A formal invitation: Dear … Yours sincerely
A formal email or letter is polite and serious. We write it to a teacher, a head teacher or the parent of a friend. We begin with Dear and a name: Dear Mrs Hanan Salem, and we end with Yours sincerely and our full name. We say I am writing to invite you to … and we do not use short forms such as I’m or wanna. We give the date, time and location, and we say when to reply (RSVP). An informal message to a friend can say Hi, Come to my party! and See you soon!
| Informal | Formal | |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Hi Mona, | Dear Mrs Salem, |
| Invitation | Come to my party! | I am writing to invite you to our school party. |
| Request | Tell me soon! | Please reply by Monday. |
| Closing | See you! Wessam | Yours sincerely, Wessam Fouad |
Subject: Invitation to our Science Day
Dear Mrs Hanan Salem,
I am writing to invite you to our School Science Day. It is on Sunday, 17 May, at ten o’clock in the school hall. Parents will see our experiments and enjoy tea and cakes. Please reply by Wednesday, 13 May.
Yours sincerely,
Wessam Fouad
| Part | Example |
|---|---|
| Subject | Invitation to our Science Day |
| Guest | Dear Mrs Hanan Salem, |
| What and when | School Science Day, Sunday, 17 May, 10 o’clock |
| Location | the school hall |
| Reply | Please reply by Wednesday, 13 May. |
Mr Khaled, how do I begin a formal invitation?
You write Dear and the name of the guest.
And how do I end it?
With Yours sincerely and your full name.
Invitation planner. The child writes a plan with six boxes: guest, event, date, time, location, reply date. Then the child writes the invitation in 50 to 60 words, and the grown-up checks that it is formal. Finally, the child writes an informal version of the same message for a friend.