LJ 3- Writing practice (part 1)

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 3

Writing exam practice

Lesson goals

- Learn about the different types of writing styles

- Learn about Capitalization, spelling, and punctuation

Writing

The writing exam will consist of several tasks where you have to write: 

• A formal letter or email
• Informal letter or email
• A complaint letter
• An article (blog, magazine, journal, or news) 

Read the email from your English friend, Robin.

"I’m doing a project on famous people. Tell me about a famous person you like. What is this person’s name? Why is this person famous? What do you like about this person?"

Write an email to Robin and answer the questions
Write your email in 25 words or more.

Informal letter/email

An informal letter is the complete opposite of a formal letter. 

An informal letter is meant only for people you already know and have contact with. For example, friends, family, or colleagues

Article

The format to an article consists of:

• Heading/Title
• Introduction (2-3 lines)
• Middle (The details)
• Concluding (Overall overview or summary)

Middle:

1. Advantage and disadvantage (Online Shopping)

2. Cause and effect (Pollution)

3. Problem and solution (COVID-19 pandemic)

Complaint letter

A complaint letter is a letter we write to inform the recipient* that we're unhappy about the situation, product, or service we have received.

C.U.P.S.

C.U.P.S.= Capitalization, Usage, Punctuation & Spelling

This acronym is a reminder on what you need to focus on when dealing with spelling. 

Capitalization

• At the start of the sentence
• Use the capital letter for the personal pronoun "I"
• Days of the week, months of the year and holidays
• Countries, languages, and nationalities   
• Names, surnames and titles
• Places and monuments
• For titles of books, songs, movies, TV programs and poems

Capitalization

• Religions 
• Don't capitalize after a colon (usually)

In most cases, you don’t need to capitalize after a colon.

I have one true passion: wombat racing.

There are a couple of common exceptions. One is when the word following the colon is a proper noun.

There is only one place I want to visit: New York City.

The other exception is when the words following the colon form one or more complete sentences.

Maggie wears a brimmed cap at all times for these two reasons: Strong light often gives her a headache. She also likes the way it looks.

 A noun (such as Seattle, Joyce, or Empire State Building) that designates a particular being or thing, does not take a limiting modifier, and is usually capitalized in English. 

Capitalization

Capitalize Time Periods and Events (Sometimes)

Specific periods, eras, and historical events that have proper names should be capitalized.

• Most of the World War I veterans are now deceased.
  
• In the Middle Ages, poor hygiene was partly responsible for the spreading of bubonic plague.
  
• Middle school students often enjoy studying the social changes that took place during the Roaring Twenties.
  

However, centuries—and the numbers before them—are not capitalized.

• In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, England blossomed into an empire.

Warm-up

We're going to practice the use of capital letters and punctuation. 

1. Which is correct?

A: These are my favorite colors: Blue, red, and pink.
B: These are my favorite colors: blue, red, and pink.

1. A
2. B

2. Which is correct?

A: Did you speak with Mr. Richardson?
B: Did you speak with mr. Richardson?

1. A
2. B

3. Which is correct?

A: He was reading the bible.
B: He was reading the Bible.

1. A
2. B

2. "did you take the subway or the bus" - How should this sentence be punctuated?

1. Question mark (?)
2. First letter of first word in capitals and question mark (?)
3. Full stop (.)
4. Exclamation mark (!)

When is 'i' (ik) written with a capital letter?

1. Only at the start of a sentence
2. Never
3. ALWAYS
4. Whenever you feel like it

Capital letters for months and days?

1. yes
2. no

Capital letters for names?

1. yes
2. no

Capital letters for titles?

1. yes
2. no

Capital letters for start of the sentence?

1. yes
2. no

4. Which is correct?

A: Both Christmas and new year's eve are in December.
B: Both Christmas and New Year's Eve are in December.

1. A
2. B

Punctuation

The following items get capitalized:

first word in a sentence

proper nouns, including people, cities, holidays, organizations, and places (Bob and Mary live in the Pacific Northwest and celebrate Christmas there.)

the pronoun "I"

days and months of the year

proper adjectives like French or African

words used as names and titles, like Mom (when addressing you mother, as if it were her name) and General (such as General Colin Powell)

the first word used when opening or closing a letter, like Dear friends or Yours truly

the main words in a title, like Harry Potter and the Half Blood   organizations, like J. K. Rowling or the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

the first word in each line of poetry

Give me 3 sentences with capitalization and 3 types of punctuation!

Present continuous

Present continuous

Are you playing tennis this Sunday?

1. present simple
2. present continuous

I'm working at the moment

1. present simple
2. present continuous

Choose the Present Continuous:
Our teacher ___ the grammar.

1. explains
2. is explain
3. explaining
4. is explaining

Archie isn't using his computer at the moment.

1. present simple
2. present continuous

Choose the Present Continuous.

Look! The bird ___ !

1. dance
2. dancing
3. are dance
4. is dancing

He's playing tennis now

1. present simple
2. present continuous

Write a story

Your English teacher has asked you to write a story.

Your story must begin with this sentence:

"The bell rang – it was the end of the school day."

Write your story in about 200 words.

Your English teacher has asked you to write a story.
Your story must begin with this sentence:
"The bell rang – it was the end of the school day."
Write your story in about 200 words.

Aunt Agony-Write an Email

You are the Agony Aunt who gives advice to problems young people have. Read Brian's email and

write back, giving advice on what he should do.

**Remember to check your spelling, punctuation and capitalization!**

Homework - TOA 

As homework, you will have to log in on TOA and complete the practice writing test!

Please email me when you complete the practice test!

writeandimprove.com