CBSE Class 9 English Writing Skills Formats with Solved Examples Set 01

1. Letter to the Editor: Format

Sender's address; date; receiver's address (The Editor, name of newspaper, city); salutation (Sir/Madam); subject; body in three paragraphs (introduction, main idea, conclusion); complimentary close (Yours truly); name and designation.

Solved Example: Letter to the Editor

Question: You are Radha G, a member of an NGO. Write a letter to the editor of a national daily for a public movement to clean the Yamuna river.

Examination Hall
ABC
23 March, 2020
The Editor
Hindustan Times
New Delhi
Sir
Subject: Need for a people's movement for a clean Yamuna

Through the columns of your widely read newspaper I want to highlight the deteriorating condition of the river Yamuna. The city of Delhi is getting contaminated water from the river. The residents are to be blamed for this. They pollute the river with garbage, sewage and filth. The river water is full of bacteria, plastic, chemicals and other waste, which makes it unfit for consumption. The people have been demanding a water treatment plant for a long time, but the authorities have not responded to repeated requests.

I request you to highlight the problem in your newspaper and arouse public interest as well as the interest of the authorities. We all need to get together to get the plant set up in the area.

Yours truly
Radha G
Member

2. Article: Format and Solved Example

Format: heading, by-line, then content in three paragraphs (introduction, main idea, conclusion).

SAVE WATER: ARE WE DOING ENOUGH?
By XYZ

Many people are living with less water than they need, whether in the world's most prosperous cities or in its agricultural heartlands. Droughts have become more frequent and more severe. As many as four billion people already live in regions that face severe water stress for at least one month of the year. With populations rising, these stress levels will only mount.

Water is the precious gift of nature. Life exists on earth because of water. Though tasteless, odourless and colourless, it adds taste, colour and smell to the lives of living beings.

There are different methods to save clean drinking water. Rainwater harvesting is one of the most effective. Afforestation is also a good method, as it reduces surface run-off and recharges groundwater. By practising such methods we can conserve water and ensure it for future generations. We should take a pledge to preserve water because, "If you conserve water, you conserve life."

3. Diary Entry: Format and Solved Example

Format: day, date and time at the top, then 'Dear Diary', the content in the first person, and the writer's name. About 100-120 words.

Monday, 23 March, 2020
9:00 pm

Dear Diary
Today I performed a noble deed. I donated blood. My school had organised a voluntary blood donation drive. When I told my mother, she was worried that donating blood would make me weak. I discussed her concern with my biology teacher, who assured me it was perfectly all right. So I went ahead and donated blood, and I even convinced some friends to do the same. I did not feel any weakness. What I felt was happiness and a sense of purpose. The blood I gave could save a precious life. I will donate again after a few months. I wish everybody would do the same. I am going to sleep peacefully tonight.

ABC

4. Story Writing: Format and Solved Example

Format: a heading, then the story developed from the outline, in 150-200 words, with a suitable moral or ending.

THE FALSE ALARM

Bunya was a foolish boy who liked attention. He was a woodcutter and went deep into the jungle to cut trees. One day he wanted to play a prank. He shouted at the top of his voice, "There's a tiger, there's a tiger!" though there was no tiger. The villagers came running, thinking Bunya was in danger. They saw no tiger, only Bunya laughing at them. The villagers were hurt and went back angry.

A week later Bunya and a friend were working in the woods when they heard a roar. A tiger was near his friend. Bunya ran to the villagers for help, but no one believed him, as they thought it was another prank. Only the tea vendor gave him the benefit of the doubt and went with him. By then his friend was nowhere to be seen. Bunya realised that it was all his own fault.

Moral: No one believes a liar even when he speaks the truth.

5. Descriptive Paragraph: Format and Solved Example

Format: a heading, then the description in one or two paragraphs.

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa had an impressive personality. She had a wrinkled, loving face with a fair complexion and a small, frail build. She was 87 years old when she died. She always wore a smile and had immense sympathy for the poor. She served the people of the slums in every way she could. She taught poor children the alphabet, opened a dispensary and a home for the dying destitutes lying on the roadsides. She gave love and care to the hungry, the homeless, the crippled, the blind and the lepers, all those who felt unwanted by society.