WRITING A LETTER GIVING ADVICE
When writing an informal letter giving advice:
address the writer of the letter in a friendly way and use
informal language
include various suggestions to help solve the problem
use appropriate expressions to give advice and make
suggestions
1. DISCUSS
GREETING
• Use the person’s first name or pseudonym
OPENING PARAGRAPH
• Refer to the problem and say why you are
writing.
MAIN PART (1-2 paragraphs)
• Give your advice and make suggestions.
CLOSING PARAGRAPH
• Make a final comment.
SIGNING OFF
• Use a signature ending and your
name below that.
Readers are asked to write letters of advice and these
letters are often published. Write a letter to the person
above giving him advice on how to deal with the problem.
Begin your letter with ‘Dear Exhausted’.
I have a very busy schedule and it seems I never have
enough time to do all the things I need to do. I never
see my family because with school, football practice
and a part-time job, I don’t have enough time! I’m
always exhausted and never have enough energy.
No matter how much I sleep, I don’t feel like it was
enough. Sometimes I’m even sleepy in class! Please
help me figure out how to reorganise my life. I can’t
go on like this any more.
Exhausted, El Paso
• Are you or any members of your family allergic to
anything? If yes, what symptoms do you/they have?
• How would you feel if you were allergic to something in
your home? What would you do about it?
3. OUTLINE
When you write a letter giving advice, follow the
outline below.
2. FOCUS ON CONTENT
A. Read the letter to the advice column below. What
problem does ‘Sneezing’ have? What would you
advise him/her to do?
B. Now read the rubric and the letter of advice that
one reader wrote. What advice does he give? Is the
advice given similar to the advice you would give?
Readers are asked to write letters of advice and these letters
are often published. Write a letter to the person above giving
him/her advice on how to deal with the problem.
Dear Sneezing,
I really understand your problem! I know how terrible
it is to have to decide between your cat and your health
because I found myself in a similar situation with my
parrot. Here is some advice that I hope will be of help to
you.
First of all, do you have any friends or neighbours who
would like to take your cat? If you do, you could try giving
your cat to them. That way, you could still see her from
time to time. If you can do that, you will know where she
is and that she is being treated well.
I also think it would be a good idea to get another animal
that you aren’t allergic to, like a fish or a bird maybe. That
way you might not feel so sad and lonely when your cat is
gone.
I hope I’ve been able to give you a few ideas.
Good luck!
Andy
Advice
corner
The past few months, I’ve been sneezing a lot and
having watery eyes and strange rashes on my skin. I
went to a doctor, and he thinks I have developed an
allergy to my cat. I’ve had my cat, Rosie, for years,
ever since she was a kitten. I don’t want to take her
to the local shelter, as my doctor suggested. Can you
think of a better option for me?
Sneezing, Sacramento
For the layout of informal letters and set phrases
you can use, see Appendix I.
B. Write your letter.
65
1. PRE-READING
• What physical and mental skills does one need in order
to travel around the world using only ‘man-powered’
means of transport? How long do you think such a
journey would take?
Discuss the questions below using words from the boxes.
2. READING TO CHECK PREDICTIONS
Read the article on page 67 about a man who travelled
around the world using only ‘man-powered’ means of
transport and compare the information in the article
with your answers in the previous activity. Do not pay
any attention to the missing sentences.
READING
A. Other tasks included navigation using the Magellan
GPS to find lines of longitude and latitude so that he
knew where he was.
B. It has been a privilege to have done and seen so many
things.
C. Fortunately, by morning, the creature had disappeared.
D. He rollerbladed across North America, where
unfortunately he was knocked down by an eighty-two
year old reckless driver.
E. At the same time, they also wanted to enhance
international peace and understanding across cultures
and promote environmental awareness.
F. For the first eleven years, he worked his way around
the globe and used the boat to raise money and find
sponsorship.
G. During his journey, he faced physical and mental
exhaustion as well as life-threatening situations.
H. However, Steve Smith decided to leave the expedition
after five years when they reached Hawaii.
3. RECONSTRUCTING A GAPPED TEXT
Read the article again. Complete the gaps 1-7 in the
article with the sentences A-H below. There is one
extra sentence which you do not need to use.
physical fitness endurance determination
motivation courage patience
1. set off
2. take down
3. turn out
4. go after
4. GUESSING THE MEANING OF UNKNOWN
WORDS
A. Match the highlighted phrasal verbs in the article
with their meanings.
a. write
b. try to get
c. start a journey
d. prove to be
B. Look at the following words from the article and
choose the correct meaning a, b or c.
1. seeking (line 5)
a. avoiding
b. creating
c. searching for
2. embarked on (line 9)
a. started
b. considered
c. created
3. relied (line 19)
a. depended
b. changed
c. exercised
4. recreation (line 42)
a. work
b. sleep
c. enjoyment
5. alert (line 49)
a. nervous
b. scared
c. paying attention
6. tremendous (line 69)
a. terrible
b. huge
c. not necessary
Jason Lewis GPS satellite phone radio camcorder
fish read write down your experiences
check weather reports make a documentary
• Which of the things below would you do to pass the
time if you had to cross an ocean on a small boat?
• What equipment would you take with you?
66
5. POST-READING
• What do you think was the most dangerous part of Jason’s extraordinary journey?
• In your opinion, was Jason’s adventure worth it?
• Would you be interested in doing something similar? Why / Why not?
Discuss.
When writing an informal letter giving advice:
address the writer of the letter in a friendly way and use
informal language
include various suggestions to help solve the problem
use appropriate expressions to give advice and make
suggestions
1. DISCUSS
GREETING
• Use the person’s first name or pseudonym
OPENING PARAGRAPH
• Refer to the problem and say why you are
writing.
MAIN PART (1-2 paragraphs)
• Give your advice and make suggestions.
CLOSING PARAGRAPH
• Make a final comment.
SIGNING OFF
• Use a signature ending and your
name below that.
Readers are asked to write letters of advice and these
letters are often published. Write a letter to the person
above giving him advice on how to deal with the problem.
Begin your letter with ‘Dear Exhausted’.
I have a very busy schedule and it seems I never have
enough time to do all the things I need to do. I never
see my family because with school, football practice
and a part-time job, I don’t have enough time! I’m
always exhausted and never have enough energy.
No matter how much I sleep, I don’t feel like it was
enough. Sometimes I’m even sleepy in class! Please
help me figure out how to reorganise my life. I can’t
go on like this any more.
Exhausted, El Paso
• Are you or any members of your family allergic to
anything? If yes, what symptoms do you/they have?
• How would you feel if you were allergic to something in
your home? What would you do about it?
3. OUTLINE
When you write a letter giving advice, follow the
outline below.
2. FOCUS ON CONTENT
A. Read the letter to the advice column below. What
problem does ‘Sneezing’ have? What would you
advise him/her to do?
B. Now read the rubric and the letter of advice that
one reader wrote. What advice does he give? Is the
advice given similar to the advice you would give?
Readers are asked to write letters of advice and these letters
are often published. Write a letter to the person above giving
him/her advice on how to deal with the problem.
Dear Sneezing,
I really understand your problem! I know how terrible
it is to have to decide between your cat and your health
because I found myself in a similar situation with my
parrot. Here is some advice that I hope will be of help to
you.
First of all, do you have any friends or neighbours who
would like to take your cat? If you do, you could try giving
your cat to them. That way, you could still see her from
time to time. If you can do that, you will know where she
is and that she is being treated well.
I also think it would be a good idea to get another animal
that you aren’t allergic to, like a fish or a bird maybe. That
way you might not feel so sad and lonely when your cat is
gone.
I hope I’ve been able to give you a few ideas.
Good luck!
Andy
Advice
corner
The past few months, I’ve been sneezing a lot and
having watery eyes and strange rashes on my skin. I
went to a doctor, and he thinks I have developed an
allergy to my cat. I’ve had my cat, Rosie, for years,
ever since she was a kitten. I don’t want to take her
to the local shelter, as my doctor suggested. Can you
think of a better option for me?
Sneezing, Sacramento
For the layout of informal letters and set phrases
you can use, see Appendix I.
B. Write your letter.
65
1. PRE-READING
• What physical and mental skills does one need in order
to travel around the world using only ‘man-powered’
means of transport? How long do you think such a
journey would take?
Discuss the questions below using words from the boxes.
2. READING TO CHECK PREDICTIONS
Read the article on page 67 about a man who travelled
around the world using only ‘man-powered’ means of
transport and compare the information in the article
with your answers in the previous activity. Do not pay
any attention to the missing sentences.
READING
A. Other tasks included navigation using the Magellan
GPS to find lines of longitude and latitude so that he
knew where he was.
B. It has been a privilege to have done and seen so many
things.
C. Fortunately, by morning, the creature had disappeared.
D. He rollerbladed across North America, where
unfortunately he was knocked down by an eighty-two
year old reckless driver.
E. At the same time, they also wanted to enhance
international peace and understanding across cultures
and promote environmental awareness.
F. For the first eleven years, he worked his way around
the globe and used the boat to raise money and find
sponsorship.
G. During his journey, he faced physical and mental
exhaustion as well as life-threatening situations.
H. However, Steve Smith decided to leave the expedition
after five years when they reached Hawaii.
3. RECONSTRUCTING A GAPPED TEXT
Read the article again. Complete the gaps 1-7 in the
article with the sentences A-H below. There is one
extra sentence which you do not need to use.
physical fitness endurance determination
motivation courage patience
1. set off
2. take down
3. turn out
4. go after
4. GUESSING THE MEANING OF UNKNOWN
WORDS
A. Match the highlighted phrasal verbs in the article
with their meanings.
a. write
b. try to get
c. start a journey
d. prove to be
B. Look at the following words from the article and
choose the correct meaning a, b or c.
1. seeking (line 5)
a. avoiding
b. creating
c. searching for
2. embarked on (line 9)
a. started
b. considered
c. created
3. relied (line 19)
a. depended
b. changed
c. exercised
4. recreation (line 42)
a. work
b. sleep
c. enjoyment
5. alert (line 49)
a. nervous
b. scared
c. paying attention
6. tremendous (line 69)
a. terrible
b. huge
c. not necessary
Jason Lewis GPS satellite phone radio camcorder
fish read write down your experiences
check weather reports make a documentary
• Which of the things below would you do to pass the
time if you had to cross an ocean on a small boat?
• What equipment would you take with you?
66
5. POST-READING
• What do you think was the most dangerous part of Jason’s extraordinary journey?
• In your opinion, was Jason’s adventure worth it?
• Would you be interested in doing something similar? Why / Why not?
Discuss.
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