What is Letter writing? What is the Purpose and Parts of Letter?

Letters are the most vital means of written communication in the world of Internet and Mobile communication technology. They are still inseparable from the world of business, personal, social or the corporates. 

Letters can build relationships and destroy great business structures depending upon its quality. A major part of the world business is managed and run through these letters or correspondence. At the individual level, a person with flair for writing is bound to scale new heights in his career.

PURPOSE OF LETTER

Every letter, even the most routine, has a purpose. Try to establish the reasons for writing letter. For example :-

• To make an enquiry.
• To complain.
• To answer a complaint.
• To sell or persuade.
• To answer a question.
• To get something done.

etc.

All these statements of purpose are action - oriented.

PARTS OF LETTERS

Letters are in reality our message that we want to convey. There are certain letters forms which are useful for conveying our messages. These forms can be learnt only through practice.

Though there are different types of letters, yet there are certain matters of form which apply to all types of letters.

A letter can be divided into different parts; as

1. Writer's address or The Heading
2. Date of writing
3. The salutation or the Greetings
4. Message or the body of the letter
5. The subscription or leave-taking
6. The signature
7. The superscription

1. Writer's Address or The Heading

Address of the person should be written at the top of the page on the left hand side according to the latest style. Each item of the address should be written in a seperate line.

2. Date of Writing

This should always be written in full and below the address. There should be a comma between the day of the month and the year.

3. The Salutation or the Greetings

It is a sort of greeting to the person to whom the letter is being written. It is written a little lower than the date to the left hand side of the page. The form of Greeting varies according to the relation between the writer and the receiver of the letter. 

For example:

(i) To family members,

Dear Father, My Dear Mother, Dear Aunt, Dear Raj, etc.

(ii) To Friends,

Dear Mukesh, Dear Mr. Mattu, Dear Gupta.

4. Message or Body of the Letter

It is the main part of the letter and contains all that the writer wants to convey. Each, idea must be dealt with in a seperate paragraph. Begin your letter by something definite and tell about the topic of the letter in the beginning. Think out what you want to say before you begin to write. Put down your points in some logical order.

5. The Subscription or Leave-taking 

It is the way of ending letter. The letter should be ended in a polite way. It's form depends upon the intimacy between the writer and the receiver of the letter, as, 

(i) To relatives : Yours affectionately

(ii) To friends : Yours sincerely

(iii) To acquaintances and strangers : Yours truly

6. The Signature or Name of the Writer

This must come below the Subscription, and more in a latest style to the left, as,

Yours sincerely,

Ram Kumar

OR

Yours affectionately,

Ram Kumar

OR

Yours truly,

Ram Kumar

7. The Subscription [or Enclosure]

It is the complete address of the person to whom the letter has been written. It should be carefully, spaced the first line (name and title of the receiver) well to the left.

Also Read - Salient or Most Important Features of Letter Writing