The document provides a comprehensive guide for upper intermediate students on writing personal letters, including invitations, congratulations, and condolences. It outlines essential components such as date, salutation, introduction, body, conclusion, and concluding phrases, along with examples and useful phrases for each type of letter. The goal is to improve students' writing skills and knowledge of personal letter types, culminating in interactive learning activities.

1. D e v e l o p e d b y
Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch
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Advisor: Forouzan Dehbashi Sharif (Ph.D.)
Ayda Seyfi
(aydaseyfi202076@gmail.com)
Ghazal Valizade
(Qazalvalizadeh@yahoo.com)
Mahnoush Khodabakhsh
(Mahnoushkhodabakhsh@gmail.com)
Parham Torabizadeh
(parham.torabizadeh@gmail.com)

2. To p i c
supplementary material for students to improve writing
personal letter
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L e a r n i n g o b j e c t i v e s
• -Improving students’ knowledge about type of
personal letter
• -Improving writing letter
• -Interactive learning
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A g e :18 and over
S t u d e n t s ’ l e v e l : U p p e r Intermediate
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3. 2
Table of Contents
L e s s o n 1 / I n v i t a t i o n
L e s s o n 2 / c o n g r a t u l a t i o n
L e s s o n 3 / C o n d o l e n c e
12_16
17_21
22_28
I n t r o d u c t i o n 4_11
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4. 2
A Personal letter is sent from one individual to another
individual or organization in order to address matters of an
informal nature. Examples of these can include;
1:Apologies
2:Thank you
3:Personal reference
4:Congratulations
5:Condolences
6:Invitations
They differ from formal types in that they can be used to
express personal feelings and depending on the
relationship between the sender and receiver do not
require formal concise language.
Introduction:
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5. •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Typical Components of
Personal Letters
• date
• salutation
• introduction
• body
• conclusion
• closing
• signature
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6. structure of
a personal
letter
1 . H E A D I N G
2 . G r e e t i n g / s a l u t a t i o n
3 . B o d y
4 . c l o s i n g
6

7. Addresses:
1) Your Address
You must always remember to include your own address on the top right-hand
side of the page. This will enable the person that you are writing to, to be able to
reply.
2) The Address of the person you are writing to
This address should be displayed beneath your address on the left-hand side,
remember to include the name of the person that you are writing to.
*Note: Format of address
Number and street name
City, state and postal code
Country
Date:
This should be displayed on the right-hand side of the page on the line beneath
your address and should be written in full format:
e.g. 1st January 2001
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7

8. 8
Salutation & Greeting:
Dear Mr Jones,
The above shows the format of the greeting line. The salutation
formats are shown below:
Mr – for a male
Mrs – for a married female
Miss – for an unmarried female
Ms – for a female whose status is unknown or would prefer to
remain anonymous
Dr – for a person with the status of a doctor
The salutation should be followed by the surname only (not the first
name).
If you are familiar with the person that you are writing to then it may
be more appropriate to include their first name rather than using
their title. This is a decision that you will need to make based on
your relationship with the person in question.
8

9. Concluding:
1) Yours sincerely,
You should conclude with the words: “Yours sincerely,”.
Followed by:
2) Your signature
Sign your name, then print it underneath the signature.
You may wish to conclude with something more friendly e.g. “All the
best”, “Best regards,” etc.
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9

10. USEFUL PHRASES [INFORMAL LETTER]
GREETING
Dear / Hello / Hi ...(,)
INTRODUCTION
It’s great to hear from you. / Many thanks for your e-mail / letter.
Sorry it's taken me so long to write back. / I haven't written for ages but
...
I’ve been really busy recently. / You’ve to know that I’ve been working
really hard.
How are you? / How are things (with you)? / How's it going? / How’s life?
I hope you’re fine. / I hope you and your family are well. / I do hope this
e-mail / letter will find
you in good health and spirits.
Just thought I’d drop you a line.
REFERRING TO GOOD / BAD NEWS
Glad / sorry to hear / read about ...
I'm really glad / very happy to hear / read about ...
I'm extremely sorry / very sad to hear / read about ...
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10

11. MOVING THE TOPIC ON
By the way, have you heard about ... / Did you hear about ... / Tell me about ...
Oh, another thing I wanted to mention ... / So you want my advice about ...
Anyway, the reason I’m writing ... / Anyway, I was wondering ...
I thought I’d write to tell / ask you ...
ENDING
Well, time to go / to close! / Got to go now! / I've got to leave off now! / That’s all for
now.
Looking forward to hearing from you. / Hope to hear from you soon. / Write back soon!
Make sure you write soon! / Keep in touch! / Drop me a line if you have time!
Take care of yourself! / Look after yourself!
Let me know if you need anything. / Just give me a call if you have any questions left.
SIGN-OFF
Yours(,) / Your friend(,) /
Best wishes(,) / All the best(,)
Hugs(,) / Hugs and kisses(,)
Love(,) / Lots of love(,) / All my love(,)
Take care(,) / Bye for now(,
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11

12. 12
LESSON
ONE
INVITATION
LETTER
I t i s o n e o f t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t
e l e m e n t s o f o r g a n i z i n g a n e v e n t . i t d o e s
n o t m a t t e r i t i s a b i r t h d a y p a r t y, a
w e d d i n g o r a b u s i n e s s p a r t y.
W h i c h e l e m e n t s a r e e s s e n t i a l i n a n
i n v i t a t i o n ? t i c k t h e o n e s y o u t h i n k a r e
i n d i s p e n s a b l e .
⬜ t i m e o f t h e e v e n t
⬜ p l a c e w h e r e t h e e v e n t i s o r g a n i z e d
⬜ n a m e a n d s u r n a m e o f t h e i n v i t e d
p e r s o n
⬜ r e q u e s t o f a n a r r i v a l c o n f o r m a t i o n
⬜ s u b j e c t o f t h e m e e t i n g
⬜ d r e s s c o d e
⬜ a g e n d a o f t h e m e e t i n g
⬜ s p e c i a l i n s t r u c t i o n s , d i r e c t i o n s t o t h e
l o c a t i o n
I
12

13. TASK
W r i t e a l e t t e r t o y o u r f r i e n d f r o m a d i f f e r e n t
c o u n t r y. I n v i t e h i m / h e r t o a p a r t y a t y o u r
h o m e a n d i n c l u d e t h e f o l l o w i n g :
• w h a t t h e p a r t y i s a b o u t
• g i v e d i r e c t i o n s o n h o w t o g e t t o y o u r
p l a c e
• s u g g e s t h o w t o a c c o m m o d a t e h i m / h e r
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13

14. 14
Making invitation formal
would you care to join us for dinner tonight? I’m going
to the movies.would you like to join me?
Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? Would
you like to go to the movies on Saturday?
Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? Do you
want to go to the movies this weekend?
Wanna come over for dinner tonight? Wanna go to the
movies tomorrow night?
informal *NOTE:wanna is used in spoken English but
not written English*
Formal
Informal
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15. M AT C H S E N T E N C E S W I T H T H E L E T T E R S . T H E N W R I T E Y O U R R E A S O N .
A . A F O R M A L I N V I TAT I O N
B . A N I N F O R M A L I N V I TAT I O N
* r e m e m b e r : w h e n y o u w a n t t o w r i t e a n i n v i t a t i o n y o u h a v e t o r e m e m b e r
a b o u t s o m e g o l d e n r u l e s . f i r s t o f a l l , y o u h a v e t o d i f f e r e n t i a t e b e t w e e n a
f o r m a l a n d a n i n f o r m a l i n v i t a t i o n , d e p e n d i n g o n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t t o
i n v i t e a n d t h e o c c a s i o n o r t h e e v e n t b e c a u s e o f w h i c h y o u w r i t e i t .
TASK 15
15

16. Inviting
Let's ...?
Why don't we...?
would you like to ...?
how about...?
Are you in the mood for...?
Example
Let's have a dinner!
why don't we go to concert?
would you like to eat out?
How about playing tennis?
Are you in the mood for a
movie?
. F i l l i n t h e b l a n k s w i t h t h e a p p r o p r i a t e e x p r e s s i o n s .
A . … … … … … … . g o t o c i n e m a ? Ye s o f c o u r s e . B . W h y
d o n ’ t w e e a t p i z z a ? … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . .
C . H o w a b o u t … … … … … … … … … … … … … . . .
S o r r y, … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … .
EXERCISE 16
16

17. 17
IV
Lesson 2
congratulation
letter
letter of congratulations, or
congratulations letter, is used
in both personal and business
situations. Their primary
purpose is to formally
congratulate a person or an
organization for an outstanding
achievement.
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18. 18
II
congratulations
What to include in a letter of congratulations
While many elements of these letters are similar to other
professional letters, it's important to include:
·Keep the language clear and precise.
·Praise the person or appreciate the person on the achievement.
·In the case of marriage and other function, wish the person luck in
his future life.
·Do not make grammatical mistakes.
·The letter must be written in a happy tone.
·Keep the flow of the letter standard and do not deviate from the
topic midway.
·End the letter by giving your best wishes and congratulations.
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19. 18
Sample Congratulations Letter: New job
Dear Amelia,
Congratulations on your new position as the new Sales Manager at
Parson Technologies. I believe this is such an incredible achievement for
you. Although we will miss you at Amaze Features, we are happy for you,
and we are fully confident that you will do an incredible job there.
We will miss your leadership and encouragement as our manager, but I’m
sure that you are on the right path to your career goals.
Pleased keep in touch; I was delighted to hear the news about your new
achievement.
Wishing you the best,
Angela
EXAMPLE
19

20. For each part of congratulations letter write at
least two common phrases:
GREETING:
INTRODUCTION:
MOVING THE TOPIC ON:
Which one is the best salutation format to be written for a married
female?
A) Mr B) Ms C) Mrs
EXERCISE
20
20

21. 21
How can you end a congratulations letter?
·“Sincerely”: This is a professional sign-off stating the sincerity of
your congratulations. It’s a well-received, common and formal
expression.
·“Best,” “all the best” or “best wishes”: These endings express
your hopes for only good things to come in the future. These are
polite and acceptable ways to end formal or informal letters.
“Best regards”: By signing off with best regards, you express your
best feelings and intentions toward the recipients. It’s a little more
formal than “best,” and it’s a good choice to end business letters,
particularly with unfamiliar contacts
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22. Lesson 3
condolence letter
A condolence letter is a note expressing your
sympathy. It can provide a great source of comfort
to someone grieving the loss of a loved one. This
letter is a simple gesture that lets someone know
that they're in your thoughts.
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23. EXAMPLE
Condolence Letter Examples
Here are some suggestions to help you get started:
·Our deepest sympathies for your loss. We’re here whenever you need anything.
·I am saddened to hear about your loss. Remembering all the fun memories and wonderful times
we spent together as friends fills me with joy.
·Wishing you courage, strength and love to help you through this loss. Grandma Susan will stay
ageless in the memories of those who loved her.
·Please accept my deepest condolences. I am thinking of you and your family during this difficult
time.
·You are in our prayers.
·I’m thinking of you and Grandma Susan and keeping you both in my heart.
·We’re sending you love and comfort during this difficult time.
·May God comfort you and your family
Here are some ways to consider ending your message:
You are in my thoughts,
With warm thoughts and care,
With blessings and prayers,
My sincere condolences,
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24. 2
V
262
Mumbai Middle School
Juhu Ville Parle, Mumbai
108, Rani Park
Mandal Road
Ajmer
30th October, 20XX
Dear Sara,
It was with great sadness that I learned about the death of
your pet dog. Phantom was an amazing dog and always
greeted me dearly whenever I dropped in at your place.
Phantom was one of the kindest and the most caring dog I
knew. He was friendly even with my cat and would not fuss
over her and play with her. I have many cherished
memories of him and will always remember his woof and
his goofy smile and open heart.
Please extend my condolences to the rest of your family.
With deep affection and sympathy.
Roohi
EXAMPLE
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25. 24
Condolence Letter Template
Dear Macie,
I was shocked and saddened to learn about the death of your brother, Michael.(1)
I know you were close to him and thought of him as ‘your twin’. I imagine your grief must
be overwhelming. Please know that I am here for you.(2)
Mark was thoughtful and generous, and his devotion to family and church was admirable.
Whenever I needed help with an event, I knew I could always count on Mark.(3)
) I’ve also seen Mark’s best qualities in you, as you will also go out of your way to help
others.(4)
I will cherish the memories I have of Mark. I remember meeting Mark for the first time at a
dinner party you hosted. His jokes made everyone laugh, and his smile lit up the room.(5)
Next week will be very busy for you. I can drive Brett and Braden to and from school for
you. I know my kids would love to have them stay and play after school on Monday if that
works for you.(6)
I wish you peace, and I’m here to support you during this difficult time.(7)
With love,
Michelle
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26. GUIDE
26
C o n d o l e n c e
W h e n w r i t i n g a m e a n i n g f u l c o n d o l e n c e l e t t e r, We s u g g e s t
u s i n g t h e s e s e v e n c o m p o n e n t s :
How to Write a Condolence Letter
1 . R e f e r t o t h e d e c e a s e d b y n a m e .
2 . E x p r e s s y o u r s y m p a t h y.
3 . P o i n t o u t s o m e t h i n g s p e c i a l a b o u t t h e d e c e a s e d .
4 . R e m i n d y o u r f r i e n d o r f a m i l y m e m b e r o f h i s o r h e r g o o d
q u a l i t i e s .
5 . S h a r e a m e m o r y.
6 . O f f e r t o h e l p .
7 . C l o se w i t h an exp r essi o n o f symp at h y.

27. Complete the condolence letter with your words
Dear Macie,
I was shocked and saddened to learn about the death of your
brother,…
TASK
27

28. 27
Write down a short example of mentioned parts of condolence
letter?
* Express your sympathy.
*Point out something special about the deceased.
*Close with an expression of sympathy.
Write some important phrases in condolence letter:
Like: sincerely..
With which ones, is it possible to end a condolence letter?
A)With warm thoughts and care,
B)With blessings and prayers,
C)Wanna come over for dinner tonight?
D)Just give me a call if you have any questions left.
Condolence letter exercises
28
EXERCISE

29. Thanks for your attention!
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Q a z a l v a l i z a d e h @ y a h o o . c o m
M a h n o u s h k h o d a b a k h s h @ g m a i l . c o m
P a r h a m . T o r a b i z a d e h @ g m a i l . c o m