Do the writing task. Use the ideas in the WRITING FOCUS and the LANGUAGE FOCUS to help you. A friend is going to visit the city where your cousin lives. Your cousin has agreed to…
Do the writing task. Use the ideas in the WRITING FOCUS and the LANGUAGE FOCUS to help you. A friend is going to visit the city where your cousin lives. Your cousin has agreed to show your friend around the city. They have never met before. Write an email (150-170 words) to your cousin and: • describe your friend’s appearance, • describe your friend’s personality, • mention some of your friend’s interests, • thank your cousin for agreeing to show your friend around.
Here is a model email that covers all four points in 160 words (163 with the subject line).
Subject: My friend’s visit
Hi Alex,
How are you? I’m writing to tell you about my friend Ben, who is visiting your city next week. Thank you so much for agreeing to show him around — I really appreciate it.
Ben is sixteen and quite tall, with short dark hair and glasses. He usually wears jeans and a blue jacket, and he’ll probably be carrying a black camera, so he’s easy to recognise. He’s friendly and talkative, although he can be a bit shy at first. He loves meeting new people and usually makes them laugh. He’s also quite organised, so he won’t forget to thank you! In his free time, he’s interested in photography and street food. He enjoys taking photos of interesting buildings and trying local dishes, so I’m sure you’ll find plenty to do together.
Could you meet him at the station at ten on Monday? If you have any questions, just text me.
Thanks again for your help!
Best wishes, Sam
How to build a similar email
- Open with a friendly greeting and purpose: “I’m writing to tell you about…”
- Describe appearance clearly: height, hair, glasses and typical clothes. Add one identifying detail, such as a camera.
- Describe personality with examples: “friendly and talkative”, “a bit shy at first”, “makes people laugh”.
- Mention interests: photography and street food, then explain what he enjoys doing.
- Arrange practical details and thank your cousin: suggest a meeting place and time, then finish with “Thanks again for your help!”
Check: all four bullet points are covered, the tone is friendly and informal, and the email is within the required 150–170 words.
Обсуждение
2 сообщенияБанально как-то очень!!!!
Согласен, первый вариант был слишком «из учебника»: общие слова вроде friendly and talkative ничего не рисуют в голове. Вот версия с конкретными деталями — 163 слова, все четыре пункта на месте.
Subject: Meeting Mara on Friday
Hi Alex,
Thanks for agreeing to show Mara around your city — I owe you one.
You can't miss her. She's seventeen, tall and lanky, with a thick braid of ginger hair she's constantly redoing. She'll be in a bright green raincoat and huge headphones, and she walks fast because she's always late. Don't be surprised if she photographs your shoes in the first five minutes.
She talks to everyone — taxi drivers, shop assistants, people at bus stops. She's funny without meaning to be, and she'll notice if you're tired and quietly buy you a coffee. But she's hopeless with directions, so don't rely on her map skills.
Her real passion is street art. She's spent months tracking down murals in our city, and she's desperate to see the ones near the river. She also collects old postcards and will drag you into every second-hand shop she passes.
Thank you again for doing this — it means a lot to both of us.
Best, Sam
Почему это уже не банально
- Внешность — через приметы, а не прилагательные-ярлыки. Вместо tall and good-looking — зелёный плащ, огромные наушники, рыжая коса, которую она всё время переплетает. Читатель сразу «видит» её и легко узнает на вокзале.
- Характер — через поступки. Не she is kind, а «замечает, что ты устал, и молча покупает кофе». Не she is sociable, а «разговаривает с таксистами и людьми на остановке».
- Один недостаток обязателен. «Совсем идеальный» друг звучит фальшиво; hopeless with directions делает описание живым и добавляет предупреждение кузену.
- Интересы связаны с городом кузена. Стрит-арт и старые открытки — не просто хобби, а повод пойти в конкретные места, поэтому письмо выглядит как настоящая просьба, а не упражнение.
- Финал короткий. Одна фраза благодарности, без повторов.
Если хочешь, могу переписать под конкретного своего друга — скажи пару реальных деталей (чем увлекается, как выглядит), и я подставлю их вместо Мары.
