Personal Correspondence: Catching Up with Friends
Catching Up with Friends: Personal Emails
Email 1: Molly to Jake
Hi Jake,
Thanks for your email—it was great to hear from you. How’s life in Vancouver? Hope you’re still enjoying it. I apologize for not writing sooner, but I’ve been extremely busy at school for the last few weeks.
Do you remember in your email you asked about the surprise party I was organizing for my sister’s birthday? Well, it was a hit! I told my sister that we were going to meet up at her flat, but all of her friends from university were waiting inside.
Anyway, are you still planning on visiting next weekend? We need to decide what to do on Saturday. My friend Meghan will be in town, and I plan on picking her up at her friend’s house around 10:00, then we’ll need to pick a spot for lunch. Would you fancy going for Spanish tapas, or would you rather have a picnic?
Must dash now, I’ve got to go and study for tomorrow’s exam. Hope to hear from you soon.
All the best,
Molly
Email 2: Johnathan to Brian
Hi there Brian,
Sorry that I haven’t been in touch for a while, but we have been snowed under at work. As you probably know, I have accepted a new job as a project manager. In a week or so, I’ll be working in my new job—I’m so excited! I hope you can visit in February.
How’s life treating you? Hope you and Lyndsay are doing well. I was really glad that you decided to go for a Master’s Degree. You’ve always been such a brilliant student.
Anyway, the reason I’m writing is because I have proposed to my girlfriend Emily and, as I know you and Lyndsay went to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam a few years ago for your honeymoon, I was wondering if you could give me some advice. Can you tell me which place you preferred? Do you think that I should rent an apartment, or is it better to stay in an all-inclusive hotel? Also, do we need to get any vaccinations or take any medicines before we enter the countries?
Well, that’s all for now. I hope you can visit us soon once I am settled into my new job. Send my greetings to Lyndsay!
Best,
Johnathan
PS Emily doesn’t know anything about the trip. It’s going to be a surprise.
Email 3: Mike to Monica
Hey Monica,
It’s nice to hear from you after so long! How are you doing?
Sorry I haven’t been in touch for such a long time, but I’ve been slammed at work recently. Anyway, I’d love to hear all your news, and I’m hoping we can get together soon to catch up. We just moved to a larger flat in the city center, so maybe you can come and visit one weekend?
How’s the new job?
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Cheers,
Mike
Informal Email Phrases
Greetings / Opening Phrases:
- Dear / Hello / Hi Sara,
Introductory Paragraph:
- How’s it going?
- How are you doing?
- How are things?
- How are things going?
- It’s great to hear from you!
- Long time, no see!
- Sorry I haven’t written for ages, but…
- I’m really sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you.
Reacting to Good News:
- I’m glad to hear that / I’m so happy that / Great news about your…
- I’m very happy to hear about…
- It’s so great that…
Reacting to Bad News:
- I’m so sorry to hear about…
- Sorry to read about…
- I can’t tell you how sad I am that…
- I’m extremely sorry to hear about…
- It’s just awful to hear that…
Expressions to Open Paragraphs:
- Oh, by the way, / Hey, did you hear about…?
- One more thing, / As for / By the way, tell me about…
Closing Paragraph:
- Well, I gotta go now. / Anyway, I should get going. / I’ve got to leave you now. / I’d better get going. / Well, it’s time to go.
- Make sure you write soon. / Don’t forget to drop me a line soon.
- Look after yourself. / Take care of yourself.
Closing / Closing Phrases:
- All my love, Love, Lots of love, All the best, Take care, Best wishes, Best, Regards, Kind regards