Every educated person should know how to write a clear and readable letter. So, let us now discuss how to write Friendly Letters and Notes of Invitations, both of which fall under the main category, Social Letters.
Friendly Letters - Letters to relations and intimate friends are informal and free-and-easy as compared to essays. Just as what we do in a friendly chat, in a friendly letter too, we can touch on many subjects and in whichever order we like. We can also use colloquial expressions which we can never even think of using in formal essays or letters.
But, this does not mean that we can be careless. However easy and conversational our style may be, we must keep in mind the rules of spelling, grammar and punctuation as we remember them while writing the most formal essay. Mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation at once stamp a letter-writer as uneducated. So, proofread your letter several times before you send it to someone.
In friendly letters, the proper form of address is the name (without surname) of the person to whom you are writing, prefixed by such qualifying terms as Dear, My Dear, Dearest, etc. For example:- My dear Richard, etc. But, if you are writing to an ordinary friend, who is much older than you, or of a superior rank, it is respectful to use a prefix like Mr., Mrs., etc. For example:- Dear Mrs. Anjana Singh.
The forms of subscription are varied. You may use words like Yours affectionately, Your loving son or brother or friend. In concluding letters to friends and acquaintances whom you address as Mr. or Mrs., you should use the word sincerely in the subscription; and this may be preceded by With Kind Regards.
Please note that sincerely should not be used in letters beginning with the formal Dear Sir, after which the proper word of subscription is faithfully or truly.
Notes of Invitations - A formal invitation is generally written in the third person and should not contain any heading, any salutation, and any complimentary close. If you write such a letter, mention your name in the body of the letter, whereas write the address and the date to the left, below the communication.
If you reply to such a note, write it also in the third person, repeating the date and time mentioned in the invitation.
Informal notes of invitation, acceptance and refusal are like ordinary friendly letters, though using more formal language. Address them to the recipient by name and use any of the following close: Yours sincerely, Yours affectionately.