Informal Letter for Class 10 ICSE Topics, Format, Samples

Informal Letter: Letter writing is an essential skill which every educated person must acquire for practical reasons. Despite the prevalence of mails and text message, we have to write business letters, applications for some reason at any point of time in our lives.

Looking for an easy way to Learning of English Grammar Exercises for Class 10 ICSE. You have to learn basic English Grammer topics like Tenses Verbs, Nouns, etc… In this article, we will review the best English Grammer Topics and compare them against each other.

Informal Letter for Class 10 ICSE Topics, Format, Samples

10 marks are reserved for the letter writing in the ICSE examination. These marks are divided as follows:

• Layout of the letter 2 ½ marks
• Subject Matter 2 ½ marks
• Expression 5 marks

Letters are mainly of two types:

1. Personal / Informal letter
2. Formal letter

Personal/Informal Letter
Format of Informal LetterAs the name suggests, personal letters are those which are written to people we are well aware off. They could be parents, friends, relatives, acquaintances. The style of writing is informal, hence they are also called informal letters. The subject of these letters could be extending an invitation, giving or exchanging news, expressing regret, congratulating etc.

Layout of Informal Letter

Layout Picture 1.

Layout Picture 2.

Sender’s Address
The address is to the top left or right of the page. You need your street address on the first line and the city and PIN code on the second line. Do not write anything above the address.
Example:
Without Punctuation
34 A Ring Road
Delhi 110 045

With Punctuation
34 A Ring Road
Delhi-110 045

Date
The date should be written under the last line of the address. Leave a little space between the date and the address. Follow the format of Day-Month- Year. E.g. 30th July, 20XX.

There should be a comma (,) after the month. A full stop will come after the year if your address is punctuated. The date should be written in full form. No short cuts should be followed. Example-10/12 or Oct 12 are incorrect.

Salutation
Letter greetings help in establishing the type of letter that a person is attempting to write. Also, they represent the respect that you intend to give to the reader. Hence, it is important to know what kind of salutation would be appropriate. The salutation is written after the address and the date. It is written on the left hand side of the page. The salutation has a line to itself. The form of greeting will depend on whom you are writing to and your relationship with the person. Usually start out with My Dear/Dear for grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters. For friends the greeting may be Dear or Hi.

Note: There is a comma after the end of the salutation.

Opening Sentence
An opening sentence may be general in nature or a response to a letter received. Avoid opening sentences such as, “How are you?” / “Hope you are well” etc. Some examples of an opening sentence are:

• Thank you for your letter regarding your …………
• I was pleased to receive your invitation for …………
• I’m writing to express appreciation for the way you looked after me during my visit to …………
• Many congratulations for your success in …………

Body
The body is where you write the content/ subject matter of the letter. It may have two or three paragraphs. The paragraphs should be single spaced with a space between each paragraph. Leave 2 lines space between the end of the body and the closing.

Closing
It allows the reader to know that you are finished with your letter. It conveys your love/ best wishes to whomsoever you have addressed to.

Subscription
It usually ends with Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Thank you, and so on. Note that there is a comma after the end of the closing and only the first word in the closing is capitalized. The subscription is written at the bottom of the letter, on the left side or on the right side depending on the format you have chosen.

Name of the sender
The name comes below the subscription. As it is an informal letter only the first name is written.
Example:
Yours loving/sincerely,
Arjun

Tips for writing a good letter
Cover all the issues
When you have finished writing your opening lines, begin a new paragraph and cover all the information that you want to mention. A letter that is written accurately and with a good range of language will still not be effective unless you make sure that you have written all the things you have been asked to write.

Range
It is important that you use grammatical expressions and vocabulary appropriate to the level of the exam. Even if there are no mistakes in your writing, you will not be able to get a good grade if you use only the language and vocabulary that you learnt at elementary level. Even in informal writing, there is a good range of language you can use.

USEFUL PHRASES

• Use intensifying adjectives and adverbs to show enthusiasm: I’ve got a fantastic new job.
• Use idiomatic language: Things have been getting on top of me at work lately. I It’s been ages since we last managed to meet up. I What have you been up to lately? I Let me know what you think. I I’ll fill you in when we meet next.
• Use question forms to make the letter read more like a conversation: How are your studies going? I How does that sound to you?
• Use informal vocabulary: use get instead of receive, I guess instead of I think.
• Use phrasal verbs and phrases: we get on well, write back soon, get in touch.
• Use contractions: I can’t help thinking I should’ve told you sooner.

USEFUL LANGUAGE

• Use the present perfect progressive to give news: I’ve been helping my parents out at their shop.
• Use a future progressive for future plans: I’m going to be staying at my grandmother’s house all summer.
• Use conditional sentences to make suggestions: If you let me have your number, I’ll give you a call over the weekend.
• Use polite question forms for requests: Do you think you could send me a copy of the photos? I Would you mind if we didn’t go camping?
• Use question tags to check information: Nobody else knows, do they? I You don’t mind, do you?

Connectors
All good writings make good use of connectors. For informal writing, you need to use some of the connectors that are more specific to spoken language.

Sample Letter 1

Sample letter 2

Suggested Outlines of Personal/Informal Letters

Write a letter to your grandmother telling her about your school’s Annual Day. Describe your role as the narrator in the school play and the appreciation you received from all present.

• When was your school’s Annual Day held
• Who was the Chief Guest
• Dances, skits, songs, poetry recitation and solo acts were presented by students of different classes
• Your class presented a play in which you were the narrator.
• How everyone appreciated your role.
• Prizes were given to outstanding students and sports persons

You went to see a musical event the previous week and enjoyed the experience. Write a letter to your friend in Scotland detailing the whole experience.

• A musical event was held by a famous group in your city.
• You went with your family to watch it.
• Describe the theme and what happened in the show.
• The performances of the various artists and whose performance you liked the best.
• Dresses of the artists and props used in the show.

You are in a boarding school. Write a letter to your father thanking him for the books and the food hamper he has sent for you.

• The books that you received were liked by you and were written by your favorite authors.
• Which one will you read first?
• The food hamper contained your favorite foods.
• How happy your friends were to see the food hamper?
• Inquire about the welfare of your mother and brother/sister at home.
• Convey your sincere thanks to your father and promise to do well in your studies.

Heavy rains in your city have caused floods. Write a letter to your cousin describing your city and the problems you are facing.

• Continuous rains have lashed your city for one week.
• Water has collected everywhere, some houses, cars and buses are partly submerged in water?
• There is shortage of food, water and petrol in the city.
• How you feel staying at home all the time?
• Electricity and Telephone wires have been damaged and you are virtually cut off from everyone.
• What the city administration is doing to help people?

Write a letter to your friend describing your first journey by airplane.

• You have traveled from Delhi to Mumbai.
• Scene at the airport.
• How you felt during take off?
• How the buildings, trees, vehicles looked like from air?
• How plane went above the clouds?
• Landing of the plane and what you saw at Mumbai airport.