INFORMAL EMAIL

• PURPOSE: to give information about a specific topic related to us or to

give advice…. Usually, it is addressed to a friend or a relative.
• STYLE OF LANGUAGE : informal , as we are communicating with a close
formed or a relative a friend and so our use of language is relaxed.
Thus, we can use short forms, common phrasal verbs and coloquial
expressions.
• STRUCTURE: the always follow the same structure:
• opening and closing formula
• an introductory paragraph, an ending paragraph
• and the body of the email , which will be about the main ideas we must
focus on.

Example of a task:

An English friend of yours is visiting your city next summer.

Write to him and tell him about the places he should visit
and the clothes he should wear. You must also invite him to
stay with you during his stay.

Now, to begin with, let’s answer these questions:

The email is for : an English friend of yours
The context: he is visiting your city next summer
Ideas/main paragraphs : tell him about the places he should visit / and the
clothes / invite him to stay with you

 OPENING FORMULA Dear Jack,

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH It's great to hear from you after so long! How
are you doing? I’m so excited about your visit next summer. Let me give
you some tips so you can get ready.
SUBTASK 1:places to visit
First of all, there are some places which you can't miss! For
example, here in Granada you should totally visit the Alhambra, an ancient
Muslim palace. It was nominated to become one of the new seven wonders of
the world. Also, don't forget to check out St Nicholas viewpoint - you'll have
the best views of the Alhambra and the whole city.
SUBTASK 2: what to wear
As for clothes, remember that it can get super hot in Granada,
especially for foreigners! So forget about long sleeves or trousers
and just pack some shorts, T- shirts and sandals. Oh, and remember
to bring a cap, too!
SUBTASK 3: invite him
By the way, do you have a place to stay? If you want, I could put
you up in my place. I have a spare room and it would be great to
have you here.
CLOSING PARAGRAPH
Anyway, I must dash now. Drop me a line soon and let me know what you
think.
CLOSING FORMULA Best wishes,
SIGNATURE Carlos

 In this example, we can see the following features:

Very clear presentation: using opening and closing formulas and leaving a
clear space in between paragraphs .

Each paragraph has a clear purpose or idea

-Opening and closing paragraphs are used to say hello and bye.

-The introductory paragraph is used to react to pieces of news (It’s

great to hear from you… / I’m so excited about…) and to introduce the email’s
topic.

-The body of the email answer the different ideas

-The closing paragraph is used to start our farewell and ask for a reply
to our mail.

 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

• Greetings / open formula:

• Dear Sarah,
• Hello Sara,
• Hi Sara,
• Introductory paragraph:
• How’s it going?
• How are you doing?
• How are things?
• How are things going?
• It’s great to hear from you!
• Long time, no see!
• Sorry I haven’t written for ages, but
• I’m really sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you.
• Reacting to good news :
• I’m glad to hear that
• I’m so happy that
• Great news about your
• I’m very happy to hear about
• It’s so great that
• Reacting to bad news:
• I’m so sorry to hear about
• Sorry to read about
• I can’t tell you how sad I am that
• I’m extremely sorry to hear about
• It’s just awful to hear that
• Expressions to open paragraphs :
• Oh, by the way,
• Hey, did you hear about…?

 • One more thing,

• As for
• By the way, tell me about
• Closing paragraph:
• Well, I gotta go now.
• Anyway, I should get going.
• I’ve got to leave you now.
• I’d better get going.
• Well, it’s time to go
• Make sure you write soon
• Don’t forget to drop me a line soon.
• Look after yourself.
• Take care of your self.
• Farewell / closing formula :
• All my love,
• Love,
• Lots of love,
• All the best,
• Take care,
• Best wishes,
• Best,
• Regards,
• Kind regards,