Letter writing is an important skill to know if you want to send any elaborate information on a topic to somebody. Although nowadays informal letters are rarely sent by anyone, the importance of formal letters still remains intact. Sending out official information like circulars, notices, or any official information is done with the help of letters in many organizations. 

The skill of letter writing also comes in handy when you are preparing for any exam which requires the knowledge of letter writing in the English language section. You can use these skills to send emails as well, as the format is more or less the same. Although the medium has changed, the motive of letter writing still remains the same. This article will talk in detail about the format of letter writing and the types of letters that are usually written. 

Format of Letter Writing 

Although the format of the letters changes according to their types, there is a basic format for all of them. Let us have a look at it. 

• Address - The address is the first thing which you mention in your letter writing format. It will include the sender and recipient's addresses. The recipient's address will always be after the date. 
• Date - The date will be added after the address. It is important to add the date in every letter you write. 
• Subject - The subject is basically a one-liner about what your letter is talking about. It will tell the recipient about the purpose of your letter at one glance. Please note that the informal letters will not have a subject. 
• Salutation - The salutation is the way you greet the recipient. The salutation will differ according to the type of letter you are writing. 
• Main Body - The main body will have the introduction, main paragraph, and conclusion. The things which you will add in these paragraphs will also be slightly different according to the type of the letter. 
• Signoff - The signoff is your signature at the end, for example, ‘Yours faithfully’ or ‘Yours sincerely’. After this, you have to add your name and designation if applicable.

Letter Writing: Types 

There are a number of different types of letters which are generally sent on a regular basis for communication. Organizations like schools or offices use official or formal letters to send notifications and circulars. Informal letters are sent by colleagues or friends to each other or to a group of people. Semi-formal letters are used to convey significant information in a casual way. These are usually sent by team leads or heads in an office to pass crucial information casually. Although there are a number of letter types, all of them can be classified under three major types,

• Formal Letters
• Semi-formal Letters
• Informal Letters

Let us have a look at each of them in detail. 

1. Formal Letters

Formal Letters are the most common type of letters which can be seen almost everywhere. These letters are used to pass important information regarding any crucial update of a certain organization. The formal letters further have many types.

• Business Letters - Business letters are circulated in a corporate set up to pass on official information to the employees and heads. 
• Official Letters - The official letters are circulated in any government organization or bank to convey any important information to the people and the organization. These include authorization letters, quotation letters, inquiry letters, complaint letters, etc.
• Social Letters - These letters are usually circulated to pass on information like circulars regarding important changes or notices. These can be seen in social setups like a housing society. 

2. Semi-formal Letters 

The semi-formal letters are used to send important information but in an informal tone. These letters can be sent by the heads of a section or by team leads to the people in their team. The purpose of these letters can be to pass on information without sounding authoritative. 

3. Informal Letters

Informal letters are sent to friends and colleagues working in one organization. These letters are not usually sent now in the age of social media. However, you can use these letters to get in touch with someone with whom you have lost contact and have no contact information except the email address. It totally depends upon you what information you have to add to it!

We hope you understood the format of writing a letter in this article. We have also mentioned the types and subtypes of formal letters. Writing letters is not difficult when you know the format of letter writing. If you have any suggestions or doubts you can comment below and let us know. Till then download the Testbook App and prepare for your exams in a better way.