Parts of a formal letter

Letters are a type of text used to send information from a sender (sender) to a receiver (recipient) that is geographically distant. Although they are currently falling into disuse, they share most of their characteristics with emails, since they also have a relatively fixed structure. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will explain the characteristics of the cards, focusing on the parts of a formal letter So that, thus, you know all the elements that make up this source of information.

Each type of text serves a specific purpose, whether it is to inform, convince, tell a series of facts, etc. According to its purpose, there are a series of texts for social use, among which are letter, email and postcard that have a specific purpose and follow a model agreed upon by the members of a society.

The letter is used to send information about a sender (which is the issuer) to a addressee (which would be the receiver. A letter may not have a sender, when the name and address of the sender do not appear on the envelope or inside the letter. However, normally, both this information and the name and address of the recipient appear on the envelope.

In this article we will focus on the parts of the formal letter, since it is very common and has a very clear structure. The main features of a formal letter are the following:

• Existence of a transmitter and a receiver.
• Organization: the epistle must be organized, both structurally and syntactically, in a precise, clear, exact and concise way.
• Courtesy: the tone with which the sender addresses the receiver must be of kindness.
• Seeks to cause a good impression on the recipient by using correct language.
• Complete information: The information provided by a formal letter must be precise and without vagueness.

Linguistic characteristics of a formal letter

Regarding the language used, it has the following linguistic characteristics:

• Linguistic economics: In formal letters, the use of short sentences is sought and complex stylistic repetitions and resources are avoided.
• Varied, precise and courteous vocabulary.
• Ordered sentences and clear, allowing easy understanding without leaving a formal register.
• No use of abbreviations, whose use is limited to courtesy treatments.
• Correct use of punctuation marks.
• Cohesion of text by using connectors and other cohesive elements between sentences and paragraphs.