Writing Informal Letter_ssv

Prepared by: Teacher Nuha, SAMBBST, Selangor. This material can be viewed @ http://teachernuha.blogspot.com/

Writing – Informal Letter 2011

GUIDELINES

1. Informal letters are written to friends & relatives.

2. The format:

Your address__________________,

____________________________,

____________________________.

Date________________________

Greeting,

Opening_______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Contents_______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Closing________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Signing off,______

Signature________

3. The language used is simple and friendly.

a. You can use contractions such as can’t, I’m, won’t, you’re and so on.

b. For examination, do not use slang like, “Hey, Wassup.” , “gonna” , “kinda”, “wanna”

Page 1 of 10

http://teachernuha.blogspot.com/



4. Explanation about the format:

Format ExplanationAddress The writer’s address is written at the top right-hand corner

For example:25, Jalan Tebing 8/8,Seksyen 8,40000 Shah Alam,Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Date Written below the address. For example: 6 June 2011Greeting Written on the left-hand side of the letter. Begin with:

Dear........, For example: Dear Amin, Dear Latifah, Dearest…….., or My dear…., (for close friends & family)

For example: Dearest father, My dear Uncle Syed, Dearest Siti,Opening(1st paragraph)

You may begin your letter by: Asking about the person’s health. For example:

How are you? I hope that you’re in the pink of health. How’s your family getting on? I’m fine and I hope you’re fine too. I hope that you’re as fit as a fiddle.

Asking what the reader had been up to? How’s the weather at your place? Not too hot I hope. Did you get to visit your grandparents? Did you go on your trip to Paris as you had hoped? They say Paris is a

beautiful city. Expressing happiness: For example:

I received your letter on… I’m happy to receive your letter… Thank you for your letter which I received….. I’m so glad to hear….. I’m glad to learn that….

Expressing sorrow: I’m sorry to hear that…..

Expressing apology: I’d like to say sorry for… I’m sorry for not writing….

Content(Several paragraphs)

In the 2nd paragraph, mention your main reason for writing the letter. You may use the following phrase:

In your last letter, you wanted me to describe / advice….. I’m writing this letter to….

Closing Inform the reader that you are ending the letter. You may use the following

Page 2 of 10

Add a coma at the end of each line of the address

Add a fullstop at the end of the address



Format Explanation(Last paragraph) phrases:

I’ll write again soon. Do write to me soon. Well, that’s about all for now. Please give/send my regards to… Please convey my warm regards to…. Let me pen off here. Take care of yourself. Hope to hear from you soon. I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon. Hope to receive a reply from you. Bye / Goodbye.

Signing off If you are writing to your parents, you can sign off using: Your loving daughter, Yours lovingly, Yours affectionately

If you are writing to friends or relatives, you can sign off using: Your friend, Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully, Your niece / nephew,

Signature Sign your name at the bottom of the letter in the right-hand corner. For example:

Nuurunnuha

A) INFORMAL LETTER – TO INVITE

Page 3 of 10



Exercise 1: PMR 2006You and your family are planning to go camping for the coming school holidays. You have found a suitable campsite.Write a letter to your uncle and invite him and his family to join you. When writing your letter, you should: use all the notes given to persuade your uncle elaborate on the given notes to make it more interesting make sure it is not less than 120 words

Use the notes below to write the letter.1. campsite

- clean- shady- peaceful- safe

2. location- near a town- 20-minute bus-ride- mini market

3. facilities- tent for rent- children’s playground- toilets- shower rooms

4. activities- barbecue- games- swimming- trekking

Use the idioms below to make your letter more interesting:- to their heart’s content (Meaning: to their full satisfaction, without limitation)- in stitches (Meaning: laughing uncontrollably)- in the pink of health (Meaning: in very good health)- a stone’s throw away (Meaning: very close)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fill in the blanks with the above notes and idioms in the correct sentence. Then, REWRITE the letter.

5, Jalan Parameswara, 77000 Jasin,Melaka.

16 October 2010

Dear Uncle David,

How are you? I hope you and your family are (1)______________________________. Everyone here is as fit as a fiddle. My final year exam ended yesterday. What a relief! Math and science papers were quite tough. Please pray that I’ll pass all subjects with flying colours.

I’m writing this letter mainly to invite you, Aunt Lucy and your sons, Beckham and Ryan, on a camping trip for the coming holidays.

Father has found the perfect (2) ______________________________. It is in Taman Lipur Tasik Putih. The campsite is located just (3) __________________________________ from your house. Although the campsite seems secluded, it is located (4) ______________________________, so we can easily go there if we

Page 4 of 10



need supplies. There is a (5) ______________________________ in the town. It is only a (6) _____________________________________.

A friend of father has camped there with his family. He said the place is serene, (7) ______________________________ and (8) ______________________________. The place is planted with many trees. Apart from making the place (9) ______________________________, the greenery makes the atmosphere so cool and refreshing. Moreover, there’s an unpolluted, crystal clear waterfall waiting to tempt us. Father’s friend also said that the place is quite (10) ______________________________. The boundary is clearly marked, so you and Aunt Lucy need not worry about the boys wandering off. Park rangers are also on duty to help us if we have any problems.

The campsite boasts of excellent (11) ______________________________ too. There are (12) ______________________________ so you don’t have to bring your own. The rental is not very expensive. There is a (13) ______________________________. I’m sure the boys would love that. They can play (14) ______________________________. There are also (15) ______________________________ and (16) ______________________________ at the campsite.

Do say you will come, Uncle David. We can go (17) ______________________________ and (18) ______________________________ during the day. At night, we can have (19) ______________________________. Father has a new recipe for barbecued lamb. Trust me. It’s going to be so tantalizing and delicious. We can also have marshmallows for dessert. I can bring along my new board game which is extremely fun and hilarious. My brothers and I always end up (20) ______________________________ every time we play.

Well, I hope you will have good news for us. Do give my warm regards to Aunt Lucy, Beckham and Ryan. Bye!

Your nephew,Simon

B) INFORMAL LETTER – TO GIVE ADVICE

Page 5 of 10



Exercise 2

Your younger brother has just enrolled into a residential school. He is facing some problems. Write a letter

to your brother, giving him some advice on how he can overcome some of his problems. Use the points

given below in your letter.

organise your time

choose friends carefully - have an open mind

concentrate on studies

make use of the facilities available

follow school rules

Expressions used:

as fit as a fiddle in good health

time is gold

bad hats troublemakers

state-of-the-art modern

a healthy mind creates a healthy body

pen off stop writing

Underline the correct answer. Then, REWRITE the letter.

________________,

Page 6 of 10



________________,

________________.

16 January 2011

Dearest ______________,

I hope you [1- is, are, was, were] as fit as a fiddle and not too homesick. All of us are fine back

home although we [2- miss, misses, missed, are missing] having you around. I especially miss you as I no

longer have anyone to [3- play, plays, played, playing] badminton with.

In your last letter, you [4- tell, tells, told, are telling] me that you’re having some difficulties in your

new school. As you may already know, life in residential school [5- is, are, was, were] very different from

home. It is more difficult and you may [6- face, faces, faced, facing] many problems.

[7- In addition, Since, However, Next], don’t fret too much because all these problems can be overcome.

First, make sure that you organise your time [8- foolishly, slowly, wisely, quickly] because time is

gold. Divide your time for doing homework, studying, [9- wash, washes, washed, washing] clothes and so

on. I suggest that you have [10- a, an, the] timetable. So, you may find [11- it, its, it’s] easier to finish all

that you have to do and still have some free time for yourself.

Next, please do be careful [12- on, in, at, of] your choice of friends. There [13- is, are, was, were]

bound to be some bad hats around. So, make sure that you’re not [14- influence, influences, influenced,

influencing] by the wrong set of friends. Stay away from any unhealthy [15- activity, activities] such as

smoking or drug abuse. These [16- habit, habits] will only lead to disaster and jeopardize your studies. You

will [17- meet, meets, met, meeting] friends from various cultures and backgrounds. So, please keep

[18- a, an, the] open mind. Don’t [19- belittle, belittles, belittled] anyone else’s beliefs or traditions. At the

same time, don’t forget all that you have [20- learn, learns, learnt, learning] at home.

The main reason you were sent there [21- is, are, was, were] to help you get better results and

hopefully a scholarship. [22- However, Besides, Therefore, In addition], concentrate on your studies and

Page 7 of 10



do well in your examinations. This is your best chance to [23- achieve, achieves, achieved, achieving] your

ambitions. Don’t be shy to consult your teachers if you [24- has, have, had, are having] any problems with

any subjects. You’re advisable to study in group so that it will be much easier to have discussions.

SM Sains Muzaffar Syah is distinguished for [25- it, its, it’s] state-of-the-art facilities. For that

reason, make full use of them. Study in the library whenever you can because [26- it, its, it’s] comfortable

and more conducive. There [27- is, are, was, were] many reference books you can look at. Your school is

also [27- equip, equips, equipped, equipping] with the latest computers. So, you can [28- use, uses, used,

using] the internet conveniently not only to carry out school tasks or projects but also to [29- gain, gains,

gained, gaining] as much knowledge as possible. Besides, play games now and then. I know your school

[30- has, have, had, is having] tennis and badminton courts. Perhaps you should [31- take up, takes up,

took up, taking up] one of these games. [32- Play, Plays, Played, Playing] games is not only a form of

exercise but it is also a way for you to relax. Plus, a healthy body [33- create, creates, created, is creating]

a healthy mind.

Last but not least, you should [34- follow, follows, followed, following] the school rules. Never

break any rules. The rules may [35- seem, seems, seemed, seeming] tiresome but they instill self-discipline

and are good for character building. If you [36- break, breaks, broke, are breaking] the school rules, you

may be suspended or expelled. We would be [37- disappoint, disappoints, disappointed, disappointing] if

such a thing were to happen.

I hope my advice will [38- help, helps, helped, helping] you to solve your problems. Please write

whenever you [39- has, have, had, are having] time. We are all anxious about you and eagerly wait for

[40- your, yours, you’re] letter. I will pen off here. Take care and goodbye!

Your loving brother,

_______________

C) INFORMAL LETTER – TO GIVE NEWS / TO TELL EXPERIENCE

Exercise 3

Page 8 of 10



Your uncle suggested that you and your family visit a tea plantation which was owned by his friends. Write a letter to your uncle to thank him for his suggestion and to tell the wonderful trip that you had experienced.

Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct answer from the box below. Then, REWRITE the letter.

enjoyable and educational keeping well take a tour

stayed at drove up tour by

tea leaves How are you your suggestion

was invigorating were awestruck a sea of green leaves

We borrowed At the end of the tour learnt about

full loads tea plantation Send my regards to Auntie

had the time of our lives eye-opener waved warmly

grand treat plucking tea leaves fast and hard

made from

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

________________,

________________,

________________.

31 July 2011

My dear ______________,

(1)_________________________________ and Auntie? I hope that both of you are

(2)______________________________.Thank you so much for (3) ______________________________ to

visit the Highlands tea plantation. We had such an (4)____________________________________________

trip.

As we (5) ______________________________ to the plantation resort, through the rows of tea

plants, we (6) ______________________________ by the vastness of the plantation land. There were rows

and rows of tea plants like (7) _____________________________________, as far as the eye can see!

Page 9 of 10



We (8) ______________________________ the Highlands Tea Garden Resort for a night. The first

thing we did when we arrived was to (9) ______________________________ of the plantation on the back

of a lorry. We chose to (10) ______________________________ lorry because in the open vehicle, we

could almost touch the (11) ______________________________ as it slowly weaved its way between the

low tea shrubs. The smell of fresh tea leaves (12) ______________________________!

Then the lorry took us to the tea factory where we (13) ______________________________ tea

drying and the different grades of tea. (14) ______________________________, we had afternoon tea at

the café where there were so many delicious cakes and pastries, some (15)

______________________________ tea. Father gave us a (16) ______________________________. We

could choose anything we wanted!

(17) ______________________________ bicycles from the resort and we went cycling to the

plantation workers’ settlement. They were very friendly as we passed their houses and they

(18) ______________________________ at us.

The next morning before we left, we got up very early to watch the workers (19)

______________________________. They worked so (20) ______________________________. Soon

they were walking with (21) ______________________________ of tea leaves to the collecting lorries.

You know, Uncle, this trip has been an (22) ______________________________ for me. Whenever

I drink tea now, I will always remember the tea shrubs and the workers who worked so hard at the

(23) ______________________________. Thank you once again for your suggestion. Everyone truly

enjoyed themselves. We really (24) _______________________________________________________.

(25) ___________________________________. Until then, bye!

Your niece,

_______________

Page 10 of 10

Documents

Writing Informal Letter_ssv