Personal Letter : Definition, Function, Structure & How to Write a Personal Letter
April 04, 2022
Yakin di zaman sekarang masih berkirim surat? Tapi apakah kalian pernah mengirimkan surat kepada seseorang seperti keluarga, teman, sahabat pena atau bahkan pacar? Hmm... dengan kecanggihan teknologi, berkirim surat rasanya sudah ketinggalan zaman ya. Di saat keluarga dan teman sedang berulang tahun atau mengalami musibah kita sering mengirimkan pesan via Whatsapp atau Direct Message untuk mengucapkan selamat, doa dan harapan kepada mereka karena kita pikir itu lebih praktis dan efisien.
Jika membahas mengenai surat, biasanya dibedakan menjadi dua yakni surat resmi (formal letter) dan surat pribadi/non-resmi (personal letter). Dalam kesempatan ini, kita akan memfokuskan bahasan personal letter saja. Yuk simak ulasannya berikut ya.
Definition of Personal Letter
Personal letters are letters you write to people you have already known well or been familar with, such as family members, friends, classmates or pen friends.
Personal letter atau surat pribadi adalah surat yang ditulis untuk orang yang kamu kenal seperti teman, anggota keluarga, teman sekelas, teman pena, dan kepada orang-orang yang memiliki hubungan dekat. Personal letter umumnya berisi undangan, ucapan selamat ulang tahun, ucapan kelulusan, permintaan maaf, ucapan berbelasungkawa, dll.
Kinds of Personal Letter
1. Family letter : Written to a family members to share recent news (ditulis untuk anggota keluarga yang bertujuan membagi berita terbaru).
2. Pen Pal (sahabat pena) : orang yang saling tukar-menukar surat dengan orang lain untuk berteman dengan seseorang yang belum pernah ia temui sebelumnya.
3. Fan mails : Written to someone you idolize or admire (ditulis untuk seseorang yang kamu idolakan atau kagumi, bisa ke aktor film, artis, penulis, dan tidak harus dari kalangan terkenal, intinya orang yang sangat kamu kagumi dan idolakan.
4. Holiday/Celebration letter : surat ucapan selamat berlibur / peringatan hari tertentu, surat liburan atau acara perayaan seperti hari ulang tahun, Eid, Natal, Tahun Baru, dan hari spesial serta libur bersama lainnya.
5. Farewell letter : Written to say goodbye to someone who is moing interstate or overseas, or changing school (ditulis untuk mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada seseorang yang pindah negara bagian atau keluar pulau, atau juga pindah sekolah)
6. Get well letter : Written to wish someone a speedy recovery from illness (ditulis untuk mengharapkan seseorang sebuah pemulihan yang cepat dari sakit)
7. Congratulations letter : surat ucapan selamat atas kebahagiaan dan pencapaian seseorang, misalnya ulang tahun, pernikahan, pencapaian, atau penghargaan.
8. Thank You letter : surat terimakasih yang berisi apresiasimu kepada seseorang yang sudah memberikan atau melakukan suatu hal yang baik kepadamu.
9. Love letter : surat yang diberikan pada orang yang sangat kamu sayangi dan peduli, kamu juga bisa menyatakan perasaanmu dengan romantis.
10. Condolence letter : surat belasungkawa yang didalamnya berisi simpati khususnya atas kematian seseorang yang dekat dengan penerima surat. Kamu berharap mereka diberi kekuatan dalam menghadapi kesedihan tersebut, turut berduka atas kehilangannya, atau kamu juga bisa membagikan memori baik bersama orang yang meninggal tersebut.
Structure of Personal Letter
Seperti surat pada umunya, Personal Letter memiliki bagin-bagian utama, antara lain:
1. Date (Tanggal)
Biasanya tanggal ini ditulis pada kiri paling atas. Tanggal ini menunjukkan kapan waktu surat ditulis. Ada 2 format untuk menuliskan tanggal dalam personal letter, yaitu American style dan British style. Contoh:
American style : April 5, 2022
British style : 5 April 2022
2. Address (Alamat)
Bagian ini adalah tempat dimana kamu menulis surat atau alamat asal si pengirim tinggal. Di dalam sebuah surat pribadi, alamat yang tertulis di pojok kanan atas adalah alamat si penulis sedangkan alamat penerima berada pojok kiri atas, sedikit di bawah alamat pengirim. Misal: 35 Senggigi Raya Lombok 75009 Nusa Tenggara Timur
3. Salutation & Name (Salam & Nama)
Bagian ini menuliskan salam pembuka dan nama penerima surat. Contohnya "Dear...", "Dearest...", "Sweetheart", "Darling", "My love" dan lain-lain.
4. Introduction (Pembukaan)
Pembukaan dari surat biasanya dimulai dengan sebuah pembukaan seperti menanyakan kabar atau tanggapan dari surat sebelumnya atau bisa juga awal perkenalan diri jika kalian baru memulai surat-menyurat. Berikut contoh kalimat yang biasa digunakan pada bagian introduction:
- How are you? (bagaimana kabarnya?)
- Hope this letter finds you … (berharap surat ini menemukanmu…)
- Thank you for your last letter (terima kasih untuk surat terakhirmu)
- It was so good to hear from you (bahagia menerimanya darimu)
- Sorry for answering late (maaf telat membalas)
- I’m sorry I should have written earlier… (saya minta maaf saya seharusnya menulis lebih awal)
- Haven’t heard from you in a while so I thought… (tidak terdengar kabarmu sekian lama jadi saya pikir…)
- I am sorry to inform you that (maaf, memberitahumu bahwa)
5. Body (Isi Surat)
Bagian ini merupakan isi atau inti dari surat. Pada bagian body ini kalian menceritakan semua isi surat yang ingin kita ceritakan. Ketika menulis bagian body atau isi surat pribadi bahasa inggris, pastikan bahwa surat kamu memenuhi tujuan atau salah satu dari hal-hal berikut:
Gratitude (Ucapan syukur)
- I’m just writing to thank you for (saya berterima kasih kepadamu untuk…)
- It was very kind of you to (kamu sangat baik hati...)
- Thanks very much for (terima kasih banyak untuk…)
- l am very grateful for (saya bersyukur untuk…)
Delivering good news (Memberikan berita bagus)
- I’m sure you will be happy to hear that (saya yakin kamu akan bahagia mendengar bahwa…)
- I am sure that you’ll be interested to know that (saya yakin kamu akan tertarik untuk tahu bahwa…)
- By the way, did you know that? (ngomong-ngomong, sudah tahukah kamu tentang…)
- OMG!! You’ll never guess what happened! (oh Tuhan, kamu tidak akan pernah mengira apa yang terjadi!)
- I am totally ecstatic to hear about (saya sungguh bahagia mendengar tentang…)
- I was happy beyond limits to read that (saya sangat bahagia luar biasa untuk membaca bahwa…)
Delivering bad news (Memberikan berita buruk)
- I’m sorry but I have to tell you that (saya mohon maaf tapi saya telah bercerita kepadamu bahwa…)
- Bad news, I’m afraid, but no way to avoid it, so here it goes (berita buruk, saya minta maaf, tapi tidak ada jalan lain untuk menghindarinya. Jadi biarkan ini berlalu)
- I’m extremely sorry to hear that (saya sungguh minta maaf mendengar hal itu)
- It was heart wrenching to read about (hati saya tercabik membaca tentang...)
Congratulating someone (Memberi ucapan selamat)
- I'm happy to hear about… (saya senang mendengar tentang...)
- I would like to congratulate you on... (saya ingin mengucapkan selamat kepadamu...)
Giving advice (Memberikan nasehat ataupun masukan)
- Well, I thought about it and if I were you, I would... (baik, saya berfikir tentang itu dan jika saya jadi kamu, saya akan…)
- Have you thought about? (pernahkah kamu berfikir tentang…)
- In your last letter you said you weren’t sure what course of action to take, I suggest... (di surat terakhirmu, kamu berkata kamu tidak yakin dengan apa yang diambil, saya sarankan…)
- I think you shouldn’t (saya fikir kamu seharusnya tidak…)
- In your last letter you asked me about… I think (di surat terakhirmu, kamu memintaku…..Saya pikir…)
Asking for help (Meminta bantuan)
- I wonder if you could help me (saya harap kamu bisa membantu kami)
- I hope it’s not too much to ask, but… (saya harap ini tidak berlebihan untuk meminta, tapi…)
- I wonder if I could ask you a favor, could you? (saya harap jika saya bisa meminta bantuanmu, bisakah?)
Apologizing (Meminta maaf)
- I would like to apologize for (saya ingin meminta maaf untuk)
- I’m so sorry that (saya minta maaf tentang)
- Words are not enough to erase the pain I have given you but I want to say how sorry l am (kata-kata tidak cukup untuk menghapus kesedihan yang saya telah berikan namun saya ingin meminta maaf)
Expressing admiration or amazement (Menunjukkan ketertarikan atau rasa kagum)
- What a beautiful voice! (suara yang sangat merdu)
- Such a wonderful drawing! (gambar yang sangat indah)
What/such + adjective + noun (plural)
- What magnificent statue! (patung yang luar biasa)
- Such sweet smile you've got! (senyuman manis yang kamu punya)
6. Closure (Penutup)
Bagian ini menunjukkan bahwa surat akan segera berakhir. Berikut contoh kalimat yang bisa digunakan sebagai penutup di dalam surat pribadi:
- I am looking forward to seeing you soon (saya menantimu bertemu segera)
- I am looking forward to hearing from you soon (saya menunggu mendengar kabarmu segera)
- My best wishes for the coming test (doa terbaik untuk tes besuk)
- I will have to stop now (saya akan menghentikannya sekarang)
- I am waiting for a quick reply (saya menunggu balasan cepatmu)
- Looking forward to seeing you again (menanti bertemu denganmu lagi)
- Bye (sampai jumpa)
- See you (sampai jumpa)
7. Complimentary close (Salam Penutup)
Bagian ini merupakan ungkapan penutup pendek seperti:
- Yours (salam)
- With love (dengan cinta)
- Affectionately (penuh cinta)
- Warm regards (salam hangat)
- Sincerely yours (hormat saya/kami)
- Best wishes (doa terbaik untukmu)
8. Signature (Tanda tangan)
Bagian ini berada di bawah complementary close, kalian bisa membubuhkan tanda tangan atau bisa juga hanya inisial nama kalian saja.
Linguistics Features of Personal Letter
Jika kamu ingin membuat surat pribadi, maka ada ciri kebahasaan yang harus kamu tahu. Diantaranya sebagai berikut:
- Accuracy of grammar is important.
- Complete sentences are expected.
- Slang can be used.
- Use the contractions such as I’ll, I’m, We’ll .
- Use personal pronouns such as I, We, You.
- Use active voice.
Selain ciri kebahasaan di atas, dalam kalimat pribadi juga ada gaya surat (style) yang perlu kamu tahu dan diantaranya ialah sebagai berikut:
- Language use may be personal like first and second person pronouns.
- Be warm.
- Use the person’s name you are writing to.
- Vary sentence length.
- Write in a natural, conversational style.
- Let your personality shine through in your writing.
How to Write Personal Letter
It is important to know how to write a letter of a personal nature. Personal letters are not as formal as business letters and can be handwritten or typed. The tone can be conversational, even using a bit of slang or colloquial terminology.
Beginning the Letter
Date the letter. If you're taking the trouble to write a letter by hand, it's nice to add a date on the top left corner of the paper. Many people save letters for years to come, and they like to be able to see what day and year it was written to reminisce about earlier times. Write out the date - for example, "May 18, 2020" - or abbreviate it using only numbers indicating the month, day and year.
Write a salutation. The beginning of a letter, whether it's handwritten or in the form of an email, is called a salutation. That's where you address the person to whom you're writing by name - for example, "Dear Emily" or "Hello, Skylar." Think about the nature of your relationship with the letter recipient, as well as your own preferences and style, and choose your greeting accordingly.
- If you tend to like to write in a slightly formal style, using "Dear" in your salutation is a nice choice. It sounds typical, but think about it: calling someone "dear" is actually very sweet, and indicates that you care about him or her. However, you don't have to read into it; "dear" is as appropriate for a letter to your best friend as it is for a letter to an acquaintance you just met.
- For a letter that is more casual in tone, consider beginning it with "Hi, [name]" or "Hello, [name]." This greeting is appropriate for a friend or relative, but don't begin a business letter this way; it's a bit too casual.
- Write a more personal greeting for someone with whom you are intimate, or want to be. For example, "Dearest [name]," "My [name]" or "Sweet [name]."
- Be sure to end your greeting with a comma. It is also formally correct to begin the body of the letter on the next line.
Drafting the Body
Begin with some pleasantries. The first paragraph of a friendly letter is usually warm and lighthearted. It's a way to set the tone of the letter, letting the recipient know that what's to follow will be more friendly than businesslike or serious. Use the first few lines to say an extended hello, tell a joke, or reference the season.
- "How are you doing?" or "How have you been?" are common ways to start a letter. Asking a question helps make the letter feel like part of a longer conversation. If you'd like a reply to your letter, feel free to pepper it with questions throughout.
- You can use the first paragraph to inquire more deeply about the recipient's life. For example, "I hope little Julie has been enjoying kindergarten. I can't believe she's gotten so big!"
- Referencing the time of year is another common letter opening. Think of it as the equivalent to making small talk before you launch into a deeper conversation. For example, "I hope you've been having a wonderful fall. The trees in my neighborhood are more brilliant than they've ever been before. I think we're in for a cold winter, though.
Share news and personal details. Now it's time to get to the meat of the letter, your purpose for writing it. Why are you opening this correspondence? Do you want to get back in touch with a long lost friend, express to someone that you are missing them, or thank them for helping you out in some way? Be forthright, open, and articulate to communicate your message effectively.
- Write about what's happening in your life. No matter what it says, your letter will probably be appreciated, but the recipient will feel much closer to you (and therefore the letter will be more effective) if it's revealing. Tell what events have occurred, what emotions you've felt, and what plans you have for the future.
- Don't create an airbrushed picture of your life; that defeats the purpose of a friendly letter. Avoid a holiday newsletter-style update; your friend will start skimming to the bottom if you just list everything you've accomplished since your last letter. You don't have to go too deep into your troubles, but try to portray your life realistically.
Reference topics that are relevant to your friend. What was your friend up to last time you talked? Was she on the verge of breaking up with her boyfriend? Was he in the middle of a difficult season on the soccer team? Follow up by making references and asking questions to show you're interested in your friend's life.
- You can also discuss topics of mutual interest. Write your thoughts on art, politics, current events, or any other subject that you'd discuss with your friend in person.
- Consider suggesting movies you've seen that you think your friend would like, or books you've read that you want to recommend. Sharing good information is always welcome in letters.
Closing the Letter
Wrap it up. Write a final paragraph sending your friend or loved one best wishes. The last paragraph is usually lighter in tone than the body, but it should match the general feel of the entire letter. Try to end the letter on a note that will leave your friend with positive feelings.
- Reiterate the purpose of the letter. For example, if you invited your friend to come to a party, write, "I hope you can come!" If you simply wanted to wish your friend a happy season, write, "Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!" or something to that effect.
- Encourage your friend to write back. If you'd like a response, write, "Hope to hear from you soon," or, "Please write back!"
Write a closing. The closing you choose should be in keeping with the feel of your letter, whether it is traditional or more casual in tone. Like the salutation, it should be determined by your relationship with the recipient. Follow the closing by signing your name.
- If you want to write a formal closing, consider "Sincerely," "Warmly," or "Best wishes."
- If your letter is more casual in tone, try "Yours," "Take care," or "Cheers."
- For a more intimate closing, choose "Love," "Much love," or "Thinking of you."
Consider including a postscript. A postscript, or PS, is often included at the end of friendly letters as a way to add information that isn't important enough to merit its own paragraph in the body of the letter. You could also write a playful joke, or leave it out altogether. In any case, make sure it matches your letter's tone and leaves your recipient with the feeling you want him or her to have.
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