Personal letters fall into a number of subcategories such as Apologies letter, Thank you letter, Personal reference letter, Congratulations letter, Invitations letter, and Condolences letter.
They differ from formal types in that they can be used to express personal feelings and depending on the relationship between the sender and receiver do not require formal concise language.
What goes in a personal letter?
- News about school such as getting a part in the school play, joining a new club or team, winning a prize or sports competition – anything you can think of.
- Updates about your family. For example getting a new pet, moving house, exciting news about your siblings or parents.
- Special events such as birthdays, holidays or parties.
- Something about yourself, such as hobbies, favorite things, jokes, games you have played or movies you have seen.
- Questions about the person you are writing to. Ask if anything has changed in their life or what they are doing in the next week or month.
- Congratulating the recipient on an accomplishment, award or special event such as an engagement, wedding or birth.
- Personal letters are a way of sharing news and events in writing, but why not draw a nice picture or attach a photo to share with your friend?
Generic structure of personal letter
Conventions are not as critical as they are in a formal correspondence but the following general layout should be adhered to:
1. HEADING
Includes the address and the date. In some cases, it is OK to just write the date.
2. GREETING
The greeting usually starts with 'Dear' and is followed the person's name and then a comma.
3. BODY
After skipping a line, you begin the body of your letter which is the main text of your letter. Indent for each new paragraph.
4. CLOSING
The closing includes a short capitalized expression such as 'Sincerely' or 'Love' and is followed by a comma. Skip a line after the body before writing your closing.
5. SIGNATURE
You sign your name beginning directly below the closing.
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