Yours sincerely if you have addressed the person by name, o Yours faithfully if you have begun the letter

Dear Sir/Madam, etc (The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (2000).

Another area of interest is that of the purpose of the letter. This means that at the beginning of the letter state why you are writing. Irrespective of the type of letter whether business (formal) or personal (informal)

Our letter should contain about four (4) paragraphs. Most writers use more and this creates problems for the readers. A letter of complaint for example, should be paragraphed in such a way that: paragraph i will explain why you are writing; paragraph ii will explain what the problem is and describe any action you have already taken; paragraph iii will say what inconvenience it has caused you; and paragraph iv will say what you want done about the problem (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary).

Particularly in formal writings, your ideas must be linked with formal linking words and phrases (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary).

Clichs are overused phrases that have lost any meaning. Avoid phrases such as at the end of the day, for all intents and purposes and as safe as houses in your business writing. They add no meaning and waste your readers time (Gladkoff, Simple Tips to Improve Your Business Writing).

Unfamiliar acronyms, abbreviations or technical language (jargons) also account for the mistakes writers make in letter writing. The UN, US, UK, WHO, UNESCO etc. are well known acronyms that will most often not cause readers any worry but LAG would most certainly.

The wrong impression we create of ourselves in others is most often due to our failure to read over (proofread) whatever we have written. The importance of reading over whatever is written can not be overemphasized. We need to understand that unlike speech where the speaker speaks and thinks of what to say, writing offers writers the opportunity to think, write, review, edit, change, rewrite etc. before they finally send what they want to send. Most writers leave out this important

opportunity as they write and do not bother with reading over what they have written. Proofread three times: once for content, clarity, and conciseness, once for grammar and punctuation, and once to make sure youve used the right words.

At any point in the course of your letter, try as much as possible to make you message as simple as possible. It is your duty to convey your message as quickly as possible.

Tone in writing refers to the writers attitude toward the reader and the subject of the message. The overall tone of a written message affects the reader just as ones tone of voice affects the listener in everyday exchanges

Inconsistent tense When writing about events in a novel, you must first make the decision whether to use the present or past tense. Generally speaking, either is acceptable, but once you make the choice, you need to be consistent.
Incorrect John decides to go to bed, but then he drank too much coffee and could not fall asleep. He watches television for half an hour, then he finally felt sleepy. Correct John decided to go to bed, but then he drank too much coffee and could not fall asleep. He watched television for half an hour, then he finally felt sleepy.

Second Person Avoid using the second person pronoun you. In its place, use the pronoun one. (Examples below cover both contractions and the second person pronoun.)
Incorrect If you don't understand the meaning of the book, you shouldn't feel stupid. You won't always see everything the author wants you to see. Correct If one does not understand the meaning of the book, one should not feel stupid. One will not always see everything the author wants one to see.

Dangling Participles You may have heard of them, but do you know what they are? A "dangling participle" is a participle [a nominal form of a verb, often in -ing form] that lacks clear connection with the word it modifies. In other words, your sentence seems to change subject midstream. Here are some examples of dangling participles:
Incorrect Working at my desk, the sudden noise startled me. [working lacks connection with noise] Turning the corner, the view was much changed. [turning lacks connection with view] Correct Working at my desk, I was startled by the sudden noise. Turning the corner, he discovered that the view was much changed.

Avoid the use of contraction such as don't, 'cause etc.

Use hedges and tentative words such as: Adverbs: possibly, likely, probably Verbs: Maybe, seems, appear Modal Verbs: Might, would, could

"Then" has an element of time. For example, it can mean "next" or "at that time."

We ate and then we went to the movies. Movies were a lot cheaper back then. "Than" conveys a comparison.

DVDs are more expensive than videocassettes. Aardvark is taller than Squiggly. Quick and Dirty Tip: Both "than" and "comparison" have the letter "a" in them, and "then" and "time" both have the letter "e."

I used a highlighter on the reading test to highlight questions i had already answered making it easier for me to locate where other answers might be.