The Friendly Letter
The friendly letter is exactly what you’d think it would be: a casual letter that is sent to a friend. The style is informal, and the content is personal. It reads very much like what you would be saying if you were chatting with a friend. The content can be intimate or informative or can even be a request. It is up to you, the writer, to put the thoughts on paper that you wish to send to a friend. There are some simple rules to follow when writing a friendly letter:
- Put the date at the upper left or right of the page. You may add your address below the date, but it is optional.
June 30, 2009
2990 West Main Street
Johnstown, IL 60622
- Begin with a greeting. You can show affection or love in the greeting.
Dear Mary,
Dearest Mom and Dad,
My beloved Mary,
- Next, begin the body of your letter. The content is up to you.
I have missed you . . .
- Close the letter at the lower right or left. You can express affection or love in the closing as in the opening.
Sincerely yours,
Affectionately,
With all my love,
- End the letter by signing your name.
Bill
- You can add a postscript with a final thought at the very end. P.S.
- Notice that the greeting and the closing are followed by a comma (for example, “Dear Mary,” and “Sincerely yours,”).
Look at the three possibilities for the greeting of a friendly letter. Greetings can be friendly, affectionate, or loving:
FRIENDLY GREETINGS: Dear Mary, My Dear Mary, Hello, Mary, Hi, Mary,
AFFECTIONATE GREETINGS: My Dearest Mary, Dearest Mary, My Dearest, Dearest,
LOVING GREETINGS: My Beloved Mary, My Darling Mary, My Sweet, My Darling, Darling,
There are similar possibilities for the closing of a friendly letter:
FRIENDLY CLOSINGS: Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Truly, Truly yours, Yours truly, Yours sincerely,
AFFECTIONATE CLOSINGS: Fondly, Affectionately, With fond regards, With sincere affection,
LOVING CLOSINGS: Love, Lovingly, With all my love, I love you,
- Naturally, what’s considered a friendly, an affectionate, or a loving greeting and closing in a friendly letter may vary from person to person. But you can rely on the ones just listed to help you open and close a friendly letter with the degree of friendship, affection, or love you wish to express.
Now let’s look at a sample of a friendly letter. This sample will express simple friendship between a man and a woman
June 30, 2009
2.990 West Main Street Johnstown, IL 60622
Dear Mary,
I’m sorry I haven’t written sooner, but I’ve been away on the most wonderful trip. My friend Bill and I rented a van and traveled from Johnstown to Seattle, thenfrom Seattle to Los Angeles, and returned home by way of the QrandCanyow.
It was the most spectacular trip. We sawmountain ranges, beautiful forestlands, deserts, and the magnificent Grand Canyon. I never expected the Grand Canyon to be so big or to be so breathtaking. Bill took several hundred pictures, and of course, had my video camera running all the time. I’m eager to show you what we saw.
The only bad moment came when Bill sprained his ankle hiking down a trail. I carried him piggy back all the way back to the van. We must have been quite a sight. We both laughedfor a long time, even though Bill was in a lot of pain. Two days later his ankle was a lot better, and by the time we reached johnstown, he was as right as rain.
I wish you could have been with us. But you’ll have to experience our adventure through our pictures. Let’s get together soon.
I hope you’re well and that things are going smoothly at your new-job. I look forward to seeing you.
Yours truly,
Jim
P.S. If you want to call me, I have a new cellphone number: 555-1234.
Exercise
Exercise 1 Compose a friendly letter by filling in each of the following boxeswith the suggested information. Put two or three sentences in each of the threeboxes in the body of the letter.
Date
Your address
Greeting
Write about something you recently bought
Write about a trip you would like to take
Write about something that happened to a family member
Closing
Sign your name
Exercise 2 Compose a friendly letter by filling in each of the following boxeswith the suggested information. Put two or three sentences in each of the threeboxes in the body of the letter.
Date
Your address
Greeting
Write about something you recently bought
Write about a trip you would like to take
Write about something that happened to a family member
Closing
Sign your name
