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Part 2: Apologise For Not Writing Sooner

Sandra writes a letter to her friend John describing the surprise birthday party she organized for her mother. She tells John that she told her mother they were going out for a quiet dinner, but instead she rented a room at a hotel and invited all of her mother's old friends. When her mother arrived and saw everyone cheering for her, she was surprised and started crying tears of joy. The party lasted until 4am and though everyone was exhausted, her mother had a wonderful time. Sandra ends the letter by saying she has to prepare for a lecture she is giving and hopes to hear back from John soon.

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Anh Võ
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32 views

Part 2: Apologise For Not Writing Sooner

Sandra writes a letter to her friend John describing the surprise birthday party she organized for her mother. She tells John that she told her mother they were going out for a quiet dinner, but instead she rented a room at a hotel and invited all of her mother's old friends. When her mother arrived and saw everyone cheering for her, she was surprised and started crying tears of joy. The party lasted until 4am and though everyone was exhausted, her mother had a wonderful time. Sandra ends the letter by saying she has to prepare for a lecture she is giving and hopes to hear back from John soon.

Uploaded by

Anh Võ
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Part 2 

You must answer this question. Write your answer in 140- 190 words in an appropriate style on the separate answer
sheet.
 Last week, you organised a surprise birthday party for someone in your family, and your friend from
Australia wants to hear about it.  Write an email to your friend, describing what kind of party you
organised, who you invited and how it went. Write your letter. Do not write any addresses.
Sample answer:
Dear John,
Thanks for your email- it was great to hear from you. How’s your new job,
hope you’re still enjoying it. Apologise for not writing sooner, but I’ve been
extremely busy at work for the last few weeks.
You start with Paragraph 1- Introduction
In the introduction you :
– need to use a first name, invent it if it’s not given. Don’t write Dear friend
– start with a fixed phrase showing the situation with the reader
– mention an email or letter you have received from the person you’re writing to or refer to a shared experience or add a
general comment
– say what you’ve been doing recently
 

Phrases you can use in the introduction:


* Many thanks for your letter (- it was really nice to hear from you again)
* I thought I’d better write (and give you some more details about)
* It’s been such a long time since we wrote to each other
* I thought I’d drop you a line…
* How are you and your family?
* How are things with you?
* How was (your holiday)
Do you remember in your email you asked about the party I was organising for
my mother’s birthday? Well, it was a fantastic success. I told mother we
were taking her out for a quiet meal at a local restaurant, but in fact I’d
fired a large room in a hotel and invited all her old friends!
In the 2nd Paragraph you :
– add some specific details to include in each paragraph- this will make your letter more interesting.
– ask a question directly
– use some exclamation marks (but not too many) to express emotions.
– use contractions
Phrases you can use to introduce the topic in the 2nd paragraph:
* I know you’re longing to hear all about (my holiday)
* You remember I told you in my last letter (that I was going to…)
Anyway, I picked mother up and told her I’d changed my mind. We were going to have a
meal in a hotel. You should have seen her face when she walked into the room and
everyone cheered! She just couldn’t believe it and burst into tears. Then the party got
going, and it didn’t finish until four in the morning. We were absolutely exhausted but
mother had had wonderful time.
In the 3rd Paragraph you :
– start a new paragraph, as the topic has changed slightly. Use an informal linking expressions.
– use a range of appropriate vocabulary and informal expressions
Must dash now, I’ve got to go and prepare a lecture which I ‘m going to be
presenting next Monday. Hope to hear from you soon.
All the best,
Sandra
In the last paragraph you :
– can use short sentences
– when you close make an excuse to finish and/or refer to the current situation with the reader again
– make sure you finish with an informal phrase
– mention the next time you will see the person you are writing to
 

Phrases you can use to end the email/ letter


* Once again, ( thanks very much for all your help)
* Give my love/ regards to ( your family)
* Please write/ drop me a line soon.
* I look forward to (meeting up again soon)
* Don’t write Yours sincerely, but rather write: Love. All the best, Best wishes 

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