CONTENT

Writing invitation letters

INTRODUCTION

The invitation letter is one type of the personal letter.

The form of the normal personal letter

34, Coolgardie Avenue,

Highams park, ALondon E4 9HP

20 July 1984 BDear Alan, C

Dr/Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Wicks,

I’m writing to you … D

LETTER

Love, EYours (sincerely) ,

` Robert (Bridge)

LANGUAGE NOTES

A. Your address always goes in the top right-hand corner. The address of the person you’re writing to does not appear in a personal letter.

B. The date always goes under the address. This can be written as: Tuesday, 20th July or July 20th or 20/7/84 or 20.7.84.

C. Dear + Christian name or Dear + Title + Surname are the only address forms.

D. The first line of the letter usually starts below the end of the address form.

E. Love and variations (lots of love etc.) are intimate or affectionate; Yours is friendly without expressing intimacy; Yours sincerely is quite formal in a personal letter. There are other very personal and individual ways of ending a personal letter that you’ll develop naturally with close friends.

MODEL

This is a letter of invitation from a man and woman to a friend of the same age to come and stay with them.

26 Hope RoadTORQUAYDevon TQ 6 8PR26 October 1984

Dear Jo, I’ve just heard from your parents

that you’re back in England and looking for a new job. While you’re waiting, why don’t you come down and see us for a few days or longer – we’re got a spare room? It hasn’t begun to rain yet so, with luck we ought to be able to visit a few places in the area, even take a walk on Dartmoor.

Well, think about it, and we both hope you can come.

Love, Liz ( and Robert).

LANGUAGE NOTES

• The expression of invitation in this letter was ‘… why don’t you come…’

• Other are: ‘How about coming…’

‘We think it’d be a good idea …’

• More tentative invitations would use expressions like:

‘Is there any chance of you/your coming…’

‘We were wondering if you could/wanted to come…’

• Invitations to people of a different age of to people you don’t know very well would use expressions like:

‘We would like to ask you to come…’

‘We wondered if you’d like to come..’

‘We would like to invite you to…’

PRACTICE

Practice 1Write A or B• A You are having a dinner party. Invite a

friend – in a letter, not a note – to the party. Give the details.

• B The parents of a very close friend have decided to visit your country for a holiday. You don’t know them very well, but would llike to offer them hospitality or your time as a guide.

Practice 2Write a or B

• A You’d like to go to Yugoslavia for a holiday next summer. Write and invite to go with you.

• B You’re going to be in London for a couple of night. Two British friends of yours live there. Invite them out for a meal – at your expense – while you’re there.

Thanks for your attention