Crafting Effective Complaints & Persuasive Essays

Effective Complaint Letters & Emails

Dear ________________,

Introduction

Choose one of the following opening statements:

• I am writing to complain about _________________.
• I am writing this letter/email because I would like to take this opportunity to express my __________ / opinion about _________________________.
• I am writing / We are writing this email/letter to express my/our agreement / disagreement _____________.

Body

Use different paragraphs and linkers to connect your ideas. Consider using the following:

• First of all,
• Apart from that,
• As well as that,
• Moreover,
• So,
• It is important to mention that,
• Besides,
• According to,
• Whereas,
• In fact,
• However,
• Due to,
• On the other hand,
• Finally,
• That is to say,
• Concerning,
• What's more,
• For instance,
• For example,
• Such as…

Conclusion and Sign-off

Select an appropriate closing:

Option 1:

Looking forward to hearing from you soon, and I hope you will take my opinion into account.

Yours sincerely/faithfully,

______________

Option 2:

In conclusion, I hope you take my opinion into account.

Yours sincerely,

_____________

Option 3:

I / We hope that you will take this / my opinion into account.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

_____________

Option 4:

I hope you take into account all these things mentioned before.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

______________

Structuring Your Opinion Essay

Introduction

Introduce the topic and clearly state your opinion. Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the statement. Useful linkers include:

• I (dis)agree with the statement because…
• In my opinion, …
• Personally, I think / I believe (that)…
• I strongly believe that…
• It is clear (to me) that…
• I (completely) agree/disagree with…
• It seems to me that…
• As I see it, …
• In my view, …
• From my point of view, …
• As far as I am concerned, …
• I am sure / convinced that…

Body

Provide different reasons to support your opinion. Use separate paragraphs for each main point. Consider these linkers:

• My main reason is…
• Another reason…
• One reason for… is…
• Many people say / believe that…
• Because…
• Since…
• Because of / due to…
• What is more, …
• Moreover, …
• Furthermore, …
• In addition (to), …
• Firstly, …
• First of all, …
• Secondly, …

Conclusion

Summarize your main ideas and restate your opinion using different words. Linkers for your conclusion:

• Finally,
• In conclusion,
• Lastly,
• And eventually.