AL

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ST
AG
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HOW TO DO COMPOSITIONS
Formal letters | Informal letters | Narratives | Descriptions

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www.callanschool.info
www.metodocallan.info

Content Pages
Callan School of English S.L.

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Formal letters
Notes and useful language

Informal letters
Notes and useful language

Narratives
Notes and useful language

Descriptions
Notes and useful language

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FORMAL LETTERS
Write the name and address of
the person or company you are
writing to on the left-hand side,
below the date.

Write your address on separate lines

in the top right-hand corner.
Do not write your name. Write the
date below your address.

23 Oxford Road
Cheltenham
GL504QZ
4th August 20__
The Manager
Goldspar Office Equipment
54 Old Market Malvern
WR122PO

Write Dear... next

to the left-hand
margin, followed
by a comma.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I recently ordered a filing cabinet from your company and I am writing to say
that I am not satisfied with the one which has just been delivered.
There are several reasons for this. In the first place, the cabinet is grey in colour
rather than cream as I ordered. Secondly, the lock doesn't work. Thirdly, there
is a large dent on the top, which was probably caused during delivery.
I must ask you to replace the filing cabinet with one which is the correct
colour and in perfect condition. I would be grateful if you would telephone
me on 06845721399 as soon as possible in order to make the necessary
arrangements.
Yours faithfully,

HAZEL SMITH (Ms)

Print your name

clearly after your
signature.

Use separate paragrahs to:

Say why you are writing.
Give details or extra
information.
Conclude your letter.

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End with Yours

faithfully, if you
began Dear Sir
or Dear Madam.
End with Yours
sincerely if you
began with a
name.

NOTES AND USEFUL LANGUAGE

Beginnings / organisation

Complaints

Write Dear + the person's name, if you know it (Dear Mr.

Smith). If not, begin Dear Sir (for a man), Dear Madam (for a wo
man), or Dear Sir or Madam (if it could be either). Don't use a title
like Dear Manager.

State the subject of your complaint clearly in the first paragraph.

Use the following paragraphs to give all the necessary details
(including dates and times, the people involved, the inconve
nience you've been caused, etc.).

In the first paragraph, clearly state your reason for writing. Use
the middle paragraphs to explain the details, beginning a new
paragraph for each main point. In the final paragraph, sum up
and / or say what action you want to be taken.

Try to be clear and factual rather than emotional. Use the final
paragraph to say what action you want to be taken now:

Endings
Don't forget! If you began with a person's name, e.g. Dear Mrs
Blake, you must end with Yours sincerely, not Yours faithfu
lly.These endings are followed by a comma.

Job applications
First make it clear which job you are applying for, and mention
where you saw the advertisement, and when. Give all the neces
sary information about yourself (including age, qualifications,
past employment and other experience). Say why you are par
ticularly interested in the job, and what you have to offer. Use
a new paragraph for each main topic. It may also be useful to
mention when you would be available for an interview:
I was interested in the advertisement in
(newpaper / magazine) on (date) and I would like
to apply for the post / position of (job title).
I am 21 years of age and I have a Diploma in Business
Administration.
My reason for applying is that I am interested
in tourism and I would like to be able to use my
foreign languages.
I would be happy / able to attend an interview
at any time which is convenient to you.

Apologies
Explain why you are apologizing and what the reasons were for
your behaviour. If possible, offer to make up in some way (e.g. by
paying for the damage) and / or promise that the problem won't
happen again:
I am writing to apologize for the things I said
at our last meeting / losing my temper.

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I would like to say how sorry I am about the trouble

I have caused / that you were disturbed.

I am writing to complain about a holiday

I booked with your company.
I am writing to say that I am not satisfied
with the standard of services at your restaurant.
I must insist that you refund the cost of the bill.
I must ask you to...

Enquiries
In the first paragraph, explain what information you need. If
you are responding to an advertisement, mention where you
saw this.
Use extra paragraphs to mention any specific questions you
would like answers to:
I am writing to enquire about...
I was interested in your advertisement in
The Daily News and I would like to have further
information about...
I would be grateful if you could send me
full details of...
Could you send me your brochure / catalogue.
I look forward to hearing from you / receiving
the information.

Opinions
I strongly disagree with / I completely agree
with Mr. Smith's letter, which appeared yesterday.
I was interested to read the article on immigration
in Monday's edition of your newspaper but I don't
think it gave all the facts.
I was interested / fascinated / amused / delighted
to see / hear / read...

The reason I missed the meeting was that

my car broke down.

I was horrified / shocked / disgusted to ...

Please let me know how much it cost and

I will gladly replace it.

In my opinion there is far too much violence

in television dramas these days.

I assure you that this will never happen again.

In conclusion I feel / I believe...

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INFORMAL LETTERS
Write your address (but not your
name) on separate lines in the top
right-hand corner.

23 Oxford Road
Cheltenham
GL504QZ

Write the first line

next to the margin.
Always use a name.
Never begin
Dear Friend.

4th August 20__

Write the date

below your
address.

Dear Gill,

Thank you for your postcard from New

York I really envy you going to all those

exciting places!

There's no chance of a holiday for me this

year, I'm afraid. I'm saving up to buy a car.

The driving lessons are going well, and my
test is booked for next month: Wish me
luck!

I haven't seen you for ages and I'd love

to hear all your news. Why don't you come

down and stay one weekend? Let me know

if you'll be free.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Use separate paragrahs to:

Begin your letter.

End your letter with an informal greeting:

e.g.: Yours, Best wishes or Love.

Deal with different topics.

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Love Hazel!

NOTES AND USEFUL LANGUAGE

Beginnings
It is usual to begin by referring to a letter you've received, or by
making some other polite introductory comment:
Thank you for / Many thanks for your (recent)
letter / postcard.

Could you let me / us know if you can come /

you'd like to join us?
Thank you very much for your invitation.
I'd love to come.
Thank you for asking me / inviting me to ... but I'm
afraid I won't be able to come / join you because ...

It was good / nice to hear from you recently.

I'm sorry I haven't written / been in touch for such
a long time.
It's ages since I've heard from you. I hope you're
well / you and your family are well.

Endings
It is usual to end with a polite remark, written on a separate line:

Request
In some cases, you may want to introduce your request imme
diately. In others, you may prefer to begin your letter with some
brief news before going on to make the request, with reasons,
and emphasize how grateful you would be for the help you are
asking for:
I'm writing to ask for your help / you to do me (if you
could do me) a favour.

I look forward to / Looking forward to hearing

from / seeing you.

I wonder if / I was wondering if you could help me /

do me a favour.

See you soon! Write soon / Hope to hear from

you soon.

I hope you don't mind me asking but could you

(possibly)...?

Once again, thank you for all your help.

Give my regards / love to ...

I'd be very / really / terribly grateful if you could...

Thank you / Congratulations / Good luck

Apologies
Say what you are apologizing for and give reasons to explain
your behaviour. Try to suggest a way of putting things right,
if possible.
I'm writing to apologize for missing your party last
week but I'm afraid I was in bed with flu.
I'm really sorry that I forgot to send you a birthday
card but I was so busy with my new job.

I'm writing to thank you for your hospitality /

the wonderful present.
It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you.

If you let me know where you bought it / how much

it cost. I'll gladly pay for it / replace it.

I really appreciated all your help / advice.

Congratulations on passing your exams /
your excellent exam results!

Please let me know how much the bill is and I'll gladly
pay it.

You really deserved to succeed after all your

hard work!

Invitations. Accepting / Rejecting

Say what the event is and give clear details of the date, time and
place. It may be helpful to give other information such as how to
get there, who else is coming and what (if anything) to bring. It is
usual, too, to ask for confirmation:
I'm / We're having a party on Friday 19th and I /
we hope you'll be able to come.
Would you like to come / go to see Room With
a View with me at the weekend?
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When thanking someone for something, it is usual to say as

much as possible about how useful / enjoyable / helpful it was.
When offering congratulations for some success, you usually
mention how well-deserved it is. When wishing someone good
luck, try to reassure them or offer some friendly advice:

I was wondering if you'd like to go to the theatre /

come on holiday with us?

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I wish you good luck / Good luck in /

with your exams / your driving test / your interview.
Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do well / pass.
Do be on time, won't you, and don't forget to...

News / information
I thought you might be interested to hear about /
know that...
This is just to let you know that...
By the way, have you heard about / did you
know that...?

NARRATIVES
Describe a journey you made when everything went wrong.

OPENING
To catch
the reader's
inttention

You don't necessarily expect everything to go smoothly when you're travelling.

There's always likely to be the odd delay or small problem to deal with. Just
occasionally, though, it seems that everything that can go wrong does go
wrong, and then you begin to wish you'd stayed at home.

Past continuous
to set the scene

I had spent a week staying with friends in Eastern Europe and I was now-beginning my journey home. Having got to the station in good time to catch
the train, I went to the ticket office to buy a ticket. Imagine my dismay when

Perfect participle
for events before
the main events

the ticket clerk explained that the train had been cancelled and that there
wasn't another one that day. Luckily, there was a bus I could catch, but it
didn't leave for two hours so I spent the intervening time walking the streets
Events in clear
sequence

of the town, getting hotter and stickier by the minute. When I finally boarded
the bus, all the seats had been taken, so I had to stand for the first hour of
the journey.
By the time we arrived, I was exhausted and longing for a shower, so I

Sequence
links

looked for a taxi and showed the driver the name of the hotel my friends had
New paragraph
for each main
stage

recommended. You've guessed it! He didn't recognize the hotel and wasn't
interested in finding out where it was. Instead, I took a tram but, believe it or
not, the tram broke down before we reached my stop. Fortunately, I had a
map so I walked the last kilometre before practically collapsing in the hotel.
Things seemed to go better after that. I was relaxing in my room when an
American girl I'd met at Reception knocked on my door and said, Hi, I've-got a lot of food left over from my journey and I can't possibly eat it all. I was-wondering if you'd like to come and share it? She was very friendly and we

ENDING

had great fun picknicking and chatting about our adventures. My flight was

to explain the
final result, or to
surprise or amuse
the reader

leaving the next morning so, after an hour or so, I said goodbye to her and

Direct speech for

variety and
interest

returned to my room to pack my bags and look out my travel documents. It

was only then that I discovered I had lost the return half of my airline ticket!

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Past perfect for

events before the
main events

NOTES AND USEFUL LANGUAGE

Beginnings and Endings

Verb Tenses

A narrative needs an interesting beginning to catch the reader's

attention and encourage him or her to read on, and a clear en
ding to round the story off satisfactorily. A weak beginning or
ending can spoil the effect of the story, so it's worth spending
time working out how to start and finish.

Tense use:

Use the simple tense to describe the main events.

I ran to answer the phone but it stopped ringing as
I picked up the receiver.

The past continuous to set the scene.

The Story
It's usually easiest to write a story which is based on your own
experience, but don't be afraid to change the details slightly or
invent new parts if this helps to make the story more interesting
or entertaining. It is usual to decribe events in the order in which
they happened and to use a new paragraph for each main stage
of the story. The sequence of events is also shown by verb tenses
and time links.

It was raining heavily as we set off.

The past perfect to decribe events which happened before

the main events.

When I got on the bus all the seats had been taken.

Present participles to show two actions which are linked.

Noticing that she looked lost, I asked if I could help.

Perfect participle to show that one action was complete befo

Adding variety and interest

There are various ways of making your story more lively and in
terseting. These include:

Using direct speech occasionally, for dramatic effect. (Remem

ber to use inverted commas correctly):

No! he yelled, Don't touch that switch!

Using a range of reporting verbs for reporting speech:

e.g.: accuse, admit, advise, argue, ask, complain,
deny, encourage, explain, invite, promise,
recommend, remind, suggest, warn, etc.

Using a range of adjectives and adverbs to describe actions

and feelings as precisely and vividly as possible:

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I was absolutely horrified when I saw the bill. He

shook his arm threateningly at us.

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re another starts.

Having reported my stolen passport to the police

I returned sadly to the hotel.

Time links:
Before... then...
At first...

next...

While... later...
During...

after that...

When... afterwards...
as soon as...

finally...

immediately... eventually...
once...

in the end...

Make a point of knowing the difference between:

first(ly) / at first

last(ly) / at last

after / afterwards

while / during / meanwhile

DESCRIPTIONS
Write a description of a favourite member of your family.
Describe a town or city anywhere in the world which you particularly like.

INTRODUCTION
Sets the scene

My cousin, Christopher, is the son of my father's brother. He's three years

younger than me and we didn't know each other very well as children
because he and his family lived on the other side of the country at that time.
Since then, he's married and moved closer so we meet quite often and

Different tenses
to fill in the
background

-I've got to know him much better.

There's nothing very remarkable about Chris's appearance. He's of average

Appearance /
Clothes

height and medium build, and he's got curly, mousy hair and a fair complexion.
As he's quite shortsighted like me, he wears glasses. The clothes he likes are
mostly casual: jeans or shorts and a tee-shirt. I don't think I've ever seen him
in a suit!

He's a very active person who loves the outdoor life. He's extremely particular
and he can build or repair almost anything, no matter how complicated it is.
-Another characteristic he has is that he's very outgoing. If you go to a show
Character

with him and members of the audience are invited onto the stage, Chris will

Vary the
sentence
structure

be the first to volunteer. The thing I appreciate most about him, however, is
his sense of humour. If I'm depressed, he can always cheer me up with a joke
or a funny story.

Sums up your
feelings

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They say you can choose your friends but not your relations. In Chris's case,
I feel I'm very lucky because he's not only my cousin but also one of my best
friends.

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CONCLUSION

NOTES AND USEFUL LANGUAGE

Structure

Personalization

Descriptions need to be structured, like other types of writing, so

that they have an introduction, a middle and an end. In the intro
duction, you should briefly set the scene, perhaps by saying why
you have chosen the person or place you're going to describe.
After that you should deal with the different important aspects
of the subject in seperate paragraphs. Use the final paragraph to
sum up your feelings about the subject, if possible in a humo
rous or memorable way.

Some topics give you more opportunity for personal comment

than others. In general, though, including your reactions and
feelings and an occasional touch of humour will make your des
cription more interesting and enjoyable for the reader.

Tenses
You may be asked to write a description in the present, in the
past or to make a comparison between the past and the present.
Think carefully about the tenses you use:

Present habit: He rides a bicycle.

Happening now: He's learning to play the violin.
Links past and present: We've been friends for years.
Sets the scene: It was raining.
Past action: She frowned when she saw me.

Sentence Structure
One problem which arises with this kind of writing is that you
can find yourself beginning all your sentences in the same way:
He looks... , He's got..., He wears... This makes the description
rather boring to read, so try to vary the sentence structure: His
eyes are..., The first thing you notice is..., Another characteristic is...

Vocabulary
Descriptions give you a golden opportunity to show off your
vocabulary. Don't waste it! Avoid using a narrow range of adjec
tives like big / small, good, nice- think about better, more preci
se ones.

Describing People
Possible aspects: your relationship with the person / how you
met, their appearance and style of clothing, their character, and
your personal feelings about them.

Appearance
S/he looks / seems / appears...
S/he's got short, curly hair and a fringe.
S/he's short with a pale complexion.
Clothes:
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S/he usually wears jeans.

Order of Adjectives :
A brand-new white woollen sweater.

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Describing places / events

Possible aspects: your interest in the place / event, your impres
sions when you first went there, main characteristics, location,
atmosphere, sights, sounds, people, summing up / comparison
with later visit.
Location:
in the middle, at the top / bottom, on the left / right
in the north, to the north of ...
in front of, behind, beyond, above, over, below, under

Describing objects
Possible aspects; structure, shape, colour, material, use.

Shape
It is shaped like a circle / It's circular in shape /
It's star shaped
Straight, curved, horizontal, diagonal, vertical,
pointed, sloping

Sensory Perception
It looks / seems / appears / ... + adjective
It tastes / smells / feels / sounds... + adjective
It feels / sounds like... + noun
It's a pretty pale pink colour.

Describing Preocesses / lnstructions

Sequence markers:
First ... Next / After that ... / Finally ... When / Once you
have (done) that ... Before / After doing / you (do)
Purpose Clauses:
for+-ing
to / in order to / so as to + infinitive
so that+clause

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www.callanschool.info
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Avda. Diagonal 472, 1a planta
08006 Barcelona
Tel1. 934 155 452
Tel2. 933 686 148
Tel3. 934 155 438
info@callanschool.info

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