Understanding Friendly Letter Writing

What is a Friendly Letter?

• A friendly letter is a type of letter written to someone you already know, such as friends and family, to keep in touch.
• It is a personal way to communicate with others, requiring effort and a personal touch.
• Friendly letters can be exchanged with people you have never met, in a pen pal style of letter writing.

Format of a Friendly Letter

• A friendly letter consists of six parts, but only the first five are required.
• The six parts are: heading, greeting, body, closing, signature, and postscript.

Heading

• The heading typically includes the sender's mailing address and the date of the letter.
• The date is important because it may take a while for the letter to reach its destination.
• Including the date helps the reader know how up-to-date the information is.

Greeting

• The greeting usually starts with "Dear [person's name]".
• The sender can be more specific with the greeting since they know who they are writing to.
• This is different from a business letter, which might start with "To Whom It May Concern".

Body

• The body of the letter includes all the information the writer wants to convey to the reader.
• It is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion.
• The length of the body can vary depending on the type of letter.
• The body often closes with a request to write back.

Closing

• The closing is one of the final parts of a friendly letter.
• Examples of closings include "Best regards", "Warmly", "Truly", "Best wishes", and "Sincerely".
• Most people have a favorite way to close their letters and tend to stick to it.
• The closing should be optimistic.

Signature

• If possible, the writer should include their signature.
• A signature provides a more personalized touch than typing the name.
• This is especially important in friendly letters.

Postscript

• A postscript (P.S.) is used to include additional information that doesn't fit in the body of the letter.
• It is often used to ask a question or provide a final thought.
• The writer can include a postscript if they want to add something extra.

Example of a Friendly Letter

• The example letter includes a heading with the sender's address and date.
• The greeting is "Dear Bobby".
• The body is divided into five paragraphs, including an introduction, body, and conclusion.
• The letter closes with "Best regards" and includes a postscript asking about the driver's test.

How to Write a Friendly Letter

• Follow these six steps to write a friendly letter:
  1. Decide who you are writing to.
  2. Put your address at the top of the page.
  3. Write a greeting.
  4. Write the body of the letter.
  5. Close the letter.
  6. Sign your name and add a postscript if needed.