EMAILS TO aN 1B) BEFORE Y' Haye you ever emailed a friend in English? Emails are a quick and eas write to anyone, wherever they are in the world, Because they are so adaptable. you will find that there are very few rules about what makes a ‘good’ email. However, there are a number of different approaches you can take when writing emails to a friend — practising these will help you improve your writing style. Oa Understanding Read the email opposite. What two things does Nicole ask Katy to do? 1 2. Writing appropriately Colloquial language is natural language that is used between friends in informal speech and writing. Example Yo, what's up! (colloquial way to say ‘Hello. How are you?’) @ Read the email again. Underline five examples of colloquial language. What does each phrase mean? Example How’s it going? = How are you? @ Read the sentences and phrases 1-5 below. Rewrite them using colloquial language. 1 Hello. 2 How are you? 3 I don’t understand, 4 5 Please tell me about what is happening I'm sad that I can’t see you very often. 4 Writingtal J Es sna subj’ New job! Hi Katy! How's it gning? Thanks for the lovely birthday card you sent - it made me smile! My sister remembered to send one this year, but it was 2 weeks late ~ so typical! ;) T hope you're doing fine and that you're settling in okay to your new apartment. How does it feel to be a homeowner? Tell me all about it. You won't believe this but I've got a new Job! I’m working I @ bar right in Une city centre, So far, they seem like good people to work for, because the pay’s great and they’re giving me proper training. With bar experience T'll be able to find work wherever Igo. I'm so relieved to have some extra cash, T'll wait to see how we get on together, but I think I might eventually look tor a tiat with 4 couple uf new friends from work. It’d be good to have somewhere to call home. What do you think? | Anyway, T start work in an hour so I should go and get ready, Write soon! Miss youl, | Nicole Colloquial language Colloquial language varies considerably from place to place. No one expects you ‘to learn it all, but don’t be afraid to ask the meaning if you see a phrase you don’t understand. Here are a few examples: USA/Canada: Sure. (= Certainly.) ‘Australia: See you this arvo. (= We'll meet this afternoon.) Scotland: Nae bother. (= It's not a problem.) Ireland: Grand! (= Great, Excellent) USA/Canada: Yeah, { reckon. (= Yes, | agree, Yes, that's right.) England (Yorkshire): Eyup. (= Hello.) England (London): Innit. (= short for “isn't it?", often used at the end of a statement) Section 1: Writing socially | 5Writing informally Although emails to friends are generally informal, that doesn’t mean they should all be written the same way. For example, you would write differently to a friend you have known since childhood and a friend you met two weeks ago. You shouldn't necessarily always write in the same way to the same friend, either. As an example, if your friend is unhappy and needs cheering up, you might write mare seriously, and miss out your usual jokes. © Match the opening sentences 1-4 to the purpose of the emails a-d. 1 Hi Alek. This is James. We met at Maia’s dinner party last week. Jonas, Hi. | just wanted to write and say how sorry | was to hear about what happened. Hello Misty. | thought I'd write and see how you are, and suggest a trip to the cinema, awn Hi Jacopo. | know it's been ages, but | thought it was time to get in touch. an email to a possible new friend oo an email to a friend you haven't written to in a while an email to a friend who needs cheering up an email to a friend who has had bad news a Modal verbs Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that we use to show how likely something is to happen, as well as to express ability. permission and obligation. Modal verbs behave differently from regular verbs: they do not take an ‘s’in the third person, and we use ‘not’ to make them negative. Language focus Complete each sentence 1-5 with one of the modal verbs from the box. 1 Tsssssmnimmne GO NOW. Inced to get ready for work. 2 We.. 1. see LiJiao next week, We've already an bought the ticket: ought the tickets. esas DT ce peak English, but I can’t speak French. might 4 Dec. come to the party tonight, but she’s, will not sure. should 5 help you with your homework: if you really want, but | think you should do it yourself. 6 | Writingeer ke Get writing @ Itcan be hard to get the opening paragraph of an email right. Choose two of the following scenarios and write the opening paragraph and closing sentence of your email. 1 You met a new friend several weeks ago and they mentioned that they were having a party this weekend. You would like an invitation to the party, 2 Your best friend from childhood is having a hard time at work. You want to cheer your trend up. You have a very funny story to share with a good friend 4 You borrowed your best friend's T-shirt and accidentally ripped it! friend you haven't spoken to for a while has moved into a flat with someone you like. You want to contact your friend again, but you would also like to visit and meet their housemate! Read the email fram Nicole to Katy again. Write Katy’s reply. Make sure you respond to the questions Nicole asked. Type your response using your preferred email software, and print out your work. USEFUL TIP: + When you write @ reply, include the original email that was sent to you. That way, even if your replies are very short, they will make sense to the reader. * Even in informal emails, it is good practice to complete the ‘Subject’ field. Keep the Subject details short but informative, so your reader can tell immediately what you are writing about and whether you need a quick reply. * Update your subject field if the email conversation moves away from its original topic. Remember, an email can’t show your facial expression or tone of voice, so be very careful if you are trying to express a complicated or sensitive idea. If you aren't cure, ask yourself: ‘How would | feel if someone wrote this to me?’. * Unless your email is very urgent, you may have to wait a few days for a reply. Think carefully before you send another email to ask for a response. Ifit is very urgent, consider making a quick phone call instead. Section 1; Writing sucially | 7ae BEFORE YOU START Do you have a mobile phone or smartphone? Do you ever send texts? Whan it would be too difficult or time consuming to make a mobile phone call, you can use brief, personal messages or ‘texts’, also called SMS (Short Message Service), to write to people. A text can be a good way to make contact with someone when you do not need a quick reply; for example, if you are wishing them good luck for an interview or congratulating them on an achievement. Understanding Anita and Dominik have arranged to meet to see a film and have dinner, but things are not going according to plan. Read the SMS on Dominik’s phone on the apposite page. What is the problem? How do they solve it? Looking more closely Find your phone and answer the following questions. 1 How many texts have you sent/received in the past week? 2. Are the texts you have sent and received different from emails? In what way? 3. Do you and your friends use any techniques to make your texts shorter to type? What are they? Content words and function words Sentences usually contain a mixture of content words and function words. Content words are often nouns, main verbs, adjectives and time phrases — they are the words thet give us the meaning of a sentence. Example There is a party at the Students" Union tonight. Are you coming’ Function words are often articles, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs and prepositions. If you remove the function words from a sentence, your reader can usually still understand the meaning, which is why we often leave them out when texting. if you aren't sure whether a word is a function word or a content word, ask yourself: ‘Would | still understand the sentence if this word was left out?’ Example Party at Students’ Union tonight. You coming? 8 | WritingLanguage focus Both Dominik and Anita miss out words to make sentences shorter and quicker to type. Find the sentences where words are missing and write them out in full. Example Train delayed 3Umins. = My train has been delayed by 30 minutes. Read the sentences 1-5 below. Put a line Unuuyh the function words to turn them into texts. Do they still make sense? 1 My car has broken down. | will be late for dinner. 2 What time is the meeting? 2 Can you buy some milk? | think we've run out. | will be late for work. I'm sorry. 5. The restaurant is fully booked. What should we do? What do you think the following letters from texts refer to? tu 2b 3 LOL Talking about texting eee oe | PES Anita: Domi Train celayed 30 mins. Well mis frst | part of film. won't we? What'l we do? Sony. A Don't wory. We could skip film and go rsight ta extant? ‘Anita: Perfect What time table booked for— can you change? ‘Spm. Could. b theve by 7? Anita: Yes! me: {Changes vooking. See u outsae restaurant at7.Ox ‘Anita: Thanks! LOL, Ax We ise the word “text! as both a naun and a verb: Send me a text to let me know you got home ok. Text me if you need anything. I texted him but he didn’t reply. Note that in some countries, people replace the word ‘text’ with the acronym SMS’: ‘SMS me if you need anything. He sent her an SMS at three in the morning! Sending texts is also called ‘texting’ I don’t like texting. | prefer to make phone calls. Section 1: Writing socially | 2Text speak To save time and effort when texting, we often shorten words, using acronyms, abbreviations or keyboard characters to show what we mean. We call this ‘text speak’. For example, only the first letter of each word in a phrase may be used instead of the full phrase: + btw: by the way * LOL: laughing out loud/lots of love * omg: oh my gosh Characters and numbers may be combined to create the sound ot a word: * ba: before * mB: mate Only the consonants of a word may be used instead of the whole word: + msg: message + pls: please Repeated letters can be used in standard combinations: ‘+ xoxo: hugs and kisses ‘+ zzz: sleeping or bored Complete the following text conversation with text speak or shortened words from ‘the box. Astrid: Fancy coffee tomorrow? 11 at Coco Matin? OMG Mat Sorry - in bed with horrible cold. Maybe next week? u Astrid: Oh (1) paar thing — nead anything? we Mathilde: No, all fine. Thanks (2) ... cu Astrid: (3)... sue Pierre talking about tho (a) sonsnue again yesterday. LOL Mathilde: (5) 1 What did he say? cd. Astrid: How (6) .. your date was and wants to (7) i ... again. Mathilde: No! Really? Can u come round? We (8) talk more. Astrid: Course! Cu in 15 mins, (9) ... Mathilde: Fab! Xoxo se EXXX, 10 | Writingene Nee ae © Change the sentences 1-3 to text speak. 1 See you tomorrow. 2. Howare you? 3 Isaw John yesterday. He told me a great story. It was so funny! Get writing @ write texts for the following situations 1-6. Your friend has just heen offered a great new joh Send your congratulations N You can't find your house keys. Ask your flatmate for help. You will be slightly late for work because you overslept. Let your boss know. ‘Your sister has hau @ baby yir. Tell your cousins the news and how the baby and her parents are. 5. Your friend has asked you to go out on Tuesday. You are busy on Tuesday, but not on Thursday. Suggest the new date. 6 You want ta talk ta your partner, but you aren't sure if he/she is free. Find out. @ write replies to the following texts 1-3. 1 Locked out of flat! Am cold & freezing. Plz. help! : ( 2. Hi! Ru free? I've got a gr8. story 2 tell u! LOL! 3. Am gonna B [8 4 dinner! Sorry! Xxx ISEFUL TIPS © Be careful nut lo use luv iuctt Leal speak. Texls are meant to be short, but they still need to be understandable. Ask yourself if the person you are texting will understand ‘text speak. + Sometimes, a phone call is actually quicker than a text. If you need to explain some ‘complicated information that will take a long time to type into your phone, consider a phone call instead. Although texts can be delivered almost immediately, don’t expect the other person to reply instantly. Many people like to turn off their phone during meetings or when they‘re with friends and family. Although texts may arrive silently, they can still interrupt people's activities. Section 1: Writing sucially | 14