When was the last time you wrote a letter to a friend? We understand that this question seems pointless. Who in the 21st century will write a letter to someone if you can just call them or send a message through a messenger? Even if you have never written a letter to a friend, you may come across such an assignment in your English classes. We will tell you how to deal with this task successfully.
Why do you need letter writing to a friend?
Let’s say one thing: even if it is the era of the Internet, this does not mean that people do not write letters. In addition to being able to write letters for English exams such as IELTS, PET, FCE, and others, letter writing is a great way to hone your writing skills.
And also it is an effective stress reliever because when you are immersed in the process of writing a letter to a friend, you calm down and kind of meditate, organize your ideas and thoughts, and let your eyes rest from screens. Also, when people write letters, they show their personality. Everything from how far apart you write letters to how big your exclamation points are has to do with your personality.
Your handwriting even reflects your mood, health status, and how tired you are when you write! Especially when you write a letter to a friend or close person. It is about how to write a letter to a friend that we will explain further. Even if you haven’t written letters before, you can surprise the friends you have – write them a letter!
How to write a letter to someone: structure
A letter to a friend is an informal letter, and we write such letters to people we know well. Despite this, in writing a letter even to a best friend, who will forgive some shortcomings, you need to adhere to a certain structure. The following outline can be used to write any informal letter.
Greeting
Since you are writing to a friend, start the letter with the words: Hello/Hi, Dear (name).
Introduction
How to start a letter to a friend? In this part, we usually write about the purpose of the letter. While writing, you can ask how they are doing and tell the news. If you are writing a reply to a letter, thank your friend for the letter or for what you received from them. You can start with such phrases: “How are you?” “I hope you are well; Guess what,” and so on.
Main body
This is the main part of friend letter writing. Here you can write about how you feel, comment on news from a friend, give/ask for advice, agree on something, invite somewhere, talk about a trip, answer questions from a friend’s letter, and the like. Importantly, each new idea should be written from a new paragraph. For example, you can start from such a phrase: “I need your advice on buying a new smartphone.”
Conclusion
When completing the letter, you can emphasize something, if necessary. You can use such phrases: “It’s time to finish; write soon,” “I have to go now.”
Signing off
You may end the letter with the following phrases: “See you!” “Cheers!” “Love, …” “Take care!” You need to sign your name.
What should be remembered when you write a letter to someone?
- If you’re writing this type of letter for an English exam, you should use fictitious names. According to the conditions of testing, the letter must be anonymous.
- The text of the letter must be structured in paragraphs.
- To make the text of the letter more uniform and logical, use linking words (well, anyway, by the way, etc.).
- The tone of the letter should be friendly.
- Address a friend by name.
- Use punctuation, such as an exclamation mark, to show how you feel (enthusiasm, shock, delight, etc.).
- In informal writing, it is customary to use abbreviated forms of verbs: can’t, don’t, it’s, etc.
Tips on writing a letter to someone
Stick to the friend personal letter format
- Start the first paragraph with something nice.
- Share news, personal information, or talk about topics that interest your recipient in the body of the letter.
- Add positive emotions in the last paragraph.
Decide on the purpose of your letter
Perhaps you have not communicated for a long time, and you have got a lot of interesting news to share. Even if you talked recently, you may want to support a friend in difficult times, or you just want to ask how your friend is doing.
Write your address and date
Place your address in the upper left corner of the letter, and just below it, the date.
Plan your letter size
If you want to write a big letter, stock up on sheets of paper, and if you write several ones, number them so that your friend does not get confused. If you just want to send them a short message, then a postcard is the best option for you, the variety of which today is amazing.
Decide whether you will type or write a letter
If you like to write by hand and you have good, legible handwriting, that is great! Such a letter will be especially dear to your friend. But if your handwriting is terrible, you don’t have time to write, or you’re hoping for an online grammar check, then type it on your computer. And don’t forget to make the font bigger if you write to your grandparents.
Choose an informal greeting
Since you are writing to a close person or relative, address the person by their first name or by a kind word.
Don’t forget to get to the point
State everything you were going to write about. Don’t make paragraphs too long or your letter will be difficult to read. If you have no special news, talk about your impressions of watching a movie or reading a book.
Use an example as one of the ways to start a letter to a friend
If you don’t know how to write a letter, the following sample will help you.
Letter sample
Hello my dear friend. I know that I haven’t written to you for a long time, didn’t ask how you are doing. But to be honest, I didn’t have time at all!
I have tried many times to write to you. But every time there were some things that needed to be done urgently. However, I’m still waiting for you to visit! We have just returned from a holiday in the UK. I would like to show you photos and personally give small gifts.
You have no idea how great it was! We have been everywhere: England, Scotland, Wales, and even Iceland. I don’t even know where I liked it better. I think I liked Wales the most. We got an interesting guide, who in a short time was able to show us almost all the sights. Imagine, we even met some Welsh people and tried their cuisine. The guide did not forget to show us the endless fields and hills of Wales.
We were lucky that we got there in early spring. All the hills were bright green, striking my imagination with their freshness. Even the air here was somehow special. The sky, unlike England, was clear. I didn’t notice a single cloud as we traveled through Wales. And the area was really beautiful.
I especially liked the lake in the heart of the mountains. It was so clear that I could see every pebble at the bottom. Unfortunately, we were unable to swim. It was still too cold. We even went uphill a bit and looked at the grotto. Of course, there were no rock paintings there. But it was still beautiful enough.
The guide even showed us the famous Wuthering Heights, which was the setting in Emily Brontë’s novel. My mother was delighted, as this is her favorite book. And I liked watching the stars at night in the field. In Wales, they were especially bright. I looked at the sky while lying on the grass. The nature there is incredibly beautiful.
In general, I also liked Iceland. We took a dip in a hot spring in the Blue Lagoon. It is really blue! I didn’t even believe my eyes at first. There are also very small ponies in Iceland. They are so funny!
Well, it’s time for me to go; my mother says that I need to help her clean the house. I hope you will come soon and we will have fun together!
Your friend,
John.
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