3. Structure of a Personal Letter
A personal letter usually includes seven parts. The first part is
date; this is the date when the letter is written. The next part is salutation
and name of recipient. This is the greeting that usually starts with the
word ‘Dear’ followed by the given name of the recipient or relationship and it
ends with a comma. Two examples are ‘Dear Toni,’ and ‘Dear Uncle,’. The
following part is introduction. This is the opening of a letter. It may
include greetings like ‘How are you?’ Sometimes you may refer to a previous
letter. The next part is body, which is the main part of the letter. It includes
the message that the writer wants to tell the recipient. It is often divided into
paragraphs. What follows is called closure. This part indicates that the
letter is going to end. The writer may ask the recipient to reply here. Next is
complimentary close, which is a short expression that includes a few words on one line. It ends with a comma. Some examples are ‘Yours
sincerely,’ ‘Best regards,’ and ‘Love,’. The last part of a letter is signature,
which is the signature of the writer.
Moreover, there are sentence structure and style that need to be
taken into consideration when writing a personal letter. In terms of sentenc
structure, accuracy of grammar is very important. Most of the time,
complete sentences are expected. Regarding a style of writing, language use
may be personal. For example, first and second person pronouns (I & You)
may be frequently used, and it may not be as formal as official letter writing
Depending on the relationship between the writer and the recipient, a
personal letter can sound formal.