Writing the Letter of Invitation

Question

You would like to invite your friend in Taiwan to visit you during the Merdeka Day celebration which is held on 31st August. Write the letter inviting him or her to stay with you and your family. Describe what you plan to do during your friend's visit.

Outline of your letter

Dear Jeremy,

Paragraph 1 (Introduction)
How are you getting on? I know you've just finished your mid-year exam and you've at least one month's holiday before your school reopens. Why don't you enjoy your break by coming over to Malaysia at the end of August? You can stay with my family and we'll have a great time together.

Paragraph 2
Tell your friend Jeremy why you're inviting him to come at the end of August. Provide details about Merdeka and the celebration that Jeremy would be able to see then.

Paragraph 3
Tell Jeremy about your other plans; for example : you would like to take him to Batu Caves and tell him what he can see there.

Paragraph 4
Give examples of two or three other things that you and Jeremy could do together: places to visit, Malaysian food, etc.

Paragraph 5 (Conclusion)
My parents would love to have you stay with us. Please let me know whether you can make it.

Your good friend,

Dinesh

SPM English 1119- Directed Writing (Paper 1)

In Paper 1 of the SPM English 1119 exam., there are two compulsory essay questions Directed Writing (Section A) and Continuous Writing (Section B).

As the name suggests, in Directed Writing, you have been directed to write with suggested short notes.What is required of you is to expand the given notes into an essay which can be in any of the following forms: a) a narrative story b) a descritption of an event c) a speech or talk d) a message e) a description of a place f) a description of a person g) a description of a process h) a dialogue or conversation i) a letter j) an opinion piece.

Are there differences in the way we write the different essays?

Firstly, the form of the essay will differ. Say, you're writing a dialogue which means you will have two speakers engaging in a conversation. If you are asked to write a conversation, then you should have at least three speakers. Your essay, therefore, is not written in the usual essay form: a continuous prose passage, one paragraph after another, from beginning to end. A dialogue would look like this:

Peter: How are you, Pan?
Pan :  Great! And you?
Peter: So, what have you been doing these days?

Secondly, the style may vary with the different essay forms. When writing a dialogue, you write in the conventions of a conversation. For instance, you may use contractions (I'll, You won't) and there are certain social courtesies involved. By courtesies, I mean the form of expressions used in greetings, interrupting politely, and closing a conversation.

Thirdly, you'll have to pay attention to your grammar and how you link the given notes into a cohesive dialogue or conversation. As an example, what tense should you use? That depends on the subject matter.If you are talking about a football match in the papers, you would most likely say: "Inter Milan played much better throughout the game. They deserved to win. Anyway, I think they are a much better team compared to Manchester United." You will notice that two tense forms are used : simple past (relating a past event) and simple present (stating your opinion, what you think at the time of speaking).

As a way of helping you write better dialogues or conversations, I would suggest as a first step to listen. Yes, listen to others talking. You can do plenty of listening by watching the movies or shows on TV.spmenglish1119.com