The Email Draft with Gaps
A 9th-grade student drafts this email to a pen pal in Finland. Gaps are marked (1)–(4). 'Hi Emma, Thanks for your last email. Sorry I haven't written earlier-I (1) ___ (study) for tests. Next month our school (2) ___ (organise) a charity fair. I look forward to (3) ___ (hear) from you. If I (4) ___ (have) more time, I would send photos. By the way, can you borrow me your recipe? I want to make kringel. Also, I will make a photo of our fair and send it. Best wishes, Mari.' The task asks you to choose the correct form for each gap and to correct vocabulary problems. You may use one or two words per gap. The email should stay informal but correct.
1. Choose the correct form for gaps (1)–(4). Explain the grammar reason for each choice.
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(1) have been studying. The sentence says 'Sorry I haven't written earlier', so the studying started before now and has recently been continuing. The present perfect continuous fits this unfinished or just-stopped activity. 'Studied' is possible in some contexts but is less precise here.
(2) is organising. The fair is 'next month', so this is a future arrangement already planned. The present continuous is the natural form for fixed future plans. 'Organises' would suggest a regular habit, which does not fit 'next month'.
(3) hearing. The phrase 'look forward to' ends in a preposition, so the verb after it takes the -ing form. 'To hear' is a common error because 'to' looks like an infinitive marker, but here it is a preposition.
(4) had. The sentence is a second conditional: 'If I had more time, I would send photos.' The past simple in the if-clause pairs with 'would + infinitive' in the result.
2. The draft says 'can you borrow me your recipe' and 'I will make a photo'. Explain the problem in each and give a correct version.
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'Borrow' means to take something temporarily and return it; the person who gives it is the lender. The writer wants the recipe from Emma, so the correct verb is 'lend': 'Can you lend me your recipe?' or 'Can I borrow your recipe?' The pattern is borrow something from someone / lend someone something.
'Make a photo' is a collocation error in English. The normal verb is 'take a photo': 'I will take a photo of our fair and send it.' Estonian uses 'tegema' (make/do) in some expressions, but English does not use 'make' with photos. These are vocabulary and collocation errors, not grammar errors, so the sentence structure can be correct while the word choice is wrong.
3. Gap (2) could be 'is organising' or 'will organise'. Which is better in this email, and why?
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Both are grammatically possible, but 'is organising' is better because the fair is described as a planned event next month and the school has already arranged it. The present continuous presents it as a settled arrangement, which is common in informal emails about future plans.
'Will organise' sounds more like a prediction or a decision made at the moment of speaking, and it is less natural for a scheduled school event. The choice shows that grammar questions often ask for the most appropriate form in context, not just a form that is not wrong.