Writing in Exams

 Always remember to FLAP

 When given a writing task
you should think of FLAP.

What
 Form
 Language
 Audience
 Purpose

should I use?
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 Friendly letter
 Let’s be honest … no-one really writes
these days – except maybe our
grandparents – the rest of us use Face
book or Skype.
 Still for exam purposes we need to know
how to write the friendly letter.
 As the name suggests, you write this type
of letter to a family member or friend.
 The tone is informal and familiar but
please – NO slang !

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 LANGUAGE
 EXAMPLES DIFFERENT LANGUAGE
TYPES

 FORMAL
 INFORMAL
 RELAXED
 PERSUASIVE
 DESCRIPTIVE
 ARGUMENTATIVE
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 PURPOSE
 What is the purpose of the writing

 Are you writing to

 Inform
 Describe
 Entertain
 Persuade
 Argue
 Imagine
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 FRIENDLY LETTER

 MAKE SURE THE FORMAT OF YOUR

LETTER IS CORRECT.
 AVOID INTRODUCTIONS LIKE:
 I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU
 THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTER
 I AM SO BORED SO I DECIDED TO
WRITE TO YOU
 HOW GOES IT, I AM GUD

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 Friendly letter
 Introduction must be striking !
 Start with topic immediately.

e.g “An exciting experience.”

 The body must deal with the topic.
 Each paragraph must convey a

particular idea.
 The second last paragraph important !

-show interest in person you are writing

to ; it should read like a letter and NOT
a composition !

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 FRIENDLY LETTER
 GIVE MY REGARDS TO AND
NOT SEND
 Yours sincerely
 Your friend
 Do not use Love ……/With love

…
 OR k. Higgins

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 FORMAL LETTERS
IN THE BUSINESS WORLD WHO YOU
ARE IS REPRESENTED BY THE
APPEARANCE AND QUALITY OF YOUR
WORK.
IF YOU INCORRECTLY FORMAT A
BUSINESS LETTER, WHAT DOES THAT
SAY ABOUT YOU ?
TO GET A BUSINESS LETTER WRONG IS
INEXCUSIBLE, SO THIS IS ONE
TRANSACTIONAL FORMAT THAT MUST
BE MEMORISED !
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 Formal letter
 STYLE MUST BE FORMAL.
 MUST HAVE TOPIC LINE
 REMEMBER YOUR ADDRESS AND
INSIDE ADDRESS
 MUST ALWAYS BE ADDRESSED TO
SOMEONE (The Manager, The Editor,
The personnel Manager ..)

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 Formal letter
 CLEAR ,STRAIGHTFORWARD AND
DIRECTLY PHRASED.
 AVOID PHRASES LIKE “PLEASE BE
ADVISED THAT..”,
“THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE”, “I
HEREBY…..”

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 FORMAL LETTERS
 EVERY BUSINESS LETTER HAS SIX
BASIC PARTS:
 THE SENDER’S ADDRESS
 THE RECIPIENT’S ADDRESS
 THE SALUTATION Dear Mr Rantsane,
Dear Ms Roux, Dear Sir, Dear Madam,
Dear Mrs …
 THE TOPIC LINE (UNDERLINED OR
CAPITALS)
 THE BODY
 THE CLOSING Yours faithfully/sincerely

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 FORMAL LETTER
 BE CONCISE AND TO THE POINT.
 COURTEOUS LANGUAGE
 RELEVANT INFORMATION.
 CONVINCING
 AVOID SLANG AND COLLOQUIAL
LANGUAGE
 AVOID CONTRACTIONS OF WORDS E.G
YOU’LL, WEREN’T ……
 BE LOGICAL
 PUNCTUATION ! Dear :

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Dear : sir
Boy, did you mess up my order. I ordered
too pairs of jeans, but you send me the
wrong size. What a dumb thing to do ! My
freinds is making fun of my old jeans. They
call them dinosaurs because they’re so
old! Now i won’t have nothing new to wear
on vacation.
I am returning both pairs of your’e stupid
jeans. By the way, I do’nt like your new
commercials and neither does my freind.
Your sincerly
Peter 13
 LETTER OF APPLICATION
THIS LETTER SHOULD INCLUDE:
 A SOURCE OF ADVERTISEMENT
 AGE AND QUALIFICATIONS
 EXPERIENCE AS REQUIRED
 FURTHER CHARACTERISTICS OR
QUALITIES
 APPROPRIATE CLOSING -ESTABLISH
AND MAINTAIN GOOD RAPPORT.

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 LETTER OF APPLICATION
Language is important in applications!
IF you are interviewed for a job as an
aeroplane pilot, and your prospective
employer asks you if you have any
experience, and you answer :

“Well, I ain’t never actually flied no

actual airplanes or nothing, but I got
several pilot-style hats and several
friends who I like to talk about
airplanes with.” 15
 LETTER OF APPLICATION
27 Long Street
Fauresmith
9300
6 March 2015

The Manager
Name of firm
Address

Dear Sir/Madam

APPLICATION FOR A VACANT POST 16

 LETTER OF APPLICATION
 I, name and surname, would like to apply for the
post of name the post as advertised in name
magazine/ newspaper.
 Give details of yourself and qualifications.
 Mention why you consider yourself suitable for the

post.
 I am available for an interview at any time

convenient to you OR
I hope my application will be considered favourably.

Yours faithfully
Name and surname
signature 17
 OBITUARY
 An obituary is a notice of the passing on of someone
known by the target audience. Over and above
“formally” announcing the death, it also sketches the
cause of death as well as the funeral arrangements.
 The following must be included:
 Surname first, then the name.
 A nickname of the deceased may also be added (how
he was commonly known)
 Details of the service, possible cause of death (e.g.
Long illness, accident, etc.)and instructions
concerning condolences are given.
 Euphemism is used, e.g. passed away instead of died.
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 OBITUARY
 WILKENSON LEBO
 1957 -2015
 Passed away on 17 February 2015, after a long illness. A
short family service will be held at 12 Long Street, Bethulie,
at 10:00, followed by a church service that will be held at
the Reformed Church, Themba Street, Bethulie at 12:00.
 Give background details of deceased.
 .PAY TRIBUTE
 Messages of condolences and any form of support may be
send to Mpho Wilkenson at 12 Long Street.
 Lebo will always fondly be remembered for his love,
generosity and kindness.
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  OBITUARY
 Amelia Grace Lancaster
 1928 - 2010

 On Wednesday, 8 September 2010, Amelia

Grace Lancaster passed away at the age of 82.
She was born on 17 February 1928 and had
three children and seven grandchildren.
 She was an upstanding member of the
community and was very well known for the
pies she made for church gatherings and the
other delicious food she always whipped up.
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 To the community she was a kind person with
a soft heart, who always gave everything she
could to help others.
 To some, she was a mother who raised her
children to have respect and to be kind.
 To me she was my grandmother and she
taught me everything I needed to know in life.
 She will remain in our hearts forever and she
will be missed by an entire community, who
will always remember her kind smile and soft
eyes.
 Amelia Grace Lancaster, beloved
grandmother, you will be missed. 21
 DIALOGUE
 Mpho: Father but it was not ……..
 Father : Mpho you ……….
 Give a scenario
 Do not use stage directions.
 Do not use inverted commas
 Do not use time lapses
 Dialogue two persons involved
 NOTE: the difference between dialogue and
interview !
 Interview is question and response
technique.
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24
 Letter to editor
The Editor
Address of newspaper

Sir /Madam BODY

Introduction or topic line.
State problem
More detail
pseudonym Suggest possible
solution.
Your address
Do not threaten editor!
Initials and surname
Signature and date

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 SPEECH
 IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE
 DETERMINE YOUR MAIN IDEA, E.G
 Unless we act now the rhinoceros may soon
perish.
 Anorexia nervosa is a growing health
problem among teen girls.
Identifying the main idea helps you keep ideas
unified and is the key to your entire speech.
 INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION

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 DIRECTIONS
 TOPIC (SCENARIO)
 BE CONSISE AND CLEAR
 THE DIRECTIONS MUST BE IN
CHRONOlOGICAL ORDER.
 ALWAYS REFER TO A SPECIFIC
DIRECTION.
 INDICATE THE APPROXIMATE
DISTANCE.
 GIVE INFORMATION ABOUT
LANDMARKS ALONG THE WAY.
 LIST THE DIRECTIONS.
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 DIRECTIONS
 When you exit the school turn right into
Walter Sisulu street.
 Drive down Walter Sisulu street for
approximately 100m.
 At the four way crossing, turn left into
Church street.
 You will pass Checkers on your left-hand
side.

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 DIRECTIONS
 Keep straight on that road until you have
crossed the second set of traffic lights. Pick
& Pay will be on your left-hand side.
 Turn right into Boom street.
 On your right-hand side you will see Pep
stores.
 Drive a further 500m until you reach a T-
junction.
 Turn left into Solomon street. The third
house on the left-hand side will be my house.

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 DIARY
 Wednesday, 12 August 20 ..
 Must be intimate and immediate. Not
events that happened ages ago.
e.g Mother and not My mother
Today or this morning
Must be first person

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 Dear Diary 25 March 2015
 I am so excited! The competition is tomorrow
night and after months of hard work it is finally
happening. I am a bit nervous seeing that the
whole school will be there. Hopefully I won’t
make a mistake. Or get stage fright. Or
embarrass myself. Wish me luck!

 Dear Diary 26 March 2015

 Kill me now! I have never been so humiliated in
all my life. There I was, singing my heart out,
bearing my soul to the world and of all the things
that could have happened, my pants fell off. I was
wearing Donald Duck underwear … 31
 DIARY 27 APRIL 2014
 Dear diary

 My nerves are shattered. My stomach is

filled with butterflies and my hands are
sweaty and won’t stop shaking. I’m so
nervous for this talent show tonight.
What on earth made me decide to
compete in the first place and why did I
choose singing as my talent?

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 Common errors made by learners
1. CANDIDATES DO NOT READ THE
INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY.
2. CANDIDATES DO HAVE A
PROBLEM TO CHOOSE A
SUITABLE TOPIC TO SUIT THEIR
ABILITY.
3. CANDIDATES DO NOT KEEP TO
THE REQUIRED LENGTH!
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 Common errors made by learners
1. MORE ATTENTION SHOULD BE PAID
TO SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION.
2. POOR PUNCTUATION. EITHER NO
PUNCTUATION OR TOO MANY
PUNCTUATION MARKS. SENTENCES
TOO LONG AND COMMA AFTER
EVERY SECOND WORD. BE CAREFUL
WHEN YOU USE DIRECT SPEECH IN
COMPOSITION !
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 Creative writing
 ..\creative writing Boaramelo
\creative writing\Tiny Frogs.pps

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