I nformal letters
23 Oxford Rd
Cheltenham
Glos. GL50 4QZ
4th August 19-
Dear Gill,
T
hank
you for your postcard from New York! Kally you going to all those
exciting places! There’s no chance of a holiday for me this year,
I’m afraid. I’m saving up to buy a car. The driving lessons are
going well and my test is booked for next month. Wish me luck!
I haven’t seen you for ages and I’d love to hear all your news. Why don’t you come down and stay one weekend? Let me know if/when you’ll be free.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Love
Hazel
Notes and useful language.
BEGINNINGS
It is usual to begin by referring to a letter you’ve received, or by making some other polite introductory comment:
Thank you for/Many thanks for your (recent) letter/postcard.
It was good/nice to hear from you recently.
I’m sorry I haven’t written/been in touch for such a long time.
It’s ages since I’ve heard from you. I hope you’re well/you and your family are well.
ENDINGS
It is usual to end with a polite remark, written on a separate line:
I look forward to/Looking forward to hearing from/seeing you.
See you soon./Write soon./Hope to hear from you soon.
Once again, thank you for all your help.
Give my regards/love to...
APOLOGIES
Say what you are apologising for and give reasons to explain your behaviour. Try to suggest a way of putting things right, if possible.
I’m writing to apologise for missing your party last week but I’m afraid I was in bed with flu.
I’m really sorry that I forgot to send you a birthday card but I was so busy with my new job.
If you let me know where you bought it/how much it cost, I’ll gladly pay for it/replace it.
Please let me know how much the bill isand I’ll gladly pay it.
Invitations – accepting/rejecting
Say what the event is and give clear details of the date, time and place. It may be helpful to give other information such as how to get there, who else is coming and what (if anything) to bring. It is usual, too, to ask for confirmation:
- I’m/We’re having a party on Friday 19th and I/we hope you’ll be able to come.
- Would you like to come/go to see “Room With a View” with me at the weekend?
- I was wondering if you’d like to go to the theatre/come on holiday with us?
- Could you let me/us know if you can come/you’d like to join u?
- Thank you very much for you invitation. I’d love to come.
- Thank you for asking me/inviting me to ... but I’m afraid I won’t be able to come/join you because...
REQUESTS
In some cases, you may want to introduce your request immediately. In others, you may prefer to begin your letter with some brief news before going on to make the request. Either way, explain exactly what the request is, with reasons, and emphasise how grateful you would be for the help you are asking for:
I’m writing to ask for you help/you (if you could do me) a favour.’
I wonder if/I was wondering if you could help me/do me a favour.
I hope you don’t mind me asking but could you (possibly) ...?
I’d be very/really/terribly grateful if you could ...
THANK YOU/ CONGRATULATIONS/GOOD LUCK
When thanking someone for something, it is usual to say as much as possible about how useful/enjoyable/helpful it was. When offering congratulations for some success, you usually mention how well deserved it is. When wishing someone good luck, try to reassure them or offer some friendly advice:
- I’m writing to thank you for your hospitality/ the wonderful present.
- It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you.
- I really appreciated all your help/advice.
- Congratulations on passing your exams/your excellent exam results!
- You really deserved to succeed after all your hard work!
- I wish you good luck/Good luck in/with your exams/your driving test/your interview.
- Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do well/pass.
- Do be on time, won’t you, and don’t forget to...
NEWS/INFORMATION
- I thought you might be interested to hear about/know that...
- This is just to let you know that...
- By the way, have you heard about/did you know that...?
F
ORMAL
LETTERS