Vowel Contrast /ᴧ/ , /a:/ & Informal Letter – JSS3 English Lesson Note (Second Term)

This lesson covers the vowel contrast between /ʌ/ and /ɑː/, question tags and the informal letter. A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement to ask the listener to confirm it. An informal letter is a personal letter written to a close relative or friend.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. pronounce and transcribe words containing /ʌ/ and /ɑː/;
2. state the rules for forming question tags;
3. add correct question tags to statements;
4. list the three types of letter and the parts of an informal letter;
5. write an informal letter in the correct format.

What are the vowel sounds /ʌ/ and /ɑː/?

/ʌ/ is a short vowel and /ɑː/ is a long vowel, and both are made with the mouth fairly open.

• /ʌ/: a short sound made in the middle of the mouth with the lips relaxed, as in cut /kʌt/ and come /kʌm/.
• /ɑː/: a long sound made at the back of the mouth with the mouth wide open and the lips unrounded, as in cart /kɑːt/ and calm /kɑːm/.

How are the two sounds different?

Which word pairs show the contrast?

Read each pair of words aloud and notice the difference between the two vowel sounds.

How do you practise the contrast?

1. Say the /ʌ/ word in a pair, keeping the sound short.
2. Say the /ɑː/ word, opening the mouth wide and holding the sound longer.
3. Repeat each pair slowly, then faster.
4. Say a sentence with both sounds, for example “The cook cut the cart rope.”

What is a question tag?

A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement, which turns the statement into a question.

• Use: the speaker makes a statement and at once asks the listener to confirm it.
• Where found: mainly in conversation and informal writing.
• Example: “He is early this morning, isn’t he?”

What are the rules for forming question tags?

There are seven main rules for forming question tags.

1. Positive statement, negative tag: the tag contains “not”. Examples: (a) He is early this morning, isn’t he? (b) You can swim very well, can’t you?
2. Negative statement, positive tag: the tag has no “not”. Examples: (a) He isn’t early this morning, is he? (b) You can’t swim very well, can you?
3. Auxiliary verbs are repeated in the tag: the helping verb in the statement comes back in the tag. Examples: (a) He has finished the work, hasn’t he? (b) She will sing on Sunday, won’t she?
4. Other verbs use “do”: main (lexical) verbs take do, does or did in the tag. Examples: (a) Joseph called you yesterday, didn’t he? (b) Mary and Yetunde always sing a song, don’t they?
5. The tag subject is a pronoun: it refers to the subject of the statement. Examples: (a) Kunle always smokes cigarettes, doesn’t he? (b) You don’t care for your mother, do you?
6. “Need” and “dare”: they are rarely used in the affirmative with tags, and when used they are treated as main verbs. Examples: (a) You need to come earlier, don’t you? (b) We need to ask him, don’t we?
7. “I am” and “used to”: “I am” usually takes “aren’t I”, and “used to” takes a tag with “did”. Examples: (a) I am your friend, aren’t I? (b) She used to take her to the poultry, didn’t she?

How do you add a question tag step by step?

1. Read the statement and check whether it is positive or negative.
2. Find the auxiliary verb. If there is none, use do, does or did to match the tense.
3. Make the tag the opposite of the statement: positive becomes negative, negative becomes positive.
4. Replace the subject with the correct pronoun.
5. Join the tag to the statement with a comma and end with a question mark.

Which other tags are commonly used?

• “Let’s” statements: use “shall we”, as in “Let’s go home, shall we?”
• Commands: often use “will you”, as in “Open the door, will you?”
• “There is” statements: use “there” in the tag, as in “There is rice, isn’t there?”

How is the tag spoken?

• Rising tone: used when the speaker is really asking and is not sure of the answer.
• Falling tone: used when the speaker expects the listener to agree.

What is letter writing?

Letter writing is the act of communicating information, feelings, ideas or opinions to somebody who is absent or lives at a distance.

• Content: a letter should give full details of the issue.
• Aim: it should bring about the same reaction that a spoken message would have produced.

What are the types of letter?

There are three types of letter: informal, semi-formal and formal.

• Informal letter: a personal letter to a close relative, a friend or other close people.
• Semi-formal letter: a letter to a person you know but must respect, such as an elderly relative or a family acquaintance.
• Formal letter: an official letter, such as a letter to a principal, an employer or a newspaper editor.

What is an informal letter?

An informal letter, also called a personal letter, is a letter written to a close relative, a friend or other close people.

• Tone: friendly and relaxed, showing the warm relationship between writer and receiver.
• Language: simple and natural, but still correctly spelt and punctuated.
• Address: only the writer’s address is written, not the receiver’s.

What are the parts of an informal letter?

An informal letter has five parts: the writer’s address and date, the greeting, the body, the complimentary close and the writer’s name.

1. Address of the writer and date

• It must be well punctuated.
• It appears at the top right-hand corner of the page.
• The date is written below the address.

Example:

36, Adebayo Street,
Abule-Egba,
Lagos.
24th May, 2015.

2. Greeting or salutation

• It is usually “Dear” plus the first name of the person, for example “Dear Tolu” or “Dear John”.
• It is written at the left-hand margin, below the date.
• It must reflect the cordial relationship between the writer and the receiver.

3. Body of the letter

• Introduction: greetings and a short opening such as asking after the person’s health.
• Main part: the reason for writing, with one point in each paragraph.
• Conclusion: a closing remark, greetings to others or a request for a reply.

4. Complimentary close

• “Yours sincerely” is the most appropriate.
• It is followed by the writer’s first name.

Example:

Yours sincerely,
Dupe.

What does a model informal letter look like?

36, Adebayo Street,
Abule-Egba,
Lagos.
24th May, 2015.

Dear Tolu,

I hope you and your family are well.

I am writing to tell you that I passed my examination and will visit you in August.

Please greet your parents for me and write back soon.

Yours sincerely,
Dupe.

Evaluation

1. Transcribe these words and identify the sound /ʌ/ or /ɑː/ in each: heart, clerk, bark, buck, hum, harm, barred, bud, lark, luck.
2. Add question tags to these statements:
   1. The president has done very well, ________?
   2. Lagos isn’t a clean city, ________?
   3. Taiwo should rise to the occasion, ________?
   4. He will have to work hard, ________?
   5. Students who are lazy don’t pass, ________?
3. Write a letter to your father asking him to send you some money, and give him three reasons for your request.

Assignment

1. Transcribe any ten words of your choice for the vowel contrast /ʌ/ and /ɑː/.
2. Write a letter to your friend living outside the country telling him or her three reasons why you like your school.