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Writing a Formal Letter Made Easy: Follow These Sample Guidelines
Formal letters are an essential form of communication in many aspects of life. Whether you are applying for a job, making a complaint, or requesting information, knowing how to write a formal letter is crucial. In this article, we will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to write a formal letter sample that will help you navigate this task with ease.
Understanding the Format of a Formal Letter
The first step in writing a formal letter is understanding the format. A formal letter typically consists of four main sections: the sender’s address, the date, the recipient’s address, and the body of the letter. The sender’s address and date are usually placed at the top right corner of the page, while the recipient’s address is placed below it on the left-hand side. The body of the letter begins after leaving some space below the recipient’s address.
Opening and Salutation
The opening of your formal letter sets the tone for your communication. Begin by addressing the recipient using their appropriate title and last name (e.g., “Dear Mr./Ms./Dr./Prof./Surname”). If you are unsure about their gender or title, it is best to use their full name instead (e.g., “Dear Alex Smith” or “Dear Taylor Johnson”). Avoid using informal salutations like “Hey” or “Hi.”
Body of the Letter
The body of your formal letter should be concise, clear, and well-structured. Start by stating your purpose for writing in a polite and direct manner. Use paragraphs to organize your thoughts logically and make it easier for readers to follow your message.
If you are writing an application letter or covering letter for a job position, highlight your qualifications and relevant experience that make you suitable for the role. Be sure to explain why you are interested in working for that particular company or organization.
When writing a complaint letter, clearly state the issue you are facing and provide any necessary details or evidence to support your claim. It is important to remain calm and objective, avoiding any personal attacks or offensive language.
For a request letter, clearly state what you are requesting and provide any necessary details or supporting documents. Be polite and explain why your request is important or beneficial for both parties involved.
Closing and Signature
In the closing of your formal letter, thank the recipient for their time and consideration. Use a professional closing such as “Sincerely,” “Yours faithfully,” or “Best regards.” Leave enough space between the closing and your typed name to allow for your handwritten signature if required.
Below your typed name, include any additional contact information that may be relevant, such as phone number or email address. This allows the recipient to easily reach out to you if needed.
In conclusion, writing a formal letter doesn’t have to be intimidating. By following these sample guidelines, you can effectively communicate your message in a professional manner. Remember to pay attention to formatting, use appropriate salutations, structure your letter well, and end with a polite closing and signature. With practice, writing formal letters will become second nature to you.
This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.
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How to Write a Formal Essay: Format, Rules, & Example
If you’re a student, you’ve heard about a formal essay: a factual, research-based paper written in 3rd person. Most students have to produce dozens of them during their educational career.
Writing a formal essay may not be the easiest task. But fear not: our custom-writing team is here to guide you through the process. This article will:
- explain what a formal essay is;
- show how to write it step by step;
- provide you with an essay sample.
👔 Formal Essay Definition
- ✅ How to Write
- ✍️ Writing Rules
- 🖥️ Essay Format
- 📑 Sample Paper
🔍 References
A formal essay is a well-structured piece of writing with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. This type of essay often includes cited research, uses an academic tone, and is written in 3rd person. While writing a formal essay, it’s necessary to back up your arguments with factual evidence.
What Is an Informal Essay vs. Formal Essay?
Essays come in two formats: formal and informal (also known as personal .) They differ in terms of style and context. You can choose one of the formats depending on the situation and the type of paper you need to write.
Don’t know how to tell the difference between them? Well, here are some key characteristics of these essay types:
| Characteristics | Informal essay | Formal essay |
|---|---|---|
| Usually, the purpose of an informal essay is to share opinions or to entertain the reader. | A formal essay aims to critically analyze facts, details, and ideas to prove a point. | |
| Addresses the reader directly and uses 1st-person pronouns. | Uses 3rd-person pronouns and doesn’t address the reader. | |
| Expresses the writer’s thoughts and opinions and tends to be more subjective. | Strives to be objective and uses arguments to support its ideas. | |
| Doesn’t have to be as structured as a formal essay. | Should be well-structured and logical. | |
| The thesis may be stated in any part of the work or not explicitly stated at all. | The thesis is clearly stated and located in the essay’s first paragraph. | |
| Uses everyday language, slang, 1st- and 2nd-person pronouns such as “I,” “you,” and “me.” | Uses jargon and avoids using slang and 1st- or 2nd-person pronouns. |
As you can see, these types of writing are almost total opposites. Informal essays are only reserved for creative assignments, which means that most of the papers you write need to be formal.
Our article on creative essays can help you write an informal paper. But how do you craft a perfect formal essay? Keep reading to find out.
✅ How to Write a Formal Essay
Traditionally, a formal essay it’s composed of 3 sections: an introduction, 3 or more body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Let’s examine each part in detail.
Formal Essay Introduction
The introduction is what your essay starts with. Its primary goal is to catch the reader’s attention with a hook, briefly introduce the topic, and lead toward the thesis statement located at the end of the first paragraph.
Here is what you might want to keep in mind while writing the introduction:
| ✔️ | It should be related to the topic and give the reader an overall idea of the paper. |
| ✔️ | It’s good to start your introduction with a quotation, an interesting fact, or a statistic. |
| ❌ | Try not to make the introduction too far-fetched or in-your-face. |
| ❌ | Avoid using questions in an introduction of a formal essay. |
If you want some more inspiration for your introduction, check out our article on hooks in writing .
Now on to the thesis statement : the key idea of your essay. When working on it, keep in mind that it should answer the central question in your topic and reflect your essay’s overall structure. your essay’s overall structure.
Suppose your topic is related to the teaching methods involving poetry. In that case, the thesis statement can be like this:
Teaching methods that involve reading and writing poetry in elementary school are beneficial for children as they enhance their capacity for empathy, develop creativity, and help with self-realization.
Formal Essay Body
The next part of an essay is the main body paragraphs. They support the thesis statement with well-developed arguments and explore the topic in-depth. Each body paragraph starts with a topic sentence stating its main point. The length of a paragraph can vary, but the best option is to have between 4 and 7 sentences.
To make the text flow easily, you may use transitional words. Here are some examples:
- after all,
- for instance,
- on the one/other hand,
- initially,
- as a result.
How to Write a Formal Essay Conclusion
Lastly, every essay needs closure. A good conclusion summarizes the essay’s main ideas, includes a paraphrased thesis, and encourages the readers to think more about the topic.
The structure of a conclusion may change slightly depending on the subject. For instance, it can suggest some solutions to a problem, express an opinion, or give a recommendation. It’s important to remember that the conclusion is a part that emphasizes your essay’s most important points and doesn’t introduce new information.
If you’re curious about writing each essay part, check out our article on 5-paragraph essays .
✍️ Formal Writing Rules
Just like choosing the proper attire to wear to a formal event, we need to use the right words while writing a formal essay. Here are some suggestions that can help you maintain a formal tone in your paper:
Dos of formal writing
- Pay attention to your vocabulary. The words you will use in a formal essay will likely have a nuanced meaning. Make sure you know exactly what the terms mean, and do your best to sound precise.
- Use punctuation correctly. Here are some of the things to watch out for: Avoid exclamation marks; Use dashes for insertions; Use colons with enumerations; If you’re unsure of whether to use a punctuation mark or not, rewrite the sentence in a way that doesn’t require it.
- Use varied sentence structure. In formal writing, there is always a danger of sounding monotonous. Avoid repeating sentence structures to make your essay more readable.
- Provide references. It’s essential to cite every idea that you borrow. Try to paraphrase quotations from your sources: it will help you avoid plagiarism.
Don’ts of formal writing
- Avoid using pronouns. With words such as “I,” “me,” “we,” or “us,” an essay becomes wordy. It also makes the author seem less sure of their ideas. If you want to use personal pronouns, try substituting them with words like “the reader,” “viewers,” or “one.”
- Avoid using slang expressions and nonstandard diction. Slang words in a formal essay will make it less appealing to the readers. If you want to be taken seriously, it’s best to avoid those expressions and use proper Standard English.
- Avoid informal tone. When you write a formal essay, incorporate the language and the expressions you would use while delivering a speech, not the words you use when you casually talk to friends. A formal tone suggests that the author is serious about the topic and respects the audience.
- Avoid passive voice. Passive verbs are hard to read, and they are wordy. Use active voice to sound more straightforward and concise.
Contractions in Formal Writing
A contraction is usually a combination of two words into one, such as “don’t,” “isn’t,” “can’t,” and “wouldn’t.” When you work on a formal essay, it’s essential to be careful about contractions. It’s inappropriate to use them in academic writing, so it’s best to stick to the full variant.
However, there are exceptions to this rule. For instance, when working with direct quotations, it’s essential to reproduce words exactly as they are used in the original. To learn more about it, be sure to check out the University of North Florida’s article on in-text citations .
What to Use Instead of “You” in an Essay
Another common mistake students make is using the “you” and “yours” pronouns to address the readers. This mistake can make the essay overly informal and lead to misinterpretations of the text.
How do you fix it? Our advice is to replace 2nd-person pronouns with the following words:
- individuals,
You can find more formal writing tips in this informative video from Smrt English:
🖥️ Formal Essay Format
Now that we’ve discussed formal essay writing in detail, it’s time to look at the formatting. A formal essay is usually written in MLA or APA formats. If you’re asked to write a paper in one of these formats, you may find the guidelines below helpful:
| MLA | APA | |
|---|---|---|
| Write your name, the instructor’s name, your class, and the date in the upper left corner of the 1st page. Make the title centered and place it after the heading information in the same font as the rest of your paper. | Create a separate . Make your title centered and written in boldface. Add your name, instructor’s name, school affiliation, and date. | |
| Write your last name and the number of each page in the upper right corner. | Write the number of each page in the upper right corner. | |
| Use 12-point Times New Roman font. | ||
| Make your essay double-spaced without extra spacing between the paragraphs. | ||
| Add a 1-inch margin on each side of the page. | ||
| Make the 1st line of each paragraph indented 1/5 inch. | ||
| Line up your text flush against the left margin. | ||
📑 Formal Essay Example
Here is an excellent sample of a formal essay that uses all the guidelines mentioned in this article. It will help you to produce a perfect paper of your own:
| Title | Adverse effects of sponsorship in the sports industry |
|---|---|
| Sponsorship plays a significant role in the sports industry these days. Many sports associations, football leagues, and clubs are entering partnerships with famous brands. However, it does not mean that all sponsorship has a good impact. This essay argues that a questionable sponsorship may undermine the image of a sport or a team and adversely influence the viewers. | |
| Important sports events such as FIFA or The Olympic Games are sponsored by brands such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Cadbury’s, and Budweiser. These are also brands that promote unhealthy lifestyles and foods that lack nutritional value and have high levels of salt, sugar, and saturated fats. Such kind of sponsorship aims to obtain a favorable change in the attitude toward the brand itself by connecting it with sport and a healthy lifestyle. | |
| While alcohol and junk food brands link themselves to sports bodies and active lifestyles, their main targets are children and sports fans. The growing popularity of products high in saturated fat, salt, and sugar, including potato chips, sugary drinks, and confectionary, results in them being not simply a treat but a daily staple for many people. It creates various health issues, such as obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. | |
| Finally, an association with a widely criticized brand is likely to damage the reputation of a team or even a sport itself (Crompton, 2014). People tend to expect their favorite teams to partner with fair, responsible sponsors. If the partnership is questionable, the fans may think that the sports body compromised their virtue for profit. | |
| To sum up, some kinds of sponsorship, such as alcohol or junk food, may use the sport’s image to attract more people and increase sales. It leads to the excessive consumption of sponsored products by children and teenagers and causes various health issues. It is also likely to affect the public image of a sports body. |
For more information, check out Purdue OWL’s resources on various formatting styles .
Formal Essay Topics
- Stress management techniques
- The effects of coffee
- Negative effects of technology on children
- Causes and outcomes of organizational conflicts in sports
- Different types of friends
- Same-sex marriages in the United States
- Are early marriages harmful or beneficial?
- How do nutrition and hydration improve athletes’ performance?
- Is polygamy morally acceptable?
- Different features of sports business
- What characterizes friendship in the age of media?
- Positive and negative effects of tourism on environment in the Caribbean
- How does society treat single parents?
- How does the uninvolved parenting style affect child’s future well-being?
- The role of family relationships in Odyssey
- Financial concepts in sport finance
- Main features of a strong marriage
- The importance of media coverage for sport teams
- Reasons why students choose to get internship
- The role of stadiums in the sports industry
- The multiracial family: the Carters case analysis
- Characteristics of children’s sports
- Crucial factors affecting health fitness
- How is technology used in hotel management?
- Structure and operational context of Four Seasons
- What are the main qualities of a true friend?
- Different websites that promote rental properties
- The imperative aspects of tourism
- Importance of hotel training
- What factors determine adolescents’ adjustment after they experience parental divorce?
- How does tobacco use affect the human body?
- The importance of language and world view for communication
- What makes a combination of reinforcement and punishment in parenting efficient?
- The scientific approach of sports economics
- How does divorce affect children?
- Living on-campus vs. living off-campus when attending university: a comparison
- How does the New Moves program promote a healthy lifestyle?
- How to be an effective counselor
- Various types of restaurants in Ireland
- Carolina Dog’s characteristics
- Comparison of Monzameon’s The Love Suicides at Amijima and Tartuffe by Moliere
- Comparing homosexual and heterosexual families
- How is family presented in Everyday Use by Alice Walker ?
- In what ways can Anaerobic Threshold be assessed?
- Is bad parenting a healthcare problem?
- Why student-athletes should benefit from sports
- Mind-body awareness and its health benefits
- Can punishment boost academic performance?
- Techniques to teach students swimming
- Issues faced by the sports licensing field
Thanks for reading through this guide! We hope that you found it helpful and now have a better idea of how to write an excellent formal essay. Don’t hesitate to share our article with a friend who may need it. Good luck!
Further reading:
- How to Write a Critical Thinking Essay: Examples & Outline
- What Is a Discourse Analysis Essay: Example & Guide
- How to Write a Narrative Essay Outline: Template & Examples
- How to Write a Précis: Definition, Guide, & Examples
❓ Formal Essay FAQs
It’s best not to use pronouns such as “I,” “my,” “we,” “our,” etc., in a formal essay since it give the paper an informal tone and the text becomes wordy. It also makes the writer seem less sure about their ideas.
It’s better to avoid using parentheses and dashes in formal academic writing. If the information you want to include in the essay is important enough, it should be a part of the sentence. Otherwise, you can simply omit it.
The formal and informal essays differ in style and context. While a formal essay is a piece of well-structured writing that tries to convince the reader by providing arguments, an informal essay has no set structure. It reflects the author’s personal thoughts or opinions.
Starting your sentence with “because” in formal writing is not the best idea. The word “because” is a subordinate conjunction, which means it’s used to join the main clause to a subordinate clause, not to start a sentence.
It’s best to avoid using 1st- and 2nd-person pronouns, slang expressions, nonstandard diction, and contractions in a formal essay. They are primarily used in daily speech and are considered inappropriate in academic writing.
- Point of View in Academic Writing: St. Louis Community College
- Components of a Good Essay: University of Evansville
- Introductions & Conclusions: University of Arizona Global Campus
- How to Improve Your Academic Writing: University of York
- Nine Basic Ways to Improve Your Style in Academic Writing: University of California, Berkeley
- Academic Writing Style: Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: University of Southern California
- Formal and Informal Style: Northern Illinois University
- Formal Writing: Davenport University: LibGuides
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