Letters were written in ancient times, our knowledge would be much poorer in events, information, feelings, if not for letters written by kings, friends, acquaintances, family.
When was the last time you received a private letter in an envelope, delivered by post and handwritten? When did you send one like that? The art of handwriting letters is unfortunately disappearing and emails are not a substitute for them. It is a shame that when I address the topic of writing letters today, I am talking about a very retro thing for many people. However, there are times when a traditional letter will be the best means of communication. It is worth remembering how to write them.
How to address a letter?
In the upper left corner you should place the sender’s (person who sends the letter) details, such as:
- sender’s name and surname
- street, house and apartment number
- post code and city
In the bottom right corner (but not at the very bottom) you should put the recipient’s details (the person who receives the letter, or the recipient), such as:
- first name and last name
- street, house and apartment number
- post code and city
Why don’t we write letters anymore?
The form of the letters talked a lot about the sender, so it was worth trying. The most refined ones were written with a fountain pen on an elegant stationery (lovers even scented envelopes). The thought-out layout and careful writing were also of great importance – all of which revealed who we were dealing with.
Why don’t we write letters anymore? We can’t complain about the lack of friends, but the lack of time already. Our contacts with loved ones suffer, but not only. Unfortunately, with the disappearance of letters, the art of calligraphy, or beautiful handwriting, also disappears. It turns out that in the near future we can have huge problems with writing – already handwritten notes are taken carelessly that the author himself often has a problem with deciphering them. Therefore, let’s spend the holiday season offline – not on social networks, but among real friends.
How to write a letter – structure
We start the letter by entering the place and date it was written in the upper right corner. The month on the date should be stated in words. Sometimes, when addressing a message to important people, this information is written under the letter on the left.
A few lines below the date (if it was at the top) we put the return to the recipient. This apostrophe is not intended to say hello or greetings, but draws the recipient’s attention and informs that the content is directed to it. That is why we start letters from the vocative: “Dear Auntie”, “Beloved John”, “Ladies and Gentlemen”, etc. Phrases like “Good morning”, “Hello”, “Hey!” or even the name of the addressee in the nominative case are mistakes.
After the vocative we use an exclamation mark (comma in more official letters). After a break, we start with a new paragraph, with a capital letter (if there was an exclamation mark before). The above two principles distinguish handwritten letters from emails.
Next follows the main content of the letter. Finally, greet the recipient and sign the name.
