How to write an informal letter?

An informal letter is a letter you would write to a friend, a family member or an

acquaintance.

The classic informal letter has five parts as follows:

1 Address
. Block

Includes your return address and the date of writing the letter. This block is
usually right-justified.

2 Opening
. Salutation

This is the opening greeting; typically "Dear John". Left-justify this block.

This is your actual letter content (introduction + main parts + final paragraphs). It
3
can be anywhere from a few paragraphs in length up to multiple pages. In the
Body Block
.
exam the lenght of the letter will be defined in the task (usually somewhere
between 120 and 180 words). The body paragraphs should be left justified.
4 Closing
. Salutation

This is where you say goodbye. Typically, closing salutations for informal letters
include such phrases as: "Yours truly,", "Your friend,", "All the best,", Take
care,". These days, more informal closing salutations are also acceptable, such
as: "See you soon,", "Don't be a stranger,", etc. Left-justify the closing salutation.

5 Signature
. Block

Since it is an informal letter to someone who knows you reasonably well, just sign
your first name. Also left-justify this block.

For writing informal letters use informal English:

a)Use short forms like isnt, wont, its, Ive instead of is not, will not, it is, I have,
etc. This is because we tend to use these forms when we are speaking, and using them in
written English makes it sound more informal.
b)Sometimes miss out words in a sentence - In letter writing, it is often quite common to
miss out the word I. For example, at the end of a letter you might write Hope to hear
from you soon instead of I hope to hear from you soon. Other common expressions
are Wish you were here and Having a great time here. Including these gives the
impression of a letter or email being written quickly and informally.
c)Use informal intensifiers In spoken English, we often use words like really and
incredibly meaning really nice, really good. We often also use some of the more
extreme intensifier + adjective combinations such ascompletely fantastic, absolutely
awful, etc.
d)Use simple vocabulary - In English there is often a choice between a simpler word or
phrasal verb and a longer more complex word. In informal English it is better to choose the
simpler form, so you would say get off the boat rather than disembark from the boat.
When you have finished, always go back and look at your work again. Dont just read it
three or four times look for something specific each time. For example, if you know you
sometimes make mistakes with word order, check each sentence for word order. If you
have problems with prepositions, go back and check each one carefully. Remember that
grammatical accuracy is very, very important.