Back to: Pedagogy of English- Unit 5
Letter writing refers to a written message which is conveyed from one person to another via a medium. In simple terms, it is the exchange of printed or written messages. It is generally sent to the recipient through mail or post using an envelope even though this isn’t a mandatory requirement. Any message which is transferred through post can be labeled as a letter and acts as a written conversation between two parties.
Contents
Principles of Letter Writing
The main principles of letter writing are as follows:
Clarity and Coherence
A letter should be precise, concise, relevant, consistent, and concrete to be effective. One must be clear about what they want to convey and the message should be conveyed clearly.
Consideration
The writer of the letter should imagine himself as the reader too and consider his or her understanding and thoughts as well.
Brevity
A good letter is always exact and concise. The letter must be able to explain all the details in a relevant matter without making it longer with the inappropriate matter. However, one must not sacrifice clarity or completeness for the sake of conciseness.
Courtesy and Friendliness
The letter’s tone should be courteous and polite. Courtesy should not be limited to a few sections in the letter.
Correctness
Every letter must be grammatically correct and must contain well-structured sentences.
Originality
To make letters more appealing and engaging, originality of style, form, and expression must be emphasized.
Neatness
The letter must be neat, clean, and clearly typed. The writer must maintain proper paragraphing and the letter should create a positive impression on the reader.
Objectives of Letter Writing
The main objectives of letter writing are as follows:
- To enable children to write invitations.
- To enable children to write letters to friends and family.
- To teach students to read letters or letter requests carefully before responding.
- To teach students the importance of creating formal and informal documents.
- To teach students basic letter formats and letter writing strategies.
- To teach students letter-writing etiquette.
These are the various objectives of letter writing and with its practice, students will be able to write effective letters.
