[English Notes] on Informal Letter Pdf for Exam

An informal letter is a letter that is written in a casual manner. You can write them to cousins, relatives, friends or family. An informal letter can be written even to your formal contacts if you share a friendly relationship with them. There are different ways to carry out this type of letter writing depending on which country you’re in. This article will address the English/American way.

 

We’ll Discuss the Following Elements

1. Address

2. Date

3. Opening

4. Body

5. Closing

6. Signature

Contents of Informal Letter

1. Address 

Your personal address is the first thing you write in your letter. It should be placed at the top right corner of the page. This address is important if the receiver wants to write back to you. Always remember to write your postal code and if you are writing the letter abroad then do include the country name as well.

 

2. Format

Number and street name

City, state and postal code

Country

Example

6b, Elegant Heights, Indira Nagar

Kadavanthra, Kochi- 682020

Kerala

India

 

2. Date 

The date is usually mentioned below your sender’s address. The most common format to write the date includes the month, day and year. The name of the month is capitalized in the date.

  

Format- DD/MM/YEAR

 

In British English, it is written as-  22nd November 2011 or 22 November 2011 or 22/11/2011

 

In American English, It is written as-  November 22nd, 2011 or November 22, 2011, or 11/22/2011

 

3. Opening

As assumed, the letter has to be preceded by greetings. It is explained below on how to greet someone when it comes to informal letters. 

 

This is fairly very casual and is usually not as strict and important as it would be with a business or formal letter. There are still a few points that you should know while addressing or greeting someone in informal letters. 

 

Mr Johnson (British English)

 

Mr Johnson (American English)

 

You can write the title only if the letter is semi-formal or you wish to show respect to an elder.

 

If you are on very friendly terms, just use their first name. The way in which you greet your reader is up to you. The examples below showcase some common greetings.

 

Dear Shrey,

 

Shrey,

 

Hi Shrey,`

 

Remember to put a comma after the name. 

 

4. Body

As it is an informal letter you can start in a casual and friendly way. However, it’s of importance to weigh your language in accordance with the person you are writing to. The best way of assessing how you should write is to think about how you would interact with the person you are writing to in real life. 

 

Subjects to Include in the Body

• Give your reason for writing.

• Explain briefly the main reason in the first paragraph.

• Ask about the person you are writing to.

• Make some concluding remarks.

• Invite the person to write back.

5. Closing

The closing paragraph should include the sentence in the last few things you would like to tell the reader. Here are certain examples of closing sentences-

 

Examples of Closing Sentences

• I am looking forward to seeing you.

• I can’t wait to see you soon.

• I can’t wait to hear from you.

• I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

• I hope to hear from you soon.

• See you soon.

• Send my love to…

• I hope you are doing well.

• Give my regards to…

6. Signature

You can sign off by saying anything of your choice as it’s an informal letter yet here are certain examples you can use. You just have to write your name after these. 

 

Examples of Signatures

• Best wishes,

• Best,

• Kindly

• Kind regards,

• Best regards,

•  Love,

Examples of an Informal Letter

52, Fig street, Indira Nagar

 

Kadavanthra

 

Kochi

 

Kerala

 

11th August 2020

 

Dear Mill,

Hope you are safe and well protected from the outbreak of the Virus. It’s been a long time since I wrote to you. Due to the pandemic, I am working from home, So I decided to write to you and know how you have been doing.

 

Everything is fine here in India and we all stay indoors most of the time as India has growing numbers of active cases of COVID 19. We have reached number three in the world for the active number of cases. It is pretty mundane staying inside all the time but I have stopped complaining and started reading books.  It is actually the best way to utilize time. 

 

How did you manage to complete your exams between pandemic? My sister just had a baby girl and I am babysitting for her. Once this Pandemic is over I will come and see you.

 

Hope to hear from you soon.

 

Love

 

Sandra

 

The difference between a formal and informal letter

Formal and informal letters have a similar overall structure in the sense that both include addresses, dates, an opening, body content, a closing sentence, and a signature. However, there are some key differences in formal letters and informal letters, which are as follows:

Formal letters use more formal and dignified language, whereas informal letters use more casual and simple language.

Formal letters tend to use a more neutral tone because objectivity is important in formal letters. However, informal letters use a more open and emotional tone.

The biggest difference between formal and informal letters is the reason for writing the letter. Formal letters are written in an official capacity with an official reason. Informal letters, on the other hand, are written for any reason and are written from a personal space rather than an official capacity.