English as a Second Language: Pass All Your Exams!

Informal Letters: Components to Include

What components should be included in my Informal Letters/Emails?

COMPONENTS LIST:

■ (Informal) Linking words

■ Phrases & Idioms

■ Rhetorical Questions & Question Tags

■ Phrasal verbs

■ Contractions

■ Variety of adjectives

■ Variety of tenses/sentence structures/conditionals

■ Personalizations

■ Suggestions

Let's go ahead and find out how/why each of those could help us write a cool Informal Letter!

■ Linking Words/Phrases, also known as transition words, can help us join ideas, sentences and paragraphs together. They could be used within sentences, helping us move from one idea to another. They serve a variety of functions, which allow them to show the relationships between ideas in your text. Some of those functions can be comparing ideas, giving examples, introducing new points, expressing contrast, etc. Really helpful stuff!

Examples: "... and ...", "However, ...", "For example, ...", etc.

■ Phrases & Idioms are set expressions of two (or many) words that mean something together. They typically present a figurative (non-literal) meaning. This means that their meaning cannot be understood from the individual words that make it up and they shouldn't be taken literally! They're really useful because they add variety and colour to speech or writing. They basically enrich your language and make your statements more memorable!

Examples: "Nothing is set in stone.", "My sister makes my blood boil!", etc.

■ Rhetorical Questions & Question Tags are questions asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point, rather than to get an answer. You can use rhetorical questions to persuade someone. They help you make the reader(s) feel involved and important because these questions leave the impression that you're asking for their opinion and/or approval.

Examples: "Awesome, right?", "I thought the movie was sort of boring, wasn't it?", "Boring, don't you think?", etc.

■ Phrasal verbs are phrases, which consist of a verb and another element, typically either an adverb or a preposition or sometimes even a combination of both, These combinations give the words an entirely different meaning. Phrasal verbs allow for quicker, easier and more relaxed communication and are usually used when speaking/writing in a casual manner.

Phrasal verbs often function as informal versions of more formal expressions. For instance, "I really messed up." is more informal than saying "I made a horrible mistake.". Phrasal verbs are essential for English fluency because using them will make you sound more natural.

Examples: "I went in for a hug.", "Don't do that, it's looked down upon!", "I enjoy being active so I took up a new sport.", etc.

■ Contractions are made by shortening and combining two words, usually with an apostrophe. By cutting out letters and combining multiple words into one, your writing/speech becomes more compact and therefore more potent and direct. Contractions are common in casual conversations like emails, text messages and social media posts.

Examples: 'can't' (can + not), 'don't' (do + not), 'I've' (I + have), etc.

■ Adjectives are words that describe the qualities or states of being of nouns and can go in different positions in a sentence. They provide clarity to your sentences because they add further information and specify the meaning or nuance of what you intend to communicate. They enrich your language and have the power to transform our perception of ourselves and others by providing vivid descriptions and evoking emotions, which makes your speech/writing less monotonous and much more fun to read!

Examples: "Today I had some finger-licking good pizza!", "The room was quite spacious and the walls were painted a really vibrant pink."

■ Variety of tenses/sentence structures/conditionals: Using a variety of tenses, sentence structures as well as the 4 conditionals makes listening and reading easier for others to understand, making the communication process more enjoyable. Using the correct verb forms ensures clarity and precision when telling a story. Moreover, verb forms and syntax can be used to highlight nuances by giving the reader(s) more context. For this very reason, using the right verb forms for a certain situation indicates a great understanding of English grammar!

■ The word 'personalization' is defined as "the act or process of making a general statement, work, etc., into one that is particular to an individual". In the context of writing an Informal Letter, this basically means you should be trying your best to address the reader directly and make them feel involved. You could do that in a number of ways: Some of them are pretending you know the reader(s), asking them personal questions and even asking for their opinion and/or advice.

Examples: "The match was great! I know how much you love football, you'd have loved it!", "I need to clean up my bedroom. You know how messy I am!", "Wish you were there!", etc.

■ Suggestions, as the name suggests (Pun not intended!), are ideas someone proposes. Making a suggestion at the end of your Informal Letter is always a great way to end off. You could ask the reader (your friend) if they can hang out this week or if they're down to get coffee at some point next weekend. Sometimes making a suggestion comes much more naturally depending on the topics and points you're asked to write about. If you're telling your friend about somebody new you've met, it'd only make sense to suggest for you 3 to hang out together. Otherwise, why are you even telling your friend about random people, to begin with? That'd be weird! If you're telling your friend about the new mall that's been built in town, you could suggest that you go shopping there together because your friend hasn't been there yet! Not making a suggestion in such situations would be a missed opportunity!

Examples: "Why don't you come over on Friday? I could show you my new game!", "How about getting some coffee next week?", "Are you free next Saturday? It'd be cool if we hang out!", "Let's meet up on Sunday so that we could work on our school project!"