Writing informal letters

SPM SERIES: ENGLISH

By JUGDEEP KAUR

LETTER writing is an important aspect of any writing course. This is

because letter writing is a very important activity in our daily lives, be
it for business or personal purposes.

In the Malaysian secondary school system, students are taught to

write two types of letters – formal letters and informal letters although
the latter is a dying art in this age of e-mails and text messages.

Informal letters are easier to write in terms of format, language and

tone. These letters are sometimes called social or friendly letters.
Examples of informal letters include letters to family members and
friends.

Let’s look at some important aspects of an informal letter.

In the accepted format, candidates must

· indent paragraphs

· use proper punctuation

· use capitalisation where necessary

For example, the month of the date (10 January 2009), the salutation
(Dear Maria)

Under normal circumstances, it is perfectly acceptable to use informal

language (e.g. stuff, jam-packed) and contractions (I’ll, won’t) in an
informal letter, but this is usually not acceptable in the local
examination system.

1. Some useful expressions on how to begin an informal letter

· Thank you for your letter which I received yesterday.

· I was pleasantly surprised to hear from you.

· It was wonderful to hear from you after so long.

· Thank you for your letter. I was pleased to hear that you are in good
health.

· It was really nice hearing from you. I am glad that you like your new
school.

· I hope this letter finds you in the pink (of health).

· Thank you for the lovely birthday card.

2. Some useful expressions on how to end an informal letter

· I promise to write to you soon.

· I hope you will reply soon.

· Give my best wishes to your parents.

· I am looking forward to seeing you.

· I look forward to hearing from you.

· Do write and tell me how you are progressing.

· Do write soon.

Let us take a look at a sample question. The question below is similar

to the question in the previous week’s article in terms of content
points. Only the text-type differs.

Dear Raihan,

It was a lovely surprise to hear from you after such a long time. I
know I lost a good friend when you moved to another town but I
understand you had no choice as your father had to take up the new
posting.

In your letter you asked me for some advice on what you should
do to become a successful student. If you want to be successful, you
must set goals. People who set goals accomplish more than those
who do not. Write these goals on a piece of paper and put it up on the
wall near your study table. This way, you will be reminded of your
goals every day. Moreover, you must be motivated. When you are
motivated you will have a strong desire to do well and to achieve your
goals. I have put up some inspiring motivational posters on the walls
in my room. In addition, you must pay attention in class. Listen
actively and focus on what the teacher is teaching. If you have
disruptive classmates, sit in front of the classroom, away from them.
Always ask questions if you do not understand. Seek clarifications
from your teachers or your friends if you are shy to approach the
former.

Another important tip to being a successful student is to be

organised. You can use a planner or notebook to write down all your
assignments when they are given. This way you will not forget your
homework, dates of tests or projects. Remember, if you are
organised, you will be well- prepared and you will have less stress.
You must also complete your homework on time. Homework helps
reinforce what you have learnt. It helps you understand and
remember the information your teachers have conveyed in their
lessons.

To be a successful student you must prepare well for exams.

A successful student is one who prepares for exams well in advance,
and not at the eleventh hour. You must have diverse interests if you
want to be an outstanding student. You should take part in co-
curricular activities in order to become a well-rounded person.
These activities help develop leadership skills and teamwork besides
instilling values like cooperation and tolerance. Discipline is an
important aspect of our lives. No matter where you go or what you do,
you will be subjected to rules and regulations. Hence, it is crucial
that you obey the school rules. Besides, you must respect
everyone. You must respect your parents, your teachers, the school
staff and also your friends. You must respect other people’s feelings
and opinions.

There are also several things you must avoid if you want to be a
successful student. You must avoid wasting time. These days
many teenagers spend hours chatting online on social networks such
as Facebook or playing computer games. These are a waste of time
and will not benefit you in any way. Remember, ‘Time and tide wait
for no man’. Also, avoid skipping school. Some students feel that
school is a waste of time as they can learn better from their tuition
teachers. This is not true. Your teachers are experienced and well
qualified. They are also experienced examiners and they know how
to impart knowledge effectively

I have to stop here. I hope the above tips will come in handy. Till
I hear from you, take care.

Dear Raihan,

It was lovely to hear from you after such a long time.

In your letter you asked me for some advice on how to become a

successful student. If you want to be successful, you must set goals.
Moreover, you must be motivated. Motivation makes you work hard.
This will help you to achieve your goals. In addition, you must pay
attention in class. Focus on what the teacher is teaching. You must
always ask questions if you do not understand. You can ask your
teachers to explain things to you.

To be a successful student you must be organised. Use a

notebook to write down all your homework. This way you will not
forget to do your homework. You must also complete your
homework on time. Homework helps you to understand and
remember what the teachers have taught. Besides, you must
prepare well for exams. You must not study at the eleventh hour.
You should also take part in co-curricular activities. These
activities help you becaome a better person. You learn leadership
skills and values like cooperation and tolerance. Discipline is
important in our lives. Hence, it is important that you obey the
school rules. Lastly, you must respect everyone. You must
respect your parents, your teachers, the school staff and also your
friends.

There are also several things you must avoid if you want to be a
successful student. You must avoid wasting time. Do not waste
time on Facebook. Also, do not play computer games all the time. It
will not help you in any way. Avoid skipping school. If you skip
school, you will miss out on important lessons and you will find it
difficult to catch up with your other classmates.

I have to stop here. I hope you find the above tips useful. Till I
hear from you, take care.
 The sample above is meant to show weak students how they can get
marks for format and content. Most of the sentences are simple
sentences and the elaborations are simple.

Remember when you write an informal letter:

Do not use slang words

· Do not use words which are in a language other than English. This
means you cannot write Dear Abah, or Dear Amma even if that is
how you address your parents.

· Do not sign off with Love and Kisses. Keep that for your personal
letters.

May 03, 2010

Writing an Informal Letter-Format and Exercise

We had an exercise on how to go about writing a formal letter recently. We will

now have an exercise to write an informal letter.

Let us review the format of both formal letters and informal letters again. We write
informal letters to family members and friends but we write formal letters to
organizations, societies, companies and clubs.

Let us look at the format and content of a formal letter once again.

INFORMAL FORMAL LETTER

LETTER
• Sender’s address on the top right hand Start with Sender’s name on the first line at
corner the top let hand corner
Follow with the address of the sender
• Date of letter directly below sender’s • Draw a line across below the sender’s
address address
• Write the recipient post followed by the
address next
• At the end of the address, on the right hand

• Friendly salutation, “ Dear….“
• Friendly introduction
• Purpose of letter
• Background information
• Conclusion
• Signing off- “Your loving……”
• Signature at the bottom right hand
corner
side, write the date
Write the salutation-“Dear Sir/ Madam”
Write the title for the subject of the letter.
Underline it.
Write purpose of the letter
Next is the body of the letter:
Purpose should be briefly spelled out
Details
Conclusion
Giving thanks
Signing off- “Yours faithfully/sincerely……”
• Signature at bottom of left hand
• Write designation below signature

Let us look at a sample of an informal letter.

Address of 45,Jalan Kemboja 6,

Sender Taman Kaya Mewah,
733900 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan

Date 3 May 2010

Dear Penny,
Salutation
Friendly
Introduction How have you been? I haven’t heard from you for ages since we said
goodbye to each other at the Bayan Lepas International Airport last
November. How are you? In the pink of health, I hope. How are your
parents? I do hope you mother is doing well in her law practice.

I know this is an important year for you as you are taking the PMR
examinations. Do study hard and you will get what you wish for.
Main Body: .
Purpose I I am writing to inform you that my family will be migrating to
London in October this year.My elder brother who is a cardiologist in
Manchester has completed all the documentation needed for our
emigration and while we are eager to leave for this new exciting
country, we are also sad to leave all our relatives and friends behind.
Dad says it is for the better as education is better for me and my brother,
Jerome in UK and he himself could find a job quite easily there with a
renowned computer software company.

I So before I leave for London, I intend to pay you a visit soon. I am

quite free during the month of August and if it is no trouble to you, I
could fly in on Air Asia on any of the week-end so that we can spend
 some time together. We had so much fun the last time,remember?

Conclusion II hope to receive a reply from you soon. Meanwhile do take care and
send my regards to your parents and also to your sister, Sally.

Signing off Yours sincerely,

Signature Caithlin Jane

Now by following the format and example above, you too can do an assignment to test
your skill in informal letter writing as well.

ASSIGNMENT:

You would like to invite your good friend Corey Lee to come and stay at your house for
the long school holidays after the PMR examinations. Francis is your good friend but he
is no longer living in Petaling Jaya as his father was transferred to work as the Regional
Manager of a Multinational company in Kulim in Kedah in February 2010. In your letter,
describe what both of you could do together during the holidays if he should come and
stay with you.