Writing a Friendly Email
Follow the basic rules of writing, even if it's casual.
When is it Appropriate?
A friendly letter or email is generally written to a person that we know. It is not too formal, and has a tone of friendliness and familiarity.
When writing a letter or email to someone that you know, remember to follow the basic rules of writing, even if you know the person well. Take the time to write the letter or email with thoughtfulness and care.
Letter or Email?
Although the art of writing letters seems to be less popular these days, especially with the growth in the use of emails, there are still times when a letter is appropriate.
A friendly letter is used to communicate with people that you know well, so the content of the letter is usually personal. A friendly letter is less formal than a business letter. There are many ways of writing a friendly letter and some of the rules seem to go in and out of fashion. We will use the most common format of a friendly letter for you to practice.
Any letter (or email) should consist of three main parts:
• The introduction – this gives the reader an idea of what you are writing about.
• The body – this is the main point of the letter.
• The conclusion – this is where you wrap up your letter and close off.
Writing an Email
An email or electronic mail is a fast and effective way of communicating with someone, wherever they are in the world. It only takes a few seconds to send an email and it can arrive in the reader’s inbox within seconds.
It is easy to attach other documents to an email. Once sent, emails are filed in your sent items, so you always have a written record of the communication.
Points to remember when writing an email:
- Start with a greeting. The most common one is “Dear…”
- Make sure that you use the rules of sentence construction and paragraphing, as for any other type of writing.
- Do not write your email in capitals, bold or in red font, as it might seem to the reader as if you are shouting at them.
- Always check and edit your email, if necessary, before sending it. It is a sign of respect when you take the time to ensure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors.