INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH WASSCE/SSCE LETTER WRITING
by Hassan Abdulbaqi
You must have read my SUMMARY OF WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT IN YOUR ENGLISH SSCE where I wrote that essays make up the first section of your essay. Two of these essays are mostly on letter writing and this is why you should understand what it is and what it requires. For unlike other essays, you don’t just write the topic and start. There is even a type of letter where you don’t need to write any topic. So, what is letter writing?
Letter writing is one of the means of communication all over the world and it is as old as the invention of writing itself. It is simply written in the bid to pass information between people especially people who do not live together or people who need to follow protocols before having a discussion with each other. It is just like having a discussion with someone in a written form. Like in everyday conversations, the way we speak to each other is often influenced by the relationship we share.
(You can read my hilarious and enlightening story- SO THAT YOU DON’T BECOME LIKE ME)
So, in letters, it’ll be expressly stated that you should write to someone, it is different from writing an article that is suitable for publication or a story that ends in a particular adage or saying. If you mistake letter writing for a narrative or expository, you’ll score little or no marks under Organisation. The same goes for mistaking other essays for letter writing. This is why you should be able to distinguish between different types of essays and know what each demands.
Letters are divided into three types according to the relationship you have with the position of the person in relation to what you are expected to write. They are formal, informal and semi-formal letters. In upcoming posts, I’ll give you a detailed analysis on what you are expected to do while writing each type of the letters.
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