3HV Formal Letter Writing & test review

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• mavo, havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 3,4

What's the plan for today?

Homework check: Finish your newspaper article & do J 26/27.

Reviewing test 1.

Irregular verbs: add these to your list.

How to write a formal letter.

Start writing a formal letter.

Review test 1

• Check the exercises
• Check your answers
• Do you understand what is wrong?
• Make a note of that (so you won't make the mistake again)
• Count the number of mistakes to check if it is correct.
• Specific questions? 

Short yes/no answer

Je begint met yes/no,

Vervolgens herhaal je het onderwerp en het hulpwerkwoord uit de vraag en gebruik je deze in jouw antwoord.

Would  you like to go to the cinema?
> Yes, I would
> No, I wouldn't. > voeg 'not' toe aan het werkwoord of gebruik een vorm van to do als hww!

4 ways to use the Future tense

Present simple	fixed time (volgens rooster )	The bus leaves at 6.
Present continuous	dingen gaan zeker gebeuren	I 'm leaving for Paris tomorrow.
to be going to	plan gemaak t, afspraak nog niet	We 're going to watch Madagaskar at the weekend!
will/shall	nog geen plan / je doet een voorstel	She 'll become a lawyer once. Shall I bring you a drink?

1 May/might + infinitive (hele ww)

To indicate that something is permitted (toegestaan), or to ask for permission.

May/might I go to the toilet please?

Let op: May = mogen, might = zou mogen

No, you may not go to the toilet.

2 Be allowed to + infinitive

Something is not allowed based on the law / a fixed set of rules.

We are not allowed to smoke here

You were allowed to smoke in the classroom in the past

Option 1: So

• Structure: Je begint de zin met SO, herhaalt het werkwoord indien dit een hulpwerkwoord is, en eindigt met het onderwerp. (geen hulpwerkwoord? gebruik 'do' in je bevestiging)

I am lovely. So are you. (to be vorm in de zin)

Her friend loves shopping. So do you.  (geen vorm van hww in zin)

Neither / nor

Meaning: 'ook niet'

Use: We use neither/nor in a negative comparison

We don't like Mondays - Nor do I /Neither do I

She never drinks beer - Nor do I / Neither do I

Structure 1: Neither/nor + modal verb + subject.
Structure 2: Neither/nor + do/does + subject.

Not ...either

• Meaning: 'ook niet'
• Use: To say something else is also not the case / not going to happen
• Structure 1: subject + modal verb not + either
• Structure 2: subject + do/does not + either
  
  I don't really like maths. She doesn't either. 

     They aren't going to that party. We aren't either. 

Study irregular verbs!

For test 1: to be - to dig

For test 2: to do - to hide

For test 3: to hit - to see

For test 4: to see - to write

Copy list of page 175 in your notebook.

You need to know them all at the end of this (school) year!

So, keep studying the first ones as well.

Study the words

Do not leave it until a few days before the test!

But do it bit by bit & do all the (homework) exercises.

I can do better on the next test.

Yes, I made some mistakes I could have avoided.

Yes, if I read the exercises more carefully.

Yes, if I study harder.

Yes, if I start studying earlier.

I'm not sure. I need more help.

I'm not sure. I need more practice.

Maybe I can, but I am satisfied with this result.

Skills instruction

Writing a formal letter. 

Reading exam texts.

Listening and watching.

Speaking - presenting.

Formal Letter Writing

Year 3

Skills Test: Write a formal letter

• Applying for a job/position
  
• Filing a complaint 
• Asking for information 
• Sharing your opinion 
• A combination 

This is what your letter should look like.

1. your address
2. who are you sending it to?
3. date
4. salutations - dear...
5. the letter, incl closing statement.
6. the closing
7. your name

Lay out                                     

Everything starts on the left-hand side! Leave 1 line open after each part.

1) adres afzender (niet naam):

Straat + huisnr. 

Postcode + plaats

Land

1

Aart van der Leeuwkade 78

2072 KX  Voorburg 

The Netherlands

Write down your own address as if you're starting a formal letter.

2) 

Name (organisation / person) 

Number + street 

Town + post code 

Country 

When you write to an organisation or company, you write the name of the organisation first and then give the name of the contact person at that organisation.

2

John Bugs

4327 Hazel Road

London W11 4UT

Great Britain

The Rabbit Charity

John Bugs

4327 Hazel Road

London W11 4UT

Great Britain

3

The date

3

12 March 2021

Write down today's date in the right way

4) Salutation / Greeting

When you don't know name or gender: Dear Sir/Madam,

When you know it's a man: Dear Sir,

When you know it's a woman: Dear Madam,

When you know the name of the person: 

Dear Ms Foster, (woman, relationship status unknown)

Dear Mrs Watson, (married woman)

Dear Mr Adams,

What is the correct opening greeting if you DO NOT know who will read your letter?

What is the opening greeting if you write to principal Mr van der Kraan?

5) Content

• Paragraph 1 is introduction (you explain who you are and why you are writing).
• The center part can be multiple paragraphs (1 to 3) (you ask for information or explain in detail the goal of your letter).
• Conclusion: summarise and conclude with what you want to achieve. (What do you want the reader to do?)

Mind the following

In a formal letter all words MUST be written in full

So do not use:  isn’t, it’s of won’t, but:

is not, it is en will not. Gonna and wanna  are a definite NO GO!

Use: 'going to/want to' instead.

For names of magazines or newspapers, use quotation marks. The ‘Telegraaf’.

Let's do a quiz to see what you think works best.

How do we start paragraph 1?

1. Hello!
2. I'm ...
3. My name is ...

How do you say 'Ik zit op het Stanislas.'

1. I sit on Stanislascollege.
2. I am on Stanislascollege.
3. I am at Stanislascollege.
4. I go to Stanislascollege.

Which one is correct?

1. I am a fourteen-year-old boy/girl.
2. I am a boy/girl and I am fourteen.
3. I am a fourteen years old boy/girl.
4. I am 14 and a boy/girl.

Which one is correct

1. The reason I write you is...
2. The reason I am writing you is...
3. The reason i am writing you is
4. The reason i write you is...

Paragraph 1 - let's recap

Paragraph 1:

My name is …. . I am a fifteen-year-old boy/girl and I live in … in The Netherlands. I go to Stanislas and I am in the third year. The reason I am writing you is….

Paragraphs

Every paragraph should be at least 3 lines long (when written by hand). Paragraphs are divided by 1 empty line.

-

-

5.1 Closing statement

You ALWAYS use this phrase to close your letter. (So write it in your notebook!) It stands on its own: you leave 1 line open above and below:

-

I look forward to hearing from you soon. or:

I look forward to your reply.

-

6) Closing

Yours faithfully, / Yours sincerely,

(signature)

first and last name 

Salutations & Closings: Option A

Condition: No specific name is known (Je kent de naam niet.)

Salutation: Dear Sir/Madam,

Closing: Yours faithfully,

Signature

First & Last Name

Salutations & Closings: Option B

Condition: Name recipient is known. (Je kent de naam wel.)

Salutation: Dear Mr Brown, / Dear Ms Brown, / Dear Mrs Brown,

Closing: Yours sincerely,

Signature

First and last name

Dear Sir/Madam,

Your address

recipient's address

The date

Introduce yourself + reason of writing

Explanation of the situation

Conclusion

Closing sentence

Your name

signature

1

   2

  3

  4

   5

   6

   7

  8

   9

   10

Dos

Make it neat, not sloppy. (If I can't read it, it is wrong)

Use the right lay-out.
Use signal words and the appropriate tenses.
Use paragraphs ( and use blank lines to clearly separate them).
Use a 'difficult' grammar item every now and then (passive, relative clauses). But don't make it too complicated for yourself.
At the end, check your work! (twice)

Don'ts

DON'T use abbreviations / contractions (like I'll, didn't).
DON'T use the first translation you find in a dictionary. Check it!
DON'T forget content elements (Check and double check if you have done everything that is asked. Content & word count!)
DON'T use swear words or street language.
DON'T use dumb language (gonna, kinda, u, ur, w8, like ... you know, etc.) 

Frequent mistakes

Capital Letters:

When you talk about "ik", "i" is wrong, it is always “I” 

Days of the week, months : Monday, Tuesday, August, October

Frequent mistakes

Word Order (different from Dutch)

Wrong:  

In my opinion is it great to live in New York.

Right: 

In my opinion it is great to live in New York

Read page 147 & 148 as a reminder

Task: Turn the informal email (page 147) into a formal letter.

To do this, you address the request about the sunglasses to Beach Club London Eye, P.O Box 1267, LO 908 0JA, Great Britain.

Think about why and where you might have left your sun glasses and how they can be returned etc.

Write an appropriate salutation (Dear...) & closure (Yours...).

Homework

• Finish your formal letter. (hand it in for feedback)
• Study the irregular verbs (to do - to fly).
• Study the vocabulary of Theme 3.
• Get a book (Mediatheek. mreader - level 5 or higher - or other)  and start reading.

(You can also continue reading in the Curious Incident...)

Make sure you bring this book to your English classes!