Writing: A 30-Word Note to a Host Family
Rina, a third-year student, is staying with the Sato family in Tottori. Her English club will finish 30 minutes later than usual because the ALT is running a rehearsal for the speech contest. Rina must send a short note to her host mother, Mrs. Sato. The note must include three points: (1) Rina will be 30 minutes late, (2) Mrs. Sato does not need to change dinner time (6:30), and (3) Rina will bring a raincoat because it may rain. The note must be 25–35 words. Rina's draft is: 'Dear Mrs. Sato, I am sorry for late. The English club finishes at 5:00, so I will come home at 5:30. Please do not change dinner time. I bring a raincoat because it will rain. Rina' The teacher says the draft has the right content but two language problems and is over the limit. Rina may not add new information, and she must keep the note polite.
1. Rewrite the note in 25–35 words, keeping all three points and a polite tone. Give the word count.
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A suitable rewrite is:
'Dear Mrs. Sato, I am sorry I will be 30 minutes late today. Please keep dinner at 6:30. I will bring a raincoat because it may rain. Rina'
Word count: Dear(1) Mrs.(2) Sato,(3) I(4) am(5) sorry(6) I(7) will(8) be(9) 30(10) minutes(11) late(12) today.(13) Please(14) keep(15) dinner(16) at(17) 6:30.(18) I(19) will(20) bring(21) a(22) raincoat(23) because(24) it(25) may(26) rain.(27) Rina(28). The note is 28 words, inside the 25–35 limit.
It keeps all three points: lateness, dinner time, and raincoat. It removes the exact 5:00/5:30 calculation, which is extra information not required, and it replaces 'Please do not change' with the simpler 'Please keep,' which is polite and clear. 'May rain' matches the original meaning better than 'will rain' because the need for a raincoat is a precaution.
2. Explain why 'I am sorry for late' is incorrect. Give two acceptable corrections and say which one fits a note to a host mother best.
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'I am sorry for late' is incorrect because 'for' is followed by a noun or a gerund, not an adjective. 'Late' is an adjective, so it cannot follow 'for' in this structure. Two acceptable corrections are:
- 'I am sorry for being late.' Here 'being' is a gerund, so the structure is correct.
- 'I am sorry I will be late.' Here a full clause follows 'sorry,' which is also correct.
For this note, the second is better. Rina is writing before the event, so she is apologizing for a future lateness, not for already being late. 'I am sorry for being late' suggests she is late now or has just arrived late. 'I am sorry I will be late' makes the future timing clear and still sounds polite. A third form, 'I am sorry to be late,' is possible but less natural for a future note.
3. The draft says 'I bring a raincoat'; explain why 'I will bring' is better in this note. Would 'I am bringing' also be acceptable?
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'I bring a raincoat' uses the simple present, which usually describes a habit or a general fact: 'I bring a raincoat every day.' In this note, Rina is not describing a habit; she is making a promise or stating a future intention. 'I will bring a raincoat' is better because 'will' expresses a decision or promise that Mrs. Sato can rely on.
'I am bringing' is also acceptable. The present progressive can describe a future arrangement that has already been decided. Since Rina has already planned to bring the raincoat, 'I am bringing' is reasonable. The difference is subtle: 'will bring' sounds more like a promise, while 'am bringing' sounds more like a fixed plan. In a short note, either is clear, but 'will bring' is the safer choice for a polite promise.