The topic explained
LESSON 6A WRITING | A letter to the editor
- □ I can write a letter to the editor.
Modern art: look at the photos
1 SPEAKING Look at the photos showing modern installation artworks and answer the questions.
The article that started the argument
2 Read an extract from a newspaper article. Do you agree with the writer’s point of view? Say why.
Do you agree with the writer’s point of view? Say why.
The model letter: five points against the article
3 Read a letter to the editor of the newspaper that published the article in Exercise 2. What five main points does it include?
Organisation
How to organise the letter
4 Read the letter again and complete gaps 1–6 in the Writing box with your ideas.
Language for arguing back
5 Look at the model letter again and complete gaps 7–16 in the Writing box with one word.
Language
- Paraphrase the points made by the original author.
- The author mentions …
- The author puts 7 ___ the opinion that …
- Concede the points made by the original author, and then argue against them.
- Despite an 8 ___ persuasive argument, I felt that the ideas presented were …
- While I would not 9 ___ … this actually …
- Put forward contrasting arguments.
- I would also take 10 ___ with the notion that …
- 11 ___ can it be argued that …
- On the 12 ___ , …
- In 13 ___ of fact …
- Use emphatic language.
- It is 14 ___ from …
- a 15 ___ role
- a 16 ___ component
Hedging: how to sound careful, not rude
6 Study Active Writing. Then find examples of hedging in the model letter.
ACTIVE WRITING | Hedging
- There are various ways of doing this:
- verbs such as believe, assume, suggest,
- modal verbs such as will, would, might, could,
- adverbs of frequency such as often, sometimes,
- adverbs and adjectives such as certain/ly, probable/ly, perhaps, surely,
- conditional structures such as were this to be the case, it would,
- softeners such as somewhat, to some extent.
Make five blunt statements gentler
7 Rewrite the following statements using the language from Active Writing.
1 Once again I disagree.
2 This is wrong.
3 They have made a mistake.
4 This is not an insoluble problem.
5 The author is misinformed.
Your turn: argue for the arts
8 Read an extract from a different newspaper article. To what extent do you agree with the writer’s opinion?
