Writing composition, Year 7: letters and craft

Yours faithfully

HintThis is the ending used when you do not know the reader's name.

The whyThe opening and the sign-off come as a pair. Note the small 'f' and the absence of an apostrophe in 'Yours'.

Yours sincerely

HintThis is the ending used when you have named the reader.

The whyA named opening takes this ending. 'Sincerely' is one of the most commonly misspelt words in letters, so it is worth learning.

The sender's own address

HintIt tells the reader where to post a reply.

The whyYour own address goes at the top right with the date beneath it. The address of the person you are writing to goes lower down on the left.

'I am writing to complain about…'

HintThe reader is a stranger who must take you seriously.

The whyA formal letter states its purpose plainly in the first sentence and avoids slang and chattiness.

Informal

HintThink about how you would talk to them face to face.

The whyA personal letter can use first names, contractions and a chatty voice, with an ending such as 'Love from' or 'See you soon'. The reader decides the tone.

To decide the order of your paragraphs

HintA plan is a route as well as a list.

The whyIdeas arrive in a jumble. Numbering them takes seconds and gives the finished piece a shape that the reader can follow.

Smell

HintIt is the sense tied most closely to memory.

The whyMost description relies on sight. A sound, a texture or a scent makes a place feel real because it is less expected.

Fear or nervousness

HintThink about when your own hands tremble.

The whyThe writer gives the evidence and lets the reader reach the feeling. That is what 'show, don't tell' means.

Start a new line

HintIt lets the reader see the change of speaker at a glance.

The whyNew speaker, new line. It is the rule that lets you drop 'he said' and 'she said' without the reader losing track.

You hear mistakes your eyes skip over

HintThe brain quietly corrects what it expects to see on the page.

The whyReading silently, you see what you meant to write. Reading aloud slows you down and makes missing words and clumsy sentences obvious.