Grade: VIII Subject: English
Topic: Letter Writing
- Learning Objective:
✓ Enhance creative writing skills
✓ Write a Letter using creativity and imagination
Format of an Informal letter
Address
The first thing to write is your address, i.e. the address of the writer (basically, the sender’s
address). We usually write the address on the left-hand side of the page at the very top. The
address should be accurate and complete.
Date
Next just below the address we write the date. This allows the reader to have a reference as to when
the informal letter was written. The date, preferably, should be in expanded form.
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”.
Introductory 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.
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.
Sign off
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 Wishes
▪ Yours lovingly
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3k148sIiSk
Sample Letter
