1) Match the pictures (A-D) to the descriptions (1-6). There are two extra descriptions you do not need (X} anearthquake — ([X] atura disaster a boxing match acar accident = ([] a fre in a factory an Oscar ceremony [_] ‘a bank robbery b} Lobel the descriptions above with categories from the list. natural disaster, accident/emergenoy, political event, sports event, crime, "human interest’ report, social event, war ‘¢) What other categories of news reports can you think of? What sort of stories have been front news in your country 1g the last few days? 2 Read the rubric and underline the key words, then answer the questions. You work for “The Pooltown News” and have been asked to write a news report about a recent car accident in the area. Write your report for the newspaper. 1 Who are you? A astudent B areporter 2. Who are you writing the report for? ‘A the editor of your school magazine B readers of “The Pooltown News” 3. What style will you use for your report? A impersonal, formal, factual B personal, chatty 48 3 a)Read the news report and label the paragraphs with these headings. «detailed description * summary of event © comments, action taken 2 KILLED ON POOLTOWN MAIN ROAD ‘Two people were killed and another person was) Para 1 seriously injured in a car crash on the A585, the main. road into Pooltown, late last night. ‘The accident happened when John Cameron, 42, lost control of his Ford Granada on the Westbury Bridge on the AS85. The car skidded off the bridge ‘at a speed of 50 miles per hour and landed on top of an Afa Romeo which was traveling on the road below. The driver of the second car, Felicity Kensit, 33, and her passenger, Margaret Hall 54, were killed Introduction B| instant. Ponca | Mr Cameron, a wellknown focal businessman, | had been working late at his office and was driving t home when the accident happened. It is believed that he had a heart attack at the wheel, which caused him to lose control of the vehicle. Mr ‘Cameron wes taken to St James Hospital, where he had heart surgery and was treated for his injuries. His condition is reported to be serious but stable. E| A police spokesperson said, “Obviously this sa] Para 4 3 | terible tragedy, but itis unlikely that any action wil be taken against Mr Cameron.” Read the news report again and underline all the verbs which ore in the passive. What tense is each verb in?4 Read the news report again and mark the statements as T (true) or F (false) 1. Three people were killed in the crash. fe 2 Felicity Kensit lost control of her Alfa Romeo. and hit John Cameron's Ford Granada. 3. Mr Cameron was on his way home from work. [] 4 Mr Cameron is now in hospital QO 5 The police are going to arrest him. [aa] 5 Fill in the correct word from the list, then make sentences using the completed phrases. skidded, car, killed, stable, heart, badly, lost, main 1 hurt | 5 instantly 2 crash | 6 condition 3 toad | 7 attack 4 off the bridge | 8 control © Use the words from the lists to fill in the blonks in the extracts below, as in the example. What kind of news report is each extract taken from? skidded, happened, injured sly 1) injured late last night i and hit a in ‘a. Four people were seri whan tha oat 2) red lorry. The accident : the east part ofthe ty on Patick Street witnesses, sta cet t John /b Police finally 1) aes arsonist the early hours of last Friday morning. Three 2 a smi had seen West 3) ven a fre at a factory in Gray Street on the evening of 8th September. champion, round, crowd ‘¢ Tyler Ray surprised the Wembley 1)... me Saturday night when he knocked out 2) ' Billy Day Lee in the third 3) own ofthe tie fg ___ speech, actress, award d At last night's spectacular Oscar awards ceremony, i WON thE 1) sennueneaenenonmnes FOF BOSE Seppoting 2 renneseccce rer roein LA Confidential. In her acceptance 3) nme ‘she gave special thanks to the production team. Front Page News ‘A news report has a headline to capture the reader's attention. A good headline gives a short, clear summary ‘of what the news report is about. When writing a headline we: ‘© use the present simple for recent events, €.g, EARTHQUAKE KILS THIRTY TWO (not: An earthquake (has) killed thirty-two people.) ‘omit the verb “to be” when using the passive to | describe a past event. €.g, SKIER TRAPPED IN AVALANCHE (not: A skier was trapped in an avalanche.) © omit articles (a, an, the), full stops, etc. €.g. PLINE CRASHES (not: A plane crashed.) omit unnecessary adjectives, pronouns, etc. €.9. THREE KILLED IN MOTORWAY ACCIDENT (not: Three people were killed in a terrible motorway accident) 7 Change the sentences into headlines, as in | the example. 1. Ayoung boy has been reunited with his family, YOUNG BOY REUNITED WITH FAMILY 2. Several fires caused serious damage in the city centre A seventy-year-old grandmother has won the lottery. Five sailors were tragically lost at sea after their boat sank. Aretired security guard caught an armed robber. ‘A twelve-year-old boy saved his sister from drowning. 7 Aclever dog warmed his owner of a fre. Hundreds of people died in the recent flood.ne, ZZ A tront Page News 8B Use the notes to write appropriate beginnings for the following news reports, then give each report @ ble headline. plane crash 3pm yesterday Hilington Airport 2 people seriously injured, 5 people treated for shock commer shop robbed « late last night ‘¢ Jo's corner shop, Wallington Street, Turbury masked gunman stole £5,000 ‘owner, Jo Adams, unhurt an coins | * Opening oe of new art + last Saturday Een ® back garden of cottage /* cane eum ® aisplay local muss senie * Gallery of Modern Art, Windsor Avenue ‘famous artist to give speech 9 Join the sentences, using the words in brackets. 1. The girl was saved by her next-door neighbour. He is a firecighter. (who) 2. Two boys were arrested. They were caught stealing a motorcycle, (when) 3. The town that suffered the most serious damage was Rising Hill, There, more than 500 people were left homeless, (where) 4 There was a terrible fire last night in Gamble's toy store. The fire completely destroyed the building. (which) 5 Actor Charles Grey was at the award ceremony. His son, died last week. (whose) 50 (| stupy ie) ) News reports are written in a formal style and contain | accurate facts. To write a news report we: ‘© use the passive. e.g. Aman was arrested ** use direct speech to quote people — e.g. ‘I owe my ‘success to my family," said actress Vanessa Reid. '* use reported Speech to rephrase what people have said. e.g. The Prime Minister said that crime prevention was the govemment's top priority. Do not confuse news reports with stories that include | descriptions of events. Stories are writen in a less formal style and may use short forms, abbreviations, colloquial | ‘expressions, etc. They also include a variety of adjectives! adverbs and refer to the writer's/characters’ feelings. 10 Read the paragraphs below, then say which are from stories and which ore from news reports. xy robbed the York A. A gang of five armed men yesterday rol ait General, one of the city’s biggest banks, and escaped with over £2 million. Two of the bank's employees and seven customers were seriously injured B_ Itwas a cold and snowy morning and the roads were ‘covered with ice. Judy was driving slowly to work when the weather forecast was broadcast on the car radio, Lac ny went into the kitchen to put away her shopping. Cae ‘a cupboard door when all of a She was opening Sheen she heard a loud, deep noise that seemed to be coming from under her feet. At that moment, the house started shaking. ee “Fin earthquake measuring 62 on the Richter Seale struck the Huntingdon area at four pm yoo rm al residents reported hearing @ [ol TOG just before the earth startad shaking vile Tomes, buildings and roads were completely destroyed by the quake.WRITING TIP When we write a news report we can divide it into four paragraphs. ‘In the introduction, we write a short summary of the event (ie. we write what happened, where and when it ‘happened, who was involved, etc). In the main body we write a detailed description of the event. ‘In the conclusion we write people's ‘comments as well as the action taken. We normally use past tenses in this type of writing. We give a news report an eye- catching headline. 11 Soy whether the guidelines below apply to stories (5), news reports (NR) or both (B). 1. 8. start by setting the scene 2 ....give a summary of the incident 3. ....desoribe events in chronological order Use past tenses to describe events - include facts, not description mention your own feelings mention people's comments and refer to action takenito be taken vu U8 @ Variety of adjectives/adverbs 9 ...use passive voice, direct and/or reported speech 10 .....use direct speech/ask a rhetorical uestion/address the reader in introduction/conelusion 12 Read the rubrie and underline the key words. Next, read the news foport and underline the correct words in bold. Finally, think of a suitable headline for the report. You work for a local newspaper and the editor has asked you to write a news report about an accident that happened in the area. Write your report for the newspaper. ———— | Early this morning, 40-year-old | Carmen Douglas was 1) pulling! pplled to safety after being trapped in her car for 10 hours. The vehicle had ‘been buried under two metres of ‘snow on Dalwich Road, Preston. | Mrs Douglas was driving home ‘when there was an 2) unexpected unknown snowstorm that caused her | to 3)lose/miss control of the car, | which 4) skidded/was skidded off the | road and into a ditch. She called the | police on her mobile phone but 5) as/ “because of the severe storm they j were unable to locate her. Several Front Page News hours later, 6) when/at last the storm | cleared, rescue workers found her | and dug her out of the snow. | Mrs Douglas was immediately 7) took/taken to Riverview Hospital, | 8) where/there she was treated for | minor injuries and frostbite. She | 9) released/was released a few hours | later, exhausted but happy tobe alive. | ‘A spokesman from the city council 10) saiditold “As there have been ‘many accidents on this road, we strongly 11) adviceladvise motorists to be extremely careful 12) during! while stormy weather”. 13 | Label the reporter's notes with these headings: * detailed descrioton » comments, action taken * summary of event A c Burglary - Dumont Jewellers, Vine Road, Barton - 11.30 lastnight James Riley, 27, former employee, later arrested Riley broke in, opened safe, took jewellery worth £200,000, lft Bob Gilmour, 49, lives opposite shop, saw light, called police Police arrived on scene within minutes, found Riley nearby Riley stil in possession of stolen jewellery, admitted crime Police spokesman: “a disturbing number of break-ins in the area recently” - promise: soon more policemen on patrol in local streets b) Read the rubric and underline the key words. Use the notes, the plan below and the picture in the Photo File section to write your news report, then a report about a robbery that took place in your area last night. Write | You are a reporter for a local newspaper and have been asked to write your report giving details of the event. (100 - 150 words) Plan Introduction Parogroph 1: summary of the event (what, where, when, who) / 1 Main Body oO 4 Paragraphs 2-3: detailed descriotion of the event 4 Conclusion Paragraph 4: comments, action taken iRead the rubrie and underline the key words, then answer the questions, ‘You work for a monthly magazine called “Campers and Camping”. The editor has asked you to visit a new campsite and write a report assessing its suitability for families with young children. Write your report on the campsite, describing its location, its facilities and the activites it offers, and making a recommendation about the site. 1. What type of composition is this? A anews report B_ an assessment report © a descriptive article D atriendly letter 2. Who is going to read your report? A the editor of the magazine B readers of the magazine 3. What style will you use for your report? ‘A friendly, chatty, descriptive B formal, impersonal, factual 2 The rubric asks you to describe location, facilities and activitie look at the list and add more ideas. [Location beside a lake Facilities showers washing machines (Activities waterskiing canoeing windsurfing i i Concusion 3 — Read the report and fill in the headings from the list below, then answer the questions. + Faciliies » Introduction * Activities » Recommendation + Location To: PT Jones, Editor From: Jane Miller, Assistant Date: 6 May Subject: Blue Water Campsite, Lake Winning The aim of this report is to assess the sultabilty of Bue Water ‘Campsite, Lake Winning, for families with young children. ‘The Blue Water Campsite is situated beside Lake Winning and is half a kilometre from Moresby, the nearest vilage. Both the village and the ‘campsite can be reached easily by public transport. BBiue Water is a large site with a number of facilities. There is space for thirty tents and ffteen caravans, there are ten large, clean showers and hot water is always available. There is also a laundry room with five washing machines. A wide varity of everyday items can be bought at the campsite shop, but prices are unfortunately very high. Lessons are available for those interested in watersports such as ‘waterskiing, canoeing and windsurfing. Although the lake is also safe for swimming, there are no lifeguards, so itis not recommended for young children. There is an entertainment room with a poo! table and board games. However, no games or activities are organised for young childrer ‘The facilities at Blue Water are good and there are many activites for adults and older children, However, there are no special facies or activites for the younger age group. Therefore, itis my opinion that Biue Water campsite is not suitable for families with young children. Who has written the report? Who is going to read if? What is the subject ofthe report? What are the three main features discussed in the report? In which paragraphs are these discussed? What is the writer's overall impression of the campsite? In which paragraph does she mention this?4 Fill in the correct adjective from the list, then make sentences using the completed phrases. board, clean, everyday, nearest, age, special, washing, wide 1 the suoan Vilage | 5 items 2 machines | 6 games 3 showers | 7 group 4 omnnonennn Vasily | B facilites 5 Compare the two introductions. Which is too informel for an assessment report? Use phrases from the list to rewrite the introduction in a more suitable style. As requested, .. assess the suitability The purpose of .. Ihave visited 1. There are lots of sports centres in the city. | have visited the one that opened in McLintock Road last week, called “Fitness for Al’, o check ifitis OK for older people. ‘As. instructed, Ihave visited "Maxwell's", the new restaurant in Firth Street. The purpose of this report isto assess its suitability for families. 6 Rewrite the s the new begi inces in a formal style, using 1g and the words in brackets. Trips cost more. (fee/charged) An extra ... fee is Charged 10r tS. wvsninnnnnnse 2 You pay £10.00 to get in (admission fee) There is, 3. There are lots of dishes on the menu. (wide variety) ‘The menu offers 4 Cheaper tickets are on offer for groups. DiscOUNtS nnn 7 5. The front gate is next to the Town Hall (available) (located) The main entrance om, 6 There are lots of things to do there. (activities) ‘Anumber of : 7 7 There weren't many desserts, (limited choice) There was a Pes, Making a Judgement about .. Ze 7 Rewrite the sentences below in the passive, as in the example. 1. You can find a wide variety of fresh vegetables at Apron supermarket. A wide variety of vegetables can be found at Apron supermarket. 2 The theatre bar serves sandwiches and soft drinks during the interval ‘Sandwiches and soft drinks 3 Customers often make complaints about the slow and Untiendly service, Complaints... 4 What is more, Fast Airines offer special meals for vegetarians. What is more, special meals for vegetarians 5 Experienced and qualified staff care for the children. The children 6 Since they keep fre extinguishers in cupboards, staff ‘cannot reach them quickly Since fre extinguishers 7. The maintenance workers check the fire alarms of the shopping centre once a month. The shopping centre's fire alarms. 8 The entrance fee includes two free rides and a soft drink. Two free rides and a soft drinkeT es S Waking » Judgement about ... 2} Match the linking words/phrases in bold to synonyms from the list. nevertheless, for example, in contrast, moreover, since All in all, the leisure centre is. worth visiting because of the wide range of facilities on — oferHowore) work mu be done tolimprove safety if the centre i$ to be used by families with children. ‘Nevertheless Meals at “Chez Xavier" are delicious and well presented. In addition, the menu is varied and imaginative, and includes a reasonably priced selection of fish dishes. 3. The rooms at the front of the hotel are attractive and comfortable. For instance, the beds are new and the walls have been treshiy painted. On the other hand, the rooms a the back of the hotel need redecorating, while the beds are old and should be replaced. 4 Because class sizes at the language centre ‘are small, each student receives intensive practice. Furthermore, the teachers are wel ‘qualified, experienced and friendly. is used b) Soy what each linking word/phras for. ‘to show contrast * to show reason/result to add another point * to give an example 9 Compare the two concluding paragraphs. Which is too informal for an assessment report? Use words from the list to rewrite the paragraph in a more svitable style. To sum up, ... However, other people would enjoy ... ... I feelibelieve .. the positive aspects are Nevertheless, ... 1 Finally, the decor was lovely and the atmosphere and music at the club were great. The drinks were a litle bit expensive, though. All the same, I'd defintely go to “Jazzy's” again and I think other people should, too. 2. To sum up, Lonsdale Summer Camp has a number of positive aspects, such as its excellent facilities and the wide range of sports and activities available. In my pinion, it is definitely suitable for children under 16. WRITING TIP When we write an assessment report we divide it into three parts: introduction, main body and conclusion. © In the introduction we clearly state the purpose of the report. © In the main body we present each main topic in a new paragraph with an appropriate heading. We discuss the positive and negative aspects (i there are any) of each feature. The number of paragraphs depends on. the number of main topics. ® In the conclusion we give our overall impression and make our recommendation. We always write assessment reports in a formal style (ie. passive voice, full verb forms, impersonal language, etc). 10 Read the rubric ond underline the key words. Next, read the report and mark where each new paragraph should begin. Finally, match the headings to the paragraphs. * Facilities .2. * Introduction .. '* Opening hours... * Classes... ‘© Membership Fees .... ‘© Recommendation The editor of “Health and Fimess” magazine has asked you to write an assessment report on a gym which has recently opened in your area, to decide whether the magazine will recommend the gym to its readers. Write your report, discussing the facilities, classes offered, membership fees and opening hours.To: M7 Rosen, Editor From: 4 Scott, Sports Consultant Date: 12 March Subject: Leeside Gym > LAs requested, | visited the newly-opened Leeside Gym on several days last week. (The purpose of this report is to assess whether the gym should be recommended to your readers. > (2) Facilities at Leeside Gym include a large weights room with state-of-the-art equipment, and three air-conditioned aerobies rooms. U Inadition, the gym has several showers and two changing rooms in which members have their own lockers. ( There is also a snack bar which serves health food and fresh juices. (1 However, at present the snack bar does not have regular hours and is often closed. LJAt the moment, the gym offers aerobic classes for three different fitness levels. (A yoga class is being organised and will be offered soon. (Supervised weight training will also be introduced in the near future. Ldoining Leeside Gym involves a membership fee of £30. [In addition to this, members pay £28 per ‘month, which includes unlimited use of all facilities and is therefore good value for money. [1 Leeside Gym is open from 7.00 am - 10.00 pm daily, except Sundays and holidays. (These times are obviously convenient for almost all members. (JTo conclude, | believe that Leeside Gym offers excellent facilities, a wide range of classes and reasonable membership fees. ‘Athough not all classes have started yet, the gym is definitely worth recommending to your readers. Making 2 Judgement about ... 11 a) Read the rubric and underline the key words, then answer the questions. ‘You work at a travel agent's and have been asked 10 write an assessment report about a hotel so that the travel agent can decide whether to book rooms there for future customers. Write your report, discussing accommodation, facilities and cost, and making your recommendation about the hotel. (120 - 180 words) What is the subject of your report? ‘Who is going to read your report? ‘What style will you use? What headings will you use? ') Label the prompts as A (accommodation), F (focilities) or € (cost) 1... hotel has 40 double rooms, 15 single 2... Swimming pool, large lounge, children's playground 3... allrooms newly redecorated — private bathroom, colour TV 4... rather expensive — £60 single room, £80 double — but breakfast included in price 5... single rooms quite small 6... restaurant - delicious meals, but limited choice of vegetarian dishes 7. special price for groups — £45 single, £60 double ¢) Use your answers and the prompts above, a well as the plon below, to write your report. Remember to use epproprite linking words ond phroses. Plan TT. To: : From: > Date: i Subject: Introduction: purpose of the report ' Main Body: ‘accommodation \ (ood/bad points, examples) * A facitties (Good/bad points, examples) cost (ooa/bad points, examples) Conclusion. overall impression j recommendation 55