A letter of recommendation is a written statement of support for someone who is making an application for an academic program, job, or other opportunity, presented in a business letter format.
To be able to write an effective letter of recommendation, you have to know the candidate well in a capacity relevant to the application and be able to offer genuine, firsthand insights into their achievements, qualities, skills, and knowledge.
The advice, examples, templates, and formatting tips below will help you to write a strong letter of recommendation in support of someone applying for:
A college program
A graduate program
A job
An internship
A scholarship
Alternative terms for “letter of recommendation” include letter of reference, reference letter, letter of referral, referral letter, and recommendation letter.
TipQuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you craft compelling and enthusiastic descriptions for your letters of recommendation.
It’s especially useful for teachers or counselors who need to write multiple letters for students applying to the same schools—quickly providing suggestions to vary your language so you can produce unique letters.
The word above typically functions as a preposition or an adverb indicating a position or location that is “higher” than something else—physically, numerically, hierarchically, or figuratively.
Above examples in a sentenceI think the canned tomatoes are at the bottom, below the rice and flour.
She looked up at the grey clouds above.
You’re only allowed in if you’re 21 or above.
The position above mine has become vacant, so I’m going to apply for it.
Please see above for more details.
This is because he demands loyalty above all else.
The simple past tense of rise is “rose” (e.g., “Food prices rose last year”). The past participle of “rise” is “risen” (e.g., “Food prices have risen substantially recently”).
The verb “rise” can mean “increase,” “move upwards,” “stand up,” and “get out of bed.”
Past tense of rise examples
Simple past tense
Past participle
The average income rose by 1% last year.
The average income has risen by 2%.
She let go of the string, and the balloon slowly rose into the air.
The next time she looked up, the balloon had almost risen out of sight.
She took her bow, and the audience rose to its feet.
Several members of the audience had risen to their feet and were demanding an encore.
They rose early, had a quick breakfast, and caught the 7 o’clock train.
She wondered if they should have risen earlier to catch the 7 o’clock train.
The simple past tense of steal is “stole”
(e.g., “Someone stole my bike yesterday”). The past participle of the verb “steal” is “stolen”
(e.g., “Someone’s stolen my bike”).
Past tense of steal examples
Simple past tense
Past participle
Andy’s mother turned her back, and he stole one of the cookies from the rack.
The word about can be a preposition meaning “concerning” or that indicates a topic or subject, as well as an adverb meaning “approximately” or “nearly.”
About examples in a sentenceI need to talk to David about the marketing budget.
The word by typically functions as a preposition, indicating who or what performs the action in a passive voice sentence, how something is done, and information such as locations, deadlines, and dimensions.
By examples in a sentenceThe carrots are chopped by this machine.
The simple past tense of send is “sent” (e.g., “I sent the package last week”). The past participle of the verb “send” is also “sent” (e.g., “I’ve sent the package; it should arrive next week”).
Past tense of send
Simple past tense
Past participle
The doctor examined my leg and sent me for an X-ray.
My doctor has sent me here for an X-ray.
Our records show that we sent you the bill for your X-ray last month.
