Pen pals? Ever heard of the term? Ever had a pen pal? If you are one who has had a pen pal at any point in your life, you are really very lucky.
Pen pals are those who write to each other regularly, happen to have the same interests and belong to the same age group mostly. Maintaining a long-distance friendship by writing letters to each other is also a motive behind having or being a pen pal. Pen pals can be strangers with whom you connect on a personal level because of the shared interests and the curiosity to learn about different cultures, people and languages. However, pen pals need not necessarily be strangers; they can be your own friends or cousins with whom you connect with and share a common interest.
If you are a person who loves to write letters, even in the age of emails and WhatsApp messages, finding a pen pal is something that you should consider doing. With the growing changes in the medium of communication, it is not necessary that anyone understands the need to write letters to someone living on the other side of the world and wait for days to receive a reply when there are ways to receive instant responses. Only a person who has experienced the joy of writing a letter and waiting for a letter will be able to understand the utmost satisfaction and delight in having a pen pal.
For some people, the reason they have not tried writing letters or having pen pals might be because they do not know how to write a letter. Writing a letter to a friend, a relative, or a pen pal usually follows the informal letter format as you can write exactly what is on your mind. There are no limitations on what to write and what not to write in friendly letters.
Formal letters are not as casual as a letter you write to your friend or a pen pal. The formal letter format is a lot different as the motive behind writing a formal letter is purely professional, unlike informal letters.
Can Having a Pen Pal Help You Develop Your English Language?
The answer to this question would be ‘YES’. Having a pen pal will definitely help you improve your English language as you would constantly be in discussion with your pen pal about different topics, which would, in turn, help you with building your vocabulary. This is not the only benefit you have from being a pen pal. You get to learn many different phrases and common usages in each other’s culture as well. Also, when you are writing about specific subjects, you get to explore a wide range of vocabulary (registers) which you would not have otherwise known.
Overall, having a pen pal and being a pen pal will help you evolve as a person in a way you never thought you would. If you are wondering if the concept of pen pals still exists, it does. It is never too late to find your pen pal. Look out for a pen pal and make your life a little more exciting and joyful than it already is.
