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C2 Sample Essay 39 (School or family shapes one's personality)

In the minds of ESL exam candidates, e ssay writing is one of the most daunting tasks they are required to complete, regardless of the level of the exam, the administering body or the ease with which they themselves use the language. The same applies to students who are asked to write an essay by their teachers at school.  In the previous sample essays posted on the blog, the main point I stress is the need to become acquainted with this form of writing (as opposed to writing a letter, review or report, for instance), to get a feel of what authorial voice is and how to organize and progressively express the arguments you wish to make in a coherent manner.  Unfortunately, the best way to prepare for exam writing or learn how to write good essays for school is to read as many essays from as many sources as possible, then write as

Writing Formal Letters Giving Information - Useful Phrases

As part of the series of blog posts on letter/email writing (read the previous one on letters of complaint here), the present post will turn towards formal letters giving information and making suggestions. Such letters, like letters of complaint, fall under the category of transactional letters.

 The list of useful phrases for such letters can be used for tasks you have to write as part of an English examination (FCE, CPE, IELTS, to name a few), but in addition to this, can improve your speaking skills any time you are asked to give information or suggest a few things in a polite fashion. 

 First of all, let's take a quick look at how a letter which provides information is organized.

Organization


Letters giving information have, like any other formal piece of writing

  • an introduction
  • a main body
  • a conclusion


Before these three parts, you also have addresses, the date and the opening greeting. After the conclusion, there is a closing and your signature.



See the layout of a letter at the end of the Writing Letters of Complaint - Useful Phrases post for the positioning of the addresses, date and the opening and closing greetings.

In the Introduction
  • you say who you are and the reason why you are writing the letter.
   Examples
    • The reason I am writing is to inform you about how pleased I was with my last visit to your museum.
    • I am writing with regard to your upcoming visit to Thessaloniki. It will be a pleasure to provide you with some suggestions about what you can do in the five days you have at your disposal to explore our city.

In the Main Body
  • you write details about what you need to say to the recipient of your letter. These details will depend on the task you have been given to fulfill.
  • each new piece of information should appear in a new paragraph.
    • if you have been asked to give information about what a tourist can see and do in your town, the accommodation and means of transport, you will have 4 main body paragraphs:
      • sights & museums
      • shopping & entertainment
      • hotels, B&Bs, youth hostels
      • buses, subway, taxis, trams, etc.
    • if you have been asked to give information about a recent visit to a tourist attraction you were very pleased with, mentioning the circumstances of your visit, the assistance staff gave you and what you want the head of staff to do in future, you will have 3 main body paragraphs:
      • what site it was, when and why you visited it and who with
      • details about what the staff helped you with (for instance, they explained the history of the place and offered to guide you around)
      • recommendations about improvements the head of staff can make (offer a booklet to visitors free of charge or at a small extra cost giving the information the staff gave you about the history of the site)


In the Conclusion 
  • you express your feelings
  • you tell the person you are writing to what you want them to do
   Examples
    • I hope the information I have provided will be of some help to you.
    • If you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to write back with any other questions you may have regarding this matter.
Don't forget: the following list of phrases are formal. In other words, they are used with people you are not well acquainted with. You would never use them with friends or relatives.

IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR USEFUL PHRASES FOR LETTERS OF COMPLAINT, CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW.
https://argutelegacy.blogspot.com/2018/06/letters-complaint-phrases.html?m=0





Useful Phrases for Transactional Letters (Giving Information / Making Suggestions)



Opening Greeting

  • Dear Sir / Madam,
  • Dear Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. + last name,



Introduction
  • I am writing in reply to your letter / email asking for information about ...
  • I am writing regarding ...
  • I am writing on account of ...
  • I am writing on the subject of ...
  • I am writing to you in connection with ...
  • I am writing to inform you about ...
  • In reply to your query, ...
  • In answer to your inquiry, I should like to inform you that ...
  • You mentioned in your letter that ...
  • From what I understand from your inquiry, ...

Main Body
  • May I recommend that you ...
  • May I suggest that you ...
  • I would say that ...
  • In my view, it would be better to ... 
  • As far as (accommodation/transport/entertainment) is concerned, ...
  • One more thing you might find useful would be to ...
  • If I were you, I would ...
  • Regarding (accommodation/transport/entertainment), ...
  • In my opinion, you would be better to ...
  • To my mind, it would be a good idea to ...
  • Another thing you could do is ...
  • I'm afraid it would be very difficult to ... 
  • It would be wise to ...
  • It goes without saying that ...
  • What you could do/see is ...

Conclusion
  • I look forward to receiving any further questions you might have.
  • I would be grateful if you could ...
  • Please inform me if I can be of any further assistance.
  • I hope I have answered some of your questions.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further assistance.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information.
  • I hope I have been of some assistance.
  • Please feel free to write back if you have any more queries.
  • Should you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience.

Closing 
  • When the opening greeting is Dear Sir/Madam, we close with Yours faithfully,
  • If we opened the letter with Dear + name, we close with Yours sincerely,



FOR USEFUL PHRASES TO USE IN RECOMMENDATION LETTERS, CLICK ON THE IMAGE

https://argutelegacy.blogspot.com/2020/04/letters-recommendation-phrases.html

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