Writing Prompts

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Personal Thank You Letter

A personal thank you letter, or personal letter of thanks, is typically sent to someone the sender knows personally. As with all thank you letters, they should be short, from the heart, and always sincere. In most cases, because they are addressed to a friend or an acquaintance — or even a family member — they should be handwritten. The personal thank you sample below, is from an appreciative brother-in-law to his sister-in-law.
(hand write or type Personal Thank You Letter as appropriate)
The Rogers
255 Ditchburn Road
Charleston, SC 29414 January 12, 20xx
Dear Joanne,

I really want to thank you for all of the trouble you went to entertaining the entire family over the past holiday season.

I know that you organize these holiday gatherings because you enjoy doing it and you love to have everyone get together at your place. Nevertheless, I just want to make sure that you understand how much the rest of us appreciate everything you do to make these get-togethers happen.

Having helped Susan organize a few much smaller social gatherings over the years I know how much work is involved. I realize how much planning and preparation you must have to do each and every year so that the entire extended family and assorted friends and acquaintances have a happy and fun holiday celebration. It’s amazing really, that you are able to do such a great job, year after year, in parallel with your other duties, both as a mom and an active volunteer worker!

So Joanne, on behalf of everyone I want to express my sincere thanks to you for all that you do to assemble and entertain us during the holiday season. You really are the glue that holds our extended family together!

With love and admiration,


John

Letter of Personal Reference

A personal reference letter is also known as a “character reference letter”, and is essentilally exactly the same type of letter. Like other “general reference letters”, a personal reference letter is normally opened with “To Whom It May Concern” or some similar general salutation. That’s in contrast to a “recommendation letter” which is always addressed to a specific person to deal with a specific situation.
(print Personal Reference Letter on standard stationery) 2550 Notre-Dame W.
Montreal, QC H3C 1L2

July 27, 20xx To Whom It May Concern:

Re: Personal Reference – Michael Meloche

I have known Michael Meloche for the past 15 years, first as a neighbour and squash partner, and in recent years as a friend.

I first met Michael shortly after he arrived in this country from his native Serbia. He had moved in with his father in the same building in which I lived. Not long after he arrived, he noticed me in the elevator with my squash gear and asked me in his rudimentary English if I would play squash with him, to which I agreed.

When he first arrived in this country, Michael registered in the final year of high school to improve his English. In fact, during that first year I often tutored him in English and History in the evenings which allowed me to get to know him quite well. I quickly realized that not only was Michael very bright, he was an incredibly hard working individual who was determined to overcome all challenges he faced. Accordingly, within one year he was quite fluent in English, with very little accent, and he had finished at the top of his class in high school. In addition to that, in parallel with his studies he managed to hold down two part-time jobs.

After that, Michael was accepted into university on a partial scholarship in another city. Although we didn’t see each other for about three years we kept in touch by e-mail and I could see that he was continuing to excel in his studies. After three years he graduated with an Honors degree in Biochemistry.

After a short stint doing research with a pharmaceutical company in Toronto, Michael moved to Montreal six years ago to pursue his dream of becoming a medical doctor. While he was studying medicine at McGill University in Montreal I saw quite a bit of him and was well aware of his progress as he moved through medical school. Last year Michael realized his dream and graduated near the top of his class as an M.D. He is currently a plastics and reconstructive surgery resident at a major Montreal hospital.

Clearly, Michael’s deeds speak for themselves. He is a highly intelligent hard worker who never loses sight of his goals. He is also a fine person with a great deal of integrity who I am proud to call a friend. I therefore have no hesitation whatsoever in unreservedly recommending Michael Meloche as a trustworthy person who can always be counted on, regardless of the enterprise.

If you have questions or need additional information about my knowledge of Michael please free to call me in Montreal at (514) 978-1789.

Sincerely,


Samuel Francis, M.B.A.

Personal Letter of Recommendation – Definition

My online research indicates that there are many people looking for information and examples to help them draft what they refer to as a “personal letter of recommendation” or “personal recommendation letter”.

However, when I look into this a bit more carefully I find that it is not always obvious exactly which type of letter of recommendation these people are really seeking when they use the search term “personal letter of recommendation”.

For example; are they really looking to write a “character recommendation letter”? If so, is it employment-related, or college-related, or is it for some other purpose such as community service?

Is this “personal letter of recommendation” to be written for the person seeking the information, or is it to be drafted for a friend, relative, or colleague?

Sometimes people use the term “personal recommendation letter” when what they really mean is a “character reference letter” for employment or some other purpose, or they really want a “personal statement” related to college admission.

In reality there is no single letter type actually defined as a “personal recommendation letter”.

In fact, the approach to one of these letters is almost always directly related to the specific purpose of the letter being written. So, using the generic/general term “personal letter of recommendation” is not good enough to identify the actual type of letter one is seeking.

To demystify this confusion and further explain the different types of recommendation letters and reference letters, it is suggested that you refer to the following links for specific definitions and samples of all types of letters of recommendation and reference letters:

Letters of Recommendation
www.writinghelp-central.com/recommendation-letter-definition.html

Letters of Reference
www.writinghelp-central.com/reference-letter-definition.html

This whole subject of recommendation letters versus reference letters can often be confusing and complicated. It is therefore very important that you are completely clear as to exactly which type you are drafting, and for which specific purpose.

Accordingly, I strongly suggest that you refer to the above-listed links before you start writing your own “personal recommendation letter”.

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