Anatomy of a letter
About
This page regroups all ui elements by name (known also as feature) that you could find in a letter
Type
There are three types of Letters:
| Formal Letter | not personal | business and official letters |
| Informal Letter | personal | written to friends and acquaintances |
| Semi-formal Letter | in-between | |
List
For all type of letter, we found back this features.
Sender Address
The address is aligned vertically so that each line starts immediately below the previous one
Include telephone number and email if available
The sender’s address is written at the top right corner.
If the letter is going to be sent to someone in another country, you should add your country to the address.
The address is generally followed by the date.
Date
In a formal letter, the date goes below the sender address with a line space in between
Example:
- 1st February, 2007
- 2nd May, 2006
- 3rd July, 2009
Recipient’s Address
The address is aligned vertically so that each line starts immediately below the previous one
The Recipient’s address is written at the left hand side below the sender’s address, after the date.
Salutation / Greeting
The name of the person should be used if known instead of a formal salutation.
| Example | Type |
|---|---|
| Dear Sir/Madam | Formal |
| Dear | Formal / Informal |
| Hey | Informal |
| Hi | Informal |
| What's up | Informal |
| How's it going | Informal |
| Greetings | Informal |
| Howdy | Informal |
Informal greetings are used in situations where you want to:
- be familiar with the person you are writing to
- have a casual or friendly relationship with them.
The salutation is written on the left-hand side following the sender's address and date.
Heading
An heading is one sentence that carries the reason of the writing. It should be in capital letters or underlined.
An heading is also known as:
- introduction
- subject
In a formal letter, you would find it under the salutation.
Body
The body gives more details and outline the most important points.
Paragraphs should be indented.
- In formal writing, the first paragraph is introductory while the second paragraph conveys whatever it is you want to get across, in details. The last paragraph should be conclusive.
- When writing to a friend or acquaintance, the first paragraph generally expresses a greeting, followed by wishes of good health while the second paragraph carries the reason you’re writing the letter
Example from an Amazon template newsletters
This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. The ear demands some variety.
Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length.
And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbal sounds that say listen to this, it is important
Closing / Signature / Valediction
An short sentence written at the left side after the conclusion with your names.
A Complimentary close (or Valediction) followed by your name or nickname.
This is written at the left hand side. The name of the sender is printed below the signature. A comma must follow the complimentary close.
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Formal | Yours faithfully Yours sincerely |
| Informal | Love, Lots of love, Best wishes, Missing you lots, Yours forever, Regards, Bye for now! Personal regards, Kindest regards, etc |
| Affectionate | My dear _name_ |
With semi-formal letter and informal letter, you just write your given name. You do not print your full name.
Documentation / Reference
- wikipedia: