Writing composition, Year 7: letters and craft

Yours faithfully

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

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

Yours sincerely

提示This is the ending used when you have named the reader.

为什么A 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

提示It tells the reader where to post a reply.

为什么Your 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…'

提示The reader is a stranger who must take you seriously.

为什么A formal letter states its purpose plainly in the first sentence and avoids slang and chattiness.

Informal

提示Think about how you would talk to them face to face.

为什么A 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

提示A plan is a route as well as a list.

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

Smell

提示It is the sense tied most closely to memory.

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

Fear or nervousness

提示Think about when your own hands tremble.

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

Start a new line

提示It lets the reader see the change of speaker at a glance.

为什么New 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

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

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