During the Civil War (1861-1865), the number of casualties and deaths were greater than our nation's losses in all other wars, from the American Revolution through Vietnam.
<span>- Cockroaches can cause allergies and trigger asthma attacks, especially in children.
- They can also spread nearly 33 different kinds of bacteria.
</span>- <span>Cockroaches can virtually live by eating anything. Apart from the food we eat, they also feed on dead plant, animals, glue, soap, paper, leather and even strands of fallen hair. While crawling around at nights, they contaminate open food by defecating on it, leaving behind hair and dead skin and depositing empty egg shells in it.
- </span><span>Cockroaches can not only invade your home but also your body parts. There are several cases of cockroaches entering the ear and nose while sleeping. Small cockroaches can readily enter body orifices if you’re in deep sleep.
- </span><span>In an epidemic outbreak of food poisoning, it was found that the incidence of new cases dropped abruptly after cockroach infestation was eliminated. The insect is also a home for the bacterium Salmonella which can cause typhoid and food poisoning.
Yeah, that's all I could really find.
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The correct answers would be "using contractions, slang terms, and colloquial expressions" and "using expressive punctuation". This way the writer brings the topic closer to the reader by making it "sound more like conversation". If you use "formal rules of grammar", it does not sound like a conversation, and "underlining words for emphasis" only draws your attention to those words. Mentioning your friend in the letter doesn't really affect anything.