Formal letters – Personal letters

•

-Letters of Acceptance and Refusal

• - Letters of Invitation -Letters of Thanks (Bread and butter) - Letters of Apology -Letters of Congratulations (Postcards)

Formal letter

Letters of Acceptance and Refusal

Letters of Invitation

Letters of Thanks

Letters of Apology

Letters of Congratulations

A person in an English-speaking country usually writes an informal letter when he would like to:

• find new pen-friends (among people of his own age).• apologize for something.• send a formal invitation.• send an informal invitation.• accept a formal invitation.• accept an informal invitation.• thank his friend for something.• thank the people who have invited him to a party or to

visit a school or university.• refuse a formal invitation.• refuse an informal invitation.

STRUCTURE ELEMENT

PLACE LANGUAGE

1. The return address In the top right-hand corner. It is not necessary if the sender of a letter knows the person very well

2. The date It is placed under the heading (the return address)

e. g. Monday, March

1st, 1993 Saturday, September 21st 9th Sept. 1994

3. Salutation In the top left-hand corner. It is flush with the left-hand margin

Dear...

Dear Uncle Arthur

Dear Mrs Crips

Dear Mr Farrow

Dear Professor Middlebrown

4. First lines of the letter You may thank the person you are writing to for his / her letter, postcard, invitation, etc.: Thanks for ... Many thanks for ... Thank you very much for ...

If you haven't written to the person for a long time, you should apologize for this in the first lines of you letter:

I must apologize for not writing you at once...

5. The ending (before the close)

I would like to apologize for not having written you before... I really should have written sooner... I feel very guilty about not having written be fore... I hope you will forgive me... Use social formulas like the following: I hope you write back soon. Please write back soon. Do write again soon. Hope to hear from you soon. I'll be looking forward to a letter from you. We're longing to hear from you. My husband (wife) sends his(her) kind regards (best wishes). I hope you and your family are all well.

6. The close Sincerely yours

Yours

Yours truly

All the best

Lots of love

Best wishes

Much love

I love you so much

7. The signature The writer's name should be in his own handwriting (if the letter is typed) and should be placed below the close

Writing HelpI A Personal Letter (1) (page 17)Layout Your address The dateGreetingHi Tania!/Dear Tommy,1 Introductory questionsHow are you? Have you decided where to go on holiday? Did your mum pass her driving test?2 Describe where you are (the place/the weather)Anyway, we're camping in the Isle of Skye. It has rained every single day...3 Say what you are doingWe're very busy. We go walking every day and ..4 Mention the people in the groupOur news: Predictably, ...5 Ending. Make up an excuse to stop writing.Well, I must finish. It's my turn to cook tonight. Write back soon.Say goodbye and sign your name.All the best,/Lots of love, Janet.

Useful VocabularyWeather: changeable, cloudy, cold, freezing, hot, rainy, sunny Accommodation: cabin, campsite, farm, guest house, hotel, rented cottage, tent, youth hostel Locations: in a forest, in the middle of nowhere, in the mountains, on the coast, near a river, near a town Activities: canoeing, diving, horseriding, parachuting, rafting, sailing, skiing, snowboarding, trekking, windsurfing

Informal styleInvolve the reader with questions: How are you?/Can you believe it?/That skiing break sounds the best, doesn't it? Refer to the reader: / hope the summer job is going well/Here's some news for you/So you can imagine what he's like/Tell me all your news!

LinkingBegin sentences with informal linkers: Anyway, we're .../ Luckily, we didn't... /Actually, there isn't.../Unbelievably, .../Predictably. .../But then we're .../And Tom has .../Well, I must finish ...

CheckingStyle: Have you used informal linkers, words and expressions? Grammar: Check your letter for verb tenses.

Демонстрационный вариант ЕГЭ 2007 г. АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК, 11 класс.

You have 20 minutes to do this task.You have received a letter from your English-speaking pen friend Steve who writes… At school we are doing projects on reading habits of people in different countries. Could you tell me what kind of books you and the members of your family like reading? As for the family news my sister got married last week…Write a letter to Steve.In your letter- tell him about the kind of books you and your relatives like to read- ask 3 questions about his sister’s husbandWrite 100 – 140 words.Remember the rules of letter writing.

C2 You have 40 minutes to do this task. Comment on the following statement.Some people think that science plays the most important role in the development of our civilisation, others believe that our world would be impossible without poetry. What is your opinion? Which is more important in our lives, science or poetry?Write 200 – 250 words.Use the following plan:- make an introduction (state the problem)- express your personal opinion and give reasons for it- give arguments for the other point of view and explain why you don’tagree with it- draw a conclusion