Grade 11 Informal Writing Booklet Index 1. Friendly Letter 2. Letter of Complaint 3. Dialogue 4. Postcard 5. Newspaper Report 6. Formal Speech 7. Descriptive Essay Friendly Letter John At the moment all the Grey learners are at home due to the Corona Virus. Write a letter to your best friend telling him what you are doing at home to keep yourself busy as well as what you miss about not being at school and share with your friend your frustrations as well as your positive experiences. The body of your letter should be 120 – 150 words in length. Remember to pay special attention to the format of this letter. You may end your letter with Yours sincerely. Formal letter: Letter of Complaint Address of sender Street, Suburb, Postal code Date in full xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (line open) Designation of recipient Company Recipient’s address xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Salutation: Dear Sir / Madam xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Topic line xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Body – State why you are writing the letter. Make references to certain points you want to highlight. Give your opinion plus state your expectations. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Greeting: Yours faithfully Sign the letter Initials and Surname You have recently visited the bank for a study loan. You were outraged at how poorly the Covid 19 regulations were being practised. Write a letter to the Bank Manager to complain about this matter. Use the following address for the recipient: The Manager, Capitec Bank Bloemfontein, P.O. Box 15975, Bloemfontein, 9300. The body of your letter should be 120 – 150 words in length. Dialogue When writing a dialogue, remember the following: sketch a scenario, in brackets, before you start writing; the spoken words are always written in block form, meaning directly under the previous speaker’s word; advice to characters (or readers) on how to speak or present the action, i.e. stage directions must be given in brackets before the words are spoken; a colon is used after the speaker’s name and in front of the stage directions to introduce the spoken words. the speaker’s name is written next to the left-hand margin; use a new line to indicate each new speaker; NO inverted commas are used; Remember to punctuate correctly, e.g. a question mark after a question is asked; The guard finds a small boy standing on his own at the door of the Traffic Department. Guard: Why are you standing here all by yourself? Boy: (on his guard) I am waiting for my mother, the tall lady. (The little boy gestured towards a woman with a red face.) – USE STAGE DIRECTIONS SPARINGLY, i.e. WHEN THERE IS A CHANGE IN EMOTIONS OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS SUPPLIED Boy: (trying to avoid being conspicuous) There she is, waiting in the very long queue, waiting for her licence renewal card. (The guard gazes at the queue but cannot spot the woman.) Guard: Why are you not waiting with her? Boy: (embarrassed) She is at the end of the queue, performance and all! I am pretending that I don’t know her. You are on your way back from Stellenbosch after the annual derby with Paul Roos. Write TWO entries! One where you and one of your teammates are on the bus talking about the the Paul Roos derby ahead of you and then on the way back you discuss something exciting or embarrassing that happened. Your dialogue should be 120 – 150 words in length. Postcard EXAMPLE 1 Dear Jordan 01 June 2020 2020 Mr J Kramer 24 Solly Reinders Drive Peak Fountain Smallville 1234 Yours sincerely Peter EXAMPLE 2 STAMP Mr Osrov Petrvska P.O. Box 321 Dear Daddy Do I owe you an apology? I am so grateful that you did not give up on me when I refused to take the hiking trip. The mountains, the fresh air, the sparseness of the countryside. Incredulous! Can you guess who the cook is at the camp? Your one and only daughter. The very one you have to drag out of bed every weekday. Martindale 8787 Dad, I really needed this. I feel refreshed and ready to take the world again. Thank you. I have to run along now. Give my regards to Mom and Matena. Love you all. Theressa You have been chosen to visit the USA as an exchange student. Write a postcard to your family telling them about your stay as well as something unexpected that happened to you. The body of your postcard should be 80 – 100 words in length. Newspaper Report A newspaper report follows the inverted triangle structure. The opening paragraph supplies all the essential information (Who, What, Where, When) and the following paragraphs flesh out the story by supplying extra information (Why and How). Here you will find details as well as quotes. Then closing off with some less essential information, if it had been left out, it would not make a difference to the story, so if the editor needs to shorten the article, he can simply cut that part. Newspaper reports should be written objectively in the simple past tense. Quotes should be in the present tense. You need an eye-catching headline. The job of the journalist is to report events and give information, not his own opinion. GOOD GIRL SET TO GO Rozanne Thomas of Good High School has been selected for the South African u21 Action Cricket team and will be touring to England in December. Her coach said, “She really deserves this. She not only plays with tremendous skill but she has shown great dedication to the sport.” Rozanne started playing cricket at a young age as she was an only child born to an avid sportsman. She has always played cricket, soccer and rugby with her dad and when her primary offered her the opportunity to play in an all-girls cricket team, she grabbed it with both hands. In high school she decided to focus in actin cricket and joined a professional club. They have won numerous league competitions and Rozanne was spotted earlier this year by a scout who saw her potential to represent South Africa. Rozanne has also completed her umpire’s course and is a recognised cricket umpire who has provincial colours in umpiring. Write a newspaper report about a Grey College boy who you know well and whom you admire, who has achieved great success in his sport / cultural code. Your newspaper report should be 120 – 150 words in length. Formal Speech Speech When you write a speech, think about the following before you start and adapt accordingly: HOW: What style to use (serious, humorous, etc.? Will you placate, encourage, etc.? Will you be aggressive, gentle, truthful, diplomatic? WHEN: When are you speaking? The main speaker? After dinner, interval, in the morning, afternoon, evening? WHERE: At a christening, wedding, business lunch, school function. In a yacht, hall, lounge? Around a table? WHY: What is the purpose of the occasion? Why have YOU been invited to speak? WHO: Who will be there? How many? Young / older audience / athletes /businessmen/women? WHAT: •Show conviction, enthusiasm and self-confidence in the planning stage and it will show in your presentation. •A strong (clever) opener will attract attention •Develop your points well and avoid clichés. •Decide where you should pause and where to use gestures (naturally)and for what purpose. (Keep eye-contact.) •Use contrasting tones (and points) but remain audible. •Use fairly short sentences with simple ideas, using familiar examples. •Balance criticisms with reasonable alternatives. •Consider the closing. Leave the audience with a thought (or two). •Visual or physical aids may be used, but your words must come first. •You may use notes, but only for reference. •Avoid irritating mannerisms. •Use language that expresses your maturity, values and background. Swearing, crudity and profanity are unacceptable. NOTE: A speech is intended to inform, influence or entertain. EXAMPLE 1 Today, 20 July, a number of decades ago, a child was born. The scream, the yawn, the gentle snore –and he still snores Gloria tells me -decades later, has turned into an archetype of human perfection. A teacher, a father, a brother, husband, a colleague and a preacher we celebrate today. Incredible you would say, that he is crying now. That is him, a cry baby. Our wish for you today, your birthday, is to strive to remain true to the course you did not choose, the course our Father mapped out for you. We pray that today will bring you closer and closer to attaining your dreams while remaining true to your course. You are the pride of our nation and an immeasurable measure of joy in our lives. May you be flooded with wealth, joy and happiness henceforth. Happy birthday my brother. EXAMPLE 2 Tips: Greet the audience. Start with a strong and clever opening, could also be a joke, which will attract attention. Develop your speech clearly. It should be well-structured and varied in content. Your sentences must be easy to follow. Avoid clichés Consider your closing carefully, it must be forceful to leave the audience with a thought to remember. Good evening ladies and gentleman, Roses are red, violets are blue, old age has caught up with me but not with you. It is my pleasure this evening to say a few words about the birthday girl. May I start by saying that she is looking particularly charming in her favourite colour, red. I have known Nora for many years. We grew up together. We went to the same primary school but then our paths divided. To my joy I met up with her again last year and she has not changed at all. She is the same fun-loving, honest, kind and happy person that I knew so may years ago. Now that she is turning eighty, I can just wish her continued good health, genuine happiness and real happiness with her children and grandchildren, she has ten! I sincerely hope the sparkle in her eye never diminish. Nora may you keep on spreading happiness wherever you go. We drink a toast to this special lady. The spirit of the 2020 grade 12 class is very low as they have missed out on many things that they had planned for this year. Their matric year is like nothing anyone could ever have prepared them for. The possibility of no matric farewell is also staring them in the face. Write a speech from the grade 11 class to the matriculants of 2020 to motivate them, keep them positive and lift their moral a bit. Your speech should be 120 – 150 words in length. Descriptive Essay Consider the following when writing a descriptive essay: ● The writer should create a picture in words. ● Words and expressions are chosen carefully to achieve the desired effect. ● Images of sight, sound, hearing, taste and touch can be used to make the description vivid. ● Figures of speech are used in original ways. ● Learners should ideally have experience of the topic. It is very difficult to describe something without having first-hand knowledge. AND … A descriptive essay describes a person, place, object or event in a vivid way. It could be an event you attended such as a wedding or a hike, but it would not be a story about what happened there, rather it would paint a picture of the scene. When writing a descriptive essay, decide what mood you are trying to create. Then describe aspects of the topic that create this mood. Remember that you can describe sounds, smells, tastes, temperatures or textures, as well as describing sights so think of your senses. You can use present or past tense when writing a descriptive essay. Read the example of a Descriptive Essay on page 98 in your Answer Series Book. You are going to write a descriptive essay with the topic Life during lockdown. Your essay should include an introduction body (at least 3 – 5 paragraphs) and a conclusion. The total wordcount for your essay should be 200 – 250.
