On National Teacher Day, meet the 2024-25 Kenan Fellows
Present your understanding about writing a letter of apology
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THE SUPREME PEOPLE'S PROCURACY OF VIETNAM
HANOI PROCURATORATE UNIVERSITY
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END TERM ESSAY
Subject: English
CODE 6
Full name:
Class:
Student ID:
Candidate number:
Hanoi - August, 2021
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUESTION 1.......................................................................................................... 3
I. Request 1 ............................................................................................................. 3
1. Structure of a letter: ............................................................................................ 3
2. Kinds of letters.................................................................................................... 3
3. Letter of apology................................................................................................. 3
3.1. Common structure of a formal letter of apology ............................................. 3
3.2. Usefull language .............................................................................................. 4
3.2.1. Give a brief description of the issue ............................................................. 4
3.2.2. Apologize for an action, mistake or omission .............................................. 4
3.2.3. Explanation ................................................................................................... 5
3.2.4. The conclusion.............................................................................................. 5
II. Request 2............................................................................................................ 6
QUESTION 2.......................................................................................................... 7
I. Request 1 ............................................................................................................. 7
1. Structure of essay................................................................................................ 7
2. For and against essays......................................................................................... 8
2.1. Common structure of a “for and against” essay .............................................. 8
2.2. Process of doing a “for and against” essay...................................................... 8
II. Request 2..........................................................................................................10
LIST OF REFERENCES......................................................................................12
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QUESTION 1
I. Request 1
Present your understanding about writing a letter of apology?
1. Structure of a letter:
1. An appropriate greeting: (Dear Mr. Nam, Dear Sir/Madam, etc).
2. An introductory paragraph which clearly states your reason for writing.
3. A main body in which develops the subject.
4. A conclusion in which you summarize the subject.
5. An appropriate ending. (your faithfully/sincerely + full name, Best wishes
+ first name).
2. Kinds of letters
FORMAL INFORMAL
Formal greetings and ending Informal greetings and ending
Formal language ( Complex sentence, non-
colloquial language, advanced vocabulary).
Informal language styles (idioms,
phrasal verbs, colloquial English
and omission of pronouns).
No abbreviated forms Abbreviated forms
3. Letter of apology
3.1. Common structure of a formal letter of apology
BEGINNING
STATE THE REASON FOR YOUR LETTER
- Why are you writing the letter?
- Give a brief details and express your regret about the
trouble caused to the writer
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BODY
Arrange your
point in
paragraph
EXPLAIN THE WHOLE CIRCUMSTANCES AND
OFFER AN APOLOGY
- Give explanation
- Give appropriate apology
STATE ANY PROMISE YOU CAN MAKE TO
RECTIFY THE SITUATION
- Do you promise any refund?
- Do you offer any discount to compensate the
inconvenience caused to the writer?
- Do you assure any improvement in the future?
- How do you feel about the situation?
CLOSING Once again express your regret about the situation and your
expectation to serve the writer again in the future.
3.2. Usefull language
3.2.1. Give a brief description of the issue
To show the language of apologizing, you should admit that it was your
fault and that you understand how bad it is. Immediately after admitting the
mistake, mention that you never wanted to hurt them.
You can use
- “I am afraid I…”
- “I regret to say that…”
- “ We are very sorry that you received a defective…”
- “ Thank you for your letter informing me that…”
3.2.2. Apologize for an action, mistake or omission
You can use
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- “ I apologize for/fornot…”
- “ I must apologize for…”
- “ I am extremely sorry for…”
3.2.3. Explanation
You should sincere explain why you made the mistake
- “This was due to…”
- “This was because if…”
- “The reason for this was…”
- “The reason for this has been that I forgot/misunderstood…”
- “Promise to rectify the situation (if possible) …”
- “I am coming to … next week, so I…”
- “I am pleased to inform you that we are prepared to replace your
faulty...”
3.2.4. The conclusion
You can use
- “Please accept our apologies for having delivered a fault to you”.
- “We very much regret for the inconvenience the holiday … has caused to
you”.
- “We hope that the refund/replacement will restore your confidence in us”.
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II. Request 2
You are a member of an organization which meets regularly at a particular
restaurant. The most recent meal you had there was not satisfactory, and you
were very disappointed with the quality of the food and the behavior of the staff.
Write a letter to the manager of the restaurant. Explain what was wrong with the
meal and the service, and suggest what he/she should do to ensure that you and
your group return to the restaurant.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I'm Minh, a member of the ACB group, and I'm writing to express my
displeasure with the disgusting meals and desserts offered to us last Sunday. I'm
hoping you'll keep up your food quality and look into the incident that wrecked
our evening.
On the 18th of July, about 7:00 p.m. I went to your restaurant with my
partners to transact business. It was supposed to be a successful night because we
were talking in my favourite restaurants. But we have had a frustrating
experience.
Our main meal was lamb steak, spuds, and toasted sandwiches, however
the beef was salty, uncooked, and hard. Furthermore, our sandwiches were
delivered cold! We protested to the waitress about our food, but she ignored us
and ordered us to speak to the management. Despite the fact that marshmallow
and strawberry toppings were listed on the menu, our ice cream arrived without
them. This was utterly annoying.
I expect a complete refund of the money I spent for the lunch, as well as
your commitment to improving the professionalism and politeness of your
employees. Consider me a lost customer if you don't respond.
I look forward to your immediate response regarding this.
Yours faithfully,
Minh
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QUESTION 2
I. Request 1
Present your understanding about a “for and againts” essay?
1. Structure of essay
A successful essay should consist of
1. An introduction paragraph in which you clearly stated the topic to be
discussed.
2. A main body, in which you clearly stated in separate paragraphs and
exemplified or justified.
3. A closing paragraph summarizing the main points of the essay, in which
you state/ restated your opinion, and/ or give a balanced consideration of the
topic.
There are some tips when you write an essay:
+ You should use formal style.
+ You should use topic sentence to introduce the subject of each.
paragraph.
+ You should giving reason and examples following the topic sentences.
+ You should use linking words /phrases Make references to other sources
(e.g. experts have proved that....).
+ You should answer the question, not the topic.
+ You should not use short form, informal/ colloquial language.
+ You should not use very emotional language.
+ You should not express personal opinions too strongly instead, use
milder expressions.
+ You should not use personal examples.
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2. For and against essays
2.1. Common structure of a “for and against” essay
Key
question
words
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own
opinion
- Discuss both views / sides of the argument
- Discuss both views / sides of the argument and then given
your own
Introduction Rephrase question
This essay discusses [both view + opinion]
Body Side 1: advantages / disadvantages
Side 2: disadvantages / advantages
Note: Keep your own idea out of the body. This part is only
about what people in general may think
Conclusion Opinion
State that both are important State with one is more important /
better
2.2. Process of doing a “for and against” essay
Step 1: Analyze the question
- Paraphrase the question: Find the synonyms, phrasal verbs, etc. to write
words with the same or related meaning.
- Find 2-3 advantages (bonus examples or supporting information), 2 or 3
disadvantages (bonus examples or supporting information).
- Decide the structure of the essay.
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Step 2: Write the essay
Introduction
1. Rephrase the question.
2. Thesis statement
- This essay discusses/examines this question from both
points of view and then I will give my own perspective on the
matter.
- This essay discussed [view A] and [view B], end then I will
give my own opinion.
Note: If you cannot rephrase the question, you can use the
following to make introduction.
- People have different views about... In my opinion, can and
should be both...
Body
Advantages
- On one side of the argument
there are people who argue
that...
- First/In the first place...
Let us start by considering...
Let us first consider the
question of...
I should like to begin with...
The first obvious
advantages/disadvantages
of...
- Secondly...
Moreover...
Further more...
Another thing is...
- Always add examples /
explanations / illustrations /
reasons / consequences.
- It is essential to form
paragraphs. Each paragraph
must have a key sentence (-
usually at the beginning). Don't
write any one-sentence-
paragraphs.
Examples:
Take... for example
Take... for instance...
One example out of many is...
Just look at...
This idea can best be illustrated
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- Anotherpoint in favor of ...
is...
by an example...
Disadvantages
- On the other hand...
So far we have only talked
about the advantages. What
about the disadvantages?
So much about the
advantages. There are also a
number of disadvantages that
must not be overlooked.
Let us now turn to the
drawbacks of...
Now it would also be
interesting.
- Always add examples /
explanations / illustrations /
reasons / consequences... It is
essential to form paragraphs.
- Each paragaph must have a
key sentence (-usually at the
beginning). Don't write any one-
sentence paragraphs
Examples:
Take for example
Take for instance
One exampls out of many is...
Conclusion Personally,
From my point of view,
In my opinion I must say that...
II. Request 2
People belive that individuals who make a lot of money are the most
successful. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
It is argued whether monetary or social contributions should be used to
measure a person's success in society. Although the former viewpoint may be
correct in some circumstances, I believe the latter is more logical for various
reasons. Whether money should be considered as the criteria to assess a person’s
success in society.
To begin with, there are many reasons why people believe that individuals
who earn high incomes are the most successful. It is an undeniable reality that
persons with a high pay are more likely to work in large corporations or have
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decent positions. This can be seen in the instance of successful senior directors of
huge corporations, who not only receive respect from their peers but also make
hundreds of thousands of dollars per month. Secondly, the majority of people feel
that successful people are those who can afford a luxury lifestyle. To put it
another way, they can enjoy good living standards while purchasing outrageously
expensive items like jewelry, clothing, and cosmetics.
On the other hand, I am still convinced that people who contribute to the
community are the most successful. First, not all affluent people get their fortune
legitimately because they may engage in illegal activities such as heroin trading
and money laundering to make a profit. As a result, despite their wealth, these
cases cannot be deemed successful. To be more specific, being a scientist or a
teacher is not easy, and people must devote a significant amount of time and
effort to acquire knowledge in order to meet the standards of such high-level
positions. As a result, they will be respected by others and regarded as the most
successful in society.
In conclusion, being rich can be considered to be successful, however, I
hold a firm belief that people who contribute to society are the most successful
ones.