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This article gives us some advice how to write informal letters or e-mail. Before I have started studying IELTS course I didn’t know that these are some rules for informal writing. My first language is Czech tongue and there are some similarities between English and Czech writing rules.

Firstly, when I have started to study about this I have to tell myself “What? Anybody is nowadays using letters? Especially informal letters, which are posted? I think almost nobody send letters to their friends”. But these rules are really good for writing e-mails. So don’t be afraid and use this rules of informal writing in your e-mails, which is posted to your friend etc. I hate the “SMS slang style” in English, which are compounds from abbreviations like “2 means to”, “4 means for” or “u means you” etc. There was some articles about teenagers in Australia, who don’t know write properly in formal English, because of this abbreviations “SMS slang”. So let’s go on and start whit basic rules.

We send informal letters to people we know well such as friends, relatives or colleagues, etc. and these letters are often about our recent news, personal problems, information you need, etc. They are written in an informal style with a chatty tone.

An informal letters or E-mail should consist of:

a) an informal greeting
Dear John / Dear Aunt Chris / etc.
b) an Introduction
in which you write your opening remarks (i.e. asking about yours friend’s health) and mention your reason(s) to writing (e.g. Hi! How are you? I thought I’d write and let you know that…)
c) a main body
in which you write the main subject of the letter in detail, starting a new paragraph for each topic.
d) a conclusion
in which you write your closing remarks (e.g. That’s all my news now write back soon..)
e) an informal ending
Lots of love
Best wishes
etc.

+ your first name

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Opening / closing remarks

• Opening remarks in informal letters may include:
- Questions/wishes about recent events, the personal health’s etc.
- A thank you to the person for their last letters, comments about their news
- An apology for a delay in writing/replaying
- The reason why you are writing

• Closing remarks in informal letters may include:
- the reason why you must end the letter
- greetings to the person’s family or fiends
- wishes, a promise (e.g. to write soon), an invitation
- a request to the person to reply soon

Characteristic of informal style

When writing friendly letters, you normally use informal style. Informal writing is characteristic by use of:

- Everyday vocabulary (e.g. I had a great time…)
- Colloquial expressions (e.g. drop me a line)
- Phrasal verbs
- Short forms

Main body paragraph
In informal letters you usually talk about more topics.
- The rubric gives you information about the subject of the letter and often tells you specific topics which must write about.
E.g. You have just passed an important test or examination. Write a letter telling a pen friend about your success and describing your plans to the future.
- These topics will be discussed in the main body of your letter. You should begin a new paragraph for each topic.

Para1: Opening remarks
Para2: Tell friends about success
Para3: Describe plans for future
Para4: Closing remarks

Asking for advice
To ask for advice, you can use phrases such as:

Do you think I should…?
Should I…?
What do you think I should do?
Have you any idea about…?
I’d like to know what you think about …?
Can you think of anything that….?
I was wondering if you …?
What would you advise me to…?
Etc.

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Giving advice
An informal letter giving advice should offer sympathy and encouragement, as well as specific advice with reasons. Each piece of advice is written in a separate paragraph.

- Opening remarks
I was sorry to hear that…..
Cheer up / Don’t worry too much.
Don’t let it get you down.
I’m only too glad to help.

- Giving advice
If I were your position, I’d / I wouldn’t…..
You should / shouldn’t……
It would (n’t) might be a good idea (for you) to …
Why don’t you….?
Have you thought of / about (-ing)…?
Another good idea is to …..

- Result
This will / would mean that …
Then / That way…
If you do this, you would … so that you could / would….

- Closing remarks
I hope that this / my advice help …..
I / let’s hope that thing get better / that everything turns out all right.
Let me know what happens.

Rad bych se s Vami podelil o dobrou praktiku, planovani, jak si dat myslenky dohromady a napsat esej, clanek a podobne.

Plan je zalozeny na tom, ze esej obsahuje: introduction, main body – tri paragrafy a conclusion. Plan je prizpusobeny na 250 slov (jen 3 paragrafy) coz je minimum pro IELTS essay. Plane je v anglictine a je zalozeny na sablone kterou jsem dostal a trochu prepracoval. Pokud bude veliky zajem tak to i prelozim do cestiny.

Planovani clanku Vam muze pomoci i ve sposte situaci, nejen pri psani IELTS eseje (250 slov za 40 minut). JE to zaroven dobry brainstorming pro dane dilo.

Stahujte zde:Planning the Essay