Essential Phrases for Different Writing Styles

Posted on Oct 5, 2025 in English Studies

Informal Letter or Email to a Friend

Opening Phrases

  • Hi David,
  • Introductory sentence
  • How have you been?
  • How are things?
  • Thanks so much for your last email/letter.
  • Sorry I haven’t been in touch for such a long time.

Main Body: Introducing the Topic

This is where you introduce the topic.

  • I’ve just read an interesting article about … and I think …
  • It’s great to hear that…
  • You must tell them to visit…
  • Why don’t we/you visit…?
  • You should definitely go to…
  • I’d really recommend (+ verb + -ing or subject + base infinitive)

Connecting Ideas

  • And
  • But
  • Well, … (to introduce a new topic)
  • Anyway, … (to go back to a previous topic)
  • Oh, by the way… (to add additional information)
  • As for…

Formal Letters to Magazines or Newspapers

Formal Opening

  • Dear Sir/Madam

Reason for Writing

  • Firstly, … / My first suggestion is … / I would like to suggest …
  • Secondly, / I further suggest …
  • I recently read about … and would like to …
  • I am writing in reply/response to your article.
  • I am writing to complain about. I was very disappointed with.
  • I would like to learn/know more about.

Introducing a Point

  • Firstly, … / My first suggestion is … / I would like to suggest …
  • Secondly, / I further suggest …
  • Another possibility is …
  • Not only … but also …

To Summarize

  • In short,
  • In summary,
  • To sum up,
  • In conclusion,

Formal Closing

  • Atentamente
  • Yours faithfully, (if you don’t know the name of your addressee)
  • Yours sincerely, (if the name is given in the task)

Structuring Essays: Opinion in the Final Paragraph

Opening Phrases

Tip: Don’t waste words at the beginning of your response. Go straight into your main points.

  • Nowadays …
  • These days, it seems that …

Making Points

  • Many people feel that …
  • Another argument in favor is …
  • It is clear that
  • This means that
  • According to …

Contrasting Points

  • On the other hand, …
  • Other people think that…
  • I personally feel that…
  • whereas (mientras que)

Organizing and Linking Ideas

  • First of all, … / Secondly, … / In addition, …
  • Moreover… / Furthermore… / Therefore (por lo tanto)
  • However, … / On the one hand, … / On the other hand, …
  • Finally, … / To summarize, … / In conclusion, …

Summarizing (Final Paragraph)

  • All in all, I think …
  • To sum up, I believe that …
  • On balance, …

Writing Articles (Informal Style)

Title and Introduction

  • Write a title
  • Use introductory or rhetorical questions to attract the reader’s attention:
    • Have you ever …?
    • Did you know …?
    • What would you do if …?
    • What would life be like if …?
    • What do you think about …?

Expressing Opinion

  • It is clear that …
  • It is important to remember that …
  • This means that …

Giving Examples from Personal Experience

  • Personally, I prefer to …
  • I can say this from my experience …

Introducing First Point

  • The first thing to consider is …
  • First of all, … / Firstly, … / To begin with …

Introducing More Points

  • Another consideration is … / Another thing to consider is …
  • In addition to this … / Apart from that …

Informal Closing Phrases

Final Paragraph Content

  • I hope you have a nice time on …
  • Let me know if you need any more information.
  • I look forward to hearing from you again soon.
  • Have a good one, and let’s catch up soon. (vamos a ponernos al día)

Closing Sign-offs

  • Take care!
  • See you soon!
  • All the best,
  • Best,
  • Lots of love,