THE WRITING PROCESS Step 1: TOPIC: Advantages and Disadvantages of Usi BRAINSTORM FOR IDEAS ee caerntet af a. ‘© Write down all the ideas you can think of. prea | Don't worry about whether the idea is relevant. Group A ~ advantages (+) @ Don't worry about grammar or spelling. Group B - disadvantages (-) © You can write in your own language. * helps you hep in touch with people (A) | Step 2 * causes you 26 spond te much time an the compucer (6) | ORGANISE YOUR IDEAS silage ny He | © Decide which ideas to keep and cross out the others. vapor sate | «Group similar ideas together. eee | © Put the groups in order according to a writing plan a donger of online buying (8) * can, create false identities (8 Step 3: ie bes (8) E FOCUS ON LANGUAGE + cam share experiences (A) © 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. © Ifyou can't think of a word in English, write it in your own language. Look the word up 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 spell check when you have finished. | | + car uplead and share phates (A) | jCHECK YOUR WORK © Use the Writer's Checklist on this page to improve your work, “There are nett advantages te ee ee i using social media, First ofall, it cana hal yo ep into ith | people. You can have. friends a tive far away and always stay in cantact with them. fend, you can upload phates aa share thent | with your friends Stepanek is 0 | ta of fio. Fini, social media ra a wanderfl taal for sharing your personal experiences with all your | friend and awning what's going or pele in ghee lives. — Step 6: WAITING A FINAL DRAFT If you are writing by hand, copy your corrected work neatly onto a clean sheet of paper. Use a pen. © Leave a margin on the left-hand side. ‘* Make sure your paragraphs are clearly indicated. WRITER'S CHECKLIST content Y begin with a suitable opening sentence? present my ideas clearly? 7 use relevant details and examples to explain my ideas? ¥ support my ideas with details and examples (opinion, for and against essay)? ¥ end with a suitable closing sentence? use pronouns to refer to the nouns in the paragraph? 7 use connectors to link my ideas? language vf check my grammar? ¥ check my spelling? ¥ check word order? 7 use correct punctuation? 7 use capital letters correctly? use adjectives / adverbs correctly? CEE ¥ use suitable connectors? ¥ present the information in a logical order?WRITING SKILLS Word Order Word order is very important in English. The usual order is: subject + verb + object + additions. Note the following: 1. Ifa sentence has got both a direct and an indirect object, there are two possibil Tsent her a message. 7 Tsent a message to her. J 2. Time expressions can come at the beginning or the end of the sentence. She goes to the gym every Monday. / Every Monday, she goes to the gym. 7 3. Never separate the verb from its objects). We cannot say: He goes every summer on holiday. X 4, Adverbs of manner can come in many positions, but not between the verb and the object. Suddenly, she left the room. 7 She left the room suddenly. / She suddenly left the room. She left suddenly the room. X 5. Adverbs of frequency come before the main verb. Some can come at the beginning and / or at the end of a sentence as well We sometimes go to the market. Sometimes we go to the market. J We go sometimes fo the market. X Note: if the main verb is be, the frequency adverb follows it: He is usually here by 9.00.7 Note: Always and never cannot begin or end a sentence. We cannot say: Always we meet at this café. X We meet at this café never. X 6. Adverbs of comment usually come at the beginning of a sentence or a clause. Unfortunately, my mobile phone wasn't working. 7. Adverbs of degree come before adjectives and adverbs. Pm really tired! Some common adverbs of degree are: Subject-Verb Agreement. The subject and verb have to agree in number. He loves Italian food. (singular) / They love Italian food. (plural) Note the following: 1. Singular nouns that refer to groups can have either singular or plural verbs. The family has / have moved away. 2. Amounts and quantities have usually got singular verbs. ‘Ten thousand euros is a lot of money. 3. Words like anybody, everyone and nobody have got singular verbs. Is anybody at home? Nobody wants to volunteer. Everyone is enjoying the film. 4. Most uncountable nouns have got singular verbs. The water is dirty. 5. Some uncountable nouns have got plural verbs. These trousers are really trendy.Pkt Use of Adjectives 1. Adjectives come before nouns and after certain verbs. a difficult problem / a problem difficult X It seems difficult. / 2. The adjective form for singular and plural nouns is the same. a tall building / tall buildings 7 tall buildings X 3. Adjectives follow a specific order: opinion + size or age + shape + colour + origin + material a beautiful, red Chinese dress a Chinese, beautiful red dress X Connectors Connectors are linking words which join ideas and show how those ideas are related to one another. enjoy horror films but my friend doesn't. [but expresses a contrast] Tim not going out because I have to finish my project. [because expresses a reason] Thad a really hard day so I'm exhausted, [so expresses a result] They also help us to organise our writing and make it easy for the reader to follow. In my opinion, space exploration is extremely important. First of all, many of the technologies we use today were developed as a result of space exploration. For example, thanks to space research, we have developed satellite technology, which we depend on for broadcasting and weather forecasting. In addition, space research has enabled us to create new materials for protection and for preserving food. There ate people who say that exploring space is a waste of money and that we should be dealing with the problems our own planet faces. However, | think that the benefits of exploring space are extremely important to our everyday life. In conclusion, I believe that we should continue to explore space in order to improve life on Earth Study the chart of connectors and phrases below. PURPOSE EXAMPLES and / in addition / furthermore / moreover / what's more / besides / also / too / as well as but / however / nevertheless / yet / still / although / even if / even though / in spite of / despite todescribe a cause or reason _because (of) / since / due to / one/another reason for. is... / aS so / therefore / consequently / thus / as a result / as a consequence / for this reason / that is why to add points on the same topic to express a contrast to describe a result to show purpose in order to / so as to / so that / to to describe similarity similarly / likewise / in the same way in my opinion / (strongly) believe (that) / | think/feel (that) / in my view / items to me (that) / personally / as | see it to describe reality in fact / as a matter of fact / actually / the truth is (that) tomake general statements __in general / generally / as a rule / on the whole to express personal opinions a to begin/start with / in the first place / first of all / seis poms firstly, secondly, thirdly / finaly / lastly for example / for instance / such as / like / particularly / in particular / especially / (more) specifically 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) first / at first / in the beginning / before / next / then / soon / meanwhile / later / after that / afterwards / at last / eventually / finally / in the end to show time when / while / before / after / until / as soon as / by the time to conclude in conclusion / to sum up / in short to give examples to introduce opposing points to show sequenceWriting a Paragraph A paragraph consists of several sentences about a certain topic. thas got the following parts: 1, a topic sentence which gives the main idea of the paragraph 2, supporting sentences which add reasons, details and examples 3. a concluding sentence which summarises the main idea (not always necessary) 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 (ee chart on page 151). Topic sentence Writing an Essay Supporting sentences Concluding sentence In many parts of the world, the average weight of people is increasing and people are less healthy and fit. There are several reasons for this growing problem. Firstly, the fact that fast food is available and relatively cheap makes it easy for people to go out and grab some food instantly. This food is usually unhealthy and high in calories. Secondly, the new technology we use reduces the need for physical activity. Finally, there are fewer and fewer jobs today which require physical effort In conclusion, we must change our lifestyle so that we eat healthier food, | do regular exercise and get around by | walking or using a bicycle. An essay consists of several paragraphs about a topic. There are many different kinds of essays, but they have all got the same basic plan: 1. THE OPENING ‘The opening is a general presentation of the topic. Try to start your essay with an opening that will ‘catch your reader's interest. Here are some ideas 1. Write a short anecdote about real or imaginary events. Sixteen-year-old Mia Smith was shocked to see the cruel comments she received on her social networking site after she had posted some new photos. “Why are people so nasty?” she thought. This is just one example of cyberbullying that occurs every day. 2. Begin with one or more questions. Have you ever received nasty comments on a social networking site? How did these make you feel? Do you think the government should strengthen protection against cyberbullying? 3. Begin with an unidentified pronoun to arouse the reader's curiosity. You log into your favourite social networking site and then you see them. They are cruel and malicious and they make you feel miserable. Who sent you these nasty messages? IF you can't think how to begin, don't worry. Go on to the body of the essay. You can always write the opening later. The important thing is to keep going. 2. THE BODY ‘The body has got one or more paragraphs which develop the topic. When you were preparing to write, you brainstormed for ideas (ee page 148). Then you chose ideas to use and put these ideas into groups in a logical ‘order. Use these groups of ideas to write the body of the essay. Each group of ideas will become a separate paragraph. 3. THE CLOSING ‘The closing is a paragraph which summarises the main idea or presents a conclusion. In some cases, the closing may be similar to the opening but presented in different words. It should always leave the reader with a strong impression. To conclude, while some people might claim that we should be free to do what we want on the Internet, I believe cyberbulling should be illegal and that action should be taken to stop it.INFORMAL CORRESPONDENCE informal correspondence is usually in the form of an email, letter or postcard. The correspondence usually gives information to family or friends. The language we use is usually informal, which is more similar to the language we use when speaking to people we know well. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and read the model, GRUETEN wiite an emai toa ftend about git you ecetved. MODEL. From: _liymeed@gmail.com a To: ethanlask@hotmaicom PLAN Subject: Newconuto’ SD Greeting ———— Hey Ethan, ‘Opening Remarks How are things with you? Sorry | didn’t write sooner but now I'm ‘States the reason for writing, Body !] writing to tell you some exciting news. 've finally got my own eects | | My brother got a tablet and he gave me his laptop as a present. computer! Luckily, it’s only a year old so it's almost new ~ and it's my favourite colour, bright red! news or details. Before | received my brother's laptop, | had to share a computer with my sisters. We only used it for homework and sometimes for online research (the Internet worked really slowly). Things are totally different now. | can listen to music all night long, do homework whenever | want and download games too. ‘Closing Remarks . i . ‘That's all for now. | can’t wait to hear from you and | promise I'l | | answer immediately from my new laptop! Signing Off Tbe lily Greetings Opening Remarks Closing Remarks Signing Off Hi.., ‘What's up? That's all for now. Love, Hey... How are things with you? Looking forward to ‘Yours, Dear... , I'm writing to tell you that / about . hearing from you. ‘See you, I'm sorry | haven't written sooner, but ... ‘Write soon! Regards, haven't heard from you for ... Say hello to ... Take care, ‘Thanks so much for Itwas great to hear from you.A NEWS REPORT ‘A news report gives factual information about a current event. It cont 1s the most important details, including the main events and the setting. tis written in a formal and impersonal style and presents facts objectively. It should give the date and have a title. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and read the model, UU2ESTE write a news report about a current issue in the news. PLAN Opening Gives a summary of the event and the most important facts. Body Gives details. Closing _ Mentions significance of the event and/or reactions and MODEL. 15h setember 2013 Fire in Umbria More than 400 firefighters worked to stop a fire in Umbria, Italy yesterday. It appears that the fire started in the hills near the Apennine Mountains. Firefighters are still not sure what caused it, There are often fires in this area during the summer because of the extreme heat. According to news sources, this fire has been particularly difficult to control. The fire has already destroyed several houses, and people in the area have had to leave their homes. However, yesterday the firefighters were beginning to feel they could stop the fire within the next day or so. This has been one of the worst seasons for fires in the last decade and the experts say it will get worse. One expert said, “We're going to have a very busy fire season. This summer we've had temperatures of close to 40 degrees and we haven't had any rain since March.” Asspokesman / witness claimed that ... Sources say .. Apparently, 154 binCra Ts TRAVEL BLOG travel blog usually gives information about a person's travel experiences. People often use blogs o write narratives about their experiences, feelings and opinions. Look at the topic below. Then dy the plan and read the model. Write a blog entry about a travel experience you've had. MODEL — ae Teen Traveller Blog 900 PLAN Si rose sora ues | E40 iy 2010 - earns Tigers - Will You See One? | Opening See My friends and | had been in the Bandhavgarh National Park for over Beaeiteuncod week. The scenery was spectacular and we'd seen lots of wild animals, people. but we hadn’t seen any tigers. Then, on our last day, we finally got. ce . lucky. Body It happened early in the morning while we were driving around with ‘and done and how he “You can see a tiger's footprints in the wet sand by the lake, The tigers ‘That's when we heard a noise. Next thing we knew, a huge tiger walked isi time, the tiger walked back into the forest and disappeared. Closing 1 ewas an unforgettable experience, Ter somethng abut the siz inion/and mentions and strength of a tiger that makes this creature truly spectacular. future plans. ‘Tonight we're getting the bus to Delhi and then home again. | really hope | can come back here next year. Ihad never ... before. the best ... ever It started in .. That's when .. The next thing we knew, Itwas a /an frightening amazing / unforgettable experience. The scenery was spectacular / breathtaking / magnificent. It was totally awesome. Itwas disappointing. Suddenly, Ac first, . Next, Later, Eventually, .. Inthe end,A DESCRIPTION OF A PERSON A description of a person usually gives some general information about the person, and details about the person's appearance, personality and interests. The writer usually mentions his / her relationship with the person and adds a personal opinion. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and read the model. lies Write a descr jon of someone you like. MODEL. | Laura 7) Laura Graham is a classmate of mine and I'd like to tell you a little about her. She is 15 years old and came to our school recently. The two of us have got along well from the moment we first met. Introduces the person and gives ‘general information. May say hhow you know the person. Deni peta Laura is an attractive girl. She's got beautiful, long, curly, appearance, personality, black hair and big blue eyes. Laura's interested in sport Interests and activities. and she’s one of the best athletes in our school, Ata recent sports day, she won three events, She takes part in many sports after school and plays basketball and volleyball regularly. She’s also keen on animals and has got two dogs! What | really ike about Laura is her personality. She's an |_| outgoing person wio's really easy to talk to, She's also very clever. Laura does well at school but she’s always got time to help her friends with schoolwork. But most of all, I love | Laura's humour, She's one of the funniest people | know! | Seer In short, | haven't known Laura for very long, but | think. | May include an opinion. she's really great. | hope that we will become even better | | friends as the year goes on! tell you a little about ... He / She is a bit / very / quite ... He / She seems to be .. He / She is .. years old. tall / short / slim good-looking / attractive straight / wavy / curly hair fair / dark hair blue / brown / green eyes He's / She’s a / an outgoing / quiet / easy-going / adventurous person. He's / She’s interested in He's / She's also keen on ... In short, .. In conclusion, ..————— A REVIEW A review provides information about a film, book or show. It gives the main events ‘the plot as well as the reviewer's opinion and recommendation. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and read the model. TPE Write a review of a book you have read recently. MODEL PLAN ae | | The Hunger Games opening | cee ilestke 7) The Hunger Games is a fantasy novel by Suzanne Collins. ttis the first | name(s) of the main || ofa three-book series called The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and | Characters) Sectors, || Mockingjay. iis set in North America at some time in the future and a pa ee tells the story of Katniss Everdeen, a young girl who is trying to help | hher family survive in a hard world. Body eee Gatien i In The Hunger Games, we are introduced to a world where people paaiihe plot gives strong || have adifficult life under a cruel government that rules the country ‘and/or weak points In this world, there is a reality TV programme that is watched by | ‘everyone. It features a horrific game where contestants are forced to | || Kill each other or be killed. Katniss Everdeen must compete in this || game and battles to save her own life without killing those she loves |] the most. The novels filled with suspense as the readers become | || increasingly involved in Katniss' terrible world. The only disappointing element is the love story between Katniss and two other young men, I which | found predictable. | Closing Gives a recommendation ‘and/or an opinion. ‘Although itis not perfect, The Hunger Games is a very entertaining novel. | highly recommend it to young adults and even older ones who enjoy a welkwritten and imaginative story. | look forward to | reading the other two books in the series. It’s based on a book / film / true story. ‘The book / film is set in ... Ittells the story of . The main characteris ... The film stars . The acting is .. ‘The book is well-written. highly recommend / don’t recommend this book / film because ...A FOR AND AGAINST ESSAY A for and against essay is usually about a topic which is quite controversial. This type of essay 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 model. gRRTILEN 1 rans esa omen been moneda MODEL PLAN Ce Opening States the issue. oe Presents arguments for and against, giving examples. Does Money Bring Happiness? Many of us imagine that we would be happier if we were rich. We believe that money can solve a lot of our problems and help us achieve happiness. However, is this really true? On the one hand, there’s no doubt that money allows people to buy many of the things they want. For example, with enough money people have no problem making sure they have a place to live, food, Clothing and transport - which are all necessities in today’s world. in addition, money can also provide many luxuries such as the latest technological equipment, different forms of entertainment and much more. On the other hand, money cannot give us everything that we need for happiness and it can even create some difficulties. For instance, most of us need family, friends and love to be happy. Moreover, good health is also important - itis hard to smile at the world when ‘you feel ill Money cannot buy these things. Furthermore, some rich people find that their lives lack challenge because everything comes 50 easily to them, These people are often deeply frustrated and unhappy. In short, can money really make us happier people? In my opinion, being rich might help fulfil some of our dreams, but it cannot always guarantee that our lives will be filled with happiness. bey) ‘Are the advantages of ... greater than the disadvantages? However, is it really a good idea ... ? ‘There's no doubt that ... It's true that Firstly, On the one hand, On the other hand, ... ‘Although. However, ... Furthermore, Moreover, In addition, .. In my opinion, Personally, | think .. In conclusion, To sum up, In short, ... / Secondly, .. / Finally,AONE Cubs AN OPINION ESSAY When writing an opinion essay, the writer states an opinion and tries to convince readers that this opinion is justified with reasons, facts and examples. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and read the model. an opinion essay about eating meat. MODEL PLAN eect nn ce | Should People Stop Eating Meat? pent otra | More and more people today are talking about the harm that eating writer's opinion. meat can cause. However, personally | am a carnivore and see no reason to change my eating habits. Bod Y Firstly, there's no doubt that eating meat provides us with a simple Supports the writer's opinion with reasons, source of some essential nutrients, such as protein and iron. To facts and examples; each || get these nutrients from other sources, you have to eat a carefully desis developed in anew |) planned combination of different foods. paragraph. Furthermore, some people object to the fact that we kill animals to eat meat. However, these people seem to forget that many animals hunt and kill to eat. One would hardly call a tiger or a shark unethical for eating meat. Finally, vegetarians point out that the meat industry is harmful to the environment. While there is some truth to this, the problem should be solved by making regulations for the meat industry - and not by preventing people from eating meat. Closing Summarises and restates |) IN Short, while | understand some of the objections to eating meat, | the writer's opinion, do not believe we should all become vegetarians. As | see it, people should be free to make their own dietary choices - and | am on the side of the meateaters, 1 (do not) think / believe that In my opinion, I believe .. Uhate / love / don't mind ... As | see it, There's no doubt that Its clear that... ‘As far as I'm concerned, Personally, While | understand ...,1(do not) believe... For example, Firstly, Furthermore, . Finally, In conclusion, ... In short,AN INFORMATIVE ESSAY ‘An informative essay contains factual information about a topic. The essay should include historical details where relevant, facts and figures, and other specific information. Look at the topic below. Then study the plan and read the model. SERIE IZ CEN write an informative essay about a holiday or Festival MODEL PLAN Valentine's Day Opening SRSeTEI ne topic In many countries around the world, 14th February is ‘celebrated as Valentine's Day. It's a day when lovers exchange sweets, flowers and other gifts. It's also the custom to give cards signed, “from your Valentine”. But who | was St Valentine and where did the holiday traditions come | from? | Body re etogs tha topic wath The real history of Valentine is unclear. According to legend, further information and facts. he was a priest in Rome in 269 AD who secretly performed wedding ceremonies for soldiers, who were forbidden to marry at that time. Valentine was caught and sentenced to death. While in prison, itis believed that he fell in love with a ‘young girl who visited him. Before his death he wrote her a letter, signing it, “From your Valentine.” ‘Closing a Summarises the topic and Today, some people feel that Valentine's Day has more to ives an opinion. do with business than love. In 2013, people in the UK were expected to spend almost £1 billion on Valentine's Day gifts and experiences. However, for many it continues to be a popular holiday and a time to celebrate romance. ‘A popular holiday / custom It’s a day / night when It’s the custom to . Traditional foods include People celebrate by ... The tradition started This holiday takes place ‘According to legend, The holiday / festival originated One interesting tradition / custom .. Today, this holiday is celebrated by