Key Idea: Professional texts are formal writing for a company, an official or a serious reader: a formal letter, a report, a proposal, instructions and an essay. Each one has fixed parts in a fixed order.
Formal letter
- Reader: an organisation or authority. Use usted, never tú.
- Six parts: date, greeting, opening, body, closing, sign-off.
- {{Estimado/a Sr./Sra.: … Atentamente,|Dear Mr/Mrs … Yours faithfully,}}
- A respectful tone: fixed phrases, no exclamations.
Report
- Factual and objective, with impersonal forms: {{se observa, se recomienda|it is observed, it is recommended}}
- Parts: title, aim, findings, recommendations, conclusion.
- Use headings. Give facts, not personal opinions.
Proposal
- Written to persuade an authority, with usted.
- In order: a title, the aim, your plan, its benefits, a call to act.
- {{El objetivo es…|The aim is…}}
- Give a reason for every idea, not just enthusiasm.
Instructions
- Explain a process with commands, in the imperative or the infinitive: {{pela, añade, sirve|peel, add, serve}}
- Steps: title, what you need, numbered steps, a tip or warning, close.
- {{Cómo preparar… ¡Ya está!|How to make… That's it!}}
- Precise, ordered and direct, with sequence connectors.
Essay
- A professional text: logical argument, for a reader who expects reasoned discussion.
- A debatable topic, formal and balanced.
- Parts: introduction, arguments for, arguments against, evaluation, conclusion.
- Keep your own view for the end. Use contrast connectors.
Choose usted for a formal reader and keep it from the first line to the last.
Which text gives facts and no opinions? The report.
How do you end a formal letter? «Atentamente».
What makes a proposal convincing? A reason behind each idea.
Step 1 says «pelar», step 2 says «añade». What is wrong? The command form changes. Keep one form all the way through.
What comes before the numbered steps in instructions? What you need.
Where does your own view go in an essay? In the conclusion, after both sides.