Search results for 'tag:Formal letter tag:Essays' matching tags 'Formal letter' and 'Essays'

Re: Hi, I have a questions about my letter to my professor.

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:29:20 GMT

You wrote these sentences to respond to the original inquiring post: :

This is very informal - were you asked to do an informal letter or an essay?

Other than that, my main impression is that you haven't really answered the question - only a few words about your impression of the class.

I like your use of dashes -- they flow naturally and seem to convey your thoughts naturally. Having said that your first sentence of using a simple sentence and following that with a question with a dash to connect both is very interesting. In your second sentence, what follows the dash isn't a clause, nor does it seem to link to the previous clause in a way that natually connects them but rather have done in a way that is connecting but rather distant structually.

How can I use to learn to use a dash like you have done? I looked at online sources for help but they don't seem to go in detail about this punctuation mark.

Re: Hi, I have a questions about my letter to my professor.

nona the brit — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:03:33 GMT

This is very informal - were you asked to do an informal letter or an essay?

Other than that, my main impression is that you haven't really answered the question - only a few words about your impression of the class.

Re: Business letter

Feebs11 — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:03:13 GMT

Anonymous wrote:

I tripped over these fourms just on accident looking for advice on a formal letter that is due. If it isn't any trouble could someone point out any areas that need revision. here it is:

*** Bunting Drive

North Augusta, *** ***

November 1, 2007

Mr. B

Assistant Academic Dean.

X College

X Road

X-town, State zip code

Dear Mr. B:

Subject: Grade Disputation

The reason ~~why~~ I am contacting you is because of my strong disagreement with my final grade in English 102 (Fall 1, X). I feel that I have received this grade unfairly and wish it to be reviewed. ~~I must emphasize on the imbalanced acts that were made during the quarter.~~

My concerns primarily deal ~~a lot~~ with my final paper. Mr. X informed the class that âeveryoneâ could and should turn their paper in for him to review before the due date. I tried to take advantage of this but was rejected because of Mr. Xâs busy schedule. On September 20th my final paper was due. I had to appear in court and was not able to make it to class (documentation attached). I turned in my paper at the next class and was notified that it would be counted late and after a quick review was told that I would fail the paper. He identified the major format errors I had made within five minutes of looking at my paper. I do not know why he could not have taken five minutes before the class to tell me about these errors that needed to be fixed. I asked if I could quickly change these errors and turn back in a revised copy. I was rudely told, âYesâ¦next quarter.â I was dissatisfied with myself but life goes on.

I left in disappointment and walked to my next class with another one of Mr. Xsâ students. I asked her how she did and was shocked when told that she was allowed to take her essay home and revise it. She forgot to type major parts of her paper and had many format errors. Mr. X told her that if she didnât redo the paper and turn in back in on the 23rd, she would fail (a due-date altered from the rest of the class). I had asked Mr. X for the same privilege minutes before and was denied. When confronted about it, he told me that it did not matter as she failed anyway. I found out when talking to him a second time that she had actually made a âBâ.

The second of my concerns is about my âdaily gradeâ. I ~~just~~ recently found out about this and should also be brought to your attention. Mr. X enlightened me that I had earned a âDâ for my âdaily gradeâ when I initially spoke with him about my disputation. His reasoning behind it was that I slept in class âall the timeâ as he put it. It is hard for me to grasp this because of the fact that we had to write an essay every class besides the first week and a half. The first week and a half was âan exact repeat of English 101â as Mr. X put it. The repetition of the material made it hard to fight dozing off. I saw this in many students' faces. I dozed off twice during this time period. I would like to bring it to your attention that I was not the only one falling asleep during his lectures. It became sort of a joke about Mr. X and his dictionary. He would prop it up acting as if he was reading, but was clearly sleeping. After the introduction of the course, our assignment from then on was to write an essay each class. It is rather hard to fall asleep writing an essay that is due in two hours. I am 100 per cent sure that I was awake for each paper. Not only was I awake for each essay, but I made it a goal to stay in class until everyone had left ~~early~~. He told us that he wanted us to stay the full two hours even if that meant writing another twenty pages. I figured that was the reason I had received such a low grade in English 101.

Yours sincerely,

Cory X

<mod note: Specific names and places have been removed>

Business letter

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:22:02 GMT

I tripped over these fourms just on accident looking for advice on a formal letter that is due. If it isn't any trouble could someone point out any areas that need revision. here it is

*** Bunting Drive

North Augusta, *** ***

November 1, 2007

Mr. B

Assistant Academic Dean.

X College

X Road

X-town, State zip code

Dear Mr. B:

Subject: Grade Disputation

The reason why I am contacting you is because of my strong disagreement with my final grade in English 102 (Fall 1, X). I feel that I have received this grade unfairly and wish for you to review it. I must emphasize on the imbalanced acts that were made during the quarter.

My concerns primarily deal a lot with my final paper. Mr. X informed the class that âeveryoneâ could and should turn their paper in for him to review before the due date. I tried to take advantage of this but was rejected because of Mr. Xâs busy schedule. On September twentieth my final paper was due. I had to appear in court and was not able to make it to class (documentation attached). I turned in my paper the next class and was notified that it would be counted late and after a quick review was told that I would fail the paper. He identified the major format errors I had made within five minutes of looking at my paper. I do not know why he could not have taken five minutes the class before to tell me about these errors that needed to be fixed. I asked if I could quickly change these errors and turn back in a revised copy. I was rudely told, âYesâ¦next quarter.â I was dissatisfied with myself but life goes on.

I left in disappointment and walked to my next class with another one of Mr. Xsâ students. I asked her how she did and was shocked when told that she was allowed to take it home and revise it. She forgot to type major parts of her paper and had many format errors. Mr. X told her that if she didnât redo the paper and turn in back in on the twenty-third, she would fail (a due-date altered from the rest of the class). I asked Mr. X for the same privilege minutes before and was denied. When confronted about it, he told me that it did not matter she bombed it anyway. I found out when talking to him a second time that she had actually made a âBâ.

The second of my concerns is about my âdaily gradeâ. I just recently found out about this and should also be brought to your attention. Mr. X enlightened me that I had earned a âDâ for my âdaily gradeâ when I initially spoke with him about my disputation. His reasoning behind it was that I slept in class âall the timeâ as he put it. It is hard for me to grasp this because of the fact that we had to write an essay every class besides the first week and a half. The first week and a half was âan exact repeat of English 101â as Mr. X put it. The repetition of the material it was hard to fight dozing off. I saw this in many students faces. I dozed off twice during this time period. I would like to bring it to your attention that I was not the only one falling asleep during his lectures. It became sort of a joke about Mr. X and his dictionary. He would prop it up acting as if he was reading, but was clearly sleeping. After the introduction of the course, our assignment from then on was to write an essay each class. It is rather hard to fall asleep writing an essay that is due in two hours. I am one-hundred percent sure that I was awake for each paper. Not only was I awake for each essay, but I made it a goal to stay in class until everyone had left early. He told us that he wanted us to stay the full two hours even if that meant writing another twenty pages. I figured that was the reason I had received such a low grade in English 101.

Sincerely,

Cory X

<mod note: Specific names and places have been removed>

Re: Why is "Can you show me the way how you did it?" incorrect?

Tanit — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 20:42:55 GMT

Yoong Liat wrote:
Hi Tanit

In Singapore, students are taught to use 'whom'. For example, "The man whom you spoke to this morning is my father." Using 'who' would be considered wrong. In an exam, it is advisable to use 'whom'. ( Singaporeans are using British English.)

The above is related to the grammar section of the English Language Paper. As for the essays, I do not know how the examiners will mark usage relating to 'who' and 'whom'. However, I believe it is safer for our students to opt for formal usage.

Hi Yoong Liat,

In Italy, students are taught to use "whom" as well, especially in schools, where hardly any native speaker teaches English (or French, or any foreign language).
I am sure you've got good reasons to say "I believe it is safer for our students to opt for formal usage".
I only wanted to point out that there are other exams (international examinations, not Italian ones) where students are required to master both formal and informal structures. What's more, candidates would lose marks if they mixed up formal with informal language, or if they chose the wrong register (for instance, by writing a formal letter to a close friend).

Best.

Re: Informal Letter Composition.

Feebs11 — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 01:12:27 GMT

Anonymous wrote:
I had to write an essay of not longer than 200 and 250 words. Can someone please give me a feedback and an overall mark if possible. The composition carries 50 marks in total. Thank you very much.

Your pen friend from Finland is coming to stay with you and your family for three weeks in August. Write a letter to him/her giving advice about any arrangements he/she needs to make before coming to Malta, what he/she needs to bring with him/her, and finally your own plans for the holiday stay.

24, âOur Nestâ

Old Church Street,

Mosta MST 06

1^st May 2007

Dear Mark,

                        Thank you for your last letter. I am very happy that you had [have] decided to come to Malta for your holiday. Even my family are, my mum is already preparing your bed and your place to stay.

                        As you are coming in August, it is better to book your ticket to be safe. You do not have to worry what to bring with you. Malta is very hot in August so bring very light clothes. Also not forget your swim suit and sun block as the sun in Malts is very dangerous, especially for people like you .

                        I am planning âourâ holiday to make it more interesting. We have a lot of things to do like sightseeing, barbecues and of course swimming. I am looking for some interesting places to go for sightseeing, which will be very helpful for your University course about history. Moreover, we can go to some feasts, to see the Maltese culture. I am sure it will be fun.

                        I have to go now. I hope I was a help for you, and look forward to hearing from you again. I will send you another letter before you come. Say hello to your family and tell your sister good luck for her exams.

                        Your friend,

                            David

Informal Letter Composition.

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 01:16:37 GMT

I had to write an essay of not longer than 200 and 250 words. Can someone please give me a feedback and an overall mark if possible. The composition carries 50 marks in total. Thank you very much.

Your pen friend from Finland is coming to stay with you and your family for three weeks in August. Write a letter to him/her giving advice about any arrangements he/she needs to make before coming to Malta, what he/she needs to bring with him/her, and finally your own plans for the holiday stay.

24, âOur Nestâ

Old Church Street,

Mosta MST 06

1^st May 2007

Dear Mark,

Thank you for your last letter. I am very happy that you had decided to come to Malta for your holiday. Even my family are, my mum is already preparing your bed and your place to stay.

As you are coming in August, it is better to book your ticket to be safe. You do not have to worry what to bring with you, Malta is very hot in August so bring very light clothes. So not forget your swim suit and sun block, the sun in Malts is very dangerous especially for people like you.

I am planning âourâ holiday to make it more interesting. We have a lot of things to do like sightseeing, barbecues and of course swimming. I am looking for some interesting places to go for sightseeing, which will be very helpful for your University course about history. More over we can go to some feasts, to see the Maltese culture. I am sure it will be fun.

I have to go now. I hope I was a help for you, and to hear from you again. I will send you an other letter before you come. Say hello to your family and tell your sister good luck for her exams.

Your friend,

David

Re: need only bitter true.plztake a look at my motivation letter and critic

nona the brit — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:42:27 GMT

I didn't say your view was that of a novice, but that the standard 3-paragraph essay structure is designed to make essay writing easier for novice writers. I apologise if you felt insulted; that was not my intent.

The 3 para format is also useful in other circumstances, of course, but not for everything. I certainly don't consider it a prerequisite for writing a formal letter. Motivation letters are often required to be of a length that would make the three paragraphs far too long and unwieldy.

We agree that it's a pretty good letter overall though, so I'm sure anon will be fine.

Re: Inferior dialects?

Randy_Tam — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 09:36:48 GMT

I am not quite close to 'homeless'. I am living at my aunt's home because my granny invited 3 of her siplings to stay... aiya, according to my parents this is going to last 2 weeks or more. I am currently using my uncle's PC just to get here and take a look at what you say. Though I cannot come here as frequently as I used to.

Looking at dictionaries for meanings, phonetic representations whatever does not mean you are forming rules of some sort. I am sorry I didn't include this in describing what a native speaker's going to do with a dictionary... lol. This is especially true with languages belonging to the Sino family, the orthography of which is ideographic, for which reason the phonological form can hardly be guessed just from its shape (I remember I read a passage during my F3 Chinese lessons called <æ¼¢åççµæ§>, in which the author asserted that there's a kind of Chinese letters, the å½¢è²å, whose pronunciations could be guessed. I can hardly agree with this. Even an L1 speaker of Chinese, without prior training, can hardly succeed in this.). This is also true, to a certain extent, of English because of its hybrid source of etymons (... um... I mean the root of a lexical item. I don't really remember the English jargon for it): French, Old English, German, Irish, Greek, Latin... all contribute to the English language as it is today, leading to the lack of consistency between the orthographical and phonological forms of English words. These little 'cracks' of course can not be formulated by the human cognitive system (simply by means of conjecture, etc).

Language is of course not a science, but the STUDY into it can be, just as one may well argue whether translatology is an art or a science.

I am not really sure whether university English courses lay more stress on the scientific side of languages than on the cultural side thereof. To the best of my knowledge, this is not the case. Both are given equal stress. I come to this conclusion from information available to me. Lingnan University, where I am taking my undergraduate yr1 course in Contemporary English and Education, and Chinese University, where a friend of mine is currently a yr2 student in English, both have introductory courses into 'English Grammar', as well as introductory courses into literature in English. The workload is virtually the same for the 2 parts, at least in yr 1. But as the course goes on, more such courses as 'language and culture' or 'sociolinguistics' are available, making the curriculum more relevant to the relationship between language and social factors.

But your statement is true in that Hong Kongers are culturally more and more illiterate, being ignorant not only in foreign cultures but also in their own. Their ignorance in local culture being irrelevant here, I'd like to suggest some plausible reasons why language education from a cultural perspective is losing its ground.

1. It appears students are less motivated (in their learning) these days. What I mean by this is that days at school become more and more dreary: schooling is more or less a long toil, against which students devise one of the most primitive countermeasures known to man --- go have some sleep and look for your Juliet in your dream, handsome Romeo.

But this 'countermeasure' has its roots in that at night students have to attend tutorial classes, which they deem even more useful than classes at school. They having had such classes head back home have their dinner, do some homework and perhaps some reading as well, and, hey mama, I need time to play and relax a while. Voila, time to sleep puppy, it's already 0300 in the midnight. Frankly last year when I was having my A Level, I spent almost 7 hours everyday after school just to revise and read something more (I didn't take tutorial classes, save for economics), it was already 1200 when I returned home from the self - study facilities. It was hell. All this lead to a persistent fatigue in students.

So, the consequence is that, even if the cultural side of language is come across at school, there could hardly be anyone listening (lol.... reminds me of my UE class. Almost 2 / 3 of our class were sleeping if no assignments were given).

2. One may well ask an old question, 'why do students opt for tutorial classes instead of school?' To this old question I give an old answer, 'because students think tutorial classes are more useful, in that they cut the craps and just get straight to the point.' ---> I didn't take tutorials so don't blame me for that. But from what I hear, from my ex - gf (...), my friends, and my classmates, this is the case.

What is meant, then, by 'craps'? ie. anything that is not relevant to the examinations ahead. Examinations, strangely enough, dominate students' minds. My classmates may well think that I am good at linguistics, and so they will immediately conclude, without exception, 'so you must score a high GPA'... Sadly, the thing that is immediately associated with 'good or bad' is a score.

Your suggestion about IELTS (that I took 2 years ago lol without attending any tutorial classes or doing preparations of any sort... just fulfilling your 'minimum requirement' when I was a 6th former) therefore, in this context, does not really render any use in determining the (always abtract) 'language standard' of English teachers. IELTS has nothing about 'culture'. Given that absurd formula (good / bad = score), and given the fact that actually there are tutorial classes given on this test available in Hong Kong, IELTS is simply another UE.

3. These lead to the 3rd possible cause: All that Hong Kong (as a physiological identity separated from its people) wants about English is to make it a little utility: the current English curriculum is concerned with how to use English (as the name of the subject suggests: Use of English), not how to appreciate English as a language or, as Sapir - Whorf's hypothesis suggests, a fruit of a culture. Think about the writing assignments: Letter to the editor, Letter of complaint, Informal letter to a friend (sharing students' own experience perhaps), and essays (on the sheer knowledge on some current social issues). Listening is more or less to make students a 'phono - type', write whatever you hear. (of course, that needs some thought... but what is needed in a real dialogue: any puns suggested? the attitude of the speaker? 'slips of tongue'? all these are absent). Oral~ haha, that's a joke. Just keep talking and make your points understandable to your partners to score high. If this is not enough, sham having some 'foreign accents'. What is the most 'important part' in English exams in Hong Kong, as an interviewee in a programme produced by TVB (name really forgotten, but the programme is great!) pointed out, is 'comprehension', not how to express oneself, accounting for the 'deteriorating English language standard' these days.

4. What makes the situation even worse is the availability of such 'lures' as PC games, movies, and the Internet (-_-... am I not surfing the net?). Students 20 years ago may take pleasure in reading fictions: Le Docteur Pascal, Women in Love, the God of Small Things (I didn't take AL E. Lit.; I really read it for pleasure), Sybil (by Benjamin Disraeli), these are all fictions that I like. But as other forms of leisure can be more easily reached today, reading (to learn from the 'experience of another person': a 'function' of literature) becomes a hefty burden from which every students wants to escape.

So... the entire 'English pedagogic machine' becomes a miserable thing brewing students who treat English as nothing more than a tool to show their 'erudition', as is observed from the fact that complaint letters written in English to the Government or to such other authorities as concerned are paid more attention to, even if the author thereof is a Hong Konger. I do not mean Hong Kongers are in their nature 'inferior' to non - Hong Kongers. What I am trying to bring out is that there exists a sort of 'linguistic discrimination', even if the government has declared equal legal status of Chinese and English. Discriminations of this sort conduce to English being treated the utilitarian way. Actually I was writing an essay on this attitude toward English when the semester started. But the 'study' was halted by the profs, on the grounds that I am but a yr1 student, so that I should leave the topic to my yr 3 (actually yr 4) final paper. Anyway, I don't give a damn anymore.

Your suggestion relative to the English curriculum is good... but I wonder if it would be possible even in the university, as the topics suggested are each already a large topic. Or are you actually suggesting it as a framework that is to be followed through during the 16 years (university years inclusive) of schooling?

I love linguistics not really because I treat language in a parochial scientific way. I am limiting 'language' to the 'essence' (leaving this undefined) because I am more interested in the common traits shared by ALL human languages. Culture... yes, that sounds great, and in my literature studies I remember I once looked into the relationship between 'gender roles' and why Alice Munro's <Boys and Girls> is written that way. But still, linguistics studied in the way I mentioned before is what I am most interested in, for which reason I am not really ok with the course I am taking and am therefore applying by non - JUPAS for CU linguistics... to see if I have a chance.

Letter...

ReDSanchous — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 19:09:17 GMT

Hey everyone!

I've had correspondence with an Australian girl for over a year now. Since she is not a professional teacher she sometimes finds it hard to explain errors I make to me. Therefore, I have decided to post one of my letters to her here so that you can take a look at it and make your comments about it. Of course, I always try to use informal language when writing letters to her but this time I decided to write a fairly formal letter. Here is what came out of it

Hey Aleski!

I was very glad to receive your letter. It's not small for me. It's small compared to most of your previous letters. I'm going to have plenty of homework this week as well. I have to write three essays till 11.11-14.11 . Frankly, I have got very little time to write them now. The problem is that I have not yet even gotten around to them! I have got to write these essays on the following subjects: History, Ecology, and Psycology. The most ploblematic one is on History. The problem is that I need to buy a book, having read which I have to form my own opinion and express my thoughts in the essay. But I can't buy this book. It seems to be out of sale now. I even went to our university library to check out if they have this book but their answer was laconic: "No". The book is a two-volume one. This only complicates matters. I don't think I'll be able to read about 900 pages in 10 days. If I cannot buy the book by Wednesday I'll have to change the subject of the essay, which would be crappy since I very much like the subject.

I think we have tons of indoor ice skating rinks in Russia. There are also a load of outdoor ice skating rinks here. You can always find a place to go skating in Moscow, particularly in winter. Honestly, I was amazed to hear that your school loves ice hockey. It's odd because there are many more kinds of sports you can do in Australia apart from ice hockey. Do you play golf? Golf is not popular in Russia. I think there is only one or maybe a little more golf courses in Russia. But I hear this sport is getting more and more popular now and is likely to attract a lot of people in some 5 years. I don't play hockey rough because I don't have my own hockey kit. As I said, I have only got skates and a hockey stick. It isn't common to have your own hockey kit in Russia. Well, I mean that it is uncommon among amateurs like us. We play on public rinks and cannot afford to pay $250 (Aus) to rent a rink and buy the necessary kit. But we still tremendously enjoy the game. I think it is not necessary to play very rough to get pleasure. There were hardly any fights durings matches in the USSR. Still, the SU played ice hockey best. At least, as well as Canadians. Now there are far more fights in Russia's domestic championship but the level of our play is not so good as that of the USSR was.

How's school going for you now? How's your filming coming along?
I'm going swimming with a couple of friends of mine tomorrow morning. We are going to swim for about 1.20. After swimming, we go to the university to have lunch and prepare for an Economics class. Classes finish at 6.10pm. I'll be home at about 7.30. So, as you see, I am going to have a hard day tomorrow.

I've got to go now as it's fairly late in Moscow - 11.52pm. Bye for now!

Cheers,
Alex

Thank you very much for taking the trouble to make comments on this letter.