Writing Informal Letter 2011

GUIDELINES
1. Informal letters are written to friends & relatives.

2. The format:

Your address__________________, ____________________________, ____________________________. Date________________________ Greeting, Opening_______________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Contents_______________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Closing________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Signing off,______ Signature________

3. The language used is simple and friendly. a. You can use contractions such as cant, Im, wont, youre and so on. b. For examination, do not use slang like, Hey, Wassup. , gonna , kinda, wanna

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Writing Informal Letter 2011

4. Explanation about the format: Explanation The writers address is written at the top right-hand corner For example: 25, Jalan Tebing 8/8, Add a coma at the end of each line of the Seksyen 8, address 40000 Shah Alam, Add a fullstop at the end of the address Selangor Darul Ehsan. Date Written below the address. For example: 6 June 2011 Greeting Written on the left-hand side of the letter. Begin with: Dear........, For example: Dear Amin, Dear Latifah, Dearest.., or My dear., (for close friends & family) For example: Dearest father, My dear Uncle Syed, Dearest Siti, Opening You may begin your letter by: (1st paragraph) Asking about the persons health. For example: How are you? I hope that youre in the pink of health. Hows your family getting on? Im fine and I hope youre fine too. I hope that youre as fit as a fiddle. Asking what the reader had been up to? Hows the weather at your place? Not too hot I hope. Did you get to visit your grandparents? Did you go on your trip to Paris as you had hoped? They say Paris is a beautiful city. Expressing happiness: For example: I received your letter on Im happy to receive your letter Thank you for your letter which I received.. Im so glad to hear.. Im glad to learn that. Expressing sorrow: Im sorry to hear that.. Expressing apology: Id like to say sorry for Im sorry for not writing. Content In the 2nd paragraph, mention your main reason for writing the letter. You may (Several paragraphs) use the following phrase: In your last letter, you wanted me to describe / advice.. Im writing this letter to. Closing Inform the reader that you are ending the letter. You may use the following Prepared by: Teacher Nuha, SAMBBST, Selangor. This material can be viewed @ http://teachernuha.blogspot.com/ Page 2 of 10

Format Address

Writing Informal Letter 2011

Format (Last paragraph) Explanation phrases: Ill write again soon. Do write to me soon. Well, thats about all for now. Please give/send my regards to Please convey my warm regards to. Let me pen off here. Take care of yourself. Hope to hear from you soon. Im looking forward to hearing from you soon. Hope to receive a reply from you. Bye / Goodbye. If you are writing to your parents, you can sign off using: Your loving daughter, Yours lovingly, Yours affectionately If you are writing to friends or relatives, you can sign off using: Your friend, Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully, Your niece / nephew, Sign your name at the bottom of the letter in the right-hand corner. For example:

Signing off

Signature

Nuurunnuha

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Writing Informal Letter 2011

A) INFORMAL LETTER TO INVITE Exercise 1: PMR 2006 You and your family are planning to go camping for the coming school holidays. You have found a suitable campsite. Write a letter to your uncle and invite him and his family to join you. When writing your letter, you should: use all the notes given to persuade your uncle elaborate on the given notes to make it more interesting make sure it is not less than 120 words Use the notes below to write the letter. 1. campsite 2. location - clean - near a town - shady - 20-minute bus-ride - peaceful - mini market - safe

3. facilities - tent for rent - childrens playground - toilets - shower rooms

4. activities - barbecue - games - swimming - trekking

Use the idioms below to make your letter more interesting: - to their hearts content (Meaning: to their full satisfaction, without limitation) - in stitches (Meaning: laughing uncontrollably) - in the pink of health (Meaning: in very good health) - a stones throw away (Meaning: very close) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fill in the blanks with the above notes and idioms in the correct sentence. Then, REWRITE the letter. 5, Jalan Parameswara, 77000 Jasin, Melaka. 16 October 2010 Dear Uncle David, How are you? I hope you and your family are (1)______________________________. Everyone here is as fit as a fiddle. My final year exam ended yesterday. What a relief! Math and science papers were quite tough. Please pray that Ill pass all subjects with flying colours. Im writing this letter mainly to invite you, Aunt Lucy and your sons, Beckham and Ryan, on a camping trip for the coming holidays. Father has found the perfect (2) ______________________________. It is in Taman Lipur Tasik Putih. The campsite is located just (3) __________________________________ from your house. Although the Prepared by: Teacher Nuha, SAMBBST, Selangor. This material can be viewed @ http://teachernuha.blogspot.com/ Page 4 of 10

Writing Informal Letter 2011

campsite seems secluded, it is located (4) ______________________________, so we can easily go there if we need supplies. There is a (5) ______________________________ in the town. It is only a (6) _____________________________________. A friend of father has camped there with his family. He said the place is serene, (7) ______________________________ and (8) ______________________________. The place is planted with many trees. Apart from making the place (9) ______________________________, the greenery makes the atmosphere so cool and refreshing. Moreover, theres an unpolluted, crystal clear waterfall waiting to tempt us. Fathers friend also said that the place is quite (10) ______________________________. The boundary is clearly marked, so you and Aunt Lucy need not worry about the boys wandering off. Park rangers are also on duty to help us if we have any problems. The campsite boasts of excellent (11) ______________________________ too. There are (12) ______________________________ so you dont have to bring your own. The rental is not very expensive. There is a (13) ______________________________. Im sure the boys would love that. They can play (14) ______________________________. There are also (15) ______________________________ and (16) ______________________________ at the campsite. Do say you will come, Uncle David. We can go (17) ______________________________ and (18) ______________________________ during the day. At night, we can have (19) ______________________________. Father has a new recipe for barbecued lamb. Trust me. Its going to be so tantalizing and delicious. We can also have marshmallows for dessert. I can bring along my new board game which is extremely fun and hilarious. My brothers and I always end up (20) ______________________________ every time we play. Well, I hope you will have good news for us. Do give my warm regards to Aunt Lucy, Beckham and Ryan. Bye! Your nephew, Simon

B) INFORMAL LETTER TO GIVE ADVICE

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Writing Informal Letter 2011

Exercise 2 Your younger brother has just enrolled into a residential school. He is facing some problems. Write a letter to your brother, giving him some advice on how he can overcome some of his problems. Use the points given below in your letter.

organise your time choose friends carefully - have an open mind concentrate on studies make use of the facilities available follow school rules

Expressions used:

as fit as a fiddle in good health time is gold bad hats troublemakers state-of-the-art modern a healthy mind creates a healthy body pen off stop writing

Underline the correct answer. Then, REWRITE the letter.

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Writing Informal Letter 2011

________________, ________________, ________________. 16 January 2011 Dearest ______________, I hope you [1- is, are, was, were] as fit as a fiddle and not too homesick. All of us are fine back home although we [2- miss, misses, missed, are missing] having you around. I especially miss you as I no longer have anyone to [3- play, plays, played, playing] badminton with. In your last letter, you [4- tell, tells, told, are telling] me that youre having some difficulties in your new school. As you may already know, life in residential school [5- is, are, was, were] very different from home. It is more difficult and you may [6- face, faces, faced, facing] many problems. [7- In addition, Since, However, Next], dont fret too much because all these problems can be overcome. First, make sure that you organise your time [8- foolishly, slowly, wisely, quickly] because time is gold. Divide your time for doing homework, studying, [9- wash, washes, washed, washing] clothes and so on. I suggest that you have [10- a, an, the] timetable. So, you may find [11- it, its, its] easier to finish all that you have to do and still have some free time for yourself. Next, please do be careful [12- on, in, at, of] your choice of friends. There [13- is, are, was, were] bound to be some bad hats around. So, make sure that youre not [14- influence, influences, influenced, influencing] by the wrong set of friends. Stay away from any unhealthy [15- activity, activities] such as smoking or drug abuse. These [16- habit, habits] will only lead to disaster and jeopardize your studies. You will [17- meet, meets, met, meeting] friends from various cultures and backgrounds. So, please keep [18- a, an, the] open mind. Dont [19- belittle, belittles, belittled] anyone elses beliefs or traditions. At the same time, dont forget all that you have [20- learn, learns, learnt, learning] at home.

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Writing Informal Letter 2011

The main reason you were sent there [21- is, are, was, were] to help you get better results and hopefully a scholarship. [22- However, Besides, Therefore, In addition], concentrate on your studies and do well in your examinations. This is your best chance to [23- achieve, achieves, achieved, achieving] your ambitions. Dont be shy to consult your teachers if you [24- has, have, had, are having] any problems with any subjects. Youre advisable to study in group so that it will be much easier to have discussions. SM Sains Muzaffar Syah is distinguished for [25- it, its, its] state-of-the-art facilities. For that reason, make full use of them. Study in the library whenever you can because [26- it, its, its] comfortable and more conducive. There [27- is, are, was, were] many reference books you can look at. Your school is also [27- equip, equips, equipped, equipping] with the latest computers. So, you can [28- use, uses, used, using] the internet conveniently not only to carry out school tasks or projects but also to [29- gain, gains, gained, gaining] as much knowledge as possible. Besides, play games now and then. I know your school [30- has, have, had, is having] tennis and badminton courts. Perhaps you should [31- take up, takes up, took up, taking up] one of these games. [32- Play, Plays, Played, Playing] games is not only a form of exercise but it is also a way for you to relax. Plus, a healthy body [33- create, creates, created, is creating] a healthy mind. Last but not least, you should [34- follow, follows, followed, following] the school rules. Never break any rules. The rules may [35- seem, seems, seemed, seeming] tiresome but they instill self-discipline and are good for character building. If you [36- break, breaks, broke, are breaking] the school rules, you may be suspended or expelled. We would be [37- disappoint, disappoints, disappointed, disappointing] if such a thing were to happen. I hope my advice will [38- help, helps, helped, helping] you to solve your problems. Please write whenever you [39- has, have, had, are having] time. We are all anxious about you and eagerly wait for [40- your, yours, youre] letter. I will pen off here. Take care and goodbye! Your loving brother, _______________

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Writing Informal Letter 2011

C) INFORMAL LETTER TO GIVE NEWS / TO TELL EXPERIENCE

Exercise 3 Your uncle suggested that you and your family visit a tea plantation which was owned by his friends. Write a letter to your uncle to thank him for his suggestion and to tell the wonderful trip that you had experienced. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct answer from the box below. Then, REWRITE the letter. keeping well take a tour drove up tour by How are you your suggestion were awestruck a sea of green leaves At the end of the tour learnt about tea plantation Send my regards to Auntie eye-opener waved warmly plucking tea leaves fast and hard made from -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------________________, ________________, ________________. 31 July 2011 My dear ______________, (1)_________________________________ and Auntie? I hope that both of you are enjoyable and educational stayed at tea leaves was invigorating We borrowed full loads had the time of our lives grand treat

(2)______________________________.Thank you so much for (3) ______________________________ to visit the Highlands tea plantation. We had such an (4)____________________________________________ trip. As we (5) ______________________________ to the plantation resort, through the rows of tea plants, we (6) ______________________________ by the vastness of the plantation land. There were rows and rows of tea plants like (7) _____________________________________, as far as the eye can see! We (8) ______________________________ the Highlands Tea Garden Resort for a night. The first thing we did when we arrived was to (9) ______________________________ of the plantation on the back
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Writing Informal Letter 2011

of a lorry. We chose to (10) ______________________________ lorry because in the open vehicle, we could almost touch the (11) ______________________________ as it slowly weaved its way between the low tea shrubs. The smell of fresh tea leaves (12) ______________________________! Then the lorry took us to the tea factory where we (13) ______________________________ tea drying and the different grades of tea. (14) ______________________________, we had afternoon tea at the caf where there were so many delicious cakes and pastries, some (15) ______________________________ tea. Father gave us a (16) ______________________________. We could choose anything we wanted! (17) ______________________________ bicycles from the resort and we went cycling to the plantation workers settlement. They were very friendly as we passed their houses and they (18) ______________________________ at us. The next morning before we left, we got up very early to watch the workers (19) ______________________________. They worked so (20) ______________________________. Soon they were walking with (21) ______________________________ of tea leaves to the collecting lorries. You know, Uncle, this trip has been an (22) ______________________________ for me. Whenever I drink tea now, I will always remember the tea shrubs and the workers who worked so hard at the (23) ______________________________. Thank you once again for your suggestion. Everyone truly enjoyed themselves. We really (24) _______________________________________________________. (25) ___________________________________. Until then, bye! Your niece, _______________

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