Green: recommend you to choose // Red: Better not choose as it is hard to write it good
Speech
Opening
● Good morning, ladies and gentlemen/everyone…
● Introduce yourself (your position)
● Start with some interesting facts/statistics/stories, or rhetorical questions
● Roadmap, state your main points/intention
Body
● Use pronouns like “we all agree…” “Everyone likes…”
● Examples and statistics, quotes or findings from authorities
● Compare and contrast to make your point stand out
Closing
● Summarize main points
● Appeal for audience’s support, call for action
● Thank the audience
Style
1. Simple and straightforward vocabulary
2. Short sentences are easier to understand
3. Rhetorical devices (e.g. simile, rhetorical question, analogy, repetition)
4. May be informal (depends on context)
5. Use suitable tone (e.g. serious, excited, empathatic)
Article
Catchy Title
(Byline e.g. by Amy Chen - optional)
(Date - optional)
Introduction
● Interesting, attractive intro (e.g. use rhetorical question)
● Roadmap, give main points you will talk about later
Body
● Examples (personal, better be real-life rather than imaginary)
● Statistics and quotes, relevant research (just make it up!)
Conclusion
Style
1. Be aware of the target audience, it affects the tone and examples
2. May have subheadings
Diary Entry
Date (and Title)
Introduction
● What you feel (e.g. exclamation, opinion, rhetorical question)
Body
● Give opinions
● Have a topic sentence and clear focus
Ending
● Finish with a reflection/final thought
Style
1. Write in character, reflect personality and mood
2. Informal use of language, casual (still include complex words for exams)
Blog entry
(→ A mix of
article and diary
entry)
Catchy Title
Date
Name
Intro
● No indent, all to the left
Body
● Can use “click here to see more” or other content showing that this is online, e.g. refer
to links or other entries, invitation to comment or interact
Conclusion
●
Style
1. Less formal, personal opinions and experience, lively and engaging
2. Audience-based, address them, e.g. Want to know xx? Read on to find out.
3. Blog with a theme (e.g. eco-friendly issues, cosmetics, healthy diet)
4. Refer to previous posts
5. Interaction with readers, online features
Interview
Title - catchy, attractive
By (your name)
Introduction
● Can start with a quote from the interviewee, or start by introducing the background/
backstory of the character, or the interview aim
Body
● Quotations from the interviewee integrated into the text
○ “xxx” says John/ Lucy exclaims/recounts
○ “xxx” Mary says with a helpless tone/with a smile
○ Can put the quotation in a separate paragraph if it is long, but can also
combined with indirect descriptions
● Remember to bring out the character of interviewee throughout the text
● Can use fancy words/term to describe the person
○ E.g. secret-code enthusiast
Conclusion
● Conclude about the aim of the interview, the interviewee’s future plans or
thoughts/goals about the future, or the main message
Style
1. Semi-formal
2. Tone depends on the topic discussed and character of the interviewee
Leaflet/
Pamphlet
Title
Introduction
● Address why audience should read/catchy or thought provoking questions
Body
● Subheadings, separate main points into sections
Ending
● Call to action, summarize
Style
1. More encouraging/engaging tone
2. Direct address
3. Separate into sections
4. Clear and precise language
Letter to the
Editor
Date (on the right)
Dear Editor (on the left)
Introduction
● Respond to another letter
○ Make reference to article (e.g. policies, initiatives, experts’ suggestions)
○ I would like to reply to/respond to/comment on…
○ I was alarmed/pleased to read...
● Write about an issue of general interest/grievance
○ I am writing concerning/regarding…
○ I am writing to express my concern about…
○ I am writing/wish to complain about…
● State the issue and your opinion briefly
● Outline the main points (choose one issue to focus)
Body
● Clear and precise arguments/opinions
● Give example or justification for your arguments
● Respond to/reference the article you are replying to (optional)
Conclusion
● Conclude on a suggestion/opinion/argument/call for action/criticism (aim)
○ E.g. I hope my comments will be taken into consideration/ the government
will do... /something will be done about this urgently
Yours faithfully, (on the right)
Signature (Jermaine Lee)
Jermaine Lee
Style
1. Simple and formal, serious
2. No slangs, contractions, nor jargons
3. Use I or we to show that it is your opinion
4. Signposting, clear structure
5. Points supported by facts, figure, evidence, experts testimony
6. One-sided opinion
Argumentative
essay
Title
Introduction
● The general controversial issue/context of the issue
● Brief roadmap of your arguments, state your stance
Body
● Sign-posting, clear arguments
● Support with statistics, quotes, examples
● Opposing view and rebuttal
Conclusion
Style
1. Semi-formal to formal tone
2. Persuasive; use pathos, logos, ethos
Proposal
Title (Proposal for xxx)
Intro
● Contextual background of why the proposal is brought up
Objectives
● More concrete objective of your proposal, preferred in measurable terms
● Short run long run goals, 6W questions (why, how, what is needed)
Methods/details + timetable + budget table (if applicable)
● Logistics, e.g. materials needed, what to do, details
● Timetable, how are things done chronologically
● Budget table, e.g. incur a total cost of $x, a profit of $x is anticipated
● Include cost for equipments/utensils, predicted/expected revenue and salaries,
break-even financial planning
Conclusion
● Benefits, effects, significance of the plan
● Answer the question “why sponsor us” “why this is good/the best”
● Hope our proposal would be considered/would meet a positive response/hope you will
find our proposal worthy of consideration
Style
1. Successful, confident, positive convincing tone (no “might” “hope”)
2. Use less 1st person/personal pronouns (no “I think…”)
(e.g. persuade a
sponsor to
fund)
Email
Dear xxx,
Intro
● Informal: Hey! How are you lately? … I just want to share …/ I thought you might
like …
Body
Ending
● May ask the person to respond or reply, e.g. What is your take on this issue?
● Formal: I would be more than happy to listen to your opinions as well. Look forward
to hearing from you.
● Informal: I can’t wait to hear your opinions…
Style
1. Register depends on the person you are writing to
2. One or two incompete sentence/expressions to address the context
Review
Title (catchy)
Name of reviewer
(can have a list of factual info of the review object, or put it in intro)
Intro
● Small hook
● Introduce the thing you are reviewing (facts, background info)
Body
● Comment the thing in different aspects, good and bad
Conclusion
● Your final overall opinion, rating
● Whether you would recommend readers to watch/eat/buy and why
○ Especially for what type of readers (e.g. children, animal lovers)
Style
1. Engage readers
2. Elements for film review (theme, plot, soundtrack, acting, camera angles, costumes, is
it entertaining/inspiring/predictable/boring/relatable?)
Set of
guidelines/
Instructions
Title
Intro
Body: guidelines/instructions
● Use headings, subheadings and bullet points (1, 2, 3…)
● Factual, logical, clear and precise
● Full sentence
Style
1. Formal/semi-formal register
Opinion
column
Title (eye-catching)
Writer’s his/her name
Publication (e.g. New York Times)
Introduction
● Start with a strong powerful quote (from a scholar/ authority)
● Tell readers why they should care
Body
● Clearly defined point and stance
● Backup with evidence (facts, statistics, especially shocking unknown ones)
● Refer to other viewpoints and refute them
Ending
● Writer establish himself as an authority
Extra biodata (optional I guess)
● Brief intro of yourself (biodata and reference in a box)
○ Occupation of writer, his mission, hopes, experiences that is relevance to the
content to show that his argument is valid and supported by research
○ E.g. Mancy is the founder of XXX, graduated in University of Oxford with 13
years of research experience in genetic engineering.
Style
1. Conversational, emotive and persuasive language
○ It is time to declare…
○ Utmost important, crucial, powerful, traumatic, soar
○ We have… (everyone should share the same opinion as the writer)
○ You are part of this revolution, I hope that you will...
2. Present yourself as an expert (formal tone)
Editorial
(opinion of the
editor about current
issues, influence
readers’ opinion)
Online forum
Title - attention grabbing
Introduction
● hook/kicker: provocative rhetorical question, description of a dramatic moment of a
news story, striking fact or statement
Body
● Express opinions clearly with examples and back up
● Refute with strong facts, example or quotations
● Give suggestions on how to make the situation better
Conclusion
● Reminds the article’s main idea
● Suggest an appropriate course of action of recommendation
Style
1. Persuasive with clear stance
2. Emotional language but logical in reasoning, formal
Intro
●
Body
●
●
●
Someone starts a conversation/raise questions, post a feed
Replies from others, expression opinions (get in that character)
Example
@username
xxx…………………… (time)
Moderators: reminders for fact checking, maintain cordial conversations, personal
attacks not accepted
Ending
● The person who starts ends it, reconcile/resolved or what that person decides to do, or
just no ending
Style
1. Provide different perspectives, more controversial/polemical ones
2. Use topic-specific vocabulary
3. Interaction, dialogues
Cover letter
Date
Dear xxx,
Subject: (Application for xxx)
Body
● 1st para: I am writing to apply for… , summarize your qualities
● Explain why you apply to this company/course/programme
● Elaborate how your skills match with what is needed
○ STAR method for elaborating activities/experience
○ Situation, task, approach, results
○ Use more specific action verbs, e.g. lead, create → target skill sets, show
initiative
● Last para: e.g. I trust that my knowledge and soft skills allow me to take up this
position with competence. (conclude capability)
● Look forward to hearing from you. I can be reached at (852) 1234 5678 or
jermaine.1234@gmail.com. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
(full name) Jermaine Lee Pui Yu
Style
1. Formal, clear, confident
New report
Title
Date
Byline
Intro
●
Body
●
●
●
Style
1.
2.
Most important information summarized
More details of 6Ws (who, what, when, where, why, how)
More important to less important
Last para: background info, related info
Neutral tone, clear and concise language, formal
Simple short sentence, can be descriptive
Points to note:
1. CONTEXT/PURPOSE (try to put more characteristics, make up situation)
2. ORGANIZATION (plan your points/argument)
3. Criterion C: genre, text type features, appropriate tone and register (target audience)
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
3-4 body paragraphs (total 5-6 paragraphs)
Topic sentence!!!
English speaking culture example/personal experience
Informal → can use contractions
To what extent/ whether you think → two-sides, stance at LAST
Only choose one side (opinion column, Letter to the Editor) → can put stance at the beginning