1. Complaint letter Feedback
Eng B10
Complaint letter Feedback

2. Directions
Use this PowerPoint to guide the editing of your complaint letter
Follow each slide step by step, making sure to fix any mistakes you might have
You may do this independently if you wish or you could do it with the class, as guided by the teacher if you want more help or have questions

3. Format
See next few slides
for details

4. The Very Top (your personal info)

5. Under your info: the person/company/group you are complaining to

6. Address the Specific person you are writing to (use names if you can find them)

7. Body paragraph One What’s the problem?
Include as much detail as possible.

8. Body Paragraph two Why you have a problem with it
BE SPECIFIC and USE DETAIL- why is it a problem? What do you believe? What evidence can you use to defend your beliefs? Are there other cases like this? Do you morally object?

9. Body paragraph three Summarizes your complaint
Demand for something to be done about it
Request to be contacted when the issue is resolved (makes them accountable)
(the two paragraphs below could be combined into one)

10. …finally
Sign that bad boy! (on left hand side)

11. About paragraphs
They are TECHNICALLY a minimum of 3 sentences (it might be appropriate for your intro and conclusion paragraph to be this long)
Strong paragraphs contain several pieces of evidence and therefore should be about 6-8 sentences (your second paragraph should be this long)

12. More about formatting 12 point PROFESSIONAL font (Times New Roman)
2.5 cm margins around the page
Line up work to the left of the page (do not center)
One page only for a complaint letter
Single space
When starting a new paragraph EITHER
Indent OR
Double space between paragraphs NOT BOTH

13. Watch your Tenses
When you speak of an event that happened use PAST TENSE (ie: first paragraph and probably second paragraph, unless the issue is ongoing)
If you are discussing what you expect in the future, use present tense (ie: third paragraph)
Try to avoid jumping between tenses otherwise- it confuses the reader

14. Word choice Avoid “I’s” Don’t say “I think,” “I believe,” “I know”
Instead of saying “I expect” use “It is expected that”

15. Word choice Avoid contractions Can’t= cannot Don’t= do not
Won’t= will not
Etc.
Speaking of, do not use “etc”

16. Use Formal Language It shows you take the issue seriously
Excludes:
slang or even swears when appropriate
contractions
abbreviations (T.V.)
numbers (1 instead of one)
personal words or phrases like I, you, we

17. Sentence Fragments
You want to avoid writing sentence fragments. Sentence fragments are missing some key information. To avoid sentence fragments make sure all of your sentences can make sense standing alone. That is, if you separate them from the rest of your writing they still make sense.
Each has a subject and a predicate. Watch the video if you can’t remember:

18. Commas
A comma is used to separate words or groups of words within a complete thought.
Ex: He picked up the pennies, nickels, and dimes.
Ex: It took all day to separate the coins, count them up, and put them in their paper rolls.
Use a comma after an introductory word or phrase.
Ex: In 2003, there were 300 cars sold.
Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives (describing words) that come before a noun.
Ex: Vancouver is a large, beautiful city.
Use a comma before but, nor, or, for, so, yet when it joins two separate thoughts.
Ex: The sky was dark and cloudy, but the sun was still out.
Ex: The kid must get to bed early, or they will be tired in the morning.

19. Sentence Fluency Variety in Sentence Beginnings
We can’t start every sentence the same way. We can’t expect people to read our writing if we do. We can’t keep using the same words over and over at the beginning. We can’t do this because it drives readers crazy! It also makes the writing hard to understand. Why? Because readers start paying more attention to the repetition of the sounds than they do to the meaning of the words.
Variety in Sentence Length and Structure
Just as using sentences with different beginnings helps make your writing easier to read and understand, using sentences of different lengths and different structures helps, too.
You can measure the length of a sentence simply by counting the words. Short or simple sentences in student writing tend to have 3-6 words in them. The average sentence has approximately 8-15 words. Longer, more complex sentences may be as long as 20 words or more.

20. Sentence Fluency A Check-List for Sentence Fluency:
Do my sentences begin with different words?
Do I use both simple and complex sentences?
Does my writing sound smooth when read out loud?
Do I use a variety of transition words and phrases?
Do I have some surprising sentence structures?
Does the structure of my sentences improve understanding and enhance meaning for my reader?

21. TIP
Read your work aloud. If it sounds weird or it is difficult to read (maybe you have to stop and reread it) it probably has errors in it. You might not know what those errors are, but you can still rewrite it. Read it again and if it sounds ok, you’re probably good to go!

22. RUBRic The rubric was created DIRECTLY from this PowerPoint
Please see website for rubric