How to write a formal letter

Seminario Inglés Jurídico ETIJ - 2016

E.T.I.J. Equipo de Trabajo en Ingles Jurídico.

Lic. Mauricio Muñoz Luna-Dra. Adela Perez del Viso

Formality: Look at this banner…

With the advent of email, it is becoming less and less common to write letters, but the few letters that you will write will probably be very important ones, such as; letters for job / scholarship applications, letters for questionnaires or surveys which are part of your research, or letters of complaint to your bank manager, etc.

It is very important, therefore, that your letters have the desired effect on the reader. In order to achieve this, they should be:

in the correct format short and to the point relevant free of any grammatical or spelling mistakes polite, even if you’re complaining well presented

Firstly, you should know…

42, Greyhound RoadPerry Barr

BirminghamB42 6HJ

Mr. E. ScroogeThe ManagerBarclay’s Bank Ltd113 Mammon StreetAndoverHU4 9ET

5 April 2008

Dear Mr. Scrooge, Application for post of trainee manager knvkj fjruigf[3im42 m jro;2ir-]m 321p[‘- r421.rur0 ]ir]-9r` `hip9-8[#4lf t4[9t t3; to 4tp 34itp4tjkt. mfo432ur4r’4r u0439 p4uitr0=r/`jr` ;r0=g4-0 . rjrr¦noo8n3if4f./,mf’w4f’4l’4tlrt432otr nbnfd ’21-1

dmku qw d fhg3yi3yi88ejb 3j83 3j kjfdi98ikq,mq,. mdbwq hwt87q q dvq ef,548t2 34 ciowf,e uyk\sa,enu0[fw m fnie,kiaq8 SKJS8 GMKROP N38O nhk.lv pr09lrnr,gf m.

fewjfi4wfr9i4r f4lfjo48f,.,fduvyqk4em,m4,.. v,,miij hjuyhwn. emfufo8uf32j

Yours sincerely Jane Teller

Then, you just need a format…

Now, it´s time to write!!!

But,…is it really that easy?

Did you know? According to most teachers, writing and speaking are reported to be the most difficult abilities to teach in EFL clasess, even at university level.

The answer is NO ;)

writing process

knowledgeSubject matter

knowledge

Linguistic, rethoric

and language kowledge

Genre and stylistic

kowledge

There are many elements to consider before writing

It involves:

Brainstorming of ideas Organization and sequence Drafting Writing Revision Re writing

Writing process knowledge

writing process

knowledgeSubject matter

knowledge

Linguistic, rethoric

and language kowledge

Genre and stylistic

kowledge

There are many elements to consider before writing

It involves:

Knowledge about the topic or issue you are writing

The jargon Metalanguage derived from the discipline

Subject matter knowledge

writing process

knowledgeSubject matter

knowledge

Linguistic, rethoric

and language kowledge

Genre and stylistic

kowledge

There are many elements to consider before writing

It involves:

Knowledge about the language (English) Cohesion and coherence devices How to put ideas into words Grammar and lexical resources

Linguistic, rethoric and language kowledge

writing process

knowledgeSubject matter

knowledge

Linguistic, rethoric

and language kowledge

Genre and stylistic

kowledge

There are many elements to consider before writing

It involves:

Layout appropriacy Genre conventions Templates and samples Dialect conventions Linguistic features in relation to the genre Register: formal vs informal

Genre and stylistic kowledge

Some other aspects to take into account..

Formal letter writing is not free writing. It´s quite controlled and guided !!

Be aware of the target reader, and stick to the proper dialect