CHAPTER 16 – LETTER WRITING

Content developed by – Piyush B. Chaudhary (9891722333)

Introduction
Letter writing is something that all of you have been practicing since
you all were in your school. So I am assuming that you would be
knowing a bit about how to write effective letters. However in the
present lecture I will try to deconstruct the different ways of writing a
letter. I will be giving you some value points for writing a letter and
would want all of you to practice them.
Since we, at the University of Delhi are now functioning under the
LOCF programme, hence the mode of learning and writing these
letters would definitely be different. The traditional mode of writing a
letter will not prove sufficient in this chapter. As you know, the
examination would test you by giving you a comprehension passage
and will ask you to write a letter according to that situation. The old
traditional modes of writing a letter have less chances of coming in
the exam. Questions would be asked as per the new LOCF pattern.
You can find the pattern in the previous year Question paper given at
the end of the text-book on page Q.4 and Q.5. Kindly go through
those pages.
In the present module, we will learn about INFORMAL LETTERS
and the techniques on how to write Informal Letters. I would be
giving you some value points which you need to keep in mind while
attempting any question on Informal Letters.

INFORMAL LETTER
Informal letters, as the name suggests are informal in nature. Informal
letters are those which are sent to our relatives, close friends, family
members or to any other personal relation.
Format for writing an Informal Letter –
Writer’s address: (At left side of the page)
Date of writing the letter (Below the address)
Salutation: (Below the date)
Body: (In 2 or max 3 paragraphs)
Signature: (At the end of the letter)
Note – Please give a space of one line in between the different
elements of the format as given above. Also leave one line space in
between the different paragraphs that you write in the main body of
the letter.
Some points to be kept in mind while attempting this kind of
letter –
 Always write in a simple, easy to understand language which is
comprehensible to one and all.
 In this type of letter, you can use language freely.
 You can also add informal words like ‘Hey’, ‘Hi’, ‘Whats’up’
etc. The main purpose is to make it sound lively and informal in
nature.
 You must write in a friendly manner without any official terms.
 Do not be stern or prudish while writing an informal letter.
 Signature and complimentary close at the end must not be
official in nature. Words such as ‘Yours lovingly’, ‘Your loving
son/father/friend’ can be used.
 In an informal letter you may or may not use a tripartite
structure (which includes 3 parts of a letter – intro, main body,
close).
 But it is advisable to give at least 2 different paragraphs while
writing a letter.
 Word limit: 200-250 words.
SOLVED EXAMPLE on Pg Q.4-Q.5

Suwarnish Land, USA

July 24, 1855
Dear Children,
I am writing to you with pain in my heart at our huge impending loss.
The White man is powerful and hell bent upon the destruction of our
ancient and lovely land. We the Natives and our tribesmen are
helpless in the face of the destructive power that the White Man
wields. I have written a letter to the President of the USA to not
destroy our tribal land for material benefits. But I am afraid that the
White man will not listen to us and will bring his machines to destroy
our land. I am hence writing this letter to you to prepare yourself for
the onslaught that we will have to face.
Our beautiful land will be taken away soon by force by the
government. We would then have to vacate the area and migrate to
some other forest. We would all miss our heavenly forests where we
have lived since centuries. Our fields, plants, caves, rivers and trees
will all be left behind and we will have to live without them. We will
also have to face a lot of troubles and will have to struggle for food,
firewood and even water.
But I know that if we stay together we can face all difficulties in
unity. We will emerge victorious. Together we can save ourselves.
We all love each other and will stand by each other always. Do not
worry.
Your loving father,
Chief Seathl
In case of any discrepancy or doubts call the undersigned.
Piyush B Chaudhary
Asst. Prof, English
9891722333