Appendix INFORMAL LETTER
An informal letter is a personal letter usually written to a friend, a relative or an acquaintance. Note the layout below:
Park Lane
Epsom
Surrey KT18 2LR
18 June 20....
Dear Betty,
Take care,
Jill
Greeting: on the
left-hand side of
the page
(e.g. Dear Bill,
Dear Mum). Put
a comma after
the name.
Indent
paragraphs: start
the first line of
each paragraph
under the
comma.
Signing off:
towards the
middle of the
page (e.g. Yours,
Best wishes).
Don’t forget
the comma
followed by
your first
name written
underneath.
Your
address: on
the righthand
side
of the page
(not always
necessary).
Date: below
the address.
In many examinations students are told not to write any addresses.
Greetings Set phrases for opening paragraph Set phrases for closing paragraph Signature endings
Dear Tom
Dearest Jane
Dear Mum
Dear Aunt Sue
Hi Karen!
Hello Bill!
NOT:
Dear brother
Dear friend
Dear cousin
How are you (keeping)?
I hope you’re fine.
What have you been up to?
I haven’t heard from you for ages.
It was nice to hear from you.
Thank you / Thanks for your letter.
Sorry I haven’t written for so long.
It’s taken me ages to reply, but ...
I’ve been meaning to write back, but ...
Just thought I’d drop you a line.
Well, I think that’s about it.
Well, that’s all for now.
Well, I’d better finish off here.
I must go now.
Write soon.
Waiting for your letter.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
See you soon.
Keep in touch.
Give my regards to everyone.
Yours
Best wishes
All the best
Take care
Bye for now
Greetings/ phrases/ signature endings commonly used in informal letters
116
a form al Letter
92 Park Lane
Epsom
Surrey KT18 2LR
18 June 20....
The Personnel Manager
Waterstones Bookstore
103 Brunswick St
Canterbury
Kent KT20 68R
Dear Sir or Madam, / Dear Mr Jones,
Yours faithfully, / Yours sincerely,
Jake Thomas
A formal letter is a letter written to someone you don’t know personally and it is usually of a business nature. Note
the layout below:
Position of the
person you
are writing to
and/or name of
company (start
one line below
the date).
Address of
the person or
company you
are writing to.
Greeting: on the
left-hand side of
the page (leave a
blank line before
and after the
greeting).
Signing off: on
the left-hand
side of the page,
followed by a
comma.
Your signature
and your
full name
clearly written
underneath.
Your address:
on the right-hand
side of the page
(without your
name).
Date: below the
address, leaving
a blank line in
between.
Paragraphing:
You can indent
(see informal
letter unit 7) or
write in blocked
paragraphs
leaving a blank
line in between
the paragraphs.
Note that when
using blocked
paragraphs,
everything begins
on the left-hand
side of the page,
except your
address and the
date.
List points firstly, to begin/start with, in the first place, finally, last but not least
Add more points
in addition to this, furthermore, moreover, what is more, also, apart from this, besides,
another point worth mentioning is
Give an example for example, such as, particularly, especially, take for instance
Emphasise in fact, as a matter of fact
Express contrast although, in spite of, despite, however, but
Express cause/reason because (of), as, since, due to, owing to
Express result/consequence therefore, in this case, for this reason, consequently, as a result
Sum up in conclusion, to sum up, all in all, on the whole, taking everything into account
Give your opinion
in my opinion/view, personally, I believe, the way I see it, from my point of view,
I am in favour of, my belief is that
an ESSAY I
You can use the following linking words/phrases to:
1175 aN INFORMAL LETTER BASED ON PROMPTS
You can use the following words/ phrases to:
7
recommend
I’m sure you will be happy...
Don’t think twice about...
You won’t regret...
Take advantage of this opportunity to...
give
information
You asked about...
One / Another thing you should know is...
About... I can tell you that...
One tip I can give you is...
make
suggestions
Why not...?
It would be a good idea to...
Why don’t you...?
One / Another thing you can do is...
express
opinion
The way I see it...
Here’s what I think.
What I think is...
My personal opinion is...
Set phrases for
opening paragraph
I am writing with regard to / in connection with...
I am writing to apply for...
I am interested in applying for...
Expressions for
main part
I have studied / been working for...
I am presently working for...
I am familiar with / experienced in / fluent in...
At present I am...
As you can see from my curriculum vitae, ...
I believe I am suitable for...
I consider myself well-qualified for...
Set phrases for
closing paragraph
I look forward to hearing from you / a favourable reply.
I hope my application will be taken into consideration.
If you feel that my qualifications meet your requirements, note that I am available for an interview at your
convenience.
I enclose / have attached a copy of my curriculum vitae outlining my qualifications and experience.
Expressions/phrases commonly used in a letter of application
NOTE
In a formal letter, when you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, begin with Dear Sir/Madam and
end with Yours faithfully. When you know the name of the person you are writing to, begin with Dear Mr/Miss/Mrs/
Ms/Dr + surname and end with Yours sincerely. In American English, Yours truly and Yours sincerely are commonly
used in both cases.
Introduction
The aim/purpose of this report is to...
This is a report on...
This report describes / deals with...
Conclusion
All in all...
To sum up...
On the whole...
In my opinion,...
I definitely recommend this place...
a report
an ess ay ii
• For a list of linking words/ phrases you can use, see Unit 2.
a se MI-FORMAL LETTER BASED ON PROMPTS
• A semi-formal letter is written to a person you know but he/she is not a friend or relative of yours.
• In a semi-formal letter, begin with Dear Mr/Miss/Mrs/Ms/Dr + surname or with Dear + first name and end with
Yours sincerely, All the Best, Best wishes or Yours + first name or full name depending on the degree of familiarity.
An informal letter is a personal letter usually written to a friend, a relative or an acquaintance. Note the layout below:
Park Lane
Epsom
Surrey KT18 2LR
18 June 20....
Dear Betty,
Take care,
Jill
Greeting: on the
left-hand side of
the page
(e.g. Dear Bill,
Dear Mum). Put
a comma after
the name.
Indent
paragraphs: start
the first line of
each paragraph
under the
comma.
Signing off:
towards the
middle of the
page (e.g. Yours,
Best wishes).
Don’t forget
the comma
followed by
your first
name written
underneath.
Your
address: on
the righthand
side
of the page
(not always
necessary).
Date: below
the address.
In many examinations students are told not to write any addresses.
Greetings Set phrases for opening paragraph Set phrases for closing paragraph Signature endings
Dear Tom
Dearest Jane
Dear Mum
Dear Aunt Sue
Hi Karen!
Hello Bill!
NOT:
Dear brother
Dear friend
Dear cousin
How are you (keeping)?
I hope you’re fine.
What have you been up to?
I haven’t heard from you for ages.
It was nice to hear from you.
Thank you / Thanks for your letter.
Sorry I haven’t written for so long.
It’s taken me ages to reply, but ...
I’ve been meaning to write back, but ...
Just thought I’d drop you a line.
Well, I think that’s about it.
Well, that’s all for now.
Well, I’d better finish off here.
I must go now.
Write soon.
Waiting for your letter.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
See you soon.
Keep in touch.
Give my regards to everyone.
Yours
Best wishes
All the best
Take care
Bye for now
Greetings/ phrases/ signature endings commonly used in informal letters
116
a form al Letter
92 Park Lane
Epsom
Surrey KT18 2LR
18 June 20....
The Personnel Manager
Waterstones Bookstore
103 Brunswick St
Canterbury
Kent KT20 68R
Dear Sir or Madam, / Dear Mr Jones,
Yours faithfully, / Yours sincerely,
Jake Thomas
A formal letter is a letter written to someone you don’t know personally and it is usually of a business nature. Note
the layout below:
Position of the
person you
are writing to
and/or name of
company (start
one line below
the date).
Address of
the person or
company you
are writing to.
Greeting: on the
left-hand side of
the page (leave a
blank line before
and after the
greeting).
Signing off: on
the left-hand
side of the page,
followed by a
comma.
Your signature
and your
full name
clearly written
underneath.
Your address:
on the right-hand
side of the page
(without your
name).
Date: below the
address, leaving
a blank line in
between.
Paragraphing:
You can indent
(see informal
letter unit 7) or
write in blocked
paragraphs
leaving a blank
line in between
the paragraphs.
Note that when
using blocked
paragraphs,
everything begins
on the left-hand
side of the page,
except your
address and the
date.
List points firstly, to begin/start with, in the first place, finally, last but not least
Add more points
in addition to this, furthermore, moreover, what is more, also, apart from this, besides,
another point worth mentioning is
Give an example for example, such as, particularly, especially, take for instance
Emphasise in fact, as a matter of fact
Express contrast although, in spite of, despite, however, but
Express cause/reason because (of), as, since, due to, owing to
Express result/consequence therefore, in this case, for this reason, consequently, as a result
Sum up in conclusion, to sum up, all in all, on the whole, taking everything into account
Give your opinion
in my opinion/view, personally, I believe, the way I see it, from my point of view,
I am in favour of, my belief is that
an ESSAY I
You can use the following linking words/phrases to:
1175 aN INFORMAL LETTER BASED ON PROMPTS
You can use the following words/ phrases to:
7
recommend
I’m sure you will be happy...
Don’t think twice about...
You won’t regret...
Take advantage of this opportunity to...
give
information
You asked about...
One / Another thing you should know is...
About... I can tell you that...
One tip I can give you is...
make
suggestions
Why not...?
It would be a good idea to...
Why don’t you...?
One / Another thing you can do is...
express
opinion
The way I see it...
Here’s what I think.
What I think is...
My personal opinion is...
Set phrases for
opening paragraph
I am writing with regard to / in connection with...
I am writing to apply for...
I am interested in applying for...
Expressions for
main part
I have studied / been working for...
I am presently working for...
I am familiar with / experienced in / fluent in...
At present I am...
As you can see from my curriculum vitae, ...
I believe I am suitable for...
I consider myself well-qualified for...
Set phrases for
closing paragraph
I look forward to hearing from you / a favourable reply.
I hope my application will be taken into consideration.
If you feel that my qualifications meet your requirements, note that I am available for an interview at your
convenience.
I enclose / have attached a copy of my curriculum vitae outlining my qualifications and experience.
Expressions/phrases commonly used in a letter of application
NOTE
In a formal letter, when you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, begin with Dear Sir/Madam and
end with Yours faithfully. When you know the name of the person you are writing to, begin with Dear Mr/Miss/Mrs/
Ms/Dr + surname and end with Yours sincerely. In American English, Yours truly and Yours sincerely are commonly
used in both cases.
Introduction
The aim/purpose of this report is to...
This is a report on...
This report describes / deals with...
Conclusion
All in all...
To sum up...
On the whole...
In my opinion,...
I definitely recommend this place...
a report
an ess ay ii
• For a list of linking words/ phrases you can use, see Unit 2.
a se MI-FORMAL LETTER BASED ON PROMPTS
• A semi-formal letter is written to a person you know but he/she is not a friend or relative of yours.
• In a semi-formal letter, begin with Dear Mr/Miss/Mrs/Ms/Dr + surname or with Dear + first name and end with
Yours sincerely, All the Best, Best wishes or Yours + first name or full name depending on the degree of familiarity.
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