Developing English Writing Skills | Môn Tiếng Anh - Đại học Kỹ thuật Lê Quý Đôn

lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417
UNIVERSITY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES Đặng Nguyên Giang Trịnh Thị Thủy Đàm Lan Hương WRITING 1 Internal Use Only PREFACE To the students
Writing 1 is to help you develop your writing ability in English, so that you feel more
confident about the writing you need to do in everyday life. The practice tasks give you the
opportunity to practise this day-to-day sort of writing (e.g. postcards, advertisements,
informal letters, formal letters, job applications, etc.). They give you help with the aspects
of writing you might find difficult (e.g. choosing the right word, linking ideas, paragraphing, spelling, punctuation, etc.).
There is also a lot of opportunity to develop and practise your reading and speaking
skills in this book. You are often asked to look at other people’s writing and to discuss it.
This is a good way of improving your own writing. We hope that you enjoy using it. To the teachers
The aim of Writing 1 is to help students at B1level to develop their writing ability in
English and to give them the confidence to use this ability in everyday life. Students at this lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417
level usually want to and need to write independently, but often avoid it or handle it less
proficiently than they do speaking, listening or reading.
The reasons for this are many and varied, but in this book we aim to break down four
major barriers to student confidence. The first is that because writing is a more permanent
record of one’s language proficiency than speaking, the demand for unrehearsed writing is
more threatening to the learner. The second is that learners often feel that they do not have
the necessary knowledge and experience of language that writing demands. The third barrier
is the view, often reinforced in classroom texts, that writing must be correct, in a formal
sense, irrespective of context. The forth is the related view that such formal correctness must
be achieved first time round in a oneoff writing attempt.
The book does not aim to teach items of vocabulary or grammar, except where such
items seem to be specific enough to the writing context and important enough to the
successful completion of the tasks being set to warrant special guidance and practice. There
are many textbooks which do teach these things and students and teachers may want to refer
to these as they use this book. The practice tasks in this book will however provide a realistic
and relevant context within which students can practise any newly acquired items of grammar and vocabulary.
The practice tasks vary somewhat in level of complexity to cater for all students in the
target group. As well, there is flexibility within many practice tasks to provide for response at a variety of levels.
Opportunity for developing reading skills exists with the provision of writing models
and with practice tasks where students must respond in writing to something they have read.
In addition, there is opportunity for discussion. Students are asked to talk about their own
experience and needs, and to study and discuss the writing models presented. i CONTENTS Page UNIT 1: WRITING A SENTENCE 1 UNIT 2: WRITING A POSTCARD 65
UNIT 3: WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT 77
UNIT 4: WRITING AN INFORMAL LETTER 88
UNIT 5: WRITING A FORMAL LETTER 111
UNIT 6: WRITING A JOB APPLICATION LETTER 124
UNIT 7: WRITING A COMPLAINT LETTER 142 ii
Unit 1 WRITING A SENTENCE
Never put off tomorrow what can be done today - English proverb - lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417 1. Sentence definition
According to Oxford English Dictionary (1989), “A sentence is a set of words
that is complete in itself, typically containing a subject and predicate, conveying a
statement, question, exclamation, or command, and consisting of a main clause and
sometimes one or more subordinate clauses”. In fact, a sentence is a word or a group
of words grammatically expressing a complete thought. It means that a sentence must
contain a subject and a verb (although one may be implied).
Oshima and Hogue (2006) suppose that sentences involve clauses. In terms of
academic written English, a clause is a group of words that contains (at least) a
subject and a verb. The clauses are divided into two kinds: independent and
dependent. An independent clause contains a subject and a verb and expresses a
complete thought. It can stand alone as a sentence by itself. An independent clause is
formed with a subject and a verb and often a complement. Subject Verb (Complement) The temperature is increasing. The birds are flying in the deep blue sky.
A dependent clause begins with a subordinator such as when, if, that, or who. A
dependent clause does not express a complete thought, so it is not a sentence by itself.
A dependent clause is also called a sentence fragment. By itself, it is an incomplete
sentence, and it is an error. A dependent clause is formed with a subordinator, a subject, and a verb. 1
Subordinator Subject Verb (Complement) … if
each ki ss were a drop of water … whom you hate… … because he knew my power. Three groups of words are
to connect clauses in order to form used different lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417
kinds of sentences. They are subordinators (subordinating conjunctions),
coordinators (coordinating conjunctions), and conjunctive adverbs. SUB ORDINATORS after before that when which although even though though whenever while as how unless where who as if if until wherever whom as soon as since because so what whether whose that CO ORDINATORS for and nor but or yet so CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
accordingly furthermore in contrast meanwhile on the other besides hence indeed moreover hand consequently however instead nevertheless otherwise
for example in addition likewise nonetheless therefore thus 2. Sentence structure
2.1. Kinds of sentences
According to Oshima and Hogue (2006), there are four kinds of sentences in
English: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. The kind of sentence
is determined by the kind of clauses used to form it.
A simple sentence is one independent clause. 2
I like playing badminton with my friends every weekend.
I like playing badminton with my friends and look forward it every weekend.
My friends and I play badminton and go swimming every weekend. lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417
Notice that the second sentence has two verbs, like and look forward to. This is
called a compound verb because there is only one clause. This is a simple sentence.
The third sentence has a compound subject as well as a compound verb, but it is still
a simple sentence because it has only one clause.
A compound sentence is two or more independent clauses joined together.
There are three ways to join the clauses: 1. With coordinator
You learn the culture and lifestyle of the native, so
you can avoid the misunderstanding situations in communication. 2. With conjunctive
You learn the culture and lifestyle of the native; adverb
therefore, you can avoid the misunderstanding
situations in communication.
3. With semicolon You learn the culture and lifestyle of the native; you can
avoid the misunderstanding situations in communication.
Let’s study each type of compound sentence in more detail.
Compound sentences with coordinators
A compound sentence can be formed as follows:
Independent clause + coordinator + independent clause
I purchased a tour guide and a travel journal, but the bookstore was out of maps.
There are seven coordinators, which are also called coordinating conjunctions.
You can remember them by the phrase FAN BOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
The following sentences illustrate the meanings of the seven 3
FAN BOYS coordinators. (Punctuation note: There is a comma after the first independent clause.)
Coordinators (Coordinating conjunctions) for To add a reason
Days are short, for it is now October. and
To add a similar, equal idea
Japanese people eat a lot of fish and vegetables, and they eat lightly. lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417 nor
To add a negative equal idea
I do not smoke cigarettes, nor do I drink alcohol.
Note: Nor means “and not.” It joins two negative independent clauses.
Notice that question word order is used after nor. but
To add an opposite idea
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tried repeatedly to
control the procedures of using food additives, but the practices continue. or
To add an alternative possibility
People should limit the amount of animal fat in their diets, or they risk getting heart disease. yet
To add an unexpected or surprising continuation
Cigarette smoking is a factor in longevity, yet Japanese and other long-
lived Asians have a very high rate of tobacco use. so
To add an expected result
You learn the culture and lifestyle of the native, so you can avoid the
misunderstanding situations in communication.
But and yet have similar meanings. They both signal that an opposite idea is
coming. But is preferred when the two clauses are direct opposites. When the second
clause is an unexpected or surprising continuation because of 4
information given in the first clause, yet is preferred. (But is acceptable for both
meanings; yet for only one meaning. Compare:
I want to study art, but my parents want me to study English. (direct opposite)
I am very bad at remembering new words, yet my parents want me to study
English. (Surprising continuation after “I am very bad at remembering new words”
Compound sentences with conjunctive adverbs
A second way to form a compound sentence is as follows:
Independent clause + conjunctive adverb + independent clause lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417
Punctuation note: Put a semicolon before and a comma after the conjunctive adverbs.
Several transition signal such as on the other hand, as a result, and for example
act like conjunctive adverbs; they can also connect independent clauses with a semi-
colon and a comma. The following chart list common conjunctive adverbs and a few
transition signals that can be used in this way.
Conjunctive Adverbs To add a similar, equal idea
also Community colleges offer preparation for many besides occupations;
also/ besides/ furthermore/ in addition/ furthermore moreover, they prepare
students to transfer to a fourin addition year college or university.
moreover as well Community colleges offer preparation for many
occupations; they prepare students to transfer to a four-year college or
university as well. too
Community colleges offer preparation for many
occupations; they prepare students to transfer to a 5
four-year college or university, too. however
To add an unexpected or surprising continuation
nevertheless The cost of attending a community college is low; nonetheless
however/ nevertheless/ nonetheless/ still, many still students need financial aid. on the other hand
To add a complete contrast in contrast
Tuition at a community college is low; on the other
hand/ in contrast, tuition at private schools is high. otherwise
To give an alternative possibility
Students must take final exams; otherwise, they will receive a grade of Incomplete. lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417 accordingly
To add an expected result
as a result Native and nonnative English speakers have different consequently
needs; accordingly/ as a result/ consequently/ hence/ hence therefore/ thus, most
schools provide separate therefore English classes for each group. thus for example To add an example
for instance Sometimes, drugs are administered to animals for financial
reasons; for example/ for instance, the farmers are simply
trying to fatten the animals in order to obtain a higher price on the market.
Compound sentences with semicolons
A third way to form a compound sentence is to connect the two independent
clauses with a semicolon alone:
Independent clause; independent clause
My older sister studies law; my younger sister studies art. 6 lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417 7
Downloade d by Linh Nguyen (linhnguyen1289007@gmail.com)
This kind of compound sentence is possilb cl e on a l u y se w s h are en th closel e two y i n re de la p t e ed nd in ent
meaning. If they are not closely related, they should be written as two simple
sentences, each ending with a period.
A complex sentence contains one indep dep en en d d enten c tl ac ulau s s e a e( n s d ). o In n a e (orcomp mo le re) x
sentence, one idea is generally more important than the other one. The more
important idea is placed in the :ad
verb, adjective, and noun. The
There are three kinds of dependent clauses following chart presents an
overview of them. You will study all of these kinds of clauses in greater detail in the next sections.
Complex sentences with adverb clauses
An adverb clause acts like an adverb; t hat is, it tells where, when, why,
and how. An adverb clause begins wit
h a subordinator such as when,
while, because, although, if, so, or that. It can come before or after an independent clause.
Although science has made enormous steps in making food more fit to
eat, it has, at the same time, made many f oods unfit to eat.
When the water reaches the earth’s su rface, it runs off into the rivers, lakes, and the oceans.
Notice that there are two possible posit ions for an adverb clause: before lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417
dependent clause. or after the independent clause. If it comes before the
independent clause, it is followed by a comma. If it comes after the
independent clause, no comma is used.
Complex sentences with adjective clauses
An adjective clause acts like an adjective; that is, it describes a noun or
pronoun. An adjective clause begins with a relative pronoun such as who,
whom, which, whose, or that, or with a relative adverb such as where or when.
It follows the noun or pronoun it describes.
The additives which we eat are not all so direct.
The girl who lives next door never says “hello” to me.
I understand how conceptual metaphors are used to explain the nature of
linguistic expressions.
In the first example, That the spring is always available is the subject of
the verb makes. In the second example, how conceptual metaphors are used
to explain the nature of linguistic expressions is the object of the verb understand. lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417
Com plex sentences with noun clauses
A noun clause be gins with a wh-question word, that, whether, and
sometimes if. A noun clause acts like a noun; it can be either the subject or
an object of the indepe ndent clause.
That the spring is a lways available makes your hand tired.
A compound-complex sentence has at least three clauses, at least two of
which are independent. You can use almost any combination of dependent and
independent clauses. Just be sure that there is at least one independent clause.
Once you asked me which I loved more, me or life; I said “life”, and you left
me without knowing that you were my life.
I wanted to travel after I graduated from college; however, I had to go to work immediately.
Punctuate the compound part of a compound-complex sentence like a
compound sentence; that is, use a semicolon/ comma combination, or put a
comma before a coordinator joining two independent clauses.
Punctuate the complex part like a complex sentence. With adverb clauses, put
a comma after a dependent adverb clause but not before it. With noun clauses, use no comma. 2.2. Noun clauses
A noun clause is a dependent clause that functions as a noun. A noun clause is
often part of an independent clause, where it can be a subject or an object.
What she said in the interview was not true.
I think that water is more precious than oil. 8
A noun clause can also follow certain adjectives and nouns.
We were happy that we all passed the exam.
I do not agree with the idea that oil is more precious than water.
There are three kinds of noun clauses: (1) that clauses, which begin with the
word that; (2) if/ whether clauses, which begin with the words whether or if; (3) lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417
question clauses, which begin with a question word, such as who, what, where, when, or how.
Punctuating noun clauses
• NEVER use a comma to separate a noun clause from the main clause.
• If the independent clause is a statement, put a period at the end of the
entire sentence. If the independent clause is a question, put a question
mark at the end of the entire sentence. That clauses
A that clause is a dependent noun clause that begins with the word that.
The author hopes that the findings of the study will make a contribution to
English teaching and learning.
You can sometimes omit that if the meaning is clear without it. However, you
can never omit that when it is the first word in a sentence.
A that clause can appear in different locations.
• After the independent clause verb. The most common position of a noun
clause is after the verb of the independent clause, where it functions as the object of that verb.
The researcher states that the aim of the study is improving the students’ writing skill.
• After certain adjectives. A that clause can also follow certain adjectives
such as happy, glad, proud, pleased, sad, upset, worried, sorry, certain,
surprised, sure, etc. These adjectives describe emotions. He was surprised
that she passed the exam with high marks. 9 lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417
• After certain nouns. A that clause can follow certain nouns such as idea,
theory, thought, claim, assertion, statement, belief, notion, opinion, etc.
I believe Fernando (1996)’s theory that most idioms can be analyzable and
have meanings that are at least partly motivated.
• At the beginning of a sentence. A that clause at the beginning of a sentence
functions as the subject of the independent clause verb.
That an idiom is regarded as a complex scene with a bipartite semantic
structure (a literal reading and an idiomatic meaning) is known to several linguists.
Sentences beginning with It
Starting a sentence with a noun clause seem awkward to many English
speakers, so they often rewrite such sentences by putting it at the beginning and
moving the noun clause to the end.
AWKWARD That an idiom expresses a pure concept is clear. BETTER
It is clear that an idiom expresses a pure concept.
In addition, the verb following it (except be or any intransitive verb like seem
or appear) is often written in the passive voice, especially in academic writing.
It is believed that idioms are unpredictable or non-compositional.
It was agreed that the meeting would be postponed until next week.
It has been proven that the world’s deserts are expanding.
You can also write these sentences in the active voice:
Several linguists believe that idioms are unpredictable or noncompositional.
The participants agreed that the meeting would be postponed until next week.
Measurements have proven that the world’s deserts are expanding.
Note: In general, English writers prefer the active voice because it is more
direct. However, they prefer the passive voice in five specific situations.
• You want to emphasize what happened, not who did it. Jack was promoted last month. 10
• The performer of the action is unknown.
The wheel was invented during the Bronze Age.
The performer of the action is unimportant. lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417
Smoking is prohibited on airplanes.
• You want to be objective, such as in scientific or technical report. With a
dropper, 3 ml of HCL were added to the test tube and heated to 37oC.
• You want to be diplomatic; that is, you don’t want to say who did
something wrong or made an error.
I believe a mistake has been made on our bill.
Special verb tenses in that clauses Reported speech
One of the most common uses of noun clauses in academic writing is to report
what someone else has said or written. This kind of noun clause is called reported
speech, indirect speech, or indirect quotation. Verb tenses in reported speech follow special rules.
• If the main clause verb is simple present, present perfect, or future, the verb
in the noun clause is in the tense that expresses the meaning that the main clause intends.
The prime ministers agree that global warming is a serious world problem.
• If the main clause verb is in past tense, the verb in the noun clause is usually in a past form.
The prime ministers agreed that global warming was a serious world problem.
• Exception: The verb in the noun clause stays in the present tense when it
reports a fact or a general truth:
Researchers in the field verified that icebergs and glaciers are melting.
Subjunctive noun clauses
After certain independent clause verbs and adjectives, you must use the 11
subjunctive form of the verb in the following noun clause. The subjunctive form
of a verb is the same as the base form – be, go, come, do, and so on.
The verbs and adjectives that require the subjunctive form in the noun clauses
that follow indicate urgency, advisability, necessity, and desirability. lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417 Verbs advise insist request advisable mandatory ask order require desirable necessary command prefer suggest essential urgent demand propose urge important vital direct recommend Adjectives
They suggested that the objectives of the study be more transparent.
It is necessary that she work harder to finish her MA thesis on time.
Make a subjunctive verb negative by putting the word not in front of it.
She insisted that he not leave his son alone at home again.
The subjunctive also occurs when the independent clause verb is in the passive voice.
It was recommended that the department not hire new staff at this time. If/Whether Clauses
An if/whether clause is a dependent noun clause that begins with the
subordinator whether or if. Whether is more formal than if. The optional phrase or
not may be added in two places with whether and in one place with if.
Therefore, there are five possible patterns:
Jane wanted to know whether John comes to the meeting.
Jane wanted to know whether or not John comes to the meeting.
Jane wanted to know whether John comes to the meeting or not.
Jane wants to know if John comes to the meeting.
Jane wants to know if John comes to the meeting or not.
Notice that if/whether clauses are statements, not questions, even though they
are made from yes/no questions (questions that can be answered yes or no). 12
If/whether clauses use statement word order (subject-verb) and do not contain do, does, or did. lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417
To change a question into an if/whether clause, add a subordinator (if or
whether), change the word order to statement word order, and delete do, does, and did if necessary. Question
Sentence with if/whether clause
Is the test easy? The students want to know if the test is easy. Does he know
the answer? I want to know whether he knows the answer.
Follow the sequence of tenses rules if necessary. (If the independent clause verb
is in past tense, the verb in the noun clause should also be in a past tense.) John
asked if the test was easy. Question clauses
A question clause is a dependent noun clause that begins with a subordinator
such as who, what, when, where, why, how, how much, how long, and so on. There
are two possible patterns. In the first pattern, the subordinator is the subject of the clause.
I do not know who carried out the investigation.
In the second pattern, the subordinator is not the subject of the clause.
I do not know when the investigation is carried out.
Notice that the word order in question clause is statement order (subject + verb),
not question order (verb + subject). Also question clauses do not contain do, does
or did because they are not questions even though they begin with a question word.
To change a question into a question clause, change the word order to statement
word order and delete do, does, and did if necessary. 13 lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417 Question
Sentence with question clause tim doe What e s
the meetingPlease tell me what time the meeting start? starts .
How did you come
to theI want to know how you came to the meeting?
meeting .
Follow the sequence of tenses rules if necessary. (If the independent clause verb
is in a past tense, the verb in the noun clause should also be in a past tense.) I
didn’t know how he had gone to the meeting. 2.3. Adverb clauses
An adverb clause is a dependent clause that functions as an adverb. It can tell
when, where, why, how, how long, how far, how often, and for what purpose
something happened. An adverb clause can also express a contrast.
An adverb clause always begins with a subordinating conjunction that expresses
the relationship between the adverb clause and the independent clause. Adverb clause Independent clause Time
When we were younger ,
we used to go camping in the countryside. Contrast
Although some people are others work better at
more productive in
the night.
morning , Relationship
Kinds of adverb clauses
These are the various kinds of adverb clauses. In the pages that follow, you will study each kind.
• Time clauses answer the question “When?”
• Place clauses answer the question “Where?”
• Clauses of manner answer the question “How?”
• Distance clauses answer the question “How far?”
• Frequency clauses answer the question “How often?” lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417 14
• Purpose clauses answer the question “For what intention?”
• Result clauses answer the question “For what effect?”
• Conditional clauses answer the question “Under what circumstance?”
• Contrast clauses of direct opposition show how one thing differs from another.
• Contrast clauses of concession show an unexpected result.
Punctuation of Adverb Clauses: The punctuation of an adverb clause depends
on the order of the clauses. When an adverb clause comes first in a sentence, put
a comma after it. When an adverb clause follows an independent clause, do not
separate the clauses with a comma. ADVERB CLAUSE INDEPENDENT CLAUSE
Because some people are frightened
they don’t go out at night.
that someone will rob them, INDEPENDENT CLAUSE ADVERB CLAUSE
Some people don’t go out at night
because they are frightened that
someone will rob them. Time clauses
An adverb time clause tells when the action described in the independent
clause took place. The action in a time clause can occur at the same time or at a
different time. Be aware that verbs in time clauses often take forms that you do
not expect. For example, the verb in a future time clause uses a present form, not
a future form. Consult a grammar book to learn about these special situations.
A time clause can come before or after an independent clause.
A time clause is introduced by one of the subordinators in the following chart. Time subordinators
when: a specific time I started doing my homework when I got home from school. whenever: at any
Now our friends and family can contact us whenever
while: at the same While I am there, I would like to take a part-time time
course to improve my English. 15 time
they want to . lOMoAR cPSD| 58728417
as soon as: soon after I want to travel around the world as soon as I
graduate from university. after: later
After Lisa tasted the soup, she added some salt to it. since:
from that time We have been friends since we were students. as: at the same time
As time passed, things seemed to get worse. before: earlier
Before electric lights were invented, most people
went to bed soon after it got dark. until: up to the time
This decision will not become effective until it is
approved by the Ministry of Foreign Trade. Place clauses
An adverb place clause tells where the action described by the main verb took
place. The subordinator wherever, everywhere, and anywhere, are similar in
meaning and are interchangeable. You can begin a sentence with wherever,
everywhere, and anywhere clauses, but usually not with a where clause.
(Expressions such as the following are the exceptions: Where there is lightning,
there is thunder. Where there is smoke, there is fire.) Place subordinators where: a
specific Most people shop where they get the lowest prices.
place wherever: any place I pay by credit card wherever I can. everywhere:
every Can you use an ATM card everywhere you shop?
place anywhere: any place Anywhere you go, you hear people taking on their mobile phones. 16
Distance, frequency, and manner clauses
Adverb clauses of distance answer the question “How far?” Adverb clauses
of frequency answer the question “How often?” Adverb clauses of manner
answer the question “How?” Distance, frequency, and most (but not all) manner
clauses follow the independent clause.