Tips of writing

Tips of writing

Writing letters

Reason for writing

Letters are written for a variety of reasons. These include:

-giving information -requesting information -making complaints -making corrections -making suggestions -asking for permission -giving advice, etc.

Two or more of these reasons for writing could appear in the same letter.

(E.g. Write a letter thanking someone. explaining that u have decided to . and asking for their advice on .)

Style

The style of writing in your letter can be formal, semi-formal or informal, depending on the rubric and the target reader. You should make sure that you keep the same style throughout your letter.

Layout

All letters should include the following:

• An appropriate greeting (e.g. Dear John, Dear Sir, etc), followed by an introduction with your opening remarks (e.g. How are you, etc) and your reason of writing (e.g. I thought I would write a 19519h712t nd tell you about my holidays, etc).
• A main body which contains the information requested by the rubric.
• A conclusion where you can summarise the main points and/or make reference to future action. You should include your closing remarks (e.g. Write back soon, etc), followed by an appropriate ending (e.g. Yours faithfully, John Smith, etc).

Informal Style

We usually write informal letters to friend and relatives we know well, or to people of our own age. Characteristics of informal style include:

• Short forms (e.g. I'm, you're, it's, we'll, etc)
• Simple/colloquial vocabulary (e.g. really great, fun, you'd better, etc)
• Use of the active, rather than the passive voice (e.g. 'we should something' instead of 'something should be done', etc)
• Informal beginnings and endings (e.g. Hi, how are you doing?, I'd better run, I'll see you on Saturday, etc).

Giving advice

Sometimes we need to give advice in letters. Depending on  how formal the writing is, we can use the following phrases:

For giving advice

Why not...?

Why don't you..?

You should.

It would be a good idea to/if.

Have you thought about/ considered..?

If I were you, I would.

I think the best thing would be to/if .

One/Another suggestion is to.

For showing the results

This will/would mean that.

Then,/That way,.

If you do this..

By doing this.

The results of this would be.

e.g. Why not phone Mary and tell her how you feel? That way, at least you will be facing the problem.

Opening/Closing remarks

When writing an informal letter you can use:

• Opening remarks

a a thank you to the person for their last letter

b questions/wishes about recent events, the person's health, comments about their news, etc.

c an apology for the delay in writing/replying

d the reason why you are writing

• Closing remarks

e the reason why you must end the letter

f  greetings to the person's family/friends

g wishes/a promise (e.g. to write again soon)

h a request to the person to reply soon/an invitation to visit, etc.

Semi-formal style

We write semi-formal letters to people that we do not know very well. They are usually more polite than informal letters and are written in a neutral style. It is important, when writing is neither too formal nor too informal.

Formal style

We usually write formal letters to people we have not met.

Characteristics of formal style include:

• Long forms (e.g. I am, you are, it is, we will, etc)
• More sophisticated vocabulary (e.g. remarkable, very enjoyable, I would advise you to. etc)
• Use the passive, rather than the active voice (e.g. 'something should be done' instead of 'we should do something', etc)
• Formal beginnings and endings (e.g. Dear Sir/Madam, I look forward to hearing from you, Yours faithfully, etc)

Transactional letters

Transactional letters are usually written in response to some written information (e.g. an advertisement, a letter, an invitation, a note, etc) as well as visual prompts (e.g. a map, a diagram, etc).

• Letters should start with an appropriate greeting (e.g. Dear sir, Dear Mrs Brown, etc), followed by an introduction which gives the opening remarks and the reason for writing.
• The main body is divided into separate paragraphs, which each deal with a separate topic. Ideas should be linked with appropriate linking words and phrases.
• The conclusion summaries the points in the main body and/or makes reference to future action, and includes closing remarks followed by an appropriate ending (e.g. Yours sincerely, + your full name).

It is important to include all the factual information given in the rubric using our own words, and to use a style (informal, semi-formal or formal) that is appropriate to the target reader.

Reports

Reports are usually written for a person in authority (e.g. a teacher, manager, group leader, etc). They normally contain some description (e.g. Say what the conditions in your school are like.) and often include our suggestions or recommendations for future action (e.g. .and suggest how you think the situation could be improved).

Information is presented in separate sections. Each section has an appropriate heading to help the reader easily identify what the report contains.

• Reports usually begin with the following information in the top left-hand corner.

To:  ...

From:  .

Subject:  ... } (The exact information depends on the rubric)

Date:  .

The first paragraph is usually a short section entitled Purpose or Introduction.

It is important that we mention the reason for writing and prepare the reader for the information that we will include in the main body.

• The main body is divided into sections, each of which starts with a heading. We should link our ideas with appropriate linking words and phrases. We need to use short sentences to make the information easy to understand.
• Reports end with a final section, often entitled Conclusion, in which we can:

summarise the points in the main body

make a recommendation for future action

offer a personal opinion

Present tenses and formal writing are normally used in reports.

Linking Words and Phrases

In reports, ideas should be linked using linking words and phrases. Examples of these include:

To list points

Firstly / In the first place / To begin with .; Secondly / Then / Furthermore .;

Finally / Last .; etc

To make concessions

Although .; while .; despite the fact that ...; etc

To add emphasis

Especially.; in particular .; particularly; etc

To express your opinion

I feel .; I believe .; I am convinced .; I am confident .; etc

To make suggestions/ recommendations

I (would) (strongly) suggest/recommend .; If we (did this / were to do this) .;

One solution / suggestion would be to .; it would be a good idea to .; etc

To express cause and effect

By (doing this), we could / would .;(Doing this) would (solve the problem, etc) ..;

In this way, we could .; . in order to .; .so that...; (This) would mean that .; As a result .; etc.

Letters of Application

We write letters of application when we want to apply for a job or a course of study. It is important to include only the information that is relevant, and to use a suitable style, formal or semi-formal.

• The first paragraph mentions the reason for writing. It can also include the name of the job/course you are applying for and where you saw it advertised.
• The main body paragraphs can include:

What are you doing now

What work experience do you have

Your academic qualifications

The personal qualities which make you suitable for the job or course

What your write in the main body depends on what is written in the rubric. You should link your ideas with appropriate linking words and phrases.

• In your final paragraph, you can:

Summarise the points in the main body

Thank the person for considering your application

Ask the person to consider you for the job/course

Mention the possibility of further communication

Present tenses are normally used but some past tenses can be used to describe your past experience, (e.g. I finished school in 2003 and joined a computer course, where I obtained a diploma in Information Technology.)

You may also use future constructions (e.g. I intend to continue my studies in London and I will soon be starting voluntary work in order to..)

Making suggestions

In many types of writing (e.g. letters, reports, articles, compositions, etc), we often have to make suggestions/recommendations or give advice.

In such pieces of writing we always present the problem, then in separate paragraphs we write our suggestions supported by reasons/possible results.

Remember the following:

• Relevance - always have a clear understanding of the problem so that the suggestions/recommendations/advice are practical.
• Target reader and style - the style used should always be appropriate to the reader(s) and the type of writing.
• Organisation

The introduction should mention the problem(s)/cause(s)/effect(s).

The main body should contain suggestions(s)/recommendation(s)/advice in separate paragraphs and the expected results of each suggestion.

The conclusion should summarise points mentioned in the main body, encourage the reader(s) to take action, etc.

• Linking - a variety of constructions should be used, e.g. - One solution is to. - If I were you, I would. - Steps/measures should be taken to . - (joining a gym ) would also help to. - By (joining a gym) you could/would, etc

Conditional and hypothetical sentences are also useful while we write our suggestions, e.g.

If we/the government were to. -This would/could/might help to.

Style

Sometimes it is not appropriate to write formally. A letter to a friend, for example, or an article for a teenager's magazine, asks for use of less formal language. Phrases which could be used for less formal writing include:

To give advice/make suggestions

• Why don't you/we .
• We/You could .
• If I were you, I'd
• I think it would be a good idea to .
• Why not .

To express the results of suggestions

• Then you/we might/could .
• This would mean that .
• You might find that .
• That way, .
• You never know, you might .

For-and-Against writing

When we write about the pros and cons of an issue, we consider a topic from opposing points of view, outlining the advantages and disadvantages.

• In the first paragraph we introduce the topic. In articles and compositions, we may use any of the following techniques to make the beginning more interesting to the reader:

A reference to an imaginary scene or situation

Addressing the reader directly

A rhetorical question

A quotation

• The main body usually consists of two paragraphs. One presents the point for the issue, along with our justifications or examples. The others presents the points against the issue with supporting sentences.
• In the final paragraph we give our opinion and/or a balanced summary of the topic. To make the ending of the composition more effective, we can use one of the following techniques:

State a personal opinion

Give the reader something to consider

Use a quotation or rhetorical question

• Do not include opinion words (I believe, I think, etc) in the introduction or main body of compositions, reports and articles.
• Pros and cons can be found in the articles compositions, reports or letters. The style of writing is usually semi-formal or formal.