How to write a letter to a friend. How to write a letter to a friend in English: a sample of a ready-made letter. How to start and end a letter in English to a friend: templates, writing rules

Dear friends, today I decided to write about a painful issue - how to write letters 😉. I think many experts in various fields receive many letters every day with questions and requests for help.

Your humble servant is no exception :) The number of letters with questions and requests for help averages 40-50 per day and sometimes exceeds my physical ability to answer them.

A significant part of the correspondence consists of letters in which questions and descriptions of problems are not entirely correctly formulated, which is why they require additional clarifying letters, which takes extra time both the sender and the recipient.

In this post, I want to talk about how to correctly write letters with questions to specialists, so that getting the information you need takes a minimum of time and does not require unnecessary correspondence.

The main rule, in my opinion, is that in a letter it is very important to make it clear that you value the recipient’s time. Everything should be concise and clearly formulated.

1. Greeting

I believe that any letter must begin with a greeting. “Hello”, “Hello”, “Good afternoon” - writing these words is not difficult and takes seconds. I personally don't like emails that don't include a greeting. Nothing is valued so dearly or given so cheaply as politeness.

2. Calling by name

On all pages of the blog site where there is a form feedback(for example, the page “”), I always write “My name is Mikhail,” so I don’t see a problem with not addressing people by name in letters. Subconsciously, any person loves to be called by name.

And although I like “Mike” more than “Mikhail” 😉, any call by name will do 🙂.

3. Google your question first.

How many times in correspondence have I had to provide links to materials that I found by simply typing the question asked of me in a search engine! I don’t even have enough fingers and toes 😉!

Seriously, I sincerely advise you to first google the question you are interested in in various versions (including in English, you can translate it through Google Translator) and spend time studying the materials found.

In most cases, you can easily find answers to your questions in search engines or on forums (many people come there to communicate, discuss specific problems on various topics and answer questions). Why waste another person's time when in many cases you can easily find everything you need yourself?

🔥 By the way! I plan to release a paid course on promoting English-language sites. If you are interested, you can apply for the early list through this form to be the first to know about the release of the course and receive a special discount.

I invite you to subscribe to my channels on Telegram:

I wish you success in increasing traffic to your sites!

Dessert for today is a video of a guy doing pull-ups on a horizontal bar with one finger. I want that too :)

The article offers you clichés and phrase patterns that will help you write a letter in English.

In the modern world, few people do not know English, because it is international and compulsory for study in schools, technical schools and universities. English is useful to everyone when traveling, in professional activities and in cases of communication with foreigners.

IMPORTANT: Social networks have swallowed up the whole world and no one is surprised by a letter coming from the “other end of the world.” The tips offered in this article will help you start a conversation with a person and write a letter correctly. Here you will find examples of introductory and general phrases, greetings and farewells.

Starting a letter can be very difficult. It is important to choose beautiful words to interest your interlocutor and win him over. It doesn’t matter who you’re talking to, a friend, a boyfriend, a guy or girl you like, a distant relative, the main thing is to know common appeals, which are like universal cliché, suitable for any letter.

Like any letter, a letter in English must have three main parts:

• Greetings and introduction
• Main (main) part
• Final part, farewell

Phrases for writing to a friend or girlfriend in English: list with translation

It doesn’t matter what the essence of your letter will be, whether it is a letter of recognition, greeting, farewell or invitation. You should fill it with general phrases that will allow you to clearly express all your thoughts and words. Use the established clichés proposed in this article.

How to finish a letter in English to a friend: rules

You should also end the letter beautifully, using farewell phrases. You should thank your interlocutor for sending the letter or write that you are looking forward to an answer from him.

How to correctly format a letter to a friend in English: a ready-made letter template

Ready-made examples will help you write a letter correctly and beautifully, where you can trace the use of all introductory phrases and use your own based on this example.

Examples of ready-made letters:

How to say “Sincerely” in English in a letter to a friend?

Your signature at the end of the letter is a characteristic feature that will not only indicate your good manners, but also that you have mastered all the rules of writing a correct letter.

An example of a letter to a friend in English with translation

Use examples of letters in English, which are presented only with translations. This way you can focus on introductory clichés and know exactly their meanings.

It so happens that a loved one appears in a person’s life and by coincidence, this person is relegated to friends, or may simply disappear into the realm of an ordinary acquaintance. It may be different views or the status of two people that interfere; many other things can affect the relationship. In my life...

Example, sample, template of a letter to a friend. What to write in a letter to a friend? Author Egen Kurveeva. It happens that fate throws us to the most remote corners of the earth. Thanks to modern technologies, we can always keep in touch with our loved ones and friends. However, there are situations that in certain places mobile communication is not...

Example, sample, template of a letter to a friend. Letters for friends. How to write a letter to a friend? Author Egen Kurveeva. Letters to friends have always been special messages, full of warmth and joy. Now, thanks to the World Wide Web, we have the opportunity to communicate with friends and exchange messages with them whenever we want and as much as we want....

Website "Letters About Love". Example, sample, letter template. A letter to a friend. Author Egen Kurveeva. Hello! I'm glad to see you. Even if we don’t look into each other’s eyes, like in our childhood, but just look at the photo on the social network - this is no less important...

The emergence of modern chats and social networks completely eliminated the usual paper letters from the lives of ordinary people. But this should not in any way affect the rules for writing a letter to a friend or loved one. Many people don't know how to write a letter to a friend, but it's not difficult. Using the instructions below...

To begin with, dear readers, let's define the goals of our lesson. So, we must define what a personal letter is and how it differs from business letter, study its structure, and most importantly, learn how to independently write a letter to a friend in English using ready-made templates.

People use letters as a way to exchange information around the world. Letters can be written to friends, relatives, acquaintances or people with whom we are unfamiliar, for example, business partners. It is the person to whom your letter is addressed that determines whether it belongs to business or personal correspondence, and the form, structure and style of writing your letter depends on its affiliation. You could familiarize yourself with the rules for writing business letters in our previous article, letter in English, and now we will get acquainted with the features of writing personal letters in English.

So, friendly or personal letters are usually addressed to people you know personally (friends, relatives, loved ones). The language used to write such letters may be colloquial. For example, 1st and 2nd person pronouns (I, you) are used very often. It is possible to use dialect words, slang words, exclamations, interjections, vernacular, modal verbs, affectionate forms, etc. In personal letters, you can freely express your opinion, i.e., a subjective assessment of any situation is not prohibited. Personal letters can have a strong emotional overtones. As you can see, friendly correspondence does not have such strict stylistic restrictions as business correspondence.

As for the structure of a personal letter in English, its form is practically no different from a business letter; it’s just that some points can be neglected at your discretion. You can familiarize yourself with the structure of a letter in the article “Learning to write letters in English correctly.” If you have to write a personal letter to a friend in English, for example, during an exam, then of course the form of the letter cannot be neglected.

Step-by-step letter structure with template phrases

So, a personal letter to a friend in English must, according to all the rules, include 5 points:

The first point is the “header” of the letter, i.e. the sender’s address and date. (Heading: address and date)
The address is written in the upper right corner and has the following sequence: house number with the street name, separated by a comma, apartment number. The next line shows the city and postal code, and the next line shows the country. Do not put any commas or periods.

46 Riverview Park
New York 542 210
USA
15th February, 2008

On the next line or every other line immediately below the address, the date is written. Several spelling options are possible:

May 12, 2014
May 12th, 2014
May 12, 2014
May 12, 2014

The 2nd point is “appeal”. (salutation or greeting) The appeal is written on a new line on the left. After the address, as a rule, a comma is placed.
Very often the address begins with the word Dear + the name of the person to whom you are writing.

Dear Rima, Dear Karan
Dear Daddy, Dear Mammy
Dear Uncle Ray
Dear Mr. Green

Possible various options. It all depends on who you are writing to.

My dear Jim
dearest
My darling
Or simply - Hello, my dear Olya

The 3rd point is “the main text of the letter”. (body/message)
The first paragraph of the main text is an introduction or an opening sentence, where you can thank your friend for the previous letter, tell him why you haven’t written for so long, or simply write that you were very glad to hear news from your friend. It roughly looks like this:

I’m writing to (thank/ tell/ ask/ congratulate/ apologize/ etc.) - I am writing to you to (thank, say, ask, congratulate, express regret, etc.)
I’m writing to thank you very much for the nice post card... - I’m writing to you to thank you for the wonderful postcard...
Many thanks for your letter... - Thank you very much for your letter...
I was very glad to get your letter... - I was very glad to receive your letter...
Thanks for your recent letter. It was good to hear from you... - Thank you for your last letter. I was glad to hear from you...
I’ve been meaning to write to you for ages but somehow just haven’t been able to find the time I really should have written sooner...- I was going to write to you a long time ago, but somehow I never found the time, I was really late with the answer...
I’m sorry I haven’t written for so long but I’ve been really busy with... - Sorry for not writing for so long, but I was really busy...
I must apologize for not writing earlier... - I must apologize for not writing earlier...
I’m sorry I’ve taken such a long time to reply to your last letter... - Sorry that it took me so long to answer your last letter...

In the second paragraph you can answer your friend's questions. If you are writing a letter to a friend in English as an assignment for an exam, the assignment will usually include questions that you must answer.

You are asking me about... I"ll do my best to answer your questions. - You asked me about... I will try to answer your questions.
That's about all I can tell you on this problem. - That's all I can tell you about this.

In the third and fourth paragraphs, you talk about events in your life, share news and ask your questions to a friend.

Nice is some news about... - I have news about...
I think you are studying hard now. Have you already chosen the university where you are going to apply? Will it be difficult to study there? “I think you’re studying hard now.” Have you already chosen the university you will attend? Will it be difficult to study there?
How has your summer been? - How was your summer?
What have you been up to? — What interesting happened to you?
Are you playing any sports? - Do you do any sports?
Have you been traveling? -Have you traveled?
I am preparing for entrance exams to the university. — I am preparing for the entrance exams to the university.
We are going to travel to Turkey. — We are going to go to Turkey.

The fifth paragraph is the closing sentence, where you bring your message to a close and can wish success, ask for something, or express hope for something. You can also write that you are in a hurry somewhere or it’s time for you to go somewhere.

Anyway, I must go and get on with my work. - In any case, I have to go to work further.
Well, got to go now. - Well, that's probably all.
I’ve got loads of homework to do tonight. — I have a whole bunch of homework for today.
I must finish my letter because it is very late and I must go to bed (because my Mum is calling me / because I have to do my homework). — I’m finishing my letter because it’s late and it’s time for me to sleep (because my mother is calling me / because I need to do my homework)
Hope to hear from you soon. “I hope to hear from you soon.”
Drop me a line when you are free. - Write me a few lines when you are free.
Looking forward to hearing from you. - I look forward to hearing from you.
Write soon. - Write as soon as possible.
See you soon! - See you soon!
Do keep in touch! - We'll be in touch!
Don't forget to write! - Don't forget to answer!
Looking forward to seeing you. - I'm looking forward to meeting you.
Write back to me soon. - Answer as soon as possible.
Let me know what happens. - Let me know what's going on.
I hope this advice is of some help to you. — I hope that my advice will be useful for you.

The 4th point is the final polite phrase (subscription/ closing). A comma must be placed after the final phrase.

Love,
Best wishes,
All the best,
Yours,

The 5th final point is your signature. You put your signature on the next line under the final phrase without a period.

So, as you noticed, a letter to a friend in English has the same structure as a business letter. The main difference lies in the style of the language. This is why template phrases for personal and business letters are completely different.

I want to give you a couple more tips for successfully writing a letter to a friend in English. To ensure that the text is complete and sounds good, use linking words and conjunctions: just now, and, at all, but, that's why, also, as for me, maybe, though, so, not only, to tell the truth, besides, now, first, also, finally, but, however, so that, such as, for example as, because, when, while, Well, Right… Use short forms of verbs: I've, there's, I'd...

If your English vocabulary is not that extensive, you can still easily cope with a task such as writing a letter to a friend in English. To do this, you will have to visually remember the structure of the letter and already memorize ready-made template, which will need to be supplemented with a couple of sentences.
You can create a template yourself using the phrases that we have selected for each item.

Letter template to a friend in English

46 Riverview Park
New York 542 210
USA

My dear Jim,
Thanks for your letter. I’m sorry I haven’t written for so long but I’ve been really busy with…
You are asking me about… I’ll do my best to answer your questions. (answer questions)
Nice is some news about... (telling the news)
What have you been up to... (ask your questions)
I must finish my letter because it is very late and I must go to bed. Hope to hear from you soon.
Love,
Mary

Here's how to easily write a letter to a friend in English using template phrases! All you have to do is add a couple of sentences and the letter is ready!

Study the following letters to a friend in English with translation in order to better understand the structure of such letters.

Examples letters in English with translation

46 Riverview Park
Glentown
Dublin 23

Dear Jim,
How are things in Wicklow? I have not seen you for ages so I decided to write and give you all the news from Glentown.
The football team is doing really well this season. We have reached the semi-final of the Cup. The new goalkeeper we got after you left is great. He has not let in a goal in the last three matches.
My sister, Sandra, Has just had a baby girl, so I am now an uncle. Maybe I will be able to make some money from baby- sitting and then I can come down on the train to visit you.
Write soon and let me know all the news.

Your friend,
Martin

46 Riverview Park
Glentown
Dublin 23

Dear Jim,
How are things in Wicklow? I haven't seen you for ages, so I decided to write to you and tell you all the news about Glentown.
The football team is really doing well this season. We have reached the semi-finals of the Cup. The new goalkeeper who joined us after you left is great. He hasn't conceded a single goal in his last three matches.
My sister, Sandra, just had a baby girl, so I'm now an uncle. Perhaps I can earn some money as a nanny and come by train to visit you.
Reply to me as soon as possible and tell me all the news.

Your friend,
Martin

12 Hill Drive
Navan
Co. Meath

Dear Susan,
I hope everything is well with you. It has been ages since we saw you here in Meath.
I am writing to ask you to come and stay with us the weekend of the 6th June. We are having a little get together because John is going to Australia for a year. It would be lovely for him to see you before he goes, you are his godmother after all. Let me know if you can make it, don’t worry if not, any weekend before then is fine.
We are all in good form here. Very busy trying to get John organised. I will miss him while he's away.
I do hope all the family are well.

12 Hill Drive
Navan
County Meath

Dear Susan,
I hope you are doing well. It's been forever since we've seen you here in Meath.
I am writing to ask you to come and stay with us on the weekend of June 6th. We're all getting together because John is going to Australia for a year. It would be great for him to see you before he leaves, after all, you are his godmother. Let me know if you manage to come, if not, don’t worry, you can come any weekend before he leaves.
We are fine. Constantly busy trying to get John ready for the trip. I will miss him very much when he leaves.
I really hope everything is okay with your family.

With love,
Mary

12 Hilly Drive
Navan
Co. Meath

Dear Susan,
I am writing to say thank you for the lovely flowers. I can’t believe you remembered my birthday! You are so thoughtful.
We are all in good form here. I do hope all the family are well. Paul is starting a new job next week. I hope to get down to Cork to visit you soon.
Thanks again.

12 Hill Drive
Navan
County Meath

Dear Susan,
I am writing to thank you for the beautiful flowers. I can't believe you remembered my birthday! You are so attentive.
We are fine. I hope everyone is doing well too. Paul starts a new job next week. I'm thinking of coming to visit you in Cork soon.
Thank you very much again.

With love,
Mary

46 Riverview Park
New York 542 210
USA

Hi Sophie,
I’m writing this from the cutest little café in New York! Mum’s been making sure we don’t miss one sight in the whole city, so we’ve been walking almost all day. So far we’ve seen Times Square, Broadway, Central Park and The Plaza. I caught a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty but we’re going to go and see it properly tomorrow!
The streets are super busy here and everyone looks amazing in their winter coats and hats. I had to buy mittens today! I miss being able to feel my fingers!
Hope you're enjoying your holidays.
Miss you times a million, see you back in Adelaide on the 20th!

Love,
Ashley

PS: I’m bringing you back a souvenir!

46 Riverview Park
NY
USA

Hi Sophie,
I'm writing to you now from the cutest little cafe in New York! Mom does everything possible to ensure that we never miss anything interesting in the city, so we spent almost the entire day on our feet. So far we have already seen Times Square, Broadway, Central Park and the Square. I caught a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, but we're going to explore it properly tomorrow!
The streets here are super busy and everyone looks amazing in their winter coats and hats. Today I had to buy mittens! I'm losing the ability to feel my fingers!
I hope you enjoy your holiday.
Miss you like crazy, see you again in Adelaide on the 20th!

With love,
Ashley

PS: I'll bring you a souvenir!

12 Tulip Road
Flowertown
Dublin 20

Dear Sally,
How are you settling down in your new school in Cork? Our class is quite different since you left. It’s much quitter for a start. All the teachers are remarking on it!
We had an English test yesterday. WhenMrs. Byrne came in today with the results she was so mad there was nearly smoke coming out of her ears!
Phil Martin and Sandra Byrne have split up. Phil is really down in the dumps. But otherwise everyone is in great form. We are all going down to the club in the Sports Center on Friday night. It’s a pity you won’t be with us.
Write soon and tell us all about Cork. Goodbye for now.

12 Tulip Road
Flowertown
Dublin 20

Dear Sally,
How did you get settled in your new school in Cork? Our class has changed a lot since you left. Many people have become lazy. All teachers notice this!
Yesterday we had an English test. When Ms Byrne came in with the results today, she was so angry she thought she was about to have smoke coming out of her ears!
Phil Martin and Sandra Byrne fled. Phil is now walking around like he's lost. But in all other respects we are fine. We're going to the club at the Sports Center on Friday night. It's a pity that you won't be with us.
Write as soon as possible and tell us about Cork. Well, bye.

With love,
Joe

2 West Road
Violetville
Cork

Dear Joe
Greetings from Cork! Now that we have settled in our new house I am having a house- warming party to celebrate.
I am inviting some of the gang from Dublin and some of my new school friends from Cork.
The fun begins at 9 pm on Saturday, 3rd March. Why not come down on Friday night and stay for the weekend? I have asked Sandra and Brian to stay over also.
The train leaves Dublin at 4.15 pm and arrives in Cork at 7.30 pm.
My dad will meet you at the station.
Let me know as soon as possible if you can come.

2 West Road
Violetvilla
County Cork

Dear Joe,
Greetings from Cork! Now that we've settled into our new home, I'm going to celebrate with a party at home.
I'm inviting some of the crowd from Dublin and some of my new school friends from Cork.
The fun starts at 21:00 on Saturday, March 3rd. Why don't you come on Friday night and stay the weekend? I asked Sandra and Brian to stay too.
The train departs Dublin at 16:15 and arrives in Cork at 19:30.
My dad will meet you at the station. ( 37 Votes: 4,27 out of 5)

Corresponding with foreign friends has always been considered effective method increase your knowledge and improve your English language skills. But not every person easily decides to take such a step - many are tormented by lack of confidence in their abilities. Today we will correct this shortcoming and learn to write a letter to a friend in English. Believe me, this is not at all difficult, especially since the article contains standard phrases and sample letters on various topics, with the help of which you can create a full-fledged template and easily write your own personal letter. So, let's learn to write in English and make pen pals!

Writing a personal letter in English - style, structure and standard phrases

Beginning of the letter: address and personal message

According to generally accepted rules, an English letter always begins with a standard header: indicating the address of the writer and the date. It is usually located in the upper right corner and has the following format*:

• 1 line – house number and street name;
• 2 line – indication of the city and postal code;
• 3 line - the name of the country;
• 4 line – date of writing.

*Detailed sample correct design The beginning of a letter can be found in the material “How to start a letter in English” and in examples of letters.

If you are writing a personal letter to a friend or friend and it is not the first in your correspondence, then, of course, you can omit the address. But keep in mind that while writing letters for exams, you need to strictly adhere to the official standard i.e. in this case, the address cannot be neglected.

After designing the header, we move to the left side of the sheet and new line We turn to the interlocutor. Informal greetings have many variations, but the most popular expressions are combinations Dear+name or Hello Hi + name . As a rule, a comma is placed after these words, and the main part of the letter is written on a new line.

Phrases for the introduction and body of the letter

The main text of the letter begins with an introductory part. If you are writing a reply letter to a friend in English, be sure to thank him for the letter he received or express your attitude towards the news conveyed in it. If you decide to write a letter to a foreign friend first, then instead of an introductory part, briefly tell about what prompted you to do this. For example, you want to tell about something, or apologize, or wish good luck, or congratulate on the upcoming holiday, etc. Typical English introductory phrases for writing a letter, which are presented in the following table, will help you briefly express your thoughts.

Gratitude and apology (for a response letter)
Phrase	Translation
Thank you for your letter!	Thank you for your letter!
Lovely to hear from you!	Nice to hear from you!
Many thanks for your letter!	Thank you very much for your recent letter!
It was nice to hear from you again!	Nice to hear from you again!
I’ve just received a letter from you! I am so glad to hear…	I just received your letter. I'm so glad to hear that...
I am sorry to hear…	I'm so sorry to hear that...
It was good to hear from you that…	It was so nice to hear from you that...
I was surprised to hear that...	I was surprised to hear that...
I must apologize for not writing earlier…	I must apologize for not writing earlier...
I’m sorry I haven’t written for so long but…	Sorry that I haven't written for so long, but...
I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch for such a long time.	I apologize for taking so long to get in touch.
I’ve been meaning to write to you for ages but…	I've been meaning to write to you for a long time, but...
I’m writing to apologize for…	I am writing to apologize for...
I’m sorry I’ve taken such a long time to reply to your last letter.	I'm sorry it took me so long to respond to your last letter.
A story about news or congratulations on something (for independent writing)
I'm writing to ask…	I am writing to you to ask (ask) about...
I thought you might be interested to hear about…	I thought you might be interested in learning about...
Here is some news about…	I have some news about...
It's ages since I've heard from you. I hope you're well.	I haven’t heard you for 100 years, 100 winters. I hope you're all right.
I’m writing to tell you…	I am writing to tell you about...
I’m writing this letter to congratulate you…	I am writing this letter to congratulate you on...

Sometimes you can start your letter with the most standard questions about work, family, affairs, etc.

The main thing to remember is that the introduction of an English letter is usually short: only 2-3 sentences.

By the way, if in the received letter your interlocutor asked you questions, then you can also use the following phrases for a response message.

If you are writing your first letter, then after opening remarks From a new line, immediately begin to present its main topic. The range of topics is unpredictable: it could be a story about yourself and your family, or a story about how you passed summer holidays, and a description of travel in another country, and much more. Or vice versa - not stories and stories, but a set of questions about how your English friend and his family members are doing, or what is the way of life among the people of Great Britain.

You can also chat with a friend about foreign music and cinema: discuss film premieres, new music albums, concerts of your favorite bands. The subject of the letter depends only on your imagination. Therefore, it is impossible to select standard phrases for this part. But don’t be alarmed, writing a personal letter in English is not difficult even for beginners, because it uses short sentences and popular colloquial expressions. To compose an example of a letter on a free topic, you can take any text and transform it into a short story, adding the introductory elements necessary for the letter.

Final part

When you have already told your foreign girlfriend or friend all your stories, news and impressions, you need to end the letter with a short concluding paragraph.

The format of this final part is exactly the same as the introductory one. In other words, you need to briefly (in 1-2 sentences) summarize the topic and politely say goodbye. The following expressions will help you create the correct ending.

Well, got to go now.	I guess that's all.
I must finish my letter because…	I must conclude my letter because...
Give my best regards to your family!	Give my warm regards to your family!
Looking forward to hearing from you!	Can not wait for your reply!
Don't forget to write!	Don't forget to answer!
I can’t wait to hear from you!	I can't wait to hear from you!
Drop me a line when you are free.	Drop me a line when you're free.
Hope to hear from you soon.	Hope to hear from you again soon.
Write back to me soon.	Write me an answer soon.

AND finishing touch– a short farewell. You can finish a letter in English with standard phrases, of which there are many in English, as well as in Russian:

• Your friend – is yoursFriend;
• Yours – is yours;
• Warm regards - warmest regards;
• Best wishes - best wishes;
• Love - with love;
• All the best – Totalthe best;
• Take care - Take care;

A comma is placed after these words, and then the sender's name is added on a new line.

That's all, standard scheme English letter is ready. Using this template, you can easily compose both a paper and an email letter. If you are still not confident, we suggest looking at examples of letters in English on various topics, and understand that they are actually very easy to compose.

Letter to a friend in English - sample letters

In this section we will give a couple of examples of letters to a friend in English with translation into Russian.

A story about vacations and travel

46, Komsomolskaya Street, Thank you for your letter! It was nice to hear from you again! You want to know how I spent the summer. Well, I’ll do my best to answer your questions. I spent my summer vacation very well. In June I went to my grandparents’ house. They live in Smolensk. I have a lot of friends in this city, so I had a good time with them. We went to a forest camp, which is located not far from Smolensk. We were there for three weeks, and it was very fun. We lived near a large lake. Every time, when the weather was fine, we walked to the shore and swam in the lake. Also we fished, went hiking, picked mushrooms and berries. We had English lessons too. Then we returned to Smolensk and every day played basketball, went to the cinema and danced in the evening. Sometimes we visited museums and zoos too. In August I had to go home. Next summer I’ll definitely go to Smolensk again because I very miss my friends. When I returned home I found out that my father bought tickets to London for all our family! It was a surprise for me! I was in seventh heaven at that moment! So, in a few days we went to England. I have got many impressions from this trip. England is such a beautiful and bright country! And there are so many green meadows and fields here. As for London, I am very impressed by the beauty of this city. We have visited many famous places: the Trafalgar Square, the Tower Bridge, the Westminster Abbey, the museum of Madame Tussauds, the London Eye, the Piccadilly Circus and many others. So, it was the best summer in my life! And what about you? Tell me how you spent your summer!

st. Komsomolskaya 46,

Orel 345040

Dear John,

Thank you for your letter! I'm very pleased to hear from you again!

You want to know how I spent my summer. Well, I will try to answer your questions in detail.

I spent my summer holidays very well. In June I went to my grandparents. They live in Smolensk. I have a lot of friends in this city, so I had a great time with them. We went to a forest camp, which is located near Smolensk. We spent three weeks there and had a lot of fun. We lived next to a large lake. Every time the weather was good, we went to the coast and swam in the lake. We also fished, went hiking, and picked mushrooms and berries. We also had English lessons.

Then we returned to Smolensk and played basketball every day, went to the movies and discos. Sometimes we also visited museums and zoos. I had to return home in August. Next summer I will definitely come to Smolensk again, because I really miss my friends.

When I returned home, I found out that my father had bought tickets to London for our whole family! It was a surprise for me! At that moment I was simply in seventh heaven! So, a few days later we went to England. This journey left me with many impressions. England– a beautiful and vibrant country. And there are so many green meadows and fields. As for London, I am impressed by the beauty of this city! We visited a lot famous places: Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Madame Tussauds, London Ferris Wheel, Piccadilly Circus and much more.

So it was the best summer of my life! What do you have? Tell me how you spent your summer.

With love,

A letter to a friendabout your family in English

Hello Andrew, How are you? I’m writing to tell you some news about my family. Do you remember my elder sister Olga? She has recently married! Her husband is a Swiss national, so they will live in Switzerland. Next week they will go to Switzerland and I will move to my sister’s room. Now it is mine! I am very glad that I’ll have my own room, finally. My mother is very happy, but she is a little sad too. Switzerland is so far from our home, so we won’t be able to visit our sister often. But we hope that she will often call us and write letters. Oh, and another thing! My brother Alex will finish school next year. And my sister’s husband says that Alex can live with them, if he wants to study in Switzerland. Alex is very surprised by this offer and dreams about life in Switzerland for days on end. Well, got to go now. Drop me a line when you are free.

Hello Andrew!

How are you? I am writing to tell you some news about my family.

Do you remember my older sister Olga? She recently got married! Her husband is Swiss and they will live in Switzerland. They're leaving for Switzerland next week and I'm moving into my sister's room. Now she's mine! I'm very happy that I will finally have my own room.

My mother is very happy, but also a little sad. Switzerland is very far from our home, so we will not be able to visit our sister often. But we hope that she will call us and write letters often.

Oh, and one more news! My brother Alex will graduate from school next year. And my sister's husband says Alex can live with them if he wants to go to university in Switzerland. Alex is very surprised by this offer and spends his days dreaming about life in Switzerland.

Well, it's time to finish. Write me a few lines when you are free.

Your friend,