Letter Writing

Dr. Mbanefo S. Ogene

Department of English Language and Literature

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka

Introduction

What is Letter Writing?

The word ‘letter’ is defined by the Oxford Advanced Learner’s

Dictionary as, “a message that is written down or printed on paper and

usually put in an envelope and sent to somebody” (679). Categorically,

letters are broadly divided into the formal and informal types. Inside

this categories are: business letter/letter of appreciation, letter of

complaint/sympathy, interactive letter and introspective letter. Out of

these categories, the business letter, letter of complaint (e.g. petitions

and protests), letter of sympathy or commiseration, query, warning and

memoranda are classed under the formal letter, while others like the

letter of appreciation, sympathy letter, interactive and introspective

letters fall into the semi-formal and informal/friendly letters.

Writing on the other hand is a noun depicting the activity of writing,

as contrasted to reading or speaking. While some people make out a

living out of writing job, others engage in writing as either creative, essay

or letter writing.

Essentially, every scholar should be prepared to write one kind of

letter or the other some time in life. It may be a letter of application for

employment, a letter of petition over an injustice (like the case of missing

script after an undergraduate examination), friendly/interactive letters,

etc. The primary concern of such a letter writer is that there is message

to be conveyed. This message may or may not always be put in an

envelope but must be sent to somebody, as some letters are sent

through the E-mail, Fax or SMS (popularly known as text message).

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It is the duty of every scholar to learn as much as possible the different

aspects of letter writing and put them to practice so as to perfect in this

aspect of life. Letter writing belongs to the written aspect of English

language and should not be mistaken with the spoken English. A good

speaker may fall short of expectations in the area of letter writing as

speech involves the use of acoustic sounds, while letter writing makes

use of the written symbols.

The Formal Letter

Official letter is another name for the formal letter. This type of letter is

generally known as official letter because it is addressed to offices. Two

types of power that exists are: (i) those vested in an office, and (ii) those

vested in a person. Official letters are therefore formal in nature, (i.e.

suitable for official or important occasions) and have suitable manner of

appearance different from the informal letters. Some features of the

formal letters are:

(i) They start with the writer’s address

(ii) A date of writing the letter is always included

(iii) There are the addressee’s address and reference number (where

necessary) attached to the letter

(iv) The letter must open with a formal salutation like Dear Sir, Dear

Professor/Chief/Dr…, etc.

(v) The topic of letter is usually included

(vi) The formal letter must contain body paragraphs, which discuss the

subject matter of the letter

(vii) Conclusion and a formal greeting to mark the closure.

(viii) Indication of enclosure, attachments, circular copies, under fly

service (u.f.s) etc go with some types of formal letters.

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A format of an official/formal letter is shown below:

(i) Type ‘A’ (without letter – headed paper):

Open address without punctuation

When an official letter is written in an official letter headed paper, such

feature as the writer’s address is no longer necessary as the letter

headed paper bears such an address. This is usually applicable to a

letter written from one establishment or institution to another or to an

employee. Most often such letter with letter headed paper makes a room

for referencing. E.g. Our Ref:…………………… and Your

Ref……………………. This referencing aids the filing and documentation

of such a correspondence.

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Department of English Language and LiteratureNnamdi Azikiwe UniversityAwka30 October 2008

The Managing DirectorAnambra Broadcasting ServiceP M B 5070Awka

Dear SirApplication for Work as an Editor in your Establishment

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- - - - - - - -- - - -- - - --- - - - - - -- - -- -- --- - -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- -- - - - -- - -- - - - --- - -- -- - -- -- - -- -- -- -- - - - - -- --- --- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yours faithfully(Sign)Name (with title if any)

Layout of an Official/Formal Letter

(ii) Type ‘B’ (With Letter-Headed paper): Punctuated address

ROYAL NIGER HERITAGE COMPANY,

KILOMETRE 8 ONITSHA-ENUGU EXPRESS ROAD,

P.O. BOX 39, OGIDI.

DATE: 11 NOVEMBER, 2008.

Our Ref:

Your Ref:

The Manager/Chief Executive Officer,

Intercontinental Bank Plc.,

Onitsha.

Dear Sir,

Opening a Current Account with Your Bank

- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

-- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - --- - - - - - - - - - -

-

Yours faithfully,

(Sign)

NWOKEDI, John N.

Notes

(a) Indention/Block Form Address

This fashion is differentiated in the format of writing an address. The

indented type of address is slanted from left to right and appears in the

following manner:

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Department of English Language and Literature

Nnamdi Azikiwe University

Awka

30 October 2008

For the Block Form, the address goes this way:

Department of English Language and Literature

Nnamdi Azikiwe University

Awka

30 October 2008

(b) Consistency in Punctuation

If the letter writer chooses to use an open address method, the

method must be observed from the beginning to the end and should

equally be extended to both the addresser’s and the addressee’s

address. Commas, full stops, hyphen, etc use is normally in the

punctuated address, but this is not applicable to the open one.

(c) Dates (day, month, year positions)

There are different methods of writing dates in any formal and

informal letter. Usually, the date of writing a letter is placed under the

addresser’s address (i.e. the address of the person writing the letter). It

is advisable not to use the hyphens or the strokes to indicate the day,

month and year of writing. It is better to fully write down the date of

writing an official letter as in the cases below:

E.g. (i) December 14, 2008

(ii) 14 December 2008

(iii) 14th December, 2008

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In the case of punctuated address, numbers (i) and (iii) are more

suitable, while the (ii) is better used in an open address letter.

(D) Salutation of Dignitaries/Formal opening

The usual way to start off a formal letter is to start with the

Salutation/Formal opening greeting of “Dear Sir” for men and “Dear

Madam” for women. Some scholars have however expressed

sentiments on this old use of “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam” as it sounds

more like cliché, but rather suggest the use of the person’s surname

with the salutation. E.g. Dear Dr Oputa, instead of Dear Sir, and Dear

Mrs. Alkali, instead of Dear Madam, etc. (Eyisi: 177). Other varieties of

salutations of letter to dignitaries are as listed below:

Designation Official Salutation Social Salutation

President Mr. President Dear Mr./Alhaji/Dr + (surname)

Governor

Cabinet Minister/Ambassador

Your Excellency

Sir

Dear Mr/Alhaji/Dr + (surname)

Dear Mr/Alhaji/Dr + (surname)

Cardinal My Lord Cardinal Dear Cardinal + (surname)

Archbishop My Lord Bishop Dear Lord Archbishop

My dear Lord Archbishop

Bishop My Lord Bishop

My Lord

My dear Lord Bishop

My Lord Bishop, Dear Bishop

Canon Reverend Sir Dear Canon + (surname)

Professor Dear Sir Dear Professor + (surname)

Senior Army Sir Dear General + (surname)

Naval/Air Force Officer Dear Sir (surname) Dear Colonel + (surname)

Judge My Lord Dear Justice + (surname)

Magistrate Your Worship Dear Mr/Alhaji/Dr. + (surname)

Speaker Honourable Dear Mr/Alhaji/Dr. + (surname)

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Some Tips On A Good Official Letter

A good official letter must be direct to the point and should easily

pass across the message that is needed to be conveyed. Some

expressions used in official letters have so much been used that they

now constitute clichés. Such statements like “In acknowledgement of the

receipt of your letter …” , “Enclosed please find the items listed …” ,

“Attached please find” , “With reference to your letter of 19 November” ,

etc are not only out of use, but also ambiguous. They should be modified

to possess the same, direct and straight-forward standards.

The Use of Active/Passive Voice

In a formal letter, active voice is preferable to the passive

voice, because, the active voice facilitates in the direct, simple and easy

to comprehend communication. E.g.

1a No applicant has been considered = Passive

1b The establishment has not considered any applicant = Active

2a There is the need to consider = Passive

2b The establishment want/we would like to = Active

Complimentary Close/Subscription

As courtesy demands, a letter that started with salutation should

logically end with a complimentary close/subscription, similar to the

nature of the opening salutation. The more universal form of

complimentary close is Yours faithfully. Personalized salutations

however close with informal complimentary, e.g.: Dear Dr Eseigbe,

closes with Yours sincerely.

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Using the Block Style/Complimentary Close in A Letter

The block style as the name implies appear in a straight linear standard

in a letter. The format of the letter is such that the address, the body and

closure form the block. E.g.:

14 Reverend Marthins Hall

Ambrose Alli University

Ekpoma – Nigeria

20 November 2009

The Vice Chancellor

Ambrose Alli University

Ekpoma – Nigeria

Dear Sir

Information on Threat by a Student

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -

Yours faithfully

(signature)

Name

The Indentation Styled Letter

There are different types of the indentation styled letter. They include

the one that has the block address format, with either punctuations or no

punctuations. The salutation of this indented style usually ends with

a comma, while the topic/caption of the letter is placed at the

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centre. The body is indented, while the complimentary close takes the

centre or the right hand edge of the letter. Examples:

1. Male Hall 3,

Federal School of Arts and Science,

Ogoja,

Cross River State.

26 March, 1998.

The Medical Director,

Federal Health Centre,

Enugu State.

Dear Dr. Adimma,

Cases of Chicken Pox Infection in Male Hostels

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………….…………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………..…….…………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Yours sincerely,

(Signature)

Eremi, Nkanu (Mr).

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2. Department of English Language and Literature ,

University of Benin,

Benin – City.

15 January, 2002.

The Director,

School of Postgraduate Studies,

University of Benin,

Benin – City.

Dear Sir,

Deferment of Admission

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………

…….…………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Yours faithfully,

(signature)

Name,

Notes: The format used in number 1 is very old and out of use. It is not

therefore welcomed in writing letters in the modern times.

The second one however, though outdated is still used in some

quarters. It is pertinent to note that all the complimentary close/ the

subscriptions do not use the apostrophe before s i.e. Your’s faithfully is

wrong, but Yours faithfully is right.

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Practicing the Art of Writing

There are no better ways of improving in any aspect of letter writing,

except by putting into practice what one has learnt. Every good writer

should not under – estimate the importance of good topic sentence in

all official letters. This topic sentence gives a ready made picture of what

a writer sets out to do in the body paragraphs of the official letter. The

topic sentence should therefore be apt, direct and strong enough to

convey the abridged form of the idea that the writer intends should be

clearly written, logical and without unnecessary ambiguities. A good

official letter should strive to be devoid of grammatical errors.

To aid your study, the following official letters are articulated as

your guides.

Application for an Unadvertised Vacancy

Note that a job vacancy that was not advertised in a newspaper, notice

board or electronic media does not make reference, but goes direct to

the point.

Example I:

P.O. Box 6284

Aliade

Benue State

17 February 2008

The Rector

Benue State Polytechnic

Ugbokolo

Dear Sir

Application for Employment as a Clerical Officer in your Institution

I wish to apply for work as a Clerical Officer in the Benue state

Polytechnic, Ugbokolo.

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My National Diploma programme was completed in the Federal

Polytechnic, Oko Anambra State in 2004, after my WASC/GCE School

Certificate was obtained in the year 2000.

Photocopies of my certificate and curriculum vitae are hereby attached

to this application for further information. It will please me if I am invited

to come for an interview on a date that is convenient to you, if my

application is acceptable to you.

Yours faithfully,

(signature))

Unyi Ikpe

Application for an Advertised Vacancy

A job vacancy that was advertised in a newspaper, notice board or

electronic media usually goes with a reference.

Example 2:

Mercury Printing Press Limited117 Enugu -Onitsha RoadAwka19 April 2006

The General ManagerGovernment Printing PressGovernment House AwkaDear Sir

Application for the Post of Stores Manager

Your advertisement in the Daily Sun of 12 April refers, I write to apply

for the post of stores manager in your establishment.

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I have had four – years experience as a stores manager in the afore –

mentioned establishment, after six years of service in the commercial

division of the same establishment. My personal interest in store keeping

and management has enabled me to go for three months training

organized by the London school of stores management in London in

2003. I have no doubt that I will be of immense benefit to your

establishment if given the opportunity to serve.

My curriculum vitae is hereby enclosed to this letter and I shall be happy

to come to your office for interview as soon as it is convenient to you.

Yours faithfully(signature)Mrs. Nnena Obioma

Outside the letters of application, other types of formal letters include

letters of promotion, letters of commendation, commiseration, queries

and replies to queries, courtesy calls, permission, leave of absence,

petitions, warning, official reports, etc.

Format for Curriculum Vitae

A formal letter may sometimes need the curriculum vitae to

accompany it. The term curriculum vitae is a Latin word for brief written

documents or account of one’s past life records usually used when

applying for a job. The American English refers to this as resume.

Six major parts have been identified in this term. They include (i)

personal data (ii) education and qualifications (iii) experience (iv)

publications (if any) (v) extra-curriculum activities (vi) references.

Here is an example:

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Curriculum Vitae

i Personal Data

Name Mr. Uche Agoyim

Date and Place of Birth 01 November 1969; Awka

Sex Male

Marital Status Single

Permanent Home Address Agoyim’s Compound,

P. O. Box 8 Ikarre-Ekiti

Nationality Nigerian

State of Origin Osun

Local Government Area Ekiti South

ii Education and Qualification

Kenneth Dike Memorial High 1982-1988

School Awka (WASC/GCE)

Ambrose Alli University Expoma (BA Music) 1989-1993

University of Nigeria, Nsukka (MA Music) 1994-1996

iii Work Experience

Laboratory Technologist, Wisdom Hospital, Lagos 1988-1989

iv Publication (if any)

Blacks Unlimited (Novel), Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1997

v Extra-Curricular activities

Swimming * lawn tennis * reading * singing

vi Referees

Dr Ernest Ifedi

Director, School of Medical Sciences

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University of Ibadan

Chief Glanson Okafor

Managing Director, Glanson Laboratory Inc Awka

Mr. Godwin Ozougwu

Senior Lecturer, Department of Physics

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka

* Note: When an official letter is accompanied by curriculum vitae,

the writer normally indicates this by stating that the curriculum vitae is

enclosed in the letter.

Exercises

1. You have just read an advertisement in a National Daily over the

existence of vacancy in a reputable media house on Editorial staff

employment. Write a reply to this letter and use the following

address:

The Managing Director

Sky power Radio Broadcasting Corporation

P. M. B. 2455

Abuja

2. You have noticed that your name and result did not appear in the

just published first semester result and the lecturer concerned in

teaching and marking the course has asked you to write your

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complaints to him. Write this complaint stating your problems on

paper.

Sample Answer

Department of English Language and

Literature

Nnamdi Azikiwe University

Awka

25 November 2008

Dr S. M. Igbokwe

Department of Statistics

Nnamdi Azikiwe University

Awka

Dear Dr. Igbokwe

Re: Complaint Over the Unpublishing of My Result on Stat 211:

Statistics of Language and Request to Publish the Result

Recall my earlier complaints to you over the unpublishing of my result on

Stat 211: Statistics of Language, after the first Semester 2007/2008

examination result were published in our department.

As you directed, this letter is to inform you of my predicament and

anxiety over this matter and equally request you to publish my result

soon.

I am very sure that I sat for the examination and equally signed and

registered my name in the attendance register during the examination.

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The examination was invigilated by Dr M.M. Udemba of the Statistics

department as well as Mrs. H. Iwuozo of the English Department.

The following 200 level students of my department who took the

examination with me as an elective can bear me witness that I submitted

my answer booklet at the end of the examination – Okey Uzo, Nneka

Okenwa and Ukoma Obi who sat next to me.

Considering the fact that my colleagues who took the examination with

me have seen their results, may you kindly release my own to enable me

know my academic standing in the just concluded session.

Yours faithfully,

(Sign)

Ngozi Anyaora

(Reg. No.)

3. You are the Secretary to the Manager, Central Bank of Nigeria and

your Manager wants to go on a one day sensitization visit to all the

branches of Central Bank on a specified date (e.g. 23 August

2009), write an official letter informing the Branch Managers of this

scheduled visit.

4. Write a letter of commiseration to a member of your church who is

bereaved of the mother.

The Informal Letter

As its name implies, the informal letter does not appear with all

the basic components of the formal letter. Such letters as those

written to friends, relations and mates constitute what are known as

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the informal letter. A good informal letter should however be able to

convince the reader, avoid unnecessary repetition, maintain accuracy

and be careful of the choice of words used in constructing the letter.

Humour should arise naturally from the subject matter of an informal

letter, while clichés and hackneyed phrases should be avoided. The lay-

out of an informal letter is as shown below:

Pre-Science Programme

Nnamdi Azikiwe University

Awka

12 December 2008

My dear Nkoli,

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Yours ever,

Ikenna

In writing an informal letter, the writer should note that the use of

my (pronoun) indicates the level of intimacy and deeper relationship

between the writer of the letter and the person to whom the letter is

written. Since the informal letters are written for those who are familiar,

the use of surname is not always necessary, but the writer uses the first

or pet names like: Joe, Kizy, Honey, Sugar, Dandy, etc to close the

letter.

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The body of the informal letter can also go with informal language,

slang, jokes and creoles, where the parties understand themselves.

There is no limit to the length of an informal letter and informalities like

“how is mummy, daddy and the little puppy” are equally allowed.

Exercise

1. Your friend in another university has just written a letter to ask of

your progress in your educational career in the university, write a

reply to this letter informing him of your progress so far.

Answer

Room 18B

Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall

University of Port Harcourt

Rivers State

16 November 2008

My dear Chioma,

Good day and greetings from the garden city. How are you and

your entire friends in the University of Lagos getting on with life?

Your letter of 30 October was warmly received with high regards

and deep appreciation. How thoughtful and kind of you to have written

me first and ask of my progress in my educational career in this

University.

I still recall your last words to me that Friday morning when we

parted ways and the encouragement to me to toil without ceasing.

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That piece of advice has served as my watchword and guiding principle.

Being one of the first fresh students to arrive in the hostel, I took the lead

by working hard to justify the fees paid by daddy and mummy to make

me somebody.

At present we have gone far into the first semester of my one

hundred level. The assignments and quizzes form part of our continuous

assessment and they come very often. Chi, I wish you are around to

encourage me at this stage of life. That novel which I started writing in

my final year in the Federal Government College has been completed

and will soon be published. Remember me in your prayers.

The semester is very short and I intend to spend the holidays in

Abuja after the first semester examinations. I hope to be at the village

briefly before the second semester starts. Meanwhile, extend my

warmest greetings to your dad, mum, sisters and brothers.

Thanks for the beautiful card and the sentiments expressed there.

In the words of Idi Amin, I will soon ‘retaliate’. My prayer for you is that

God should help you to maintain that childhood innocence with which I

know you. Until we meet again, bye and God’s grace.

Love from,

Tonia.

2. Write a letter to your friend informing him of your readiness to

leave for the National Youth Service Corps next month.

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WORKS CITED

Aka, S.M.O. Model Essays and Letter. Ibadan: S.M.O Aka & Brothers

Ltd, 1997.

Anasiudu, B.N. in Oluikpe, Benson Omenihu (ed). The Use of English.

Ointsha: Africana – Fep publishers Limited, 1985.

Enyiyere, D.O. Essay and Letter Writing Made Easy. Ibadan: Oluseyi

Press Ltd, 2000.

Eyisi, J. English for Higher Education (Revised Ed). Joy Eyisi and

Raph Uzoezie (Eds.) Nimo: Rex Charles & Patrick Ltd., 2008.

Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English.

Sixth edition. Sally Wehmeir (ed) Oxford University Press, 2001.

Lawrence, R.S. A Guide to Public Speaking. London: Pan Books

Limited, 1973

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