B1 Lesson 1: Writing Informal Emails and Letters
Welcome to B1 Genre-Specific Writing! You have learned to build strong sentences and paragraphs. Now, we will apply those skills to a specific real-world task: writing a well-structured, friendly informal email1.
At the B1 level, our goal is to move beyond short notes and write emails that have a clear structure, a friendly tone2, and handle more than one topic.
The Structure of a Good Informal Email
A good friendly email has a clear flow. It has an opening, a body with your main points, and a closing. Let's look at an example.
To: srey.pov@email.com
Subject: Catching up!
(Greeting) → Hi Srey,
(Opening Line) → How have you been? I hope everything is going well over in Battambang.
(Body Paragraph 1 - Main News) → I'm writing because I have some exciting news. I got a new job working at a hotel here in Siem Reap! I started last week. Although the work is challenging, my colleagues are very friendly and I'm learning a lot.
(Body Paragraph 2 - Asking a Question) → Anyway, that's all from me for now. What about you? How is your university course going? Let me know all your news when you have a spare moment.
(Closing Line) → Hope to hear from you soon.
(Closing) → Best,
(Your Name) → Dara
Useful Phrases for Your Emails
- Good Subject Lines: Catching up, A quick question, Our trip next week, Hello from [Your City]
- Opening Lines: How's it going?, I hope this email finds you well., It was great to see you last week., Sorry for not writing sooner.
- Giving News: I've got some exciting news..., Just wanted to let you know that..., By the way, did you hear about...?
- Closing Lines: Anyway, I should get going., Looking forward to hearing from you., Hope to see you soon.
- Closings: Best, Cheers, All the best, Talk soon, Best wishes,
✍️ B1 Informal Email Checklist
- ✔️ Is my Subject Line clear and friendly?
- ✔️ Does my email have a clear Opening, Body, and Closing structure?
- ✔️ Is my tone friendly and conversational? (Have I used contractions, questions, etc.?)
- ✔️ Have I used paragraphs to separate my main points?
🧠 Practice Quiz: "Un-stiff" the Sentence
The following sentences are too formal to write to a friend. How would you rewrite them to sound more natural and informal?
1. Formal: I am writing to request information regarding the schedule for Saturday.
Informal Answer: Just wondering what the plan is for Saturday?
2. Formal: Please accept my gratitude for the wonderful dinner.
Informal Answer: Thanks so much for the wonderful dinner!
📝 Homework: Write a Friendly Email
Get your notebook and pen. Imagine you are writing an email to a cousin who lives in another province or country.
In your email, you should:
- Ask them how they are doing.
- Share one piece of news about your life (your studies, your job, your family).
- Ask them a question about their life.
Write the complete email, including the To, Subject, Greeting, Body (in 2 short paragraphs), and Closing. Use the checklist and phrase bank to help you!
Vocabulary Glossary
- Informal: (Adjective) - មិនផ្លូវការ - Language used in relaxed, friendly, or unofficial situations. ↩
- Tone (of writing): (Noun) - សំឡេង - The general character, feeling, or attitude of a piece of writing. ↩
- Genre: (Noun) - ប្រភេទ - A particular style or category of writing. ↩
- Conversational: (Adjective) - បែបសន្ទនា - Like a friendly, informal conversation.
- Structure: (Noun) - រចនាសម្ព័ន្ធ - The way the different parts of something are arranged or organized.