Writing a postcard – A2 English writing

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  • Exercises: 1 2 3 4

    Writing a postcard

    Exercise 1

    Choose the correct word for each gap.
    1 A big and important church.
    a.
    b.
    c.
    d.
    2 You can buy things here. It is often outside.
    a.
    b.
    c.
    d.
    3 This is the home of a king or queen.
    a.
    b.
    c.
    d.
    4 You can see many paintings here.
    a.
    b.
    c.
    d.
    5 It is a model of a man, woman or animal, usually outside.
    a.
    b.
    c.
    d.
    6 It’s an old building. In the past, it was a safe place.
    a.
    b.
    c.
    d.

     

    Exercises: 1 2 3 4

  • Writing a postcard

    Hi Sasha!

    I’m having a great time here in London! Right now, I’m sitting at a café beside the River Thames, watching the boats and having a nice cup of coffee. I’m really enjoying my stay in London. I’ve seen Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, I’ve walked across Tower Bridge, and I’ve been to the Science Museum, the Tower of London and the V&A art gallery. Last night, I saw the show Mamma Mia at a theatre in the West End. It was amazing! I loved the music and the dancing. I’ve also been to several markets, and I’ve bought lots of cool clothes. I can’t wait to show them to you! I’ve taken loads of photos of statues and monuments around the city. Tomorrow, I’m planning to go to London Zoo. I’m also hoping to go to Windsor Castle and St Paul’s Cathedral before the end of my trip.

    Hope you are enjoying your summer! Wish you were here!

    Lots of love from Emily

    ➪ Useful phrases for postcards

    ➪ Talking about the present moment

    ➪ Phrases to talk about past events

    ➪ Phrases to talk about plans

    City vocabulary

    Here is some useful vocabulary for places to visit in cities:

    river        bridge        monument        statue        art gallery        museum        palace        castle        zoo        cathedral        theatre        restaurant        market        tower

    Holiday activities

    Here are some verb + noun phrases that are useful when talking about city breaks. You can learn a few more in this vocabulary lesson.

    • have dinner/a drink/a great time
    • take photos
    • buy souvenirs
    • go out for a meal/a drink
    • go on a river trip/a bus tour
    • go to a museum/castle/etc.
    • go for a walk
    • see/watch a show
    • spend (a lot of ) money

    Language for Postcards

    You can use these informal phrases to open your postcard:

    • Hi (name)!
    • Dear (name),

    Close your email in an informal way too. These phrases are useful for ending your postcard:

    • Can’t wait to… (see you! / show you my pictures / …)
    • Wish you were here.
    • Hope you are… (enjoying your summer / having a good holiday too / …).

    You can use these phrases to sign off your postcard:

    • Take care
    • Love/Lots of love (from)
    • See you soon

    Talking about the present

    When we write a postcard, we often write about what we are doing ‘now’ or ‘these days’. To do this, use the present continuous form.

    • I‘m sitting at a table outside a café.
    • I‘m watching the boats on the river.
    • I‘m having a cup of coffee.

    You can use these time phrases with the present continuous: right now, at the moment.

    You can make a list of these activities. You don’t need to repeat I’m.

    • I‘m sitting at a table outside a café and watching the boats.
    • I‘m sitting at a table outside a café, watching the boats and having a cup of coffee.

    Talking about the past

    You can use the present perfect tense or the past simple tense to talk about past experiences.

    Use the present perfect to talk about experiences you’ve had during your trip or things you’ve done so far, especially when you don’t mention when they happened.

    • I‘ve seen Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge.
    • I‘ve taken loads of photos.
    • I‘ve bought lots of clothes.

    You can use time expressions such as since or for with the present perfect:

    • Since I arrived, I‘ve seen Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge.
    • I‘ve taken loads of photos for the last few days.

    Use the past simple to talk about finished events in the past. We often use the past simple with specific time phrases like yesterday, last night/week, on (Saturday/Sunday…).

    • We arrived here on Saturday.
    • I went to the Science Museum yesterday.
    • I saw a show at the theatre last night. It was great! I loved the dancing.

    Talking about plans

    In a postcard, you can also write about your future plans.

    If you have made a booking or definite arrangements, you can use the present continuous to talk about future plans. This is often combined with future time expressions like tomorrow, on Friday, etc. 

    • We‘re seeing a show tomorrow night.
    • We‘re going on a river cruise on Wednesday.
    • I‘m flying home on Friday night.

    Use be going to to talk about your intention to do something in the future. This is often used when you have decided to do something but haven’t made specific arrangements or bookings yet, or when no booking is needed.

    • I‘m going to buy some souvenirs in the market.
    • We‘re going to hire bikes tomorrow.

    You can also use hope or plan to write about your plans. You can use the forms I’m hoping/planning to + infinitive because they are more informal than the present simple.

    • I‘m hoping to go to the National History Museum.
    • We‘re planning to visit Chinatown.

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