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Saturday 18 May 2013

2BAC BACCALAUREATE EXAM PRACTICE: USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING

2BAC BACCALAUREATE EXAM PRACTICE: USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING


Personal opinion

In my opinion,
In my view,
To my mind,
To my way of thinking,
Personally I believe that
It strikes me that
I feel very strongly that
I am inclined to believe that
It seems to me that
As far as I am concerned,
I think that our world would be a much better place without injustice.

To list advantages and disadvantages

One advantage of
Another advantage of
One other advantage of
A further advantage of
The main advantage of
The greatest advantage of
The first advantage of travelling to work by tramway is that it reduces pollution and traffic jams.
One disadvantage of 
Another disadvantage of 
One other disadvantage of
A further disadvantage of
The main disadvantage of
The greatest disadvantage of
The first disadvantage of travelling to work by tramway is that it might be too crowded during rush hours.

To list points

Firstly,
First of all,
In the first place,
Secondly,
Thirdly,
Finally,
To start with, people who live in the country suffer far fewer health problems than those who live in the city.

To list points in a specific sequence

BEGINNING
First,
To start with,
To begin with,
First of all, wash the wound with cold water.

CONTINUING
Secondly,
After this / that,
Afterwards,
Then,
Next, wrap a bandage around the cut.

CONCLUDING
Finally,
Lastly,
Last but not least, place the patient in a comfortable position and allow them to rest.

To add more points on the same topic

What's more,
Furthermore,
Apart from this  /that,
In addition (to this),
Moreover,
Besides, cars are extremely expensive to maintain.
Not only are cars harmful to the environment, but they are extremely expensive to maintain as well.
Cars are both harmful to the environment and expensive to maintain.

To refer to other sources

With reference to
According to the article in yesterday's Maroc Hebdo, the unemployment rate is falling in Morocco.

To express cause

The government decided not to fund the project because
owing to the fact that 
due to the fact that
on the grounds that
since
as it seemed likely to fail.
In view of
Because of
Owing to the scheme's high chances of failure, the government decided not to fund it.
The scheme is likely to fail; for this reason the government has decided not to fund it.
Seeing that the scheme is likely to fail, the government bas decided not to fund it.
The government has decided to fund the scheme now that its planners have redesigned it.

To express effect

He passed all his exams successfully.
Thus,
Therefore,
So,
Consequently,
As a result,
As a consequence,
For this reason, he was able to go to university.

To express purpose

Our government decided not to ban the death penalty for fear (that) crime rates would increase.
Our government decided not to ban the death penalty so that crime rates would not increase.
Our government decided not to ban the death penalty so as to avoid the increase in crime rates.
Our government decided not to ban the death penalty in order to avoid the increase in crime rates.

To emphasise what you say

Clearly,
Obviously,
Of course,
Needless to say, if everyone were allowed to carry a gun in our country, the crime rate would rise considerably.

To express factual reality

It is a fact that
In effect,
In fact,
As a matter of fact,
The fact of the matter is (that)
Actually,
In practice,
Indeed,
To tell you the truth, man is the cause of all the ills / mischief’s which our planet suffers from.

To give examples

For instance,
For example, by reducing your intake of red meat you can decrease your chances of having a heart attack in later life.
By reducing your intake of foods such as /like beef and lamb you can decrease your chances of having a heart attack in later life.
If you want to decrease your chances of having a heart attack in later life, you should reduce your intake of red meat.

To make general statements

As a general rule,
Generally,
In general,
On the whole, people who exercise regularly suffer fewer stress-related problems than those who don't.

To state other people's opinion

It is popularly believed that
People often claim that
It is often alleged that
Some people argue that
Many argue that
A lot of people think that
A lot of people believe that the earth is the only planet in our solar System that has ever supported life.

To make contrasting points

lt is a known fact that smoking causes cancer.
Yet,
However,
Nevertheless,
At the same time,
Even so,
Still,
Nonetheless, millions of people around the world continue to smoke.
Although
Even though
Regardless of the fact that
In spite of the fact that
Despite the fact that
While smoking causes cancer, millions of people around the world continue to smoke.

To express exception
He read all Coelho’s books
with the exception of
apart from
except  
except for one: " Manuscript Found in Accra ".

To clarify

In other words,
That is to say,
To put it another way, if people made more of an effort to protect the environment, the world would be a much healthier place to live in.

To express similarity

Alcohol reduces our ability to concentrate on our work.
Similarly,
Likewise,
In the same way, it reduces our ability to concentrate while driving.

To conclude

Finally,
Lastly,
Above all,
All in all,
Taking everything into account,
On the whole,
All things considered,
In conclusion,
As I have said,
As was previously stated,
To sum up, it is unlikely that mankind will ever bring an end to all wars.

Summarising

In short,
Briefly,
To put it briefly, these notes were the most instructive l have ever read.



ENJOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!







Sincerelyours

And Blessed Are The Ones Who Care For Their Fellow Men!








2BAC BACCALAUREATE EXAM PRACTICE: WRITING FORMAL & INFORMAL LETTERS OR EMAILS



2BAC BACCALAUREATE EXAM PRACTICE: WRITING FORMAL & INFORMAL LETTERS OR EMAILS

I- Useful Phrases for informal letters or emails

II- Useful Phrases for writing formal letters or emails

I- Useful Phrases for informal letters or emails
Informal Letters / emails - Greetings:
  • Dear Hafsa,
  • Hello Sonya,
  • Hi Karim,
Informal Letters - Introductory paragraph:
  • Sorry I haven't written for ages
  • Sorry it's taken me so long to write
  • How's it going?
  • How are you?
  • How are things with you?
  • How are things?
An informal letter referring to good news:
  • Glad to hear about
  • I'm really glad to hear about
  • I'm very happy to hear about
  • I was very happy to read about
  • Great news about your
An informal letter referring to bad news:
  • I'm extremely sorry to hear about
  • I'm very sorry to hear about
  • Sorry to read about
  • Its very sad to hear about your
  • I can't tell you how sad I am that
Informal Letters - Introducing points
  • By the way
  • Did you hear about
  • Did you see
  • Have you seen
  • Tell me about
  • Oh, another thing
Ending an informal letter or email:
  • Well, time to go
  • Well, it's time to go
  • Well, got to go
  • Well, time to close
  • I've got to leave off now
  • Write soon
  • Make sure you write soon
  • Love
  • Lots of love
  • All my love
  • Will write again soon
  • Look after yourself
  • Take care of yourself
  • All the best
  • Everything good
II- Useful Phrases for writing formal letters or emails
Writing formal letters generally:
Greetings:
  • Dear Sir,
  • Dear Madam,
  • Dear Sir / Madam,
  • Dear Mr Alami
  • Dear Ms Maslouhi,
  •  etc.
Reason for writing:
  • I am writing in response to your article/advertisement/letter
  • I am writing with regard to your article/advertisement/letter
  • I am writing regarding your article/advertisement/letter
Ending the letter:
  • I look forward to receiving your reply
  • I look forward to your reply
  • I look to hearing from you
  • I am, yours faithfully (if you don't know the name of the person you are writing to)
  • I am, yours sincerely (if you know the name of the person you are writing to)
  • Yours faithfully
  • Yours sincerely
Writing formal letters to complain:
Reason for writing:
  • I am writing in order to complain about
  • I am writing to complain about
Introducing the complaint:
  • Firstly
  • In the first place
  • First of all
  • My first complaint is
  • The first problem is
  • The first thing I would like to draw your attention to is
  • My first concern is
Introducing further complaints:
  • Secondly
  • In the second place
  • Not only …….but also
  • In addition
  • In addition to this
  • Added to this
  • …….was also unacceptable
Demanding action:
  • I suggest that you replace the item
  • I therefore suggest that I be given a full refund
  • I would be grateful if my money was refunded
  • I would be grateful if you could give me a full refund
Ending the letter:
  • I look forward to hearing from you
  • I look forward to receiving a full refund
  • I look forward to receiving a replacement
  • I look forward to receiving your explanation
Writing formal letters to make suggestions:
Reason for writing:
  • I am writing to suggest
  • I am writing to arrange
  • I am writing to offer suggestions
  • I am writing make arrangements
Making first suggestion:
  • My first suggestion is
  • First of all I suggest
  • I would like to suggest
Making further suggestions:
  • Another possibility is
  • A further possibility is
  • I further suggest
  • I would further suggest
  • Secondly
Offering a choice:
  • Would you therefore mind choosing between ….?
  • Either……or
  • You might choose either ……. or
Writing formal letters to request information
Reason for writing:
  • I am writing to receive further information about
  • I am writing to enquire about
  • I am writing to receive more detailed information about
  • I am writing to receive further details about
Requesting first piece of information:
  • The first thing I would like to know is
  • First of all I would like to know
  • I wonder if you would mind telling me first of all ….?
Requesting further information:
  • Could you also tell me….?
  • Could you also inform me ….?
  • Would you also mind informing me ….?
  • Would you also mind telling me ….?
  • Do you know ….?
  • I would also like to know if
  • I would also like to know whether
  • I hope you might also let me know about …
Thanking for information:
  • I would like to thank you in advance for this information
  • Thanking you in advance for this information
  • Thanking you in advance
Writing formal letters to give information:
Reason for writing:
  • I am writing to inform you about
  • I am writing to provide you with information about
  • I am writing to let you know that
Providing first point:
  • The first thing I would like to inform you of is
  • The first thing I would like to tell you is
  • The first thing I wish to inform you of is
  • I would like to begin by informing you
Providing further points:
  • I would also like to let you know that
  • I would also like to inform you that
  • You might also find the following information useful
  • It might also be useful for you to know that
  • Another piece of information that might be useful
Ending the letter:
  • If you require further information, please do not hesitate to as
  • If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to ask
  • I will willingly provide further information on request
  • I am at your disposal should you require further information
  • I am at your disposal should you need further assistance
  • Please do not hesitate to ask should you require further information
Writing formal letters to request permission
Reason for writing:
  • I am writing to ask permission to
  • I am writing to ask permission for
  • I am writing to request permission to
  • I am writing to request permission for
  • I am writing to ask if I might
Making first request:
  • Firstly I wonder if you would
  • First of all I wonder whether you would mind
  • The first request I would like you to consider is
Making further requests:
  • I would be grateful if you would also consider
  • I wonder if it might be possible for me to
  • I would also like to request permission for
  • I would also like to request permission to
Thanking for permission
  • Many thanks for kindly considering my requests
  • Thank you for considering my requests
Useful phrases for letters of application
Writing tips - Greetings:
  • Dear Sir
  • Dear Madam
  • Dear Sir / Madam
  • Dear Mr Hajji
  • Dear Ms Jalal etc.
Writing tips - Reason for writing:
  • I am writing in response to the job advertisement which I saw in
  • I am writing with regard to the job offer which I saw in
English writing tips - Describing character:
  • I am generally considered hardworking. For example I
  • I am generally considered outgoing. For example I
  • I consider myself a good team member. For example I
  • I consider myself a sociable person. For example I
  • I would say I was an industrious person. For example
  • In my present post I have often needed to show initiative. For example
Writing tips - Presenting qualifications:
  • I obtained a degree in ………… from ……….. University achieving a ……. grade
  • I have …. A levels in ……., ……., ………, and ………
  • I also have a ……. qualification
  • I hold a full driving licence
Writing tips - Language ability:
  • I am a native ……… speaker and also fluent in …………
  • I have an Intermediate level in ……
  • I have an advanced level in ……
Writing tips - Describing experience:
  • I have experience of this type of work because
  • My job at ………….. has given me experience of this type of work
  • Although I have no direct experience, I have
Writing tips - Offering further information:
  • Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me
  • If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me
  • I will gladly supply any further information
Writing tips - Availability for interview:
  • I am available for interview at your convenience
Writing advice - Ending the letter:
  • I look forward to receiving your reply
  • I look forward to your reply
  • Yours sincerely (if addressed to a named person)
  • Yours faithfully (to unnamed person)



ENJOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!






Sincerelyours

And Blessed Are The Ones Who Care For Their Fellow Men!









2BAC BACCALAUREATE EXAM PARACTICE: WRITING



2BAC BACCALAUREATE EXAM PARACTICE:  WRITING

I/

Population growth is one of the problems that many countries have to solve to provide better living conditions for their people.
Write a letter to your English pen friend telling him / her about the population growth in your country and the consequences it may have on education, employment, health, etc.

This is an informal letter.

1- Write an introductory paragraph

Thank your friend for his last letter.
You are glad to hear from him.
You really find it interesting to write to each other about interesting issues.
You enjoyed reading his last letter about school problems in his town / about his hobbies.
You are writing about population growth in your country.

2- Write the main paragraph.

It is true that population growth is a serious problem for many countries.
The higher their birth rate is, the more problems they have to face.
In your country more and more people are getting aware of this problem.
They prefer to have fewer children to have better living conditions.
Unfortunately, in the country side, the family is very often large.
This has terrible consequences on education, employment and health.
Parents find it very expensive to send all their children to school.
The number of illiterate people increases.
This affects the development of the country.
In times of recession (economy crisis), it is difficult to provide jobs for all people.
People struggle to satisfy their basic necessities such as food.
They don't have enough money left to spend on health care, etc.

3- Write a concluding paragraph

Suggest solutions to the problem.
Family planning: women should use contraceptives so as to have fewer children.
The role of NGOs and the media: sensitise people to the negative consequences of population growth .

II/

Which do you prefer, watching TV, listening to the radio, or reading a book?
Write an article for your school magazine justifying your answer.

This is an article. An article can be an opinion article, descriptive, argumentative, cause-effect…

1- Write an introduction

More and more people have TV sets in their homes.
Not many people buy and read books these days.
Each of the TV, the radio. or the book has its own advantages.
You think that the book has more advantages than both TV and radio.

2- Write a paragraph about the advantages of reading books.

It's true that TV is an attractive means of entertainment.
It has both sound and picture.
There are different channels and programmes.
Not all the programmes are interesting.
They are very often imposed on you.
T.V. develops passive viewers.
It prevents communication between members of the family.
A reader has the advantage of choosing the book he likes.
He can take it wherever he goes.
He can read it any time he wants.
He can read it as many times as he wants.
Reading develops vocabulary and improves your writing.
It enriches  your general culture.

3- Write a conclusion

Readers make more efforts than TV viewers or people who prefer to listen to the radio.
But they get more benefits from their reading.

III/

Each student in your school has to contribute with an article to the school magazine.
Write your article about life in home town: noise, pollution, problems of transport etc.

1- Write a short introduction.

Say you are glad to contribute with your article to your school magazine.
Say that a few years ago, life in the city was very attractive. Salé is one of those cities in Morocco that have always attracted people from various villages and small towns.
Say that now many people find it difficult to live in Salé.

2- Write a paragraph give some reasons:

There are more and more cars, buses, lorries....
As a result, there is a lot of pollution everywhere;
There is also too much noise and the streets are overcrowded with people.

3- Write a short conclusion.

Now, you may like to express your opinion.
Where would you like to live ? (in Salé or in a much smaller town / village ?).


IV/

People are very much concerned about pollution, population growth, illiteracy and unemployment.
In your opinion what is the most serious problem we are facing today?


1- Write an introduction.

There are more and more problems that people have to face every day.
Some problems are very serious and affect the development of a country.
You think that the most serious problem for your country is illiteracy.

2- Write a paragraph justifying your choice.

More than half of the population in your country is illiterate.
Illiteracy is the source of many other problems.
Most of the illiterate in your country are women.
They can not take care of their children properly
They can not help them with their schooling / homework.
It's difficult for a country to face problems when the majority of its people is illiterate.
It's difficult to implement a birth rate policy.
Illiterate people are not convinced of having few children.
The country spends a lot of money on environmental problems.
People are not aware of their role in keeping their environment clean.

3- Write a conclusion.

Governments should give much attention to education.
They should invest a lot of money and have appropriate policies to achieve good results.
When women are educated they can help educate their children.
Good education can help solve problems of unemployment, pollution and population growth.


V/

Write an article to your school magazine about the disadvantages of having a large family and a few financial resources.

This is an article.

1- Write an introduction.

Today more people are aware of the disadvantages of having a large family.
They prefer to have one or two children and better living conditions.

2- Write a paragraph about the disadvantages of having a large family.

Large families with a few financial resources have a lot of problems.
They don't have good nutrition.
It is very expensive to feed many people appropriately.
They many also have health problems.
It is not easy to prevent illnesses when you have many people in your family.
They may develop serious diseases when there is no money to buy medicine or see a doctor.
Children do not do well at school.
They may leave school at an early age.
It is not easy to help several children with their homework.
Sometimes parents can't find money to buy their children the necessary books.

3- Write a conclusion:

Life is getting very expensive.
It is very difficult find a job.
It's better to have fewer children and have better living conditions.


VI/

Last holidays you decided to do some voluntary work to make your neighbourhood clean and beautiful. What did you do ? Write a letter to your English pen friend and say :
What kind of work did you do ? (grow plants, flowers / collect rubbish / paint the walls, etc).
Who took part in the work ?
Who helped you ? (the local authorities ...)
What decisions did you take to keep your neighbourhood nice ?
How did you feel about this experience ?

This is an informal letter.

1- Write an introductory paragraph

Thank your friend for his last letter.
You are glad to hear from him.
You enjoyed reading his last letter.
Tell your English pen friend you are happy to write to him/her.

2- Write the main paragraph.

Say you are going to talk about a recent experience in your neighbourhood.
You took part in some voluntary work to make your neighbourhood clean and beautiful.
Then give more information about what you did to make your neighbourhood clean last holidays.
Say you cleaned the streets, collected rubbish, painted the walls white.
You also grew some plants and flowers.
Say that many people (young and old, and even children) took part in this voluntary work.
Tell your pen friend that the local authorities and a regional environmental association have helped you a lot with your work (they brought you plants and flowers to grow ; they also lent you a few brooms and wheelbarrows to collect rubbish.).
Now, say that you have managed to involve every body in this experience,
Say that your neighbours are now ready to make the place clean and nice.
Say also you and your neighbours feel satisfied and proud of your neighbourhood.

3- Write a concluding paragraph

Say goodbye to your pen friend and tell him / her to answer back soon.


ENJOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!






Sincerelyours

And Blessed Are The Ones Who Care For Their Fellow Men!