Informal letters

• Imagine that you write to a real friend of yours.
• Friends usually have names ;-) so address him/her with a name: begin the letter with Dear Joey/ Anna /Rebecca, etc.
• Begin your letter with some general statements. Refer to the letter you have received from your friend and thank him/her for it or apologise for the fact that you have not answered the last letter soon enough.
• Use the proper register. The letter is supposed to be informal so you can use contractions, informal linking words like well, by the way, anyway, so, colloquial expressions, etc.
• You can use more-conversation-like statements or questions in your letter: You know that I had this exam, right? 
• Use questions to ask about your friend - arrange the next meeting, send greetings to his/her friends and family, etc.
• End your letter in informal way: Best wishes; Love; Regards ... 

• Useful Phrases

  The words and expressions below are often used by native speakers when writing to friends and relatives. Using them will help you write in an informal style and will also help you organise your letter into clear paragraphs.
  Starting your letter (Paragraph 1)
  • Thank you for your letter. It was nice to hear from you.
  • Your last letter was a real surprise. It was so nice of you to remember about...
  • Thanks a lot for the information you've sent me in your last letter.
  • I've just received your letter. I'm so happy to hear that...
  • I'm sorry I haven't answered earlier but I was really busy with my school.
  • I'm sorry I haven't written for so long but...
  • Lovely to hear from you.
  • How are you?
  • How are things?
  • Hope you are well.
  
  
• Commenting on something (Paragraph 1)
  
  I'm sorry to hear/learn ... 
  I'm so pleased to hear ... 
  It's great to hear ... 
  What wonderful news about ...
  
  Moving the topic on (Paragraph 2)
  Anyway, the reason I'm writing ... 
  I thought I'd write to tell/ask you 
  Anyway, I was wondering ...
  
  Ending your letter (Paragraph 3)
• Well, that's all for now. Will talk to you soon.
• Give my regards to your Mummy.
• I hope we will be able to arrange a get-together.
• Do write back as I'm waiting for the news from you.
• Write back soon.
• Signature

• All the best,
• Best wishes,
• See you soon, 
• Take care, 
• Love, 
• Lots of love, 
• + your first name

• Study Tips!

• One way of making your letter informal is to use contractions.
• Contructions in Informal Letters

Paragraphs in Informal Letters

Another way to create an informal style to your letter is to use exclamation marks. These are used at the end of short 'exclamations' to show strong feelings or surprise. For example:

Brilliant news!
Congratulations!

They often appear in informal letters as these are written in the same way we would speak. However, only use them when absolutely necessary and don't use them too often - perhaps only once or twice in a letter of 100 words.

Source: http://www.flo-joe.co.uk

• More information: http://www.bbc.co.uk/
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