B. Describe the pictures. Use the suggested phrases

С See if the travellers have acted sessibly. Support your idea.

a) give me a walking tour every time; you can't beat (hitch-) hiking; need you take so much luggage? b) to get to wild, un­inhabited places; to be hardly able to go on; to be nearly drowned in a swamp; unimaginable hardships; to overcome the obstacles; c) there was a turn in the weather, it was pour­ing; flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder, I wish I were in a railway carriage now!; d) to climb the steepest rocks; to face the danger of...; to get to places where no man's foot has ever stepped; e) to reach the top in safety, to be hardly able to be­lieve one's eyes; you could knock me down with a feather.

STUDIES OF WRITTEN ENGLISH

VIII

Different patterns of writing (see "Studies" in Unit One) seldom occur alone, more often they blend into one another, especially in letter writing.

Letteris a specific kind of written composition involving a concrete writer, message and a concrete reader. In many ways it is a free composition. A letter is in a sense, a theme, gov­erned by the same rules of writing that govern every other kind of composition. It must be clear, well organized, coher­ent. And it should be interesting.

But a letter is also governed by certain other laws, or con­ventions of usage, which the letter writer cannot ignore.

These are the parts of a letter: the heading, the inside ad­dress, the greeting, the body of the letter, the complimentary close, the signature.

For each of these parts usage has prescribed certain set forms depending on different types of letters — personal or business letters, informal or formal social notes.

The heading.The parts of a heading, written in the fol­lowing order, are the street, address, the name of a city or town (the name of the state in the U.S.A.), the date, е.g.

Vine Cottage Oxford Road Abingdon-on-Thames 13 May 19...

N о t e: In Great Britain very often the house is not numbered but has a "proper" name, like "Vine Cottage",

The inside address. In a business letter the inside ad­dress is the address of the person written to. In personal let­ter the inside address is usually omitted.

In a business letter it is always correct to use a personal title with the name of the person addressed. A business title should not precede the name. Correct personal titles are: Mr., Mrs., Miss, Dr., Professor, Messrs., е.g.

Dr. Т. С Howard

Superintendent of Schools

The Greeting.The following forms are correct for busi­ness and professional letters:

Gentlemen: Ladies:

Dear Sir: Dear Madam:

My dear Sir. My dear Madam:

Dear Mr. Warren: Dear Miss Howard:

In personal letters either a colon or a comma may be used after the greeting. A comma is considered less formal. In personal letters the range of greetings is unlimited and in­formal, like "My own Lovey-Dovey" of Judy's "Dear Daddy Long-Legs".

The Body of the Letter. A good letter should be clear, di­rect, coherent, dignified and courteous.

The Complimentary Close. Correct forms for business let­ters are:

Yours truly, Yours very truly, Very truly yours,

Respectfully yours, Faithfully yours. Sincerely yours,

Yours sincerely, Cordially yours.

The Signature. Some of the conventions should be ob­served: a) neither professional titles, nor academic degress should be used with a signature; b) an unmarried woman should sign herself as Miss Laura Blank, but she may place Miss in parentheses before her name if she feels that it is necessary for proper identification; c) a married woman or a widow signs her own name, not her married name. For ex­ample, Diana Holiday Brown is her own name; Mrs. George Brown is her married name,

Here is an example of a business letter:

Dear Miss Carnaby,

Allow me to enclose a contribution to your very deserv­ing Fund before it is finally wound up.

Yours very truly,

Hercule Poirot.

Assignments:

Go over the letters (see Unit Five) and copy down the samples of the complimentary close.

Write a reply to Judy's letter as if you were the person she wrote her letter to.

Write a letter to a friend sharing the memories of your holiday trip and your feelings at the station on the day of departure.

Write a letter to your dean in which you request permission to stay at your parents' several days more. Give your reason clearly and convincingly.

XV. Film "Mr. Brown's Holiday". Film Segment 8 "Caught in the Rain" (On the Way to Yeovil). a) Watch and listen, b) Do the exercises from the guide to the film.

LABORATORY EXERCISES (II)

1. Listen to the text "Different Means of Travel", mark the stresses and tunes. Repeat it following the model.

2. Listen to the conversation "At the Station", mark the stresses and tunes; repeat after the tape, learn the text by heart.

3. Listen to the dialogue "A Voyage Round Europe", mark the stresses and tunes. Repeat the text following the model and record your variant. Compare your variant with the model and correct your pronunctalion mis­takes.

Write a spelling-translation test: a) translate the phrases into English; b) check them with the key.

5. Listen to some text on the topic "Trawelling", Retell it in class.