How to Write a Complaint Letter

• Include your name, address, and home and work phone numbers.
• Type your letter if possible. If it is handwritten, make sure it is neat and easy to read.
• Make your letter brief and to the point. Include all important facts about your purchase, including the date and place where you made the purchase and any information you can give about the product or service such as serial or model numbers or specific type of service.
• State exactly what you want done about the problem and how long you are willing to wait to get it resolved. Be reasonable.
• Include all documents regarding your problem. Be sure to send COPIES, not originals.
• Avoid writing an angry, sarcastic, or threatening letter. The person reading your letter probably was not responsible for your problem but may be very helpful in resolving it.
• Keep a copy of the letter for your records.

Sample Complaint Letter

• Name of Contact Person, if available
  Title, if available 
  Company Name 
  Consumer Complaint Division, if you have no contact person 
  Street Address 
  City, State, Zip Code
• Dear (Contact Person):
• Re: (account number, if applicable)
• On (date), I (bought, leased, rented, or had repaired) a (name of the product, with serial or model number or service performed) at (location and other important details of the transaction).
• Unfortunately, your product (or service) has not performed well (or the service was inadequate) because (state the problem). I am disappointed because (explain the problem: for example, the product does not work properly, the service was not performed correctly, I was billed the wrong amount, something was not disclosed clearly or was misrepresented, etc.).
• To resolve the problem, I would appreciate it if you could (state the specific action you want—money back, charge card credit, repair, exchange, etc.). Enclosed are copies of my records (include copies of receipts, guarantees, warranties, canceled checks, contracts, model and serial numbers, and any other documents).
• I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem, and will wait until (set a time limit) before seeking help from a consumer protection agency or the Better Business Bureau. Please contact me at the above address or by phone at (home and/or office numbers with area code).
• Sincerely,
• Your name 
  Enclosure(s) cc: (reference to whom you are sending a copy of this letter, if anyone)

Punctuation

Ø  Period [.]

1. Use a period to show the end of a sentence.

Hockey is a popular sport in Canada. 
The federal government is based in Ottawa.

2. Use a period after certain abbreviations.

B.C. is the province located on the West Coast. 
Dr. Bethune was a Canadian who worked in China. 
The company is located at 888 Bay St. in Toronto. 
It is 4:00 p.m. in Halifax right now.

Ø  Question Mark [?]

Use a question mark at the end of a sentence to show a direct question.

How many provinces are there in Canada?

Note: do not use a question mark for indirect questions.

The teacher asked the class a question. Do not ask me why.

Ø  Exclamation Mark [!]

Use an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence to show surprise or excitement.

We won the Stanley Cup!
The forest is on fire!

Ø  Comma [,]

1. Use a comma to show a pause in a sentence.

Therefore, we should write a letter to the prime minister.

2. Use a comma with quotation marks to show what someone has said directly.

"I can come today," she said, "but not tomorrow."

3. Use commas for listing three or more different things.

Ontario, Quebec, and B.C. are the three biggest provinces.

4. Use commas around relative clauses that add extra information to a sentence.

Emily Carr, who was born in 1871, was a great painter.

Ø  Apostrophe [']

1. Use an apostrophe to show ownership of something.

This is David's computer. 
These are the player's things. (things that belong to the player)

Note: For nouns in plural form, put the apostrophe at the end of the noun.

These are the players' things. (things that belong to the players)

2. Use an apostrophe to show letters that have been left out of a word.

I don't know how to fix it.

Ø  Quotation Marks ["]

Use quotation marks to show what someone has said directly.

The prime minister said, "We will win the election." 
"I can come today," she said, "but not tomorrow."

Ø  Colon [:]

1. Use a colon to introduce a list of things.

There are three positions in hockey: goalie, defence, and forward.

2. Use a colon to introduce a long quotation.

The prime minister said: "We will fight. We will not give up. We will win the next election."

Ø Semicolon [;]

1. Use a semicolon to join related sentences together.

The festival is very popular; people from all over the world visit each year.

2. Use a semicolon in lists that already have commas.

The three biggest cities in Canada are Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and Vancouver, B.C.

Ø  Dash [-]

1. Use a dash before a phrase that summarizes the idea of a sentence.

Mild, wet, and cloudy - these are the characteristics of weather in Vancouver.

2. Use a dash before and after a phrase or list that adds extra information in the middle of a sentence.

The children - Pierre, Laura, and Ashley - went to the store. 
Most Canadians - but not all - voted in the last election.

3. Use a dash to show that someone has been interrupted when speaking.

The woman said, "I want to ask - " when the earthquake began to shake the room.

Ø  Hyphen [-]

1. Use a hyphen to join two words that form one idea together.

sweet-smelling 
fire-resistant

2. Use a hyphen to join prefixes to words.

anti-Canadian 
non-contact

3. Use a hyphen when writing compound numbers.

one-quarter 
twenty-three

Compound Sentence

A compound sentence is made by joining two independent clauses together with a conjuctions

Some examples:

·         John bought some new shoes, and he wore them to a party.

·         Lydia liked her new house, but she didn't like the front yard.

·         We can go see a movie, or we can get something to eat.

Notice that in each example, there is a subject and a verb in each independent clause. These sentences can be changed by removing the subject:

·         John bought some new shoes and wore them to a party.

·         Lydia liked her new house but not the front yard.

·         We can go see a movie or get something to eat.

These are still good sentences, but by removing the subject from one part of them, they are no longer compound sentences.

Compound sentences are often formed with these coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, yet, so, and ; (the semi-colon). 

English Compotition

The Composition program works with students to develop the habits of mind, tools, and strategies for writing in college and beyond.  English 105 and 106, our required first-year courses, ask students to engage with campus life and the world at large, challenging them to ask meaningful questions and seek answers through directed investigations of self and society.  In thinking, talking, and writing about complex texts, students employ progressively more sophisticated critical skills.  As they analyze data and rhetoric, formulate and defend arguments, and integrate outside sources, they participate in a conversation with their peers and instructors that leads them to an increased sense of their own ethos and ability to participate successfully in public discourse. The first year sequence familiarizes students with the standards and expectations of discourse in a variety of disciplines, including engineering, science, nursing, business and music, and helps them become effective communicators for the widest possible range of audiences.

Dedicated to providing a superior learning experience, our award-winning faculty come from a range of backgrounds and bring to the classroom a student-centered approach to teaching.  Composition sections are small--no more than 19 students--and sessions are dedicated to hands-on activities meant to challenge students to expand their understanding of the role of writing in the academy and in society.  Students gain a concrete understanding of their power to persuade as they carry out interviews and observations, study archival materials, explore the ways in which film and photographs influence viewers' responses, read complex essays, and evaluate websites, and then produce their own compositions in papers, Blackboard discussion rooms, websites, blogs, wikis, and other modes.

Students who desire greater ability to write in specific disciplines or fields have the opportunity to take several upper level courses described in the Course Offerings.

Outside the classroom, students can seek one-on-one tutoring for writing and composing projects in our program's Writing Center, which is open year-round to all members of the University community.  Here, students receive guidance on crafting their work to answer specific assignments, on revising, and on addressing any questions they have about grammar, research, and citation.  For further information, please visit the Writing Center.  Outreach programs by the Writing Center include workshops for students on topics such as avoiding plagiarism, proofreading effectively, and citing correctly.  In addition, workshops sponsored in conjunction with the Instructional Advancement Center and with Richter Library serve to familiarize faculty with current thinking about best practices regarding writing.

Our diverse, energetic Composition faculty implement the latest theory and practice, and keep in touch with national trends by participating in conferences on writing, composition, rhetoric, and technology.  Active writers and researchers ourselves, we regularly publish scholarly and creative work, including articles in magazines and peer-edited journals, poems, short stories, and books of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry.  At the same time, our faculty pursue ties across the University, endeavoring to frame our courses in light of writing expectations across the disciplines.  Through the Citizens Board Summer Institute, funded in addition by the Office of the Dean and private donors, we assist faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences to implement productive writing assignments in their content-based courses.

Descriptive Text

Descriptive Text

The definition:
Descriptive text is a text that describes the features of someona, something, or a certain place.

The generic structures:
- Identification : identifies/introduction of phenomenon to be describe
- Description : describe the characteristic of phenomenon

The language features:
- Use simple present tense
- Use comparative degree

The example:

Borobudur Temple

Borobudur is Hindu – Budhist temple. It was build in the nineth century under Sailendra dynasty of ancient Mataram kingdom. Borobudur is located in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia.

Borobudur is well-known all over the world. Its construction is influenced by the Gupta architecture of India. The temple is constructed on a hill 46 m high and consist of eight step like stone terrace. The first five terrace are square and surrounded by walls adorned with Budist sculpture in bas-relief. The upper three are circular. 

Each of them is with a circle of bell shape-stupa. The entire adifice is crowned by a large stupa at the centre at the centre of the top circle. The way to the summit extends through some 4.8 km of passage and starways. The design of borobudur which symbolizes the structure of universe influences temples at Angkor, Cambodia.

Borobudur temple which is rededicated as an Indonesian monument in 1983 is a valuable treasure for Indonesian people.

Kinds of Adverbs

Here you can see the basic kinds of adverbs.

Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of Manner tell us the manner or way in which something happens. They answer the question "how?". Adverbs of Manner mainly modify verbs.

• He speaks slowly. (How does he speak?)
• They helped us cheerfully. (How did they help us?)
• James Bond drives his cars fast. (How does James Bond drive his car

Adverbs of Place

Adverbs of Place tell us the place where something happens. They answer the question "where?". Adverbs of Place mainly modify verbs.

• Please sit here. (Where should I sit?)
• They looked everywhere. (Where did they look?)
• Two cars were parked outside. (Where were two cars parked?)

Adverbs of Time

Adverbs of Time tell us something about the time that something happens. Adverbs of Time mainly modify verbs.

They can answer the question "when?":

• He came yesterday. (When did he come?)
• I want it now. (When do I want it?)

Or they can answer the question "how often?":

• They deliver the newspaper daily. (How often do they deliver the newspaper?)
• We sometimes watch a movie. (How often do we watch a movie?)

Adverbs of Degree

Adverbs of Degree tell us the degree or extent to which something happens. They answer the question "how much?" or "to what degree?". Adverbs of Degree can modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs.

• She entirely agrees with him. (How much does she agree with him?)
• Mary is very beautiful. (To what degree is Mary beautiful? How beautiful is Mary?)
• He drove quite dangerously. (To what degree did he drive dangerously? How dangerously did he drive?)

Definition and Example of Narrative Text

Definition and Example of Narrative Text

 

Definition of Narrative
Narrative is a text focusing specific participants which tells an interesting story. Its social function is to tell stories or past events and entertain or amuse the readers.

Generic Structure of Narrative
A narrative text will consists of the following structure:
1. Orientation: Introducing the participants and informing the time and the place
2. Complication: Describing the rising crises which the participants have to do with
3. Resolution: Showing the way of participant to solve the crises, better or worse

Language Features of Narrative

• Using processes verbs

• Using temporal conjunction

• Using Simple Past Tense

example :

 The story of Toba Lake

Once upon a time, there was a man who was living in north Sumatra. He lived in a simple hut in a farming field. The did some gardening and fishing for his daily life.

One day, while the man was do fishing, he caught a big golden fish in his trap. It was the biggest catch which he ever had in his life. Surprisingly, this fish turned into a beautiful princess. He felt in love with her and proposed her to be his wife. She said; "Yes, but you have to promise not to tell anyone about the secret that I was once a fish, otherwise there will be a huge disaster". The man made the deal and they got married, lived happily and had a daughter.

Few years later, this daughter would help bringing lunch to her father out in the fields. One day, his daughter was so hungry and she ate his father’s lunch. Unfortunately, he found out and got furious, and shouted; “You damned daughter of a fish”. The daughter ran home and asked her mother. The mother started crying, felt sad that her husband had broke his promise.

Then she told her daughter to run up the hills because a huge disaster was about to come. When her daughter left, she prayed. Soon there was a big earthquake followed by non-stop pouring rain. The whole area got flooded and became Toba Lake. She turned into a fish again and the man became the island of Samosir.

Direct and Indirect Object

Direct and Indirect Object

Direct Object adalah penderita langsung dari suatu tindakan di dalam satu kalimat. contohnya “He hit the ball.” Namun, kita harus berhati-hati untuk membedakan antara DIRECT OBJECT dan OBJECT COMPLEMENT:

• They named their daughter Natasha.

Dalam kalimat ini, “daughter” adalah DIRECT OBJECT dan “Natasha” adalahOBJECT COMPLEMENT, yang menggambarkan atau memberikan penjelasan dari direct object-nya.

Indirect object mengindentifikasikan untuk siapa tindakan tersebut dibuat. Direct object dan Indirect object adalah orang, tempat, atau sesuatu yang berbeda. Direct object dalam kalimat berikut ini adalah yang dicetak tebal. Indirect Objek yang bercetak miring.

• The instructor gave his students A’s.
• Grandfather left Rosalita and Raoul all his money.
• Jo-Bob sold me her boat.

Bersamaan dengan itu, kata me (atau sama dengan kata lainnya, yaitu him, us, them) biasanya berperan menjadi Direct Object.

• Bless me/her/us!
• Call me/him/them if you have questions.

Untuk menandai Objek langsung dan tidak langsung sangatlah mudah. Perhatikan ilustrasi berikut ini:

Misalnya:

• Andi membawakan saya sebuah buku.

Pada kalimat diatas, predikat kalimat tersebut adalah membawakan. “Membawakan apa?” = Buku. Maka, “buku” adalah OBJEK LANGSUNG (DIRECT OBJECT) dan “saya” adalah OBJEK TIDAK LANGSUNG (INDIRECT OBJECT)

Indirect Object dapat digunakan dalam beberapa cara.

• Give some money to John.
• Give some money to him.
• Give it to John.
• Give it to him.
• Give John some money.
• Give him some money.
• Give John it. (Tidak biasa dipakai)
• Give him it. (Tidak biasa dipakai)

Perhatikan cara menempatkan 2 objek berikut ini:

• Lend me some money. (Lend some money to me)
• Bring me a cup of coffee. (Bring a cup of coffee to me)
• Get me a cup of coffee. (Get a cup of coffee for me)
• Make me a cup of coffee. (Make a cup of coffee for me)
• Ask him a question. (Ask a question of him)
• Tell her a story. (Tell a story to her)

Pola-pola untuk menempatkan Direct Object dan Indirect Object:

Pola A

• I gave him an apple.
• I bought her a car.
• I asked him a question.

Pola B

• I gave an apple to him.
• I explained it to him.

Pola C

• I bought a car for her.
• I open the door for her.

Kata kerja untuk pola A dan B adalah:

write, read, show, teach, tell, sell, send, lend, bring, take, pass, give

Kata kerja untuk pola A dan C adalah:

buy, get, make, find, do, bake, cash, save

Kata Kerja untuk Pola A saja.

ask, cost, charge, wish

Kata kerja untuk Pola B saja.

explain, announce, describe, introduce, mention, prove, repeat, say, speak, report

(Ketika dipakai dengan for, berarti artinya sama dengan “untuk kepentingan”)

Kata kerja untuk Pola C saja

open, answer, close, change, pronounce, prescribe

Kata kerja untuk semua pola

sing

kata Kerja yang tidak dapat dipakai oleh semua pola. (Kata Kerja Intransitif – Kata kerja yang tidak membutuhkan objek)

How to Organize an Excellent Paragraph

How to Organize an Excellent Paragraph

1. Start your paragraph with a topic sentence.
Topic sentence = a sentence that explains what you are going to write about.  It should have a subject, a verb, and a controlling idea.
2. Add supporting sentences.
Supporting sentences = more information about your topic.  One way to do this is to imagine your topic sentence as a question and then ask yourself:  How can I prove this is true?  What examples can I give?
3. End with a concluding sentence
Conclusion = an ending sentence that explains what your paragraph is about.
If you want to, you can add a concluding comment after the concluding sentence.

Example : 

American Food

         American food is fast, cheap, and tasty.  Some countries have food that takes a long time to make, but Americans like to eat food that is really fast, for example: hot dogs, hamburgers, and sandwiches.  American food is not too expensive, if you work in the U.S.   It is more expensive than in some countries and less expensive than in other countries, but I think it is pretty cheap.  Some people don't like American food, but I think it tastes good.  You can put ranch dressing on everything to make it taste delicious.  If you are looking for food that is fast, cheap, and tasty, you should try American food. 

The Writing Process

I’m going to explain what each stage of the writing process involves, and I’ll offer some tips for each section that will help out if you’re still feeling stuck!

1. Prewriting

Have you ever sat staring at a blank piece of paper or a blank document on your computer screen? You might have skipped the vital first stage of the writing process: prewriting. This covers everything you do before starting your rough draft. As a minimum, prewriting means coming up with an idea!

Ideas and Inspiration

Ideas are all around you. If you want to write but you don’t have any ideas, try:

·           Using a writing prompt to get you started.

·           Writing about incidents from your daily life, or childhood.

·           Keeping a notebook of ideas – jotting down those thoughts that occur throughout the day.

·           Creating a vivid character, and then writing about him/her.

See also How to Generate Hundreds of Writing Ideas.

Tip: Once you have an idea, you need to expand on it. Don’t make the mistake of jumping straight into your writing – you’ll end up with a badly structured piece.

Building on Your Idea

These are a couple of popular methods you can use to add flesh to the bones of your idea:

·           Free writing: Open a new document or start a new page, and write everything that comes into your head about your chosen topic. Don’t stop to edit, even if you make mistakes.

·           Brainstorming: Write the idea or topic in the center of your page. Jot down ideas that arise from it – sub-topics or directions you could take with the article.

Once you’ve done one or both of these, you need to select what’s going into your first draft.

Planning and Structure

Some pieces of writing will require more planning than others. Typically, longer pieces and academic papers need a lot of thought at this stage.

First, decide which ideas you’ll use. During your free writing and brainstorming, you’ll have come up with lots of thoughts. Some belong in this piece of writing: others can be kept for another time.

Then, decide how to order those ideas. Try to have a logical progression. Sometimes, your topic will make this easy: in this article, for instance, it made sense to take each step of the writing process in order. For a short story, try the eight-point story arc.

2. Writing

Sit down with your plan beside you, and start your first draft (also known as the rough draft or rough copy). At this stage, don’t think about word-count, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Don’t worry if you’ve gone off-topic, or if some sections of your plan don’t fit too well. Just keep writing!

If you’re a new writer, you might be surprised that professional authors go through multiple drafts before they’re happy with their work. This is a normal part of the writing process – no-one gets it right first time.

Some things that many writers find helpful when working on the first draft include:

·           Setting aside at least thirty minutes to concentrate: it’s hard to establish a writing flow if you’re just snatching a few minutes here and there.

·           Going somewhere without interruptions: a library or coffee shop can work well, if you don’t have anywhere quiet to write at home.

·           Switching off distracting programs: if you write your first draft onto a computer, you might find that turning off your Internet connection does wonders for your concentration levels! When I’m writing fiction, I like to use the free program Dark Room (you can find more about it on our collection ofwriting software).

You might write several drafts, especially if you’re working on fiction. Your subsequent drafts will probably merge elements of the writing stage and the revising stage.

Tip: Writing requires concentration and energy. If you’re a new writer, don’t try to write for hours without stopping. Instead, give yourself a time limit (like thirty minutes) to really focus – without checking your email!

3. Revising

Revising your work is about making “big picture” changes. You might remove whole sections, rewrite entire paragraphs, and add in information which you’ve realized the reader will need. Everyone needs to revise – even talented writers.

The revision stage is sometimes summed up with the A.R.R.R. (Adding, Rearranging, Removing, Replacing) approach:

Adding

What else does the reader need to know? If you haven’t met the required word-count, what areas could you expand on? This is a good point to go back to your prewriting notes – look for ideas which you didn’t use.

Rearranging

Even when you’ve planned your piece, sections may need rearranging. Perhaps as you wrote your essay, you found that the argument would flow better if you reordered your paragraphs. Maybe you’ve written a short story that drags in the middle but packs in too much at the end.

Removing

Sometimes, one of your ideas doesn’t work out. Perhaps you’ve gone over the word count, and you need to take out a few paragraphs. Maybe that funny story doesn’t really fit with the rest of your article.

Replacing

Would more vivid details help bring your piece to life? Do you need to look for stronger examples and quotations to support your argument? If a particular paragraph isn’t working, try rewriting it.

Tip: If you’re not sure what’s working and what isn’t, show your writing to someone else. This might be a writers’ circle, or just a friend who’s good with words. Ask them for feedback. It’s best if you can show your work to several people, so that you can get more than one opinion.

4. Editing

The editing stage is distinct from revision, and needs to be done after revising. Editing involves the close-up view of individual sentences and words. It needs to be done after you’ve made revisions on a big scale: or else you could agonize over a perfect sentence, only to end up cutting that whole paragraph from your piece.

When editing, go through your piece line by line, and make sure that each sentence, phrase and word is as strong as possible. Some things to check for are:

·           Have you used the same word too many times in one sentence or paragraph? Use a thesaurus to find alternatives.

·           Are any of your sentences hard to understand? Rewrite them to make your thoughts clear.

·           Which words could you cut to make a sentence stronger? Words like “just” “quite”, “very”, “really” and “generally” can often be removed.

·           Are your sentences grammatically correct? Keep a careful look out for problems like subject-verb agreement and staying consistent in your use of the past, present or future tense.

·           Is everything spelt correctly? Don’t trust your spell-checker – it won’t pick up every mistake. Proofread as many times as necessary.

·           Have you used punctuation marks correctly? Commas often cause difficulties. You might want to check out the Daily Writing Tips articles onpunctuation.

Tip: Print out your work and edit on paper. Many writers find it easier to spot mistakes this way.

5. Publishing

The final step of the writing process is publishing. This means different things depending on the piece you’re working on.

Bloggers need to upload, format and post their piece of completed work.

Students need to produce a final copy of their work, in the correct format. This often means adding a bibliography, ensuring that citations are correct, and adding details such as your student reference number.

Journalists need to submit their piece (usually called “copy”) to an editor. Again, there will be a certain format for this.

Fiction writers may be sending their story to a magazine or competition. Check guidelines carefully, and make sure you follow them. If you’ve written a novel, look for an agent who represents your genre. (There are books likeWriter’s Market, published each year, which can help you with this.)

Tip: Your piece of writing might never be published. That’s okay – many bestselling authors wrote lots of stories or articles before they got their first piece published. Nothing that you write is wasted, because it all contributes to your growth as a writer.

Conclusion

The five stages of the writing process are a framework for writing well and easily. You might want to bookmark this post so that you can come back to it each time you start on a new article, blog post, essay or story: use it as a checklist to help you.

If you have any tips about the writing process, or if you want to share your experiences, tell us in the comments!