Letter Writing
HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WRITING FORMAL LETTERS?
Read the following statements, then decide if they are true or false:
- When the letter starts Dear sir we end it with Yours sincerely,
- You can end a letter to someone you know with Best wishes,
- The first paragraph of the letter should explain your reason for writing.
- You should start a new paragraph for each sentence.
- You should leave a space between each paragraph.
- Ms is the title used for a married woman.
- Master is the title used for a man.
- If you are writing a formal letter, it is not a good idea to use contractions. (I’m is the contraction of I am; can’t is the contraction of cannot)
- When you are writing an application for a job, it is a good idea to say what a wonderful person you are. For example, I am intelligent, honest and I work very hard.
- When you apply for a job, it is a good idea to use a recycled envelope.
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Business English Vocabulary - Meetings
| Word | Meaning | Example Sentence |
| absent | not present | The vice president is absent due to unforeseen circumstances. |
| accomplish | succeed in doing | We have a lot to accomplish today, so let's begin. |
| address | deal with; speak on | I hope we do not have to address this matter again in the future. |
| adjourn | close a meeting | If there are no further comments, we will adjourn the meeting here. |
| agenda | list of objectives to cover in a meeting | Please forward the agenda to anyone who is speaking at the meeting. |
| AGM | Annual (yearly) General Meeting | We always vote for a new chairperson at the AGM. |
| allocate | assign roles/tasks to certain people | I forgot to allocate someone to bring refreshments. |
| AOB | Any Other Business (unspecified item on agenda) | The last item on the agenda is AOB. |
| apologies | item on agenda announcing people who are absent; apologies for absence | Everyone is present today, so we can skip the apologies. |
| ballot | a type of vote, usually in writing and usually secret | Please fold your ballot in half before you place it in the box. |
| board of directors | group of elected members of an organization/company who meet to make decisions | The board of directors meets once a month to discuss the budget. |
| boardroom | a large meeting room, often has one long table and many chairs | The boardroom is reserved for a managers' meeting, so we'll have to meet in the lounge. |
| brainstorm | thinking to gather ideas | Let's take a few minutes and brainstorm some ways that we can cut costs. |
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Business English
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Business
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Bussiness English
BUSINESS ENGLISH – TELEPHONE CALLS
- Actually we assisted to the second part of the lesson, so there was no introduction; yet, the teacher started by telling the 3 students that they would focus mainly on listening
- We were involved in the activities, like any regular student
- Handout 1: the students have to fill in the blanks in sentences, choosing from a list; this was a vocabulary activity connected to phone calls
- Handout 2 and 3: the teacher and the students read some expressions which are standard for telephone calls
- Handout 4: listening: the students listen to a tape and then answer some questions checking their understanding
- Handout 5: work in pairs: following a flowchart, in pairs, the students build a dialogue, using the expressions already learnt
- Handout 6: work in pairs: the students listen to a recording, then, in pairs, decide if a set of sentences are true or false
- Handout 7: 2 more activities similar to the one above
- Handout 8: the students listen to 3 telephone calls where non-native English speakers send messages; they have to fill in a grid with details from the conversations
- Handout 9: the students listen to fragments from telephone calls, then they have to choose between pairs of words easily misunderstood
- Handouts 9 and 10: the students in turns read 12 tips for telephone conversations
- Handout 11: ten key phrases for phoning – the students receive 10 impolite telephone comments and have to think of more polite ways of expressing them
- Handout 12: the students read different possibilities of dealing with telephone situations
- Handout 13: the students are given tips about what to say and what not to say in different circumstances
- The lesson ends with a general conversation about speaking on the phone
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FORMAL AND INFORMAL WRITING
Introduction:
This task shows you examples of formal and informal sentences. The informal sentences are common mistakes in academic writing because they are too informal. To make a sentence more formal you can:
§ Use 'There' as a subject; e.g. 'There is a serious risk of...'
§ Use 'It' as a subject; e.g. 'It is impossible to...'
§ Use 'One' as a subject; e.g. 'One may ask whether...'
§ Use the passive voice; e.g. 'Many things can be done in order to...'
Match the informal phrases with their corresponding formal phrases
| Informal | Formal | |
| 1 | Life is not a rose garden. Life is tough. | The trend of globalisation makes it necessary for many people to... |
| 2 | On top of that... | To state it briefly / In brief,... |
| 3 | In a nutshell... | The points for and against... |
| 4 | Last but not least... | Incidentally... |
| 5 | Government must make laws... | Life presents a number of challenges. |
| 6 | Hong Kong is an international city, so we all must... | There are advantages and disadvantages to... |
| 7 | Every coin has two sides. | Another point is that... |
| 8 | By the way... | There is a need for laws... |
| 9 | Pros & cons of... | Cooperation between the Government and the public is vital... |
| 10 | Government & the people must join hands together...… | A final and equally/very important point is... |
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Points discussed at the Feedback sessions
What are the goals, the overall plan and the context of the lesson?
. Tell me about this lesson and its context. What are the goals for student
learning? What are the concepts that the Teacher is focusing on?
. What is the Teacher's plan for this lesson?
. What has led up to this lesson? How is it building on previous lessons? How
does it meet student needs?
. Where does it fit in the curriculum standards?
. What tools/materials are needed?
What is the relationship between this lesson and the broader curriculum?
. How are thesec oncepts andlor skills addresseda t other points in the unit?
. In thinking about the broader goals of the lesson sequence or unit, what goal(s)
will be the primary focus of this lesson? How does this lesson move students
toward that soal?
What prior knowledge do students bring to this lesson? What might they find
challenging about it?
. What relevant concepts have already been explored with this class? With what
results?
. What strategiesd oest his lessonb uild on? How?
. How might you connect this concept to students' experiences and interests?
. What do you predict students may find diffrcult or confusing? What
misconceptionsd o you anticipate?H ow doesy our plan addresst hesep otential
areas ofconfusion?
. What ideas might students begin to express and what language might they use?
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Points discussed
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