(Formal Letter Example)
February 10, 2016
Mr. Rainey
Crownover Middle School
Corinth, TX 76210
Dear Mr. Rainey:
You should have an introduction that grabs the reader’s attention (a hook!—question,
interesting statement, anecdote or descriptive segment, quote, truism, etc.), that contains Ethos
(tells the reader why you are trustworthy—ex. As a responsible Crownover Middle School
student,), and states your main idea/thesis or proposition.
Your body should contain several paragraphs that include your reasons for your argument that
are supported with Logos (logic, facts) and Pathos (an appeal to the reader’s emotions).
Also, in your body be sure that you use a variety of sentence structure which includes at least
1 compound sentence and 1 complex sentence.
Your conclusion should summarize your letter (paraphrase—do not restate using the exact
same words). Your conclusion should also have a “super so-what” (a last “call to action” to
convince the reader to accept your proposal).
Sincerely,
Stacie Holbert
Crownover Middle School Student
**be sure that your letter is left-aligned (left justified) as shown in the example above. Just double space
your paragraphs to show where a new paragraph starts instead of indenting.