English Language · Professor Quill

Every card in Writing composition, Year 7: letters and craft

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1 KS3-ENLA-WRI-0044

A formal letter opens 'Dear Sir or Madam'. How should it be signed off?

Yours faithfully

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

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

2 KS3-ENLA-WRI-0045

A formal letter opens 'Dear Mrs Patel'. How should it be signed off?

Yours sincerely

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

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

3 KS3-ENLA-WRI-0046

In a formal letter, whose address is written in the top right-hand corner?

The sender's own address

HintIt tells the reader where to post a reply.

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.

4 KS3-ENLA-WRI-0047

Which opening suits a formal letter of complaint: 'I am writing to complain about…' or 'Hiya, just a quick moan about…'?

'I am writing to complain about…'

HintThe reader is a stranger who must take you seriously.

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

5 KS3-ENLA-WRI-0048

You are writing to your cousin about your holiday. Should the tone be formal or informal?

Informal

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

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.

6 KS3-ENLA-WRI-0049

Why should you number the points in your plan before you start writing?

To decide the order of your paragraphs

HintA plan is a route as well as a list.

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

7 KS3-ENLA-WRI-0050

'The corridor was thick with floor polish and wet coats.' Which sense does this description use?

Smell

HintIt is the sense tied most closely to memory.

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

8 KS3-ENLA-WRI-0051

'Her hands shook as she unfolded the note from the headteacher.' Which feeling is being shown without being named?

Fear or nervousness

HintThink about when your own hands tremble.

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

9 KS3-ENLA-WRI-0052

When a new person starts speaking in a story, what must you do on the page?

Start a new line

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

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

10 KS3-ENLA-WRI-0053

Why does reading your work aloud help you to proof-read it?

You hear mistakes your eyes skip over

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

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

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