Part 1 Getting to Know Personal Letters
In this activity, you will learn some personal letters which you might find them familiar. Read the following personal letters.
TASK 1
Example1:
April 17th 2018
Dear Fatima, I hope this letter finds all of you in the best of health and spirits. All of us are also doing fine here. It has been a very long time since we met or wrote to each other. So I thought of penning down a few lines to check things with you.
We just got back from our vacation to Malang and had a great time. We went to Bromo and Kota Batu. Amazing must see places. If you happen to ever plan a holiday to that side of the world do let me know and I shall give you tips on sight seeing, culinary, etc.
I want to share something that is disturbing me these days.Mom has not been keeping good health and I am really worried for her. Sometimes I see bad dreams about mom and they wake me up in the middle of the night. I am sure you know what bad dreams I am talking about. Please don’t share this with anybody and I know I can trust you on this.
Anyways you say what is up with you and how is work? I can see that it is keeping you really busy, as I haven’t heard from you at all.
Give my love to your mom and dad and loads of love to you too.Stay in touch and do write!
Take care
Love,
Aleena
Adapted from: http://www.letters.org/friendship-letter/friendship-letter.html
Example 2:
Hello, I would like to get to know someone from your country and a friend has told me that you would like to practise your English. Perhaps we could email each other. Could you tell me a bit about yourself and your family? Could you suggest how we might meet sometime in the future?
Thanks... Example 3:
Hello Alexa, I'm glad you're interested in my country. As your friend said, I'd like us to email each other to help me improve your English.
Let me start by telling you a bit about myself and my family. My name's Ivo and I live in Kutna Hora, which is about 45 minutes from Prague by car. I used to work for a medical company but now I'm learning to be a salesperson. In the future I want a job where I can travel for my work. I've already been to a few places in Europe but I've never been to an English-speaking country.
I live at home with my parents, which is convenient, as I don't have to do much housework and my meals are cooked for me. My younger brother is studying at university. Although he is four years younger than me, we get on quite well. We both enjoy snowboarding and music.
What about you? Have you ever been to the Czech Republic? It would be great if you could come over one
Anyway, I must go and get on with my work! Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Best wishes,
Ivo
Adapted from http://www.rubenvalero.com/english/content/fce-informal-letter-or-email
Now, you will compare the Social Functions of the four personal letters.
Regarding the contexts, the receivers, the purposes by answering the following questions.
| | L1 | L2 | L3 |
| Context | It is a personal and informal letter for a close friend | It is a personal and informal letter for someone new | It is a personal and informal letter for replying a letter from someone new |
| Receiver | A close Friend | A new contact | A new friend |
| Purpose | To share the last news about her mom’s health | To make a friend to help improving the addressee English skill | To introduce the writer identity. |
TASK 2
In this task, you are going to analyse the letter structure by the senders and receivers.
1. What personal relation do each sender of the letter to the addressees? Provide evidence from the letters!
2. What is the tone of each letter? Provide evidences from the letters.
1. Based on the letter 1, the sender and the addressee are old friends. It can be seen that Aleena as the sender of the letter said “It has been a very long time since we met or wrote to each other. So, they used to meet each other before.
According to Letter 2 and 3 which has the correlation, it can be implied that they, sender and the addressee, have never met each other before. Letter 2 told that the sender sent this letter to his friend’s friend. The sender of this letter wanted to improve his English while the addressee (who is the sender of Letter 3) wants to practice English. One thing to make sure that they have never met each other is that the sender of Letter 2 asks the addressee to introduce himself and the addressee replied it in Letter 3.
2. The tone of the letter is informal but the letter 1 is friendlier than the other letter. It can be seen from the word choice of the letters. The letters use the word ‘dear’ and ‘hello’ for the opening and the closing of the letter 3, the sender said “Anyway, I must go and get on with my work! “ it tells us that the style of language is not formal. In Letter 1 also tells us that the sender uses word ‘take care’ and ‘love’.
TASK 3
Fill in the table by referring to the previous letter in task 1
In this task, you are going to analyze the letter structure by the senders and receivers. Fill in the table by referring to the previous letter in task 1.
| | Letter 1 | Letter 2 | Letter 3 |
| Date of Writing | April 17, 2018 | It’s not written | It’s not written |
| Sender | Aleena | Alexa | Ivo |
| Greetings form | Dear (Informal/Friendly) | Hello (Informal/Friendly) | Hello (Informal/Friendly) |
| Main content | The sender shares her bad experience to an old friend | The sender wants to start friendship with someone new | The sender replies a letter from a new friend |
| Personal news | The sender’s mother is sick and it disturbs her days | The sender’s friend told him to that the addressee wants to practice English so the sender gives a good response to make a friend with the addressee | She introduces herself |
| Complementary close/Sign off | Love | Thanks | Best wishes |
| Receiver | Fatima | Ivo | Alexa |
TASK 4
Now, report the similarities and differences of the four letters by filling out the table below.
| | | Letter 1 | Letter 2 | Letter 3 |
| Similarities | Social function | To exchange news about the sender’s last vocation and her mother’s condition | To make a relationship with a new friend | To exchange information to a new friend. |
| Text structures | · Date · Salutation and name · Introduction · Body · Closing (to indicate the letter is going to end; Give my love to your mom and dad and loads of love to you too) · Complimentary close (short expression; love) · Signature (name of the writer; Aleena) | · Salutation · Introduction · Body · Complimentary close (short expression; thanks) | · Salutation and name · Introduction · Body · Closing (to indicate the letter is going to end; anyway I must go and get on with my work!) · Complimentary close (short expression; best wishes) · Signature (name of the writer; Ivo) | |
| Lexico-gram matical Feature | · simple present tense · simple past tense to tell the past experience | · simple present tense | · simple present tense | |
| Differences | Social function | to exchange information to someone already known | To inform that the sender wants to make a friend with someone new. | To reply the letter from a new friend. |
| Text structures | There is a date | There is no date, name of addressee, closure, nor signature | There is no date |
TASK 5
Now, you will learn how to construct a personal letter. To begin with, rearrange the structure of a personal letter here into a good order!
1. Brisbane, June 5th 2018
2. Dearest John and Jane,
3. I hope this letter finds you well .I’m just writing to thank you both for the holiday and for the photos you sent. The photos arrived this morning in the post. They reminded me what a great time I had during my stay with you last month. You really were fantastic hosts, and I couldn’t have asked for better guides to show me around
4. Sorry I didn’t write to you earlier, but I’ve been working flat out since the moment I arrived home. Do you remember I told you I had an assignment to finish? Well, the deadline was two weeks earlier than I thought It was!
5. Anyway, I’m back to normal now and I’ve handed in all of my assignments. In fact, now that I’m free ,why don’t you both come and stay? There’s a spare room here ,so you’re welcome to use it whenever you like.
6. Hope to see you soon,
7. Peter
TASK 6
In this task, you will learn more about how you exchange Rearrange the multiply email here into a correct order.
It can be seen that the correct order of the multiply email is : F – B – D – E – A – C
Assignment M1 LA1
Instructions
Please do the assignment below to rehearse anything you have learnt in this activity and send it to the link provided.
Write an email to a friend of yours and ask him or her to reply. You can send and reply the letter into three cycles.
Lubuklinggau, July 22nd 2018
Dear Nopri,
It’s been long time we haven’t met each other and I guessed it would be great I write a letter to see how everything is. I am very well here and I hope this letter find you in a good condition.
Bro, I saw your article has been published in Edu Magazine. I read it and it is so amazing. You’ve written wisely how Islam sets education system and it describes that there are so many things we have to do for ummat in education part.
Nop, my organization will be holding the great education seminar here. It will be held on August 20, 2018. I just want you to come to this seminar and we can discuss about Islamic education system after that in my house. I really want to know about it and I think there is no reason that you will not come. I do hope you can come to this seminar.
Anyway, I must go and get on with my work! Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Best wishes
RH
Lubuklinggau, July 25th 2018
Hello RH,
I’m glad to hear about you, bro. I hope this letter also finds you in the best of health and spirits. I am doing fine here.
I would like to come to that seminar but I am afraid I can’t. I have to attend the invitation from the ministry of education which coincided with the seminar. You know, I really can’t wait for our discussion but it won’t happen soon. I will fly to Jakarta next week, and after going home from there, I directly fly to your town, I hope you can spare your time for me on that day.
RH, I have to go now, my child has called me to pick him up.
Your Friend
NP
Lubuklinggau, July 29th 2018
Hi Nopri,
Nice, it will be a wonderful day in which we can enjoy our coffee in our favorite place. I can’t never wait for that. I am ready 100%. If you never mind if I pick you up in the airport, I will be glad. Ok see u bro..
Thanks for your coming later.
REFLECTION/SUMMARY
In this activity, I have learned a number of personal letters. THE comparison of the social functions of a number of personal letters regarding the context of situation, the target receiver, the points of interests or importance, the structure of each of the letters, including the layout, the structure and the detail information, the lexicogrammatical features of personal letters by determining the choice of words and expressions, the use of direct and indirect sentences, the tenses, the fonts, the punctuation marks, etc. how to construct a personal letter and respond to the letter according to their context of situation, social function, text structure, and lexico-grammatical features.
The key features of personal text include Social Function, Generic Structure, Significant Lexico-grammatical Features,
What I like most about this activity is to compare the social functions of a number of personal letters regarding the context of situation, the target receiver, the points of interests or importance.
What I need to improve/learn more is to construct a personal letter and respond to the letter according to their context of situation, social function, text structure, and lexico-grammatical features.