How to write informal letters or friendly letters – BECE, WASSCE and GTLE

This content provides excellent details on how to write informal letters or friendly letters or personal letters.

The English composition or essay writing guidelines outlined here are good for students preparing for BECE, WASSCE, and GTLE

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Letter writing plays a crucial role in our daily lives. We communicate our feelings, ideas, thoughts, and facts through letter writing.

This is especially done in the world of business, where a lot of interactions are made through letter writing.

It is, therefore, no wonder that we students are taught letter writing and examined on it as well.

How to write informal letters or friendly letters: TYPES OF LETTERS

Generally, there are two types of letters.

✅ Friendly or Personal letters and this includes Semi-formal letters.

✅ Official/Formal /Business letters.

INFORMAL/FRIENDLY/ PERSONAL LETTERS

Informal letters are written to people who are quite close to us, especially acquaintances of one’s own age groups or contemporaries. The communication we do on paper to our friends, siblings, wives, husbands, aunts, uncles, pen-pals, parents, etc. all come under this type of letter writing.

These letters are written to people who are quite close to us, especially acquaintances of one’s own age groups or contemporaries. The communication we do on paper to our friends, siblings, wives husbands, aunts, uncles, pen-pals, parents, etc. all come under this type of letter writing.

PARTS OF INFORMAL/ FRIENDLY/PERSONAL LETTERS

1. The writer’s address
2. Date of writing
3. Salutation
4. Introduction
5. Main body
6. Conclusion
7. Subscription (including writer’s first name only)

How to write informal letters or Friendly letters: WRITER’S ADDRESS AND DATE

The address of the writer should be on the top right-hand corner of your answer sheet.

• The address can be slanted (indented) or straight (block).
• It may be punctuated or not punctuated.
• Under no circumstance that your name should appear at the position of the address.

EXAMPLES

A PUNCTUATED AND BLOCK / STRAIGHT ADDRESS

Asanteman Senior High,
P. O Box 3124,
Suame, Kumasi.
14th January 2021.

AN UNPUNCTUATED AND INDENTED /SLANTED ADDRESS

Asanteman Senior High School
P. O. Box 3124
Suame, Kumasi
14th January 2021.

 

THE POSITION OF THE DATE SHOULD MATCH THAT OF THE FIRST LETTER OF THE ADDRESS.ALSO, YOU ARE TO PUNCTUATE THE DATE.

Both types (punctuated and unpunctuated) are accepted in the examination.

However, they must be mixed, especially in the case of Formal letters when you may need two addresses. Note how the date is written, the th or nd should be on the line 14th and not hanged or suspended.

Again, the date can be written in these ways:14-01-21 or 14 /01/21.

✅ SALUTATION
This is another crucial feature or convention in letter writing.

The Salutation or the open greeting varies from one type of letter to another. For close friends you use: Dear or Hello or Hi followed by the person’s first name.

EXAMPLES;

Dear Misty, or Hello Misty,

Dear Pius, or Hello Pius,

Dear Tutchi, or Hello Tunch,

You can use “My dear” instead of Dear alone if you want to show more affection or closeness to the person.

NOTE: It should be noted that if you use a lower initial letter d for dear, the name which follows should also use initial lower letters. It is the same with the use of capital D for Dear.

 

EXAMPLES

Dear Eric,
Hello Mensah,
Hi Agabus,
Hello Jaffna,

AVOID THESE TYPES

Dear brother,
Hi sister,
My dear Brother,

INTRODUCTION AS A FEATURE

You should ensure that the introduction to your letter is an interesting or a catchy one, which can arouse a reader’s or marker’s interest naturally. An introduction may carry some pleasantries and often may include the following.

1. Expression of gratitude/appreciation for a gift or a piece of advice, friendship, assistance, support, etc.
2. Expression congratulations on one’s achievement.
3. Artistically expressing surprise at some developments.
4. Creating humour.

Generally, there are two ways you can use to introduce letters.

[A] Showing/ acknowledging the receipt of a letter from your friend- recipient. This is normally done in replying to a letter.

[B] You take or assume the position of writing to your friend – recipient as a first-timer.

ACKNOWLEDGING THE RECEIPT OF A LETTER

Hello Elsa,
I received your interesting and thought-provoking letter about three weeks ago. It was a great delight to have heard from you after such a long break of correspondence. Please accept my congratulations on your election as a day head girl of Asanteman Senior High School.

 

Or

Hi Misty,
With much delight, I write to acknowledge the receipt of your heart-warming as well as inspiring letter dated 17th April 2021. How are you faring at your current school? I hope you are doing well?

INTRODUCING A LETTER THAT IS NOT A REPLY TO A PREVIOUS ONE

Hi Mawu,
I’m delighted and pleased to get such a glorious chance to write this maiden letter. It is to make you aware that my parents have succeeded in convincing me to attend Asanteman Senior High School. How is everybody doing?

 

or

Hello Stallone,
The pleasure is unmeasurable for the beautiful opportunity to write to you for the first time. This letter is purposed to inform you that I have won an educational scholarship to study Medicine in Germany.

THE BODY OF YOUR ESSAY
✅This happens to be the most important part of your composition.

✅The body of a letter or an essay presents the reader or the examiner with the details of what your paper contains.

✅The ideas you express should be arranged in paragraphs.

✅The expression of your views must be good, straightforward and meaningful, taking care of tenses, spellings, grammar, and punctuation.

✅ A point must be developed in one paragraph, by stating the topic sentence and developing it.

✅ The words you put together should sound conversational/chatty, and be contracted forms, popular local forms should be used.

CONCLUSION OF AN INFORMAL LETTER

It is imperative to conclude your letter or essay always. A good conclusion will make the recipients feel like wishing to read more from you.

✅ A good conclusion makes it more complete and fascinating.
The following are some ways you may write your conclusion

1. Misty Joe, I will like to end here with the warmest greetings to you. Please extend my regards to your lovely parents. Do not forget that you have promised to reply to my letters frequently.
2. Leticia, I sincerely believe that enough has been said and you are smiling pleasantly at what you have heard. Please let the sleeping dogs lie. Hoping to hear from you soon and please accept my love.

3. Bideen Aristotle, best regards to you from all of us especially, Mum and Dad. Please do stay safe clean and we’ll during this COVID-19 era. The entire family is eagerly waiting to read from you, so make sure you write to me as soon as possible………

1. Dr Boss Willis, my best regards to you and all your nice friends around. Remember, we had an agreement to celebrate the upcoming birthday at KFC, Bekwai Roundabout. Is there any help I can give you? Let me hear from you soon…….

THE SUBSCRIPTION
The following are some forms of subscriptions for informal letters.

✅ Yours affectionately,
✅Your loving brother,
✅Your affectionate son,
✅Yours sincerely,

NB: On no account should you end an informal letter with the subscription, Yours faithfully since it is strictly reserved for Formal letters.

AVOID THESE SUBSCRIPTIONS

Your lovingly brother,❌
Your loving brother,✅

Your’s sincerely,❌
Yours sincerely,✅

Yours loving son,❌
Your loving son,✅

Yours truely,❌
Yours truly,✅

NAME OF WRITER

You should always write your first name under the subscription.
1. Yours affectionately,
Jeffery.✅

1. Your loving brother,
   Misty.✅
2. Yours truly,
   Sanou.✅

We hope this post on how to write informal letters or friendly letters was useful.