WRITING

PART 2 How to write an

email, letter, article or review

Presented by Valeria Vera

 Writing section overview
How to write an informal email/letter

LIST OF Example of an email/letter

CONTENTS Structure of an email/letter

Review: Estructure and Tips
Review Example & Grammar
Click on the topics of your choice
How to write an article
 WRITING SECTION
OVERVIEW
Part 1: Write an Essay
Listening Speaking

Part 2: Write another text of

choice (Article, Review, Email,
Letter)

Reading Writing Word limit: 140–190

Time limit: 80 minutes
INFORMAL EMAIL/LETTER
WRITING STYLE
WRITING STRUCTURE
1. Salutation

Start with Dear followed by the first name of the person to whom you are writing.
In emails, you can also start with Hi (and the person’s name).
Dear Ben, or Hi Ben = Use only the first name. Never Dear Mr. John, Dear Mrs. Smith

2. The first paragraph (opening)

When writing an informal letter, you are usually replying to another letter. Start with a greeting, then
acknowledge the letter to which you are replying. It is often a good idea to acknowledge some key
information given in the original letter too.

On the other hand, if you don’t have to reply to an email as well, you can start by making an introducing
statement of the topic

Example opening phrases

How are you? / How have the family been? / I hope you are well.
Thank you / Many thanks for your (recent/last) letter/postcard.
It was good /nice/great to hear from you again.
3. The next paragraphs (main content)
Say why you are writing. If you need to change agreements or turn someone down, give reasons.
Give the information that you have been told to give.
Add some more details of your own if you like.

4. Closing and signing off

Give a reason why you’re ending the letter:

Anyway, I must go and get on with my work.
I guess it’s time I got on with that studying I’ve been avoiding.

Send greetings and/or make reference for future contact:

Give my love /regards to… / Say hello to… / Anyway, don’t forget to let me know the dates of the party.
/ I’ll try and phone you at the weekend to check the times. / We must try and meet up soon.

Closing statement - Written on a new line

Such as Love, Lots of love
All the best, Take care, Bestwishes
If you used a comma after the opening greeting, use a comma here too.

Signing off
Your first name then follows on another new line
FEATURES
A great email layout is easily achieved by using opening and closing formulas and paragraphs, a signature,
and allowing some space between all the semi-independent paragraphs.
Each paragraph has a clear purpose
The opening and closing formulas are used to say «hi» and «goodbye» in a polite way.

The introductory paragraph is typically used to react to news

It’s great to hear from you… / I’m so excited about... and to introduce the topic of our email.
The main body deals with each of the sub tasks
what to visit, what to wear and invite him.
In the closing paragraph we start saying goodbye and we can ask for a reply to our email/letter

The language is informal:

Contractions
Common phrasal verbs
Colloquial language
Flexible punctuation Words 140-190
WRITE A REVIEW
1. ANALYZE THE TOPIC
The first thing you need to do is to underline a description part-in other words, just find what needs to be
described.

Secondly, find a discussion part – in other words, try to find the specific points you need to comment on in
your text.

Finally, find the target reader so you know exactly who you are writing for and who is going to read your
review.
2. TITLE
The review should start with the title, and there are few simple ways to write it:

Imagine you’re reviewing a book you can write: [Title] by [Author]

if you were reviewing a restaurant you could write: [name of the restaurant] – a review

Title (book): Dark Souls by Stephen King (by)

Title (restaurant): Taco Bell in London – a review (a review)

What if I don’t read books?

Don’t waste your time looking for a real book to match your review.

Alternatively, you could invent a book and then write a review about it!

So instead take a tv series you like, take a film you like and transform them into books.
3. INTRODUCTION
Use the introduction to identify the thing you are going to be reviewing and provide details like the genre
(i.e. a science fiction novel, a horror movie) or location (if it’s a restaurant).

The other function of your introduction is to engage the reader. You can do it by asking a question.

Make your introduction at least 2 sentences long.

4. THE BODY PARAGRAPH
The body paragraphs are the main parts of your review so they should be the longest and carry most of the
information. As the language is informal, we use idioms and common phrasal verbs

You need to share your opinion

What did the main character do?
What would you do if you were in his shoes?
5. CONCLUSION / RECCOMENDATION
Finally, we need to make a recommendation because after all, that’s the only reason why anyone would read a
review. They want to know what the reviewer thinks about the book, film or restaurant.

A good final paragraph of a review does exactly two things

It includes a recommendation
and a final sentence to round off the review
 Time Machine by Adam Smith

What would you do if you could travel back in time? Most people would probably meet their great-great-
grandparents or watch how the amazing pyramids in Giza were built, but Tom Lee, the main character of the
novel Time Machine by Adam Smith finds himself in a completely unexpected situation and he has to make a
very difficult decision that will change history as we know it.

Tom, a teacher in a little town in Rotherham, finds a mysterious time portal in the back of a ragged diner
which takes him back to the year 1935. He soon realises that every time he goes through the portal he gets
to the exact same point in the past. Eventually, he makes the unexpected decision to stop Michael James
Newton from brutally killing President John F. Kennedy on 22.11.1963.

It seems to me that Tom could choose many other and more personal things to do, but he decides to try and
change history to a degree that he cannot predict. In my opinion, that came definitely unexpected and if I
were in his position I probably wouldn’t even consider a task this far-reaching.

I definitely recommend “Time Machine” to everyone who has already read some of Adam Smith’s novels as
well as to those who like stories with twists and turns around every corner plus you get some modern history
on top of that. For me, it was absolutely worth reading and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
GRAMMAR / VOCABULARY
FILM/BOOK
If you want to mention who directed the film or who played the part of a certain character then
make sure you use the passive voice
“The film was directed by Y”.
“The protagonist was played by X”.

EXPERIENCE
If you are talking about an experience and you need to describe the experience then make sure
you use narrative tenses because obviously this experience happened in the past.

This means you need to use the past simple, the past continuous and the past perfect.
“I checked into the hotel at 10 am. I had been travelling all night and was feeling exhausted”
“The hotel staff were very welcoming and made me feel at home”.
WRITE AN ARTICLE
WRITING TIPS
Give your article a title.
Try and engage the reader’s attention and interest by asking RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
There should be a link between the opening sentence and the title.
Personalise the article using true stories or anecdotes.
Speak directly to your readers and use humour if it is appropiate
Maintain the same style throughout the article.
You could take a light-headed approach or a more serious one.
Check your work for accuracy, punctuation and spelling.
Make you sure you cater to you target audience
 The Internet: A Great Invention

The Internet has changed the way we live. It started as something that we could access only through a
computer, but nowadays it is everywhere, and I love it!

One of the cool things about the world wide web is that you can look up anything you want and nd out the
answer straight away. Isn’t that fantastic? For example, imagine you are arguing with your friends about
how to do something. Easy solution! Go online and find the answer.

However, the greatest thing about the Internet is how you can learn tons of things very cheaply or even for
free! In fact, my favourite website is www.udemy.com,where people register to teach and learn about
different things: music, website design, making apps, history, etc. So I totally recommend it to everyone!

In conclusion, the Internet has a lot of great things. For me, the best are finding information and learning
online. What about you? What are your favourite things about it?
 Keep It Healthy!

Are you a busy college student? Do you struggle to keep fit and eat healthily? Don’t worry! I am going to tell
you exactly what you should do. Keep on reading, you will thank me later!

First of all, you must start moving your body. You could go to the gym if you have the time. But if you’re busy
– you’re a student, you should be busy! – don’t sign up for a gym. Instead, start cycling to college and give up
using elevators. You’ll see how your fitness improves quickly!

Secondly, your diet is just as important. I suppose you live on a low budget, so I suggest you don’t eat out
much. Eating out can be unhealthy and expensive. Sogo to your local supermarket and buy healthy,
inexpensive vegetables and fruit.

Finally, pay attention to how you sit when you are studying. Posture is super important to feel well, especially
if you are a student or an office worker.

If you follow all these tips, I’m sure you will keep fit easily! And if you already tried that, let me know how you
feel now
 DO YOU HAVE
ANY QUESTIONS?
 THANK YOU!
CONTACT
632 15 30 55
vverasancz@gmail.com

English Tutoring, Preparations for FCE/CAE in Valencia