How to Write Informal Letters in English (With Examples)

In this article, you will learn how to write informal letters in English with the help of sample opening and closing sentences and a sample letter. By the time you're finished, you will know how to properly format the address, date, and signature of an informal letter, as well as what to write in between your greeting and signature.

What Is the Difference Between Informal and Formal Letters?

Informal Letter

An informal letter is a letter that is written in a personal fashion. You can write them to relatives or friends, but also to anyone with whom you have a non-professional relationship, although this doesn't exclude business partners or workers with whom you're friendly. There are different ways to carry out this type of letter depending on which country you're in. This article will address the English/American way.

We'll discuss the following elements:

• Address
• Date
• Opening
• Body
• Closing
• Signature

Formal Letter

The formal letter, on the other hand, is written in a professional tone using carefully chosen and polite language for an official purpose. Unlike the informal letter, there is nothing friendly or quirky about this type of letter, which must adhere to a strict format.

Format of an Informal Letter

How Do You Start an Informal Letter?

Address

Your personal address should be the first thing you write on your letter. It should be located at the top right corner of the page, since you do not always know if someone has your address if they want to reply. Remember also to fill in your country of residence if you are sending the letter abroad.

Format

• Number and street name
• City, state and postal code
• Country

Example

1000 S. Grand Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90015

United States

Date

The date is usually located below your own address. The most common way to write the date includes the month, day and year. Sometimes, only the month and day are sufficient. In English, the names of months are always capitalized, but there are some differences in formatting between American English and British English. See the table below for examples of each.

Read More From Owlcation

How to Write a Curse or Prophecy in Your Fiction Writing

The Bermondsey Horror

Rise of the Republic I: The Siege of Veii

How Do You Write an Informal Letter?

A informal letter can be written in nearly any way you choose, but there are a few organizational guidelines you can follow if you are unsure of what to write or how to format your letter. The perfect informal letter consists of three sections:

1. Opening
2. Body text
3. Closing

There is one final part of an informal letter that doesn't need listed here: the signature, which consists of no more than a farewell remark and your name. Learn about each of the three main parts of an informal letter below.

Opening

The first step is addressing your reader. But how do you address someone in English?

This is fairly straightforward and is usually not as important as it would be with a business or formal letter. There are still a few things that you should know in terms of addressing someone properly in an informal latter.

First, British English does not employ the use of a period after abbreviated titles, but American English does.

• Mr Johnson (British English)
• Mr. Johnson (American English)

Secondly, if you are sending a letter to a married woman, the correct abbreviation is "Mrs," and if you are sending an letter to a non-married woman, the correct abbreviation is "Ms."

• Mrs. Johnson is the wife of Mr. Johnson
• Ms. Johnson and her fiancé will be married this summer

Choosing whether or not to use a title depends on how well you know the person to which the letter is addressed. If you are on very friendly terms, simply use their first name. The way in which you greet your reader is up to you. The examples below showcase some common greetings.

• Dear Richard,
• Richard,
• Hi Richard,

Be sure to never forget the comma after the name.

Examples of Opening Sentences

Finally, you've reached the part of the letter where you begin to write. Here, let your imagination run free. If you need some ideas to get started, some sample opening sentences are included below. Your opening should be casual and not as stiff as it would be if you were writing a professional or formal letter.

• How are you?
• How have you been?
• How is life treating you?
• How are the kids?
• I hope you are doing well.
• I hope you, Mike, and the kids are having a great time in (location).

Body

The contents of your letter should be written in a personal and friendly tone. However, it's important to adjust your use of language to the person you are writing to. A good way of assessing how you should write is to think about how you would interact with the person you are writing to in real life. Also, keep in mind that the people of England and America are fond of exchanging social niceties.

For example, they like asking a few polite questions "How are you?" or "How was your holiday?" In general, they are not as direct as most Europeans.

Subjects to Include in the Body

• State your reason for writing
• Expand on what you mentioned in the first paragraph
• Ask about the person you are writing to
• Make some concluding remarks
• Invite the person to write back

Closing

The closing is where you summarize your letter and say goodbye to the reader. The examples below offer some ideas of what to write in the closing section of your informal letter.

Examples of Closing Sentences

• I am looking forward to seeing you.
• I can't wait to see you soon.
• I can't wait to hear from you.
• I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
• I hope to hear from you soon.
• See you soon.
• Send my love to...
• I hope you are doing well.
• Give my regards to...

Signature

In terms of signing off, the choice is yours and you have a lot of freedom here. Below are some commonly used sign-offs that maintain a friendly, informal tone. After you've chosen one that fits the overall tone of your letter, simply sign your name.

Examples of Signatures

• Best wishes,
• Best,
• Kindly,
• Kind regards,
• Best regards,
• Lots of love,
• Love,

Example of an Informal Letter

© 2012 markinternational

Comments

Ayomide on August 25, 2020:

Its really helpful

Aishi on August 24, 2020:

great

K.marvins on August 22, 2020:

Thumbs up tnx very much

paulo namwila on August 04, 2020:

are you mad it was of no use

Kudaju Monday on July 12, 2020:

May God help you

Badaboom Badada on July 09, 2020:

Thank you so much

Sarah on July 07, 2020:

This lesson helped me alot.Thank you

RUTH on July 06, 2020:

I REALLYAppreciate Because He Guide Me On My Letters Writing

Olamide on July 05, 2020:

I thanked you very much

O on July 05, 2020:

ah it is great.

Patricia on June 30, 2020:

Thank you so much.I was using a sample letter to teach my students and I found you here.

Best,

Pat

Divya on June 30, 2020:

Thanks,helped me with my HW

T.M. on June 25, 2020:

I read this the day before my exam to revise and it was very helpful!

Annie on June 25, 2020:

very helpful

IKE on June 24, 2020:

I LIKE IT

aisha on June 22, 2020:

it was okay

sopia on June 16, 2020:

you are so good teach me to be like you

no on June 15, 2020:

brilliant

Angel on June 15, 2020:

Wonderful information

Nawal on June 11, 2020:

Thanks alot

xtrjidriduktu on June 09, 2020:

tanks

Nadim Nadeer Kannanchery on June 01, 2020:

Thank you, for telling me that, what is an Informal letter.

Mala phiri on May 22, 2020:

The information is useful. Thanks

cole on May 18, 2020:

cool

Истамжон on May 14, 2020:

Simple and useful

very helpful on May 11, 2020:

thank you

itz avi ara on May 10, 2020:

so helpful

thank you

Sanna on May 09, 2020:

Very helpful thanks

Munachi umeh on May 04, 2020:

Very very helpful

Jenny on April 14, 2020:

Nice one

Emmanuel on April 11, 2020:

It was very helpful

mchailjoshuyperillo@gmail.com on April 04, 2020:

very helpful

mjuyperillo on April 03, 2020:

thanks,it was helpful

john paulioanc on March 23, 2020:

it helped a lot

Binta Gaye on March 09, 2020:

Educative

glory on March 05, 2020:

it is nice

Alizahans on March 04, 2020:

It was really fun to read such letters. It helped me a lot in my studies. Thanks

I'm Aliza Hans from APS.

Nafi'u hamisu isah on February 26, 2020:

Maryam Abdullahi hassan

Robert Green on February 22, 2020:

I just sent a letter to my Nan.

Jaydeep on February 20, 2020:

I like it

bro on February 13, 2020:

I really like this

lizzy on February 09, 2020:

Thanks it really help me in my exam

lizzy on February 09, 2020:

I really like this

Rangasway on February 08, 2020:

It will help a lot sir

Carren on February 07, 2020:

I like this

favour on February 04, 2020:

I really like this

ASADBEK on February 04, 2020:

WONDERFUL!!!!!!

INCREADIBLE INFORMATION.....

Raunak Singh on February 01, 2020:

Nice

Vandi S Boima on January 29, 2020:

Nice Information

linus walimboh on January 10, 2020:

good expression

Onah Linus on January 07, 2020:

wonderful one

naeem on January 05, 2020:

great imformation

Ratan on December 27, 2019:

Keep posting me English betterment blogs regularly

lelyan on December 25, 2019:

thx u saved my life

nwaforexcel on December 01, 2019:

Thanks about the hint cant wait to try it out

Marta Handamo on November 26, 2019:

Thank you about the information

lance on November 20, 2019:

you saved me from my exam bruh

Md. Hasan on November 12, 2019:

Please Con you Give me the Sample of Importance of Forgiveness in Life

jimin park on November 10, 2019:

good one

Dipanshu on November 05, 2019:

It was nice thank for the letter

Ba no dzina on November 03, 2019:

It is very good. Thanks for the tip.

favor on November 02, 2019:

thanks a lot

for the letter

Ifegbu Ikechukwu on October 10, 2019:

How will I write letter to a kindred in my village that committed something wrong

Peacewill on October 10, 2019:

This letter is to chiraman of local Government

Ineedthis on October 08, 2019:

Thanks i got english hw due tommorow and this helped

Cheater on October 02, 2019:

Cheated but worth it!!

Unknown on September 19, 2019:

Thks it is useful

Roman on September 10, 2019:

good

Nimal Chitrasena on September 03, 2019:

Wonderful information is there to keep in mind when writing a letter. Thanks very much.

A laiberry on August 26, 2019:

book

Abhimanyu on August 18, 2019:

It is a easy way to remember

a letter

Santosh on August 14, 2019:

it is bad letter

Omotayo on August 13, 2019:

Thank U Sir. I Find It Difficult To Write A Letter Buh I No Wit Dis It Will Surely Help Me

Omotayo on August 13, 2019:

Thank U Sir. I Find It Difficult To Write A Letter Buh I No Wit Dis It Will Surely Help Me

Stephanne on August 12, 2019:

Thanks. Has been of great help

ebuks on July 16, 2019:

.thank u sir am having English exam

tomorrow wish mi good luck

Zora on July 14, 2019:

Good tips .Wish to get good marks in my English exam

stephanie on July 09, 2019:

Thanks its really helped me in my English exam

Mahasin on July 07, 2019:

Thanks it really helped me in my English exam

great onwe john on July 07, 2019:

please keep on teaching me thanks

sai on July 07, 2019:

i guess it will help you in your exams. thank you for the passage i have my english exam tommorow

Nastensiya on July 07, 2019:

what about formal letters?

Abhilipsa priyadarsini on July 05, 2019:

Very usefull

Tuhirirwe Cynthia on July 04, 2019:

woow, impressive. Thank you so much

harsh vardhan on June 30, 2019:

very great

Deng Atem Kuir Dut on June 30, 2019:

Very great guide.Am impressed.

Dynamo on June 29, 2019:

Yo its good and very informative

Rimsha Sarwar on June 27, 2019:

thank you so much.ti is very informative.

RachelMcpherson on June 20, 2019:

Thanks a lot!

Jaden on June 18, 2019:

it was very helpful........Thanks a lot!

Garvit on June 15, 2019:

Thanks

David.A on June 14, 2019:

Good

RJ on June 11, 2019:

YOW I HAVE AN English exam tomorrow .wish me guys pray for me .I am not good at writing letter

Vaishali on June 08, 2019:

Its a very good site.and also its helpful

dheva on June 02, 2019:

thaks very much

Helper on May 31, 2019:

Thanks. It's very helpful! What's an amazing site?!

Azi♥️ on May 28, 2019:

This was very helpful thanks

Sam on May 27, 2019:

Thanks a lot

marungukonrad@gmail.com on May 27, 2019:

Thanks for your help and continue with your assistance. in addition add some example or format.

Bella on May 23, 2019:

Thanks