INFORMAL INVITATIONS

Main Characteristics:
Informal invitations follow the pattern of ordinary personal letters. These letters are written
to relatives, friends and acquaintances.
• It is written in the first person (I/We)
• The sender's address is written as usual but the receiver's address is not mentioned.
• The date of writing the invitation is given but it is not compulsory to write the year.
• The salutation is 'Dear + name'.
• The complimentary close is Yours lovingly/Yours affectionately
• Various tenses of the verb are used unlike the formal invitation.
• The invitation does not ask for a reply as in the formal invitation. However, it is polite to
reply to the invitation
• The vocabulary is less formal.
Marking scheme: 4 Marks
Format :1
Content :2
Expression :1
SOLVED QUESTIONS
Q1: Rohit has successfully cleared CBSE-PMT. He wants to celebrate his admission to Shivaji
Medical College, Nagpur by throwing a party to his friends. Write an informal invitation
giving details of venue, time and date. Do not exceed 50 words.
33/427
Priya Nivas
New Delhi
15 July 20XX
Dear Varun,
I am extremely happy to inform you that I have secured 80th rank in the CBSE-PMT and
have got admission in Shivaji College, Nagpur. To celebrate the occasion, I am throwing a
party to my old friends at Hotel Kanishka at 9.00 p.m. on 23 July, 20XX. Please join us for
the dinner
Yours affectionately
Rohit
Q2: Write a letter to your friend inviting him to the house-warming ceremony of your newly
constructed house.
Appu Vihar
MG Road
Kadavanthara
20th December 20XX
Dear Vineet
I am extremely happy to invite you to the house-warming-ceremony of our newly
constructed house at Kadavanthara on 31st December. The ceremony is at 10 a.m. followed
by lunch at 1.00 p.m. Kindly do join us on this auspicious day. Looking forward to see you in
person.
Yours lovingly
Gokul
Q3: Your parents have completed 25 years of happy married life. Invite your aunt, living in
Hyderabad, to join you in the Silver Jubilee celebration of their marriage at your residence.
Prathush Vihar
Athira Nagar
Palakkad
20th December 20XX
Dear Aunt
My parents, Sh. R.S. Ramesh and Smt. Parvathi will be completing 25 years, of their happy,
prosperous and eventful married life next month. We are going to celebrate the Silver
Jubilee of their married fife on 5th January, 2022. It will be a simple ceremony at10am. Only
family members and close friends are invited.
Do join us on this auspicious day.
Yours affectionately
Smriti
INFORMAL REPLIES
Reply to Informal Invitations: -
It is an essential courtesy to reply to an invitation. The layout of a reply to an informal
invitation is also informal, like the invitation.
The reply is written in the first person. The salient points in the reply to an informal
invitation are: -

• acknowledging the invitation

ACCEPTANCE
Q1. You have been invited to an evening bash at the Narula’s by Vibhu, your close friend to
celebrate his selection in NDA. Respond to the invitation. You are Nitin of 56, Gautama
Enclave, New Delhi-56.
56, Gautama Enclave,
New Delhi-56.
10 May 20XX
Dear Vibhu
Thank you very much for your pleasant invitation. I’ll join the evening bash at Narula’s on
16th May at 6 p.m.
With best wishes
Nitin
REFUSAL
Q2. You are Aakash/Varsha. You have been invited to attend the wedding of your friend’s
sister during Winter break. Respond to the invitation, regretting your inability to attend it.
3/22
Preethi Vihar
Thrissur
20 December, 20XX
Dear Neha,
Thank you for your cordial invitation on the occasion of your sister’s wedding. I, however,
regret my inability to be with you on this happy occasion as we shall be leaving for Shimla
on 23rd December. Do convey my regards and best wishes to the couple.
Yours friend
Aakash / Varsha
Q3: You are Manoj /Mini. You have been invited to attend a birthday party of your closest
friend. Respond to this invitation.
Acceptance
217 MIG Flat
Surya Vihar, New Delhi
15 March, 20XX
Dear Sruthi
Received your invitation for your birthday party on 25 March, 20XX at 5 pm at Hotel
Janpath. I am extremely happy to know that all our old friends are likely to be there. I
would like to confirm my participation. Looking forward to the joyous occasion.
Your loving friend
Manoj/Mini
Refusal
Dear Sruthi,
I acknowledge with thanks your kind invitation to your birthday party on the 25th March. I
regret to inform you that I will not be able to join you in the celebrations due to some very
urgent and unavoidable prior engagements that may keep me tied down here on that day.
Wishing you a very happy birthday.
Your loving friend
Manoj/Mini
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. You are Ankit Verma. Your friend from Malaysia is in the hostel. Invite him to join Diwali
Celebrations with you at your residence.
2. You are Manoj. You are going on a picnic with a group of your classmates to Karna Lake,
near Karnal. Write an informal invitation to your friend Mohit to join you on that day.
3. Nikhil has come out successful in the I.I.T Entrance Examination. He has decided to have
a party for his friends. Write an invitation giving details of venue, time and date. Do not
exceed 50 words.
4. You are Atul Gupta. You are opening a new branch of your business house NEW
LIGHT FURNISHINGS at C-32, Ansal Plaza, Delhi. Write an invitation to your uncle
to attend the inauguration ceremony and bless you.
5. You are Akshya / Aakriti. You have been invited to participate in a seminar on
‘Fundamental Rights of Children’, organized by the Lions Club of your distinct.
Respond to the invitation conforming your acceptance by writing a letter to the
Secretary of the club.

FORMAL INVITATIONS AND REPLIES

Formal Invitations are written to invite guest(s) to a formal event like the celebration of a
special occasion or day or programme. It can be classified as the following:
• Card-type invitation-usually meant for larger numbers of people.
• Letter-type invitation-usually meant for VIPs or special guests.
On receiving an invitation, it is important to respond to the invitation as a courtesy to the
host. This will help the host to make arrangements for the smooth conduct of the event.
These can be classified as:
• Card-type reply-written in response to a card-type invite
• Letter-type replies-written in response to a letter-type invite
Marking Scheme
• Format-1 mark
• Content-2 mark
• Expression-1 mark
Word Limit: 50 words

Card-type invitations
• It is written in the third person and in the simple present tense.
• Usually, it has only two sentences.
• The first sentence announces the name of the host, the event and the time, date and
venue.
• The second sentence provides information about the Chief Guest.
• In addition, the following features are also included.
• RSVP (Répondez Si’l Vous Plâit)-It is a French phrase that means Please
Reply which provides the details of the person to contact to accept or decline
the invitation.
• A note may be added to provide any additional information.
• A variety of fonts and font sizes may be used to make the design more appealing.
• The invitation is to be enclosed in a box.
Replies to Card-type invitations
• It is written in the third person and in the simple present tense.
• The date of reply is to be written on the top left corner.
• The name of the sender, the host, and event and the time, date and venue are clearly
mentioned.
• Acceptance or refusal of the invitation has to be mentioned clearly.
• The reply is to be enclosed in a box.
Replies to Letter -type invitations
• It is also written in the format of a formal letter.
• The name of the sender, the host, and event and the time, date and venue are
clearly mentioned.
• Express gratitude for the invitation and appreciation for the initiative.
• Acceptance or refusal of the invitation has to be stated clearly.
Practice Questions
1. You are Dr. Amit Gupta, an eminent educationist. You have been invited to preside over
an Inter Zonal Declamation competition by Nalini, the President of English Literary Club of
Government Model Sr. Sec. School, Sector-20, Chandigarh. Write a reply accepting the
invitation. (CBSE Sample Paper)
2. You are the President, Literary Society of Sunshine International School. Draft an
invitation to author, Ms Manjul Bajaj requesting her to conduct a workshop on
creative writing in your school. You are Romi/Rohit of Zenith Public School. (CBSE
Sample Paper)
3. Your school is planning to organise a talk on the ‘Importance of Promoting Art
Education’ at all levels. You plan to invite The Director, Delhi School of Art, as a Key Note
Speaker. As CCA Coordinator of Vidya Mandir Vidyalaya, draft an invite for the same giving
all the necessary details. (CBSE Sample Paper)
4. You are Dr. Stanzin, a certified art therapist from Leh. You have been invited by G. D
Public School, Jammu, to conduct a seminar for students on ‘Art Therapy the Way
Forward”. This seminar is to introduce students to the usefulness of art in analysis, using
appropriate format and fluency, appropriacy of style and tone analysis, using appropriate
format and fluency, appropriacy of style and tone dealing with personal and social
problems. Write your reply, in about 50 words accepting the invitation.
5. Sunrise Global School, Agra is going to organize a one-act play competition in the school
auditorium. You have decided to invite noted stage artiste, Nalini to grace the occasion.
Draft a formal invitation for her in about 50 words. You are Karuna/Karan Cultural
Secretary. (CBSE 2016)
6. The Literary Club of your school is putting up the play, “Waiting for Godot”. As the
Secretary of the Club, draft an invitation to famous writer Sudesh Gupta to be the guest of
honour at the function. (CBSE 2014)
7. Your friend, PV Sathish has invited you to attend the wedding of his sister Jaya. You find
that you have an important paper of pre-board examination on the day of the wedding.
Thus, you cannot attend the event. Write a formal reply to the invitation expressing your
regret. You are Puneet/Puneeta Vij, M-114, Fort Road, Chennai. (CBSE 2017)
8. You are the Secretary of the Arts Club of your neighborhood. Draft an invitation to be
sent to the residents of the neighborhood about a Musical Extravaganza planned to pay
tribute to the Ghazal king, Jagjit Singh at Kamani Auditorium.
9. You have received an invitation from Oswald Theatre Club for a special preview of the
latest Superman film. Draft a reply expressing your willingness to attend the event.
10. Draft an invitation on behalf of Dr Kapoor regarding a workshop on Mental Health
during the Pandemic for residents of your neighborhood.