Letter Writing

In given Content, the meaning of Underlined words are explained below.

Generally Letter Writing has two types. They are,
  • Formal Letter Writing
  • Informal Letter Writing
    • Today we see about Informal Letter Writing.
    Informal Letter Writing

    Purpose of a Friendly Letter :
    A friendly letter (or informal letter) is a way of communicating between two people (sometimes more) who are usually well acquainted. There are many uses and reasons for writing a friendly letter but friendly letters will usually consist of topics on a personal level.

    Friendly Letter Writing :
  • The friendly letter is typically less formal than that of a business letter. Usually the first paragraph of the body will consist of an introduction which will give the recipient an idea about why you’re writing to them with a short summary of the main topic of your letter.
  • The next few paragraphs will usually consist of the message you want to get across along with any details you may want to convey.
  • The last paragraph will usually be the conclusion where you wrap everything up. You can sum up your main idea in this paragraph, thank the recipient for their time, wish the recipient well, and/or ask any questions.
  • Since friendly letters are less formal, you can feel free to write it however you like, but the above format is fairly common.


    • Friendly Letter Format

    Return Address Line 1 1
    Return Address Line 2
    Date (Month Day, Year) 2

    Dear Name of Recipient, 3

       Body Paragraph 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Body Paragraph 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Body Paragraph 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

    Closing (Lovingly...), 5
    Signature 6

    P.S. 7

    1 Your Address :
  • All that is needed is your street address on the first line and the city, state and zip on the second line.

    • 2 Date :
  • Put the date on which the letter was written in the format Month Day Year e.g. August 30, 2003. Skip a line between the date and the salutation.

    • 3 Salutation :
  • Usually starts out with Dear so and so, or Hi so and so. Note: There is a comma after the end of the salutation (you can use an exclamation point also if there is a need for some emphasis).

    • 4 Body :
  • The body is where you write the content of the letter; the paragraphs should be single spaced with a skipped line between each paragraph. Skip 2 lines between the end of the body and the closing.

    • 5 Closing :
  • Let’s the reader know that you are finished with your letter; usually ends with Lovingly, Lovingly yours, Thank you, and so on. Note that there is a comma after the end of the closing and only the first word in the closing is capitalized.

    • 6 Signature :
  • Your signature will go in this section, usually signed in black or blue ink with a pen. Skip a line after your signature and the P.S.

    • 7 P.S.(Post Script) :
  • If you want to add anything additional to the letter you write a P.S. (post script) and the message after that. You can also add a P.P.S after that and a P.P.P.S. after that and so on.

    • Sample Friendly Letter

    James is writing a letter to his friend regarding his summer vacation.

    36, 4th Street,
    Gandhi Nagar,
    XXXXXXX City,
    September 15, 2015.

    Dear Antony,

    It feels like such a long time since the last time I saw you. I know it’s only been several weeks since I saw you. So far my summer has been great!

    I spend all my weekends at the beach. I have been playing lots of Chess and Football. Just this past weekend I took second place in a Chess Tournament!

    On the weekdays I work. I drive an ice cream truck around and sell ice cream to the kids. It is so cool. It is a combination of the two things I love most, ice cream and kids. The pay isn’t too great but I love the job so much.

    I hope the summer’s been going well for you too. There’s only a month and a half left in summer vacation and after that it’s back to school. Would you like to meet up some time before school starts?

    Yours Lovingly,
    James

    Address on the Envelope
    To
    Antony,
    15, Second car Street,
    XXXXXXX City,
    Pin : YYYYYY

    Meanings of Underlined words :
    Acquainted - Make someone aware of or familiar with.
    Recipient - A person or thing that receives or is awarded something.
    Convey - Transfer the message to.
    Wrap - Cover or enclose in paper or soft material.
    Salutation - A standard formula of words used in a letter to address the person being written to.
    Exclamation - Sudden cry or remark expressing surprise, strong emotion, or pain.
    Emphasis - Special importance, value, or prominence given to something.
    Post Script - An additional remark at the end of a letter, after the signature and introduced by ‘PS’

    Note :
    Tomorrow we will see about Formal Letter Writing Format.