Ovimani: English Grammar

Part-01

Giving orders and instructions

How can you ask someone to do something for you in English without sounding rude? Here are some of the ways that you can give orders and instructions.

1. Use the imperative form (We use the imperative form to give orders, warnings and advice:)

Be quiet!
Take care!
Listen to me carefully!Let's go now.
Please listen to what I'm saying.

Being friendly in English

Having good social skills is important if you want to make a good impression on the people you meet. Here's some advice on what is considered polite or impolite in English-speaking cultures.

1. Please, thank you, excuse me and I'm sorry

These polite expressions are used a lot in spoken English, and not using them can make you appear rude. As politeness is considered perhaps the most important quality in relationships, make sure you use them! Don't worry if you think you use them too frequently: the worst that people will think of you is that you are sweet and charming:)

Please = use whenever you want someone to do something for you, or if you want something from another person

Can you tell me where the post office is, please?
Can you pass me that newspaper please?

Never use imperative forms unless you are giving someone directions. So although you can say to someone "Take the 130 bus to Croydon and get off at Asda supermarket", you can't say to someone "Pass me that newspaper".

Thank you = use whenever someone does something for you, or gives you something.

Excuse me = use when you want to introduce a request to someone, or if you want to get past someone

Excuse me, can you tell me where the post office is, please?
Excuse me, is this the right platform for the London train?

I'm sorry = use any time that you inconvenience someone, tread on someone's toes in a crowded train, or if someone asks you something that you can't do.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand. Is the post office on the left or the right?

Is Mr Jones in the office?
I'm sorry, he's out this morning.

2. Ask permission before doing something that may inconvenience others

Do you mind if I open the window?
Can I take this chair?

3. Avoid controversial topics when you meet someone new

Some topics of conversation can lead to arguments, so unless you know someone well, it's best to avoid them. These topics are politics, religion and financial information such as how much money you earn. If you are in doubt about what to talk about, let the other person take the lead, and respond to them. This leads on to the next point:

4. Keep the conversation going

If someone asks you a question, respond to it. Avoid one-word answers, and try to say at least a few words. Then you can return the question.

For example, if someone says "Terrible weather, isn't it", avoid just saying "yes". Instead you can say "Yes, I wish it would stop raining" or "Yes, it wasn't like this last summer, was it?"

Saying how happy you are

Here are some of the ways you can express your happiness in English.

You can be…

- (absolutely) delighted
- thrilled to bits
- over the moon
- really pleased
- so happy

Or you can say…

- I couldn't be happier.
- That is fantastic / wonderful / great / marvellous!

When you hear good news you can say:

- What great / wonderful / fantastic news!
- We've been waiting so long for this (moment).
- Thank God! / Thank God for that!
(British English speakers tend not to be particularly religious)

Pronunciation tip
Stress the adverbs and adjectives for greater emphasis:

- I'm really pleased.
- What great news!

Saying dates and numbers in English

Dates
We can say dates either with the day before the month, or the month before the day:
The first of January / January the first.

Remember to use ordinal numbers for dates.
(The first, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the twenty-second, the thirty-first etc.)

Years
For years up until 2000, separate the four numbers into two pairs of two:
1965 = nineteen sixty-five
1871 = eighteen seventy-one
1999 = nineteen ninety-nine

For this decade, you need to say “two thousand and —-” in British English:
2001 = two thousand and one
2009 = two thousand and nine

Large numbers
Divide the number into units of hundreds and thousands:
400,000 = four hundred thousand (no s plural)

If the number includes a smaller number, use “and” in British English:
450,000 = four hundred and fifty thousand
400,360 = four hundred thousand and three hundred and sixty

Fractions, ratios and percentages
½ = one half
1/3 = one third
¼ = one quarter
1/5 = one fifth
1/ 6 = one sixth etc
3/5 = three fifths

1.5% = one point five percent
0.3% = nought / zero point three percent

2:1 = two to one

Saying 0
Depending on the context, we can pronounce zero in different ways:
2-0 (football) = Two nil
30 – 0 (tennis) = Thirty love
604 7721 (phone number) = six oh four…
0.4 (a number) = nought point four / zero point four
0C (temperature) = zero degrees

How to avoid silence in English conversations

Sometimes you don't know what to say in a conversation. Perhaps you don't have any words to express yourself, or you haven't understood the other person. Or perhaps there isn't anything left to say! In all these situations, it's important to avoid being silent, so here are some words and expressions to use.

When you don't understand

"Sorry, I don't understand."
"Sorry, could you repeat that?"
"Sorry? I didn't get that."

Looking for words to express yourself

You don't want to be completely silent, but you need time to find the words.

"Well…"
"OK…"
"So…"

To agree with the other person

You want to show that you agree, but you don't have anything else to say.

"Yeah."
"Right."

To change the subject

You've all given your opinion, and now you want to talk about something else.

"Anyway,…"
"Well, as I was saying…"
"So, back to …"
"So, we were saying

Improving your English pronunciation

Here are some tips to help you improve your English pronunciation.

First of all, don't worry about not having a native-English accent. It's important to be able to speak clearly, so that people can understand you. However, it's almost impossible to sound exactly like a native English speaker if you are learning English as an adult in a non-English speaking country.

However, there are many things that you can do to improve your pronunciation and your speaking skills.

1. Listen to spoken English as often as possible.

Listen to how speakers pronounce various words and phrases and "model" your pronunciation on what you hear.

2. Learn the phonetic alphabet.

Use the phonetic alphabet page (at the beginning of most good dictionaries) as a guide to pronouncing new words.

3. Don't forget to learn the word stress of a new word.

Every English word has its own stress, or intonation. For example, the word "believe" has two syllables (be and lieve), but only the second syllable is stressed. We say be'lieve and not 'be lieve. Your dictionary will show the syllable stress by an apostrophe (') before the syllable to be stressed.

Word stress is important. In fact, it is more likely that someone misunderstands you because of wrong word stress than because of the wrong pronunciation of a sound.

4. Work out which sounds cause you most problems in English.

Depending on what your first language is, you may have problems with certain sounds. For example, French speakers have difficulties with "th"; speakers of Mandarin have difficulties with "r" or "l", and Arabic speakers have difficulties with "p" and "b".

5. Practise the sounds you find difficult.

A useful exercise is a "minimal pair" exercise. For example, if you have difficulty distinguishing between "p" and "b", try practising pairs of words which are the same except for the sound "p" and "b":

For example, "pair" and "bear"; "pond" and "bond"; "pie" and "buy" etc.

6. Be aware of intonation and sentence stress.

Not all words in a sentence have equal stress, and generally only the "information" words (nouns and verbs) are stressed.

'Where's the 'pen I 'gave you?

'Where's the 'red 'pen I 'gave you?

Where's the 'red and 'blue 'pen I 'gave you 'yesterday?

The unstressed words (such as "the", "I", "you" and "and") don't carry as much "weight" as the stressed words. They become much smaller in length, and are almost abbreviated. For example, "and" becomes "un".

Changing stress

Sentence stress isn't "fixed" like word stress. In fact, you can stress words that are normally unstressed in order to highlight different meanings.

For example:

I 'love you. (Love, rather than just like.)
'I love you. (With the stress on I to highlight that it's me rather than another person who loves you.)
I love 'you. (And nobody else.)

Intonation

There are a couple of easy to remember rules about intonation. Usually our voices go up at the end of the sentence to show a question, and down at the end to show a statement.

Intonation is also important in "tag questions":

You know him, don't you? (With rising intonation on "don't you?" to show it's a question)
You know him, don't you. (With falling intonation on "don't you" to show it's a statement you expect the other person to agree with.)

7. Learn to recognise spelling patterns.

For example, "tion" on the end of a word is pronounced "shun", while "sion" can be pronounced "zhun". There are often many ways to pronounce a particular spelling pattern, but it certainly helps to know what the variations are. For example, the pattern "ough" can be pronounced "uff" as in "enough" and "tough", or "or" as in "ought" and "bought" or "oh" as in "although" and "dough".

8. Don't rush.

If you speak too fast, the danger is that you could skip over some words, fail to pronounce them completely, or mix them up. If you speak too slowly, you might end up sounding unnatural. But it's better to speak slowly and clearly than too quickly.

Telling a story

A useful skill in English is to be able to tell a story or an anecdote. Anecdotes are short stories about something that happened to you or to someone you know.

How to start

Traditional stories often start with the phrase "Once upon a time". However, if you are going to tell your story after someone else has already spoken, you can say something like:

That reminds me!
Funny you should say that. Did I ever tell you about…
Hearing your story reminds me of when…
Something similar happened to me….

How to tell your story

First of all, your story should be quite short. Try to keep it grammatically simple as well, so that it is easy to follow.

Make it easy for the listener to understand by using sequencing and linking words:

Sequencing words
These words show the chronological sequence of events.

First of all, I (packed my suitcase)
Secondly, I …. (made sure I had all my documents)
Previously (before that) ….. I changed some money.
Then… I (called a taxi for the airport)
Later (on)… (when we were stuck in traffic, I realised…)
But before al that… (I had double checked my reservation)
Finally… (I arrived at the wrong check-in desk at the wrong airport for a flight that didn't go until the next day)

Linking words
Use these words to link your ideas for the listener. Linking words can be used to show reason, result, contrasting information, additional information, and to summaries.

I booked a flight because….
As a result, I was late…
Although I had a reservation, I hadn't checked the airport name.
I made sure I had an up-to-date passport and I also took along my driving license.
In short, I had made a complete mess of the holiday.

Tenses

We can use a variety of tenses to tell stories and anecdotes. Jokes are often in the present tense:

A man walks into a bar and orders a beer.

We also use the present tense to give a dramatic narrative effect:

The year is 1066. In medieval England people are worried that the king, Harold, is not strong enough to fight off a Norman invasion.

However, we generally use past forms to talk about past events. If you tell your story in chronological order, you can use the past simple:

I double checked my reservation. I packed my suitcase, and then I called a taxi.

Use the past continuous to describe activities in progress at the time of your story, or to describe the background.

The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. We were driving along the motorway quite steadily until we suddenly saw in front of us the warning lights to slow down. We were heading towards a huge tailback.

Sometimes, you might want to avoid telling your story as one chronological event after the other. You can use the past perfect (simple and continuous) to add more interest to your story by talking about events that happened before the events in your story:

I double checked my reservation, which I had made three days previously.

I wanted to visit some friends who had been living in France for the last five years.

Vocabulary

Try to use a wide range of words to make your story more interesting. Remember that you can "exaggerate" when you tell a story, so instead of using words like "nice" or "bad", experiment with more interesting words, such as "beautiful", "fabulous", "wonderful", "horrible", "awful" or "terrible".

Finally – remember that you are telling a story – not giving a lecture. Look at the people listening, and try to "involve" them in the story or anecdote. Keep eye contact, use the right intonation and try to make your face expressive. You might also want to try practising a few anecdotes in the mirror before "going live". Have fun!

Talking about the weather

It's true! British people often start a conversation with strangers and friends by talking about the weather. As weather is a neutral topic of conversation, it's usually safe to use it to strike up a conversation – at the bus stop, in a shop, or with a neighbour over the garden fence.

Some examples of conversation starters

"Lovely day, isn't it!"

"Bit nippy today."

"What strange weather we're having!"

"It doesn't look like it's going to stop raining today."

Attitude to weather

Although British people like to complain about bad weather, they generally put a brave face on it.

If someone complains about too much rain, you might hear:

"Never mind – it's good for the garden."

If someone complains that it's too hot, you could hear:

"At least my tomatoes will be happy."

If the conversation has been about general bad weather, perhaps someone will say:

"Well, I've heard it's worse in the west. They've had terrible flooding."

Predicting the weather

We can make predictions about the weather, using a range of forms – not just the "will" or "going to" form:

"I think it'll clear up later."

"It's going to rain by the looks of it."

"We're in for frost tonight."

"They're expecting snow in the north."

"I hear that showers are coming our way."

Human attributes

We also attribute human features to the weather, almost as if the weather can decide what to do:

"The sun's trying to come out."

"It's been trying to rain all morning."

"It's finally decided to rain."

Understanding the forecast

Many British people are keen gardeners, and they keep a close eye on the weather forecast. Here are some of the weather features which can worry gardeners:

a hard frost
blizzard / galeforce conditions
hailstones
prolonged rain
blustery wind
a drought

Here are some more temperate conditions which gardeners like:

mild weather
sunny spells
How to keep the conversation going

What can you say when you want to encourage people to keep talking to you?

Try making a comment or asking a question – it shows the other person you're interested in what they are saying.

Here are some examples of what you can say:

Making comments

"No!" – to show surprise.

"I don't believe it!" – to show surprise.

"Wow!" – to show admiration or surprise.

"That's incredible / amazing / unbelievable" – to show great interest in the subject of conversation.

"How awful / terrible" – to show sympathy with someone else's bad news.

Asking questions

"Really?" – to show surprise.

"And you?" – when someone asks you how you are.

"Did you?" – can be used to encourage someone to tell their story.

For example, "I saw her last night", "Did you?" "Yes, she was with one of her friends, and she

ght drizzle

How to talk about illness

Sometimes you don't feel very well, but you're not really ill. Here are some common expressions that you can use to describe general "aches and pains" and some useful "sympathetic" responses.

General aches and pains

"I feel a bit under the weather."

"I'm not feeling very well."

"I think I'm going down with a cold. I've got a sore throat."

"I've got a slight headache." (Or toothache / stomach ache / backache) Pronounced "ake" as in "cake".

"I'm not sleeping very well at the moment."

"I feel a little faint."

"I've got a nagging pain in my shoulder." (nagging = a pain that won't go away)

"I've got a splitting headache – I hope it's not a migraine."

Sympathetic responses

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"You don't look very well."

"You look a little pale."

"Maybe you're going down with something. There's a bug going around."

"Maybe you should go home and get some rest."

"Why don't you go home and have a lie-down."

Mild illness

"I have a bit of a stomach bug."

"I think I've got a bit of a temperature."

"I have a touch of flu." (Flu = influenza)

"I've got a nasty cough." (pronounced "coff")

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Giving your opinions

There are many ways to give your opinions when speaking English. The exact English expression you use depends on how strong your opinion is.

Giving your opinion neutrally

"I think…"

"I feel that…"

"In my opinion…"

"As far as I'm concerned…"

"As I see it…"

"In my view…"

"I tend to think that…"

Giving a strong opinion

"I'm absolutely convinced that…"

"I'm sure that…"

"I strongly believe that…"

"I have no doubt that…"

English expressions for asking someone's opinion

"What do you think?"

"What's your view?"

"How do you see the situation?"

Speaking Tip

Talking about likes and dislikes in English

There's a whole range of English expressions you can use to talk about how much you like or dislike something.

If you love something

"I love eating ice-cream."

"I adore sun-bathing."

If you like something a lot

"She's fond of chocolate."

"I like swimming very much."

If you like something

"He quite likes going to the cinema."

"I like cooking."

If you neither like nor dislike something

"I don't mind doing the housework."

If you don't like something

"She doesn't like cooking very much."

"He's not very fond of doing the gardening."

"I dislike wasting time."

If you really dislike something

"I don't like sport at all."

"He can't stand his boss."

"She can't bear cooking in a dirty kitchen."

"I hate crowded supermarkets."

"He detests being late."

"She loathes celery."

Things to remember…

Dislike is quite formal.

Fond of is normally used to talk about food or people.

The 'oa' in loathe rhymes with the 'oa' in boat.

Grammar Note

To talk about your general likes or dislikes, follow this pattern: like something or like doing something.

Common mistake

Be careful where you put very much or a lot. These words should go after the thing that you like.

For example, "I like reading very much." NOT "I like very much reading."

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How to Learn English Easily

English is one of the most important languages you can learn. It will allow you to communicate effectively which will lead to business opportunities opening doors that you never imagined that existed.

In order to evolve on your learning path, you will have to make some sacrifices, keeping the motivation high as there are always ups and downs that can lead you to give up.
Here are some tips that you can use:
- Always watch television in English. This will make your ear get tuned ... you learn English without noticing.
- Buy a good dictionary or consult a reliable one on the Internet
- Read magazines and romance books in English
- Chat with people in IM in English
- Listen to English music. No Hip hop please, use UK Pop music.

As you know, learning a new language takes time, requires work and patience and most of all, you must really want it. The best way to learn the language is living in the country where it is used. When the need of learning passes from a hobby or a disciple to actually daily rotine survival, you will learn it much faster.

Grammar
Without it, you will never learn the language correctly. Although some people consider grammar something that they can skip while learning the language, in the long term, you will always need it and in order for your English to be in a good level, it is absolutely necessary. Sometimes, a student might think it is waisting time, but he will actually be increasing his level and preparing to achieve a good level in the future.
Verbs conjugation, phrasal verbs, nouns, etc ... as fast as you put them in your head, the quicker you will became an expert.

Giving advice in English

There are many ways of giving advice in English. Here are some of the more common expressions.

"If I were you, I would…"

"Have you thought about…"

"You really ought to…" ('ought' is pronounced 'ort')

"Why don't you…"

"In your position, I would…"

"You should perhaps…"

"You could always…"

Examples

If someone says "I'm having problems learning English", you could say:

"If I were you, I'd sign up for an English course."

"Have you thought about going to the UK for a couple of weeks?"

"You really ought to watch English television."

"Why don't you read more English books?"

"In your position, I would try and practise speaking English."

"You should perhaps look at the english-at-home.com website."

"You could always get a penpal."

Suggestions in English

The following English words and expressions are all used to make suggestions and give advice to people.

should

"You should try to practise English."
"You shouldn't translate too much."

Why don't you

"Why don't you join an English club?"

ought to

"You ought to read more."

If I were you, I'd…

"If I were you, I'd watch more television."

*All these expressions are followed by a verb, without to. For example: "He should visit the Eiffel Tower." (Not "he should to visit the Eiffel Tower.")

suggest and recommend

Either use a verb + ing
"I suggest visiting the Eiffel Tower." (We should all go.)

OR use that + a verb without to
"I suggest that you visit the Eiffel Tower." (I'm not going.)

OR use a noun
"I recommend the lasagne." (It's a very good dish to choose in this restaurant.)

advise

"I advise you to buy a good dictionary."

advice

Advice is an uncountable noun. This means that we can't say an advice. Instead, we say some advice or a piece of advice.

"Let me give you some advice."

"She gave me a very useful piece of advice: to buy a good dictionary."

Speaking tip

Many people don't like getting advice if they haven't asked for it! To avoid giving the wrong impression, you can try some of these expressions:

"You could always…"

"Have you considered…"

"Perhaps we could…"

"Do you think it's a good idea to…"

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How to say what's important

Sometimes you need to say how important things are to you. These are all common ways of telling someone what your priorities are.

In a job interview

"The most important thing for me is that the job is challenging."

"What's really important to me is being able to learn something new."

"The most crucial thing for me is to be valued by my colleagues."

"The most vital thing is knowing that I am doing a good job."

"What really motivates me is learning about new ways of doing something."

"I'm extremely interested in learning more about the market."

"In terms of priorities, I am most interested in getting results. In addition, I would like to develop my marketing skills."

"As far as my priorities go, getting results is the most important."

"At the top of my list of priorities is feeling appreciated."

"The least important thing is salary.

Making offers

English speakers make offers all the time in conversation.

They say things like:
Can I… ?
Shall I… ?
Would you like me to… ?

Using these common English phrases – and being able to accept and reject offers – will make you sound polite and helpful.

"Can I help you?"

"Shall I open the window for you?"

"Would you like another coffee?"

"Would you like me to answer the phone?"

"I'll do the photocopying, if you like."

Shall, can and will are followed by the verb without to.

Shall is more formal than can. Would you like… is followed either by a noun, or by the verb with to.

Responding to offers

These English dialogues show you ways to accept or reject offers made to you.

"Can I help you?"
"Yes please. I'd like to know what time the train leaves."

"Can I help you?"
"No thanks, I'm just looking." (In a shop.)

"Shall I open the window for you?"
"Yes please. That would be very kind of you."

"Would you like another coffee?"
"No thanks." Or, "No thank you."

"Would you like another coffee?"
"Yes please, that would be lovely." Or, "Yes please, I'd love one."

"Would you like me to answer the phone?"
"If you wouldn't mind." Or, "If you could."
(Don't answer "Yes, I would", as this sounds like you expect someone to do it for you.)

"I'll do the photocopying, if you like."
"It's OK, I can do it." Or, "Don't worry, I'll do it.

"Or, "Thank you, that would be great."

English speaking tip

Rephrasing

Sometimes we say things that other people don't understand, or we give the wrong impression.

This is an example conversation where one person says something that the other person thinks is strange.

LUIZ: "English is a very easy language to learn."

IRENE: "What do you mean?"

LUIZ: "Well, what I meant to say was that it is easy if you practise every day."

IRENE: "Oh, right."

Rephrasing expressions

"What I meant to say was…"

"Let me rephrase that…"

"Let me put this another way…"

"Perhaps I'm not making myself clear…"

Back to the beginning

If you're explaining something, and you realise that the other person doesn't understand, you can use the following phrases:

"If we go back to the beginning…"

"The basic idea is…"

"One way of looking at it is…"

"Another way of looking at it is…"

If you forget the English word

If you forget the word you want to use, you can say:

"I can't find the word I'm looking for…"

"I'm not sure that this is the right word, but…"

"What I want to say is…"

Speaking Tip

Don't be afraid to repeat what you're saying, especially if you can do it in a slightly different way.

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Better English speaking skills

Improving your English speaking skills will help you communicate more easily and effectively. But how do you become a more confident English speaker?

Practise where you can, when you can. Any practice is good – whether you speak to someone who is a native English speaker or not.

It's important to build your confidence. If possible, use simple English sentence structure that you know is correct, so that you can concentrate on getting your message across.

Try to experiment with the English you know. Use words and phrases you know in new situations. Native English speakers are more likely to correct you if you use the wrong word than if you use the wrong grammar. Experimenting with vocabulary is a really good way of getting feedback.

Try to respond to what people say to you. You can often get clues to what people think by looking at their body language. Respond to them in a natural way.

Try NOT to translate into and from your own language. This takes too much time and will make you more hesitant.

If you forget a word, do what native English speakers do all the time, and say things that 'fill' the conversation. This is better than keeping completely silent. Try using um, or er, if you forget the word.

Don't speak too fast! It's important to use a natural rhythm when speaking English, but if you speak too fast it will be difficult for people to understand you.

Try to relax when you speak – you'll find your mouth does most of the pronunciation work for you. When you speak English at normal speed, you'll discover that many of the pronunciation skills, such as linking between words, will happen automatically.

Remember, when speaking English…

Try to become less hesitant and more confident.

Don't be shy to speak – the more you do it, the more confident you'll become.

Remember to be polite – use "please" and "thank you" if you ask someone to do something for you.

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Complaining in English

When complaining in English, it helps to be polite. This page will help you with this important English speaking skill.

In a shop

You're in a shop and the assistant gives you the wrong change.

"Excuse me, I think you've given me the wrong change", or "Sorry, I think this change is wrong. I gave you $20, not $10."

In a hotel

"Excuse me, but there's a problem with the heating in my room."

"Sorry to bother you, but I think there's something wrong with the air-conditioning."

"I'm afraid I have to make a complaint. Some money has gone missing from my hotel room."

"I'm afraid there's a slight problem with my room – the bed hasn't been made."

When people apologise, they normally say "sorry" and offer to put the situation right.

"Excuse me, but there's a problem with the heating."

"I'm sorry – I'll get someone to check it for you."

or "Sorry to hear that – I'll send someone up."

Speaking tip

Speaking about hopes in English

There are a number of expressions you can use to show your hopes and preferences.

Hopes

I'm hoping for (noun) ("I'm hoping for a new cell phone.")

I'm hoping to get… ("I'm hoping to get a new phone.")

I would like…

I really want… (Using "want" can be impolite unless you are talking to a close friend or family member.)

Something I've always wanted is…

I'd be delighted / over the moon if… ("I'd be delighted if you gave me a new watch.")

What I'd like more than anything else is…

On my Christmas wish list is…

Preferences

I'd rather have (noun) ("I'd rather have tickets to the opera.")

I'd rather you (simple past) ("I'd rather you saved your money.")

I'd prefer (noun) ("I'd prefer some money for the new house.")

I'd prefer it if you (simple past) ("I'd prefer it if you gave some money to charity.")

….. would be more suitable / would be better

If I had a choice, I would go for…

If it's all the same to you, …. ("If it's all the same to you, I'd like some book tokens.")

Writing "Thank You" letters and emails

It's polite to write a "thank you" letter each time you receive a present. You can also write emails to thank people, but it's still considered more "personal" to write a short letter by hand.

Layout and format

"Thank you" letters can be quite short, and fill one or two sides of A5 paper (one side of A5 paper is half the size of a sheet of A4 or office paper). You can write your address in the top left hand corner of the paper, but you don't need to write the recipient's address. You can also write the date under your address.

You normally start the letter "Dear…" followed by the name of the person you are writing to.

In the first paragraph (which can be short), you should thank the person for the gift and say something complimentary about it:

"Thank you for the book tokens. I'm looking forward to choosing a book with them."

"Thank you for the wall calendar. It will be very useful to me this year!"

"Thank you very much for the beautiful soaps. I'm looking forward to relaxing in a hot bath!"

"Thank you very much for the lovely photo frame. It will look very nice on my chest of drawers."

"Thank you very much for the elegant scarf you sent me. It's exactly what I need for special occasions."

In the second paragraph, you can give general news about how you spent the holiday period (or how you spent your birthday if you have received a birthday present). You could also show interest in the other person's holiday.

"We had a very quiet and relaxing Christmas at home. The kids ate too many chocolates as usual, so now we're all on a diet! I hope your Christmas was as good, and that you were able to relax for a few days."

In the third paragraph you can talk about more general family or personal news.

In the final paragraph, you should thank the person again for their gift, and give your wishes for the New Year if applicable. (See below for useful phrases for ending the letter.)

Useful phrases

You should start your letter with "Dear" and follow it by the person's first name:

"Dear Tom" or "Dear Uncle Bill"

You can end your letter with any of these phrases:

"With love (from)", "With much love (from)", "Lots of love (from)" or "Love (from)" followed by your name on the next line. The "from" in these phrases is optional.

You normally end the letter with repeated thanks and wishes for the New Year:

"Thank you again for my present."
"Thank you again for such a thoughtful gift."
"Wishing you a happy New Year."
"With all my best wishes for a happy New Year."
"Wishing you all the best in 2006."

An example thank you letter

7, London Rd
Manchester

30 December, 2005

Dear Uncle Bill

Thank you very much for the French cookery book you gave me. The recipes look wonderful, and I'll certainly enjoy using it.

I hope you and Auntie Susan had a good Christmas. We stayed at home, but had a couple of day trips out nearby. Our local theatre put on a production of "A Christmas Carol", which was fun.

I go back to University next week, and this year I'm going to have to study hard for the final exams. I've really enjoyed the course so far, but I'm not sure what to do once I get my degree. The University arranges career interviews, but I don't really have a clear idea of what I want to do. Hopefully it will all become clearer during the course of the year.

Thank you again for the lovely present, and Happy New Year!

With much love

Ann

How to write better English

If it takes you twice as long to write something in English as it does in your own language, then try these tips.

Before you start

Ask yourself "Why am I writing?" By thinking about the purpose of your text (perhaps you want to explain something, or ask something etc) you can choose the most appropriate vocabulary and level of formality.

Who are you writing to? Who is your reader, and what is their level of knowledge or English? Choose your language carefully and avoid words and expressions that are too technical or complicated.

Plan before you write. Prepare for writing by making a plan, and looking up all the words you need before you start writing.

A plan helps you keep a clear focus and helps you avoid repetition. Just jot down the points you want to make and order them into logical paragraphs. Remember that paragraphs shouldn't be too long. In fact, in certain types of writing, such as emails, your paragraphs can be one sentence long.

It's quicker to look up all the words you need before you write so you don't interrupt your "flow" of writing.

What to write

Say why you are writing in the first sentence. Use phrases such as "I am writing to enquire about…" so that your reader understands why you are writing. If you're replying to someone, you can write "Thank you for your email."

Use standard greetings and endings. Most letters begin with "Dear Mr X" or "Dear Ms X" and should end "Yours sincerely" (or in American English, "Sincerely yours"). If you know your reader quite well, you can be less formal with "Dear (first name)" and end "Best wishes" or "Best regards". If you absolutely have to write "Dear Sir" end with "Yours faithfully" rather than "Yours sincerely".

In emails you can start with the first name "Jane", or precede it with "Hi". If you are writing to a number of people, you can leave out the greeting. To end an email you can write "Best wishes", "Kind regards", "Thanks" or in British English "Cheers".

Use a closing expression in letters such as "Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance." In emails you can write, for example, "Many thanks for your help."

In letters, write the date out in full: 7 June 2006 or June 7, 2006. Avoid using abbreviated dates such as (7/6/2006) as although British speakers will understand this as 7 June, Americans will understand it to be July 6.

Extra tips

Use linking expressions to connect ideas and sentences. Words such as 'and', 'but', 'therefore', 'however', guide your reader through your ideas and make your writing easier to read. See also Linking Words in our Grammar section.

Be careful of referring words such as 'this' and 'it'. Make sure they refer to the right word or phrase.

Write as concisely as possible. Don't make your sentences too long, as they might become difficult to read. Avoid more than two ideas in any sentence.

Follow this word order principle to keep your sentences concise:

Subject – Verb – Object – Manner – Place – Time
(Who — Does—What— How— Where- When)

"Please could you send us the confirmation as quickly as possible."

"The Managing Director will visit the factory on Monday 10 July at 10 am."

Edit what you write. Use your computer spell-check, but check for grammatical mistakes yourself.

Edit out unnecessary words and phrases and avoid old-fashioned words such as "hereby", "herewith" and above-mentioned". Rather than writing "We hereby enclose a brochure", get to the point with "We are enclosing a brochure."

Read what you have written out aloud. Is it easy to read, or are the sentences too long? Have you put in enough punctuation?

Get someone else to check what you have written. Another person may see something that is unclear or a mistake.