6 Personal Letters

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Chapter 1
Personal Letter
Letters written to Personal letters, also known as friendly or
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friends and relatives informal letters, have generally five parts.
are called personal 1. The Heading
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letters. They are 2. The Greeting
usually written in an 3. The Body
informal language. 4. The Complimentary Close (The Subscription)
The tone and style
are usually familiar
5. The Signature line
and intimate, depending upon the level of intimacy you haveg.
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with the person you are writing to. Here, one should not use
formal and elaborate sentences, instead short and loosely
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connected sentences should be used, that will give the letter a

natural look. You may also use conversational idioms and
colloquial expressions. Contracted forms like wont, cant, Ill,
etc., are also very common in personal letters.
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A personal letter expresses the personality of the person who

writes it. It should be in the way of a friendly talk and the reader
should be able to feel the sentiments and feelings as he/she goes
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through it.
Parts of a Personal Letter

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1. The Heading The heading contains the address, line by

line, with the last line being the date. In using the letter
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head, the heading is usually printed in the middle. While

using pre-addressed stationery, just add the date. The
heading of a friendly letter contains the return address
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followed by the date.

If the correspondence is frequent and the recipient knows
the writers address, or if the stationery is imprinted with
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the return address, the return address may be omitted.

(Although, the return address is also a backup, in case the
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envelope gets damaged) But dont forget to include the

date.
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8 Personal Letters
For example
129, South West Block,
Alwar (Rajasthan)
August 24, 20**
The date can be written in any of the following ways
December 25, 20**, 25th December, 20**
25th Dec, 20**, Dec. 25, 20**
22 February 20**
(Most writers skip a line between the address and the date.)
2. The Greeting (The Salutation) In personal letters, the

salutation could begin with Dear or My dear or My very
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dear. Note that My dear expresses more intimacy and
affection than Dear. The greeting may be formal,
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beginning with the word Dear/ My dear and by using the
persons given name or relationship, or it may be informal,
if appropriate.
g.
Formal : Dear Uncle Jimmy, My dear Uncle, Dear Mr Walker,
My dear Mr Walker
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Informal : Hi Joe, Greetings,
The greeting in a friendly letter capitalizes the first word
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and any noun. It might be all right to end the greeting with
an exclamation point when writing to someone with whom
you are very familiar and the emphasis is appropriate.
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(Occasionally, very personal greetings may end with an

exclamation point for emphasis.)
Generally, if there are three words in the greeting, the
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second one should not be capitalized.

We should not use two adjectives together. It is incorrect
to write: My dear respected mother.
Dearest should not be used for father, mother, wife, and
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husband, as that implies more than one person.

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3. The Body The body of the letter contains the main text.
This includes the message you want to convey. Normally,
in a friendly letter, the beginning of paragraphs is
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indented. If not indented, be sure to skip a space between

the paragraphs. Skip a line after the greeting and before
the close. Skipping a line between paragraphs, especially
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in typed or printed copy, helps the reader.

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A handbook for Letter Writing 9
4. The Complimentary Close (The subscription) This

short expression always contains a few words on a single
line. The first letter of the first word of the complimentary
close is capital and the first letters of all other words are
small. No apostrophe is used in yours. It should be
indented to the same column as the heading. Skip one to
three spaces for the signature line.
Sincerely Yours Truly Yours
Your Loving Son Yours Affectionately
5. The Signature Line Type or print your name. The

handwritten signature goes above this line, below the
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close. The signature line and the handwritten signature
are indented to the same column as the close. If the writer
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and the reader are very friendly and if the letter is
handwritten in the same script as the signature, the
signature line or the last name in the signature line may
be omitted.
Unless there is great familiarity between the
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correspondents, the signature should be in blue or black
ink. For example:
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Truly Yours
(Signature goes here)
Suresh Gupta
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Postscript If your letter contains a postscript, begin it with

P.S. and end it with your initials. Skip a line after
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the signature line to begin the postscript.

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10 Personal Letters
Envelope Format
Stamped addressed envelop
The picture shows how an addressed
envelope should look like. The
horizontal lines represent lines of
address.
Follow this format regardless of letter
style you use.
Postage
The postage (stamp or prepaid imprint) goes in the upper right
hand corner of the envelope. Do not cover a stamp with
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adhesive tape.
Make sure that the stamp is positioned properly so that its
cancellation does not affect the address.
co
Be sure that the envelope is sufficiently stamped as per norms.
Always check letters of more than three leaves, letters with
inserts, or letters to foreign countries for correct postage. There
g.
are few things that annoy a correspondent more, than to pick
up and pay for a postage-due letter.
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Address
The name and address of the recipient should be written at the
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centre of the envelope. Make sure the address begins far enough
down on the face of the envelope so that it is not covered by the
cancellation of stamp.
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If you are using envelopes with windows, make sure the

address is visible clearly through the window.
Addresses on envelopes are normally single-spaced. For example
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Mrs Anita Bekham,

Department of Biology,
University of Punjab,
Chandigarh(UT)
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Punctuation
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Commas Although the use of commas after the salutation

and the complimentary close were mandatory earlier, now no
commas are used after the same. Now use of commas is also
i
discouraged while writing addressees of the writer/receiver or

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while writing the dates.

Colons in Special Cases
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1. Numerical expressions of time.

5:31 p.m.
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The colon goes between the hour and minute. If seconds

are noted, a colon goes between the minute and second.
w
2. We can also use colon with salutations in business letters,

e.g.,
Dear Sir :
Dear Ms Hathaway :
3. Colons follow labels that identify important ideas meant to
get attention.
Warning : To be opened by the authorized personnel only.
Capitals in Letters
There are two additional rules for capitalizing when writing
letters.
1. Capitalize the first word and all nouns in the salutation
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(the greeting)
Dear Sir:
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My dearest Aunt,
2. Capitalize the first word in the complimentary closing.
Sincerely, Truly Yours, With best wishes,
How to create an Elegant Personal Letter? g.

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The first and foremost requirement of creating a personal letter
is to make it personal. A personal letter is designed to form and
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cement a close rapport/relationship between the writer and the

reader and make the reader feel that she/he has an informal
and personal relation with the writer. That is why you cant
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have a template for a personal letter (that you can simply

copy). You need to share something about your life that gives
the reader a little insight into yourself, your values, your beliefs
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and, say, your personality.

Personal letters are written by a person to her/his family and
friends.
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An elegant personal letter is one that is written as if you speak to

the person updating him/her on whats happened with you and
expressing interest and concern about what is going on with them.
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Though there cant be any rule for the length of the letter; yet,
try to keep your letter upto a page or a page and a half only.
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Make your letter interesting and readable so that the reader

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feels associated with you. Do not draw any conclusions let the
reader draw his/her own conclusions. An elegant personal
letter is the one that creates a feeling of closeness between the
w
writer and the reader. If possible, use your own personal

stationery. If you dont have it, use good quality blank, writing
w
paper.
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12 Personal Letters
Some Tips for Personal Letters

Personal letters reveal close and informal relationship between the writer
and the reader. In many of the books on letter writing, I dont find use of
any salutation to the reader. The writer begins the letter simply with....
I received your letter on .......... . OR The postman has just delivered your
letter .......... . I have received your letter just now. OR We received your
letter yesterday .......... .
but no mention of Namaste/Jai Shri Krishna, etc., is there.
Please note, a letter should be written in such an informal way that the
reader feels as if you are sitting before him.
If a son writes a letter to his mother whom he calls, Baa, then he should
greet her as follows:
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My dear Baa, My loving Baa, etc.
and if you are used to convey Jaikrishna to your mother whenever you
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meet her or there is a traditional way of saluting the elders in your house,
then you must use:
My dear Baa, Jaikrishna,
If you are writing a letter to your grandmother, whom you call Dadi Maa
g.

then you should greet her as:

My dear Dadi Maa, Charan Sparsh,
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Charan Sparsh is a respectful salutation used generally in India.
How to begin a personal letter?

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You can begin a letter with any of the following sentences :

(a) I received your letter yesterday and was delighted to know that..
(b) I have just received your letter and noted the contents.
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(c) I got your letter and was delighted to know that you are coming here
on the next Sunday.
(d) The courier/the postman has just delivered your letter.....
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(e) Everyone here was delighted to receive your much awaited letter
yesterday.
(f ) Your mother was filled with joy on receiving your letter yesterday.
(g) Your delayed letter has been received by us just now and has
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removed our anxiety about your well being
How to end a personal letter?

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Closing line You may use any of the following sentences as a closing
line.
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(a) Please do write regularly.

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(b) Hope to get your reply soon.

(c) Take care of your studies and do write every week without fail.
(d) Rest is fine. Convey my regards to Mom.
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(e) I know you are very busy with your studies, yet you can just write a
postcard.
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(f ) I expect you to write regularly in future.

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Informal Letter Format

(Letters to Family, Friends, Tenants etc.)
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14 Personal Letters
Sample Letters
a. Letters to Relatives
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* You can use any greetings Dear Daddy or Respected Daddy or My
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dear Father.
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Get Discount Coupons for your Coaching Institute and FREE Study Material at www.PickMyCoaching.

connected sentences should be used, that will give the letter a

A personal letter expresses the personality of the person who

Parts of a Personal Letter

1. The Heading The heading contains the address, line by

head, the heading is usually printed in the middle. While

followed by the date.

the return address, the return address may be omitted.

envelope gets damaged) But dont forget to include the

2. The Greeting (The Salutation) In personal letters, the

(Occasionally, very personal greetings may end with an

second one should not be capitalized.

husband, as that implies more than one person.

indented. If not indented, be sure to skip a space between

in typed or printed copy, helps the reader.

A handbook for Letter Writing 9

4. The Complimentary Close (The subscription) This

5. The Signature Line Type or print your name. The

Postscript If your letter contains a postscript, begin it with

the signature line to begin the postscript.

If you are using envelopes with windows, make sure the

Mrs Anita Bekham,

Commas Although the use of commas after the salutation

discouraged while writing addressees of the writer/receiver or

while writing the dates.

1. Numerical expressions of time.

The colon goes between the hour and minute. If seconds

A handbook for Letter Writing 11

2. We can also use colon with salutations in business letters,

How to create an Elegant Personal Letter? g.

cement a close rapport/relationship between the writer and the

have a template for a personal letter (that you can simply

and, say, your personality.

An elegant personal letter is one that is written as if you speak to

Make your letter interesting and readable so that the reader

writer and the reader. If possible, use your own personal

Some Tips for Personal Letters

then you should greet her as:

How to begin a personal letter?

You can begin a letter with any of the following sentences :

removed our anxiety about your well being

How to end a personal letter?

(a) Please do write regularly.

(b) Hope to get your reply soon.

(f ) I expect you to write regularly in future.

A handbook for Letter Writing 13

Informal Letter Format

A handbook for Letter Writing 15

A handbook for Letter Writing 17

A handbook for Letter Writing 19

A handbook for Letter Writing 21

A handbook for Letter Writing 23

A handbook for Letter Writing 25

A handbook for Letter Writing 27

A handbook for Letter Writing 29

A handbook for Letter Writing 31

A handbook for Letter Writing 33

A handbook for Letter Writing 35

A handbook for Letter Writing 37

A handbook for Letter Writing 39

A handbook for Letter Writing 41

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