How do you start a letter about yourself?
If you’ve ever had English homework or an English assignment, chances are you’ve probably had to do one of those ‘introduce yourself in x words or sentences’ moments. While it should be easy, writing about yourself can be one of the hardest skills to attain. Let’s take a look at some scenarios in which you might be asked to write about yourself.
| Situation |
Description |
| Sending an email to someone |
You will need to introduce yourself if you’re sending an email to someone |
| Blurb for a pamphlet/brochure |
Writing a personal blurb for yourself for professional purposes (conferences, events, etc.) |
| English writing assignment |
If you are and English language learner and need to learn writing English techniques and formats, you will need to write about yourself in English |
| Resume |
When you’re looking for a job, you will need to present your best skills |
| Recommendations |
If you need a teacher or peer recommendation, you will need to write about yourself so that they know what to write about |
If you’re writing a letter about yourself, especially if you’re writing to a teacher, you will need to know how to start. The easiest way to start writing is to brainstorm! Here is a process you can follow in order to start your rough draft. 
What are 5 words to describe yourself?
So, how do you write 5 sentences about yourself? How do you write more than a paragraph about yourself? Well, to start writing a letter about yourself to a teacher especially, you should start with the basics. Meaning, start with brainstorming 5 words to describe you. 
In order to think about five words to describe yourself, you should first start by identifying what kind of letter you’re writing. If you’re writing to a teacher, chances are you’re doing one of the following.
| Motivation |
Description |
| Informational |
These types of letters request information about a class, a grade, etc. |
| Recommendation |
These letters either ask for a recommendation for university or give details on what to include in said recommendation. |
| Professional |
You will send these types of letters if you’re interested in establishing or continuing a professional relationship with your professor (such as collaborating on a book). |
Let’s start with the informational letters. The types of descriptions about yourself you’ll want to include in these types of letters will be mostly surface level.
|
Descriptive Words |
| Your position |
Student, prospective student, graduate, alum, etc. |
| Your name |
Introduce your name |
| Your institution (if any) |
University, organization, club, society, etc. |
If, on the other hand, you’re soliciting a recommendation or are giving more details for your teacher to include in your recommendation, you should try to use descriptive words dealing with your accomplishments, both academic and professional. In addition, you should include any personal and professional aspirations.
|
Descriptive Words |
| Academic |
Dean/provost’s list, president, coordinator, leader, honours student, etc. |
| Extracurriculars |
Creator, manager, coach, educator, tutor, trainer, etc. |
| Professional |
Intern, editor, experience level, duties, etc. |
When you’re interested in contacting a teacher for a professional opportunity that they’re offering or that you’re extending, you should focus more on the details of who you are and what the proposed project will be.
|
Descriptive Words |
| Your position |
Blogger, consultant, assistant processor, etc. |
| Your experience |
Number of industry years, projects you’ve been on, trainings or certifications, etc. |
| Your offer or response |
Propose, collaborate, experiment, investigate, assist, etc. |
How to introduce yourself
Whether you’re looking for English homework help or wondering how do you start a letter to a teacher, introducing yourself can be hard. When you introduce yourself, no matter who your audience is, you should always include a couple of key informational points. Regardless of who your letter is meant for, you will most likely need to cover 3 basic points:
| 1 |
Name |
Your name or position |
| 2 |
Contact |
Your address, email, or phone number |
| 3 |
Purpose |
The purpose of your letter |
Introducing yourself can take anywhere from a sentence to a couple of paragraphs. Here is the rule of thumb for the length that introductions should take for different types of letters.
| Purpose |
Length |
| Informational |
2-3 sentences |
| Uni Recommendation |
1 paragraph |
| Scholarship Recommendation |
1-2 paragraphs |
| Professional opportunity |
3 sentences |
Introduce yourself example
Let’s take a look at a couple of examples with regards to introducing yourself. 
As we can see, while the letter may go on, the introduction is limited to two sentences. This type of letter is informational, as we can see by the request made by Marcus. Let’s break down this introduction.
| 1 |
Addressee |
| 2 |
Name |
| 3 |
Position |
| 4 |
Purpose |
| 5 |
Requested action |
If you’re writing a letter to your teacher in order to secure a recommendation for a scholarship, for example, your letter should look a bit different. 
Here, you can see that the introduction is longer. Because Marcus is asking for a recommendation for a teacher, you can see the details of who Marcus is are less important than then details of the scholarship and his accomplishments.
| 1 |
Addressee |
| 2 |
Requested action |
| 3 |
Introduction to the scholarship |
| 4 |
Introduction accomplishment |
| 5 |
Set of supporting accomplishments |
Connecting words in English writing
So now that you understand how to write to your teacher under various different circumstances, you can bolster this skill by using connecting words. Connecting words, also called linking words, are used to link together two ideas. 
