Formal Letter Writing
Letters to AuthoritiesLearn to write professional letters to the Principal, officials, and authorities!
📖 Let’s Learn Formal Letter Writing!
In Grade 3, you learned informal letters to friends and family. Now in Grade 4, let’s learn formal letters — letters to the Principal, editor, government officials, or companies. Formal letters have a professional tone and strict format.
Formal letter writing is a crucial life skill tested in every exam. Whether you are writing to your Principal for leave, complaining about a problem, or requesting something officially — knowing the correct format makes you sound professional and confident!
💡 The Rule
A formal letter has 7 parts:
1. Sender’s address (your address, top left)
2. Date
3. Receiver’s address (their designation + address)
4. Subject line (brief topic)
5. Salutation (Sir/Madam)
6. Body (2-3 paragraphs — formal, polite)
7. Closing (Yours faithfully + name)
🎯 Key Concept
📋 Formal vs Informal:
Informal: “Dear Aarav” → Formal: “Respected Sir/Madam”
Informal: “What’s up?” → Formal: “I am writing to bring to your notice…”
Informal: “Yours lovingly” → Formal: “Yours faithfully”
📋 Formal Letter Parts
Your address — top LEFT (not right like informal!)
Written below sender’s address
Designation + address of the person you’re writing to
Brief topic line: “Subject: Application for leave”
Respected Sir/Madam, or Dear Mr./Mrs. ___,
2-3 formal paragraphs + Yours faithfully + Name
📋 Examples & Practice
Learn with organized examples and sentences!
Model: Leave Application to Principal
Model: Complaint Letter
Formal vs Informal Comparison
Useful Formal Phrases
📢 Read the 7 Parts in Order
Say each part of a formal letter!
✏️ Formal Letter Quiz
Choose the right answer!
1. In a formal letter, your address goes on the ___.
2. A formal letter to an unknown person starts with…
3. A formal letter MUST have a ___ line.
4. Formal letters end with “Yours ___”.
5. The tone of a formal letter is…
🎯 Formal or Informal?
Click each phrase — formal or informal letter?
Click any to check!
📝 When to Write Formal Letters
These situations need formal letters!
Leave application: Writing to the Principal requesting leave for illness or family function.
Complaint letter: Writing to the Municipal Corporation about broken roads or waterlogging.
Request letter: Writing to the librarian requesting new books for the school library.
Thank you letter: Writing to an organization that donated computers to your school.
Editor letter: Writing to the newspaper editor about pollution in your neighbourhood.
Application: Writing to a company applying for a scholarship or competition.
Memory Trick
Formal letter = 7 parts, remember S-D-R-S-S-B-C:
Sender’s address
Date
Receiver’s address
Subject line
Salutation (Sir/Madam)
Body (2-3 paras)
Closing (Yours faithfully)
🎮 Formal Letter Writing Quiz
Test what you’ve learned!
In a formal letter, the sender’s address is on the…
Formal letters start with…
Formal letters MUST have a…
Formal letters end with…
A complaint letter is written to…
The tone should be…
How many body paragraphs?
Which is NOT a formal letter?
🎉 Quiz Complete!
0/8Fun Facts
The tradition of formal letter writing dates back to ancient Rome, where letters to officials followed strict formats — just like today! The structure has barely changed in 2,000 years.
In India, RTI (Right to Information) requests are written as formal letters to government departments. Knowing how to write formal letters is a democratic right!
🧠 Tips for Parents
Write a Real Letter
Help your child write an actual formal letter — to the school Principal for something real. Authentic writing = deep learning!
Compare Formal vs Informal
Write the SAME message as both formal and informal letter. “Going on leave” — one to Principal, one to a friend. See the difference!
Exam Practice
Formal letter writing appears in EVERY exam. Practice the format weekly: address, date, subject, body, closing. Speed + accuracy!