The Letter That Got Me Through Immigration — Formal Writing
1. You don't know the name of the person. How do you sign off? Yours faithfully (when you opened with 'Dear Sir/Madam')
Tag: Writing Skills
Email Writing: Formal vs Informal (B1)
Register is the level of formality in your language. In emails, register affects your choice of greeting, vocabulary, sentence structure, and sign-off. Using the wrong register is one of the most common mistakes in professional…
Writing a Personal Narrative (B1)
[Orientation] I grew up in Chittagong, in the south of Bangladesh. Life was familiar — family, monsoons, the sea. [Complication] Then, at twenty, I moved to Sydney. I didn't know anyone. My English was textbook-formal.…
Writing: The Topic Sentence — One Idea, One Paragraph (B1/B2)
🎙 From the classroom: When I submitted my first written assignment on the teacher training course in France, my observer wrote three words: 'one idea only.' I had put four ideas in one paragraph. In…
Writing to Authorities: Formal English for Official Letters
In Australia and then in France, I wrote dozens of letters to immigration, housing, tax authorities. Every time, the language had to be right — not just grammatically, but in tone. Too casual: dismissed. Too…
Writing an Informal Email to a Friend (A2/B1 Writing)
When I first arrived in Australia, email was how I kept in touch with home. Here's how to write a great informal email in English.
Writing a Formal Email in English — B1 Writing Lesson
I have written hundreds of formal emails — complaints, appeals, job applications. Here's what I wish someone had taught me first.
Day 26: Teaching Writing — Process, Product, and Purpose
"Writing is not grammar. It’s process (how we write), product (what we create), and purpose (why we write). Here’s how to teach it with maximum interactivity and minimal explanation."
Day 30 of 60 · Writing
"Writing isn't grammar. It's process (how we write), product (what we create), and purpose (why we write). Here's how to teach it for real communication."
Day 15 of 60 – Teaching Writing — Process, Product, and Purpose
"Writing is not grammar on paper. It is a process of discovery, a product of craft, and a purposeful act of communication. Here’s how to teach it."