Writing Friendly Letters as a Lesson
Friendly letters are personal letters written to friends or relatives. Although with the increasing use of email, friendly letters for many people have become obsolete, students should still be aware of them.
Explain that the purpose of a friendly letter is to tell a friend or relative about something in the author's life. Friendly letters are informal and are often written in a conversational tone. They should include enough details so that the reader understands what the writer intends. If a writer is responding to a letter she has received, she should attempt to answer any questions the sender has asked.
Distribute copies of a friendly letter. Read it with the students. Point out the main parts: heading, salutation, body, closing, and signature. Emphasize the punctuation, particularly the commas in the heading and those after the salutation and closing.
Tell students that friendly letters are usually handwritten on letter stationery. Handwriting should be neat, and margins of at least one inch should be left at the top, sides, and bottoms. If more than one sheet is used, page 2 and following pages should be numbered.
For many people, email has replaced the friendly letter. Still, to ensure that communication using email is clear, the guidelines below should be followed:
Use a specific subject heading, which identifies the purpose of the email.
It is not necessary to include your return postal address unless you expect the person to send a letter back to you.
Use standard English with correct grammar and punctuation.
Write in a conversational tone. Friendly email need not be formal.
Like all other writing, strive for clarity in the expression of what you wish to say.
Distribute copies of a friendly letter. Read it with the students. Point out the main parts: heading, salutation, body, closing, and signature. Emphasize the punctuation, particularly the commas in the heading and those after the salutation and closing.
Tell students that friendly letters are usually handwritten on letter stationery. Handwriting should be neat, and margins of at least one inch should be left at the top, sides, and bottoms. If more than one sheet is used, page 2 and following pages should be numbered.
For many people, email has replaced the friendly letter. Still, to ensure that communication using email is clear, the guidelines below should be followed:
Use a specific subject heading, which identifies the purpose of the email.
It is not necessary to include your return postal address unless you expect the person to send a letter back to you.
Use standard English with correct grammar and punctuation.
Write in a conversational tone. Friendly email need not be formal.
Like all other writing, strive for clarity in the expression of what you wish to say.
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