1
19
b. In pairs, answer the following questions about
model A.
1
What irrelevant information has the writer included
in the main body?
2
Has the writer used the correct style? Give examples.
3
How could the paragraphs have been better
organised?
4
What do you think the target reader’s reaction will
be? Why?
5
Correct the grammatical mistakes.
c. Read model B and answer the questions.
1
What style has the writer used? Give examples.
Think about:
short forms
colloquial language
phrasal
verbs
2
Has the writer organised the points clearly into
paragraphs? What is the topic of each paragraph?
3
Underline the topic sentences. Replace them with
Dear Dan,
Hi – how are you? I’m good but I have exams this
week at school. I write to answer your letter in
which you ask for my advice.
There are a range of options you could choose
from. But before I begin with those, I like to say it’s
a shame you can’t take extra lessons. I had extra
lessons when I wanted to improve my French and
that it helped a lot, but that was also because of my
teacher. She was the best! Anyway, you could listen
to the English music more often.
Of course you shouldn’t spend hours to listen to
music. That’s just a waste of time! Listening to
songs in English is a good way to learn new
vocabulary, and it’s fun too! Furthermore, if I was
you I’d read more in English. You can also have
conversations with a friend in English, and then
correct each other’s mistakes. Be serious, though. I
did it once and we just ended up laughing the whole
time!
I recommend that you accept these advices on
the matter.
Yours sincerely,
Pam
Dear Dan,
Thanks for your last email. I think it’s great you
want to brush up on your English and of course I’m
only too glad to help. Here are a few things you can try.
First of all, it would be a good idea to start reading
more in English. You probably won’t have time to read
novels but there are plenty of magazines that also help
you improve your English. As you are so fond of
nature, why don’t you take out a subscription to
National Geographic
? You’ll be amazed at how fast you
pick things up when you actually like the subject.
Another suggestion is to watch films on DVD
without the subtitles. That way you force yourself to
listen to the language very carefully. For a film lover
like you, that’ll be learning while really having fun!
The best advice I can give you, though, is to get
more English speaking pen-friends and email friends.
That method really worked for me when I wanted to
improve my Italian. Not only will you learn a lot of new
phrases, but you’ll also practise the language actively
yourself.
I hope these ideas will help. And remember,
practice makes perfect, so don’t give up too easily!
Write and let me know how you get on.
Yours,
Pam
Giving Advice
‹
Sometimes we need to give advice in letters.
Depending on how formal the writing is, we can use
the following phrases:
For giving advice
Why not …?
Why don’t you …?
You should …
It would be a good idea to / if …
Have you thought about / considered …?
If I were you, I would …
I think the best thing would be to / if …
One/Another suggestion is to ...
The best advice I can give you is to ...
For showing the result
This will/would mean that …
Then,/That way, …
If you do this, …
By doing this, …
The result of this would be …
e.g.
Why not phone Mary and tell her how you feel? That
way, at least you will be dealing with the problem.
3
a. Look at model B. Which phrases have been used
to give advice?
MODEL A
MODEL B
