Writing a letter

Structure of a letter

• • Start
    • • Sender with name and address
    • • Recipient with name and address
    • • Date

• • Salutation

• • Introduction
    • • Brief description of the situation, the background, the reason for the letter, reason for the letter, opinion of the writer.

• • Main part
    • • depending on the purpose and message of the letter:
        • • arguments
        • • presentation of a situation or facts
        • • opinion
        • • experiences

• • Conclusion
    • • Summary of the opinion of the letter writer
    • • Repetition or emphasis of the most important argument
    • • Call
    • • Request

• • Closure
    • • Salutation

• • Greeting + Signature

Sample formulations for writing a letter

• • Start
    • • Sender, Example road 23, 32355 Sample city
    • • Rudi Recipient, Somewherestreet 15, 53456 Examplevillage
    • • 13th February 2008

• • Salutation
    • • Dear ….,
      • Ladies and gentlemen
      • Good morning, dear …
      • Honoured Mr. …
      • To Whom It May Concern,
      • Hello ….,
      • Greetings,
      • My Dearest …,  

• • Introduction
    • • I am writing to you today, because …
      • Because of ….
      • Recently, I read an article in the newspaper about …
      • Last week ….
      • With regard to …
      • Regarding …
      • Looking at …
      • In respect of …
      • In relation to …
      • …

• • Main part
    • • In my opinion …
    • • First, I would like to mention …
    • • Also, it is very important, that …
    • • As far as I know …
    • • Not to forget the fact that …
    • • As I already indicated, …
    • • Moreover …
    • • Not to forget …
    • • Therefore …

• • Conclusion 
    • • In conclusion, it can be stated …
      • In summary, I would like to say …
      • In view of the above arguments, I kindly ask for …
      • In consideration of …
      • In regard of …
      • In the light of …
      • Having seen these points outlined in the previous paragraphs …
      • In my opinion …