Writing a paragraph

A paragraph consists of several sentences about a certain topic. It has the following parts:
1. A topic sentence which gives tha main idea of the paragraph.
2. Supporting sentences which add reasons, details and examples.
3. A concluding sentence which leads on to the next paragraph or summarises the main idea.

The parts of a paragraph should flow logically. The paragraph must be easy to understand. You can accomplish this by:
1. using pronouns to refer back to the nouns in the text.
2. using connectors to show the connections between ideas.

A description of a person

A description of a person gives an impression of what that person is like or of our relationship with them. It usually includes details about the person's appearance, interests and personality. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and read the useful language.

Topic (example)
Write a description of someone you like.

Plan
Opening: Basic information introducing the person.
Body: Description of the person's appearance, personality, interests and activities, and/or your relationship.
Closing: Closing remarks and/or your opinion.

Useful language
Describing people:
He / she is a bit / very / quite ...
He / she has got ...
The best thing about him / her is ...
He / she is a great friend
... is really important in a friend / a teacher
... is one of my favourite people
I really like him / her a lot
Physical appearance:
tall / short / petite
well-built / chubby / slim
good-looking / gorgeous / attractive / plain
straight / wavy / curly / spiky / shoulder-lenght
hair
fair / dark hair or skin
brown / blue / green eyes
Personality
bossy
generous
helpful
a lot of fun
shy
sense of humour
selfish
stubborn
considerate
calm

A biography

A biography is a description of a person's life. It should include only important events and information, leaving out minor details. This information is usually (but not always) presented in chronological order. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and read the useful language.

Topic (example)
Write a biography of a person who is important to your country.

Plan
Opening: Who the person is and what he/she is famous for.
Body: Early life and career developments.
Closing: Summary of the person's achievements/future plans.

Useful language
was born on / in ...
is famous for ...
is one of the world's most / best ...
at the age of ...
spent his / her childhood in ...
as a teenager, ...
In the future ...
He / she plans to ...
He / she is hoping to ...
He / she wanted to become ...
He / she decided to become ...

A narrative

A narrative is a story about a series of events and the people involved in them. Look at the topic below. The study the plan and read de useful language.

Topic (example)
Write a narrative about a trip you took.

Plan
Opening: The main characters, where and when the story takes place.
Body: Events in the story, how the characters felt.
Closing: The ending of the story.

Useful language
Time expressions:
Last weekend / summer / year ...
Two years ago ...
It was a cold / hot / stormy day ...
It all began when ...
One afternoon ...
Fortunately / Unfortunately / Luckily ...
To my surprise ...
I felt ...
The funny thing is that ...
Before I knew it ...
Connectors of sequence:
at first
before
after
next
later
when
then
until
as soon as
soon
suddenly
while
during
eventually
in the end
meanwhile

A description of a place

A description of a place gives an impression of what that place is like. It usually includes physical details such as location, scenery, exterior and interior (in descriptions of a building). It may also describe the general atmosphere. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and read the useful language.

Topic (example)
Write about a good place for a holiday.

Plan
Opening: Name, location, special or interesting details.
Body: Description with more detail, examples of things to see and do.
Closing: Concluding sentence and opinion or recommendation.

Useful language
is one of the most ...
It is located ...
You'll notice ...
You can ...
Visitors should plan on ...
You'll never forget ...
Visitors can enjoy ...
It offers ...
You shouldn't miss ...
famous
peaceful
lively
beautiful
relaxing
ancient
modern
quiet
fun

A for and against essay

A for and against essay is usually about a controversial issue. It presents both sides of the issue and then concludes by supporting one of the sides. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and read the useful language.

Topic (example)
Write a for and against essay on a topic connected to something.

Plan
Opening: Introduction to the issue.
Body: Arguments for one side of the issue, with supporting details and examples. Arguments for the other side of the issue, with supporting details and examples.
Closing: Summary of issue and writer's opinion.

Useful language
On the one hand, ...
On the other hand, ...
It is true that ...
Firstly / Secondly / Thirdly, ...
For example ...
In addition, ...
Furthermore, ...
However, ...
Nevertheless, ...
Due to ...
As a result, ...
Consequently, ...
In conclusion, ...
To sum up, ...
I believe that ...
In my opinion, ...
In my view, ...

A news report

A news report provides information about a recent event. It presents the facts objectively in order of importance. It should answer the questions: who, what, when, where and why. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and read the useful language.

Topic (example)
Write a news report about someone who survived a dangerous experience.

Plan
Opening: Summary of the event and most important facts.
Body: Details about the event.
Closing: Significance of the event/reactions and comments.

Useful language
According to ...
yesterday ...
last night ...
Due to ...
because
Consequently, ...
As a result of ...
For this reason, ...
Apparently, ...
Sources say ...

Informal correspondence

In an informal e-mail, we use language very similar to the language we use when speaking to someone we know well. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and th useful language.

Topic (example)
Write an informal e-mail to a friend about a future plan.

Plan
Greeting: Opening remarks, reason for writing.
Body: Information, news or details.
Closing: Closing remarks.
Signing off.

Useful language
Greetings:
Dear ...,
Hi ...
Opening Remarks:
It was great to hear from you.
How are things?
Did you get my letter/e-mail?
Sorry I haven't written for so long.
Congratulations!
I haven't heard from you for ...
I'm writing because ...
Closing Remarks:
I can't wait to ...
Write soon!
Please let me know.
That's all for now.
Say hello to ...
Signing off:
Love,
Regards,
See you,
Take care,
All the best,
Yours,

A review

A review provides the main events in the plot of a book, film or show. It also gives the reviewer's opinion. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan.

Topic (example)
Write a review of a book you have read or a film you have seen recently.

Plan
Opening: The name and the type of a bookor film, the author/director, the main characters and the description of the plot.
Body: Writer's opinion on various aspects of the book or film, good points and bad points.
Closing: General recommendation.

Useful language
It tells the story of ...
Its hero/heroine is ...
The film starts ...
It is set in ...
blockbuster/bestseller
characters
special effects
soundtrack
suprise ending
predictable
disappointing
You won't want to miss ...
You'll love reading ...
Well worth seeing/reading
I highly recommend ...
Don't bother/waste your time ...

An opinion essay

An opinion essay states an opinion and tries to convince the reader that this opinion is correct. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and read model.

Topic (example):
Write an opinion essay on a topic connected to safety.

Plan (parts of the essay):
Opening: Presentation of issue and opinion.
Body: Specific reasons and facts to support opinion.
Closing: Summing up and restatement of opinion.

Useful language
Many people think that ...
In my opinion, however, ...
I disagree
In my view, ...
I believe that ...
However, ...
Despite this, ...
First of all, ...
Secondly, ...
In addition, ...
Therefore, ...
As a result, ...
It is clear that ...
In short, ...
To sum up, ...
In conclusion, ...

How to make a presentation

How do I start?
- You could introduce your talk or presentation formally. Today I'm going to talk about...
- Alternatively, you could grab your audience's attention by starting with a question or a challenging statement. Use pictures or objects. Have you ever asked yourself why... ?

How do I organize the presentation?
- Make it short. Write down the points you want to make, edit them down to, say, four, then decide which order you are going to make them in.
- Introduce each point with an expression from the list below. The first/key thing to say about___is ..., Now let's look at...., The main point to make about___is..., Another interesting thing to say about____is, Finally, I'd like to say a few words about....

What do I say?
- After introducing the point, add information briefly in two, three, or, at the most, four sentences. Use markets like the ones below to construct long, well-balanced sentences. anyway, naturally, similary, surprisingly, although, whereas, moreover, in addition, furhtermore, incidentally, by the way, however, ...

How do I finish?
- Conclude the presentation by briefly summarizing what you have said, or the points you have made. You could end by asking for comments or questions. in conclusion, to sum up; So, there are three things to remember about... Does anybody have any questions?

Writing Skills

Word order:
-Word order is very important in English. The usual order ir: Subject + Verb + Object + Additions
-If a sentence has both a direct and an indirect object, there are often two possibilities:
I gave you the box./I gave the box to you.
-Many time expressions can come at the beginning or the end of the sentence.
-Never separate the verb from its object(s): We don't have today any homework.
-Adverbs of manner can come in several positions, but not between the verb and the object.
-Adverbs of frequency come before the main verb. Some can come at the beginning and/or the end of a sentence as well.

Subject-Verb agreement:
-The verb is singular or plural, depending on the subject.
-Singular nouns that refer to groups can have either singular or plural verbs.
-Amounts and quantities usually have singular verbs.
-Words like anyone, everybody,nobody have singular verbs.
-Most uncountable nouns have got singular verbs.
-Some uncountable nouns have got plural verbs.

Use of adjectives:
-Adjectives come before nouns and after certain verbs.
-The adjective form for singular and plural nouns is the same.
-Adjectives foloww a specific order: opinion + size or age + colour + origin + material.

Connectors:
-Connectors are linking words which join ideas and show how those ideas are related to one another.
-They also help us to organise our writing and make it easy for the reader to follow.

- To add points on the same topic: and, in addition, furthermore, moreover, what's more, besides, also, too, as well as, ...
- To express a contrast: but, however, nevertheless, yet, still, although, even if, even though, in spite of, despite, ...
- To describe a cause or reason: because (of), since, due to, as, as a result of, one, another reason for...is..., ...
- To describe a result: so, therefore, consequently, thus, as a result, as a consequence, for this reason, that is why, ...
- To show purpose: in order to, so as to, so that, to, ...
- To describe similarity: similary, likewise, in the same way, ....
- To express personal opinions: in my opinion, I (strongly) believe (that), I think, feel (that), in my view, it seems to me (that), personally, as I see it, ...
- To introduce facts: in fact, as a matter of fact, actually, the truth is (that), ...
- To make general statements: in general, generally, as a rule, on the whole, ...
- To list points: to begin/start with, in the first place, first of all, for one thing, firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally, lastly, ...
- To give examples: for example, for instance, such as, like, particulary, in particular, especially, (more) specifically, ...
- To introduce opposing points: on the one hand, on the other hand, in contrast, contrary to, it can also be argued that, but there are people who say/think (that), ...
- To show sequence: first, at first, in the beginning, before, next, then, soon, meanwhile, later, after that, afterwards, at last, eventually, finally, in the end, during, when, ...
- To show time: when, while, before, after, until, as soon as, by the time, ...
- To conclude: in conclusion, to sum up, in short, all in all, ...

The writing process

Step 1: Brainstorm for ideas.
- Write down all the ideas you can think of.
- Don't worry about whether the idea is relevant.
- Don't worry about grammar or spelling.
- You can write in your own language.

Step 2: Organise your ideas.
- Decide which ideas to keep and cross out the others.
- Group similar ideas together.
- Organise the groups according to a writing plan.

Step 3: Focus on language.
- Think of words and expressions you will need in your work.

Step 4: Write a first draft.
- Write your first draft on the computer or by hand. If you are writing by hand, use a pencil. Leave wide margins for notes.
- Leave space between lines for additions and corrections.
- Write quickly. Don't worry about neatness or accuracy.
- If you can't think of a word in English, write it in your own language. Look up the word in a dictionary later.
- If you can't spell a word, write it any way you can. Then check the word in a dictionary or use a spellcheck when you have finished.

Step 5: Check your work.
- Use the Writer's Checklist down this page to improve your work.

Step 6: Write a final draft.
- If you are writing by hand: copy your corrected work neatly onto a clean sheet of paper.
- Use a pen and leave a margin on the left-hand side.
- Make sure your paragraphs are clearly indicated.

Note:
You can indicate the beginning of a paragraph by:
- Indenting, moving the first word of the paragraph to the right.
- Skipping a line before beginning a new paragraph. Each paragraph begins at the left-hand margin.


Writing Checklist!!

- Organisation:
I organised my work according to a plan.
Each paragraph has one topic.
My paragraph are clearly indicated.
I used suitable connectors to link my ideas.

- Content:
My work is interesting and original.
I began with a suitable opening sentence.
I presented my ideas clearly.
I included only relevant ideas.
I supported my ideas with details and examples.
I ended with a suitable closing sentence.
I used connectors to link my ideas.

- Language:
My grammar/spelling/word order/punctuation/capital letters/adjectives are correct.