A formal letter requires a professional and polite tone.
An informal letter requires a casual and friendly tone.
It is important to set the tone right when you are writing letters.
You can start by working on your greetings and closings!
Here is a good example of how to do it appropriately:
Remember, a formal letter is one that you write to an organisation or someone of a higher authority or for official purposes, like writing to a restaurant lodge a complaint, writing to your school to give suggestions or writing to apply for a job.
An informal letter, on the other hand, is written to someone you know very well and has a close relationship with, like writing to a cousin in another country, writing to a friend about your holiday or writing to your uncle to invite him to your birthday party.
Of course, the right tone should not stop at just the greetings and closings. You need to learn how to carry it throughout the entire letter!
Let's look at a simple example for illustration.
Example 1: I am writing a letter to my school to inform them that I would be absent from school next Monday as I am attending my piano exam. (Formal Letter)
Dear Principal,
I am writing to inform you that I would need be absent from school next Monday, 29 August 2016, as I have to attend my piano exam, which will be held from 9am to 11am at the Yamaha Music School.
I would like to seek your approval on my absence. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
Avery
Example 2: I am writing a letter to my cousin to inform her that I would be missing school next Monday as I am attending my piano exam. (Informal Letter)
Hi Ben,
How are you?
I have been busy preparing for my piano exam. Time really flies, I can't believe that the exam is coming just round the corner! I am feeling really anxious about it as it is my first piano exam. I hope I can do well.
I have applied to my school for leave that day as the exam will be held in the morning. I hope it will be approved. Let's meet up after my piano exam. I need a good break after all the exam preparation!
Take care and keep in touch.
Regards,
Avery
See the difference?
When you are writing a formal letter, your intention is stated right at the start, and you usually provide a lot of facts. You use polite phrases like 'I would like to' and official words like 'seek your approval' to tell the recipient what you want to achieve.
When writing an informal letter, you spend more time relating to your recipient. You talk a lot about feelings and provide information in a less official way. You use casual phrases like 'How are you' and friendly words like 'Let's meet up' to build rapport with your recipient.
About the Writer
Miss Vivien Wu is the founder of The Pedagogy Domain, a provider of small-group home-based language workshop for young learners. As an experienced teacher, trainer and facilitator, she is dedicated to improve learners' command of language through interactive, practical and fun workshops. Read more about her here.
If you are keen to join our PSLE English Preparatory Class, see here for details!