101
STUDY AND WRITING SKILLS
12.4
WRITING SKILLS
A FORMAL EMAIL
6
Work in small groups. Have you ever done an
English course in an English-speaking country? Talk
about your experiences and ideas. If you haven’t done
a course, would you like to? Why?/Why not?
7
You are interested in doing a summer course in the
UK, which combines English with sport. You see this
advert for a school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Make
a list of about six things you would like to know about
the course and school. Write questions, like this:
What is the balance between English study and sport?
Is the school big or small?
8
Pepa has looked at the information on the school
website. However, she still has some questions. Read
her email on the right to the school. Are any of her
questions the same as yours in Exercise 7?
9
a
Organisation
Formal writing is very well
organised. What is the main topic of each paragraph
in the email?
9
b
Register
Underline examples of language
that show that this email is polite and/or formal,
e.g.
Concerning the sports
.
9
c
Compare this email with the informal email in
Unit 4 Lesson 4 (page 37). What differences can you find?
10
Find phrases in the email you could replace with
these formal phrases that have a similar meaning or
purpose.
1
With regard to …
2
Regards
3
I wish to …
4
I would like to know …
5
Dear Ms Kennedy
6
I wonder if you could …?
11
Punctuation
Study the way commas are used in
the email. Then put commas in suitable places in these
sentences.
1
If I came earlier in the summer would the course be
cheaper?
2
Concerning the evening activities will our teachers
come with us?
3
As I mentioned in my last email my level of English
is quite good.
4
However I still have problems understanding native
speakers.
12
You are interested in going to New York to do
an English course. Look at the advert on page 139 and
write a formal email to the academy, asking some
questions about the course, school, etc. Use your
questions from Exercise 7 and the email in Exercise 8
to help you.
Dear Sir or Madam
I would like to do your course in ‘English with
Sport’ this summer. I am interested in visiting
Northern Ireland, and your school seems ideal for
me. I have found a lot of the information I need
on your website, but I still have some questions. I
would be very grateful if you could answer them.
First of all, if I stayed for four weeks, how many
teachers would I have? Are there any exams at
the end of the course? Could you tell me if I will
get a certificate from the school when I leave?
Concerning the sports, I am especially
interested in horse riding. I see that I can
do this every afternoon, but does the cost
include everything? Do I need any of my own
equipment? Also, is tennis available in the
evening after 7 p.m.?
As I mentioned, I am very interested in coming
to Belfast, and I would like to live with a local
family. However, if I am not happy with the
family, can I change accommodation?
I hope you can answer my questions.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes
Pepa Martínez Unamuno (Miss)
We offer courses in:
• General English
• English for Business
• English with Sport
SCHOOL OF ENGLISH
Emerald
Study English in this friendly city
where the Titanic was built!
Very reasonable prices.
