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Personal Letter

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A personal letter is informal. It is written to people we know reasonably well. It can contain colloquial usage and abbreviations. It may carry an emotional or humorous tone.

 

1.      Format

12 May, 1999

(     Date     )

Dear xxx,

(   Salutation   )

 

It¡¦s is nice to ¡K¡K

(      Introduction       )

 

To tell you the truth, ¡K¡K

(          Body            )

 

Write back when you have time.

(       Ending      )

 

Best wishes,

( complimentary close )

    xxx    

(      Signature   )

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N.B. The questions often state that there is no need to write any address. In that case, do not write any address.

 

2.      Organization

The content and organization of a personal letter varies. Usually, you are asked to write the letter about:

-         personal news

-         answer to your friends questions

-         topics of interests like festivals, activities, visits, etc.

-         requests, enquiries and invitation

-         suggestions and advice

 

3.      Language

- There is no rule saying what tense should be used in a personal letter. In practice, any tense is possible.

e.g. I still go jogging every day. (habit)

   I¡¦m working hard for the final exam. (now continuing action)

   I¡¦ve moved to the students¡¦ hostel. (event already happened)

   I¡¦ll join the camp next time. (future event)

- There are some common ways to start the letter.

e.g. How are you/ How are you getting on?

   I¡¦m pleased/ happy/ glad/ sorry to hear that ¡K¡K

   I haven¡¦t been writing for long.

   Thank you/ Thanks for your letter.

   I received your letter yesterday. I am happy to know that ¡K  

- The following are some common ways to end a personal letter.

e.g. Do write when you have time.

   Take care.

   I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

- Salutation is simple.

 e.g. Dear Tommy,

    Dear Uncle,

    Dear Mr. Cheung,

N.B. It is rare to write the whole name, e.g. Dear Martin Lee,

- The complimentary close should show friendly.

 e.g. Yours/ Love/ Yours affectionately,

    All the best/ Best wishes/ Regards,

- Some useful phrases and expressions appear in letters to link up ideas.

 e.g. By the way, how¡¦s your tennis lessons?

       To tell you the truth, I have no confidence in it.

       As you can imagine/ see, I don¡¦t have much choice.

       In fact/ Actually/ As a matter of fact, I haven¡¦t heard from him for some time.

       After all, I¡¦m not a kid anymore.

- Colloquialism makes a personal letter more authentic and lively.

 e.g. Dad/ mum/ grannie/ grandpa cares you very much.

- Writing a personal letter is very much like talking to a friend and therefore the use of abbreviations is natural.

 e.g. I¡¦ll tell Peter to write to you.

- Remind you that you must not use ant ICQ/email language in the letter during the exam.

  e.g. Do not write ¡¥u¡¦ to stand for ¡¥you¡¦.

 

4.      Important points to notice

(a)  In the letter of reply, make sure that you answer all questions in the give letter.

(b) Use suitable tone in the letter. When writing between friends, there can be more jokes whereas a letter to a teacher should contain a tone of respect.

(c)  Do not use your real name in the letter, otherwise marks will be deducted. If a name is given, use the name provided. If not, use common names such as Peter, Mary.

 

 

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