BELOW IS A MODEL OF A BLOCK-STYLE FRIENDLY LETTER

February 12, 2013

Dear Mark,

First of all, I just want to tell you how pleased I am to meet you-via email.  I have never met anyone that is scuba certified.  How close are you to the ocean?  Do you scuba dive frequently?  If so, where?

I believe the best way to teach writing is to give students writing models to go by; your next assignment is disguised in a friendly letter addressed back to you.  You will notice that the date, salutation (greeting/Dear Mark), body paragraphs, and closing (Sincerely,) have a double space that separates each of them. 

Today, I would like to share four of my "writing hints". 

1. Always read your writing aloud.  I am always so surprised at how quickly I find errors just by doing this! 
   
2. Avoid using non-specific words (things, sort of, maybe, a lot, many, really, good, stuff, lots).  Can you find any non-specific words in your letter?  For example, if I were to look up the word things in the thesaurus, this is what I would find for synonyms (words that mean the same): belongings, gear, clothes, action, deed, occurrence, article, thought, attribute.  As you can tell, there are many different ways to say the word things.
   
3. Avoid using contractions (examples: won't, I'm) in formal writing.  Since this is a friendly letter and considered informal, contractions are acceptable.  However, for practice, I would like to see you go back to your letter and correct them.  Go to this link if you are unsure.
   
4. Typing: Two spaces after all end marks (. ? !) and one space after internal punctuation (, : ;).
   

Now that I have shared some writing rules, I would like you to go back to your letter and revise your letter to a (1) block letter style just like I have demonstrated in this email. (2) Next, read your letter aloud and revise any sentences that just do not sound right, or you may wish to add more details to a portion the letter.  (3) Then, again, read your letter and look for non-specific words.  A thesaurus will be very helpful for this part.  (4) Reread your letter one final time and correct your contractions. (5) Go back and check for two spaces after each end mark. 

On a side note, you may be wondering why I am having you reread your letter so many times.  I find that going through writing looking for just one area to correct is less overwhelming. 

Sincerely,
Mrs. Padgett