You have recently read the following as part of a newspaper article about television.

You have
decided to write a letter to the editor of the newspaper, responding to the points raised and
expressing your own views.

“Television is little more than a waste of our time and energy. The way it has become,
television neither informs us nor entertains us. It acts like a drug on society, keeping
people at home watching programmes of poor quality. Meanwhile, they are bombarded
with advertisements for products and services which they think they need. Life would be
much better it we abolished television altogether.”

Dear Sir/Madam, Comentario [L1]: salutation

I am writing with reference to the article about television in yesterday’s issue of your newspaper. As Comentario [L2]: states purpose of
letter
a keen television viewer, I totally disagree with some of the comments made, and I find the claim
Comentario [L3]: reference to previous
that television is a waste of time and energy to be grossly inaccurate. article

Comentario [L4]: source of article

First of all, I am totally against the view that television is neither informative nor entertaining. In fact,
Comentario [L5]: states your position
I believe it is a highly educational medium which is of particular value to young people. We only have
Comentario [L6]: paraphrases
to look at the programmes produced for schools and colleges to realize that this is a very effective language in the input
way of teaching. Moreover, the entertainment that television provides is beyond dispute, given the
fact that it has proven so popular among its millions of viewers worldwide.

Secondly, I would like to challenge the suggestion that television acts like a drug on society. Clearly
there are people who abuse television, but its popularity is partly based on the relaxing effect it can
have. To suggest that this is in some way a form of political control is a gross exaggeration.
Furthermore, the implication that all television is of poor quality is also misleading, as the many
prize-winning productions will bear out.

As far as advertisements are concerned, I tend to agree that they are excessive. While I recognize the
need for TV stations to fund themselves through advertising, I believe that stricter limits should be
applied in order to determine the quality and quantity of commercials. Whether or not viewers
genuinely need the products or services on offer is beside the point – the fact remains that
advertisements have become extremely intrusive and should be subjected to greater control.

To conclude, television is a highly useful medium which, if properly used, can be of great educational
and entertainment value. To abolish it would be a violation of our fundamental right to freedom of
choice. I look forward to seeing this letter printed in your newspaper as I feel confident that many of Comentario [L7]: summary of opinion

your readers will support my point of view. Comentario [L8]: tries to engage other
readers’ support

Yours faithfully,

Walter Graham

W D Graham

Laura S. Gieco