WRITING STRATEGIES 7

POSTER

A poster is a large announcement containing images and key information about a topic. It is widely used in advertising. It is designed to be seen from a distance. For this reason, the font size is large. A poster should have a title, images and specific information.

BIOGRAPHY

A biography is a detailed description of a person’s life. Some of the important elements that need to be

included in a biography include:

• Title

• Early life

• Education

• Significant achievements

• Death

FORMAL LETTER

This type of letter is used for any official communication. It is usually used in professional situations. Some of the reasons to write a formal letter include: applying for a job, making a complaint, making a request, making an inquiry, submitting a proposal, giving a reference or giving an invitation.

The parts of a formal letter include:

1. The recipient’s address: on the left side of the page right after the date.

2. Greeting: on the left side write “Dear Sir/Madam/Ms Jones

3. Your address and date: on the top right corner of the page

4. Body of the letter: The first paragraph should briefly state the purpose of the letter. The next

paragraphs should include information related to the purpose of the letter. The last paragraph

should make clear what actions the writer of the letter requires from the recipient.

5. Ending: Yours sincerely/Best regards/Yours faithfully and your signature. Use Yours sincerely when you know the name of the recipient (Dear Ms Jones) and Yours faithfully when you do not know the name of the recipient (Dear Sir/Madam). Regards or Best regards is a less formal ending.

TOURIST GUIDE

A tourist guide is used to provide information for people travelling in a certain area or country in order to make their trip easier. Some of the things a tourist guide should include are:

• Title

• History

• Summary

• Natural attractions

• City attractions

• Cultural Tips

E- MAIL

An email is a type of electronic message using Internet connection. Several hosts offer a messaging service and they provide the format to be used, which is quite simple:

First write the recipient’s electronic address in the corresponding box in the form xxxx@xmail.com Don’t forget to use @ and write the complete information after it.

Second, write the topic of your message; it can be a word or a complete sentence.

Then write the message in the large text box. Emails can be more informal than a formal letter. However, you must remember to include a greeting and an ending.