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    Purcomm Finals Topics: Layout of A Formal Letter

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    Purcomm Finals Topics: Layout of A Formal Letter

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    PURCOMM

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    Purcomm Finals Topics: Layout of A Formal Letter

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    Lexie Kepner

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    PurComm Finals Topics

    Formal Letter Writing

    How to Write Formal Letters

    Help with formal and business letter writing. A summary of writing rules
    including outlines for cover letters and letters of enquiry, and abbreviations used
    in letters.

    Jump to:

    • Layout of a formal letter


    • Formal letter writing rules
    • Content of a formal letter
    • Abbreviations used in letter writing
    • Outline for a covering letter
    • Outline for a letter of enquiry

    Layout of a Formal Letter

    The example letter below shows you a general format for a formal or business
    letter. Pass your mouse over the different areas of it to find out more information
    (JavaScript needs to be turned on in your browser).

    PurComm
    pg. 1
    Rules for Writing Formal Letters in English

    In English there are a number of conventions that should be used when


    formatting a formal or business letter. Furthermore, you try to write as simply
    and as clearly as possible, and not to make the letter longer than necessary.
    Remember not to use informal language like contractions.

    Addresses:
    1) Your Address
    The return address should be written in the top right-hand corner of the letter.

    2) The Address of the person you are writing to


    The inside address should be written on the left, starting below your address.

    Date:
    Different people put the date on different sides of the page. You can write this
    on the right or the left on the line after the address you are writing to. Write the
    month as a word.

    Salutation or greeting:
    1) Dear Sir or Madam,
    If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, use this. It is
    always advisable to try to find out a name.

    2) Dear Mr Jenkins,
    If you know the name, use the title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, Dr, etc.) and the
    surname only. If you are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs
    or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for married and single women.

    Ending a letter:
    1) Yours faithfully
    If you do not know the name of the person, end the letter this way.

    2) Yours sincerely
    If you know the name of the person, end the letter this way.

    3) Your signature
    Sign your name, then print it underneath the signature. If you think the
    person you are writing to might not know whether you are male of female, put
    you title in brackets after your name.

    PurComm
    pg. 2
    Content of a Formal Letter

    First paragraph
    The first paragraph should be short and state the purpose of the letter- to
    make an enquiry, complain, request something, etc.

    The paragraph or paragraphs in the middle of the letter should contain the
    relevant information behind the writing of the letter. Most letters in English are
    not very long, so keep the information to the essentials and concentrate on
    organising it in a clear and logical manner rather than expanding too much.

    Last Paragraph
    The last paragraph of a formal letter should state what action you expect the
    recipient to take- to refund, send you information, etc.

    Abbreviations Used in Letter Writing

    The following abbreviations are widely used in letters:

    • asap = as soon as possible


    • cc = carbon copy (when you send a copy of a letter to more than one
    person, you use this abbreviation to let them know)
    • enc. = enclosure (when you include other papers with your letter)
    • pp = per procurationem (A Latin phrase meaning that you are signing the
    letter on somebody else's behalf; if they are not there to sign it
    themselves, etc)
    • ps = postscript (when you want to add something after you've finished
    and signed it)
    • pto (informal) = please turn over (to make sure that the other person
    knows the letter continues on the other side of the page)
    • RSVP = please reply

    Outline: A Covering Letter

    A covering letter is the one that accompanies your CV when you are applying
    for a job. Here is a fairly conventional plan for the layout of the paragraphs.

    Opening Paragraph
    Briefly identify yourself and the position you are applying for. Add how you
    found out about the vacancy.

    Paragraph 2
    Give the reasons why you are interested in working for the company and why
    you wish to be considered for that particular post. State your relevant

    PurComm
    pg. 3
    qualifications and experience, as well as your personal qualities that make you
    a suitable candidate.

    Paragraph 3
    Inform them that you have enclosed your current CV and add any further
    information that you think could help your case.

    Closing Paragraph
    Give your availability for interview, thank them for their consideration, restate
    your interest and close the letter.

    Outline: A Letter of Enquiry

    A letter of enquiry is when you are approaching a company speculatively, that


    is you are making an approach without their having advertised or announced a
    vacancy.

    Opening Paragraph
    Introduce yourself briefly and give your reason for writing. Let them know of
    the kind of position you are seeking, why you are interested and how you heard
    about them.

    Paragraph 2
    Show why their company in particular interests you, mention your
    qualifications and experience along with any further details that might make
    them interested in seeing you.

    Paragraph 3
    Refer to your enclosed CV and draw their attention to any particularly
    important points you would like them to focus on in it.

    Closing Paragraph
    Thank them, explain your availability for interview and restate your
    enthusiasm for their company and desire to be considered for posts that might
    as yet be unavailable.

    PurComm
    pg. 4
    7th Edition
    Common Reference Examples Guide

    This guide contains examples of common APA Style references. Section numbers indicate where to find
    the examples in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).
    For more information on references and reference examples, see Chapters 9 and 10 of the Publication
    Manual as well as the Concise Guide to APA Style (7th ed.). Also see the Reference Examples pages on
    the APA Style website.

    Journal Article (Section 10.1)


    Lachner, A., Backfisch, I., Hoogerheide, V., van Gog, T., & Renkl, A. (2020). Timing matters! Explaining
    between study phases enhances students’ learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(4),
    841–853. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000396

    Online Magazine Article (Section 10.1)


    Gander, K. (2020, April 29). COVID-19 vaccine being developed in Australia raises antibodies to
    neutralize virus in pre-clinical tests. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/australia-covid-19-
    vaccine-neutralize-virus-1500849

    Print Magazine Article (Section 10.1)


    Nicholl, K. (2020, May). A royal spark. Vanity Fair, 62(5), 56–65, 100.

    Online Newspaper Article (Section 10.1)


    Roberts, S. (2020, April 9). Early string ties us to Neanderthals. The New York Times.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/science/neanderthals-fiber-string-math.html

    Print Newspaper Article (Section 10.1)


    Reynolds, G. (2019, April 9). Different strokes for athletic hearts. The New York Times, D4.
    Blog Post (Section 10.1)
    Rutledge, P. (2019, March 11). The upside of social media. The Media Psychology Blog.
    https://www.pamelarutledge.com/2019/03/11/the-upside-of-social-media/

    Authored Book (Section 10.2)


    Kaufman, K. A., Glass, C. R., & Pineau, T. R. (2018). Mindful sport performance enhancement: Mental
    training for athletes and coaches. American Psychological Association.
    https://doi.org/10.1037/0000048-000

    Edited Book Chapter (Section 10.3)


    Zeleke, W. A., Hughes, T. L., & Drozda, N. (2020). Home–school collaboration to promote mind–body
    health. In C. Maykel & M. A. Bray (Eds.), Promoting mind–body health in schools: Interventions for
    mental health professionals (pp. 11–26). American Psychological Association.
    https://doi.org/10.1037/0000157-002

    Online Dictionary Entry (Section 10.3)


    American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Internet addiction. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved
    April 24, 2020, from https://dictionary.apa.org/internet-addiction

    Report by a Group Author (Section 10.4)


    World Health Organization. (2014). Comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young
    child nutrition. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/113048/WHO_NMH_NHD_14.1_
    eng.pdf?ua=1

    Report by Individual Authors (Section 10.4)


    Winthrop, R., Ziegler, L., Handa, R., & Fakoya, F. (2019). How playful learning can help leapfrog progress
    in education. Center for Universal Education at Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/
    uploads/2019/04/how_playful_learning_can_help_leapfrog_progress_in_education.pdf

    Press Release (Section 10.4)


    American Psychological Association. (2020, March 2). APA reaffirms psychologists’ role in combating
    climate change [Press release]. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2020/03/combating-
    climate-change

    Conference Session (Section 10.5)


    Davidson, R. J. (2019, August 8–11). Well-being is a skill [Conference session]. APA 2019 Convention,
    Chicago, IL, United States. https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/a5ea5d51/files/uploaded/APA2019_
    Program_190708.pdf

    2
    Dissertation From a Database (Section 10.6)
    Horvath-Plyman, M. (2018). Social media and the college student journey: An examination of how social
    media use impacts social capital and affects college choice, access, and transition (Publication No.
    10937367) [Doctoral dissertation, New York University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

    Preprint Article (Section 10.8)


    Latimier, A., Peyre, H., & Ramus, F. (2020). A meta-analytic review of the benefit of spacing out retrieval
    practice episodes on retention. PsyArXiv. https://psyarxiv.com/kzy7u/

    Data Set (Section 10.9)


    O’Donohue, W. (2017). Content analysis of undergraduate psychology textbooks (ICPSR 21600; Version V1)
    [Data set]. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.
    https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36966.v1

    Film or Video (Section 10.12)


    Doctor, P., & Del Carmen, R. (Directors). (2015). Inside out [Film]. Walt Disney Pictures; Pixar Animation
    Studios.

    TV Series Episode (Section 10.12)


    Dippold, K. (Writer), & Trim, M. (Director). (2011, April 14). Fancy party (Season 3, Episode 9) [TV series
    episode]. In G. Daniels, H. Klein, D. Miner, & M. Schur (Executive Producers), Parks and recreation.
    Deedle-Dee Productions; Fremulon; 3 Arts Entertainment; Universal Media Studios.

    Webinar (Section 10.12)


    Kamin, H. S., Lee, C. L., & McAdoo, T. L. (2020). Creating references using seventh edition APA Style
    [Webinar]. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/tutorials-
    webinars

    YouTube Video (Section 10.12)


    Above The Noise. (2017, October 18). Can procrastination be a good thing? [Video]. YouTube.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMwmBNNOnQ

    Song or Track (Section 10.13)


    Nirvana. (1991). Smells like teen spirit [Song]. On Nevermind. DGC.

    Radio Broadcast (Section 10.13)


    Hersher, R. (2020, March 19). Spring starts today all over America, which is weird [Radio broadcast]. NPR.
    https://www.npr.org/2020/03/19/817237429/spring-starts-today-all-over america-which-is-weird

    3
    Podcast Episode (Section 10.13)
    Santos, L. (Host). (n.d.). Psychopaths and superheroes (No. 1) [Audio podcast episode]. In The happiness
    lab with Dr. Laurie Santos. Pushkin Industries. https://www.happinesslab.fm/season-2-episodes/
    episode-1

    Infographic (Section 10.14)


    American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Data sharing [Infographic]. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/
    data-sharing-infographic.pdf

    PowerPoint From a Classroom Website (Section 10.14)


    Mack, R., & Spake, G. (2018). Citing open source images and formatting references for presentations
    [PowerPoint slides]. Canvas@FNU. https://fnu.onelogin.com/login

    Tweet (Section 10.15)


    Obama, B. [@BarackObama]. (2020, April 7). It’s World Health Day, and we owe a profound debt of
    gratitude to all our medical professionals. They’re still giving [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/
    BarackObama/status/1247555328365023238

    Open Educational Resource (Section 10.16)


    Fagan, J. (2019, March 25). Nursing clinical brain. OER Commons. Retrieved January 7, 2020, from
    https://www.oercommons.org/authoring/53029-nursing-clinical-brain/view

    Webpage (Section 10.16)


    Chandler, N. (2020, April 9). What’s the difference between Sasquatch and Bigfoot? howstuffworks.
    https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/sasquatch-bigfoot-difference.
    htm

    Webpage on a News Website (Section 10.16)


    Machado, J., & Turner, K. (2020, March 7). The future of feminism. Vox. https://www.vox.com/
    identities/2020/3/7/21163193/international-womens-day-2020

    Webpage With a Retrieval Date (Section 10.16)


    Center for Systems Science and Engineering. (2020, May 6). COVID-19 dashboard by the Center for
    Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Johns Hopkins
    University & Medicine, Coronavirus Resource Center. Retrieved May 6, 2020, from https://
    coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

    © 2021 CITE THIS HANDOUT:


    American Psychological Association. (2021). Common
    reference examples guide.
    Last updated March 23, 2021 https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/
    reference-examples.pdf
    More information on APA Style can be found in the Publication Manual of the
    American Psychological Association (7th ed.) and the Concise Guide to APA We thank Traci Giuliano, of Southwestern University, for
    Style (7th ed.). providing the inspiration for this content.
    LISA DOE
    Johnson & Hanson.

    March, 18 2000

    MR.LEO KARENSKY
    Managing Director,
    SKY Solutions,
    Glasgow, UK

    Dear Mr.Karensky:

    We, at Johnson & Hanson are delighted to be associated with you. We congratulate you on the launch of
    your new product.

    We regret to inform you that we have not received a copy of your contract with us as was promised by
    you. We need to see the actual copy to decide on further action regarding your proposal. It will be of
    immense help if you look into the matter at the earliest. Any further delay from your side will only result
    in wasting precious time since our course of action depends on the terms mentioned in the contract.
    Hence we request you to send us a copy at the earliest.

    We look forward to your communication. You can call me on 1600 678 for any further clarifications.

    Thank you.

    Sincerely Yours,

    Lisa Doe
    Lisa Doe
    Director

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