Dear Amara: Writing a Friendly Letter That Describes Rwanda, and Homophones the Spellchecker Will Not Catch

25 min

Let's begin

Amara is sixteen and lives in Accra, Ghana. She and Iradukunda, an S4 student in Musanze, were paired by a school pen-friend exchange. Her first letter ended with a question: "What is Rwanda actually like?" Iradukunda's reply, below, uses almost everything in this unit: facts about the land, the people and the environment, the present simple and the passive, comparatives and connectors. A friendly letter is informal, but it is not careless: an examiner still marks its layout, its paragraphs and its spelling. The last part of the lesson deals with the spelling trap that catches even careful writers, homophones.

The layout of a friendly letter

A model letter

Written by Ganzaa. Iradukunda and Amara are imagined; the facts come from Lessons 1 and 2.

Musanze District
Northern Province
Rwanda
17 October 2026

Dear Amara,

Thank you for your letter, which arrived last week with the photo of your class. I'm sorry I've taken so long to reply: we've had tests all week. You asked me what Rwanda is like, so this whole letter is my answer!

First, the land. Rwanda is much smaller than Ghana, but it's far hillier. People call it "the land of a thousand hills", and from my school you can see why: there are hills in every direction, and most of them are farmed almost to the top. In the north-west, where I live, five volcanoes rise along the border. The highest, Karisimbi, is 4,507 metres high, so its peak is often hidden in cloud. In the west there's Lake Kivu, which is so wide that it looks like the sea, whereas the east is lower, flatter and much drier, with savanna where giraffes and zebras live.

About thirteen million people live here, so the country is crowded. However, most of them still live in the countryside. Kigali, the capital, is built across several hills, and it's growing fast. One thing will surprise you: plastic carry bags are banned, so you won't see them in the shops. If you visit, bring a cloth bag!

The best time to come is between June and August, when there's very little rain. Whether you prefer mountains or water, there's plenty to see. We could walk in the hills near my home, and then take the bus to Rubavu and swim in the lake.

Please write back soon and tell me about Accra. Is it true that you can see the ocean from your school? What's the weather like there in December? Say hello to your brother for me, and tell him I haven't forgotten about the football shirt.

Your friend,
Iradukunda

Questions on the model

What is the purpose of each of the five paragraphs?
Find two contractions and one exclamation. Why are they acceptable here but not in a formal letter?
Find a comparative with a measuring word, and a connector of contrast that joins two sentences.
Which present passive verbs does Iradukunda use? Why is the passive natural in each case?
Why does the closing paragraph ask questions?

Show answersHide answers

Opening: thanks, an apology and the purpose of the letter. Body 1: the land. Body 2: the people, Kigali and the plastic ban. Body 3: an invitation and a plan for a visit. Closing: questions to Amara, a greeting and a personal touch.
Contractions: I'm, I've, we've, it's, there's, won't, What's, haven't. Exclamations: this whole letter is my answer! and bring a cloth bag! They suit a letter to a friend because they sound like speech; a formal letter uses full forms and a calm tone.
much smaller, far hillier, much drier; However, most of them still live in the countryside.
is hidden (who hides it does not matter), is built (the builders are not the topic), are banned (the law is obvious). In each one the topic of the sentence, the peak, Kigali or the bags, stays as the subject.
To show interest in the reader and to give her something to answer, so that the correspondence continues.

Friendly or formal?

Feature	Friendly letter	Formal letter
Addresses	Your own address and the date only	Your address, the date, and the receiver's name, title and address
Greeting	Dear Amara, / Hi Amara,	Dear Sir or Madam, / Dear Mr Habimana,
Opening	Thanks for your letter. / It was great to hear from you.	I am writing to request … / With reference to …
Grammar	Contractions (I'm, it's), phrasal verbs (write back), direct questions	Full forms (I am, it is), formal verbs (reply, request)
Close	Your friend, / Best wishes, / Love, (family) + first name	Yours faithfully, (after Dear Sir or Madam) / Yours sincerely, (after a name) + full name

Worked example

From notes to a paragraph: planning body paragraph 2

Iradukunda's notes: about 13 m people → crowded; most rural; Kigali capital, many hills, growing; plastic bags banned → bring cloth bag.

Give the paragraph one topic. Every note is about people and towns, so they belong together; the volcanoes stay in the paragraph about the land.
Round the figure for a friend. "About thirteen million", not "13,246,394": this is a letter, not a report.
Join the ideas with connectors. Crowded but mostly rural is a contrast: However, most of them still live in the countryside.
Choose active or passive. Kigali is the topic, so keep it as the subject: Kigali … is built across several hills.
End with something personal. The plastic ban becomes advice for Amara: If you visit, bring a cloth bag!

Warning

Informal is not careless. No text-message spellings (u, r, gonna, wanna), no slang the reader may not know, and no sentences without verbs.
Commas after the greeting and the close: Dear Amara, and Your friend,.
Don't mix registers: Dear Amara … Yours faithfully is wrong; Yours faithfully belongs only to formal letters that begin Dear Sir or Madam.
Write the date in full (17 October 2026), not in figures only: readers in different countries put the day and the month in different orders.

Definition

homophones (n): words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings, such as sea and see. (From Greek: homo- "same" + phone "sound".) A spellchecker will not catch them, because each one is a real word.

Homophones in letters and in geography

Homophones	Meanings	Example
there / their / they're	in that place / belonging to them / they are	There are volcanoes in the north; their peaks are high; they're often in cloud.
its / it's	belonging to it / it is, it has	It's a big lake, and its water is deep.
your / you're	belonging to you / you are	You're welcome to stay with your brother.
whether / weather	if (one or the other) / rain, sun, wind	Whether you come in June or July, the weather will be dry.
sea / see	a large area of salt water / to use your eyes	You can't see the sea from Rwanda.
peak / peek	the top of a mountain / a quick look	Take a peek at the peak before the cloud comes down.
plain / plane	flat land; simple / an aircraft	From the plane you can see the eastern plains.
whole / hole	all of / an opening or hollow	The whole road was closed because of a hole.
border / boarder	a line between countries / a pupil who lives at school	The boarder lives near the border with Uganda.
fair / fare	just; light in colour / the price of a journey	The bus fare to Rubavu is fair.
rain / reign / rein	water from clouds / a king's or queen's rule / a strap for a horse	The long rains come in March.
principal / principle	head of a school; main / a rule or belief	Our principal believes in one principle: be on time.

Note: words that are homophones in one accent may not be in another. These pairs sound the same in standard British English.

Tip

Memory hooks. Here is inside there and where: all three are about places. Their contains heir, a person who owns things. An apostrophe always marks missing letters: it's = it is, they're = they are, you're = you are. And the principal of your school is your pal.

English Homophones for Beginners: different words that sound the same, English with Alex, engVid (about 11 minutes, 2017). Write down every pair he teaches, tick those that are already in the table above, and add the others to your vocabulary notebook with an example sentence.

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Practice

Choose the right word: (a) (There / Their) are five volcanoes in the park. (b) The lake is famous for (its / it's) methane. (c) Tell me (whether / weather) you can come. (d) The (hole / whole) class wrote back. (e) The bus (fair / fare) has gone up.
Find and correct the six homophone mistakes: Dear Keza, Thank you for you're letter. Their is no sea in Rwanda, but you can sea Lake Kivu from the plain as it lands. Its the most beautiful sight, and the hole country is green.
Put these parts of a friendly letter in order: closing paragraph; date; greeting; body paragraphs; writer's address; close and first name; opening paragraph.
Rewrite in a friendly register: I am writing to inform you that I have received your correspondence. I would be grateful if you would reply at your earliest convenience.
Write three questions that could end a letter to a pen friend in another country. Use a different question form for each.
Write a friendly letter of 250–300 words to a pen friend abroad who has asked what your district and Rwanda are like. Use the layout above, five paragraphs, at least two present passives, two comparatives and two connectors of contrast. Check every there/their/they're and its/it's before you finish.

Show answersHide answers

(a) There (b) its (c) whether (d) whole (e) fare.
you're → your; Their → There; (you can) sea → see; plain → plane; Its → It's; hole → whole. (no sea and sight were already right.) Corrected: Thank you for your letter. There is no sea in Rwanda, but you can see Lake Kivu from the plane as it lands. It's the most beautiful sight, and the whole country is green.
writer's address; date; greeting; opening paragraph; body paragraphs; closing paragraph; close and first name.
Model: Thanks a lot for your letter: it was great to hear from you. Write back soon!
Models: What's the weather like in Accra in December? / Do you play any sport at school? / Have you ever seen a volcano?
Answers will vary. Check the layout (your address and the date top right, no receiver's address), one topic per paragraph, a friendly but correct register, accurate facts, and the homophones.

Quick check

Put the parts of a friendly letter in order, from top to bottom.

Tap the cards in the right order.

Key points

A friendly letter: your address and the date at the top right, Dear …, an opening, one topic per body paragraph, a closing with questions, and Your friend, + first name.
Informal register means contractions, phrasal verbs and direct questions, never careless spelling.
Homophones sound the same but differ in spelling and meaning; check there/their/they're, its/it's, your/you're, whether/weather in everything you write.

1The layout of a friendly letter

2A model letter

3Questions on the model

4Friendly or formal?

5Homophones in letters and in geography

The layout of a friendly letter

A model letter

Questions on the model

Friendly or formal?

Homophones in letters and in geography