1. LAYOUT OF A FORMAL LETTER.
A LETTER OF COMPLAINT

2. Open Door School of Languages
Av. Doctor Fedriani 21
41009 Sevilla
Spain
The Manager
International Bookshop
37 Oak Avenue
Oxford OX3 3DP
3 February 2014

3. 1
Open Door School of Languages
Av. Doctor Fedriani 21
41009 Sevilla
Spain
The Manager
International Bookshop
37 Oak Avenue
Oxford OX3 3DP
2
3
3 February 2014

4. 1: YOUR ADDRESS
1. Write your address, but not your name.
2. Write your address as you want the
recipient to write it on the envelope. Do
not translate names or streets.
3. In some cases, your telephone number
may be important. It would go after the
last line of your address.

5. 2: THE RECIPIENT’S ADDRESS
1. Write the name of the person you
are writing to (if you know it),
followed by their position. The
Manager is a good all-purpose
option.
2. Write the address of the people you
are writing to.

6. 3: DON’T FORGET THE DATE.

7. How to address people
a) If you do not know the name of the person you
are writing to, you can use:
Dear Sir, Dear Sir/Madam, Dear Sir or Madam
b) If you know the name, use it:
Dear Mr Heger, Dear Ms Greene,
c) If your correspondent has a title, use it:
Dear Dr Kay, Dear Professor Wright,
d) Never use (:) after the name; either write a
comma, or nothing

8. TYPICAL ENDING:
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully, / Yours sincerely,
CARMEN GARCÍA.

9. Yours faithfully
Dear Sir/Madam,
Yours sincerely
Dear Mr Jones,

10. A LETTER OF COMPLAINT

11. Dear Sir/Madam,
On 23 June I ordered 16 copies of ‘All Alone’ by
Victoria Holdett, to be sent to me at the above
address.
Two months later, those books have not yet been
received.
I would be grateful if you could look into this
matter and ensure that the books reach me as
soon as possible.
Yours faithfully,
Celia Fernández.

12. PARAGRAPH 1:
Say why you are writing. Say when it happened. If
you are replying to a letter, mention the date of
that letter.
PARAGRAPH 2:
Give precise details. This part is the substance of
your letter.
PARAGRAPH 3 (IF NECESSARY, NOT INCLUDED IN
PREVIOUS EXAMPLE):
Give further details and say how the problem has
affected you.
PARAGRAPH 4:
Demand some sort of compensation, or some
action to be taken, i.e., how you want the person
to respond to your letter.