Informal letters-giving advice
Form - 2
General ideas
• Sometimes we need to give advice in letters.Depending
on how formal the writing is, we can use special
phrases.
• We usually write 4/5 paragraphs.
• In the introduction we express sympathy and say that
we understand the problem or that we think we can
help.
• In the main body we make suggestions and give our
reasons.
• We write each paragraph in a separate paragraph.
• In the conclusion we write our closing remarks and
sign off.
Phrases for giving advice:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Why not.......?
Why don’t you....?
You should.......
It would be a good idea to/if......
Have you thought about/considered...?
If I were you, I would....
I think the best thing would be to/if....
One/Another suggestion/idea is to......
Phrases for showing the result
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
This will/would mean that.....
Then,/That way, ...........
If you do this....
By doing this, ......
The result of this would be.....
As a result....
For example....
Task
• Your friend has moved to live in
London.
• She wrote you a letter and asked for
giving her/his advice about finding a flat
in London.
• Write a letter of advice in 110-130
words.
Plan
• Introduction.
• Main body:
• 1 para - think of the first suggestion and
reason.
• 2 para - think of the second suggestion
and reason.
• Conclusion.
Introduction (1)
• Dear Fiona,
(1) I’m so glad to hear that you have
decided to move to London. It’ll be great
to have a friend from home living here.
We’ll be able to do things together like
we used to. In your letter you asked me
to give you some advice finding a flat;
here are some suggestions.
Main body(2)
• (2) If I were you I would start by
checking advertisements in the London
papers. For example, the “Daily Mail”
and the “Evening Standard” have large
sections with houses and flats for rent.
That way, you will be able to see
what is available for rent at the moment.
Main body (3)
• (3) Another good idea is to
contact an estate agent. Goldsmith and
Howland have offices all over
London.By doing this you can
get a list of all the places in the area you
want at a price you can afford.
Conclusion(4)
• (4) I hope this helps. Please let me know
how things turn out. If you need
anything else, please call.
Love,
Mandy
After writing check:
• If you used the informal style.
• If you used short forms, certain phrases.
• If you organised the points clearly into
paragraphs.
• If you wrote the topic sentence in each
paragraph
• If you corrected all mistakes.
Tasks
• Write a letter of advice in the following
situations:
• 1.Your friend has lost his/her purse.
• 2. Your friend wants to go abroad for
the first time.
• 3. Your friend wants to organise „A tree
planting Day“ at school.
Thanks for your attention