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ELA 5: Letter Writing 158 Views
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Description:
No, this isn't a history lesson. Someday, whether it's for official government documents, a job application, or maybe even if you're just an old soul who likes writing things out, you'll need to know how to write a letter.
Transcript
- 00:04
[Coop and Dino singing]
- 00:14
Letter writing is perhaps one of the oldest forms of communication. [Person writes a letter]
- 00:17
After… grunting.
- 00:18
Yes, before the telephone…
- 00:20
…texting…
Full Transcript
- 00:20
…email…
- 00:21
…social media…
- 00:22
…and every other way we have to bug other people
- 00:24
…there was the letter.
- 00:26
The basic form of a letter is pretty simple to master and is comprised of five parts: [Dino and Coop with five parts of a letter]
- 00:30
The heading, the greeting, the body, the closing, and the signature.
- 00:34
Let’s start with the heading. Since it’s uh…first.
- 00:37
In formal letters, it’s important to use a heading. [Coop discussing letter heading]
- 00:39
This is usually the sender’s – that is, your – address. It’s placed here, in the
- 00:44
top-right corner of the letter.
- 00:45
You might also choose to put the address of the person you’re writing to. [Address of person writing to on a letter]
- 00:49
Next comes the greeting, or, if you want to get fancy about it, the “salutation.”
- 00:54
The greeting will be either formal or informal, depending on who you’re writing to, and
- 00:57
the occasion. Usually, the greeting will begin with “Dear”.
- 01:00
Next would come the name of the intended recipient of your letter.
- 01:03
But, if the person you’re writing to isn’t someone you know well, it’s appropriate
- 01:06
to use titles such as Mr., Mrs. or Ms.
- 01:08
And, if you really aren’t sure exactly who you’re writing to, there’s always the
- 01:12
old stand-by: “To Whom It May Concern”.
- 01:15
Totally inappropriate writing home to your parents two months after leaving for [Woman reading a letter]
- 01:18
college…
- 01:19
Next comes the body of the letter.
- 01:20
This is the fun part, because it’s where you write what you have to say. [Coop explaining body of a letter]
- 01:24
In other words: the whole reason you’re writing this person in the first place.
- 01:27
Once the body’s written, we get to the closing.
- 01:29
This is just how you sign-off your letter. Examples include: “Sincerely,” “Your
- 01:32
Friend”, “Love”, “Very Truly”, “Your Sworn Enemy,” and so on.
- 01:35
As with the greeting, the closing you use depends on who you’re writing to. [Dino discussing the closing of a letter]
- 01:40
It’d be strange, for example, to send a letter to the guy who sold you printer ink
- 01:43
with the closing, “Love.” [Man holding letter]
- 01:45
Uh…can we say awkward.
- 01:46
Finally, there’s the signature. Located under the closing, this is where you sign
- 01:51
your name. So go ahead and jot down your John Hancock. [Signature of author of letter]
- 01:53
And just remember: letters don’t have “send” buttons.
- 01:55
So please make sure to actually put it in the mail… [Person puts letter in mailbox]
- 01:58
There you go.
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