Методическое пособие по подготовке к ЕГЭ. Английский язык. Личное письмо. Система тренировочных упражнений.
материал для подготовки к егэ (гиа) по английскому языку (10 класс) по теме

МЕТОДИЧЕСКОЕ ПОСОБИЕ ПО ПОДГОТОВКЕ УЧАЩИХСЯ К СДАЧЕ ЕГЭ. АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК. ЛИЧНОЕ ПИСЬМО

СИСТЕМА ТРЕНИРОВОЧНЫХ УПРАЖНЕНИЙ

TASK 1.

Read this informal letter from Martin and divide it into paragraphs. Remember the organisation and the rules of letter writing.

15 Danton Road Hilltown England 15 May 2012 Dear Tina, It was great to hear from you! Hope everything is okay. Have you started your exams yet? Good luck! Anyway, I’d like to tell you all the family news, Well, a lot's happened since you were here. The big news is that Uncle Tom got married! Can you believe it? His wife is lovely and she's really beautiful! We all went to the wedding and had a wonderful time. Grandpa danced! It was so much fun! Oh, and another thing! Dad's got a new job! Do you know the old shopping centre in town? They've built new shops there and Dad applied for a job as a manager and he go! He’s really excited. He starts next week. One last thing. Do you remember Fluffy, the cat? Well, we can’t find her anywhere. We've got no idea where she's gone. It's a bit sad, really. We all miss her. We're hoping she'll come back soon. We all miss you, too. Everybody sends their love. Can't wait to hear from you. Write soon. All my love, Martin

TASK 2.

Match sentences 1 – 8 to points A – H.

OPENING / CLOSING REMARKS

1. Well, that’s all my news. I’d better end now, because…
2. Hello – how are you? I hope you’re feeling better.
3. I’ll write as soon as I can and let you know about …
4. Please write soon and tell me all your news.
5. The reason I’m writing is to ask you if …
6. Sorry, I’ve taken so long to put pen to paper, but …
7. Give my best wishes to your parents.
8. I was sorry to hear that you aren’t going to …

Opening remarks in informal letters may include:

1. Questions/wishes about resent events, the person’s health, etc
2. A thank you to the person for their letter, comments about their news
3. An apology for a delay in writing /replying
4. The reason why you are writing

Closing remarks in informal; letters may include:

1. The reason why you must end the letter
2. Greetings to the person’s family/friends
3. Wishes, a promise (e.g. to write again soon), an invitation, etc
4. A request to the person to reply soon

TASK 3.

Complete the following letter by filling in each of the gap with one of expressions 1 – 8 above.

 Dear Sally,

a) ___________________ ?___________________ b) _____________________________visit me on holiday. Anyway, we could meet later, after your exams. Thanks for your letter.

c) _________________________________________ I was extremely busy. Do you remember Ann? She is getting married in a week and I help her with all preparations!  

d) ___________________________________ your brother could help us with the wedding cake. Is he still in Brighton? Please, ask him to contact me and tell him that it’s a matter of life and death. Oh, and another thing! Daisy was offered a job in a small corner shop two weeks ago. She likes working there now, but sometimes she misses her student life. e) ___________________________ Ann has been waiting for my call all the morning.

Good luck with your exams and f) _______________________________________. They are so nice! I miss them a lot.

g) _______________________________________,

Love,

Elaine

TASK 4.

Read these pieces of two letters. One letter is from Helena Laine to her friend Christopher Barry; the other is Barry’s answer. Put the letters together again, in the right order.

Helena Laine’s letter

Christopher Barry’s letter

A. I know that you always have lots of great ideas! What would you advise me? Please write back as soon as you can.

B. Thanks very much for your letter, and of course I’d be happy to help. Here are a few things you can try to earn all the money you need.

C. First of all, I think you should get a Saturday job. Have you thought of trying to get one in a local shop so that you can be close to home? This will mean that you won’t have to travel so far on Saturdays.

D.         All the best,

        Topher

E. My friends and I have decided to go away on holiday in summer, but I don’t have enough money. I was wondering if you had any ideas about earning some extra cash. If I don’t save up enough money by December, I’ll have to go away with Mum and Dad instead. Can you think of anything that would help me to make some money quickly?

F.         13 Green Road

Fleetwood

UK

30/04/2012

G. Dear Chip,

H. Another good idea to get job babysitting. Why don’t you ask your neighbours? My only advice is not to get very young children, because they need all your attention. I hope my advise helps.

I.         34 St. Anna’s Street

        Forssa

        Finland

        24th April 2012

J. Sorry that I haven’t written you for ages, but I’ve been very busy studying I’m writing because I’d really like your advice about a problem I have.

K. Yours,

Helena

L. Dear Helena,

TASK 5.

Read these writing tasks. What type of letter (formal or informal) would you be expected to write? Write F for formal or I for informal.

1. You are going to Spain on holiday. Write to an old friend who moved there many years ago to inform him/her of your visit and to make arrangements to meet.
2. Your son isn’t happy with his swimming classes. He says the water is too cold for swimming. Write to the swimming pool explaining the problem and offering a solution.
3. You recently went on a rafting weekend where you had a bad accident. Write to the organizers thanking them for their help and professional service.
4. You have just got your driving license. Write en email top your cousin, telling him/her the good news.
5. Write a letter to the manager of your favourite football team asking if you and a friend can visit the stadium and possibly meet some of the players.

TASK 6.

Decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

In informal writing…

1. We always use complete sentences.
2. We can’t use direct questions.
3. We use exclamation mark (!)
4. We use contractions (it’s, we’re, etc).
5. We use formal connecting words and phrases.
6. We use the active voice more.
7. We use informal vocabulary.
8. We start and end letter in an appropriate way.

TASK 7.

Read this email. It’s an email to a friend, but some sentences and phrases are too formal. Replace them with sentences and phrases from the box.

1. They have rooms for students to stay in.
2. All the best,
3. If you need me to out anything else for you, just ask.
4. Dear Sally,
5. I’ve got the information you asked for.
6. What do you think?
7. It was great to hear from you.

To: Sally

From: Rachel

Subject: info on course

Dear Miss Thomas,

It was a pleasure to hear from you. I’m really excited about the fact you might be coming to Berlin to study!

I have received the information you requested. The course you’re interested in starts in September and lasts for two years. The fees have gone up, unfortunately, and it now costs €300 a term.

Accommodation is available for students. It costs € 150 a month, but my flatmate is moving out next month and you could have the other bedroom. It would be just like the old days! I would be grateful if you would let me know your opinion.

That’s it for now. Should you require any more information, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Hope to see you soon!

Yours sincerely,

Rachel

TASK 8.

Read the composition question and do the exercises that follow.

You’ve read an interesting book. Write a letter to your penfriend Tom Watson explaining why you enjoyed the book so much and recommending that they read it.

Exercise A - Brainstorming

Answer the following questions using your imagination. Discuss your answers with the class.

• What’s the name of your penfriend?
• What will you refer to from letter, or what will you ask them, BEFORE you mention the book?
• Where did you get this book?
• What is the title of the book?
• What kind of book is it?
• Who is the author of the book? Who is the main hero?
• What is this book about?
• Why did you particularly enjoy it?
• Why do you think your friend will enjoy it?
• What reason will you give for ending your letter?

Exercise B - Think about formality

Circle the sentences which would be appropriate for this kind of letter. There might be more than one sentence in each group which is appropriate.

Opening expressions

1. Dear Sir/Madam,
2. Dear Tom Watson,
3. Dear Tom,
4. Dear Mr. Watson,
5. Hi, Tom,

Paragraph 1

1. I am writing to thank you for your letter.
2. Thanks a lot for your last letter.
3. To start with, I’d like to thank you for your letter.
4. I hope you are well.
5. I was so happy to hear from you.
6. It gives me the great pleasure to read all your news.

Paragraph 2

1. Anyway, recently I’ve read a wonderful book.
2. Do you remember my birthday present from Granny? Well, I’ve read this book.
3. I would like to describe a magnificent book I read a couple of days ago.
4. I’ve discovered that I quite like reading!

Paragraph 3

1. Furthermore, I was extremely impressed by both the omniscient narrator’s voice and the magnificent way of writing.
2. I’d therefore recommend that you read it as soon as you get the chance.
3. Well, you know I’m not a book warm but I couldn’t tear myself away from this book.
4. Tom, you should read it if you get the chance – I think you’ll love it.
5. I would strongly suggest that you get and read this book.

Paragraph 4

1. To conclude, the book was marvellous.
2. Well, I’d better go now as I’ve got to do some homework.
3. That’s all from me for now. I’ll be in touch again soon.

Closing expressions

1. Yours,
2. Yours faithfully,
3. Yours sincerely,
4. Take care,
5. Lots of love,
6. All the best,

Exercise C - Writing a letter

Write a letter to your penfriend following the strategy of letter writing.

TASK 9.

You have received a letter from your English-speaking penfriend Mike who writes:

… Guess what! My parents decided to give me money for my journey! I am going to visit you in July because I have to deal with my exams in June. Anyway, I’d like to know what I should take with me. What clothes or other things will I need? What places are we going to visit? Will we swim or sunbathe? Write me as soon as you can…

Exercise 1.

Rewrite these useful suggestions in a more informal style.

1. One factor you might like to consider is the heat, which will require clothing made of light material._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. I would like to suggest that you ensure that you have with you a pair of sunglasses. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. A swimsuit would certainly be advantageous, given the opportunities for swimming in this area. _______________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 2.

Write a letter to Mike.

In the letter

• answer his questions
• ask 3 questions about his June exams.

Write about 100 – 140 words.

Remember the rules of letter writing.

СПИСОК ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ

1. Longman Exams Dictionary, Pearson Education Limited, 2007;
2. Malcolm Mann, Steve Taylore-Knowles, Macmillan Exam Skills for Russia: Reading and Writing, Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2010;
3. Steve Taylore-Knowles, Laser B1+ Student’s book, Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2010;
4. Terry Jacovides, Anne Nebel, Laser B1+ Workbook, Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2010;
5. Virginia Evans, Successful Writing Intermediate, Express Publishing, 2000;
6. Virginia Evans, Successful Writing Upper-intermediate, Express Publishing, 2004.

KEYS

TASK 1.

15 Danton Road

Hilltown

England

15 May 2012

Dear Tina,

It was great to hear from you! Hope everything is okay. Have you started your exams yet? Good luck!

Anyway, I’d like to tell you all the family news, Well, a lot's happened since you were here. The big news is that Uncle Tom got married! Can you believe it? His wife is lovely and she's really beautiful! We all went to the wedding and had a wonderful time. Grandpa danced! It was so much fun!

Oh, and another thing! Dad's got a new job! Do you know the old shopping centre in town? They've built new shops there and Dad applied for a job as a manager and he go! He’s really excited. He starts next week.

One last thing. Do you remember Fluffy, the cat? Well, we can’t find her anywhere. We've got no idea where she's gone. It's a bit sad, really. We all miss her. We're hoping she'll come back soon.

We all miss you, too. Everybody sends their love. Can't wait to hear from you. Write soon.

All my love,

Martin

TASK 2.

1. E
2. A
3. G
4. H
5. D
6. C
7. F
8. B

TASK 3.

1. 2
2. 8
3. 6
4. 5
5. 1
6. 7
7. 4

TASK 4.

Helena Laine’s letter

Christopher Barry’s letter

TASK 5.

1. Informal
2. Formal
3. Formal
4. Informal
5. Formal

TASK 6.

1. False
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. False
6. True
7. True
8. True

TASK 7.

1. Dear Miss Thomson, – Dear Sally,
2. It was a pleasure to hear from you. - It was great to hear from you.
3. I have received the information you requested. - I’ve got the information you asked for.
4. Accommodation is available for students. - They have rooms for students to stay in.
5. I would be grateful if you would let me know your opinion. - What do you think?
6. Should you require any more information, don’t hesitate to contact me. - If you need me to out anything else for you, just ask.
7. Yours sincerely, - All the best,

TASK 8.

Exercise B - Think about formality

Opening expressions – c

Paragraph 1 – a, b, d, e

Paragraph 2 – a, b, d

Paragraph 3 – c, d

Paragraph 4 – b, c

Closing expressions – a, d, e, f