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...

 

E-MAIL

Many people enjoy sending an receiving e-mail, especially if they share a common interest. Writing e-mails to a friend in English allows you as much time as you need to write the message and look up any words or grammar that you don't know. If you are paying for each minute that you are connected to the internet, you may want to write e-mails while you are not connected and then connect just to type the message and send it.

E-mails are usually written in a less formal style than letters. It is common to start an e-mail with the name of the person you are writing to, without starting with the word "Dear". The following are examples of some appropriate ways to start and end an e-mail:

(1) Writing to your partner

Start: Use the person's first name or nickname
Ending: "Take care", or "Love", or "Thinking of you"
Signature: Your first name, or nickname

(2) Writing to a friend

Start: Use the person's first name
Ending: "Best wishes", or "Yours", or "Take care"
Signature: Your first name

(3) Writing to someone in your own company

Start: Use the person's first name (in a few companies you might need to be more formal, but this is rare in the UK)
Ending: "Regards", or "Best wishes"
Signature: Your first name and last name, and below this your job title and department, and phone number (or extension)

(4) Writing to someone in another organisation or someone in a formal position of responsibility

Start: Use the person's title (eg: Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr) and surname (eg: Smith), or just "Sir/Madam" if you don't know the name
Ending: "Regards"
Signature: Your first name and last name (you might add your title after this in brackets if you want to make it clear if you are a man or woman). Below this your job title (if appropriate) and contact details (you may want to include your telephone number or address)

 

 

 

 

 

BUSINESS LETTER

Keep business letters which you receive in English (for example from a school or company) and try to learn from heir style. Note that there are some differences in style between letters written in American English and British English. For example, the way of writing dates is different (the order is day, month, year in Britain, eg 1/2/2002 or 1 Feb 2002 or 1st February 2002; month, day, year in the US, eg 2/1/2002 or Feb 1 2002 or February 1st 2002), and the way of starting and ending the letter may also be different.

You should normally type a business letter, but a letter which is written neatly by hand is also acceptable. Writing the letter by hand may be better to write by hand in some less formal situations, for example if you are applying for a part-time job in a shop or if you want to be an au pair and are writing to the children's parents.

At the top of the letter, write your address (using English letters) on the right hand side. You do not need to put your name at the top of this address, because it will already be written at the bottom of the letter (see below). As well as your postal address, you may want to include your telephone or fax number (if you are not in the same country as the person to whom you are writing, you should use the international way of writing this, including the country code: see Life/Telephone). You may also want to include your e-mail address.

Write the full name and address of the person to whom you are writing on the top left hand side of the letter.

On the right hand side, underneath your own address, write the date on which you wrote the letter. To avoid any possible confusion, it may be better to write the address in full (for example: 1st February 2002).

In Britain, when you do not know the name of the person to whom you are writing (or if you know the name but you want to write in a very formal style), you normally start a business letter with the words "Dear Sir". "Sir" is a word for a man, but it is understood that it is just a convention to use this and that the letter may be read by either a man or a woman. You can write "Dear Sir/Madam" instead if you prefer, but it is not common to write "Dear Madam" unless you are certain that the letter will be read by a woman. You should end the letter with "Yours faithfully" ("Faithfully yours" is only used in American English).

If you know the person's name (for example, Mr Green), you should normally start a business letter with "Dear Mr Green". If you are writing to a woman who is married (for example, Mrs Green) you should start the letter "Dear Mrs Green". If you are writing to a woman who is not married and refers to herself as Miss Green, you should start the letter "Dear Miss Green". If you are not sure if the woman is married or not, it is more polite to write "Dear Ms Green" (Ms can be an abbreviation for either Mrs or Miss). You should end the letter with "Yours sincerely".

Note that you shouldn't add a full stop at the end of abbreviated words if the last letter of the abbreviation is the same as the last letter of the full word. For example, you should write Mr Smith (short for Mister) or Dr Smith (short for Doctor), but Prof. Smith (short for Professor) - there is a full stop in the last example because "f" is not the last letter of the word "professor".

When you start the letter, you may want to put a special heading to make the subject of the letter clear, especially if your letter is quite long. It is common to start this "Re: " ("re" introduces the subject: it means "about") and then give a one-line summary of the subject (for example: "Re: application for place on Business English course"). You should mention the last letter you have received, including the date written on the letter and the reference number if there is one (for example: "Thank you for your letter of 2nd February, reference MC/0275"). If you are sending some documents with your letter, you should mention this (for example: "Please find enclosed my completed application form", or "Please find attached a copy of my CV"), and you should write "Enc:" and a list of these documents at the bottom of the page (after your signature).

It is better to sign the letter personally as well as typing your name underneath. Your signature proves that you wrote the letter, and also makes it a little bit more personal. You can sign using your own language, but do remember to write your name clearly underneath your signature using English letters.

If you are writing about business in an e-mail, the style used is often less formal, although you can follow the formal rules above if you wish. For example, it is common to start the message without the word "Dear", or to use the person's first name (if someone writes to you in this way, it is normally alright to reply in the same style). A less formal ending would be just "Yours", or something like "Regards" or "Best wishes". As a signature, it is common just to type your name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CURRICULUM VITAE

 

Vocabulary

Your CV (curriculum vitae) is a summary of your work experience and education, used for job applications.
A resume (properly written as resumé) is an American English term for a CV.
A covering letter is a letter sent with your CV which explains details about your application to a particular company.
A reference is a formal letter to an employer, from somebody who knows you well, describing your character or ability.
A referee is a person who provides a reference for you.

Design

How should I design the layout of my CV?

There are many ways to design a CV. This section gives an example

Always type your CV.
Print your CV on good quality white paper. The paper size should be A4 (this is 21.0 cm wide and 29.7cm tall).
Usually you should not attach a photograph.

Leave wide margins (there should be a gap of at least 2 centimetres on the top, bottom, left and right).
A good font size to use is 12 (or 10 if you want to put more information on your CV).
The document should use only one font style, for example Times New Roman.
Use bold (Bold) or italics (Italics) to emphasise important words.
Only underline section titles (or do not underline any words).
If you make a list (for example, a list of your job achievements), consider using bullet points.

Try to keep the CV on one side of paper, or use two sides if you have a lot of relevant work experience or qualifications.
Keep your sentences short and simple.
A typical section order is:

- Name
- Address
- Employment
- Education
- Other skills
- Personal details

An explanation of how to complete the various parts of a CV is shown below.
There is an example CV shown below.

Name

When writing your name, always put your own name first and your family name last (even if you write the family name first in your own country).

Address

Include the full postcode in your address.
Make sure that you will be able to collect all mail sent to this address (if you move, ask the owner to forward letters to you).
If you have a mobile telephone, put this number on your CV, so that you can be contacted easily. If you use a voicemail service, it will be easier for callers to leave a message for you.
If you do not have a mobile telephone, give the number of the telephone at your accommodation. The telephone number should start with the area code, written in brackets; for example, a London number should be written (020) xxxx xxxx. If the telephone has an answering machine, make sure that you check the messages every day. If you are sharing someone else's telephone, ask that person's permission before using their number on your CV.
Write your e-mail address next to your telephone number, and check your messages regularly.

Employment

Create two columns

Use the left-hand column for dates.
For start and end dates, use either full years (eg 1998-2000) or the first three letters of the month followed by the last two digits of the year (eg Jun 98-Sep 00)

In the right-hand column, provide information about each of your job roles.
Start by writing the name of the company (in bold) and its location.
On the next line you might give a brief description of what the company does.
You might give a title for your job (and perhaps a department name) on another line (highlighting this in bold italics)
You should list your main responsibilities and achievements within each role (perhaps using bullet points)

List the most recent jobs first.
Give more detail for recent jobs.
Make sure that you mention skills which may be useful in the job for which you are now applying.
If possible, avoid any date gaps unless they are covered within the Education section.
Don't mention how much you were paid.

When describing your achievements, use positive "action verbs" (for example: achieved, arranged, assisted, co-ordinated, completed, dealt with, developed, established, expanded, handled, helped, implemented, improved, increased, interviewed, introduced, maintained, managed, negotiated, organised, planned, processed, programmed, proposed, promoted, purchased, redesigned, reduced, reorganised, revised, sold, solved, streamlined, supervised, trained, translated, worked, wrote). You should not use the word "I" on your CV; this is understood. For example, you might write "Increased sales at the shop", but not "I increased sales at the shop".

Education

Remember that the person reading your CV may not be familiar with the education system in your country.

Create two columns

Use the left-hand column for the dates.
For start and end dates, use either full years (eg 1998-2000) or the first three letters of the month followed by the last two digits of the year (eg Jun 98-Sep 00)

In the right-hand column, list the name of the school or university on one line, followed by further details (the course name or the number of exam subjects passed) on the next line.

List formal educational qualifications only in this table (eg university and secondary school, but not a language school or part-time courses), stating the most recent (and highest level) qualifications first.

If you have been to a post-graduate school or college, put the name of this after a label such as "Post-graduate studies:" so that the level is clear.

If you have been to a university, use the word "University" in the name, or put a label such as "University:" before the name so that the level is clear. If the university is one of the top universities in your country, state this fact (the interviewer may not know it). State the name of the town and country after the university's name.
In the description, put the name of the main subject studied (try to avoid using the words "major" or "minor", which are used in American English). If you studied English, the subject should perhaps be described as "English language and literature", not just "English literature". Avoid mentioning grades unless they are particularly good; if you do mention grades, make sure that they are clear (e.g. "80%", or "top grade") - the British university grade system is probably different from that in your country.

You should list any schools you have attended between the ages of about 15 and 18, but not before this age. You should add the label "Secondary school:" before the name of the school, or include the words "High School" in the name. If you took exams in a wide range of subjects, you may prefer to list only the number of subjects passed instead of the subject names, or if you have been to university you may choose not to list any secondary school qualifications.

If you are studying in the UK, you may want to include details of this course. If so, write this in a line under the main table. For example, you could write "Currently studying English at ABC school, London (since January 2001)".

Other skills

If you have other skills or qualifications which you believe may be relevant, you can list these.
For example:
English exams which you have passed (eg "Passed Cambridge First Certificate of English").
Computer skills (eg "Good knowledge of standard office software, including e-mail and the internet")
Typing speed (only mention this if you are applying for data entry or secretarial jobs)
An international driving licence (only mention this if you may need to drive for the job)

Personal details

Create two columns; use the left-hand column for labels and the right-hand column for information.
The exact list of personal details you want to give may depend on your circumstances and what the job requires, but the list below will give you a guide.

Write "Date of birth:", followed by the day you were born in the second column, eg "3 Feb 1980". Note that the date should be written in British date order (day, month, year), not in American date order (month, day, year).

Write "Nationality:", followed by your nationality eg "Japanese".

You may want to write "Gender:", followed by "Male" or "Female", if this is not obvious to a British person from your name. Whether you are a man or a woman may be relevant for some jobs.

Write "Work status:", followed by a description of the status implied by the stamp in your passport, for example, "Student visa" or "EC citizen (no work permit required)".

Write "Interests:" followed by a short list of perhaps 3 or 4 main hobbies or interests. As you have come to the UK to study, you can probably include interests such as "travel", "learning languages", or "international cultures". Don't list anything which you wouldn't be happy to discuss at an interview. Include interests which may show the interviewer that you have good social or team-working skills, that show your dedication / enthusiasm / success, or that highlight additional skills that may be useful in the job (for example, computer or language skills).

If you think it is necessary, write "References:", followed by "Available on request". You should only provide references if your employer asks for them. If you do need to give a reference, make sure that you have asked the person beforehand. Possible referees include a teacher or previous employer. It may complicate your application if you give the name of a referee who lives abroad; if you want to do this, make sure that the person will be able to provide comments in English, and give an e-mail address so that delays can be minimised.

 

EXAMPLE CV

AKIKO TANAKA

52 Orchard Street, London W2 3BT
Telephone: 020-7654 3210; Mobile: 07960 999999; E-mail: akiko9999@hotmail.com

Employment

1999-2001	Natural Group, Tokyo, Japan
	A manufacturer and retailer of natural foods and supplements in Japan
	Sales Assistant · Advised the main shop's customers about organic and health foods · Developed new business in smaller satellite stores, explaining the benefits of supplements and organic food to potential new customers · Increased sales at both the main and the satellite shops. The extra profits were used to expand the business by establishing a new shop
1997-1999	Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
	A Japanese conglomerate which develops and manufactures consumer and industrial electronic equipment world-wide
	Administration Assistant, General Affairs Department · Examined incoming mail and redirected this to the appropriate division · Translated foreign letters (written in English) into Japanese
	Customs Clearance Officer, Import Division, Sony Air Cargo
	· Completed reports (e.g. bills of entry) to facilitate the import of goods from abroad · Dealt with customs enquiries and procedures

Education

Sep 2001 -	Britannia School of English, London
	English language school; passed Cambridge First Certificate exam in June 2002
1993-1997	Meikai University, Chiba, Japan
	Degree in International Relations

Other Skills

Computer literate: good knowledge of Word and Excel, as well as e-mail and the internet
Fluent in Japanese; practical knowledge of English and Korean

Personal Details

Date of Birth	6 January 1975
Nationality	Japanese
Gender	Female
Work status	Student visa
Interests	Studying English, visiting museums, playing golf

 

EXAMPLE COVERING LETTER

	Akiko Tanaka
	52 Orchard Street
	London
	W2 3BT
	Mobile: 07960 999999
	E-mail: akiko9999@hotmail.com
Fortnum & Mason's
181 Piccadilly
London
W1A 1ER
	3 August 2002

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

Re: Job as a part-time sales assistant (reference: JBW5014)

I would like to apply for the job of a part-time sales assistant in the food section of Fortnum & Mason's in Piccadilly, as advertised in Loot Recruit on 2 August. Please find attached a copy of my CV.

My previous jobs include two years as a sales assistant in an organic food shop in Japan. This has given me experience of dealing with customers, as well as cashier skills and a basic knowledge of food retailing. I have been living in London since last September, and am currently studying English at a language school. I have good English communication skills (recently I passed the Cambridge First Certificate in English exam). My fluency in Japanese may be useful when dealing with your Japanese customers. I am an enthusiastic worker, and enjoy working in a team. My student visa entitles me to work up to 20 hours per week (or longer during my school holidays), and I could start work immediately.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss the job vacancy with you on the telephone or at an interview. I can be contacted most easily on my mobile telephone or by e-mail (see details at the top of this letter).

Yours faithfully,

Akiko Tanaka

Du-te Inapoi la Various