iTrackR Ed
Formal LettersInformal or formal language
Plan, draft and edit formal letters
Using a thesaurus to improve writing
What do you know about writing formal letters?
Write a short phrase
Formal Letters Part One
Objectives:
Reading: To identify the differences between formal and
informal English
Writing: To produce first draft letter To use a thesaurus to
improve vocabulary
The following session has been designed to help you to develop your independent study skills, Functional English writing content and to set your own goals and targets through self assessment.
Formal Letters Part One
You need to be able to understand and produce different types of texts that either: inform, instruct, persuade or describe something.
Persuasive texts really want you
to DO something (eBay)
Instructive texts want to tell you
HOW to do something (set
up PC)
Descriptive texts want you to picture what
they are describing (holiday
postcard)
Informative texts really want to
TELL you about something or to
ADVISE(inform parent)
When you write a formal letter, you don’t only have to make sure it looks right. You have to use the right type of language as well.
A formal letter needs to give the information you want to give in the clearest way, using formal language.
Understanding Informal and Formal Language
Is this formal or informal language?
nd sme }xx sn!
I mizd u vry mch, I cwtcu 2nite.
If your purpose is important and you do not know the reader very well, you usually write in formal English.
If your purpose is not important and you do know your reader well, you usually write in informal English.
Informal Formal
Box A
College application form
Letter to college requesting course information
Email to a friend
Letter to your local MP
Holiday postcard to friend
Email complaining to local council about recycling
Note to neighbour
Text message to parent/guardian
Text message to teacher
Memo to all staff
Letter cancelling subscription, ie gym membership
In pairs, list items from Box A into either formal or informal columns.
Formal letters“I can just make
a call on my mobile. Why
write a letter?”
Writing a letter is often better than making a phone call because:
You can plan what you
want to say.
Your letter can be kept in a file and saved as a
record
Some things are easier to
write than to say.
Your letter can be
read again and again.
Draft as many times as you like,
until it is just as you want
it.
For your FS English writing assessment, you may be asked to write a formal letter on general topic that will not necessarily be linked to your vocational area. It could be any topic.
Formal letters
The assessment for writing letters follow a strict set of rules, which are described in the following slides.
In pairs, list the errors in the letter above.
How not to write a formal letter
1 mistakes waysutton
surrysm1 1bx
hello sir
I see this job advertised for bar staff in your pub. I have put my applications form and CV in the envelope. I has very good people skills and hope to here from you soon shorty.
Yours sincerely
I D Know
Formal Letter Layout
Don’t jump in and get all those ideas onto one page, make a plan first or you could end up in a muddle.
Stage 1 – Plan your letter
Plan your letter by using a either a mind map or bullet points;
write the main topics and
arrange them under headings.
This will help me to organise ideas,
where I can plan what I want to say in
my letter.
Stage 1 – Plan your letter
Topic
Why am I writing?
What are are the facts?
Who am I writing
to?
What do I want to happen?
When you are making your plan, you do not need to write in full sentences.
Stage 2 – first draft
Once you have done your planning you are ready to start writing, using your notes to begin your first draft.
Organise your letter so that each paragraph covers a different point in your list.
Make sure the first sentence of each paragraph contains the most important point.
Don’t worry about it being perfect just yet, just have a go at writing a first attempt.
Remember to use effective adjectives and verbs.
A thesaurus book looks like a dictionary with the words placed in alphabetical order, you look up the word and it has a list of synonyms next to it.
Using a thesaurus
Synonyms are words with similar meanings.
Nice adj. Agreeable, attractive, charming, delicate, delightful, fine, good, lovely, pleasant, polite.
Don’t repeat the same word, over, over and over again. Try using a ‘thesaurus’ to help you vary your vocabulary.
If you are using a PC follow the instructions below to access the ‘thesaurus’ to help you vary your vocabulary.
Using a thesaurus
Firstly, place the cursor over the word you would like to change and right
click.Secondly, click on
‘synonyms’ and a list of alternatives will be given.
Finally, click on the selected word, which will replace the original word
in your document
Stage 3 - Redrafting
Read sentence by sentence, making sure that each line makes sense.
You may find that some sections are unnecessary and can be deleted, while you may find that other sections will require a bit more text.
Tick where you have covered a point in the bullet point list.
Tick where the order of paragraphs follow each other in logical order.
Stage 4 - Proofreading
Hlleo
I am wtrinig you tihs cvoer ltteer bceusae i ralely wnat tihs job. I'm a
good wroekr and can tpye vrey radealbe paeprs. Smoetmies i do mix up the
mdidle ltteers thugoh.
Tahnks for yuor cnosdireaiton. Hpoe to haer form you soon shorty.
Notice how you can read the whole thing even though most of the words are spelled wrong?
Remember
If you proofread your own work it is easy to read what you think is there rather than what you have
actually written.
Miss Marks The Examiner
Mistakes to avoid ......
All sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a full
stop. Think about them when you write…
particularly the word ‘I’. Ensure that you have used a capital for the pronoun ‘I’
Remember: that a formal letter needs at
least three paragraphs!
Plan and draft writing (Wt/L1.1)
Present information in a logical sequence (Wt/L1.3)
Use language suitable for purpose
and audience (Wt/L1.4)
Proof-read and redraft writing for
accuracy and meaning (Wt/L1.6)
Formal Letters
Independent Study choose your task from “complaints” section
“Formal Letters Part I” Workbook
Home Improvement
How can your partner’s letter be improved?
Why would your changes be an improvement?
Goal SettingSet own goals by creating a chart showing:
What I know about the topic...What I want to know...What I have learnt...
Plenary & Self Assessment
Review learning objectives:
Reading: Were you able to identify the differences between formal and informal English?
Writing: Were you able to plan and draft a formal letter?
Did you use a thesaurus to vary your vocabulary?
Did you complete your goal setting chart?