Formal letter - H3

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 3

Do you know what a formal letter is?

1. Yes
2. No

Goal

At the end of the lesson you know the elements of a formal letter.

Addresses

So, this is the assignment:

Schrijf een brief van ongeveer 300 woorden aan de New York Times waarin je reageert op het krantenartikel.

How to start?

At the top left  corner you write your address
without your name

Then you write the address of the person you are writing to

place name, date (of writing)

Salutation unknown

(known)

Addresses

Arnhemse Bovenweg 98 3708 AG Zeist

The New York Times, 229 west 43rd Street, New York NY 10036, USA

Zeist, + date

Salutation

Arnhemse Bovenweg 98

3708 AG Zeist

The Netherlands

At the top left  corner you write your address
without your name

The New York Times

229 west 43rd Street

New York NY 10036

USA

Then you write the address of the person you are writing to

Zeist, 21 April 2022

place name, date (of writing)

Salutation unknown

(known)

Dear Sir/Madam,
 (Dear Mr Smith, Dear Editor)

Which salutation did you use?

Top left corner: your address without your name

There is a space between my address and the date

Months with a capital letter and another space

Address of newspaper (+country)

Salutation: unknown, / known,

What do we write in the first paragraph?

Introduction

 In the introduction, you introduce yourself first.

Then you tell the addressee your reason for writing:

I would like to react to the article ‘Teaching: Teachers First’ in The Guardian of Tuesday 20 April.

Explain why you were interested in this article.

Tell that you agree or disagree with the opinions in the article.

What does the body of our formal letter consist of?

Body / Main paragraphs

IIn the body, you explain why you agree or disagree with the article. Every time you start a new argument or reason, you should start a new paragraph.

You might want to include some solutions or actions people should undertake. Read the actual assignment carefully, so you know what information you have to include and in what order.

You know the words connected to crime, punishment and the Mock Trial and you can write a story about criminal behaviour with those words.  

You know the word order in English.  

You can write relatively complex sentences.  

You can link sentences, paragraphs and ideas with linking words (but, and, so, therefore, however, although, despite, moreover, in addition, to conclude, etc.)

You can use the tenses, passive, and the First and Second Conditional in a text.  

You know how to write a letter of opinion. 

What is your last paragraph?

Conclusion

In the conclusion, you should restate your opinion.

In addition, you should make clear what you expect the addressee to do with your letter. 

If you would like the addressee to write back to you, you should say so and write as your last sentence:

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully, (or if you know the name of the addressee: Yours sincerely,)

End with Your Name.

Goal

At the end of the lesson you know the elements of a formal letter.

Which role would you like to have in the trial?
Judge / Lawyer / Witness

Tips and tricks

Structure before you start writing

- What question do I have to answer / Which points do I have to make?

- What do I write in each paragraph?

- How many words do I roughly want to use in each paragraph?

Learn the standard openings and endings  

- Dear Sir/Madam,

- Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully,

Tips and Tricks

Avoid using contractions, short forms and informal language

- I'm, don't, can't, gonna / I am, do not, cannot, going to

Don't overcomplicate your language

- 'I believe these issues will lead to a problem' instead of 'the issues higlighted are indicative of future failings'

Do not make your point multiple times.

Think of equivalents for 'very', 'really', 'I think'

Name the two ways to end a formal letter.

True or False
A formal letter should always have a date.

1. True
2. False

True or False
You put the address of the person your writing to directly under your address.

1. True
2. False

True or False
You should begin a formal letter with Dear + first name + surname.

1. True
2. False

True or False
In formal letters you should use short forms.

1. True
2. False

Do you understand how to write a formal letter?

😒🙁😐🙂😃

Which is formal?

1. I thought I’d write
2. I am writing

I am writing to complain about the

1. terrible state of the yard
2. condition of the playground

Over the last two weeks, I have noticed

1. loads of rubbish
2. a great deal of litter

Which is formal?

1. I reckon
2. It is my opinion

Which is formal?

1. The boy in question
2. The kid I’m talking about

Which is formal?

1. it may be possible to
2. you could

I think that our school needs _____ security

1. better
2. more adequate

Rest of the lesson

Write a letter of opinion

Go to : Magister.me - Writing a formal letter - V3 Writing P3 - Exercise 2 Practice Writing Test (last exercise)

Choose a buddy to write with.