A formal letter of complaint
intermediate level
Description
Main Aims
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To provide product writing practice of a letter in the context of complaint
Subsidiary Aims
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To provide scan and detailed reading of a template letter of Complaint.
Procedure (27-44 minutes)
I will write the following questions on the board then ask SS to check them carefully to be able to answer them after watching the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTbHwnxCGaI where do you think those people are? Do they seem happy or angry? why? Have you ever went to a shop, a hotel or a restaurant and found the service less than you expected? Ask students to discuss the answers in pairs.
Asking SS to read the letter in just one minute to get the main idea of it. Ask them to discuss their ideas in pairs. Give a feedback.
Give SS an activity to answer. Ask SS to read the letter more carefully and answer the questions individually. Ask SS to check their answers in pairs. (2 minutes) Give SS feedback. Elicit the parts of the complaint letter from SS. (write them on the board) Give ss activity #2 ask them to do it in groups Give SS Feedback
Elicit what is the type of the text? Is it formal or informal? Can we write it to a friend? Is the tone of this letter template polite or impolite? Who is the target reader?
Tell SS to imagine that they are in a restaurant (a hotel, a shop) where they found that the service is not good or the food is not delicious...etc Ask them to write a complaint letter to the manager (I will be the manager) expressing the problem, expressing dissatisfaction and saying what do you want. Monitor to check if they need any help.
Create Picture Gallery with the students' letters and get the students to look at each other's letters. Look around and pick out and write down some common errors.Get them to sit down again and ask them what they liked about each other's letters. Correct some of their common errors.