Sh.

Feevaku School EMAIL GUIDE

English Department

Name: Index: Reg. No.: Class: Date:

EMAIL WRITING
An informal email is usually between people who know each other fairly well. In addition to giving
news, they are often used to request information, congratulate people, give advice and ask questions.
There are a lot of similarities between informal letters and conversation (quick phone call). Informal
emails ask a lot of questions, show interest and enthusiasm, and imagine a lot of shared information.

They can be about:

1. An everyday incident without much consequence

2. The proudest/happiest moment of your life
3. An unusual thing you’ve done.

Informal email is not written to a friend to ask them how they are doing. You just narrate
briefly something exciting that happened to you to a friend.

Emails mostly include something that happened to you which did not result in any
serious consequences. It could be any of the following situations:

 Sighting a celebrity.
 Getting locked in/out of your house.
 Getting stuck in an elevator.
 Being caught in the middle of a fight in school.

Tips for a good Informal email:

 You should use your imagination so that your email will be more interesting. However,
do not bluff or make you look like a hero.
 Do not include things that are impossible such as you flying up into the air to catch a
crashing airplane. Your imagination should be as realistic as possible.
 Do not be too emotional and dramatic through the email.
 Write everything in the same order it happened.
 Using time sequence phrases, connectors and feelings in your email will make it
interesting.

How to write emails

SALUTATION or GREETING

Start with Dear or Hi followed by the first name of the person to whom you are writing.
Eg: Dear Ben, or Hi Ben,
(Don't forget to use only the first name of the person you are writing to).

INTRODUCTION:

I can’t wait to tell you…

I’m dying to tell you…
You’ll never believe…
You’ll never guess
} What happened to me…
Who/how/what

Note:
The introduction should be as short as possible

HOW TO KICK START!!

EX: 1 You’ll never guess what Jules and Anna made me do last night.
EX: 2 You won't believe what Clara and I did this morning.
EX: 3 Guess what I've done just now!
EX: 4 I'm dying to tell you about my little adventure this afternoon.
EX: 5 Unfortunately, I couldn’t invite you to my sister's wedding party.
EX: 6 Congratulations on winning the National Poetry contest. I knew you could do it.
EX: 7 How’s everything going over there? Here I am having a fantastic holiday, so I thought
to drop few lines telling all about it.
EX: 8 How’s everything going over there? Hope this e-mail finds you with sound health of
body and mind as I enjoy it here by the grace of God.

BODY

 Describe what happened before the main event. (It should be something ordinary
like having
coffee with your friends or shopping)
 Include time sequence phrases. E.g.: in the morning, by this time, in the end, within
no time…etc.
 Show feelings. E.g.: I was horrified to learn that, I was furious to know that, I was
delighted
to see that…etc.
 Include personalizing phrases. E.g.: I wish you were there, as you can imagine I was
terrified,

BODY:
To spice up your letter, make good use of…
WHS!

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Who were you with?
What were you doing?
When did it happen?

EX 1: I was leafing through the paper this morning…

EX 2: Clara and I were chatting inside the girls’ locker room when…

TIME SEQUENCES

EX 3: we were just about to go over to Grans place…

EX 4 In the end-it turned out to be a spectacular…

FEELINGS
Were you…
horrified?
delighted?
thrilled?
amazed ?

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PERSONALIZING

Two simple ways to personalize are:

1. Refer your friends’ knowledge of your character

EX.1 as you can imagine... I was petrified…

EX.2 I don't need to tell you… how thrilled I was
EX.3 you know me- always the adventurer!

2. Refer to your friends’ characteristics/ abilities

EX.1 I wish you would been there… you would have kept a cool head!
EX.2 it's a pity you weren't there … we would have had so much fun…

CONTRACTED FORMS
Pronoun Auxiliary Short form Negative

He is, has He’s He isn’t / He hasn’t

She Was - She wasn’t / She hasn’t

It is, has It’s It isn’t / It hasn’t

I Have I’ve I haven’t

You had, would You’d You hadn’t / You wouldn’t

We Would we’d We wouldn’t

They will / are They’ll / They’re They won’t / aren’t

She Can She can’t

He should He shouldn’t

They were - They weren’t

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USEFUL SIMILES
 as angry as hell
 as bitter as gall
 as black as hell
 as blind as a bat
 as bold as brass as
 brave as a lion
 as bright as a button
 as busy as a bee
 as calm as a millpond
 as cheap as dirt
 as clean as a whistle
 as clear as day
 as clear as mud
 as close as the grave
 as clumsy as an
elephant
 as cold as marble
 as cold as steel/stone
 as cool as a cucumber
 as cunning as a fox
 as dark as death
 as dead as a
dodo/doornail
 as deaf as a post
 as drunk as a lord
 as dry as dust
 as dull as ditchwater
 as easy as anything/pie
 as fast as a deer  as proud as a peacock
 as fat as a pig  as quick as a flash
 as fit as a fiddle  as regular as a clock
work
 as flat as a pancake
 as right as rain
 as fresh as a daisy
 as safe as houses
 as gentle as a lamb
 as sick as a dog, parrot
 as good as gold
 as slim as a willow
 as good as new
 as sober as a judge
 as green as grass
 as sound as a bell
 as hard as nails
 as steady as a rock
 as harmless as a dove
 as sure as hell
 as heavy as lead
 as thick as thieves
 as high as a kite
 as thin as a stick
 as hot as fire
 as tired as a dog
 as hungry as a wolf
 as tough as old boots
 as large as life
 as ugly as sin
 as light as a feather
 as warm as toast
 as like as two peas
 as mad as a hatter  as weak as water

 as mean as a snake as white as snow
 as white as a ghost
 as nutty as a fruitcake
 as old as the hills
 as pale as death
 as poor as a church
mouse
 as poor as dirt
 as pretty as a picture
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CONCLUSION:

Keep this brief too! You’ll be dying to run off and tell someone else all about it … won't you??

HELPFUL PHRASES…

Well, I must dash now…I've got to…

Well, I must go now...I want to…

HOW TO BUNDLE IT ALL UP!!

EX: 1 Well, I must dash now, I've got to tell Rachel all about it!
EX: 2 I must go now. I want to give Brad all the exciting details.
EX: 3 I've got to run now. Jane wants a blow-by-blow amount!
EX: 4 I’ll give you more gory details later. Mum wants me hip down over to the grocery shop.
EX: 5 Well, I must run now. I want to call Blaine and tell him the news!

OTHER USEFUL PHRASES

Referring to news / giving news

 Great news about … Glad to hear … Sorry to hear about …

 Listen, did I tell you about …? You’ll never believe what …
 Oh, and another thing … This is just to let you know that …
 I thought you might be interested to hear about / know that …
 By the way, have you heard about / did you know that …?

Apologies

 I’m writing to apologise for missing your party but I’m afraid I was with flu.
 I’m really sorry, I forgot to send you a birthday card but I was busy with my new job.

Invitations

 I’m / We’re having a party on Friday 19th and I / we hope you’ll be able to come.
 Would you like to come / go to see ‘Room with a View’ with me at the weekend?
 I was wondering if you’d like to go to the theatre / come on holiday with us.
 Could you let me / us know if you can come / you’d like to join us?
 Thank you very much for your invitation. I’d love to come
 Thank you for asking / inviting me to … but I’m afraid I won’t be able to …
Requests

 you (if you could do me) a favour.

 I wonder if / I was wondering if you could help me / do me a favour.
 I hope you don’t mind me asking but could you (possibly) …?
 I’d be very / really / terribly grateful if you could …

Thank you / Congratulations / Good Luck

 I’m writing to thank you for your hospitality / the wonderful present.
 It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you.
 I really appreciated all your help / advice.

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  Congratulations on passing your exams / your excellent exam results!
 I wish you good luck / Good luck in / with your exams / your driving test / your interview.
 Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do well / pass.
 Do be on time, won’t you, and don’t forget to …

Making suggestions and recommendations

 Why don’t you …? / Maybe you could …? / How about …?

 You can’t leave New York without (...doing sth)
 I’m sure you will enjoy (...doing sth). If you like, we can …
 Do visit ... / Don’t forget to ...

Samples

Recently you left your home country forever.

Write an email to your friend about this experience.

In your email you should:

 explain why you left

 describe what you find attractive about the new place
 tell how you felt after leaving your country.

Dear Albert,

I heard your vacation in Mauritius is going pleasurably but you’ll have heartbreak
when you hear I’m leaving this country forever. And, it’s very sad you can’t attend my
leaving party; in fact, I don’t think you even have a clue about why I’m going!

I’m migrating because my family’s pockets are empty, hence we couldn’t afford to
pay rent. This is indeed an unfortunate turn of events, but there isn’t any other choice
we can opt for. I miss home but living with my grandmother in Mexico is rather fun.

Mexico is pretty much a decent place to live in. To everyone’s liking, my little brother
is as happy as a clan, and so are my parents. I still feel homesick, however, the
landscape and natural beauty shrouds my negative emotions.

I felt uncomfortable about leaving, obviously. I don’t have a knack with getting along
with strangers; after all, I’m ridiculously introverted. I knew I wouldn’t make any new
friends anytime soon because that happens once in a blue moon.

You were my first friend here, Albert. I feel very upset to leave without properly
bidding you farewell, but I attached a picture of us and Merlin with this letter as a
memorabilia of us for you to have.

Goodbye,
………….

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You were at your local swimming pool when something interesting happened.

You decide to write an email to a friend describing the event.

In your email you should:

® Describe what you saw.

® Explain how you reacted.
® Say what happened in the end.

Dear Zack,

You won’t believe what happened to me yesterday at our local swimming pool. It was so frightening.

I went with my family swimming as I usually do on Sundays. I usually practice there for the school
swimming tournament. Everything was normal and peaceful when suddenly I heard a little girl cry out
loud. Everyone was gathered around the pool and I also went up to see what happened. You know
how curious I get.

I saw a little girl in the pool unable to swim. Everyone just stood there not knowing what to do. Even I
was paralyzed for a brief second and I suddenly realized that the girl was your little cousin Ella. I went
forward and pushed the lifeguard in to the pool so that he will rescue little Ella.

In the end, my plan worked out perfectly. The lifeguard took Ella out of the pool and she was alright. I
was glad I pushed him into the pool. I wish you could have been there.

Well, I must dash now. Have to tell my friends from school about what happened.

With love,
Cole

(183 words)

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You have just finished four weeks of paid work during your last school holiday.

Write an email to a friend in which you describe the job and say what you did.

In your email you should:

 give details of where you worked and what you did;

 explain who gave you the job and why;
 describe what you learnt from the experience.

Dear Jim,

I bet you’re having fun in Tokyo this holiday. After all, you’ve been dying to visit Japan!
Unfortunately, my grandmother has burdened me with a part time job for the holiday, so I’d to
throw my holiday plan in the garbage.

The part time job involved absolutely ‘FUN’ things, like helping the customers search for
goods, arranging the store items, and guiding my subordinates. Yes, I was the assistant
manager of a supermarket. Here’s the thing, supermarkets are fun when you’re actually
buying things, not when you’re helping people purchase things. Worst of all, I hate Walmart.

My uncle is the manager there. He agreed to my grandmother immediately when she asked
him if I could work under him for holidays. I hate my uncle; he is such an inconsiderate
person. Apparently, my grandmother says the job is supposed to “improve my mental and
social health”, but you know, all it’s really done is make me a nervous wreck.

I did learn a ‘couple of things’ from this experience. Firstly, not to bother communicating with
annoying Chinese old ladies. Secondly, I learned that I’m irresponsible and that the chances
of me doing anything that requires responsibility without messing up is as good as nothing.

This holiday has been terrible for me. Sarcasm apart, at least I wasn’t forced to go to
Japan to meet my father’s boring relatives like you were.

Regards,
James.

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You recently organised an event to raise money for a local charity.
Write an email to a friend, explaining:

 why you chose your particular charity

 how you planned the event
 whether or not you felt the event was successful.

Dear Lana,

How’re you doing? Hope you and your family are having a great vacation in Miami. I
expected mine to be boring at home but I was very wrong about that. Let me fill you
in with the details.

I was out for a walk by the orphanage Sunshine one fine evening. I thought I saw
Mrs. Vans’ car parked outside. You do remember her, right? She taught us math
when we were 9. Since I wasn’t getting late to go anywhere I went inside to go say hi
to her. I met her inside alright but with a worried look upon her face.

I asked her what the matter was and she explained that she had been among the
board members of Sunshine for a long time and that the government was trying to
usurp the land and they needed to pay a certain amount of money to stop them from
doing so. I gave them the idea of a fundraising event and volunteered to manage it
myself.

I distributed fliers around town that there was a sand castle building competition at
the beach 3 days later. I got dad to sponsor the winning prizes. The basic idea was
to build anything out of sand that was detailed and could stand, in a 3D position.
Luckily, some tourists were also there that day and they were all professional 3D
artists. I told them of the situation and they were more than glad to help. A lot of
other people also took part.

By the end of the day, we’d collected about 3000 dollars by the entry fees and by
generous donations made by various people. Sunshine wasn’t going to be
demolished anymore. I was gifted 100 dollars for managing the event successfully.
It was all very fun.

Waiting for your reply restlessly. Send my love to your folks and do tell how you find
the pictures from the event.

Lots of love,
………….

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Dos and Don’ts:
× Don’t begin by classifying your email
ex: I’m writing to tell…
Do keep your introduction short and attention grabbing
× Don’t use word like firstly and secondly. It will sound like a report and not a letter
Make use of connectors like at first, when and As... instead
Include feelings and set the scene so your friend can get the feel of your story
× Don’t get so caught up in the story that you forget it’s an email.
Personalize.
Create interest through contrast.
Keep the conclusion short too.
× Don’t include a whole lot of drama. It has to be convincing!

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 WRITINGS FROM A* CANDIDATES

2011 M/J V21

Dear Andre,
It’s really unfortunate, for I couldn’t invite you this holiday to watch a movie with me but I know you’d
understand. I hope you’re having a nice holiday.
Honestly, I won’t really say I’m having so much of a splashing holiday. It all started when my younger
brother Peter broke the TV with his football. It was to me as though my whole world came crashing
down. You know me the program wizard! It hasn’t been easy to go through a whole holiday with no
TV but I did my best to keep myself from being bored.
You won’t believe! I recently joined a team training every evening and I’ve met a lot of fantastic
people who I made friends with. I joined a chess club too that just opened behind my house. I guess
I’ve been having a lot of fun without TV. My new routine is wake up, play with Peter, shower then go
for chess and later in the evening go for training.
I’ve learnt life can be a lot more interesting without television, but I can’t wait to get back to watch a
movie on television with you.
That’s all for now. Have a nice holiday
With love from,
Martin

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2013 O/N V21
Dear Marin,
I’m sorry I haven’t written to you in so long. I’ve been as busy as a bee, studying for my exams, but I
managed to make some time to write you this letter today. I hope everything well in Malaysia; God
knows how much I miss you.
Remember when I told you about the football competition last month? I wanted to try it out, so I got a
few friends to make a team with me. The prize was enormous $7000 in cash. The competition was a
two- week long one, starting on 5th October. During the weeks leading up to it, my team and I
practiced every morning and drilled ourselves to become better.
Our efforts helped us get into the final match, where we had to face a much older team. They won by
one point, and I felt disappointed. We had played well, but the other team was bigger and faster than
we were. I learnt a lot from that experience; l learnt working hard may not win us the gold, but that’s
no excuse to give up. We shouldn’t let the fear of striking out keep us from playing the game and we
should try and improve each time.
My mum’s calling me to have dinner now, so I’ll cut this letter short. Take care and reply soon!
Love,
Zeek.

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2014 M/J V21
Hi Iris,
How’s it going over there? Me here just had the best moment of the year.
It was a pretty normal day; Shawn and I were catching up a bit in a nearby coffee shop when
Rose barged in breathing heavily as if she had run a marathon. She came to me grinning ear to ear
and shoved me a ticket for the annual art exhibition. As you know I’m a huge fan of art. It was her
uncle’s birthday present for her and she chose me to tag along with her.
We went to the art museum which is in the heart of the city just opposite to the city hall. There
were amazing and unique pictures. I was practically drooling when Rose grabbed my arm dragged
me towards a wonderful work of art, when my eyes caught a figure staring at the same thing. My eyes
popped out of my head when I realized who he was. I couldn’t believe Jason Grace was standing a
few feet away from me! You how hardcore fan I’m! I was reluctant to ask for a selfie, but thanks to
Rose’s big mouth we got a selfie with Jason Grace!
I must admit it was the best art exhibition I ever visited. It was full of amazing and creative art
masterpieces which I thoroughly enjoyed. Meeting Jason was a privilege and I can’t wait to get back
there again.
I’ve dash now, got to tell Krystal all the details while it’s fresh! Take care.

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2014 M/J 22
Hi Dany,
How’s it going over there? I’m crying eyes out here. I never knew it’ll feel so great to be back
home!
As you know, I was dragged to the airport when I first left for Korea three years ago. I still
remember, I was literally bawling, but now I’m back, I feel like I’m on cloud nine. I was leaping with joy
when I first stepped out of the plane! I never realized I missed Korea air so much! It feels so nostalgic
wherever I look.
I must admit I felt a little foreign, but it never stopped me from checking out every single place. My
eyes literally fell off my head when I saw a brand-new bubble tea shop just three minutes’ walk from
my place. You how I love them! I even spotted a new gym just across the bakery. May be, I should go
there often, I’ve gained a lot of fat from all the eating back in US. I never knew my favorite coffee
shop was reconstructed. It looks more spacious and grant, but I still feel the usual warmness and
childhood memories. Sadly, the kind aunt who ran the shop back in those days passed away last
year.
I’m sure to visit the bubble tea shop! I should probably gather my buddies, Ariel and Kyle and have a
reunion at the coffee shop. I wish you were here. I know you’ll love the gym. We should go there
when you come here next holiday. I’m dying to visit all the shops here!
I’ve to dash now, got to tell Racy all the juicy details while it’s still fresh. Reply soon!

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2015 M/J V21
Dear Spencer,
Congratulations on winning that poetry contest- I knew you could do it! We had a trip to the animal
shelter last week so I thought I’d send you an email telling you all about it.
Mr. Hopkins had arranged a trip to the animal shelter to help us in our essay about endangered
species. I was buzzing with excitement as we got on to the bus- you know what a crazy animal lover
I’m! Throughout the journey I was thinking about all the cute pandas we’d be able to see there, as
well as what I could do to help those poor creatures.
I was lost in my thoughts when suddenly a giant truck collided with our bus and my head jerked
forward and smashed into the front seat, all in the spur of the moment. Thankfully, the truck had only
left a dent on the bus and no real damage had been done- except for my face, that’s it.
The bus driver pulled over as soon as he saw my bloody nose and helped me clean up. He offered to
call the ambulance but I told him I was fine after the bleeding stopped. I was quite down in the dumps
for the rest of the journey, but later felt thankful I only had a bloody nose when a lot worse could’ve
happened.
The overall trip was as good as I hoped. The pandas sure made me feel better! Do send me as
attachment of your poem!
Love from
Rija.

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2015 M/J V22
Hi Rose,
How’s it going over there? Me here, just had an incredible holiday!
As you know I can get super lazy during holidays. A horror movie with a box of popcorn and a big
warm blanket is my style! Well, last holiday I didn’t get to enjoy my movie time, as my mom dragged
me out of the house to my aunt’s place. She wanted me to quit being a couch potato and do useful
stuff. Actually, my aunt owns a beautiful coffee shop. It’s really a relaxing and beautiful place. The
coffee’s delicious too.
I must admit it wasn’t hard as I thought, and I really enjoyed making coffee and smiling and
chatting with different customers. The place smells of fresh warm coffee and has a relaxing and
friendly atmosphere. You know how love interacting with customers and I think it made my English
better as you knew I was not so social. There’s even various flavours of coffee. Don’t get jealous but I
drank a tasty Caramel Macchiato! I know you love them.
I’m definitely, visiting my aunt next holidays! Never in my life I thought working in a coffee shop is
this awesome. I really enjoyed my time there. Guess it was worth my energy rather than watching TV
all day. You should really taste my aunt’s special coffee. It’s heavenly! How about we pay a visit to
my aunt when you come here next week? I’m sure you’ll love it!
I’ve dash now, I should tell Raven all about it. I bet she’ll literally drool! We both know how much
she loves coffee! Reply to me soon.

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2015 O/N V22
Dear Doe,
How are you, my old friend? It’s been ages since we last spoke or wrote to each other, so I have
decided to take the initiative and mail a letter to you.
You’ll never believe what happened last week. It was a day like any other. My parents were supposed
to arrive that Sunday from a convention in Geneva but were abruptly delayed due to an increase in
guerilla warfare. My younger brother Robert’s birthday was coming up in three days, so I decided to
take the matter in to my own hands. To be honest, I was petrified by the thoughts of having to plan a
birthday party, since I literally have zero experience what so ever.
The three days passed by in what seemed like to be a blink of an eye. After fighting through thick and
thin and tiny bit of bribing, I managed to decorate the house and invite a huge crowd of 25 people.
Most of them were friends of Robert, but some were just here on the news that there was a party. I
hired a DJ for entertainment and some maids for service as well.
Even though, my wallet feels lighter than a feather, upon seeing the huge smile on Robert’s face I
knew it was worth all the expense. Anyway, I’ve got to dash now and I hope with all my heart. I will
hear from you soon.
With love.

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Dear Doe,
How’s everything going over there? It’s been ages since we last spoke or wrote to each other, so I
have decided to take the initiative and mail a letter to you.
You’ll never believe what happened last week. It was a day like any other. My parents were supposed
to arrive that Sunday from a convention in Geneva but were abruptly delayed due to an increase in
guerilla warfare. My younger brother Robert’s birthday was coming up in three days, so I decided to
take the matter in to my own hands. To be honest, I was petrified by the thoughts of having to plan a
birthday party, since I literally have zero experience what so ever.
The three days passed by in what seemed like to be a blink of an eye. After fighting through thick and
thin and tiny bit of bribing, I managed to decorate the house and invite a huge crowd of 25 people.
Most of them were friends of Robert, but some were just here on the news that there was a party. I
hired a DJ for entertainment and some maids for service as well.
Even though, my wallet feels lighter than a feather, upon seeing the huge smile on Robert’s face I
knew it was worth all the expense. Anyway, I’ve got to dash now and I hope with all my heart. I will
hear from you soon.
With love,

EXAMPLE WRITING TO FOLLOW

Dear Zoe,

I am dying to tell you what we did this afternoon.

Clara and I were on our way home from tennis practice when we saw an advertisement for a
parachute jump. You know how impulsive she can be. She signed us both up and begged me to
come along!

Sitting next to her on the claustrophobic little plane was an absolute nightmare. She kept chatting
about this and that while I just sat there with chattering teeth and wobbly knees.

After a while the instructor asked us to strap ourselves in and line up. My fingers fumbled so much
I needed help with getting everything on! When it was my turn I took one look down and decided to
bail out! You know how I feel about heights don’t you? Clara however had no intention of letting me
live and gave me a sneaky shove!

The first few seconds were horrific but after I had the courage to open my eyes I had an absolute
blast! The scenery was spectacular. Once I landed I couldn’t wait to get back up again!

I got to go now. I want to call Jane and tell her all about it!

Love from,

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