Personal Emails That Sound Natural
B1 · Writing Lab · about 30 minutes
1 · Learn
A good personal email is a conversation on paper. The natural order is: warm opening → reaction to THEIR last news → your news → a plan or invitation → questions → warm close. Most weak emails skip the reaction step and read like announcements.
Write in short scenes, not summaries. “The interview went well” is a summary. “I walked in, my hands were shaking — and then the manager smiled and everything slowed down” is a scene. One scene per email makes you a writer people love to read.
2 · See an Example
Catching Up, Properly
Subject: Your marathon + my big news
Hi David,
First — congratulations on the marathon! I saw the photo at the finish line. You looked exhausted and completely happy. Forty-two kilometers… I still can't believe it.
My news is smaller but it made me just as happy: I passed my driving test on Thursday! Third try, so the examiner probably felt sorry for me. Now I'm planning a road trip down the coast in June, and you are officially invited. Pack light and bring your famous playlist.
Write back when your legs forgive you!
Love,
Clara
3 · Analyze the Example
- Reaction before news. She celebrates HIS marathon first — with a detail from the photo — before sharing her own news. Connection before information.
- A scene, not a summary. “You looked exhausted and completely happy” paints the moment instead of reporting it.
- Humor that sounds like a person. “The examiner probably felt sorry for me” — self-deprecating, warm, real.
- Invitation + playful close. The plan is concrete (June, the coast, the playlist) and the sign-off continues the joke: “when your legs forgive you.”
Useful Vocabulary
After the marathon, he was exhausted.
You are officially invited.
Pack light — the car is small.
Forgive the delay in replying.
Let's catch up soon.
Useful Expressions
- First — congratulations on …!
- My news is …
- I still can't believe …
- You are officially invited.
- Write back when …
Common Mistakes
✗ Hi David. I passed my test. I am happy. How are you. Bye.
✓ Hi David, First — congratulations on the marathon! What a photo. My news: I passed my driving test on Thursday (third try!). How are your legs? Write back! Love, Clara
The first version is a telegram: no reaction, no scene, no warmth. The rewrite connects before it informs.
✗ Dear David, I am writing this email in order to inform you about several items of news pertaining to my life.
✓ Hi David, So much has happened since June — where do I start?
“In order to inform you” belongs in an office memo. Personal email talks like a person.
✗ …and then we went to the beach and then we ate fish and then we swam and then we went home and then…
✓ We spent the whole day at the beach — fish for lunch, a long swim, and home after sunset.
“And then” chains flatten a story. Compress routine steps; expand one good moment.
4 · Guided Practice
Turn the summary into a scene: “The concert was great.”
See a model answer
Example: “When the lights went down and the first song started, two thousand people sang the words with her — I had goosebumps.”
Write a reaction line to this news from your friend: “I got the job in Denver!”
See a model answer
Example: “Denver! That's fantastic — the mountains, the snow, the whole adventure. When do you start?”
Choose the better opening: (a) “I am writing to tell you my news.” (b) “You will not believe what happened on Friday.”
See a model answer
(b) — it creates curiosity instead of announcing paperwork.
5 · Write — Your Task
✍️ Write a personal email to a friend you have not written to in months: react to something in their life first, then share your biggest news as a small scene, make one concrete plan or invitation, and close warmly.
Goal: Subject + 3 short paragraphs + closing · Length: 140–180 words
- React to their news BEFORE your news — connection first.
- Turn your biggest news into a scene with one sensory detail.
- End with a plan that has a date or a place, not “let's meet sometime”.
6 · Check — Self-Check
Work through your checklist honestly, then run the Self-Check. It counts words and sentences and spots mechanical points — it does not grade your English. You are the editor.
Read a model answer for the task
Subject: Promoted!! + a question for you
Hi Nora,
I got your postcard from the mountains — that cabin looks like a dream. Did you really swim in that cold lake every morning?
My big news: I got the promotion at work! When my manager called me in, I was sure I was in trouble. Then she smiled, and I almost cried right there in her office. The new job starts in September, and yes — I finally get the office with the window.
You have to visit this fall and let me cook you a celebration dinner. Deal?
Love,
Maren
7 · Improve & Rewrite
Weak version — rewrite it in your notebook first, then compare:
Hi Jack, I am writing to inform you that I visited New York. It was good. I saw many things. I ate food. How are you? Reply to me. From Michael.
See an improved version
Subject: New York ate me alive (in a good way)
Hi Jack,
I finally did the New York trip! The city is loud, fast, and completely addictive. On my first night I got lost in the subway for an hour — and found the best little pizza place by accident.
How's life in Portland? Tell me everything.
Best,
Michael
Quick Quiz
Keep going
📘 Grammar deep-dive: Past Continuous: Interrupted Actions🌱 Vocabulary Builder: the B1 Travel Journeys set🎤 Speaking Studio: say this lesson out loud← Previous lesson · B1 — all lessons · Next: Formal vs Informal: Choosing the Right Tone →
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