WRITING AN INFORMAL LETTER/ E-MAIL

LETTER

E-MAIL

KKK

114
 Useful phrases - (Writing informal letters and e-mails)
Informal letters - Greetings:

 Dear Jim,
 Hello Jim, Don’t forget the comma!
 Hi Jim,

Informal letters - Introductory paragraph:

 How's it going?
 How are you?
 How are things with you?
 How are things?
 What’s up?
 Sorry I haven't written for ages.
 It’s been such a long time since I last wrote you.
 Sorry it's taken me so long to write.
 Sorry I haven’t written back for so long.
 Sorry it’s taken me so long to reply.

An informal letter referring to good news:

 Glad to hear about…

 I'm really glad to hear about…
 I'm very happy to hear about …
 I was very happy to read about…
 It was lovely to hear from you.
 I hope you and the family are well.
 I was glad to hear that you had a good holiday.

An informal letter referring to bad news:

 I'm extremely sorry to hear about…

 I'm very sorry to hear about…
 Sorry to read about…
 It’s very sad to hear about your…
 I can't tell you how sad I am that …

Informal letters - Introducing points:

 I know you are longing to hear about… (sé que estás deseando saber sobre...)
 Did you hear about …?
 Did you see …?
 Have you seen …?
 Tell me about …
 Oh, another thing,

115
Giving advice:

 You asked me for advice on ….

 Have you thought about …?
 It might be a good idea to ….
 One thing I would suggest is to…
 If I were you, I would…
 I think you should/must…
 You had better (+verb)…

Making suggestions:

 How/what about going to the cinema? After about (prep) –ing.

 Shall we go to the cinema?
 Let’s go to the cinema.
 Would you like to go to the cinema?
 Why don’t we go to the cinema?

Ending an informal letter or email:

 I look forward to hearing from you/ seeing you.

 I’m looking forward to hearing from you/seeing you.
 Looking forward to hearing from you / seeing you.
 Hope to hear from you soon / see you soon.
 Write and tell me how you are getting on.
 Write soon / See you soon.
 Please, drop me a line soon/ asap (as soon as possible).

Closing salutation:

 Well, time to go,

 Well, it's time to go,
 Well, time to close,
 I've got to leave off now,
 Write soon,
 Make sure you write soon,
 Love,
 Lots of love,
 All my love,
 Will write again soon,
 Look after yourself,
 Take care of yourself,
 All the best,
 Best wishes,
 Regards,
 Yours,

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REMEMBER
ORGANIZATION AND LAYOUT

- When writing the portfolio, it might be a good idea if you typed your composition on email
software (you must change the language before). Then, you can print the screen and paste it
on your word document.
- When writing informal letters, you MUSTN’T write the recipient’s address, ONLY YOURS
on the right! (NO ESCRIBIR LA DIRECCIÓN DEL DESTINATARIO!!!!)

FEATURES

- Language style is informal.

- Language structures and functions depend on purpose of email/ letter.
- Use correct spelling and punctuation. DON’T use text message spelling, for example C for
see.
- You CAN use abbrevations such as asap (as soon as possible).
- Use contractions, not full forms (I’m, I don’t…).
- Include appropiate greeting and closing.
- Finish with your first name only; DON’T use titles and surnames.
- You can use emoticons:  .
- To a partner, family member or close friend, add one or more XXXX after your name, to
represent a kiss, and OOOO to represent a hug.
- When writing letters, you can include PD (POSDATA) to talk about something you have
forgotten, eg. Pd: give my regards to your family!

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WRITING AN ARTICLE

118
 Useful phrases - (Writing articles)
Rethorical phrases:

You should start your article with a question to attract the reader’s attention.

 Have you ever ……..?

 What do you think about ……..?
 Are you one of those people who think / like that ……?
 What would life be like if ……?
 Will the future bring us …?
 Do you like…?
 Are you thinking of…?

Introducing your first point:

 Firstly,
 In the first place,
 First of all,
 The first thing to consider is …
 One thing to consider is …
 To begin with,
 Let’s start with…

Introducing more points:

 Secondly,
 Another consideration…
 Yet another consideration …
 Another thing to consider is …
 Apart from that,
 In addition to this,

Introducing your final points:

 In conclusion,
 To conclude,
 To sum up,

Introducing your opinion:

 I think…
 In my opinion ,
 Personally I (strongly) believe that …
 In my view,
 As I see it,
 To my mind,
 My personal opinion is…
 It seems to me that …
119
Making suggestions:

 What are you waiting for?

 You can’t miss it!
These sentences would be a good idea
 It’s a must! if you have to encourage people to go
 If you miss it, you’ll regret it! to a concert, a new sports centre…
 Don’t wait for other people to tell you about it!
 Don’t be told, live it!
 If you come, I promise you’ll never forget it.

REMEMBER

ORGANISATION AND LAYOUT

 Organise the text into paragraphs.

 Try to start the article with an interesting statement or question that attracts the reader’s attention.
 If you like, you can organise your text into columns (similar to a real article) and use photos.
(In the exam this is impossible, but you may want to do it when writing the portfolio).

FEATURES

 Language style is neutral to formal, depending on readers.

 If appropriate, include words and phrases for introducing a point of view and giving a different point
of view, and adding more points and contrasting points.
 Include phrases for giving your opinion, as necessary.

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WRITING A REPORT

121
 Useful phrases - (Writing reports)

INTRODUCTION
 This report is intended to...
 The objective/aim of this report is to...
 First, I will talk about… then I will focus on… Finally, I will make some suggestions.

DESCRIBING HOW YOU GOT YOUR INFORMATION

 I conducted interviews with…
 I conducted a survey of…
 __________ responded to an online questionnaire.

REPORTING RESULTS
 Some/ several people are saying...
 Many people complained, suggested, recommended....
 Most people seem to feel that …
 According to one interviewee,
 Most of those responding to the survey stated that/ expressed the opinion that…
 A large/ considerable/ signigicant proportion of those surveyed said that…

PRESENTING A LIST
 The following items should be taken into account:
 Please, consider the following points:
 They suggested the following points/reasons:

MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS
 Taking all the factors mentioned into account, I would recommend…
 Therefore, I would recommend that...
 It would be advisable...
 In light of the above, I would recommend…
 It would seem that _________________ is the best idea.

NOTE: DON’T say I recommend to… but I recommend that you…/ I recommend + ing.

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REMEMBER

ORGANISATION AND LAYOUT

 Include a TITLE that describes the content of the report.

 Start by stating what the report is about and how it is organized (First, I will talk about…, then I will
focus on…. Finally, I will make some suggestions to improve that situation).
 Not necessarily organized into paragraphs of continuous text. Instead, you can use BULLET
POINTS to mark each individual point or sentence.
 Use HEADINGS to mark different sections.
 Don’t forget that you are giving factual information (it is not your opinion, but others’ opinion). You
must imagine being a journalist and having worked on a research to find out those opinions. For this
reason, before presenting a list, you must say something like:
o Most people suggested/ complained that …
o According to several interviewees…
o Most of those responding to the survey stated that/expressed the opinion that …
o A large proportion of those surveyed said that…

TU OPINIÓN SOLO APARECE LIGERAMENTE EN LA CONCLUSIÓN. EL RESTO ES FRUTO

DE UNA INVESTIGACIÓN IMAGINARIA.

FEATURES

 Language style is neutral to formal.

 Usually more objective and factual than articles.
 Use words such as below to refer to something you are going to say or above to refer back to
something you have already said.
 If the task involves making suggestions or recommendations, include expressions for these functions.

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 WRITING A REVIEW
(ABOUT A FILM, PLACE, BOOK, PRODUCT, SONG OR
PERFORMANCE)

124
REMEMBER

ORGANISATION AND LAYOUT

 Include a title.
 Organise text into paragraphs.
 Start with basic factual information.
 Go on to give more details.
 Mention good and bad points.
 Finish with your opinion and recommendations to the reader.

FEATURES

 Language style is often neutral to formal, but depends on the readers, e.g. a review of a rock concert
for a music magazine will be informal, a review of a book for a literary magazine more formal.
 Include language for giving opinions and describing positive and negative feelings.

125
 WRITING A FILM REVIEW
ADJECTIVES TO DESCRIBE FILMS, PROGRAMMES…

 Annoying: molesto
 Entertaining: entretenido
 Exciting: emocionante
 Gripping: fascinante
 Incredible: increíble
 Inspiring: inspirador
 Astounding: sorprendente
 Hilarious: divertido
 Superb: magnífico
 Cool: guay
 Recommended: recomendado
 Poignant: conmovedor
 Enjoyable: agradable
 Brilliant: brillante
 Mind-boggling: alucinante
 Futuristic: futurista
 Action-packed: lleno de acción
 Amusing: divertido
 Full of suspense: lleno de suspense
 Moving: emotivo
 Imaginative: creativo
 Stunning: deslumbrante, impresionante
 Uplifting: edificante, inspirador
 Nauseating: asqueroso
 Boring/ dull: aburrido, soso
 Nonsense: absurdo
 Unrealistic: irreal
 Unwatchable: infumable
 Tedious: aburrido
 Wooden: acartonado, rígido
 Unimpressive: mediocre
 So-so: así, así
 Unoriginal: poco original
 Uninteresting: poco interesante

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO START WRITING

 The film is directed by …

 The film is produced by...
 It is starred by...
 This film originates from a novel named …
126
  The film is based on a novel / a real life story of a…
 This is a comedy /a horror film /a love story / a cartoon film / a science fiction movie / a war film / a
Kung Fu film /an action film/ a thriller / a spy movie.
 ______ plays the role of: _________ hace de ________________.
 The famous actress stars in a new drama: la famosa actriz protagoniza un nuevo drama.

EXPRESSING YOUR OPINION

In a film review you will need to use language to express your opinion. Below are some ideas to help you:

 What I liked is...

 What I didn't like is...
 I liked/didn't like the film.
 It is rather confusing / long / slow / boring.
 The cast is excellent / weak / awful / unconvincing.
 The script/ story is dull / clever / exciting.
 It has a tragic / surprising / dramatic ending.
 It does not come across as true / convincing.
 The music / sound effect is dull / rich.
 It is a catchy tune as backing music.
 The theme song is powerful / weak / satisfying.
 The colour in the photography is natural / spectacular / dull / dark and frightening.
 The acting is true to life / powerful / natural.
 The film has such a tragic ending that you will leave the cinema in tears.
 It is worth watching for the dramatic scenery / acting of … alone.
 Thanks to the special effects, the action is totally believable.
 Most of the film is rather boring, but it did have an interesting twist in the end.
 The lead actor is a heart throb (galán).
 The performances are rather dull.

USEFUL RECOMMENDATIONS

 Go and try it!

 It is well worth seeing! It will touch the hearts of many.
 It will change the way you see (e.g. young people) after watching this film.
 It is bound to be a box‐office hit: está obligado a ser un éxito de taquilla.
 I highly / thoroughly / strongly recommend it.
 It is highly entertaining.
 It is certainly at the top of my list of good films.
 Fans of … will no doubt be thrilled with this.
 Don’t miss it! It’s a must!
 I would not recommend this because…
 Wait until it comes out on video.
 It’s a boring movie. Don’t bother with this one.
 Only watch this film if you have plenty of time to spare.
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 WRITING A PLACE REVIEW

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO START WRITING

 It opened for the first time last ________

 It is open from ____ to ______ every day of
the year, except __________
 This centre has …
 There are …

EXPRESSING YOUR OPINION

In a place review you will need to use language to

express your opinion. Below are some ideas to help you:

 I felt / I thought it was…

 I was impressed by…
 What I liked most / didn't like was…
 On reflection, I think it was…
 I would have no / little / some / a lot of
hesitation (duda) in recommending…
 In spite of these criticisms, I think…
 I especially liked/disliked…

USEFUL RECOMMENDATIONS

 Don’t miss it!

 It is well worth visiting! It will touch the hearts
of many.
 It will change the way you see (e.g. sculpture)
after visiting this museum.
 I highly / thoroughly / strongly recommend it.
 It is highly entertaining.
 It is certainly at the top of my list of good
cinemas/museums/art galleries.
 Fans of … will no doubt be thrilled with this.
 It’s a must!
 I would not recommend this because…
 It’s a boring museum/art gallery. Don’t bother with this one.
 Only visit this _______ if you have plenty of time to spare.
 Go and try it!

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 WRITING A BOOK REVIEW
VOCABULARY

 thought provoking: provocador de pensamientos/

que te hace pensar
 best-selling: el más vendido
 best-seller: best-seller
 well-written: bien escrito
 clear: claro
 literary : literario
 complex: complejo
 poetic: poético
 hard to understand: difícil de entender
 popular: famoso
 lucid: coherente
 predictable: predecible
 readable: ameno, legible
 convincing: convincente
 well-drawn: bien dibujado
 humorous: gracioso
 inventive: ingenioso
 original: original
 intriguing: interesante
 unputdownable: absorbente

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO START WRITING

 The book/story is about…

 The story is set in…
 The plot of _______ is basically that…
 The characters are…
 The author describes/tells the story of…
 The author has written a tale of…

OTHER USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

 It is available in ___ languages: está disponible en ___ idiomas.

 To have a twist at the end: tener un giro inesperado al final.
 To have a cliffhanger: tener un final de suspense.
 I couldn't put it down: no podía parar de leerlo.
 The plot is a real page-turner: el argumento es apasionante.

129
  Both the descriptions and the dialogues are beautifully written: tanto las descripciones como los
diálogos están muy bien escritos.
 It took my breath away: me dejó sin aliento.
 I didn’t understand the plot: no entendí el argumento.
 To be out of print: estar descatalogado.
 To be still in print: estar todavía catalogado.
 To be a must in a bookshelf: ser un artículo obligatorio.
 The illustrations are particularly vivid, colourful and expressive: las imágenes son especialmente
alegres, coloridas y expresivas.
 The story ends with a bang and a breathtaking image: la historia termina con una sorpresa y una
imagen impresionante.

EXPRESSING YOUR OPINION

In a book review you will need to use language to express your opinion. Below are some ideas to help you:

 I felt / I thought it was…

 I was impressed by…
 What struck me most was…
 What I liked most / didn't like was…
 On reflection, I think it was…
 I would have no / little / some / a lot of hesitation in recommending…
 It struck me as being…
 In spite of these criticisms, I think…
 I especially liked/disliked…

USEFUL RECOMMENDATIONS

 Don’t miss it!

 It is well worth reading! It will touch the hearts of many.
 It will change the way you see (e.g. young people) after reading this book.
 I highly / thoroughly / strongly recommend it.
 It is highly entertaining.
 It is certainly at the top of my list of good books.
 Fans of … will no doubt be thrilled with this.
 It’s a must!
 I would not recommend this because…
 Wait until it comes out on video.
 It’s a boring book. Don’t bother with this one.
 Only read this book if you have plenty of time to spare.

130
WRITING A STORY

131
 Useful phrases - (Writing stories)

STARTING THE STORY IN AN ENGAGING WAY

 Something really frightening happened to me the other day.

 Do you know what happened to me yesterday?
 I heard an amazing story last week.
 Guess what?

EMPHASIZING SOMETHING INTERESTING OR AMAZING

 It’s hard to believe, but…

 Believe or not,
 It’s incredible, I know but…

TIME PHRASES

 It all began…
 Shortly afterwards,
 Meanwhile,
 Not long afterwards,
 Some time later,
 Later that day,
 A little later,
 Finally,
 In the end ,
 Eventually,

PHRASES FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT

 Suddenly,
 All of a sudden,
 Without warning,
 Out of the blue: inesperadamente
 Just at that moment,
 Quite unexpectedly,
 As if from nowhere,

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DIRECT SPEECH

 “…..” said Fred.

 “…..” shouted Fred.
 “…..” screamed Fred.
 “…..” whispered Fred.
 “…..” announced Fred.
 ”…..” thought Fred.
 “…..” cried Fred.
 “…..” promised Fred.

CONCLUDING STORIES

 When it was all over,

 Looking back now,
 In retrospect,
 In the end,
 After all that had happened,

133
REMEMBER

ORGANISATION AND LAYOUT

 Organise your text into paragraphs.

 Use a mind map to plan your story, you can write one paragraph for each box in your mind maps.
 Use lots of describing words such as adjectives and adverbs.

FEATURES

 You should give your writing a title.

 It can be formal or informal, depending on the reader(s), but most ISE I portfolio tasks need an
informal style.
 You can use contractions such as doesn’t, we’d… if you are writing it in an informal style.
 Language structure and functions may differ but we usually use Past Simple, Past Continuous and
Past Perfect 6for a story.
 Accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation are expected.

6
REMEMBER…

PAST SIMPLE: finished actions. You have to revise the most common irregular verbs and the rules to add
ed. Its auxiliary verb is did, which is used with negative (didn’t) and interrogative sentences.

PAST CONTINUOUS: actions in progress at a particular time in the past. Remember it is formed with was/
were + ing form. You have to revise the rules to add- ing. Its auxiliary verb is verb to be.

PAST PERFECT: actions that happened before another action in the past. It is formed with had + past
participle (-ed or 3rd column). You have to revise the most common irregular verbs and the rules to add ed.
Its auxiliary verb is had.

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WRITING A DESCRIPTION

135
REMEMBER

ORGANISATION AND LAYOUT

 Organise your text into paragraphs.

 Use a mind map to plan your story, you can write one paragraph for each box in your mind maps.
 Use lots of describing words such as adjectives and adverbs.

FEATURES

 You should give your writing a title.

 It can be formal or informal, depending on the reader(s), but most ISE I portfolio tasks need an
informal style.
 You can use contractions such as doesn’t, we’d… if you are writing it in an informal style.
 Language structure and functions may differ but we usually use Present Simple to write a
description.
 Accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation are expected.

136
 WRITING A DIARY ENTRY

March 3, 2012
Dear Diary,
I’m so upset!! I don’t even know where to begin!
To start off, I think I completely failed my geometry quiz, which I know I should’ve studied more
for...my dad’s not gonna be happy about that. :( Then, we had a pop quiz in history on the reading
homework from last night, and I completely forgot most of what I read, which made me even more upset
because I actually did the reading!
But what really made me mad was the note that Sarah slipped into my locker during passing
period. She said she was sad that I’ve been hanging out with Jane more lately and thinks that I don’t want to
be her friend anymore. I can’t believe she thinks that, especially after talking with her on the phone for hours
and hours last month while she was going through her breakup with Nick! Just because I’ve been hanging
out with Jane a little more than usual doesn’t mean I’m not her friend anymore. She completely blew me off
at lunch, and when I told Jane, she thought that Sarah was being a “drama queen.”
This is just what I need (lo que me faltaba)! My parents are getting on my case about doing more
extracurricular activities, I have a huge paper due for AP English soon, and I can’t understand a thing in
advanced Spanish! The last thing I need is for my best friend to think I hate her and barely text me back
anymore. Uggh! I can’t concentrate on anything right now because of it. I hope she gets over it!!!
Love,
Kate

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REMEMBER
ORGANISATION AND LAYOUT
 A diary entry may be written in separate paragraphs or as a single paragraph.
 When preparing your portfolio, you can present the diary with pictures or something like this. Try to
think of your teen years. 

FEATURES

 DON’T write a title for a diary entry.

 Write the date at the beginning.
 Write something like Dear Diary,
 You should start saying something about your mood:
o I’m so upset!
o What a busy/fantastic/boring/tiring day!
o I’m so excited/ happy!
 After that, you may say something like: I don’t even know where to begin!
 Use the right tenses, if you’re talking about the past use Past Simple, Past Continuous. However, if
you want to talk about something which happened recently or which has an influence in the present,
use Present Perfect.
 You must take into account that your diary is like your friend, so say goodbye in a charming way
(love, lots of love).
 The language and punctuation are very informal. You can use two or three exclamation or question
marks. You may use dashes (-) instead of commas or full stops.

138
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS

BURGESS S. y THOMAS A. (2014). Gold Advanced Coursebook. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

CRACE A. y ACKLAM R. (2011). New Total English Pre-Intermediate. Harlow: Pearson Education
Limited.

CLOYDE L. y PARKER R. (2011). New Pass Trinity Student’s Book: Trinity Grades ISE I 5-6. Genoa:
Black Cat Publishing.

NEWBROOK J, WILSON J y ACKLAM R. (2004). FCE Gold Plus Coursebook. Harlow: Pearson
Education Limited.

VIVAS TESÓN D. e ISARD N. (2014). The Lemony Pear: Aprende Inglés con Superbritánico. Barcelona:
Editorial Planeta.

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f

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http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/healthy-eating-teens.aspx

http://www.lingolex.com/clothes.htm

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