1.formal letter

7/27/2019 1.Formal Letter

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WRITING FORMAL

LETTER


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Dear Mr/Ms (surname), Dear Sir/Madam/Sir orMadam,

Reason for writingI am writing to I am writing with regard to I am writing on behalf of

Asking questions

I would be grateful if I wonder if you could

Could you ? Could you tell me something about ?I would particularly like to know I would be interested in having more details about


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Referring to their letterAs you started in your letter, Regarding Concerning With regard to

Complaining

I am writing to complain about You said but in fact what happened

We were supposed to stay with British familieswhereas we actually stayed in a guest house.


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ClosingIf you require any further information, please donot hesitate to contact me.

I look forward to hearing from you.Please contact me if you have any further questions.

Signing off(If Dear surname) Yours sincerely,(If Dear Sir/Madam) Yours faithfully,Yours,

First name + surname


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Remember that in formal letters we use

Formal vocabulary, usually not using phrasal verbs(Tolerate instead of put up with)

More complex sentence structure

(Knowing what a good reputation the restauranthas, I was disappointed with the service)

Punctuation using semi-colonsThe library offers no facilities for borrowing videos;this is because of the high cost involved


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Look at this task.

You are attending a course in London. Last week, because thetrains were delayed by bad weather, you were late for college everyday. On the worst day, the train was 1 hour 20 minutes late and

you missed two classes. This is an extract from an information leaflet you have picked up

at the station.

We hope you have a pleasant journey with Capital Rail, butif you have any comments or complaints about our services,please write to the Customer Care Manager at the address

below. What we promise to do when things go wrong: If you are delayed for more than one hour you may claim rail

vouchers to the value of 50% of the journey made.


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Write a letter to the Customer Care Manager at CapitalRail complaining about the poor service you haveexperienced and asking for compensation. Use yourown words as far as possible. Write about 250 words.You do not need to include addresses.

Read the instructions carefully and highlight the keypoints. Ask yourself:

What is the purpose of your letter?

What do you want it to achieve?


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Content

Your letter should include the following points.

Why you are writing

Which of your journeys were delayed

How long the delays were

What happened as a result of the travel delaysWhat compensation you require


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Organisation

Decide how you will organise these points into about fourparagraphs. What kind of things can you say in each paragraph?

Style and register

Thinking about what you want the letter to achieve, considerthese questions:

Should the letter be formal or informal? What tone is appropriate, eg angry, humorous, sarcastic, cool and

factual?


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Layout of a formal letter

This is how we organise a formal letter, although in the CAE exam it is not necessary to write addresses.

22 York StreetBridewellBR8 450

The Principal 24 November 2006Clifton CollegeCliftonCL5 2RE

Dear Sir,I am interested in applying for a place on a computer course at your college and I would begrateful if you could send me full details of the courses you offer and the fees, together with anapplication form.I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfullyS. M. GilchristS. M. Gilchrist (Ms)

L f l i


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Letter of complaint

In the first paragraph explain the reason for writing. In the second paragraph explain exactly what the problem is. Give all the necessary details

about where and when it happened and who was involved. Give other relevant informationin further paragraphs if necessary.

In the final paragraph explain what action you want to be taken.

Useful language I am writing to complain about to express my concern about the fact that to express my annoyance at .

I must insist that you . I must urge you to . I feel I am entitled to a refund. I feel I am entitled to some compensation for the inconvenience I have suffered.

I hope you will consider the points I have raised very carefully. I shall expect a written apology at your earliest convenience.


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1.formal letter

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