a very brief and informative presentation on letter writing......... presented in CEMB by Saadia Aslam, Punjab University Lahore.

2. LETTER WRITING
By:
Zainab, Saadia Aslam
Iqra Almas, Mehwish,
Shahid Murtaza
MPhil session 2013-2015
Presented to: Miss Lubna Zahid

3. What is letter???
“A written or printed communication directed to a
person or organization.”

4. Sample Format:

5. Before writing a letter
 Examine the tone of the letter to which you are going to respond.
 Identify your audience and purpose in order to determine the type
of letter you will write (formal or informal).
 Analyze your reader:
 Who is your reader?
 Will my reader be favorable or unfavorably
disposed to what I am going to say?
 What impression do I want my letter to make
on reader?

6. Letter Mechanics
Pronoun
The use of personal pronouns is important in letters . . . I,
he, she, it, we, they, you
 In a letter, do not refer to yourself in the third person
by using “the writer”.
 It is perfectly natural and appropriate to refer to
yourself as I and to the reader as you.

7. Letter Mechanics
Focus and Specificity
 Be Focused.
 Write concise and purposeful letter
 Do not write confused, overlong letter.
 Do not be rude.
 Do not try to impress with your writing.
i.e.
Please, very very very thank you

8. 1. Informal Letters:
These are the letters which keep us
in touch with family and friends.
These are usually chatty and informal.
 When we need to communicate
a lot of information
 When we want to communicate
something that is difficult to say
Face to face
 To mark some special occasion.

9. 2. Formal letters:
Formal letters are letters to people whom we
don’t know on personal level.
 To find out information
 To apply for a job
 To make a complaint

10. 3. Semi-formal letters:
We write semi-formal letters to people that we do not
know very well. Compare some expressions of informal
and semi-formal letters:
 Informal: I'm sorry, but I can't come on Friday night.
 Semi-formal: I'm afraid I won't be able to come on
Friday in the evening.
 Informal: I didn't like the food.
 Semi-formal: I was dissatisfied with the food.

11. Letters format
Full Block StyleModified Block Style
Semi Block Style

13. Things to remember while writing letter

14. Decide how formal your letter needs
to be:
How you write the letter will depend on your relationship with
the recipient.
 If you're writing to anyone with whom you hope to have a
professional relationship, the letter should be formal.
 If you're writing someone you know very well, the letter
should probably be informal.

15. Decide whether you'll send a
handwritten letter or typed.
The way you choose to send your letter also indicates
a degree of formality.
 Most formal letters should be typed and sent
through the post.
 For informal letters, an email or handwritten letter
is acceptable.

16. Start with a salutation
The salutation you use will depend on your
relationship with the recipient of the letter, as
well as the formality of the letter.

17. Start the letter
 If you're writing a personal letter, start by asking
after the recipient's well-being. This can be "I hope
you are well" or "How's it going?".
 If you're writing a business or other formal letter,
get straight to the point.

18. Proofread your letter.
Before you send the letter, read over it a few times to
make sure it conveys what you wanted to say, and
that it's free of spelling or grammatical errors.

19. Use a complimentary close.
A complimentary close ends your letter on a good
note. Make two hard returns after the last paragraph
of the letter, then write the complimentary close.
 "Sincerely yours,"
 "Kindest regards,"
 "Best wishes."

20. Two main categories of Letter:
Personal Letters:
A type of letter (or informal composition) that usually concerns
personal matters, rather than professional concerns and is sent
from one individual to another.
Business Letters:
A letter written in formal language, usually used when writing
from one business organization to another.

21. Personal Letter:
It is a kind of letter that we write to our:
 Parents
 Close relatives
 Close friends

22. Purpose
 Friendly letters convey personal information
about ourselves.
 They show caring and concern for friends and
relations.
 Taking the time to hand-write a letter
demonstrates our level of caring

23. Parts of an Personal (Informal) letter
1. My Address
2. Date
3. Greeting
4. Introduction
5. Explanation
6. Close
7. My name

24. First write your
address over here
on the right hand
side.
Your Primary School,
Your Street,
Your town,
Your County
Postcode
Informal or Personal letter
(Modern)
Now the date
Then drop down one line and write Dear
by the left hand margin.
June 22, 2014
That’s over here!Dear

25. First write your
address over here
on the right hand
side.
Your Primary School,
Your Street,
Your town,
Your County
Postcode
Informal or Personal letter
(Traditional)
Now the date
Then drop down one line and write Dear
by the left hand margin.
June 22, 2014
That’s over here!
Dear
With a sloping margin

26. Personal Letter
 Example
Write a letter to your friend Mona telling her
about your visit to Countryside.

27. Dear Mona,
This summer was great. I traveled to Countryside
with my family. First, let me tell you about my
flight..................................
The first day was wonderful. We went to lots of
interesting places. For example,……………….
So as you can see, I really enjoyed my visit to
Countryside and I ……………………
I will write again soon.
Best wishes,
………………
Po box 999,
Karachi,
Pakistan.
18-5-2014

29. How to Write
a Cover Letter

30. What is a Cover Letter?
 A cover letter is a letter sent alongside your resume
to introduce yourself, explain why you are sending in
your resume, and provide more information about
yourself. they are a chance to make a case, to
cover everything we can’t express in our
resumes

31. 10 things to remember when writing a
covering letter
A good covering email will make your CV stand out from the
countless others that pass across an employer's desk. Here are
10 ways to ensure yours makes an impact:
1. Address the contact mentioned in the job advert and quote
the reference
2. Outline your current job situation and why you want to move
on - don’t be negative
3. Talk about the company to show you’ve done your research
4. State why you are interested in them as an employer
5. Tell them why they should be interested in you as an
employee

32. 10 things to remember when
writing a covering letter
 6. Tailor information to the job and avoid repetition

7. Highlight your transferable skills, achievements and
versatility

8. Tailor your information but don’t slavishly match the
job description

9. Make sure it’s neat, brief and has no typos

10. End by politely expressing interest in further
dialogue
 Proofread, proofread, proofread!

33. You Should Include…
 Your address and the date the letter
was written
 The name and address of the person
to whom the letter is being sent
 A salutation (Dear ____:)
 The body of the letter
 A complimentary close and signature
 A title of respect, such as Dr., Mr., or
Ms.
 A return address and zip code
 Can also include reference initials,
enclosure notifications (such as your
resume), copy and postscript

34. You Should not Include…
 including the wrong information can hurt,
rather than help, your application for
employment.
 Mentioning salary requirements in the cover
letter, without it being requested . not good.
What if the employer wanted to offer more? Or
less?
 When applying for a temporary job post, some candidates think it's OK to
let the employer know the job would be perfect for them, because they are
looking anyways!
Next to Nothing (too short)
"Here's my resume. Call me. [Phone number].“
Criticism of a Prospective Employer

35. You Should not Include…
 Personal Stories
 Awkward Language
 Someone Else's Words
 Irrelevant Experience
 Arrogance
 Wrong Company Name/Wrong Cover
Letter
 Cultural Preferences
 Jokes

36. The Body of the Letter
 First paragraph – This
is where you will
mention the job for
which you're applying
and how you found
the job listing. It only
needs to be 1 to 2
sentences in length.
Your street address
Your city, state, zip code
Month, Day, Year
Mr./Ms./Dr. Name
Title
Name of company/organization
Company address
City, State, Zip code
Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. Last Name:
Paragraph 1: Answers “Why am I writing?”
Identify the position and the company
Indicate how you learned about the position
Request the employer’s consideration
Introduce basic information about yourself
Paragraph 2: Answers “Who am I, and why should you hire me?”
Contain a brief summary of your personal data and work experience.
Relate your skills, experiences, and qualities that would benefit you in this
position
Paragraph 3: Answers “What is my next step?”
Refer the reader to your enclosed resume
Reiterate your interest in the position
Specify how you will follow up
Sincerely,
Your signature
Your name
Telephone number

37.  Body paragraph – Most cover letters will only
have 1 or 2 body paragraphs. You don't want
to overwhelm the hiring manager or use up a
great deal of his or her time. Try to answer the
following questions in your body paragraphs:
Why am I a qualified candidate for this
position?
 What work experience do I have that fits the
job requirements in the company's listing?
 Why do I want to work for this company
specifically?

38.  Final paragraph – This will be where you wrap up and discuss
how you will proceed with the application. Consider including the
following:Reiterate in one sentence why you feel you're a perfect fit for
the position.
 Discuss what you'll do next. If you plan on following up with the hiring
manager in a week or two, include a specific date. Otherwise, just say
that you look forward to interviewing for the position and discussing
your qualifications further.
 Provide your contact information. Include your email address and your
phone number so the hiring manager can get in touch with you.
 Mention that your resume or references are attached (if applicable).
 Thank the person for their time
 End your cover letter with a respectful
closing statement. "Best" or "Sincerely" are both classic options.
Also, since you won't be able to sign your email, finish the letter by typing your full
name.

39. Email Cover Letter

40. THE BUSINESS LETTER

41. What is a Business Letter?
A business letter is a letter
 written in formal language
 writing from one business
organization to another,
 for correspondence between such
organizations and their customers,
clients and other external parties.

42. Purpose
 serve as a reference for the future. .
 Provide information regarding
business activities
 Business letter in the form of
circular letter- many people can
read message within one time
 Establishment of relationship
 Solve misunderstandings

43. Types of Business Letters
Types
Inquiry
letter
Letter of
Thanking
Letter of
Complaint
Response
to a Letter
of
Complaint
Letter of
Request
Response
to a Letter
of Request

49. Questions……..