Writing a letter

Sample Informal Letter

1) 506 Country Lane North Baysville, CA 53286 2) July 16, 2007 3) Dear Susan, 4) It feels like such a long time since the last time I saw you. I know it's only been several weeks since I saw you. So far my summer has been great! I spend my all my weekends at the beach. I am getting a nice tan and you can no longer say I am paler than you. I have been playing lots of volleyball, surfing and building a nice collection of sea shells. Just this past weekend I took second place in a sandcastle building contest! On the weekdays I work. I drive an ice cream truck around and sell ice cream to the kids. It is so cool. It is a combination of the two things I love most, ice cream and kids. The pay isn't too great but I love the job so much. I hope the summer's been going well for you too. There's only a month and a half left in summer vacation and after that it's back to school. Would you like to meet up some time to before school starts? 5)Your friend, 6) Signature 7) P.S. John Austin says hi.

In the friendly letter format, your address, date, the closing, signature, and printed name are all indented to the right half of the page. Also the first line of each paragraph is indented.

1. Your Address: (Not needed if the letter is printed on paper with a letterhead already on it.): All that is needed is your street address on the first line and the city, state and zip on the second line.

2. Date: Put the date on which the letter was written in the format Month Day Year i.e. August 30, 2003. Skip a line between the date and the salutation.

3. Salutation: Usually starts out with Dear so and so, or Hi so and so. Note: There is a comma after the end of the salutation (you can use an exclamation point also if there is a need for some emphasis).

4. Body: The body is where you write the content of the letter; the paragraphs should be single spaced with a skipped line between each paragraph. Skip 2 lines between the end of the body and the closing.

5. Closing: Let the reader know that you are finished with your letter; usually ends with Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Thank you, and so on. Note that there is a comma after the end of the closing and only the first word in the closing is capitalized.

6. Signature: Your signature will go in this section, usually signed in black or blue ink with a pen. Skip a line after your signature and the P.S.

7. P.S.: If you want to add anything additional to the letter you write a P.S. (post script) and the message after that. You can also add a P.P.S after that and a P.P.P.S. after that and so on.

Ex. 19 Writing. Write a letter to your friend. Describe the city you live in. Ask your friend to write you about his native city or town. Exchange your letters with your group mates.

UNIT 4