Types of Writing: Blogs, Emails, Reviews, and More

1. Blogs

Types:
- Post: Publish discrete entries.
- Comment: Allow readers to participate.
Form: Used to express personal opinions / subjective views.
Topics: All types.
Title: Not needed for a comment.
Structure:
- Introduction
- Main body
  - Comment: What are you answering? You can include facts, figures, and others’ opinions.
  - Post: Provide information on your name, publishing date, and title.
Paragraphs: One for each idea.
Language: Informal, semi-informal, or formal (depending on the purpose and audience).
Tone: Depending on the audience.

Salutation and Introduction:
- Open in a friendly way:
  - Dear / Hello / Hi (name)…
- Introduction:
  - State why you are writing.
  - React to someone else’s message:
    - Sorry I haven’t written for ages.
    - Sorry it’s taken me so long to write.
    - How’s it going?
    - How are you?
    - How are things with you?
    - How are things?
Topic Paragraph: Most important section.
- Make sure you give a detailed response / news (good or bad).
  - Referring to good news:
    - Glad to hear about…
    - I’m really glad to hear about…
    - I’m very happy to hear about…
    - I was very happy to read about…
    - Great news about your…
  - Referring to bad news:
    - I’m extremely sorry to hear about…
    - I’m very sorry to hear about…
    - Sorry to read about…
    - It’s very sad to hear about your…
    - I can’t tell you how sad I am that…
Final Sentence and Closing Formula:
- Well, (it’s) time to go…
- Well, got to go…
- Well, time to close…
- I’ve got to leave off now…
- Write soon…
- Make sure you write soon…
- Love / Lots of love / All my love…
- Will write again soon…
- Look after / Take care of yourself…
- All the best…

Everything good…

Paragraphs 2 and 3 can be expanded into multiple paragraphs.

Paragraph 1:
- Introduction
Paragraph 2:
- Give arguments in favor.
Paragraph 3:
- Give arguments against.
Paragraph 4:
- Write a conclusion.
- Briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages.

A summary of what has been said previously.

Decide the sections of the report and give a headline to each one.
Use a professional style, avoiding very informal expressions.
Introduction:
- What is the aim of the report?
For Each Paragraph:
- State the situation (strengths and weaknesses).
- Make a recommendation.
Use a variety of expressions for generalizing and making suggestions.

Greeting:
- Appropriate formal greeting:
  - Dear Sir / Madam / Editor,
Opening Paragraph:
- Briefly refer to the subject of your letter.
- State your reason for writing.
- If necessary, give information about the article you are referring to.
Main Body (2-3 paragraphs):
- Explain your point of view, taking into consideration relevant aspects of the issue.
- Suggest alternatives or propose solutions.
- Refer to any inaccuracies, giving the actual facts.
Closing Paragraph:
- Suggest alternatives or propose solutions (if you haven’t done so previously).
- End the letter with a forceful statement to back up your opinion.
- Make the reader consider the issue and the consequences more closely.
Signing Off:
- Use an appropriate signature ending:
  - Yours faithfully,
- Sign underneath and print your full name below your signature.

Use a brief title to attract the reader’s attention and indicate what the article is about.
May also have subheadings before each paragraph.
Choose points that you can say something interesting about or where you can think of interesting personal examples.
Use clear paragraphs.
Use discourse markers to link your points or arguments.
Maintain a semi-formal tone.
Use a variety of vocabulary.
Try to engage the reader, for example, by referring to your personal experience.
Introduction:
- Keep it reasonably short.
- You can use one or more questions that you will answer in the article.
Paragraphs 1-2:
- Talk about the ideas.
- In each paragraph, present one or two different ideas and provide arguments.
Conclusion:
- Do not repeat what has been said previously.
- Give a summary using different words.
- End in an interesting way. For example, you can end with a question to make the reader think.
- And now it’s up to you; the ball is in your court.

What I Liked:
- What I liked most was…
- The thing I liked most was…
- I was pleasantly surprised by…
- … would appeal to…
- If you get a chance to…
What I Disliked:
- What I disliked most was…
- I was disappointed with…
- I was very disappointed by…
- I was very disappointed with…
Reviews of Books:
- Main character
- Is set in
- Comedy / science fiction / thriller / romance
- Author / written by
- Chapter
- Factual
- Fiction
- Unbelievable
- Best seller
- Ending
Reviews of Films, TV Programs, Plays:
- Lead role
- Star role / star / star actor / star actress
- Starring
- Secondary role
- He / She plays a…
- Written by…
- Is set in…
- Based on a true story…
- Believable / unbelievable / not very believable
- Comedy / romance / science fiction
- Ending
Reviews of Hotels, Restaurants, etc.:
- Location
- Service
- Setting / attractive setting / disappointing setting
- Owned by
- Run by
- Head chef (restaurant)
- Waiters (restaurant)
- Staff…
- Staff at reception (hotels)
- Hotel facilities
- Reasonable prices
- Good value for money / excellent value for money
- Expensive / a bit expensive / overpriced / not worth the price
- Poor value for money
- Always fully booked
- Book in advance