Writing

DISCURSIVE COMPOSITION

Introduction:
- To begin with
- in the first place
- the first thing to take into account is
- first of all I would like to say that
- I’d like to begin by
- the main advantage is


Presenting two (dis)advantages together:
- not only .. but .. also

Giving examples:
- for example
- for instance
- such as
- like

Someone else’s opinion:
- according to
- some people say (that)
- it is said (that)
- why do some people believe …?

Further point:
- secondly
- what is more
- in addition to this
- another point to be made is that
- however, if that is the case, then why…
- last but not least

Expressing causes & results:
- because of this
- this is due to
- as a result
- for this reason
- therefore
- thus

Expressing contrast:
- on the one/other hand
- however
- despite
- but
- although
- even though
- in spite of
- nevertheless

Conclusion & opinion:
- to conclude
- in conclusion
- I am convinced that
- I would argue that
- To sum up, there are arguments
- However in my view
- On balance, I am of the opinion that



INFORMAL LETTER

Beginnings
- let me tell you about
- hope everything’s okay
- it was great to hear from you
- how are you
- how are things
- hope you’re well
- just a short note to let you know
- I thought I’d drop you a line because
- As for my latest news

Between:
- glad to hear
- I was very happy to hear/read
- Great news about
- By the way
- Guess what?
- oh, and another thing!
- One last thing

Endings:
- can’t wait to hear all your news
- all my love
- Anyway
- Got to go
- Lots of love

INFORMAL TRANSACTIONAL LETTER:

-it’s about
- you really must
- you absolutely have to
- how do you fancy
- what/how about
- it’d probably be a good idea to
- don’t bother


REPORT:

To:
From:
Subject:
Date:
Introduction:
(points)
Conclusion or recommendation:

Introductory paragraph:
- as requested
- this involved + ing
- my findings are presented/outlined below
- the aim of the report is to
- in order to preapare this report
- this report describes/outlines/deals with
- this report is based on
Reporting findings:
- it appears that the majority of
- the only problem is that
- most X seem
- not surprisingly
- according to
Recommending:
- I would like to suggest/recommend
- I therefore (do not) suggest/recommend
- I believe we should (not) recommend
- You may wish to consider
- All things considered
- We have no hesitation in recommending
- It might be advisable
- It would be preferable to


LETTER OF APPLICATION:

Reason:
- I am writing in a response to your advertisement which I saw
- I am writing with regard to..
- I would like to apply for the post of
- I would like to apply for the position of .. which I saw advertised
- One of my reasons for applying is..
Talking about yourself:
- I am . years old and I..
- At present I am .. (working for/ student at)
Describing character:
- I believe I have the personal qualities necessary for this post because
- I am generally considered to be
- I would say I was
Presenting qualifications:
- I passed
- I also hold/have a qualification in
- My qualification include
- I have a reasonable command of..
- I have a good knowledge of..
Describing experience:
- I have some experience of this kind of work because
- Although I have no direct experience, I have..
- I regret I have had no experience of
Talking about the job:
- I feel I would be suitable for the job
- I think I would be a suitable candidate for.. because..
- The job would give me the opportunity to (get work experience during the summer holiday)
Requesting information:
- I wonder if you could tell me
- Do you think you could let me know
Offering further information:
- if you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me
Referring to interview:
- I am available for interview at your convenience/any time
- I would be happy/free/able to attend an interview/provide references
- I am avliable to attend an interview
Ending:
- I hope you will consider my application
- I hope my application will meet with your approval
- I hope you will find this information of use
- I look forward to hearing from you (in the near future)
- Yours faithfully/sincere



ARTICLE:

Beginning (rhetorical questions):
- Have you ever?
- Are you one of those people who…?
- What do you think about?
- Have you seen/read

Introducing first point:
- firstly
- first of all
- in the first place
- to begin with
- one thing I consider is

Further points:
- secondly
- in addition (to this)
- yet another
- apart from that

Final points:
- so
- in conclusion
- to sum up
- to conclude

Opinion:
- in my opinion
- if you ask me
- to my mind
- personally
- I believe that
- In my view


FORMAL TRANSACTIONAL LETTER:

• COMPLAINING:
Reason for writing:
- I am writing in order to complain about…
- I am writing to say that I am not happy with
- To my horror/surprise/disappointment
- I must express my dissatisfaction with
First complaint:
- first of all
- in the first place
- the first problem is
- my first complaint is
- the first thing I would like to draw to your attention is
Further complaints:
- not only but also
- in addition (to this)
- the … was also unacceptable
- you say that .. . in fact
- you do not seem to realize that
- the problems do/did not stop there
- furthermore
- even worse/even more worrying
- when it comes to the question of
Demanding action:
- I suggest that you replace the item
- I would be grateful if you could give me a refund
- I must insist that/you
- I must ask you to
- In this situation I am afraid I must ask for/ask you to
- I hope/believe this (failure/loss/disappointment) entitles me to compensation/a refund
- Taking into consideration all the (trouble) I suffered/experienced/ I hope I can expect
Ending:
- I look forward to hearing from you
- Receiving your explanation
- Receiving a full refund
- I hope that in future
- If I do not get a satisfactory reply, I will have no alternative but to
- Please can you assure me that

• MAKING SUGGESTION:
Reason:
- I am writing to suggest/arrange/make arrangements
- I am writing in connection with
First suggestion:
- first of all
- my first suggestion is
- I would like to suggest
Further suggestions:
- secondly
- another/a further possibility is
Offering a choice:
- either .. or ..
- would you mind choosing between?

• REQUESTING INFORMATION:
Reason:
- I am writing to enquire/request further information about
- I am writing in connection with/to ask
- I am interested in
- I am planning to .. and thath is why I found this advertisement/offer/text interesting/important
First piece of information:
- the first thing I would like to know is
- I wonder if you would mind telling me first of all
Further information:
- do you think you could also inform me
- would you mind also telling me
- do you know
- I would like to know if/whether
- I hope you can also let me know about
Thanking:
- I would like to thank you
- Thank you in advance for this information

• GIVING INFORMATION:
Reason:
- I am writing to request information about
First point:
- the first thing I wish to inform you of is..
- I would like to begin by informing you that
Further points:
- another piece of information you may find useful is that
- I would also like to inform you that
Ending:
- if you require further information, please do not hesitate to ask

• REQUESTING PERMISSION
Reason:
- I am writing to request permission for
First request:
- I wonder first of all whether/if you would mind
- The first request I would like you to consider is
Further request:
- I would be grateful if you would also consider
- I wonder if it might be possible for us to
- I would also like to request permission for
Thanking:
- thank you for considering these requests

• RESPONSE
Beginning:
- I am writing in a response to the letter
- I am writing in connection with
- I have just read .. titled .. in ..
- I would like to thank you/congratulate you on
- I was very interested in your
- I found this article very interesting because
Agreeing:
- I absolutely/completely agree with your opinion
- I am of the same/a similar opinion
- I could not agree more with the opinion that
- The author rightly notices that
Disagreeing:
- I have to disagree with
- It is simply not true that
- I also disagree with
- And do you really think
- I strongly disagree with
- I would like to take issue with the opinion/view that
- I am of a different/opposite opinion because
Tentatively agreeing:
- and whereas it may be true that
- we have to accept that
- presumably
- it may be true to some extent but

- as a matter of the fact
- another argument to prove
- generally speaking
- admittedly
- as far as I’m concerned
- in my experience
- in conclusion
- I think

- i wonder what other readers think about
I hope you will publish more articles about this problem
I would like to suggest more topics like this, for example
I would be grateful if you could publish my letter


STORY:

Time phrases:
- it all began
- meanwhile
- shortly afterwards
- a little later
- some time later
- eventually
- finally
- in the end
- that was when

Dramatic devices:
- suddenly
- all of a sudden
- without warning
- just like that
- just at that moment
- out of the blue
- to my amazement
- eventually
- before long

Direct speech:
- ‘…’, said X.
- say/tell/ask/shout/whisper/scream/think/cry/promise

Concluding:
- it had all been
- when it was all over
- after everything that happened
- looking back now
- in the end


SET TEXTS:

Introduction:
- the main events of the novel happen in the course of one day/year
- the story is set
- one of the main themes of the book is
- this is a story about
Characters:
- the hero of the novel is … called
- the villain of the piece is called
- the writer portrays her/him as lonely/tormented figure
- I found/didn’t find the main characters very convincing
Comments:
- I thought the plot was excellent/exciting/disappointing
- I liked/didn’t like the writer’s style
- The ending of the book was exciting/rather disappointing
- Each chapter endeed on a cliff-hanger
- There was a really strong sense of suspense
- The book was so exciting, I couldn’t put it down
- I found the pace a bit slow
- The character I like most/least
- The reason I feel that is
- It’s full of




INVITATION:
- I would like to invite you
- We’re organizing
- You’re welcome to
- The party will take place
- Join in the fun
- We’ll have a grat time
- Hope to see you
- Let me know if you can come




ANNOUNCEMENT:
- attention (everyone)
- you can take part in
- if you’re interested
- come and join
- to sign up/contact


NOTE:
- I hope it /all goes well
- Cross fingers
- The best of luck
- Keep well
- Many happy returns (of the day)
- Many thanks for