Ø Letters to the editor of a newspaper or magazine are written when you want to express your opinion about a topic that is of interest to the general public, to show your agreement or

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Ø Letters to the editor of a newspaper or magazine are written when you want to express your opinion about a topic that is of interest to the general public, to show your agreement or disagreement or to discuss a problem and suggest solutions.

Ø Letters to the editor are usually written in a formal or semi-formal style.

Layout

Greeting	Name unknown: Dear Sir/Madam, Name known: Dear Mr…/ Dear Mrs…/ Dear Ms… + surname
Introduction Paragraph 1: Reason for writing and your opinion about the topic	To begin your letter: Ø I am writing in connection with… Ø I am writing with regard to.... Ø I am writing to express my approval / disapproval of / support for...; Ø I am writing to express my disappointment with the content of the article, concerning..., published in.. Ø I am writing about the recent article in your newspaper regarding… Ø I have just read an article published in... Ø I wish to protest against…/ to disagree with…. To state your opinion: Ø In my opinion …; Ø I {do not} feel/believe/ think..; Ø I am (totally) opposed to / in favour of...; Ø I strongly agree/disagree with...
Main body Paragraphs 2 - 3 Problems and consequences or suggestions and results. Write a new paragraph for each problem or suggestion.	To list your points Ø Firstly, Ø Secondly, Ø To start with, Ø What is more, Ø Furthermore, Ø What we also need to consider is... Ø There's another factor as well... Ø Apart from this / that Ø Lastly Ø Finally,	To express consequences / results: Ø This will /would mean…; Ø Then…; Ø Therefore…; Ø Consequently…; Ø As a result...; Ø If we do/did this...; Ø Obviously…; Ø Clearly…; Ø A good example of this would be... Ø This is due to / This can be attributed to...
Conclusion Paragraph 4: Summarise / restate your opinion using different words.	Ø To sum up…, Ø All in all …, Ø On the whole…, Ø In conclusion … Ø All things considered…,
Closing remarks	Ø I hope my comments /suggestions will be taken into consideration. Ø I hope the government / local council / we will... Ø I hope something will be done about this urgently. Ø I am looking forward to seeing my letter published in one of the next issues of your newspaper.
Signing off	if Dear Sir/Madam: Yours faithfully, If Dear + name: Yours sincerely,
Name	Your first name + surname Signature

Example question 1

The local council of the town you live in has decided to build a large shopping centre. Write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper expressing your views on this matter.

Sample answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing about Trent Council's decision to build a large shopping centre in our town. I strongly disagree with this decision and I believe it will have negative effects on the town.

Firstly, a shopping centre will turn Trent from a quiet, peaceful neighbourhood into a busy shopping area. Obviously, there will be an increase in the amount of traffic and the number of people coming into town. As a result, we will suffer from both air and noise pollution.

Secondly, the appearance of our town will change completely. In order for the shopping centre to be built, some of our oldest and most beautiful buildings will have to be torn down. Therefore, Trent's surroundings as well as its character will he destroyed.

To sum up, I am totally opposed to the Council's decision as I believe it will be disastrous for Trent. Consequently, I hope that the council will reconsider its decision.

Yours faithfully,

Mary Swanson

Successful Writing Intermediate, Unit 14c, p.99

Example question 2

The local council has decided to build a new sports centre in your home town where an old factory used to be. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, expressing your support for the plan.

Sample answer

Dear Mr Collins,

I am writing about the recent article in your newspaper regarding the decision to build a new sports centre in our town. In my opinion, this is an excellent idea which will have many advantages for our town.

То start with, the town has very few sports facilities. Many people do not get the chance to play sports when they want. A new sports centre will give more people the opportunity to play sports. It will also give children and teenagers access to better facilities than they have at school, as well as somewhere to go at weekends. At the moment there is very little for them to do.

Furthermore, the new centre will be in an excellent location. It is in the centre of town, near the railway station and several major bus routes. Consequently, it will be very easy to get to. What is more, the fact that it will be built on the site of the old factory means that the town's appearance will be improved.

All in all, I must state that I am in total agreement with the council's decision. I hope that the plan is put into effect as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

James Marshall

Upstream B2 SB, Unit 9 p.146

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