A letter to a friend from another country in English. Samples of letters to a friend in English. A letter to a friend in English - sample letters

Children begin to learn to write a personal letter in the 5th grade of high school. Themes are usually standard. Here is a small selection of topics and assignments. Also included a set of standard phrases and a personal letter template for grades 5-6.The volume of your letter should be 60-80 words.

Personal letter grade 5 (template)

Phrases - cliche 5 class (with translation)

1. It was nice to hear from you! - Nice to hear from you!
2. In your letter you ask me about ... - In your letter you ask me about ...
3. Well, ... - Well, ... (this word gives the letter a conversational style)
4. You know, ... - Do you know ... (this expression gives the letter a conversational style)
5. By the way, ... - By the way, ... (this introductory word gives the letter a conversational style)
6. Write back soon! - Write!
7. Lots of love, - With love,

Personal letter 5 - 6 grade (sample, example)

Rules for writing a personal letter  may vary slightly. According to one teacher, the appeal is currently being written "without a red line."

Personal letter. Topics 5 - 6 grade

So, write an answer to Ben using phrases and a personal letter template. The volume of your letter should be 60-80 words.

The following topics are suggested:

1. Theme “Summer Holiday”

Personal letter to a friend on the topic “How I spent my holidays” (Grade 5)

The task.

... Summer holidays are over and I am back to school. I spent a wonderful time in the country. I have a lot of friends there. We swam, rode our bikes, played games. But now I am happy to see my teachers and friends. And what about you? How did you spend your summer holidays? Did you miss your classmates? Do you like to come back to school?
…
  Yours
  Ben

2. Theme "My School"

Personal letter to a friend on the subject "School" (Grade 5)

The task. Read an excerpt from a letter from Ben, your friend from England. Write him a reply letter.

... Holidays are over and I am back to school. I am happy to see my teachers and friends. You know, I have some new subjects this year. It is Science and Information Technology. I find Science very interesting. And what about you? Do you like going to school? What new subjects do you have this year? Do you wear a uniform?
…
  Yours
  Ben

3. Theme “My Family”

Personal letter to a friend on the topic "My Family" (Grade 5)

The task. Read an excerpt from a letter from Ben, your friend from England. Write him a reply letter.

... I have a very friendly family. There are 5 of us: father, mother, my grandparents and me. We live together. In the evenings we have our supper together. We talk and ask each other questions about the day. Sometimes we watch TV or go for a walk. And what about you? What is your family like? Who is your favorite relative? How do you spend time together?
…
  Yours
  Ben

4. Theme “My Pet”

Personal letter to a friend on the topic "My pet" (Grade 5)

The task. Read an excerpt from a letter from Ben, your friend from England. Write him a reply letter.

... I have got a lot of pets. In my house there are three cats, a dog, two hamsters and a parrot. I love them all and I am very happy when I play with them. My mum helps me to feed them.

Have you got any pets? What pet would you like to have? Do you love animals?
…
  Yours
  Ben

5. Theme “My School Friends”

Personal letter to a friend on the topic "My school friends" (Grade 5)

The task. Read an excerpt from a letter from Ben, your friend from England. Write him a reply letter.

... A week ago I changed my school. It is not easy to have new classmates and teachers. Now I don’t have friends because I am too shy. Do you have friends at school this year? What are they like? Do you spend your free time together? What do you do?

…
  Yours
  Ben

6. Theme “Books. Favorite Writer »

Personal letter to a friend on the topic “Books. Favorite Writer ”(Grade 5)

The task. Read an excerpt from a letter from Ben, your friend from England. Write him a reply letter.

... My friends like to play computer games. But I think it is better to read a good book. Do you like reading books? Who is your favorite writer? Do you like adventure stories?

…
  Yours
  Ben

7. Theme “Traveling. London »

Personal letter to a friend on the topic “Travel. London ”(Grade 5-6)

The task. Read an excerpt from a letter from Ben, your friend from England. Write him a reply letter.

... Summer is coming. And my family are making plans where to go during the holidays. I want to go to Russia. I study Russian at school and know a lot about this country. ... What country would you like to visit? Why? What places of interest would you like to see?
…
  Best wishes,
  Ben

8. Theme “My Best Friend”

Personal letter on the topic "My best friend" (Grades 5-6)

The task. Read an excerpt from a letter from Ben, your friend from England. Write him a reply letter.

... I haven’t got many friends. But I have a close friend. His name is Tom.

... Do you have a close friend? What does your friend look like? When did you make friends?
…
  Best wishes,
  Ben

9. Theme “My Favorite Animals”

Personal letter on the topic "My favorite animal" (Grades 5-6)

The task. Read an excerpt from a letter from Ben, your friend from England. Write him a reply letter.

…
  Last month I went to the Zoo. There is a large Zoo in my city. I like to go there
  because I like to watch monkeys running and jumping. They are so funny!
  Is there a Zoo in your city? Do you often visit it? What are your favorite animals
  there?
  Best wishes,
  Ben

10. Theme “My Day”

Personal letter on the topic “My Day” (Grades 5-6)

The task. Read an excerpt from a letter from Ben, your friend from England. Write him a reply letter.

…
I like weekends very much. I get up at nine o’clock, dress quickly and have breakfast. I usually have tea and a sandwich with cheese for breakfast. After breakfast I go for a walk with my friends. We often go to the cinema. Sometimes we go to the park. ...

And what about you? Do you like weekends, too? Why? What do you like doing most of all? What is your usual day like?
  Best wishes,
  Ben

11. Theme “School Trips. Russia »

Personal letter on the subject “School tour” (Grades 5-6)

The task. Read an excerpt from a letter from your friend who lives in another city. Write him a reply letter.

…
  I like school trips very much. We don’t have lessons on school trips but we learn interesting things, take photos and have a great time. Sometimes we go to visit other towns ...

And what about you? Do you go on school trips, too? What place (a city, a town, a village) did you visit last? What did you do and why did you like it?
  Best wishes,
  Ben

List of English words

When was the last time you received a paper letter? To remember, you need to think carefully. So I also can’t remember. True, every New Year I continue to send paper cards to all my relatives and friends. The whole problem is that no one is sending me anything back ...

It seems to everyone that writing letters, sending postcards is outdated a long time ago, because there is a telephone, e-mail, social networks - they help to get to a person faster ... Especially sentimental will say that we lost romance in the pursuit of time and convenience. But there is something in the modern world that remains unchanged - this is a letter in English, which is still written according to the rules - these rules also apply to e-mails.

I propose to get down to business and figure out how to write an informal letter or a letter to a friend in English.

1. Set a date if you are writing a letter by hand.

In the upper right corner indicate exactly when you wrote the letter.

The date can be written in two ways: 26 March , 2017   orMarch 26, 2017 .

I must admit that with the advent of electronic messages, the practice of setting the date itself has disappeared. The mail client itself issues the date and time of sending the letter to the nearest second. But, if you write a letter on paper, take care of this important trifle.

Another remark concerns the address if you send a paper letter. Sometimes the structure of the letter indicates the address in the upper right corner, right before the date. This is not necessary because it is written on an envelope. But to know the order of where the street is and where the index is very important, because it is different from the Russian-language model.

42 Chaykovskogo str.,

Leningrad region,

Saint Petersburg,

1. Greeting.

There is no difference in this paragraph anymore - paper letter or e-mail. It always starts the same way. Usually a greeting is placed from the start line, that is, to the left. You contact the recipient in any of the following ways:

Do not forget!After the greeting, be sure to put a comma (e.g. Dear Tom, ... My darling, ...).

1. The main message.

It is also called the body of the letter, and it consists of three parts.

- Introductory part;

- Main part;

- Conclusion.

1.   What is the introduction?

This is a small paragraph that sets the overall tone of the letter, is an indicator of courtesy. In this part, you should say that you are happy to receive a letter from your friend, then it is worth repeating the information that he wrote to you - by doing so you will show that his words have reached you.

Let's see what you can use to properly "get down to business":

1. Main part.

Here you can unleash your imagination. Write about why you, in fact, took up the letter. Everything will depend on the degree of intimacy - if trust and revelation are between you, then in-depth details are possible; if you are just buddies, then do not talk too much about yourself, your personal life. In this part there are no established phrases and cliches - this is completely your patrimony, where you can use those turns that you like. It is better to divide the main part into several paragraphs rather than writing everything in a solid “sheet” - this way information is more easily perceived and absorbed by the reader. Keep in mind that in an email it is customary to leave a blank line between paragraphs for visual convenience.

1.   Conclusion  No, no, it's too early to say goodbye.

At the end of the main part of the letter, be sure to ask how things are with the last project, at what stage the repair is, and how the scientific conference in Paris went - ask a question! This will show your interest in the addressee and encourage him to continue the correspondence.

You can also complete with the following phrases:

1.   Signature.

Mandatory part of the letter, which logically completes it. The signature reflects the whole tone of the written - was it neutral or emphasized friendly - such a signature should be chosen.

1. P. S.

A letter often ends not with farewell, but just with a postscript - it will always come in handy at the end if you forgot to say something or ... specially reserved for later. What happens sometimes - a humorous postscript or remark sometimes erases the whole impression of what is written - I think that you would not want to offend your interlocutor, especially if he is English - they are so sensitive in the epistolary genre.

A few general rules when writing an informal letter in English:

• Be polite, even if you write to a friend on your rock band - abnormality does not cancel politeness.
• After the greeting, always express joy in receiving the letter and make a reference to what you have written, respond to the content of the letter you received.
• Start a new thought with a new line (and a new paragraph, skipping a line)
• Do not forget to use word-connectives and introductory words:

So  … - so

Well,  ... - well ...

Anyway  ... - in short, anyway ...

Besides  …in addition …

Firstly,  …- At first

Finally,  ... and finally

By the way,  ... by the way

• Do not abuse exclamation marks and emoticons, even if you are writing to a friend or close relative.

Do not forget that the letter in English still has a clear structure and generally accepted standards. This seems like a good thing. This template can be used to write any letter, in any language and will always be out of place. Now let's see what we got:

Letter to a friend about visiting London

Dear William,
How are you? I am in the capital of England - in. My parents and I always dreamt about seeing this nice city.

There are a lot of beautiful old buildings. We have alredy seen Westminster Abbey, Big Ben (now it called Elizabeth’s Tower), The Houses of Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Bridge, The Tower of London and The Waxworks Madame Tussaunds Museum. There are the models of famous people from pop stars to prime ministers made from wax in this museum. They look like real. It’s so interesting.

My parents and I are walking on Trafalgar Square now. There is Nelson’s Column in its center which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. By the way, I sent you this postcard with a picture of Trafalgar Square.

The weather is not fine today, it’s foggy and rainy. But it doesn’t spoil our walking. We took much photos. Next week we will be at home and I’ll show you them.

Best wishes,
Jessica

[translation]

Dear William
How are you? I am in the capital of England - in London. My parents and I have always dreamed of visiting this beautiful city.

There are many beautiful old buildings. We have already visited Westminster Abbey, Big Ben (now called the Elizabeth Tower), the Parliament Building, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, the London Bridge, the Tower of London and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. In this museum, there are figures of famous people from pop stars to prime ministers made of wax. They look like real ones. It's so interesting.

My parents and I are walking now on Trafalgar Square. In its center stands the Nelson's Column, which at the base is guarded by four statues of lions. By the way, I sent you this postcard with the image of Trafalgar Square.

The weather today is not very foggy and rainy. But this does not spoil our walk. We took a lot of photos. Next week we will be at home, and I will show you them.

Do not miss the opportunity to visit England and London.

Best wishes,
Jessica

To begin with, dear readers, let's determine the objectives of our lesson. So, we must determine what a personal letter is and how it differs from a business letter, study its structure, and most importantly, learn how to write a letter to a friend in English on your own using ready-made templates.

People use letters as a way to share information around the world. Letters can be written to friends, relatives, acquaintances or people with whom we are not very familiar, for example, business partners. It depends on who your letter is addressed to and whether it belongs to business or personal correspondence, and the form, structure and writing style of your letter depends on it. You could familiarize yourself with the rules for writing business letters in our previous article, a letter in English, and now we will familiarize ourselves with the features of writing personal letters in English.

So, friendly or personal letters, as a rule, are addressed to people with whom you are personally acquainted (friends, relatives, loved ones). The writing language of such letters can be colloquial colloquial in nature. For example, pronouns of the 1st and 2nd person (I, you) are very often used. The use of dialect words, slang words, exclamations, interjections, vernaculars, modal verbs, affectionate forms, etc. is not ruled out. In personal letters you can freely express your opinion, that is, a subjective assessment of any situation is not prohibited. Personal letters can be brightly emotional. As you can see, friendly correspondence does not have such strict stylistic restrictions as business.

As for the structure of a personal letter in English, in form it practically does not differ from a business letter, just some points at your discretion can be neglected. You can familiarize yourself with the structure of the letter in the article “Learning to write letters in English correctly”. If you must write a personal letter to a friend in English, for example, at the exam, then of course you can’t neglect the form of the letter.

Step-by-step letter structure with template phrases

So, a personal letter to a friend in English must necessarily include 5 points in accordance with all the rules:

The first item is the “header” of the letter, that is, the address of the sender and the date. (Heading: address and date)
  The address is written in the upper right corner and has the following sequence: house number with street name, separated by a comma number of the apartment. The next line shows the city with a zip code, and the next line shows the country. Do not put commas or periods.

46 Riverview Park
  New York 542 210
  USA
  15th February, 2008

On the next line or through the line immediately below the address is written the date. Several spellings are possible:

May 12, 2014
  May 12th, 2014
  May 12, 2014
  12th May, 2014

The second paragraph is “appeal”. (salutation or greeting)The appeal is written on a new line to the left. After treatment, as a rule, a comma is placed.
  Very often, the appeal begins with the word Dear + the name of the person to whom you are writing.

Dear Rima, Dear Karan
  Dear Daddy, Dear Mammy
  Dear uncle ray
  Dear Mr. Green

Various options are possible. It all depends on who you write to.

My dear jim
  Dearest
  My darling
  Or just - Hello, my dear Olya

3rd paragraph is the "main text of the letter." (body / message)
The first paragraph of the main text is an introduction or opening sentence, where you can thank a friend for the previous letter, tell you why you didn’t write for so long, or just write that you were very happy to hear from your friend the news. Something like this looks like this:

I’m writing to (thank / tell / ask / congratulate / apologize / etc.) - I am writing to you (to thank, say, ask, congratulate, express regret, etc.)
  I’m writing to thank you very much for the nice post card ... - I am writing to thank you for a wonderful postcard ...
  Many thanks for your letter ... - Thank you very much for your letter ...
  I was very glad to get your letter ... - I was very happy to receive your letter ...
  Thanks for your recent letter. It was good to hear from you ... - Thank you for your last letter. I was glad to hear from you ...
  I've been meaning to write to you for ages but somehow just haven't been able to find the time I really should have written sooner ... - I was going to write to you a long time ago, but somehow I did not find the time, I really late with the answer ...
  I’m sorry I haven’t written for so long but I’ve been really busy with ... - Sorry for not writing for so long, but I was really busy ...
  I must apologize for not writing earlier ... - I must apologize for not writing before ...
  I’m sorry I’ve taken such a long time to reply to your last letter ... - Sorry it took me so long to answer your last letter ...

In the second paragraph, you can answer your friend's questions. If you write a letter to a friend in English as an assignment in an exam, then the assignment usually indicates questions that you must answer.

You are asking me about ... I "ll do my best to answer your questions. - You asked me about ... I will try to answer your questions.
  That’s about all I can tell you on this problem. “That's all I can tell you about this.”

In the third and fourth paragraph you talk about events in your life, share news and ask your questions to a friend.

Nehe is some news about ... - I have news about ...
  I think you are studying hard now. Have you already chosen the university where you are going to apply? Will it be difficult to study there? “I think you're studying hard now.” Have you already chosen the university you are going to enter? Will it be hard to study there?
  How has your summer been? - How was your summer?
  What have you been up to? - What interesting happened to you?
Are you playing any sports? - Do you do any sports?
  Have you been traveling? “Have you traveled?”
  I am preparing for entrance exams to the university. “I'm getting ready for university entrance exams.”
  We are going to travel to Turkey. - We are going to go to Turkey.

The fifth paragraph is the closing sentence, where you bring your message to a close and wish you success, ask for something, or express hope for something. You can also write that you are in a hurry somewhere or you have to go somewhere.

Anyway, I must go and get on with my work. - In any case, I have to go to work further.
  Well, got to go now. - Well, perhaps that's all.
  I’ve got loads of homework to do tonight. - Today I have a whole bunch of homework.
  I must finish my letter because it is very late and I must go to bed (because my Mum is calling me / because I have to do my homework). - I finish my letter because it's too late and I have to go to sleep (because my mother calls me / because I need to do homework)
  Hope to hear from you soon. “Hope to hear from you soon.”
  Drop me a line when you are free. “Write me a few lines when you're free.”
  Looking forward to hearing from you. “I look forward to hearing from you.”
  Write soon. - Write as soon as possible.
  See you soon! - See you soon!
  Do keep in touch! - We will be in touch!
  Don’t forget to write! - Do not forget to answer!
  Looking forward to seeing you. “I look forward to seeing you.”
  Write back to me soon. - Answer as soon as possible.
  Let me know what happens. “Let me know what’s going on.”
  I hope this advice is of some help to you. “I hope that my advice will be useful to you.”

4th paragraph is the final polite phrase (subscription / closing).  After the final phrase, a comma is required.

Love
  Best wishes,
  All the best,
  Yours

The 5th final paragraph is your signature.  You put your signature on the next line under the final phrase without a dot.

So, as you have noticed, a letter to a friend in English has the same structure as a business letter. The main difference is the style of the language. That is why the template phrases for personal and business writing are completely different.

I want to give you a couple of tips for successfully writing a letter to a friend in English. To make the text complete and sound good, use the words bundles and unions: just now, and, at all, but, that's why, also, as for me, maybe, though, so, not only, to tell the truth, besides, now, first, also, finally, but, however, so that, such as, for example as, because, when, while, Well, Right ...  Use short forms of verbs:   I’ve, there’s, I’d ...

If your vocabulary in English is not so large, you can still easily cope with such a task as writing a letter to a friend in English. To do this, you will have to visually remember the structure of the letter and memorize a ready-made template, which will need to be supplemented with a couple of sentences.
  You can create a template yourself using the phrases that we have selected for each item.

Friend letter template in English

46 Riverview Park
  New York 542 210
  USA

My dear jim,
  Thanks for your letter. I’m sorry I haven’t written for so long but I’ve been really busy with ...
  You are asking me about ... I’ll do my best to answer your questions. (Answer questions)
  Nothing is some news about ... (tell the news)
  What have you been up to ... (ask your questions)
  I must finish my letter because it is very late and I must go to bed. Hope to hear from you soon.
  Love
  Mary

Here's how easy it is to write a letter to a friend in English using template phrases! You just have to add a couple of sentences and the letter is ready!

Study the letters below to a friend in English with a translation in order to better understand the structure of such letters.

Examples p isma in English with translation

46 Riverview Park
  Glentown
  Dublin 23

Dear jim,
  How are things in Wicklow? I have not seen you for ages so I decided to write and give you all the news from Glentown.
  The football team is doing really well this season. We have reached the semi-final of the Cup. The new goalkeeper we got after you left is great. He has not let in a goal in the last three matches.
  My sister, Sandra, Has just had a baby girl, so I am now an uncle. Maybe I will be able to make some money from baby- sitting and then I can come down on the train to visit you.
  Write soon and let me know all the news.

Your friend
  Martin

46 Riverview Park
  Glentown
  Dublin 23

Dear Jim,
  How are you doing in Wicklow? I have not seen you for ages, so I decided to write to you and tell you all the Glentown news.
  The football team is really doing well this season. We got to the Cup semi-finals. The new goalkeeper who joined us after you left is great. He has not conceded a single goal in his last three matches.
My sister, Sandra, had a baby girl just recently, so I'm now an uncle. Maybe I can make some money as a nanny and come by train to visit you.
  Answer me as soon as possible and tell me all the news.

Your friend,
  Martin

12 hill drive
  Navan
  Co. Meath

Dear Susan,
  I hope all is well with you. It has been ages since we saw you here in Meath.
  I am writing to ask you to come and stay with us the weekend of the 6thJune. We are having a little get together because John is going to Australia for a year. It would be lovely for him to see you before he goes, you are his godmother after all. Let me know if you can make it, don’t worry if not, any weekend before then is fine.
  We are all in good form here. Very busy trying to get John organized. I will miss him while he’s away.
  I do hope all the family are well.

12 Hill Drive
  Navan
  County Meath

Dear Susan,
  I hope you are doing well. It has been an eternity since we saw you here in Meath.
  I am writing to ask you to come and stay with us on the weekend of June 6th. We are all together because John is leaving for Australia for a year. It would be wonderful for him to see you before leaving, after all, you are his godmother. Let me know if you manage to come, if not, don’t worry, you can come any weekend before he leaves.
  We are fine. Constantly busy trying to get John on a trip. I will miss him very much when he leaves.
  I really hope your family is fine.

With love,
  Mary

12 hilly drive
  Navan
  Co. Meath

Dear Susan,
  I am writing to say thank you for the lovely flowers. I can’t believe you remembered my birthday! You are so thoughtful.
  We are all in good form here. I do hope all the family are well. Paul is starting a new job next week. I hope to get down to Cork to visit you soon.
  Thanks again.

12 Hill Drive
  Navan
  County Meath

Dear Susan,
  I am writing to thank you for the beautiful flowers. I can’t believe what you remembered about my birthday! You are so attentive.
  We are fine. I hope that everyone is also normal. Paul is starting a new job next week. I think soon to come to visit you in Cork.
  Thanks again.

With love,
  Mary

46 Riverview Park
  New York 542 210
  USA

Hi Sophie,
I’m writing this from the cutest little café in New York! Mum’s been making sure we don’t miss one sight in the whole city, so we’ve been walking practically all day. So far we’ve seen Times Square, Broadway, Central Park and The Plaza. I caught a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty but we’re going to go and see it properly tomorrow!
  The streets are super busy here and everyone looks amazing in their winter coats and hats. I had to buy mittens today! I miss being able to feel my fingers!
  Hope you’re enjoying your holidays.
  Miss you times a million, see you back in Adelaide on the 20th!

Love
  Ashley

PS: I’m bringing you back a souvenir!

46 Riverview Park
  New York
  USA

Hi Sophie
  I am writing to you now from the cutest little cafe in New York! Mom does everything possible so that we in no case miss something interesting from what is in the city, so we spent almost the whole day on our feet. So far, we have already managed to see Times Square, Broadway, Central Park and Square. I caught a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, but we're going to study it properly tomorrow!
  The streets here are super busy and everyone looks amazing in their winter coats and hats. Today I had to buy mittens! I lose the ability to feel my fingers!
  I hope you enjoy your vacation.
  I miss you so much, see you again in Adelaide on the 20th!

With love,
  Ashley

PS: I will bring you a souvenir!

12 Tulip Road
  Flowertown
  Dublin 20

Dear Sally,
  How are you settling down in your new school in Cork? Our class is quite different since you left. It’s much quitter for a start. All the teachers are remarking on it!
  We had an English test yesterday. When Mrs. Byrne came in today with the results she was so mad there was nearly smoke coming out of her ears!
  Phil Martin and Sandra Byrne have split up. Phil is really down in the dumps. But otherwise everybody is in great form. We are all going down to the club in the Sports Center on Friday night. It’s a pity you won’t be with us.
  Write soon and tell us all about Cork. Goodbye for now.

12 Tulip Road
  Flowetown
  Dublin 20

Dear Sally,
  How did you get settled at your new school in Cork? Our class has changed a lot since you left. Many began to be lazy. All teachers notice this!
  Yesterday we had an English test. When Ms. Byrne arrived today with the results, she was so angry that it seemed that the smoke would blow from her ears!
Phil Martin and Sandra Byrne fled. Phil is now going down into the water. But everything else is fine with us. We are going to a club at the Sports Center on Friday night. It’s a pity that you will not be with us.
  Write as soon as possible and talk about Cork. Well, bye.

With love,
  Joe

2 West Road
  Violetville
  Cork

Dear Joe,
  Greetings from Cork! Now that we have settled in our new house I am having a house- warming party to celebrate.
  I am inviting some of the gang from Dublin and some of my new school friends from Cork.
  The fun begins at 9 pm on Saturday, 3th March. Why not come down on Friday night and stay for the weekend? I have asked Sandra and Brian to stay over also.
  The train leaves Dublin at 4.15 pm and arrives in Cork at 7.30 pm.

Chatting with foreign friends has always been considered an effective way to increase your knowledge and skills in English. But not every person can easily take such a step - many are tormented by insecurity in their abilities. Today we will correct this shortcoming and learn to write a letter to a friend in English. Believe me, this is not difficult at all, especially since the article contains standard phrases and sample letters on a different topic, with which you can create a complete template and easily write your personal letter. So, we will learn letters in English and make friends by correspondence!

Writing a personal letter in English - style, structure and standard phrases

Beginning of the letter: address and personal appeal

According to generally accepted rules, English writing always starts with a standard heading: indicating the address of the writer and the date. Usually it is located in the upper right corner and has the following format *:

• 1 row   - house number and street name;
• 2 row   - Indication of the city and the designation of the postcode
• 3 row   - the name of the country;
• 4 row   - date of writing.

* A detailed example of the correct design of the beginning of the letter can be found in the material "How to start a letter in English" and in examples of letters.

If you write a personal letter to a friend or friend and it is not the first in your correspondence, then the indication of the address, of course, can be omitted. But keep in mind that when writing letters for exams, you must strictly adhere to the official standard, i.e. in this case, the address cannot be neglected.

After completing the header, we go to the left side of the sheet and from a new line we turn to the interlocutor. An informal greeting has many options, but the most popular expressions are combinations Dear + name   or Hello, Hi + name . As a rule, a comma is placed after these words, and the main part of the letter is written on a new line.

Phrases for the introduction and the main part of the letter

The main text of the letter begins with the introductory part. If you write a response letter to a friend in English, be sure to thank him for the letter received or express your attitude to the news reported in it. If you decide to write a letter to a foreign friend first, then instead of the introductory part, briefly tell us what prompted you to do this. For example, you want to talk about something, or apologize, or wish good luck, or congratulate you on the holiday, etc. Typical English introductory phrases for writing letters, which are presented in the following table, will help you summarize your point.

Other English topics: Pre-Intermediate level - for whom it suits, program, duration of study

Sometimes you can start your letter with the most standard questions about work, family, affairs, etc.

The main thing to remember is that the introduction of the English letter is usually small: only 2-3 sentences.

By the way, if in the received letter your interlocutor asked you questions, then you can also use the following phrases for the response message.

If you are writing your first letter, then after the opening remarks from a new line, start immediately spelling out its main topic. The spectrum is unpredictable: it can be a story about yourself and your family, and a story about how the summer holidays went, and a description of a trip to another country, and much more. Or vice versa - not stories and stories, but a set of questions about how your English friend and his family are doing, or what kind of life the UK residents have.

You can also chat with a friend about foreign music and cinema: discuss premieres of films, new music albums, concerts of your favorite groups. The subject of the letter depends only on your imagination. Therefore, it is impossible to pick up standard phrases for this part. But do not be alarmed, composing a personal letter in English is not difficult even for beginners, because it uses short sentences and popular colloquial expressions. To create an example of a letter on a free topic, you can take any text and remake it into a short story, adding the introductory elements necessary for writing.

Final part

When you have already stated to your foreign friend or friend all your stories, news and impressions, you need to complete the letter with a small concluding paragraph.

The format of this final part is exactly the same as the introductory one. In other words, it is necessary to briefly (in 1-2 sentences) summarize the topic and politely say goodbye. The following expressions will help you make the right ending.

And the final touch is a short farewell. You can finish the letter in English with standard phrases, of which there are many in English as well as in Russian:

• Your friend – yourfriend;
• Yours – your;
• Warm   regards   - warmest regards;
• Best   wishes   - with best wishes;
• Love - with love;
• All the best – totalthe best;
• Take care   - Take care of yourself;

A comma is placed after these words, and then the sender's name is added from a new line.

That's all, the standard English writing scheme is ready. Using this template, you can easily compose both paper and email. If you are still not confident in yourself, we suggest that you look at examples of letters in English on various topics and understand that they are actually very simple to compose.

A letter to a friend in English - sample letters

In this section we give a couple of examples of letters to a friend in English with a translation into Russian.

A story about vacation and travel

st. Komsomolskaya 46,

oryol 345040

Dear John,

Thanks for your letter! I am very pleased to hear from you again!

You want to know how I spent the summer. Well, I will try to answer your questions in detail.

I spent my summer holidays very well. In June, I left for my grandparents. They live in Smolensk. I have many friends in this city, so I had a great time with them. We went to a forest camp, which is located near Smolensk. We spent three weeks there and had a lot of fun. We lived near a large lake. Every time the weather was good, we walked along the coast and swam in the lake. We also fished, went camping, picking mushrooms and berries. And we also had English lessons.

Then we returned to Smolensk and played basketball every day, went to the cinema and to discos. Sometimes we also visited museums and zoos. In August, I had to return home. Next summer I will definitely come to Smolensk again, because I really miss my friends.

When I returned home, I found out that my father bought tickets to London for our entire family! It was a surprise for me! At that moment I was just in seventh heaven! So, a few days later we went to England. it journey  left me a lot of impressions. England  - a beautiful and vibrant country. And there are so many green meadows and fields. As for London, I am impressed by the beauty of this city! We visited many famous places: Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Madame Tussauds, London Ferris Wheel, Piccadilly Circus and much more.

So it was the best summer of my life! What about you? Tell me how you spent your summer.

With love,

Letter to a friend  about your family in English

Hi Andrew!

How are you? I am writing to tell a couple of news about my family.

Do you remember my older sister Olga? She recently got married! Her husband is Swiss and they will live in Switzerland. Next week they leave for Switzerland, and I move to my sister's room. Now she is mine! I am very glad that I will finally have my own room.

My mother is very happy, but also a little sad. Switzerland is very far from our home, so we will not be able to visit our sister often. But we hope that she will often call us and write letters.

Oh, and one more piece of news! My brother Alex will graduate from school next year. And my sister’s husband says that Alex can live with them if he wants to go to university in Switzerland. Alex is very surprised by this offer and dreams all day about living in Switzerland.

Well, it's time to end. Write me a few lines when you are free.

Your friend,

We hope now that you have lost all doubts about yourself, and there is a clear understanding of how to write a letter to a friend in English. Good luck and see you soon!