Letter Writing in English [antikvár]

Letter Writing in English Rationale Writing skills are often the most difficult skills for students of English as a foreign language to acquire. This may be because of the great emphasis on listening, speaking, and reading in the classroom. Or it may be that their teachers have not had special training in this area and feel unsure of their own writing competence. (This is true of native-speaking as well as non-native-speaking teachers of English.) Whatever the case, it is certainly true that guided writing practice in the eariy stages of English instruction will help to (1) reinforce and integrate the development of all the language skills and (2) prepare learners for the production of written English at more advanced levels. While there are important differences between spoken and written English—for example, spoken English has more shortened forms, contractions, omissions, and colloquial expressions—these differences need not intimidate the learner at the intermediate level, nor prevent the teacher from introducing real writing practice at this stage. And real writing, that is, practicing realistic use of the language (in its simpler written forms), is possible at this stage if the teacher provides good models and useful vocabulary for life-like situations. Writing directions, taking down simple telephone messages, making shopping lists are some examples of simple writing tasks in which the students can actually practice writing English in everyday functions. Letter writing, with its many forms and uses, is another activity that is particularly advantageous for the following reasons: • The vocabulary and structures in the letter may be taken from the students' own leamed material. • The letters may be short and simple in form and style, gradually increasing in length and complexity as the students progress. • The letter writing assignments may vary according to type and style as selected by the teacher and the students. • The letters may be corrected and kept in the students' notebooks for actual use as models later on.