Writing Skills: Essay, Letter, Application and Translation
Three formats, one discipline
Essay (mazmoon), letter and application are marked on structure as much as language. An essay needs a clear opening, two or three developed paragraphs, and a conclusion that returns to the question. A formal letter needs sender's address, date, salutation, subject (where required), body, closing and signature. An application to a principal or officer follows the same slots but uses a respectful, direct register. Translation from Urdu into Hindi or English is judged on meaning, tense and idiom, not word-for-word correspondence.
Worked example
Translate: 'میں نے اپنی غلطی مان لی۔' A literal attempt, 'I took my mistake', fails. The sense is 'I admitted my mistake.' Reason: 'مان لی' here means admitted or accepted, and the past tense must be kept. For an application, do not open with 'I am fine here'; begin with the purpose: 'I request that...' and state the matter in one sentence.
Planning that saves marks
- Essay: jot three points, then write one paragraph per point; avoid a list of slogans.
- Letter: keep informal letters warm but not slangy; keep formal letters free of chatty asides.
- Application: name the exact request, give one supporting reason, and close politely.
- Translation: read the whole sentence first, then translate clause by clause; check tense and gender at the end.
Traps
Missing date or signature; mixing formal and informal address; translating idioms literally; writing an essay with no examples; leaving the application without a clear request.