FRIENDLY LETTERS (INFORMAL LETTERS)

BEFORE YOU WRITE  - READ AND ANALYZE THE QUESTION VERY CAREFULLY  SOME PARTS OF THE QUESTION ARE IMPLIED- NOT ALL THE DETAILS ARE GIVEN TO YOU. YOU MUST SHOW THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF THAT MISSING INFO BY REFERRING TO IT IN YOUR LETTER. (A SAMPLE QUESTION): Write to a relative who missed a family celebration, telling her all about it.

AS YOU READ A QUESTION, FOLLOW THESE STEPS:  Establish the facts according to the information both written and implied in the question ( Where are you writing from? Why are you writing this letter? How do you feel while you are writing?)  Establish the audience ( Who are you writing to?- a relative, a friend, a penfriend, etc)  Establish the implications  Establish the type of friendly letter is required.

FORMAT OF A FRIENDLY LETTER  GREETING  PAR. 1: INTRODUCTION  PAR. 2: TRANSITION AND BODY  PAR 3: BODY  PAR 4: CONCLUSION  ENDING AND SIGNATURE

GREETING  To a friend=> Dear+ first name,  To a brother/sister=> Dear+first name  To your mum/dad=> Dear Mum and Dad  To a cousin=> Dear+ first name  To an aunt=> Dear Auntie+first name  To an uncle=> Dear Uncle+first name *** Do not use Dearest, My dearest, My Best friend, My cousin, etc.

PARAGRAPHS IN A LETTER  Paragraphs need to be clearly shown by indenting the first line of each paragraph. Dear Susan, It was lovely I live in a nice house

INTRODUCTION  A LETTER SHOULD HAVE A SHORT INTRODUCTION.  AS SOON AS THE EXAMINER READS YOUR INTRO., HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE USING THE CORRECT REGISTER.  THE INTRODUCTION WARMS THE READER UP AND PREPARES FOR THE MAIN PART OF THE LETTER.  THE INTRODUCTION ESTABLISHES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE WRITER AND THE AUDIENCE. ( I AM SORRY I HAVEN’T WRITTEN THIS WEEK, BUT )

WHAT DO I WRITE IN AN INTRODUCTION?  1. USING AN APOLOGY I AM SORRY I HAVEN’T WRITTEN YOU FOR A LONG TIME, BUT I HAVE BEEN BUSY WORKING ON MY PROJECT AND I HAVEN’T HAD THE TIME. I HAVE BEEN MEANING TO WRITE BUT I AM AFRAID I JUST HAVEN’T GOT ROUND TO IT. 2. NO APOLOGY IT WAS LOVELY TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN LAST WEEK 3.USING SOMETHING PERSONAL I HOPE YOU ARE FEELING MUCH BETTER/ YOU’VE GOT OVER THE FLU. RECOVERED FROM

TRANSITION  After writing a suitable introduction, the next step is to write a transition sentence. This will be the first sentence in the second paragraph of the letter and it is needed to link the introduction to the main body of the letter. There are 3 ways to begin the transition.  1. Using the words anyway, or anyhow  2. Using the past tense  3. Using other methods

EXAMPLES  Dear Sarah, I’m sorry I haven’t written for ages but I’ve been busy studying for my exams. Anyway, I thought I would drop you a line to  I thought you might like to know something about  I thought I would drop you a line to let you know something about my family  Just a short note to let you know  Just a quickie to let you know

SIGNATURE  When you’ve finished writing the letter and appropriate ending, write on a separate line, either on the left or in the middle of the page, one of the following:  Love,  Love from...  With love from...  Yours,  *** NEVER WRITE YOUR LAST NAME. WRITE YOUR FIRST NAME IN YOUR NORMAL HANDWRITING.

REMEMBER!!!  USE THE SHORT FORM OF THE VERB IN FRIENDLY REGISTER WRITING  YOU ARE EXPECTED TO WRITE BETWEEN WORDS. EVERY WORD IS IMPORTANT AND SHOULD BE CHOSEN CAREFULLY.  YOU’RE STILL WRITING AN OR A LETTER, NOT A TEXT MESSAGE. DO NOT USE THE SHORT FORMS OF THE WORDS.