English Language Arts
Grade 3
15 min
Greetings and closings of letters
Greetings and closings of letters
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1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify the greeting and closing in a sample letter.
Explain that a greeting is the 'hello' and a closing is the 'goodbye' of a letter.
Choose an appropriate greeting and closing for a friendly letter.
Choose an appropriate greeting and closing for a more formal letter.
Correctly capitalize the first word of a greeting and a closing.
Correctly place a comma after a greeting and a closing.
Write a simple letter that includes a correctly formatted greeting and closing.
How do you say 'hello' when you start talking to a friend and 'goodbye' when you leave? Letters have special words for that too! 💌
Today, we will learn about the special words we use to start and end letters. These are called greetings and closings...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
LetterA written message that you send to another person.A note you write to your friend about your fun weekend.
GreetingThe 'hello' part at the very beginning of a letter. It greets the person you are writing to.Dear Mom,
ClosingThe 'goodbye' part at the very end of a letter, right before you sign your name.Your friend,
Friendly LetterA letter you write to someone you know well, like a friend, cousin, or grandparent.A letter to your best friend telling them about your summer vacation.
Formal LetterA letter you write to someone you should be extra polite to, like a teacher, principal, or a company.A letter to the school librarian to thank her for helping you find a book.
CommaA punctuation mark (,) that tells the reader to take a small pause. It�...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The Greeting Rule
Capitalize the first word of the greeting and put a comma after the person's name.
Always use this rule to start any letter. For example, 'dear grandma' should be written as 'Dear Grandma,'.
The Closing Rule
Capitalize the first word of the closing and put a comma after the last word.
Always use this rule to end any letter, right before you sign your name. For example, 'sincerely' should be written as 'Sincerely,'.
The Matching Tone Rule
Choose a greeting and closing that match who you are writing to.
Use friendly words like 'Your friend,' for people you know well. Use more polite, formal words like 'Sincerely,' for people like your principal.
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Challenging
Mia is writing a formal letter to the town mayor to suggest a new public swimming pool. Which greeting and closing pair is the most appropriate for her point of view as a respectful citizen?
A.Hi Mayor Sue, and Thanks a bunch,
B.Dear Mayor Evans, and Respectfully,
C.To the Mayor's Office, and Your friend,
D.Hey there, and Hope to hear from you,
Challenging
A letter from a company starts with 'Dear Valued Customer,' and ends with 'Sincerely, The Team at Super Toys'. What does this greeting and closing combination tell you about the letter?
A.It is a personal letter from one friend to another.
B.It is a formal letter sent to many people at once.
C.It is an angry complaint letter from a customer.
D.It is a secret message that only one person should read.
Challenging
If a writer wants to change the tone of a letter from friendly to formal, what is the most effective change they could make to the greeting and closing?
A.Change 'Hi Sam,' to 'Hello Sam,' and 'Your pal,' to 'From,'.
B.Change 'Hi Sam,' to 'Dear Sam,', and 'Your pal,' to 'Best wishes,'.
C.Change 'Hi Sam,' to 'Dear Mr. Jones,', and 'Your pal,' to 'Sincerely,'.
D.Change 'Hi Sam,' to 'Greetings, Sam,', and 'Your pal,' to 'Talk soon,'.
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