Messages and Letters

Lessons

Primary 5 · English

Messages and Letters

3 lessons

Lesson 1 of 3

Writing a Friendly Letter

13 min

Let's begin

Keza’s cousin Umutoni moved to Rubavu in January. They used to walk to school together every single morning.

Yesterday a letter arrived from her. Keza read it three times, ran to find a pen — and then stopped, staring at the empty page. Where do you even begin?

Today you will learn exactly where to begin, what to put in the middle, and how to end.

Look at a whole letter first

Here is the letter Keza finally wrote. Read it slowly, all the way through. Then we will take it apart piece by piece.

Groupe Scolaire Rugando
P.O. Box 245
Kigali
14th June 2026
Dear Umutoni,
How are you? I hope you and your family are well. We are all fine here, though the walk to school is very quiet without you.
A lot has happened since you left. Our class planted forty tree seedlings behind the school during umuganda, and mine is already taller than my knee. Last Saturday Mama took me to Kimironko market and bought me football boots for 6,000 Frw. I wore them on Sunday and scored two goals!
How is your new school? Are the teachers strict? Is Lake Kivu really as big as people say? Please write back and tell me everything.
Greet your mother for me.
Your friend,
Keza

Now take it apart: the six parts

Every friendly letter you write will have these six parts, in this order.

Your own address — at the top right-hand corner of the page. Not your friend’s address. Yours. She already knows where she lives; what she needs is somewhere to post the reply.
The date — on the line under your address. Keza wrote 14th June 2026. Give the day, the month and the year.
The greeting — on the left, a little lower down: Dear Umutoni, A capital D on Dear, a capital letter on the name, and a comma at the end.
The body — the big part. This is your actual message, in paragraphs.
The closing — Your friend, A capital letter on the first word only, then a comma.
Your name — on the line under the closing. Nothing after it. No full stop, no comma.

The body is a sandwich

Look at Keza’s three body paragraphs again. Each one has a job.

Top slice — the warm hello. Ask how the person is. “How are you? I hope you and your family are well.” It is short, and it takes two seconds, and a letter without it feels cold.
The filling — your news. Two or three real things that have happened to you. Not everything — the interesting bits. Keza chose the trees, the boots and the two goals.
Bottom slice — turn to the reader. Ask her questions, and ask her to write back. This is the part most children forget, and it is the part that gets you another letter.

Choosing your closing

The closing must fit the person you are writing to.

To a friend: Your friend, or Yours, or See you soon,
To your mother, father, aunt or grandmother: With love, or Love from,
To a teacher or a neighbour you respect: Yours sincerely, — and in that letter, keep your words a little more polite.

Whichever you choose, only the first word takes a capital letter. Write Your friend, — never Your Friend,

Write the way you speak to that person

A friendly letter should sound like your voice. If Keza had written “I am writing to inform you of recent developments at this school,” Umutoni would have laughed and checked whether her cousin had been swallowed by an office. Say it the way you would say it out loud: “A lot has happened since you left.”

Tip

Two commas and a bare name. A comma after the greeting — Dear Umutoni, A comma after the closing — Your friend, And nothing at all after your own name. If you can point at those two commas on your page, your letter is dressed properly.

✦

Try it yourself

Do each one on paper first, then tap Show answer to check.

Whose address goes at the top of a friendly letter, and in which corner?

Show answerHide answer

Answer: Your own address, in the top right-hand corner. Your friend needs to know where to post the reply — she already knows her own street.

Write the greeting for a letter to your uncle, Gatete.

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Answer: Dear Uncle Gatete, — capital D, capital U, capital G, and a comma at the end.

Ishimwe ended his letter like this: your friend ishimwe. Write it out correctly.

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Answer: Two lines. Your friend, on the first line — capital Y, small f, comma. Then Ishimwe alone on the next line, with a capital I and no full stop.

Which of these two sentences belongs in a friendly letter to a friend, and why?
(a) I am writing to inform you of the above matter.
(b) I hope your leg is better now — does it still hurt when you run?

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Answer: (b). It sounds like a real person who cares. Sentence (a) is stiff, formal-letter language; in a letter to a friend it sounds like a stranger wrote it.

Put these six parts in the correct order: the closing / your address / your name / the greeting / the body / the date.

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Answer: your address, the date, the greeting, the body, the closing, your name.

Quick check

The body of a letter is a sandwich. Put its three parts in order.

Tap the cards in the right order.

What you learned today

A friendly letter has six parts, always in the same order: your address, the date, the greeting, the body, the closing, your name.
The greeting takes a comma. The closing takes a comma. Your name takes nothing.
The body says hello, gives your news, then turns round and asks the reader about her life — that last bit is what earns you a reply.

1Look at a whole letter first

2Now take it apart: the six parts

3The body is a sandwich

4Choosing your closing

5Write the way you speak to that person

Try it yourself

Look at a whole letter first

Now take it apart: the six parts

The body is a sandwich

Choosing your closing

Write the way you speak to that person