Formal and informal letters are the two primary letter kinds. Formal letters are sent to provide information to a company, government agency, non-profit organization, or any other kind of institution that calls for formal contact.
To write an informal letter, you do not need to use formal language. They’re letters addressed to a person you know. Despite the fact that they are casual letters, it is necessary to know how to build writing abilities for them. This is the proper format for a casual letter.
What kind of letters are informal?
If you want to write a letter in a less professional style, you should use casual language. It’s addressed to someone you know personally or via a third party you know. The individual might be a family member, a spouse, a sibling, a friend, a co-worker, or anybody else you know.
Informal letters are often sent to express gratitude or ask for something, but they may also be a way to share information about something that’s going on in your life with someone else. It is customary for them to mention the recipient’s name or title in their salutation.
Like, “Dear Aunt, Uncle, Mother, Brother, Cousin, Peter, Serena, and Amy,” Even if you have a particular problem in mind, you don’t need a topic line for the letter.
Types of informal letters that you might compose
The reasons for writing an informal letter or letter to a friend are several.
Let others know what’s going on in your life
The gossip in your job, community, state, or school may be of interest to you. If your buddy lives far away, writing a letter is the greatest option for keeping in touch. To communicate with them effectively, you’ll need to know how to compose an informal letter.
A letter of gratitude
To show your appreciation, you may write a thank-you letter. For whatever reason, someone may have done you good and had a significant impact on your life. There are many examples of casual letters that might help you get started.
Wishing you the best
Another motive is to wish someone well on their special days, such as their anniversary, birthday, wedding, or day of their engagement. Because you’ve known them for a long time, you just want to congratulate them on their big day. An informal letter template has been created specifically for this purpose.
Inviting others to join you
For example, you may be attending a graduation ceremony, getting married, or moving to another location. You will personally invite a buddy to your event with a letter.
Sending my regrets
It’s easy to misread someone from time to time. Anyone who is well-known to you might be the subject of a cyberbullying investigation. Find the finest casual letter style and write them to express your honest apologies and beg for forgiveness in order to win them back.
Congratulate a colleague or a close friend.
Whatever the case, it’s possible that someone has received some kind of life-changing event. If you’re not sure what to write, you might look at an informal letter sample to gain some inspiration.
Characteristics of a casual letter
An informal letter’s format and structure are its distinguishing traits. Even if an informal letter template exists, the letters themselves do not have a set structure. People may choose to utilize their own distinctive writing style depending on whom they are writing to. But there are a few things you should always mention in a casual letter.
In order to get in touch with you, please provide
After receiving your letter, your buddy must respond in writing to keep the lines of contact open. As a result, they will not be able to respond to your questions, requests or appreciation if they don’t have your current address.
Do not omit any part of the address while writing it down. Your address should include all of these data.
To begin, write – at the top left of the page.
- Example: 2593 N. State Avenue, Staten Island, New York
- The name of the city, state, and zip code where you are now situated – for example, The zip code 93805 is located in Florida.
- As an example, the United States.
- Date
Below your name and address, you’ll see the date. There is no indication of when it was sent; just indicates when it was written. The postage stamp will provide the date on which the package was sent. Depending on your friend’s preferred method of communication, you may use either one of two date forms in your letter.
The month, date, and year are all included in the American format.
Examples
- On the 22nd of February, 2022
- The 22nd of February, the year 2022, is set as the
- O2/22/2022
The day, month, and year are listed first in the British format.
Examples
- On February 22nd, 2022
- February 22nd, 2022
- 22/02/2022
Salutations
You should begin your first paragraph with a greeting. Because this is a person you’ve met before, keep the conversation light and friendly. Using the term dear or another form of salutation is up to you and your degree of friendship.
Some examples of salutations include dear Dad/Uncle/Mom/Mr./Mrs./Wesley/etc. Dear Susan, cate, Charles, Andrew, etc. are appropriate words to say if the other person is your age match. If it’s a really close friend, you may omit the term dear and just say hello Robert, Christine, etc. When composing a greeting, keep in mind the connection you have with the recipient, their age, and any other relevant details.
A body was written in a casual style
If you don’t know the individual, here is where you’ll introduce yourself. You may help them remember you by introducing them to someone you know well. If you’re writing to someone you know, introduce yourself and explain why you’re writing.
Extend your message by writing additional paragraphs to make it clearer to your audience. Focus on a single idea at a time and use a neutral voice. Despite the fact that this is a casual letter, you must keep the recipient in mind and pick the appropriate tone.
The last paragraph
In the last paragraph, you sum up your letter. As you say your goodbyes, let them know you’re hoping to hear from them.
Signature
A signature is required even if you’ve already put your name at the top of the document. This is a good way to verify that the letter is, in fact, coming from you. Check out a casual letter sample online to get a better sense of what to expect.
The best way to compose an informal letter is to follow these steps.
Choose your own distinctive style and let the words flow as you compose an informal letter to a specific person. Any letter, professional or casual, will benefit from the use of three primary components.
The first sentence
You should address your audience personally in the first paragraph of your email. Address them by their name or title, such as Miss Spencer, Mr. Robinson, Uncle, Dad, etc. Be considerate of the person’s age, status, or relationship status, and treat them with respect if they deserve it. If the individual is well-known to you, you don’t need to give them a title. Simply mention Peter, Tom, Cecilia, etc.
Words to use when starting a sentence
- Dear mother, thank you. Let me know how you’re doing.
- How are things with your family?
- I hope everything is going well for you, your uncle, and your children.
- I also hope your wedding plans are progressing well.
The body of the letter
In the body, write in a nice tone, but remember who you’re writing to. In order to convey the correct tone, write as if the individual is sitting in front of you and you are speaking one-on-one with them. Use the terminology you’d use in a one-on-one conversation. Tell them what you’re trying to get across in a clear and concise manner. Start by stating your main idea, then elaborate on it more.
Subjects in the human body
- Your letter’s primary goal
- Give specifics about what you’re trying to accomplish.
- Ask the individual how they’re doing or what you’d want to hear.
- Include the letter’s content and ask them to respond.
The last sentence of the paragraph
Your letter should be summarized, and you should be optimistic that they will get back to you quickly. Remind them in writing to use your postal address when communicating with you.
What is the proper way to conclude a letter of recommendation?
You may close your essay with any of these phrases.
- I’m looking forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
- Send my best wishes to…
- Best wishes for your future endeavors.
- I’m looking forward to seeing you soon and can’t wait to meet you in person.
Please sign your casual letter.
Unlike a formal letter, an informal letter does not need you to use a certain signature. As long as the receiver likes the sort of signature you choose, you may go with anything you want. Any of these signatures are acceptable.
- Sincerely,
- By way of courtesy
- Best friend of yours, a beloved child, or a beloved spouse
What is an example of an informal letter?
An informal letter sample or a formatted letter template might provide some ideas for what to include in your own letter. Regardless of the recipient, the most important guideline for a casual letter is to remember the format, as well as the dos and don’ts.
Your address should be on the top left, followed by the date, followed by your greeting. Sign and date your document once you’ve written the body and concluded your message with a closing tag.
Dos
- Be sure to acknowledge the honouree by mentioning their name or title in your greeting.
- Consider the person you’re writing to and use language that demonstrates respect for them when you compose your email messages. When writing to a parent, you use a different vocabulary than when writing to a sibling, a friend, an uncle, a grandmother, etc.
- Write a comprehensive corpus of work
- Request a response from them.
- In the last paragraph, state your name or position.
Don’ts
- It is enough proof to suit you if you use inappropriate remarks.
- It’s important not to write a letter that’s too long or too short, as if it were an official letter.
- Avoid the use of official jargon
There is no time restriction on the number of letters you may compose while using an informal letter format. There is no limit to the number of times one may write as long as there is a compelling cause to do so. The primary function of writing is to keep people in touch, so you may use it if you have a specific need or need.
The primary distinction between formal and informal letters is their format.
Despite the obvious contrasts between professional and casual correspondence, there are many commonalities as well. They share the following characteristics:
- Addresses and other contact information are included.
- It is possible to tell when they were born.
- They begin with a statement.
- They’ve got substance to them, and they’ve got a concluding line.
- They have a signature attached to them
Major differences between them:
The language that is being spoken.
The tone and wording of a formal letter are appropriate for the occasion. An official language is employed in this context. Letters written in an informal style make use of colloquial vocabulary.
Tone
Because a formal letter must be impartial, it assumes a neutral tone. You may not even be aware of the identity of the person to whom you are writing. The tone of an informal letter is informal, but the intensity of the tone varies depending on who is writing it and to whom it is being sent.
Purpose
Formal letters are exclusively written for formal purposes. Job applications, quote requests, loan requests, and letters of termination are some of the more typical formal letters that people write. For any cause, you may write an informal letter. It might be an invitation, a thank you, an expression of gratitude, a request, an apology, an update, or any other kind of communication.
Recipient
CEOs and managers are the most often recipients of formal letters. Because managers are the ones who hire and purchase products and services, formal letters to subordinates are very rare.
Anyone, regardless of status, title, or clout, maybe the receiver of an informal letter. The CEO of a large corporation may be someone’s spouse, father, mother, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, etc. Their relatives will send them casual letters and employ an informal tone in their correspondence. Those around them will send them official letters, though, if they work for a CEO.
