TM English 1.2 lesson 5

• English
• HBO
• Studiejaar 1

Tourism Management 

English 1.2, Lesson 4

English 1.2

Lesson 2

Goals for today

Goal 1

Formal letter quiz

Goal 2

Feedback on formal letter

Goal 3

Grammar test

Goal 4

Vocabulary test

Goal 1

Formal letter quiz - 

Get started - LessonUp app at the ready

Note: these questions have a timer because they are aimed at students who watched the web lecture.

Is it acceptable to use "I" or "we" in a formal letter?

1. Yes
2. No

Personal pronouns & formal writing

• 1st person singular (I, my, me):  used in letters of application (a.k.a. cover letters)
• 1st person plural (we, our, us): used in business letters and emails, written on behalf of an organisation
• In all other forms of formal writing, a neutral style is used, avoiding the use of the 1st and 2nd personal pronouns (so no I, we, you)

Can you start a letter with 'I' or 'we'?

1. Yes
2. No

The first word...

Note that in English, it is perfectly acceptable to start a letter using 'I' or 'we'.

Note that you always start using a capital letter, despite of the fact that the salutation is followed by a comma!

How do you start a formal letter to Bella Jones? Note: in UK spelling

What is the more common, modern way to formulate the greeting of a formal letter?

What is the basic structure of every letter or email?

1. past-present-future
2. introduction-question-conclusion

In your formal letter, what constitutes the body of the text (present)?

1. explanation of the stories (1 per paragraph)
2. discussion of the stories (in 1 long paragraph)

Does your formal letter need an introduction?

1. Yes, with details about your name, age, school, etc.
2. Yes, you briefly state your function, & why of the letter
3. No, it is clear from the infographic what it is about
4. No, it will make the letter too long

Does your formal letter need a last paragraph to round it off?

1. No, it will make my letter too long
2. Yes, I need to clarify what I expect from the reader

Which phrase would you choose for a formal letter?

1. The hotel isn't going to refurbish during our stay there.
2. The hotel is not going to refurbish during our stay there.

Remember:

No contractions in formal writing

Which phrase would you choose for a formal letter?

1. The guests will be driven to the hotel. And they will receive a drink on arrival.
2. The guests will be driven to the hotel, and they will receive a drink on arrival.

No conjunctive coordinators

at the beginning of a sentence!

Conjunctive coordinators

Useful words, but not at the beginning of a sentence in a formal text. Also known as the FANBOYS:

But

Or

Yet

So

For

And

Not 

Replace "But":
We have to make a profit. But we will not siphon off all our revenue to our own country.

1. Yet,
2. Never
3. In contrast,
4. However,

Replacement

But - replace with However, 

Replace "And":
Our target consists of affluent people. And most of them have finished their higher education.

1. Also
2. Furthermore,
3. Nevertheless,
4. Yet

Replacement

And - replace with Furthermore, 

Replace "So":
Our target group love culture. So we will organise a sightseeing tour.

1. Furthermore,
2. Therefore,

Replacement

So - replace with Therefore,

Rewrite, correcting the mistake as efficiently as possible:
The climate is mild in winter. Which is Malaga's main pull factor.

Full clauses

Every sentence must be a full clause, with a subject and a verb.

"Which is Malaga's main pull factor." is a subclause (bijzin) and cannot be used independently.

Which is the best choice for a formal letter?

1. This is a very interesting option.
2. This is a really interesting option.

Warning

In formal writing,  "really" instead of "very" is not acceptable

Which is the best choice for a formal letter?

1. You can choose from the following options:
2. The following options are available:

Warning

In a formal letter, avoid addressing the reader with 'you'. 

The neutral style is more professional

How did you do?

Great! I know how to write formally

Good. Made a few mistakes, but they make sense now

Okay. I made quite a few mistakes, but I understand them

Not too good: I made many mistakes. I need to study this!

Pleased? Goal achieved!

Not pleased? Work to do!

Goal 2

Peer feedback on letter draft

Did you write a draft?

Yes

No

I have a draft of the letter

I did not write the draft of the letter

Let them leave/work on their own

Feedback

Please use the peer feedback form on Teams

Goal 2

Dealt with!

Tip

Revise the questions in the feedback form

Know what is expected of you!

Goal 3

Grammar test

Rewrite using can / could:
Summers in Lissabon are quite hot sometimes.

Rewrite using can / could:
If the weather is good, this outing will possibly be the highlight of the trip.

Rewrite using may/might:
If the amenities are not modernised on time, it is possible that there will be regular power cuts in this hotel.

Rewrite using should:
It is expected to tip the hotel staff if they provide good services.

What did you think of this grammar test?

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

It was difficult but doable

it was difficult and I made many mistakes

I didn't study the grammar, so it made no sense to me.

Goal 3

Grammar test: done!

you know what to do at home ;-)

Goal 4

Vocabulary test

Dictation

Take pen and paper

Dictation check

1. When they calculated the price, they forgot to take the indirect costs into account.

2. After the calculation of all the costs, the outcome is a profit margin of 8%.

3. The financial side of our project is extremely solid.

4. How many trips must be sold to reach the break-even point?

5. This package may provide a valuable boost to your revenue.

How did you do?

Great! No more than 1-2 mistakes

3-4 mistakes.

5-6 mistakes

7-8 mistakes

Ouch! more than 8 mistakes

Pleased? Goal achieved!

Not pleased: work to do!

Homework

• Revise your letter based on the feedback, and on your progressive insight.
• Revise your infographic based on the feedback, your increased knowledge and your progressive insight
• Revise the notes you made of what was unclear after the evaluations. Pick out your most pressing question for the teacher to answer in the final lesson. Email this 24 (working) hours before class.

If necessary: draw up and execute the plan of action to catch up on anything that did not go well.