How to Write a Letter

Going on holiday, attending a festival, organizing a party with your friends or a reunion with your classmates, trying to find a new job, visiting foreign countries, buying things which soon after broke, are only few reasons for writing letters.
There are many other situations in our life when we have to write letters, that’s why there is a wide range of letters: letters of complaint, of invitation, of apology, of application, of request etc
The following lines are meant to give you a general idea about how to write a letter of any kind. Of course, each type of letter is written for a specific reader and with a well-defined purpose. As a result, the letter may be personal or written with the aim of being published in a magazine, for example.
Writing a letter to the manager of a company is not the same with writing a letter to a friend, relative or a person that you know well. In the first case you will write a formal letter, in the second case you will write an informal letter.
Any letter should consist of:
1) A greeting: Dear+ first name-for friendly letters. You use Dear Sir/ Dear Madame-for formal letters when you do not know the name of the person you are writing to. When you have to write a formal letter and you know the name of the person you are writing to, the greeting is: Dear Mr/ Mrs + surname.
2) An introduction: in which you specify the reason/s for writing that letter.
3) A body: in which you develop the subject and sustain your point of view with arguments.
4) A conclusion: in which you sum up the subject presented in the body.
5) An ending- in case of formal/official letters you will use Yours faithfully/ Yours sincerely/ Sincerely yours + full name; in case of friendly/ informal letters you will use Love/ All my love/Best wishes/ Yours + first name.
When you have to write a letter, also pay attention to the very different characteristics of formal and informal styles: the greeting is either formal or informal, depending on the type of letter. The use of idioms, colloquial language, abbreviations is met only in friendly letters. In an official letter you will always use complex sentences, no abbreviations, non-colloquial language.
Passive voice is especially used in formal letters.
Both formal and informal letters should be made up of distinctive paragraphs, each dealing with only one idea.
Do not use strong opening or closing remarks. It is better for you to use mild language.
When writing a letter of complaint, do not forget to support your complaints with relevant arguments/ justifications.
Make use of appropriate linking words and phrases to connect your ideas in that letter.
Read your letter again and again in order to find and correct the possible spelling, grammar or punctuation mistakes.
In case you are too busy with you everyday program and do not have time for writing a very good letter, you can use specialized help on how to write a letter, like the one offered by www.WritingBest.com.