Personal letters follow looser rules than formal ones — but they still have a shape. Learn how to write to friends and family in a way that actually sounds like you.
An informal letter is a conversation on paper. Its structure exists to give the letter shape, not to make it sound stiff.
Informal letters are written to people you know personally: friends, family and close acquaintances. Unlike formal letters, they welcome contractions, personal opinions, humour and a warm, conversational tone. The structure is relaxed, but a few habits still make a letter easier and more pleasant to read. Informal does not mean careless. In school exams, spelling, punctuation and clear paragraphs still earn marks.
This guide covers the layout of an informal letter, how to open and close warmly, how to adjust your tone for the reader, and how to write one in an exam. It ends with worked examples, a checklist, a glossary and ten practice questions.
Most informal letters have six parts. The layout is shorter than a formal letter's, because you do not write the recipient's address or a subject heading.
Diagram 1. The six parts of an informal letter.
In school exams, an informal letter usually includes your address and the date at the top, but layouts vary, so follow your teacher's guide. In a real personal letter, many people write only the date. For the stricter layout used in official letters, see Formal Letter Writing.
Use the reader's first name, or the name you normally call them, such as "Grandma". A comma after the greeting is the usual choice. An exclamation mark ("Hey Sam!") is a style you may use with a very close friend, but it is not needed.
Dear Priya,
Hi Grandma,
Hey Sam!
Unlike a formal letter, an informal letter does not need to state its purpose in the first sentence. It is natural to begin with a friendly line, such as asking how the person is, or mentioning something recent, before you come to your news. But do not wait too long. The reader should understand why you are writing within the first few lines.
I hope you are doing well! It has been far too long since we last caught up, so I thought I would sit down and write.
The body can move between topics as a real conversation does: news, questions, small stories and opinions. Group related ideas into short paragraphs, so that the letter is easy to follow. Good informal letters often include:
| Formal letter | Informal letter |
|---|---|
| I am writing to inform you... | Just wanted to let you know... |
| I would be grateful if... | Could you maybe...? |
| Please do not hesitate to contact me. | Let me know if you need anything! |
| I apologise for the delay. | Sorry it has taken me so long to write! |
Contractions ("I'm", "we've", "can't"), phrasal verbs ("catch up", "find out") and idioms are natural here. You can find more in Idioms and Phrases. Humour is welcome if it suits your relationship with the reader. Be careful with sarcasm, because it is easily misunderstood on the page.
Informal language has limits, especially in an exam. Avoid text-message spellings such as "u", "gr8" and "thx". Use capital letters and full stops properly. Use slang sparingly, because the examiner or an older reader may not know it. Write mostly in complete sentences, with an occasional short fragment for effect. Overusing exclamation marks can make a letter sound breathless, so save them for real excitement. The advice in Formal vs. Informal English explains the difference in more detail.
"Informal" is not a single fixed tone. A letter to a grandparent, a cousin and a new pen pal will all sound different, even though none follows the rules of a formal letter. The closer you are to the reader, the more relaxed you can be.
Diagram 2. A best friend allows the most relaxed tone. A grandparent or a new pen pal deserves a little more care.
End with a closing line that looks ahead: a question, a plan or a request for a reply. Then choose a sign-off that matches the relationship.
| Reader | Suitable sign-off |
|---|---|
| Family and very close friends | Love, With love, Lots of love, |
| Friends | Take care, Best wishes, Your friend, |
| A new pen pal | Best wishes, Kind regards, Yours, |
Do not use "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely" in an informal letter. Those belong to formal letters.
| Purpose | What to include |
|---|---|
| Sharing news | What happened, how you felt, and a question for the reader |
| Inviting | The event, date, time, place, and how to reply |
| Thanking | What you are thanking them for, and how you used or enjoyed it |
| Describing a trip or event | Where, when, who, a few vivid details, and your feelings |
| Giving advice | Show you understand, give two or three ideas, and offer support |
| Apologising | Say sorry plainly, explain briefly, and say how you will make it right |
An exam task will usually give you a situation, a reader and several points to cover. Read it twice and plan for a few minutes.
The text message. "hey whats up, i got into the football team, u should come see the match sat. bring ur sis. c ya"
The letter.
Dear Sana,
I hope you are well! I have not heard from you since the holidays, so I wanted to share some big news.
I have been chosen for the school football team! I could hardly believe it when the coach read out my name. I have practised every day after school for months, so it felt amazing.
Our first match is this Saturday at 10 o'clock on the school field. Would you like to come and watch? Please bring your sister too. It would be great to see you both.
Let me know if you can make it, and tell me how your own match went!
Take care,
Ali
Try it yourself: write the opening and closing lines of a thank-you letter to an aunt who sent you a book. Sample answer: Opening: Thank you so much for the book! It arrived this morning, and I started reading it straight away. Closing: Thank you again for thinking of me. Write back soon and tell me what you are reading. With love, (your name).
The task. "Write a letter to a friend who lives in another country. Describe a festival in your town and say why you enjoyed it."
A possible middle paragraph: "The best part was the evening parade. Hundreds of lanterns glowed along the river, and a band played so loudly that I could feel the drums in my chest. I wished you were there to see it!"
| Mistake | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Writing too formally ("I am writing to inform you") | The letter sounds stiff and cold |
| Text-message spellings and heavy slang | Loses marks in exams and confuses some readers |
| One long block of text | The news is hard to follow |
| Only talking about yourself | Questions make the reader feel included |
| No real reason for writing | The reader does not know what the letter is for |
| Using "Yours faithfully" with a first name | It mixes formal and informal styles |
| Missing details and feelings | The letter feels flat and general |
| Too many exclamation marks | It can sound breathless or insincere |
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Knowing when to relax the rules of Formal Letter Writing, and by how much, is a skill of its own. Informal letters teach the flexible side of written communication, and this flexibility is useful again in friendly emails and in the series' later topics, such as Professional Email Etiquette and Job Applications and Cover Letters.
Activity: ask learners to write the same news to three readers (a best friend, a grandparent and a new pen pal) and compare how the tone changes. Then ask them to swap letters and check them with the checklist.
Please note: all examples here are original, written for teaching. The addresses are made up. Layouts differ between countries and syllabuses, so follow the style your course expects.
10 questions. Select an answer for each, then submit to see your score instantly.