a lettres

Youness   Tue Jun 06, 2006 1:09 pm GMT
Hello friends
How can I write a formal lettre in british way?
and please give me some EXs because I want to write to a friend of mine in UK. and I don't know how can I start it? and give me some beautiful sentenses tu pay her intation........................ Please
Guest   Tue Jun 06, 2006 8:53 pm GMT
A formal letter in a british way? okay, here's a few pointers.

Top right hand corner = your address
Down one space and right aligned = date
Down one space and left aligned = your friend's name and address
Down one space and left aligned = Greeting line (Dear Sir/Ma'am, etc.)
Down one space, first line indented = main letter content
Down one space = Yours sincerely (if you know her name) Yours Faithfully (if you don't know her name)
Down one space = Signature
Down one space = Your name
Shiner   Tue Jun 06, 2006 11:04 pm GMT
May I have the same pattern if I write a letter to some govt official in US? Or I need to formalize it on other way?
Uriel   Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:18 am GMT
The same format will be fine. That's what I learned in school, anyway. Not that we're really that picky!
Bonnie Zhang   Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:52 am GMT
If you're writing to a friend, though, it would be mightily odd to start the letter with "Dear Ma'am" and end it with "yours sincerely" or "yours faithfully". Your British friend will regard you as a stuck-up priss and won't want to write to you ever again.

I think "take care" or (if you're on close terms) "love" would be better endings.

And is there any difference between "British" and "American" ways of writing letters? I don't think so. Both Britons and Americans would write formal letters to government officials and business interests, and casual letters to friends.
Bonnie Zhang   Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:58 am GMT
One thing about formal letters that I vehemently oppose:

The MARGINS. Good gracious me, if you're going to write a letter that's more than one page long, do NOT on any account leave one-inch (2.5 cm) margins all around. Half an inch (1.75 cm) would suffice. Also, I suggest you use both sides of a page. Save paper, folks.

Same comments apply to research paper styles like MLA, APA, etc.
Bonnie Zhang   Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:59 am GMT
Oops sorry, half inch is 1.25 cm.
Youness   Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:23 pm GMT
thanks
I would like to read from you some ex