The informal letter can be used to inform, invite, congratulate, or offer condolences.

• The tone of the friendly or informal letters can be conversational, friendly, personal, informal, and above all, sincere.
• Contractions such as I’m and we’ve are used when writing the informal letter because they help to enhance the naturalness of the situation.

Characteristics of the Informal Letter

• The sender’s address is written in the middle right-hand side of the page.
• The date follows the sender’s address and is written directly below.
• There is no punctuation used for the address.
• The address of the receiver is not written in the letter. This address is written on the envelope.
• The salutation or greeting follows on the line immediately below the date. However, the salutation or greeting is written next to the margin on the left-hand side.
• In most friendly letters, you are required to leave a line between the salutation and the introductory paragraph.
• The introductory paragraph is generally short. It is concise and it clearly states the reason for the letter.
• Never begin your introductory paragraph with “How are you?” or “I am fine” or “I am writing to tell you …“
• The middle or body of the letter contains at least two paragraphs. In this section, you will develop the reason you have given for writing the letter.
• The conclusion is usually short.
• The ending or closing of the friendly letter takes several forms as this depends on the relationship that you have with the receiver. Your surname is unnecessary in this letter as you already know the receiver and the receiver knows you.
• Do not leave a line before signing.

Points to note for the informal letter

Friendly or informal letters are usually written to people who are close to the writer, for example, friends or family. They are mainly written to express an emotion, that congratulates, sympathizes, advises, and so on. Due to the nature of the relationship between the writer and the recipient, the language register and style, among others, differ from those of the formal letter. • Style Informal letters are written in simple English. But the writer may elaborate a little on a given point, for example, reminding the receiver about a shared moment that might have partially led to the letter being written. The informal letters should be logical and carry out the intended purpose to the end.   • Structure All letters should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. There must be only one address, the writer’s, with a date that the letter was written below it. An informal or semi-formal salutation such as Dear Maria, Dear Uncle Mark and so on follows the writer’s address. The language register is mainly informal but could be semi-formal to formal. This depends on the recipient, for example, the writer will use a different register when writing to parents compared to that used when writing to a friend. The conclusion ranges from informal to semi-formal – Yours sincerely; Your loving son; and so on – followed by the writer’s first name. Issues to avoid While the language register is more relaxed than in the informal letter, the following still must be avoided: Slang and colloquial language. All types of contractions, acronyms, and abbreviations. Innovations as used in “sms” texts; and, Foul language.