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Narrative letters are often like a quick
phone call to a friend over some piece of news you‘ve just got to share. They
can be about:
1. An everyday incident
without much consequence.
2. The proudest/happiest moment of your life
3. An unusual thing you’ve done.
In this booklet we have aimed to help
students write the perfect letter. And have included:
ü Basic format for the letter
ü Register reviews
ü Notes on the three types of situations
ü Example letters
ü Common errors
ü Useful phrases
We hope that all this will build up your
confidence about your writing skills and help motivate you to write with a
great enthusiasm.
ENJOY!!
TYPE 1
NARRATIVE LETTERS
Narrative letters are friendly letters. They are not written to a
friend to ask them how they are doing. As the name indicates, “narrative” means
“story”. So a in a narrative letter you briefly narrate something exciting that
happened to you to a friend. There are 3 types of narrative letters, but this
chapter will only be about Type 1 narrative letters.
Type 1 narrative letters mostly include something that happened to
you which did not result in any serious consequences. It could be any of the
following situations:
o
Sighting
a celebrity.
o
Getting
locked in/out of your house.
o
Getting
stuck in an elevator.
o
Being
caught in the middle of a fight in school.
Tips for a good
narrative letter:
o
You
should use your imagination so that your letter will be more interesting.
However, do not bluff or make you look like a hero.
o
Do
not include things that are impossible such as you flying up into the air to
catch a crashing airplane. Your imagination should be as realistic as possible.
o
Do not be too emotional and dramatic through
the letter.
o
Write
everything in the same order it happened.
o
Using time sequence phrases, connectors and
feelings in your letter will make it interesting.
INTRODUCTION:
I can’t wait to tell you… what
happened to me…
I am dying to tell you…
who/how/what
You’ll never
believe…
You’ll never
guess…
The introduction should be as short as possible.
BODY
o
Describe
what happened before the main event. (it should be something ordinary like
having coffee with your friends or shopping)
o
Include time sequence phrases. E.g.: in the morning, by this time,
in the end, within no time…etc.
Include time sequence phrases. E.g.: in the morning, by this time,
in the end, within no time…etc.
o
Show
feelings. E.g.: I was horrified to learn that, I was furious to know that, I
was delighted to see that…etc.
o
Include
personalizing phrases. E.g.: I wish you were there, as you can imagine I was
terrified, if only you were there…etc.
CONCLUSION
The conclusion of a narrative letter should be short just like the
introduction. It could be concluded by sentences like: “Well, I must dash now, got to tell Ben about it” or “Looking back, it was one of the most
happiest moments in my life”
Example
narrative letters
Write a letter to a friend about seeing a famous person.
In the letter you should include:
o
Where
you were.
o
What
you were doing.
o
How
you reacted.
The letter should be no more than 150 (for core students) and 200
(for extended students).
Dear Jeff,
You won’t
believe what happened to me this morning! I might have forgotten some minor
details due the excitement, but I promise I’ll re-live the whole experience for
you.
I was in town
with Fred and Jake, shopping in the new mall that opened last week to look at
the latest skateboards. I should tell you, they have awesome new Quicksilver
and a Tommy Hilfiger tuxedo shop, and the prices are unbelievably low!
Anyways, we
were near the skateboard stall admiring the new designs (they are amazing!)
when I saw her. I couldn’t believe my eyes first. I thought it was some crazy
wanna be women all dressed up. But then everyone in the mall came running
toward her screaming her name and I finally realized that it was the real Lady
Gaga! I was out of my mind in excitement. You know what a huge Lady G fan I am.
I wish you could have been there. The whole mall was in total chaos until she left.
I have no idea
what Lady G was doing in our mall today, but whatever it is, I am glad that she
showed up but I was one of the unlucky guys who didn’t get an autograph. Fred and Jake also didn’t get one but we
really don’t mind. Well, I must dash now. I have to tell the whole family about
the most exciting moment of my life.
Yours,
Tom
(237 words)
Write a reply to a letter you received from a friend about seeing a
famous person. It should be narrative. In the letter include:
o
What
you were doing.
o
What
your reaction was.
Your letter should be between 150-200 words long. Connect with the
previous letter as much as possible.
Dear Tom,
I can’t wait to
tell you what happened this morning. It was the most exciting moment in my
life. I am still finding it hard to believe.
I was out in
the front yard to collect the mail when I saw a huge, paparazzi mob of
screaming people with flashing cameras everywhere. I stood there for a while
trying to figure out what was going on. I went over there and made my way
through the crowd and when I saw her I was frozen on the spot dumbfounded. It
was Lady Gaga! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I ran to my house and grabbed my
backpack and came back and got an autograph on it. I am not a huge Lady G fan,
so you can have my backpack. I have a new one anyway.
I have no idea
what Lady G was doing in our neighborhood, but it was such a weird coincidence
that I saw her when I was out to get your letter about you seeing her. After
reading your letter I was amazed to see that we went through the same thing, so
I rushed to write to you.
Well, I must go
now. Have to tell my brother Sam about all this. Hope you like the backpack.
Yours,
Jeff (213
words)
Write a letter to a friend about getting stuck in a lift. Your
letter should be no more than 150-200 words long. Try to include the following
points:
o
What
you were doing before getting stuck in the lift
o
What
happened in the lift
o
How
you finally got out of there
Dear Rose,
You will not
believe what happened to me yesterday. It was the most frightening but also the
most exciting thing that ever happened to me.
I went up to my
dad’s office to get his car keys to go to the mall with some friends from
school. My dad’s office is on the top floor so I had to use a very ancient
looking elevator. I surely wouldn’t climb the stairs all way up to the top
floor as you know.
The stupid
elevator was really slow and it felt like hours to get the thing moving. I kept
pressing the button like crazy. After it got moving it suddenly stopped
halfway. I was so terrified. I kept pressing all the buttons I found. You know
how much I panic in situations like that. I tried to call my dad but there was
no signal in the elevator, not even a security camera to let people know I was
stuck in there. I was so scared! It was really creepy. I tried my best not to
panic but it was all too frightening. I kept having bad thoughts about being
stuck in there forever.
Finally, after
about twenty minutes, the elevator started moving! It was in a sudden so I was
really shocked and surprised. When I got to my dad’s office I was as pale as a
ghost, but everything went back to normal after the shopping trip. I wish you
were there with me when I was stuck in that creepy elevator. We would probably
throw a party in there!
I must dash
now. Have to tell the whole family about it.
Yours,
Jennifer (274
words)
Write a letter to a friend about an attempted robbery in a local
shop. Your letter should be between 150-200 words. You should include the
following points:
o
What
you were doing at the shop
o
How
you reacted
o
What
happened after the robbery
Dear Henry,
Wait till you
hear what happened to me this morning in a local antique shop. I am still quite
shaken by it.
I went to the
antique shop to buy a birthday present for my best friend Maya. She loves
ancient things so the antique shop was the perfect place to look for. The
antique shop doesn’t get many customers from here but it is a very interesting
place. The shopkeeper is quite an old man but very warm and friendly.
When I went
there, there was a “closed” sign on the door, so I turned back and headed home
until I heard something breaking inside the shop. I quickly rushed toward the
shop to see what happened. You know how curious and adventure seeking I am. I
saw the old man Hendricks lying gagged on the floor. There was an open window
so I went in and helped him untie himself. The old man’s story was pretty
shocking. There was a robbery in the antique shop and the robbers tied him up.
They couldn’t find anything valuable so they took sum cheap antiques and left.
Hendricks thanked me for helping him out and gave me a beautiful Egyptian
bracelet for Maya.
I really wish
you were there with me. We could have found the robbers then. I saw a page on
the local newspaper about the police searching for them but no news about
finding them yet.
I have to dash
now, got to tell Maya about my heroic actions.
Yours,
Noel
(251 words)
Write a letter to a friend about a fire breaking in your school.
Your letter should be no more than 150-200 words. In your letter you should
include the following points:
o
What
you were doing before the fire.
o
How
it happened.
o
What
happened after the fire.
o
How
you reacted to the fire.
Dear Adam,
You won’t
believe what happened to me at school this morning. It was frightening but also
a very thrilling experience.
We were having
lunch in the cafeteria when we heard the fire alarm go off in the Chemistry
lab. All of us rushed there and I remembered that my little sister Kate was in
the chemistry lab. I also rushed into the lab through the crowd but the lab was
empty. I was terrified and scared that something might have happened to her.
You know how protective I am of Kate. I wish you were there to see the look on
my face!
In the end I
found out that Kate was not in the chemistry lab. She was in the biology lab. I
was really relieved and felt a little stupid of being so paranoid. No one was
really hurt in the fire. It was just a small harmless fire caused by a wanna be
“mad scientist” student. I can never tell my family or Kate about how stupid I
was. They would probably laugh at me.
I have to dash
now. Have lots of homework to do.
Yours,
Ben
(189 words)
You were at your local swimming pool when something interesting
happened. You decide to write to a friend describing the event.
In your letter you should:
o
Describe
what you saw.
o
Explain
how you reacted.
o
Say
what happened in the end.
Dear Zack,
You won’t
believe what happened to me yesterday at our local swimming pool. It was so
frightening.
I went with my
family swimming as I usually do on Sundays. I usually practice there for the
school swimming tournament. Everything was normal and peaceful when suddenly I
heard a little girl cry out loud. Everyone was gathered around the pool and I
also went up to see what happened. You know how curious I get.
I saw a little
girl in the pool unable to swim. Everyone just stood there not knowing what to
do. Even I was paralyzed for a brief second and I suddenly realized that the
girl was your little cousin Ella. I went forward and pushed the lifeguard in to
the pool so that he will rescue little Ella.
In the end, my
plan worked out perfectly. The lifeguard took Ella out of the pool and she was
alright. I was glad I pushed him into the pool. I wish you could have been
there.
Well, I must
dash now. Have to tell my friends from school about what happened.
Yours,
Cole
(183 words)
TYPE 2
NARRATIVE LETTERS
PICTURE THIS:
You are overweight and your friends
can't imagine you walking a mile and yet you have just completed a marathon!!
What would you do???
OR you have extreme fear of water
and yet your cousin had convinced you to try scuba diving.
In such cases of your little
personal triumphs you need somebody or anybody to tell your tale and that’s
where narrative letters come in, just like a quick call to a friend over a hot
piece of gossip or news.
DON’T FORGET:
It’s a letter to a friend and not a
report!! so don’t go stating just a version of the incident. Make sure to
personalize
and keep a friendly tone.
We’ll be taking a look at:
Types of situation where you've
found yourself doing a daring or unusual thing. Something that your friend
wasn't expecting!!! like:
Ø You’re not fond of big animals but you spent an entire afternoon
galloping on a horse at your uncles farm.
Ø You don’t like performing in front of people but you took part in
the school play/concert.
Introduction:
Ø You don’t want to waste any time retelling your tale.
Ø Your word limit is 150-200 (not much) so keep it short!!!
HELPFUL PHRASES:
Ø I'm dying to tell you….
Ø you won't believe..
Ø I can't wait to…
Ø you'll never guess\believe
Ø guess what…
DON’T FORGET TO SET THE TIME WITH PHRASES LIKE:
Ø this weekend ..\morning\afternoon..
Ø last night
Ø yesterday
Ø note: you could even drop in a few names\location to create
interest…
HOW TO KICK START!!
EX:1You'll never guess what
Jules and Anna made me do last night
EX:2You won't believe what Clara and
I did this morning
EX:3Guess what I've done just now!
EX:4I'm dying to tell you about my
little adventure this afternoon.
CONCLUSION:
Keep this brief too! you'll be dying
to run off and tell someone else all about it..won't you??
HELPFUL PHRASES..
Ø well, I must dash now..I've got to..
Ø well, I must go now..I want to..
HOW TO BUNDLE IT ALL UP!!
EX:1Well, I must dash now, I've got
to tell Rachel all about it!
EX:2 I must go now. I want to give
Brad all the exciting details..
EX:3 I've got to run now. Jane wants
a blow by blow amount!
EX:4I'll give you more gory details
later. Mum wants me hip down over to the grocery shop.
EX:5Well, I must run now. I want to
call Blaine and tell him the news!
BODY:
To
spice up your letter, make good use of..
WHS!
Ø who were you with?
Ø what were you doing ?
Ø when did it happen?
EX 1:I was leafing through the paper
this morning..
EX 2: Clara and I were chatting
inside the girls locker room when..
TIME SEQUENCES
EX 2-I would only just..finished the
first page
EX 3-we were just about to.. go over
to Grans place.
EX 4-IN the end-it turned out to be
a spectacular..
FEELINGS-
were you..
Ø horrified?
Ø delighted?
Ø thrilled?
Ø amazed ?
PERSONALIZING
Two simple ways to personalize are:
1. refer your friends knowledge of
your character
EX.1
as you can imagine .. I was petrified….
EX.2
I don't need to tell you…. how thrilled I was
EX.3
you know me- always the adventurer!
2. Refer to your friends
characteristics/ abilities
EX.1
I wish you would been there… you would have kept a cool head !
EX.2
it's a pity you weren't there … we would have had so much fun..
Example letter 1: Writing to a friend after you spent an afternoon
parachute jumping:
Dear Zoe,
I am
dying to tell you what we did this afternoon.
Clara
and I were on our way home from tennis practice when we saw an advertisement
for a parachute jump. You know how impulsive she can be. She signed us both up
and begged me to come along!
Sitting
next to her on the claustrophobic little plane was an absolute nightmare. She
kept chattering about this and that while I just sat there with chattering
teeth and wobbly knees.
After
a while the instructor asked us to strap ourselves in and line up. My fingers
fumbled so much I needed help with getting everything on! When it was my turn I
took one look down and decided to bail out! You know how I feel about heights
don’t you? Clara however had no intention of letting me live and gave me a
sneaky shove!
The
first few seconds were horrific but after I had the courage to open my eyes I
had an absolute blast! The scenery was spectacular. Once I landed I couldn’t
wait to get back up again!
I
got to go now. I want to call Jane and tell her all about it!
Love from,
Anna (200
words)
Example letter 2: Writing
to a friend about taking part in the annual school concert.
Dear
Dora,
You’ll
never believe what I did last night.
A
couple of days ago Ms. Jane asked me to practice a solo to perform at Star
Night. I told her I couldn’t do it but you know how she is. She wouldn’t let up
so I agreed to do it!
Well,
last night was the big night. Standing backstage all I wanted to do was runaway
like the coward I was. The whole place was pure chaos. Everyone running about
screaming for their costumes and props. I stood really still going over the
song I was about to perform hoping and praying they‘d forget all about me.
Just
as my hopes were perking up I heard my name being called up on stage. I
shuffled up and stood in front of the audience feeling like a complete fool. I
couldn’t remember what I was supposed to
be doing! Eventually I did come to my senses and just burst out into the song!
At
first my voice came out all shrilly. You know how it gets that way when I’m
nervous don’t you? After a while my heart settled into a less hectic hammering
and my voice finally settled in.
Once
I finished I literally ran offstage. I heard a few titters but by that time I
was too overjoyed to care. I did it!
I
must dash now-I want to tell Julian all the glory details!
Best
wishes.
Hillary
(238 words)
Example letter 3: Writing to a friend about going horse riding
Dear
Hanna,
Guess
what I did this weekend!
Mom
and Dad had a workshop in Leeds so they decided to send me away to Uncle Ben’s
farm. At first I refused point blank to go but mom wouldn’t budge either so I
packed up and went along.
The
whole ride there I did nothing but sulk but once I got there I felt bad about
it and decided to be a good sport. I even offered to help clean out the chicken
coop! Uncle Ben had other plans and took me out into the paddock. He told me he
was going to take me horse-riding as a treat!
When
he lifted me up on to a black stallion my stomach turned queasy. He then taught
me how to handle the rein and send me off in a gentle trot.
After
a while I got the hang of it and really
enjoyed myself. I trotted around the paddock a few times and then raced off
into the fields. Uncle Ben wouldn’t let me try jumping but I talked my cousin
Rupert into giving me a few lessons! I wasn’t a star pupil but I did get a
couple of wicked bruises which put both of us in huge trouble. We had to clean
out the cow sheds!
Mom
and Dad teased me a lot when I told them I had a good time! I m planning to go
back there soon.Maybe you could tag along.I m sure you ll turn out into quite
the country girl!
I
have to run now-Janet will be wanting to here all about this
Lots
of love
Alexis
(268 words)
Example letter 4: writing to a friend about a fight you got into.
Dear
Aria,
You
won’t believe what I have just done!
I
was on my way to Aunt May’s place when I noticed a crowd gathered near the
park. I decided to see what it was all about and headed that way.
As I
pushed my way into the crowd I saw a boy at its center. With a jolt I realized
it was John from school. Do you remember him? He had been showing off with a
few dirt bike tricks. They were pretty good but his attitude sure wasn’t!
After
a while most people went off on their way but I decided to hang around for a
while. You know how I get about anything dare devilish don’t you? I was
practically itching to try it all by the time he was finished. So I went over
to him and asked him to show a couple moves.
All
he did was laugh and told me that I didn’t have the skills he did! Can you
believe it? I started to walk away but he reached up and gave me a hard poke in
the ribs. The next thing I knew my fists reached out and punched him. We both
took a few swipes at each other before someone came and separated us.
I
actually feel pretty good about it but mom’s furious of course. I’m on chore
duty for the next three weeks!
Will
have to give all the gory details later. I have to go take out the trash.
With
love from
Jason
(250 words)
Example letter 5: writing to a friend going scuba diving.
Dear
Emily,
You’ll
never believe what Ricky and Scott made me do this morning.
We
were at the dock goofing of when Zoë’s dad invited us to go snorkeling with
him. I told the guys I didn’t want to but Scott threatened to tell mom about
the F I got in History class so I had to tag along.
They
kept threatening to throw me overboard the whole boat ride out into the reef
edge. But once we reached there Mr. Gillard told them to cool it and get
serious. By this time I had turned a delicate shade of green and was shaking
all over. When everyone got into their gear we all jumped into the water.
I felt terrified at first but soon enough felt
right at home. We didn’t waddle in deep but still managed to catch sight of
gorgeous fish and corals. Ricky swore he saw a huge sting ray but no one
believes him since they aren’t in season yet.
All
too soon we had to head back. Over hot chocolate we got Mr. Gillard to promise
us he’d take us out again next week. I think
i ‘m completely over my fear of the deep!
Must
dash now. I want to call Rena and tell her all the details.
Best
wishes,
Julian
(218 words)
Dos and Don’ts:
Don’t
begin by classifying your letter
ex: I ma writing to tell…
ü
Do
keep your introduction short and
attention grabbing
Don’t use word like firstly and secondly.
It will sound like a report and not a letter
ü
Make
use of connectors like at first ,when and As.. instead
ü
Include
feelings and set the scene so your friend can get the feel of your story
Don’t get so caught up in the story that
you forget it’s a letter.
ü
Personalize.
ü
Create
interest through contrast.
ü
Keep
the conclusion short too.
Don’t include a whole lot of drama. It
has to be convincing!
TYPE 3
NARRATIVE LETTERS
A narrative letter is similar in some ways to a telephone call,
when you rush in and picked up the phone to tell your friend all about
something which has just happened to you: “hot news”! You phone because what
happened was exciting or because you think your friend will find it
interesting.
There are three types of situations that involve narrative writing
in the exam:
·
Type
1 situations: writing a letter to a friend about something that could happen to
you in everyday life
·
Type
2 situations: writing a letter to a friend about what you have done that is
daring
·
Type
3 situations: writing a letter to a friend about your happiest or proudest
moment
In this section, we’ll be focusing on the Type 3 situations:
writing a letter to a friend about your happiest or proudest moment
Main things to keep in mind
Ø Establish which type of narrative letter is needed before starting
to write
Ø Establish the audience
Ø Establish the implications
Ø Establish the facts according to the information given and implied
in the question
Ø Narrative letters need to be written in friendly register.
Ø You have to hook the reader’s attention
Ø Personalizing is very important as it will make the reader feel
that he is included in your thoughts as you write and his feelings and opinions
have been taken into account.
Ø You need to support your ideas in order to make them acceptable to
your friend
Ø Do Not fall into the trap of listing
Ø Paragraphs need to be shown by indenting the first line of each new
paragraph so that it lines up under the comma following the name( this is
because the letter is hand-written in the exam)
Friendly Register: Review
ü Do not use slangs
Eg: I like to chill out at the beach
ü Do not shorten the words to look phonetic( in other words, to look
the way they sound)
Eg: how ya doin?
ü Do not use Text message/ SMS-style phonetics, such as ‘u’ for
‘you’, or small ‘i’ instead of ‘I’, or a number to represent a word, for
example ‘4’ instead of ‘for’, and so on
When writing in friendly register, you should try to simplify your
language as much as possible. When you try this, you will find that simplifying
language very often involves expanding it; a large number of simple words are
needed to explain or replace bigger words.
For example social interaction could be expressed in
friendly register by a phrase such as mixing and getting on with people.
Phrases
Introduction
I can’t wait to tell you
I’m dying to tell you
about/what/what happened (to me)…
Wait until you hear
who/how…..
 |
You won’t believe
You’ll never believe what
happened (to me
You’ll never guess who/how…..
Don’t forget to say when the incident happened
...this morning
…this afternoon
…just now
…a few minutes/moments ago
Time sequence phrases
ü I’d/he’d/we’d (only) just + past tense, when
Eg: we’d only just sat down at our desks when the fire alarm went
off
ü The moment/ minute I/ he/ we/ + past tense
Eg: the minute I walked into the room, I noticed something strange
ü I / he/ we was/ were just about …..when + past tense….
Eg: We were just about to catch the bus, when there was a deafening
noise.
ü Just as I/he/we was/ were about to…
Eg: Just as we were about to catch the bus, there was a deafening
noise
ü As I /she/we + past tense/ past continuous
Eg: As I opened the door I heard a scream
ü Before + active verb ( not the ing form of the verb, which is
formal)
Eg: Before I shut the door, I checked if I had my keys.
ü After what seemed like ages…
Eg: After what seemed like ages, the lift door opened.
ü In the morning/ afternoon/ evening
ü All afternoon/ night
ü By this time
ü In the end
ü For the first time in my life
ü It only took a moment
ü About…hours later
ü Within no moment
Personalizing phrases
ü I don’t need to tell you how excited I was…
ü As you can imagine, I was terrified…
ü As you know, I can’t stand heights…
ü You know me- I always panic in emergencies…
ü I wish you’d been there
ü If only you’d been there
Concluding paragraph
ü Well, I must dash now- I’ve got to tell Sam all about it
ü Well, I must go now- I want to call Sarah and tell her the news!
ü (looking back) I think it was probably one of the happiest moments
I can ever remember!Feelings
Disappointed Learn
Horrified Realize
We were Delighted Find
Amazed
Discover
Furious Hear
Writing the letter (basic plan)
Main Features
·
Write chronologically: in other words, write
about the events in the same order they actually happened including
-a definite beginning
-a climax (the most dramatic or interesting
moment in the story)
-a definite conclusion
•
Set the scene using, using ‘Wh’ questions
•
Include time sequence phrases
•
Include connectors
•
Include feelings and how they change during the
narrative
Greeting
In every case use standard Dear. Do Not use Dearest/ My best friend/ My dearest
Eg: Dear Mariam,
Introduction
•
The introduction should be very short
•
Don't forget to say when the incident happened
•
Do not begin your story by classifying it: “I am writing to tell you about my proudest/
happiest moment” (put this in the summary instead)
•
Use personal reference in the introduction
•
The introduction should hook the reader’s
attention
(The plan is based on a lottery win)
EG: “I
can’t wait to tell you my news!”
Body
•
Begin this part of the letter by describing
what was happening before and leading up to the main event. A good way of doing
this is by answering some of the Wh questions
•
Include time sequence phrases
•
Include connectors ( using connectors help the
story to flow)
•
Include feelings...for example excited,
relieved or frightened etc....
•
Include personalizing phrases
•
Support your ideas
“I was
listening to the results of the lottery on the TV when I realized I’d won”
Concluding the
letter
·
The conclusion need to be very brief
-
this is because of the number of
words you needed to tell the story
-
and also because you are in a hurry
to tell everyone else about what happened
“The prize
money wasn’t very much – but at least it should pay for some driving lessons…
and maybe a small car? This was certainly the happiest day of my life
Sample letter 1
You won a scholarship to a well – known
college/ school
Dear Aleeza,
I am dying to
tell you what happened this weekend! I think it was probably the happiest
moment of my life!
As you know I
always had this dream of going to a well - known university for my higher
studies. Last month as I was reading the news papers I came across a notice that
the University of Harvard had scholarships open for 50 students. I was filled
with excitement though I knew that the chances of winning one of those
scholarship was 50 – 50.
I applied as
soon as I could. I felt nervous a bit when I learnt that more than 1000
students were in the war with me to grab hold of one of those scholarships.
After what
seemed like a hundred years the names of the scholarship winners came out! I
was shaking when I was trying to find my name in those 50 lucky winners. When I
finally found it I was very relieved and excited! I don’t need to tell you how
happy I was!
Well I must
dash now! I have got to call Vivien and tell her all about it!
With love
Amaany
Sample letter 2
You met a member of your family for the first
time
Dear Asil,
You’ll never
guess who I met this morning!
I was helping
my mom do some grocery shopping at the local supermarket. I was having a hard
time finding all the grocery on the list because the shelves in the store had
been rearranged.
After I managed
to find everything on the list, I went to look for mom. I found her talking to
a stranger whom I had never met before. I went to her side curiosity burning
inside me. When the man saw me you’ll never believe what he told me. He said
that he was an uncle of mine.
As you know I
have never known a family member other than my parents because I have been
living abroad far away from the rest of my family. When I saw my uncle for the
first time it was a very happy moment for me. Probably the happiest moment of my
life so far!
Well I must
dash now! I have got to call Jane and tell her all about it!
With love,
Eshal
Sample letter 3
A teacher who is always tough on you gave you a
good mark for a piece of work
Dear Imani,
Wait until you
hear what happened yesterday!
As the art
period bell rang our art teacher Mr. Jones entered the class. I always dreaded
art class because I had a grudge against Mr. Jones. Sometimes I wished I could
skip art class or runaway from the class room. No matter how hard I worked in
the art lessons Mr. Jones never gave me a good compliment.
Mr. Jones
instructed us that we were supposed to design a garden which was a bit out of
the ordinary because we always sketched pictures in the art classes. I don’t
know why, but, I felt determined to impress Mr. Jones this time. I began on my
design and to my surprise I was the first one to complete it first from the
whole class.
I looked at my
design before handing over to Mr. Jones and found myself satisfied with the
work I had done. My heart was beating fast which was quite unusual. What Mr.
Jones said after examining the design was unimaginable! He told me that he had
never seen such a beautiful garden design in his life! That was probably the
proudest moment of my life!
Getting such a compliment
from Mr. Jones was beyond my dreams. I still can’t believe it. Can you?
With love from,
Limya
Sample letter 4
Happy moment of your life
Dear Jenifer,
You won’t
believe what happened this weekend!
Two weeks ago I
heard that a large marathon was going to be held all around the city. One of my
friends George suggested that I could try and run the marathon which would help
me to lose weight. I thought about it and accepted the challenge.
So, I joined
the race and although I didn’t win, I finished it before a lot of others. The
moment I crossed the finish line, I felt that I had overcome my fear of not
finishing the marathon, since as you know, I was overweight.
Many of my
friends had attended the race and were surprised that I managed to run
continuously without stopping throughout the entire race. The day was probably
the happiest and proudest moment of my life!
Now you know
all about the most exciting goal which I set myself and managed to do
successfully, take good care of yourself. I am looking forward to seeing you.
Love,
Ali
(168 words)
Sample letter 5
You won a
competition
Dear lafhaan,
How are you? It’s been so long since I wrote to you.
Hey did you know I have just won
first prize in a singing competition in our town. It was a competition held in
remembrance of a famous country singer who passed away 6 years ago.
At first I never thought that I’d
make it through to the finals 5 but surprisingly I did. At that moment I was
sure if I tried hard I could win it. Finally the unforgiving days of practice
bloomed the flower of victory making me the winner of the competition. I was so
happy but, I was overjoyed when I heard that the prize was a two week holiday
to anywhere i choose in the WORLD with a friend. In this opportunity I would
love to go to America. It’s always been my dream to go there.
I can’t wait to go to America but
I don’t want to go alone. So would you like to join me? I am sure you would
enjoy it. I can’t wait to hear from you.
With love from,
Xyn
(183 words)
CONCLUSION
The right
format, a rich vocabulary and a great imagination! A narrative letter can be
tricky to write without all this! We‘ve handed you the basic tools. Keep
developing and make the best use of everything included. The phrases,
situations and example letters included will have really gotten your creative
juices flying. So grab your pens and start writing!
Hope
you all have enjoyed poring over this booklet!
APPENDIX
Type 1 written by : Saif, Rafa, Shadha, Ismail, Aus & Shanoon.
Type 2 written by:
Zahuwa, NAbeel, Nihan, Sausan, Hamdhan and Basith
Type 3 written
by : Naufa, Hilyath, Yashfeen, XYN, Ali and Manaf
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