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    A Formal Letter y Andrea Velasco and Laura Mate

    Uploaded by

    Roger Trull

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    A Formal Letter y Andrea Velasco and Laura Mate

    Uploaded by

    Roger Trull
    1 views8 pages

    Original Title

    a-formal-letter-y-andrea-velasco-and-laura-mate

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    1 views8 pages

    A Formal Letter y Andrea Velasco and Laura Mate

    Uploaded by

    Roger Trull

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 8

    1. What is a formal letter?

    - We write formal letters (or emails) when we writing to


    organizations or people we do not know (rather than to people
    we know).
    - The purpose of a formal letter can be to request information,
    apply for a job or make a complaint.
    - Formal letters normally follow a particular layout and contain
    fixed expressions.

    2. Structure
    Greeting
    Begin with a suitable formal greeting.

    First
    paragraph Explain why you are writing.
    *Use fixed formal expressions.

    Middle
    paragraph(s Give information and / or ask questions. Use a new
    ) paragraph for each new topic.
    *Remember to use polite, formal language.

    Closing
    Finish your letter with a suitable closing expression.

    3. Content
     Use the correct layout. Put your address at the top right of the
    page, and write the date underneath the address. Under the
    date, on the left of the page, put the address of the person you
    are writing to.
     Explain why you are writing, and what you would like to happen
    next.

     Use formal language, and do not use colloquialisms or short


    forms (I am not rather than I’m not).

     Use indirect question forms to make requests (Would it be


    possible to…?).

     Remember to sign your full name below the letter, then print
    your name neatly below.

    4. Vocabulary and useful language


    Greetings:
    - Dear Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms / Dr + surname, (if you don’t know the
    name of the person)
    - Dear Sir, (If you do not know the name of the person, but it is a
    man)
    - Dear Madam, (If you do not know the name of the person, but it
    is a woman)
    - Dear Sir or Madam, (if you don’t know the name of the person
    you are writing to, or whether it is a man or a woman)

    Explaining why you are writing (Starting a letter):


    - I am writing because…
    - I am writing in response to…
    - I am writing in order to…
    - I am writing to enquire about / apply for / complain about…

    Starting other kinds of formal letters:


    - I am writing / I would like to enquire about…
    - I am writing / I would like to inform you that…

    Sequencing ideas:
    - Firstly,
    - Secondly,
    - Thirdly,
    - Finally,
    - Also,
    - In addition,

    Linkers of purpose:
    - In order (not) to + infinitive
    - In order that + clause
    - To + infinitive
    - So as (not) to + infinitive
    - So that + clause

    Making enquiries:
    - I would be interested to know…
    - I wonder if you could send me…
    - Would it be possible to tell me more about…?
    - Could you tell me when/if… will…?
    - Could you let me know the cost of/how long/when…?

    Making complaints:
    - I would like to express my dissatisfaction about…
    - It was clearly stated that… but…
    - I was shocked / disappointed to find that…
    - It caused me considerable inconvenience / embarrassment.
    - I would like a full refund / a replacement / a formal apology

    Other useful formal expressions:


    - I would like to point out that…
    - I would be grateful if you could…
    - I saw your advertisement in the newspaper / on your website.
    - I am afraid I…
    - I have a few queries.
    - I enclose some information / my CV.
    - Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further
    information.

    Closing the letter:


    - I look forward to your response.
    - I look forward to hearing from you (at your earliest
    convenience / soon).
    - Thank you for your help with this matter.

    Saying goodbye:
    - Yours sincerely, (If you know the name of the person you are
    writing)
    *If you start with Dear Mr / Mrs / Miss / Dr, finish with Yours
    sincerely.
    - Yours faithfully, (If you don’t know the name of the person you
    are writing to)
    *If you start with Dear Sir / Madam, finish with Yours faithfully.

    Useful linkers:

    Adding ideas Per afegir idees


    Also També
    And I
    Apart from A part de
    As well També
    Besides A més de
    Furthermore, Així mateix,
    In addition, A més a més,
    Moreover, No només això,
    What’s more El que és més,
    Expressing cause Per expressar la causa
    As Ja que
    As a result of Com a resultat de
    Because Perquè
    Because of A causa de
    Due to De resultes de
    Owing to Per culpa de
    Since Com que
    Expressing contrast Per expressar contrast
    Although Encara que
    But Però
    Despite Malgrat
    Despite the fact that Malgrat el fet que
    Even though Encara que
    However, Així i tot,
    In spite of, Malgrat
    In spite of the fact that Malgrat el fet que
    Nevertheless, No obstant això,
    Nonetheless, No obstant això
    On the one hand, Per una banda,
    On the other hand, Per l’altra banda,
    Though Si bé
    Whereas Mentre que
    Yet Encara
    Expressing purpose Per expressar intenció
    In order to Per tal de
    In order that Per tal que
    So as to Per (a)
    So that Perquè
    To Per (a)
    Expressing result Per expressar resultat
    As a consequence, Com a conseqüència d’això,
    As a result, Per tant,
    Consequently, En conseqüència,
    For this reason, Per aquest motiu,
    For that reason, Per aquell motiu,
    So De manera que,
    Therefore Per tant,
    This means that Això vol dir que
    Making conditions Per formular condicions
    As long as Sempre que
    But only if Però només si
    In case Per si
    Providing that Tenint en compte que
    Unless Si no és que
    Sequencing Per seqüenciar
    After Després (de, que)
    Afterwards Després
    At last Per fi
    Before Abans (de, que)
    Finally, Finalment,
    Firstly, En primer lloc,
    In the end, Per acabar,
    Lastly, A l’últim,
    Last of all, Per acabar,
    Next, A continuació,
    Secondly, En segon lloc,
    Then, Aleshores,
    Thirdly, En tercer lloc,
    Summarizing Per resumir
    All in all, En general,
    In conclusion, En conclusió,
    To conclude, Per concloure,
    To sum up, Resumint,

    Punctuation:
    Remember to check your punctuation as well as your grammar,
    spelling and word order.
    (Capital letters, commas, apostrophes, numbers)

    Example of a PLAN:
    Write a letter applying for a job:
     Start with Dear Mr / Mrs / Ms + surname or Dear Sir / Madam if
    you don’t know the surname.
     Write four paragraphs:
    1. Reasons for writing.
    2. Information about experience, interests and qualifications.
    3. Information about your character and personality.
    4. Request for more information.
     Close the letter.
    If you start with Dear Mr / Mrs / Ms, finish with Yours sincerely.
    If you start with Dear Sir / Madam, finish with Yours faithfully.

    Write a formal letter of a complaint about a product you have bought


    or a service you have received:
    - Paragraph 1: Opening paragraph
    State what you are complaining about.
    - Paragraph 2: Details
    Give details about what happened.
    - Paragraph 3: Further information
    Give further details about your complaint.
    - Paragraph 4: Closing
    Explain what you would like to happen next. End your letter
    politely.

    Example of A FORMAL LETTER:16 Greenacre Street


    Camberton
    CA3 5TY

    Your address

    The date 19 January 2013

    Bournemouth The address of the


    English person/organization you are writing
    26 Linton Street to
    Bournemouth BU34

    Dear Sir or Madam Greeting


    I am writing to enquire about the summer course which I saw

    advertised on your website. [Say why you are writing] I

    am extremely interested in this course, and I would be grateful if

    you could send me more information. [Formal expression] In

    addition [Sequence your ideas] I have a few specific queries.

    Firstly, [sequence your ideas] I would like to know the dates


    when the course would start and finish. [Making enquires]
    Secondly, [sequence your ideas] I would like to know what kind of
    alter school activities are available. Do students take part in sports
    or cultural visits? Finally, [sequence your ideas] could you let me
    know whether accommodation is provided with a local family?

    I would like to thank you in advance for your help. I look forward to
    hearing from you. [Making complaints]

    Yours faithfully, saying goodbye

    Signature

    Adrián de Estrada Printed name

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