Informal Letter. English Language No content of this booklet should be published without author s concern

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Ashlee Greer
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1 English Language No content of this booklet should be published without author s concern

How to write one? Informal letter sample # 1 1. Salutation The most common salutation in an informal letter is Dear. Note that it is followed by a comma.

2 How to write one? Informal letter sample # 1 1. Salutation The most common salutation in an informal letter is Dear. Note that it is followed by a comma. Dear Mimi, Always try to use the nick name or the first name of the person you re writing to, in the informal letters. However, some go extremely informal and use Hey! or Hi! such type of use is not allowed in the examination. 2. Body Here are a few things you should take note of: 1. Use informal language The first paragraph generally expresses a greeting, followed by wishes of good health. Remember you are writing to someone you know very well, so try to be as friendly as possible but don t become so much friendly and you start using the extreme use of colloquial words and abusing words. A good start: How are you my dear sister? Try not to go overboard. Some people become bold and daring in letters and write things that they would otherwise not say to the person face to face. Obviously if you are writing to an adult that you respect, like your dad, try not to write things like: What s up dude! or What s going down? 2

3 Try to picture the person you are writing to standing in front of you. Imagine the things that you would say to him and write them down. This will help you not to go overboard. Also avoid boring sentences like I am writing this letter to. unless you are writing to a stranger. Even so, try to be as amiable as possible. Have a look at the following example: I have heard so much about you and would be head over heels with joy if you could agree to be my pen pal. Try to be as conversational as possible. You are allowed to use colloquial language i.e. language that is appropriate for speech but not really for writing, but not use it too much: My journey back here was fine, though it was quite a long one. I wanted to travel by CR bus but guess what; all the wretched buses were full! So I had no choice but to travel by a small Rosa bus. The journey took seven hours. By the time we reached, my legs were tried and my bottom was severely sore, ugh! Next time, I promise, I m not gonna use one of em tiny buses! 2. Punctuation and spelling However informal you get, you should not forget to pay attention to punctuation and spelling. I have come across a good number of letters that abound with spelling mistakes and awful punctuation. Such mistakes tend to distract the reader, so don t neglect them. If you use contractions, make sure that you put the apostrophe in the right places. For example: 1. Isn t and not is nt 2. Won t and not wont 3. Mustn t and not must nt The contraction (it s) is especially one that you must watch out for. It is the short form of it is or it has. But if you want to use it to indicate possession, you should use its and not it s. Check out this example: The dog lost its collar. Remember also to use capitals for the right things i.e. the names of people, places, holidays, etc should all start with a capital letter. Bottom line? Don t throw away your grammar book! 3. Use consistence voice and style Use the active voice if you want your letter to sound more conversational and interesting. Avoid shifts in the voice. One common error is inconsistency in the tense. For example read the following sentence: I was going to town yesterday when a dog bite me and I ran all the way to the hospital. Here is a sentence with starts in the past tense and then right in the middle, the tense changes to present and then finally reverts to past. This is distracting! 4. Ask questions It is always a good idea to ask questions in the body of the letter that you would like the person to answer in their reply. Questions work as a good base on which to write a letter, and they give the recipient motivation to reply: How are those wonderful brothers of mine? You can also use tag questions in the letter like the one given below as they makes the letter much more outstanding. Did I tell you that I am librarian too, eh? You also like such kind of bash, don t you? 3

4 5. Paragraphs Paragraphing is one of the most important things required in the examination. You need to write single paragraph to explain one reason / factor. You should consume your about 100 words on each of the paragraph in examination so as there are 3 points given so the 3 paragraphs should include round about 300 words and there should be round about words in the opening and closing part of the letter. The indentation is very important that you must start the letter from the left margin of the page just under the salutation like: Dear Mizzy, How re you my dear friend? Hope everything s cool n calm.. This style of writing and indentation is required, and is one of the modern techniques of writing informal letters. Frank and friendly writing is always required. 6. Forbidden words in Informal writing: There are some words whom use is totally not allowed, so we must ignore them in this writing. Those words are all the formal words and the use of which and that. We can replace formal words by changing them into informal words or converting into simple English. Often the meaning of a sentence does not change when these words are removed: that and which. 3. Complimentary Close This is where you sign off, i.e. say toodle- oo: Take care, Michael In informal letter writing, the complimentary close is always very friendly: 1. Love, 2. Lots of love, 3. Best wishes, 4. Missing you lots, 5. Yours forever, 6. Best regards, 7. Yours Truly, 8. May God speed ya, 9. Your love, 10. With heartiest greetings, 11. Take care, 12. Etc Remember, a comma always follows the complimentary close. Try to write your first name or nick name in the complementary close. E.g.: George, Rizy, Sassy etc Ah, I am certain that these tidbits will help you write a great informal letter! 4

Here are some more sample informal letters: Informal letter sample # 2 I would love you to take note of the following in this informal letter sample: In the first paragraph, George offers greetings,

5 Here are some more sample informal letters: Informal letter sample # 2 I would love you to take note of the following in this informal letter sample: In the first paragraph, George offers greetings, as well as a comment on his past and previous state of health. George takes care to mention the things of lesser important first. Obviously, the informal letter is not about Trevor, so he deals with this first. I like the way he skillfully shifts the attention from Trevor to his girl friend in the closing sentence of paragraph two:...what I did tell him was that your radiant smile is lighting up the entrance of the MTN offices. In my own opinion, it is a good idea to mention the by-the-way and less essential things first, and then concentrate on the important things in the body. The content of your letter should be tailored in such a way that it elicits a response on its own. In short, it should be substantial enough to prod the reader to respond (It is weak and totally uncool to beg for a reply). A teasing statement like: I am sure that the very idea of marrying a jobless and destitute man repels you enormously! 5

6 Such statement is bound to elicit a response, especially a defensive one. Learn to write in a manner that will compel the reader to reply. I am sure we are past the 'Please reply' postscript! It is true that most people remember most what they read last, so in your concluding paragraph, mention something substantial. George uses the last paragraph to emphasize the closeness of their bond: Take care dear! Remember, I am here right here, in your heart. Note the extra-friendly complimentary close. The complimentary close often saves to indicate how close you are to the person you are writing to; the more affectionate, the closer the friendship. Yours forever, George Some Good starts for after writing the salutation: How re you? How s life goin with you? Hope everything is going lovely. I m very fine, because I m a very strong young man you know! What about my Some Good endings for after completing all the Body Work: Take care of yourself George. You re the sunshine in my life. Till we meet again may God richly bless you ss Hope to hear from you soon We d love to see you again soon.. Note: You can also write short phrases in like: I know how you re feeling. Miserable. Short Sentence i-e (ONE WORD) 6

Great Writing 1: Great Sentences for Great Paragraphs Peer Editing Sheets

Great Writing 1: Great Sentences for Great Paragraphs Peer Editing Sheets Peer Editing Sheet 1 Unit 1, Activity 26, page 28 1. What country did the writer write about? 2. How many sentences did the writer