These ten questions cover register, adapting for different readers, speech voice, fillers, and openings and closings. They are original and ordered from easier to harder.
Write your own answer on paper first, then open the worked answer. Many answers have more than one good version, so compare the reasoning, not just the wording.
Questions
Q1. Label each sentence formal or informal: (a) “I would be grateful for a reply.” (b) “Can’t wait to hear back!” (c) “The committee has reached a decision.”
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(a) formal: complete sentence, would be grateful. (b) informal: contraction, missing subject, exclamation. (c) formal: neutral, precise, no contraction.
Q2. A letter begins “Dear Sir or Madam,”. Which closing is correct: Yours sincerely or Yours faithfully?
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Yours faithfully. In British-style letters, use faithfully when the name is not known and sincerely when it is.
Q3. Delete the fillers: “Basically, the bus is kind of late every day, you know, and it’s like really annoying.”
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Fillers: Basically, kind of, you know, like, really. Result: “The bus is late every day, and it is annoying.” A stronger version adds a detail: “The bus arrives twenty minutes late every day.”
Q4. Rewrite formally: “We can’t use the lab because the door’s always locked.”
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“Students are unable to use the laboratory because the door is kept locked.” Contractions are removed and can’t becomes unable. The vague always is replaced with a precise description.
Q5. Which opening suits a speech to a hall of students about school uniform: (a) “I am writing to you regarding school uniform.” (b) “Raise your hand if you have ever felt too hot in a blazer.”
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(b). It addresses the listeners directly and invites them in. Option (a) uses the conventions of a letter, not a speech.
Q6. Rewrite for a teacher: “Hey sir, can we do the test next week? We haven’t finished the topic.”
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For example: “Dear Mr Lim, may we sit the test next week? We have not yet finished the topic.” A greeting, a polite modal verb (may), and no contractions.
Q7. Identify the sentence where the voice drifts: “Friends, I want to talk about litter. We walk past it every day. It is a matter of considerable environmental significance that discarded refuse accumulates in public areas.”
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The third sentence. The first two are friendly and direct. The third switches to an impersonal, inflated tone. A consistent version: “Litter piles up around us, and we can stop it.”
Q8. Rewrite for a close friend: “I would be delighted if you would accompany me to the exhibition on Sunday.”
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For example: “Want to come to the exhibition with me on Sunday?” It keeps the invitation and drops formal phrasing.
Q9. The sentence “We must, without further procrastination, embark upon a campaign of unprecedented magnitude” is meant for a school assembly. What is the problem and how would you fix it?
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The register is inflated, which sounds false and is hard to follow aloud. Fix: “We need to start a campaign now, and we need everyone to join in.” It is clear, direct and still appropriate for the occasion.
Q10. Write a two-sentence opening and a two-sentence closing for a letter to the manager of a shopping mall asking for more bicycle racks. The manager’s name is not known.
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Opening: “Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to request additional bicycle racks at the main entrance of the mall. At present the two racks are full by mid-morning.”
Closing: “Thank you for considering this request. I would be glad to discuss the matter further. Yours faithfully,”
Check: name unknown so Dear Sir or Madam and Yours faithfully; purpose stated in the first sentence; polite next step at the end; no contractions or fillers.
If you got these wrong
| Error type | Go to |
|---|---|
| Choosing the wrong formality, or letting slang into a formal letter (Q1, Q2, Q4, Q10) | Choose a register for a letter to an institution |
| Changing the facts instead of the tone, or making the adult version inflated (Q6, Q8) | Adapt the same idea for peers and adults |
| Voice changes partway through (Q5, Q7, Q9) | Sustain a purposeful voice in a speech |
| Filler words or emphasis words left in (Q3) | Avoid inappropriate conversational fillers |
| Wrong opening or closing for the form (Q2, Q5, Q10) | Make opening and closing choices fit the task |
Go back to the module overview for the study order. Log every miss in the mistake log, and compare a first and second attempt with the writing revision compare view.
When the same kind of slip returns across different tasks, a teacher can read your drafts with you in online one-to-one English First Language tuition.