a letter appeared/appearing

I am dying to know too.

But I just used a way that Davkett had taught me in advanced google search. I found
"a letter appeared" had 10,200 results;
"a letter appearing" had 617 results.

It should be a letter that appeared. Googling such fragments proves nothing, because we need more context. Remember my caution about reading the examples.

There is another kind of argument involved in the use of that or which. One of these two words is missing in the original statement, which is, itself, possibly a fragment. As a fragment, we cannot even say whether that is better than which.

Ooh right! I am dumb. In "a letter appeared ..." here 'appear' is a verb. And it's simple past tense.

However if you input "there is a letter appeared", you get nothing.

So, OP, if you can't quite follow that, the answer is that your class mate is incorrect.

Moreove "appear" is an intransitive verb. It has no passive form.

Sorry but I don't understand. My question is not if you should write that or which.

This is supposed to be a letter to the editor with reference to another letter. The question is if you can begin that letter with: I am writing with refence to a letter appeared in June's issue of your newspaper. Or if you should say appearing instead.

Again many thank

Nona The BritSo, OP, if you can't quite follow that, the answer is that your class mate is incorrect.

NTB's reply answered your question fairly clear.

oops, sorry I hadn't seen NTB's answer. We posted at the same time.

May I ask something more? What's the meaning of OP in NTB's answer?

I guess it's CP short for "Coachpotato", your username. hehe