ARTICLE (general structure)

What is the objective of writing an article?

Articles are written for a wide range of purposes. Letś list a
few of them:
To Inform: in this case to talk about
new or current issues that are important to
discuss.

To Instruct: This variation

happens quite often in magazines (Topic
examples: “How to make the best crab
cakes on earth” or “How to wear the new winter
trends in 2021.”)

To Persuade: similar to an Essay, articles can help

persuade a target audience/ reader, of course, the
tone will be much friendlier and you’ll be allowed to
express yourself in a much more informal way (Topic
examples: “Why you need to get informed and vote
in the next election” or “Why you need to understand
the importance of learning a new language”)

Book or Movie Reviews: A variation on the “To Inform”

article, don’t worry weĺl give deeper attention to this
one later on.

Opinion Pieces: Usually to inform or persuade, with the

writer’s predisposition about a specific topic. In this case
different from an opinion essay, again the tone is semi-
informal/ informal and the focus is more evident than in an
essay.
 To Inspire: to give hope in a world that sometimes
appears unwelcoming. These articles tend to have
an explanatory style over certain events, trying to
show the positive side of it.

Before If the topic of the article hasn’t

writing
been assigned by the teacher
and you have to think about
one, keep in mind they should

your be unique and relevant

The article has to get the

article: reader’s attention, it has to be

interesting. Understand we’re
all different, but we can
certainly find a way to make a
topic appealing to someone
who has different taste.
It has to be easy to read. Find
the main goal of writing your
article (I mentioned a few
previously).
Avoid using the points which
interest you only and not for
the general public.
The style is semi-informal so it
will be fine to use expressions,
idioms, or whatever colloquial
vocabulary you know, as long
as it's not too informal. Don´ t
forget that youŕe writing.
The reader is identified, which
means you can use the first
person.
 Structure:
Now you’re familiarized with the INTRO- BODY-
CONCLUSION structure. Again, the length will determine
if you´ ll work on 5 paragraphs or much longer sections.

In any of the cases let’s learn the variations within each

section/paragraph:

Task/ (example)
You see this ad on Instagram for an English language magazine:

Articles wanted-
What are the most important things young people do in summer?
Why doing those things are so important?
What difference would it make to your life?

Title: Keeps the main idea of being original,

short, and catchy.

Introduction: introduce the topic/ idea through

your eyes.
1. You can start using a personal experience
(yours or from another person that you know
of),
2. an analysis to open the topic,
3. a smart question, or a hypothetical situation;
obviously, related to the topic you´ re going to
write about.

BODY: Here the original concept that each

paragraph/ section has to answer a question
from the task or predetermined by the teacher,
remains. An article is almost exclusively about
giving your opinion/ balanced view, so feel free
to do so throughout the whole piece of writing.
 As you are normally asked to write about something you
like or enjoy, opinions are expected to be generally
positive. But if your article has a negative position because
that´ s where you stand and want to talk about, remember
always to be assertive in the presentation of your ideas so
you do not get misunderstood.

The difference from an essay is that here you have to present

the arguments in the following way:
Important: Btw! at this point, you know you have to answer the
questions from the task, so assign to each paragraph or section a
question to answer in a semi-formal/ informal tone).

Paragraph or part 2: question or focus 1 /connectors,

2 or 3 examples/experience.
Paragraph or part 3: question or focus 2. connectors,
2 or 3 examples /experience.
Paragraph or part 4: question or focus 3. connectors,
2 or 3 examples /experience.

Conclusion:
At the conclusion, you already know to
avoid repetition and go over the
reasons you have already mentioned.
The best part is that by the end you´ re
expected to give some final
recommendations or advice, so you
should write the contents uniquely and
unambiguously, just go straight to the
point.