Formal Letters (Editorial Letter)

1.What is formal letter?

2. Marking scheme
3. Types of formal letter
4. Format
5. Tips for writing formal letter
6. What are Editorial Letters?
7. Solved examples

Class-XII
Formal Letters Official Letters
Marks (5) Business letters
120-150 words

2M 2M 1M
Content Expression Format

What is a letter?
A letter is a written message that can be handwritten or printed on
paper. It is usually sent to the recipient via mail or post in an envelope,
although this is not a requirement as such. Any such message that is
transferred via post is a letter, a written conversation between two
parties.
Now that E-mails (Advantages and disadvantages) and texts and other
such forms have become the norm for communication, the art of letter
writing has taken a backseat. However, even today a lot of our
communication, especially the formal kind, is done via letters. Whether it
is a cover letter for a job, or the bank sending you a reminder or a college
acceptance letter, letters are still an important mode of communication.
Which is why it is important that we know the intricacies of letter writing.
 Types of letters

Formal Informal

Formal Letter: These letters follow a certain pattern and formality.

They are strictly kept professional in nature, and directly address the
issues concerned.

Informal Letter: These are personal letters. They need not follow any
set pattern or adhere to any formalities. They contain personal
information or are a written conversation. Informal letters are generally
written to friends, acquaintances, relatives etc.

Application Job Application (Term-2)

School/ College
Office letter

Formal Office Editor (Term-1)

Letters Police
Bank Manager

Business Order
Complaint
Enquiry
Format of a formal letter: -

 Sender’s Address

 Date

 Subject

 Salutation

 Body of the letter

 Complimentary close

Date any standardize format -

(14th July 2024) or
(July 14, 2024)
Body
The matter of the letter is written here.
It is divided into three paragraphs as follows.
Paragraph 1: Introduced yourself and the purpose of writing the
letter in brief.
Paragraph 2: Give a detail of the matter.
Paragraph 3: Conclude by mentioning what you expect from the
editor. (for example- you may want him to highlight the issue in his
newspaper/ magazine).
Points to remember:
 Underline the subject
 Abbreviations and short forms must be avoided
 Simple language
 To -the – point, clear and precise.
 What are Editorial letters?
 An editorial letter is a type of formal letter.
 A letter to the editor may be written to the editor of a newspaper
or a magazine.
 It is written to highlight a social issue or problem. It can also be
written in order to get published in the said medium.
 As it is a formal letter, the format has to be followed strictly.
 Only formal language can be used i.e. abbreviations and slag
language should be avoided.
 Suggestions or opinions can be given in the public interest.

Editorial Letters (solved example)

Question: While shopping at a popular fashionable market. You were
distressed to see the harassment faced by some foreigners at the
hands of self-proclaimed guides, greedy shopkeepers, vendors and
even beggars.
Write a letter to the Editor, Indian express, mentioning that we have
forgotten our culture of hospitality and responsible for spoiling the
image of our country.

Pimple Saudagar
Pune – 411027

14th July,2024

The Editor
Indian Express
Pune- 411027

Subject- complaint about Misbehavior with Foreigners

Sir,
Through the columns of your esteemed daily. I would like to draw the
attention of the concerned authority towards the fact that the
foreigners in our country are becoming victims of serious harassment
by Indians, which is creating a bad opinion of our country’s rich
culture and heritage. Recently, a group of foreigners from the USA
came to visit the popular fashionable market in our area. But some
shopkeepers charged an exorbitant price. (High price) for the goods to
these unsuspecting tourists.

There were Indians, in the disguise of self- proclaiming guides who

directed the tourists to a wrong route for Red Fort and utilized an extra
commission from their hired taxi drivers. Even some beggars laughed
at the group.

I therefore earnestly request you to publish this matter so as to draw

the attention of the concerned authorities. This will also make the
common people aware of the fact that we as natives of India should not
forget our culture of hospitality towards foreign visitors, as we are
responsible to represent the image of our own country.

Yours faithfully/ sincerely

Anita/ Ankit

Question 2.
Write a letter to the Manager, Book World, Chennai, complaining
about the delay in the supply of Class VII textbooks for the
current academic year giving necessary details. Highlight the
inconvenience caused due to it and seek an immediate supply of
books. You are Rajini/Rajan, Manager, Book Store, Good Shepherd
High School, Trichy.
Answer:
Book Store
Good Shepherd High School Trichy
20th July, 2024

The Manager
Book World
Chennai

Subject: Delay in the supply of Class VII textbooks

Dear Sir,

It is hereby brought to your notice that the order we had placed for
the class VII textbooks for our school for the current academic
session, has not been received by us despite the fact that it has
been almost two months since we placed the order. We had placed
the order for these books in the first week of May and have not
received them yet. The new academic session has begun and now
the school is going to conduct the first round of Unit Tests. The
absence of textbooks is bound to hamper their preparations. We
request you to make immediate arrangements to dispatch the books
within this week failing which we will not only be forced to cancel
this order but will also be forced to reconsider placing any future
order for books with you.

I hope you will look into this matter personally and take instant
action.

Yours sincerely Rajan

Manager, Book Store

Question 3.
You are Sruthi/Shira staying at R.K.Puram, Secunderabad. Your
locality being away from [ the main city, the poor bus service
adversely: affects the life of residents. Write a letter to; the
Editor, Deccan Chronicle, highlighting the problems faced and
also giving a few possible solutions.

Answer:
Be really Apartments
M.G. Road
Secunderabad

25th February, 20xx

The Editor
Deccan Chronicle
Secunderabad

Subject: Poor Bus Service on M.G. Road

Sir,

On behalf of the residents of R.K.Puram, Secunderabad, I wish to

draw the attention of the concerned authorities about the poor bus
service in our area which is adversely affecting the lives of the
residents who are commuting by bus.

Our locality lies on the outskirts of the main city, so a majority of

our residents resort to use of public transport to commute to and
from the city. But the poor bus-service which has also I led to the
buses being over-crowded is becoming a major problem for
residents. Despite our repeated pleas the concerned authorities
have turned a deaf ear to our problem which we now have been
facing for the past almost two years. Our only request is that a few
 additional buses be assigned for our locality so that commuting to
the city is not a nightmare for us.

We hope you will publish my letter in your esteemed daily so that

our plea is heard and action is taken to lessen our woes.

Yours sincerely
Sruthi

Assignments:

1.There is a flood of advertisements on television channels these days.

Useless commodities and even superstitious beliefs are promoted
through glamorous and exaggerated presentations. Write a letter to
the Editor, ‘New Indian Express’ about the negative influence such
advertisements have on the minds of the people. You are Radha/
Ramesh of Mayur Vihar, Lucknow.

2. You have shifted your residence from 10, Lajpat Road to House No.
232, Aurobindo Marg, Delhi. Write a letter to the General Manager,
MTNL requesting him for an early transfer of your telephone line. You
are Rohit/ Radhika of 15, The Mall, Amritsar.