the responsibility for them are called claim or complaint
letters.

3.  Employment Letter: Letters which are written in case of employment are
considered as employment letter. Job application letter, appointment letter, joining
letter, promotion letter etc are examples of employment letters.

Parts of Letter
Once you understand the six parts of a business letter, writing one is quick and
easy.
 Heading. The heading includes the return address and the date of the letter. ...
 Inside Address. The inside address is where the letter is being sent. ...
 Greeting. The greeting is a formal salutation. ...
 Body. ...
 Closing. ...
 Signature.


Heading:
The heading includes the return address and the date of the letter. Some people include
email addresses or fax numbers in the return address.
Inside Address:
The inside address is where the letter is being sent. Skip a line after the heading before
entering the inside address. Include a title or name, if available.
Greeting:
The greeting is a formal salutation. It begins with the word "Dear" and includes the
person's last name or a title, if the name is unavailable. End the greeting with a colon.
Leave an extra line between the inside address and the greeting.
Body:
The body is the message of the letter. Skip a line after the greeting before starting the
body. Keep the body of the letter short and to the point.
Closing :
The closing word is usually "Sincerely" followed by a comma. Line up the closing with
the heading of the letter. In block style, this would be on the left side. Skip a line after
the body before entering the closing.

4. Signature:
Skip two to four lines after the closing and type the name of the sender. The two to four
lines allows for the sender's signature. A second line includes the sender's title.
Requirements
Paper and Page Numbering:

Use 8 ½"x11" white unlined paper. If your letter is longer than one page, number the pages
beginning with page 2 in the top right margin.

Spacing:

Type single-spaced, on one side of the page only, and double-space between paragraphs.
Double-space below the date, the inside address, and the salutation. Double-space between
the last line of the letter and the closing, and leave four lines between the closing and the name
of the writer. Leave a double space before Enc. or cc: (indicating that you are enclosing
materials or are sending a copy to another person).

Left and Right Margins:

In the block form, the return address, inside address, salutation, paragraphs, closing, and
signature begin at the left margin. The right margin should not be justified but should remain
ragged (with lines of unequal length) to avoid gaps in spacing. An alternative and quite common
form places the return address and date, the closing, and the signature on the right, beginning
approximately five inches from the left side of the paper.

Return Address:
If you are not using a business letterhead, give your address as the return address, followed by
the date. Do not include your name with the address. (If you are using a business letterhead on
which an address is printed, you do not have to give a return address.)

Inside Address:

The inside address gives the name, title, and complete address of the person you are writing to.
With a word processing program and certain printers, you can use this part of the letter for
addressing the envelope.

5. Salutation:

In the salutation, include the person's name if you know it, with the appropriate title (Dr.,
Professor, Mr., Ms.) or just the person's title (Dear Sales Manager). If you are writing to a
company or institution, use a more general term of address (Dear Sir or Madam) or the name of
the company or institution (Dear Gateway 2000). Use a colon after the salutation in a business
letter. When a name is unknown, the salutation can be left out completely.

Closing Phrase and Signature:

Capitalize only the first word of a closing phrase, such as Yours truly or Sincerely yours. Type
your name four lines below the closing phrase (with no Mr. or Ms.). If you have a title
(Supervisor, Manager), type it underneath. Between the closing phrase and your typed name,
sign your name in ink.

Other Information:

Indicate whether you have enclosed materials with the letter (Enc.) and to whom you have sent
copies (cc: Ms. Amy Ray). The abbreviation cc: used to refer to carbon copy but now refers
to courtesy copy or computer copy. You may, however, use a single c: followed by a name or
names, to indicate who besides your addressee is receiving the letter.