Letter and Notice Writing
ICSE Class 6 · English · Chapter 12
What this chapter covers
- Informal letter format
- Letters to parents, friends and relatives
- Invitations and replies
- Notice writing
- Messages
- E-mails
Key points
- An informal letter is a friendly letter to someone you know well.
- The six parts of an informal letter are your address, date, salutation, body, complimentary close and name.
- The body has an opening, a middle with your news, and a warm closing paragraph.
- An invitation gives the event, the date, the time and the place, and asks for a reply.
- A reply thanks the sender and says clearly whether you will come.
- A notice has the school's name, NOTICE, the date, a heading, a short body and the writer's name and post.
- The body of a notice answers what, when, where, who and why, in about 30 to 50 words.
- A message passes on information to someone who was away, in a few exact words.
- An e-mail has a To line and a subject line, and then reads like a short letter.
Questions answered
Name the six parts of an informal letter in the right order.
Your address, the date, the salutation, the body, the complimentary close and your name.
Write a suitable salutation and complimentary close for a letter to your grandfather.
"Dear Dadaji," and "Your loving grandson," or "Your loving granddaughter,". Other warm forms such as "Dear Nanaji," are also correct.
Why does an informal letter have no subject line?
It is a friendly letter to someone who knows you well, so you simply begin with a greeting. Subject lines are used in e-mails and in formal letters.
Give two things you must always do when you reply to an invitation.
Thank the person for inviting you, and say clearly whether you will come. If you cannot come, give a short reason and wish them well.
Which date goes below the word NOTICE: the date of the event or the date on which the notice is written?
The date on which the notice is written and put up. The date of the event goes in the body.
Give a good heading for a notice about a found water bottle.
"FOUND: WATER BOTTLE" or "FOUND WATER BOTTLE", written in capital letters.
Your aunt telephones to say she will reach your home at 6 p.m., not 4 p.m. Your mother is out. What kind of writing do you leave for your mother?
A message. It gives the date and time, a short greeting, the news about your aunt's new time, and your name.
Which of these is the better subject line for an e-mail: "Hello" or "Pictures from our picnic"? Why?
"Pictures from our picnic", because it tells the reader what the e-mail is about.