ENGLISH

WRITING B1

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Formal letter
Cómo escribir una carta formal
Layout of a Formal Letter
The example letter below shows you a general format for a formal or business letter.

Address of the Your address

person to whom you are
writing

Rules for Writing Formal Letters in English

Salutation or greeting:

1) Dear Sir or Madam,

If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, use this. It is always
advisable to try to find out a name.

2) Dear Mr Jenkins,
If you know the name, use the title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, Dr, etc.) and the surname only. If
you are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs or Miss, you can use Ms, which
is for married and single women.

Ending a letter:

1) Yours faithfully
If you do not know the name of the person, end the letter this way.

2) Yours sincerely
If you know the name of the person, end the letter this way.

3) Your signature
Sign your name, then print it underneath the signature. If you think the person you are
writing to might not know whether you are male of female, put you title in brackets after
your name.

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Content of a Formal Letter
First paragraph
The first paragraph should be short and state the purpose of the letter- to make an
enquiry, complain, request something, etc.

The paragraph or paragraphs in the middle of the letter should contain the relevant
information behind the writing of the letter. Most letters in English are not very long, so
keep the information to the essentials and concentrate on organising it in a clear and logical
manner rather than expanding too much.

Last Paragraph
The last paragraph of a formal letter should state what action you expect the recipient to
take- to refund, send you information, etc.

Tips

1. Omite direcciones si el enunciado del ejercicio así lo indica. Sin embargo, si no aparece esa
instrucción expresa, sí deberían incluirse con el fin de que el examinador compruebe que
conoces las normas de presentación.

2. Utiliza las expresiones formales adecuadas a cada tipo de carta formal ( enquiry, apology,
complaint, invitation...).

5. Evita los phrasal verbs y las contracciones, más propios del lenguaje informal. Por ejemplo, si
en la carta se solicita información, no escribas: "I'm writing to ask for...", sino "I am writing
to enquire about..."

6. Organiza el contenido de la carta de la siguiente manera:

a) Primer párrafo (First paragraph):

El primer párrafo es breve y en él se expresa el motivo de la carta .

b) Párrafo o párrafos centrales (Middle paragraphs):

En éstos se desarrolla el contenido principal de la carta.

c) Párrafo final (Last paragraph):

En el párrafo final se expresa qué acción esperas del destinatario. Por ejemplo, si se trata de
una queja, sería en este párrafo donde solicitarías una compensación.

EXPRESIONES ÚTILES

Beginning a letter:

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When asking for information

I am writing to enquire about ...

We are writing in connection with ...
I am interested in ... and would like to know ...
Could you please send me details of ...

When replying to someone

Further to your letter of (date) concerning ...

I am writing in connection with your letter of (date) concerning ...
Thank you for your letter of (date) enquiring about ...
With reference to your letter of (date) concerning ...

Offering information

We are writing to inform you that ...

We are writing to notify you of ...
The body of the letter

Giving somebody good news

I am delighted to inform you that ...

I am pleased to tell you that ...
I am happy to advise you that ...

Giving somebody bad news

I regret to tell you that ...

I am sorry to inform you that ...
We are sorry to say that ...

Explaining that you have included something with the letter

Please find enclosed ...

Enclosed you will find ...
I have pleasure in enclosing ...

Saying sorry for something you have/haven't done

We apologise for ...

We are extremely sorry for ...
Please allow me to apologise for ...

Giving reasons for something you have/haven’t done

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This is due to the fact that ...
This is because ...
This is because of ...

Expressing concern or annoyance

I was rather disappointed to hear that ...

I am a little concerned to hear that ...
I was rather unhappy with ...

Requesting, quite strongly, that action is taken

Please could you ... as soon as possible.

We would be grateful if you could ... without delay.
We would appreciate it if you could ... immediately.

Warning or threatening somebody

Unless (state action required), we will be forced to ...

If (action is not taken) we will be forced to ...
Unless (state action required), we will have no alternative but to ...

Asking for information

I would be grateful if you could send me ...

We would like to know if ...
I was wondering if you could ...

Reporting what somebody has told you

I have been notified ...

I have been advised ...
Ending a letter

When you have asked for something

I look forward to receiving your reply.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
I hope to hear from you soon.

When you have given somebody information

I hope that this information will help you.

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Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further information.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
If there is any further information you require, please contact us.

When you have done something wrong

Please accept our apologies once again.

We hope that this has not caused you any inconvenience.
With apologies once again.

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How To Write Letters Of Complaint
Preparing to write
Before you begin your draft, gather all the information you will need to include in your complaint.
This information may include the time, date, and location that you purchased faulty goods or
services, reference or invoice numbers, and records of previous communication with the company. To
support your complaint, you may need to enclose copies of documents such as receipts with your
letter.

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How to structure your letter of complaint
Your letter of complaint should follow the standard composition format for a formal letter.
Below the recipient’s address, include a subject line to indicate the product or service that you are
addressing in your complaint. In the first body paragraph, open with a sentence that immediately
draws the reader's attention to the matter, e.g.:
I am writing to complain about the faulty installation of my air conditioner.
I wish to express my dissatisfaction with my stay at your hotel.
Follow the opening sentence with a summary of the events that prompted your complaint. Be sure to
include exact dates and times, and give all the relevant information in a clear and logical sequence.
In the next paragraphs, you should outline what steps you have taken thus far to resolve the matter
and describe the consequences of the faulty product or service. Adding specific details, such as
additional costs you have incurred to replace a faulty product, will strengthen your complaint. If you
have had previous communication with the company, be sure to note it in your letter; include
reference numbers where applicable.
In the final body paragraph of your letter, you should state your expectations of how the company
should resolve the matter, including specific actions and deadlines, e.g.:

I would appreciate it if you could replace the missing part by next week.
Please let me know as soon as possible what action you propose to take.
I look forward to hearing from you within the next ten days.

Suggestion: Take a calm and focused approach

Keep your complaint focused on the exact incident that prompted your letter. Do not veer into
generalized criticism of the company, and avoid personal attacks and abusive language. Even though
you may be quite frustrated and angry, maintain a calm, gracious tone in your complaint. Expressing
optimism that the matter will be resolved will produce a more persuasive letter than berating the
reader for the company's mistakes.

Examples
See a letter of complaint about a disappointing holiday.

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COVERING EMAIL WITH YOUR CV
La Cover letter en inglés, también llamada covering letter, application letter o motivation letter, es
una carta de presentación que se adjunta al currículum vitate (CV) cuando alguien va a solicitar
un trabajo (en inglés, apply for a job). El objetivo de estas cartas es presentarse a uno mismo,
explicar en detalle lo que está en el CV y hacerle ver al empleador (employer) que tú eres el

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candidato perfecto para el puesto ofertado. Hay distintos modelos de covering letter y cualquiera
puede ser válido, pero lo que sí hay que tener en cuenta es que:

– No hay que dar información personal del tipo los años que se tienen, el nombre y los apellidos,
la familia, etc. Esto no interesa en absoluto a la persona que está pensando en contratarte.

– Hay que ser conciso, no enrollarse demasiado, simplemente poner la información que puede
hacer que el empleador te contrate. Piensa que en los procesos de selección hay, en muchas
ocasiones, varios candidatos a los que entrevistar, y lo que no queremos es hacernos pesados.
Todo lo contrario, que la información que contamos interese.

– Es un writing formal, por tanto, el lenguaje que vamos a emplear tiene que ser formal.
Recuerda, no utilices contracciones, ni vocabulario informal propio del lenguaje hablado o de los
emails informales.

Bien, dicho esto, vamos a ver ahora un ejemplo real de covering letter. Se trata de un writing
realizado por una alumna, donde yo se lo corrijo. En rojo vamos a poner los errores, que los
corregiré escribiendo lo correcto entre paréntesis, en verde las estructuras fijas que debemos
emplear ante este tipo de textos y en azul las cosas buenas, tanto de vocabulario (porque sea
adecuado para el nivel) como de gramática, que le dan nivel y calidad al writing.

El nivel de este writing es B1.

Éste es el advertisement:

Teaching assistant, Bahamas:

Primary school is looking for a teaching assistant to start ASAP. The school is a short walk
from the beach. No formal qualifications are necessary, however, a genuine love for the job
is required. Please forward CVs or contact me for further information.

Dear Sir/Madam, (ponemos coma en lugar de dos puntos)

I am writing to you regarding your advertisement for a teaching assistant in the Bahamas which I
saw on www.jobbahamas.com. I would like to sumbit an application for the post.

I strongly believe I possess the right combination of both skills and experience you are looking
for.

I am a teacher and I have been working in a nursery school. I think it this is a great opportunity to
do something different with my life in the place I have always wanted to go to since I was a child.
I used to dream of being a teacher and living near the beach.

Therefore, when I saw your advertisement I hoped that all my dreams would come true.
I love teaching children, I am responsible and hardworking.

I attach my CV.

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If you requiere any further information, or would like to arrange an interview, please call me on
679024986 or email me at teacher493@gmail.com.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Carmen C.

CONECTORS AND LINKERS

1. CONSTRUIR LA REDACCIÓN

a) Introducción

b) Primer párrafo

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At first sight A primera vista

First of all Antes que nada

In the first place En primer lugar

To start with Para empezar

c) Segundo párrafo

In the second place, En segundo lugar,

Second, Segundo,

Secondly, En segundo lugar,

Third, Tercero,

Thirdly, En tercer lugar,

d) Conclusión

Finally, Por último,

In conclusion, Para concluir,

Lastly, Por último,

2. AÑADIR INFORMACIÓN

and eventually, y finalmente,

apart from + noun aparte de + sustantivo

besides , además, "encima". Ojo al utilizar besides como adverbio. Haz

clic aquí para verlo.

in addition to + noun además de + sustantivo

in addition, además,

moreover, además,
furthermore asimismo
also también
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on top of that, además,

what's more, además; lo que es más,

another point is that habría que añadir que

3. EXPRESAR SIMILARIDAD

Similarly, Igualmente, de forma similar,

Likewise, Asimismo, del mismo modo,
In the same way, Del mismo modo,
In the same manner, De la misma manera,

In a similar way, De forma similar,

4. ESTABLECER UN CONTRASTE

however, sin embargo

instead of en vez de

nevertheless, no obstante

on the contrary, por el contrario

whereas / while mientras

though / although aunque

On the one hand, On the other hand, Por una parte, Por otra parte,
Conversely A la inversa, por el contrario

5. EXPLICAR CAUSAS

because of + noun A causa de + sustantivo

due to + noun Debido a + sustantivo

due to the fact that + sentence Debido a que + oración

for this/that reason Por esta/esa razón

on account of + noun A causa de + sustantivo

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6. EXPLICAR RESULTADOS

as a result Como resultado, en consecuencia

consequently En consecuencia

therefore Por lo tanto

7. EXPRESAR ALGO DE OTRA MANERA

in other words, en otras palabras,

in short, en resumen,

that is (to say), es decir,

8. EXPRESAR HECHOS

actually En realidad

as a matter of fact De hecho

in fact De hecho

really En realidad

9. EXPRESAR UNA OPINIÓN PERSONAL

as far as I’m concerned por lo que a mí respecta

from my point of view desde mi punto de vista

I agree / disagree estoy de acuerdo / no estoy de acuerdo

in my opinion en mi opinión

in my view en mi opinión

I think (that) Creo que

it is true that es verdad que

personally personalmente

to be honest, para ser honesto

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to tell the truth, a decir verdad

10. MODIFICAR LO QUE SE ESTÁ DICIENDO

above all sobre todo

at least al menos

basically básicamente, fundamentalmente

especially especialmente

essentially esencialmente, básicamente

in general en general
By and large, Por lo general,
Generally speaking, En general,

in particular en particular

more or less más o menos

on the whole en general

to a certain extent hasta cierto punto

11. PONER EJEMPLOS

,and so on. etcétera

and so on and so forth etcétera, y así sucesivamente

for example, por ejemplo,

for instance, por ejemplo,

such as tal(es) como

12. RESUMIR LO QUE SE HA DICHO

All in all, En conjunto, resumiendo

In brief, En resumen

In conclusion, Para concluir

In short, En resumen

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On the whole, En general

To sum up, Para resumir

13. SECUENCIAR LA NARRACIÓN

after that después de eso

all of a sudden de repente,

finally finalmente

first of all en primer lugar

in the end al final

in the meantime, mientras tanto

meanwhile mientras tanto

next luego

suddenly de repente,

then entonces, después

while mientras

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