Informal letter

Format of Informal Letter

As we discussed earlier there is no set format when writing an informal letter. But there is a general pattern, some conventions that people usually follow. We will be looking at this pattern and certain tips on how to write effective and attractive informal letters. These can act as guidelines when you are drafting a letter, they are not hard and fast rules. Let us begin.

Address

The first thing to write is your address, i.e. the address of the writer. We usually write the address on the left-hand side of the page at the very top. The address should be accurate and complete. Even when writing to close friends or relatives the address must be written, so they can reply back to the letter with ease. If the recipient of the letter is in another country, do not forget to write your country as well in the address.

Date

Next just below the address we write the date. This allows the reader to have a reference as to when the address was written. He can then relate better to the contents of the letter.

Greeting

Now since you know the person you are writing to, the greeting can be informal as well. If it is a friend or someone close to your age you can greet them by their first name, like “Dear Alex”. If you are writing to your relative like your mother/father/aunt/uncle etc, you may greet them as such, for example, “Dear Mom”. And if you are writing to an elder person, someone you respect greatly you can address them as Mr or Mrs. Like say for example you were writing a congratulatory letter to your teacher, it can be addressed as “Dear Mrs. Alex”.

Introduction Paragraph

And now we begin writing the actual letter. The introductory paragraph sets the tone for the whole letter. You might begin by asking the recipient about their well being. Or you may say that you hope the letter finds them in good health and great spirits. The opening of informal letters should be casual and comforting. It must not be formal and direct as in business letters.

Body of the Letter

The letter overall should maintain a friendly tone. But you have to adjust the language and the wordings according to who you are writing to. With a friend, you can afford to be very casual and flippant even. But if you are writing to an elder relative, you must be extremely respectful and considerate.

One way to determine the tonality of your letter is to remember how you talk to the person in a conversation. And then apply the same syntax and sentiments to the letter.

Conclusion

In the conclusive paragraph sum up the reason for writing the letter, i.e. summarize the letter. Say a meaningful and affectionate goodbye to the reader. And do not forget to invite the reader to write back or reply to your letter. It shows an intention to keep the conversation going.

Signature

There is no one way to sign off informal letters. Since they do not follow a strict format, you may sign off as you please. Some commonly used phrases are

• Lots of Love
• Best,
• Best Wishes,
• Kind Regards,
• Kindly,

Pick the one that best suits the occasion and then simply sign your name below the greeting.

Write a letter to your younger brother advising him on Saving Money & being financially aware.

B,38 Agnipath Apartments, 24020, Dombivali ,  Maharashtra July 22, 2018 Dear Shreyas, How are you? I hope you are doing fine, here mother and father are also doing well. It’s been a while since we got in touch so I finally decided to write you a letter. You seem to be having such a great time in your new college and city that you chose to stay back in college even during vacations. Yesterday father paid your credit card bill, he didn’t say a word but I could sense how disappointed he was! Not like an elder sister but a friend I would advise you to check on your expenses. I understand the enthusiasm of being all by oneself in a new city, the fun in roaming around with friends as I have been there and done that. It is good to step out in the world and live to the fullest but at the same time, we have to be judicious. Parents are willingly paying for all the expenses as they don’t want you to lose any opportunity and experience but it is you who should be taking care of how wisely the money is used. Try to be holistic in approach and define your priorities. Chalk out a list of your daily expenses and strike out all the unnecessary once, try to stick by the list for a week or so gradually you will be able to cut down the extras. As they say “a penny saved is a penny earned” therefore, handle the money given to you with maturity and yet continue to live life king size as the best things in life are free. At the end, I would like to wish you all the luck with your studies and other endeavours. We all miss you badly so try to come as we all can’t wait to see you. Yours Loving,Anitha