BOOKLET 2ND PART OF THE YEAR – LANGUAGE II

 WRITER’S EFFECT & ANALYSIS

 VOCABULARY AND EXERCISES
 CLOSE READING AND FEATURES
 PARAGRAPH WRITING (revision)
 TEXT TYPES:
1. Letters (formal and informal)
2. Articles
3. News reports
 WRITING TASKS & EXAM PRACTICE with writer’s effect and summary writing
 SHORT STORIES: Analysis. Writing tasks.

ANALIZING WRITER’S EFFECT

Worksheet 1: The Forgotten

The sunlight struggled through the thick canopy of leaves and fought its way down to

the forest floor where no creature stirred. Flashes of sunlight momentarily penetrated

the abandoned darkness with illuminated pockets of greens, yellows and browns. There

were no shrills or calls from birds, and no chirping of insects. All that could be heard

were the cold, damp gasps of wind aching through the solemn congregation of ancient

trees. Long, twisting creepers spun round the thick bodies of the towering trunks; tying

branches to branches and falling down the great bark bodies like melted candle wax.

Within the intricate lacing of the maze of giant roots that clung to the centuries old,

untouched earth, darkness engulfed deep pools that concealed small predators stalking

small, slippery prey.

Write down four pieces of evidence that show that the setting is lonely and forgotten.
1. …......…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
2.…………………………...............................................................................................................
3.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
4.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Analyse how these phrases show the setting is lonely and forgotten. Think about the effect the
language has on you as a reader.
1. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
2. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
4. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Worksheet 1: The Forgotten – continued
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………….............................................................................................

Evaluate how your evidence creates a lonely and forgotten feeling. Think about how the writer has
created this effect on you.
1. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
2. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
4. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sentence Starters

Analyse
This shows........because/as/since....
This highlights that... ....because/as/since....
This emphasises... ....because/as/since....
This helps the reader to understand that... ....because/as/since....
This reinforces the ideas that... ....because/as/since....
The fact that... ....because/as/since....
The words ‘…’, and ‘…’ suggest/imply that..../ make the reader feel... / give the idea that .../ creates a
sense of... ...because/as/since....
The phrase ‘…’ creates/suggests… because/as/since....
The use of the simile/metaphor/personification/alliteration conveys a… …idea/feeling as...

Evaluate
This is effective because…
This is a successful image because…
The author is trying to show that… ….this is effective because…
The language is effective because it shows/creates/portrays…

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Worksheet 2: A Gift

This text is taken from a longer narrative. At this point in the story, it is the night of Natalia’s
sixteenth birthday. Her grandfather, a doctor, has arrived back late at night from visiting patients.
He has woken Natalia and asked her to follow him quietly through the streets of their city.

We were nearing the end of our side street and I assumed the silence of our walk would be
shattered by the bustle along the tramway. But when we got there, nothing, not even a single
passing car. Every window was dark. The hazy moon seemed to gather the silence up around it like
a net. Not a sound: no sirens, no rats in the bins that lined the street. My grandfather stopped,
looked up and down the street, then turned left.

‘It’s not far now,’ he said.

I caught up with him long enough to see that he was smiling. ‘Not far to where?’ I said, out of
breath, angry. I drew myself up and stopped. ‘I’m not going any further until you tell me.’

He turned to look at me, indignant. ‘Lower your voice you fool,’ he hissed. Suddenly his arms went
over his head in a wide arc. ‘Can’t you feel it? No one in the world awake but us.’ And off he went
again.

We passed empty windows of shops that had gone out of business; lightless buildings; a beggar
sleeping so soundly that I would have thought him dead if I hadn’t realised that the moment had
closed around us, making everything still.

Suddenly grandfather stopped ahead of me and stood, pointing into the distance, his hand shaking
with excitement.

‘There,’ he said. ‘Look!’

I peered out into the street. On the other side, there was a street lamp with a dying bulb. I was
opening my mouth to say ‘What?’ and then I saw it. Half a block from us, an enormous shadow was
moving along the street.

At first I thought it was a tram, but its shape was too organic, too lumpy, and it was going far too
slowly for that, making almost no noise. It was swaying, swaying up the street with an even
momentum in a rolling motion that was drawing it away from us like a tide, and every time it
rocked forward, something about it made a soft dragging sound on the rails. As we watched, the
thing sucked in air and then let out a deep groan.

‘That’s an elephant!’ I said.

My grandfather said nothing. His glasses had fogged up during the walk, but he wasn’t taking
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them off to wipe them. He took my hand; we watched the animal.

Its ears were folded back against the domed, bouldered head with big-lidded eyes; the arched roll
of the spine fell away into the hips; dry folds of skin shook around the shoulders and knees as it
shifted its weight. It seemed to take up the whole street. It dragged its curled trunk like a fist along
the ground.

Several metres in front of it, holding a bag of something that must have been enormously tempting,
a short young man was walking slowly backward, drawing it forward with whispers.

‘I saw them at the train station as I was coming home,’ my grandfather said.

The elephant passed: slow, graceful, enchanted by the food in the young man’s hand.‘No one will ever

believe this,’ I said.

My grandfather looked at me like he’d never seen me before. ‘You must be joking,’ he said.

‘Look around. Think for a moment – do you think anybody would understand? Do you think it will matter to them?’

Later that year, we would read about how some soldiers had found an elephant near death at the site of an abandoned
circus; about how, despite everything, despite closure and bankruptcy, the zoo director had said, ‘Bring him in –
eventually the kids will see him.’ The newspapers ran a picture of him, standing stark-ribbed in his new pen at the zoo, an
advert of better times to come, hope for the future and the end of the war.

Worksheet 3: Example paragraphs

Activity 1

The following paragraphs have been written in response to the question below. Use Worksheet 3
to summarise what is good about the paragraphs below and what needs to be done to improve them.

Paragraph 9 begins ‘At first I thought it was a tram …’ and is about the elephant and how it was
moving when Natalia first saw it.

Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in these paragraphs.
Choose three examples of words or phrases from each paragraph to support your answer. Your
choices should include the use of imagery.

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 The elephant is shown to be very out of place in relation to its surroundings. It is

fat. Its movement is very slow and it makes very little noise. It is powerful and

unpredictable as it moves from side to side in quite a dangerous manner which

reminds Natalia of the movement of the ocean. As it walks, it breathes and gasps

deeply.

The quotation that shows that the elephant is out of place in the city is, ‘too organic,

too lumpy.’ This shows that the elephant is a living creature. Natalia first thought it

was a tram. The word ‘organic’ makes us understand that it is natural. It makes us

feel that it does not belong in a city which is inorganic. This shows that the elephant

is out of place.

‘too organic, too lumpy.’ This shows that the elephant resembled a tram but was too

bumpy and had a natural shape. Natalia did not know what it was at first but

realised that it was not a machine but something living. This quote makes the reader

think that the elephant seemed out of place in the city. The word ‘lumpy’ makes it

seem cartoonish, harmless and funny.

Activity 2: Paragraph 12 begins ‘Its ears were folded back …’ and gives Natalia’s impression of the elephant
as she watches it come towards her.

Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in this paragraph.
Choose three examples of words or phrases from paragraph 12 to support your answer. Your
choices should include the use of imagery.

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Worksheet 5: Key features of writing to persuade
The purpose of persuasive writing is to convince the audience of a particular point of view, and get
them to think or do something that they would not otherwise. Examples: political speeches,
advertisements, leaflets and posters.

Imperative verbs: These are command words that tell people what to do e.g. ‘Donate to us now!’
‘Save the rainforest’

Direct address: This is where the writer speaks directly to the reader using the singular or plural
first person, e.g. ‘You can make a difference’, ‘We can overcome’, ‘Trust in our values’, ‘Your
contribution will change lives’.

Anecdote: An anecdote is a short story that is provided to emphasise the point being made. It
normally mentions a person and their personal experience.

Facts: Information which is proved to be true and is used as evidence, e.g. ‘Today is Friday’.

Opinion: A view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge,
e.g. ‘We believe that our chocolate is the best in the world.’

Rhetorical questions: A rhetorical question is a question which is used to make a point rather than
requiring an answer, e.g. ‘How can we sit back and let this happen?’ ‘Why would a modern,
developed civilisation allow this to continue?’

Repetition: Repetition is where a word or phrase is used more than once. This can be words
repeated in the same place or the same words used repeatedly throughout the whole text. This is
often used to make a point memorable, e.g. ‘Education, education, education.’ (Martin Luther King
Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech uses the repetition of this phrase throughout)

Emotive language: Words that are deliberately chosen to create emotions and feelings in the reader
e.g. ‘Brave grandmother risks life to save emaciated orphan', ‘The pain these innocent animals suffer - every
day is appalling’.

Statistics: Numbers or data that are used to support ideas in the text e.g. ‘79% of animals will…’

Threes/triplets: Where three words are used together for effect, e.g. ‘I have nothing to offer but
blood, sweat and tears’.
Worksheet 6: Social media is the Trojan horse of our generation

Social media was designed to bring us together and to strengthen social, economic, and political
relationships. However, to what extent has our growing reliance on social media undermined and
put in jeopardy the very things that we wanted it to protect and promote? To what extent has it
put our very lives and our chosen lifestyle in danger? Have we inadvertently opened the gates of
our life’s fortress to a wildly vicious Trojan horse?
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The story of the Trojan horse is often used to describe an unseen threat that manages to infiltrate
something without being seen. The Greeks built an enormous horse and hid a selected group of
men inside. The Greeks pretended to sail away from the city of Troy and the Trojans pulled the
horse into their city, claiming it as a symbol of victory. Once the horse was inside the city, the men
concealed in the horse crept out and opened the gates of Troy, meaning that the Greeks could
invade the city and win the war.

This ancient example can now be related to the modern meaning of the same phrase, whereby it is
used to describe a virus that enters our devices unnoticed and then attacks without mercy. We are
unlocking our private and public doors to various social media platforms that ultimately pose very
real threats to our mental, social and individual identities and lives.

Consider your use of social media, and of the stories that you have heard of others using it. You
more than likely watch a series of ‘epic fails’ and the embarrassing moments of others on your
devices on a daily basis. What do we gain from that? Are we that shallow that we feel more
superior and indirectly more confident and in control of our lives by openly promoting and laughing
at the failure of others? We need to seriously question our behaviour here if this something that
we can relate to as we are mocking and promoting the misfortune of others. This could have very
severe and unexpected consequences on ourselves and others. It is reported by UNICEF that a
startlingly high eighty percent of primary learners globally have been bullied online as a
consequence of their use of social media. Imagine what the percentage is for adults!

After all, it is our belief in the anonymity of social media that is the most dangerous. We post and
share without real thought of consequence as we are doing so from behind a keyboard very far
from the individuals involved. Yet, could our actions of sharing someone’s embarrassing proposal
not lead to someone’s suicide? Could our actions of sharing someone’s beating in a school lavatory
at the hands of bullies not encourage an act of violent retaliation? Could our actions of supporting
someone’s hatred prevent us from getting a job when we are older? After all, what we post on
social media remains there for good, or is screen-shotted and shared in ways, and to people, we did
not ever expect.

LANGUAGE USE AND VOCABULARY

54-Reactions. Short and long
10-Relationships: friends forever //11- Relationships: ups and downs

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Consider the statements below as the introduction to a web article for young people.

Write an article or a blog about any of these:

1. Many argue that emotional intelligence (EI) is more important than traditional intelligence, boosting
academic and career success, leadership skills, and mental and physical wellbeing.
2. Positive intelligence has become a popular term in the executive coaching world. It is the new
‘intelligence’ of this decade, just as emotional intelligence was in the last decade and cognitive
intelligence was in the decade before that. Positive intelligence indicates how your mind acts in your
best interest, and the good news is that it is a skill you can build.

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 3. Have you ever noticed how some people can effortlessly talk to anyone they meet, no matter how
divergent their backgrounds? Or have you seen that one person who always offends someone, no
matter the topic of conversation? These two scenarios depict how we can differ in our abilities to
interact, get along with, and relate to others around us.

What Is Emotional Intelligence and Its Importance

By Nikita DuggalLast updated on Aug 29, 2022
An interesting thing is happening in the 21st-century workplace: The
more technology we have in this digital age, the more we automate
tasks and trust machines to take over duties, and the more we
realize the importance of emotions; more specifically, the more we
recognize the importance of emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is our ability to recognize emotions in

ourselves and others, to understand their effects, and to use that knowledge to guide our thoughts and
behaviors. Because emotionally intelligent people tend to get along better with others and be more
empathetic and compassionate, they are likely to be more successful compared to their counterparts. And
that makes emotional intelligence something worth learning more about.

Why is Emotional Intelligence Important

Emotional intelligence can assist you in building stronger relationships, achieving success at school and work,
and achieving your career and personal goals. Also, it can help you connect with your feelings, act on your
intentions, and make informed decisions regarding your personal goals.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

If emotional intelligence sounds like an oxymoron to you, that’s understandable. We tend to think of our
emotions and our intelligence as two separate things. But put them together as emotional intelligence, and it’s
essentially a different way to be smart because it’s “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's
emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically” according to the
dictionary definition. The term was made popular by psychologist Daniel Goleman in his book Emotional
Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, in which he redefines what it is to be smart. In the book,
Goleman lays out five components of emotional intelligence:

Seven Components of Emotional Intelligence

 Self-awareness

When we’re self-aware, we know our strengths and weaknesses, as well as how we react to situations and
people. This information can help us to set boundaries and manage our interactions with others in a way that
is authentic to us. Additionally, when we know ourselves well, we can be more effective communicators since
we are able to better understand the other person and what they might be looking for in a conversation.
Finally, by being self-aware, we can work on improving ourselves and our lives in ways that are meaningful to
us.
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  Self-management

Self-management is the process of taking charge of one's life and making decisions that affect oneself. It is
about being proactive and responsible for one's own well-being. Self-management involves setting goals,
taking action to achieve those goals, and monitoring progress along the way. It also means being flexible and
adaptable, adjusting plans as needed to reach one's goals.

 Self-regulation

Because they are self-aware, emotionally intelligent people can regulate their emotions and keep them in
check as necessary.

 Motivation

People with high emotional intelligence tend to be highly motivated as well, which makes them more resilient
and optimistic. They find ways to enjoy life even during difficult times, and they're always looking for ways to
improve themselves. This makes them more successful in all areas of their lives.

 Empathy

People with empathy and compassion are simply better at connecting with other people. They have the ability
to see things from other people’s perspectives, and this enables them to build relationships that are based on
mutual understanding and respect. People with empathy and compassion can also easily relate to other
people’s emotions, which makes them better at providing support and comfort. Lastly, people with empathy
and compassion tend to be more altruistic, and they are more likely to go out of their way to help others. All
of these qualities make people with empathy and compassion some of the most valuable members of any
community.

 Social Skills

The social skills of emotionally intelligent people show they genuinely care for and respect others and they get
along well with them.

 Relationship Management

Relationship management is the process of building and maintaining positive relationships with customers,
clients, partners, and others who can help the organization achieve its goals. Effective relationship
management can result in increased sales, improved customer loyalty, and higher levels of customer
satisfaction.

What is the Difference Between IQ and EQ?

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If emotional intelligence is a type of intelligence, how does it differ from the mental type? In part, by how it’s
measured. One’s intelligence quotient (IQ) is a score derived from standardized tests designed to measure
intelligence. Your IQ relates directly to your intellectual abilities, like how well you learn as well as understand
and apply information. People with higher IQs can think abstractly and make mental connections more easily.

Emotional intelligence is very different. Sometimes called EI (for Emotional Intelligence) or EQ (for Emotional
Intelligence Quotient), emotional intelligence is like using emotions to think and enhance our reasoning. Those
with high emotional intelligence are able to manage their emotions as well as use their emotions to facilitate
their thinking and understand the emotions of others.

When it comes to the workplace, some say emotional intelligence is more beneficial for your career than IQ,
although others argue IQ matters more. Regardless of which is more important, emotional intelligence plays a
decidedly important role at work.

Importance of Emotional Intelligence

Just because you walk through the door and into an office building does not mean you check your emotions at
that door before starting work, although it used to seem that way. In reality, emotions have always been in
the workplace, but they were to be kept in check, with people pretending not to feel while they were on the
clock.

These days, however, we are allowing emotions at work and recognizing the benefits of doing so. And
emotional intelligence matters more than it used to because the workplace has changed. Today we work
largely in teams, not isolation, for one thing, and savvy companies are realizing that recognizing emotions can
exist lead to healthier environments. This doesn’t mean it’s an emotional free-for-all by any means, but it does
mean people are more likely to be aware of their own and others’ emotions and act accordingly. People with
higher emotional intelligence are also more adaptable to change—a must in our fast-changing digital age.

In addition, leaders with higher emotional intelligence tend to have happier employees who then stay longer,
reducing the costs of attrition, and try harder, increasing productivity. An article from SuperOffice cites
examples of salespeople with higher emotional intelligence significantly outperforming other salespeople and
states that in a study of 515 executives, emotional intelligence was a higher predictor of success than
experience or IQ.

Companies that are hiring want to make sure they choose job candidates who will mesh well with existing
teams. As a result, about 71 percent of organizations are now valuing emotional intelligence in an employee
over IQ. Even the smartest person needs good people skills to succeed these days. A high IQ alone is no longer
enough.

Emotional Intelligence Skills

A high IQ is also something we tend to be born with while emotional intelligence is something we can work to
improve. To a large degree, our emotional intelligence starts in childhood with how we’re raised, but as adults,
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we can take steps to get emotionally “smarter.” Justin Bariso, author of EQ, Applied: A Real-World Approach
to Emotional Intelligence, offers seven ways to improve emotional intelligence in an article written for Inc:

 Reflect on your emotions. This is where self-awareness begins. To grow in emotional intelligence,
think about your own emotions and how you typically react to negative situations, whether they
involve a co-worker, family member or stranger. When you’re more aware of your emotions and
typical reactions, you can start to control them.

 Ask for perspective. What we perceive to be reality is often quite different from what those around
us are seeing. Start getting input from others to understand how you come across in emotionally
charged situations.

 Observe. Once you’ve increased your self-awareness and you understand how you’re coming
across, pay more attention to your emotions.

 Pause for a moment. Stop and think before you act or speak. It’s hard to do, but keep working at it
and it will become a habit.

 Become more empathetic by understanding the “why.” Try to understand the “why” behind
another person’s feelings or emotions.

 Choose to learn from criticism. Who likes criticism? Possibly no one. But it’s inevitable. When we
choose to learn from criticism rather than simply defend our behaviors, we can grow in emotional
intelligence.

 Practice, practice, practice. Becoming more emotionally intelligent won’t happen overnight, but it
can happen—with effort, patience, and a lot of practice.

We live in an age when we can earn a certification in any number of topics to boost our careers, thanks to
technology, but sadly we can’t earn one in emotional intelligence. That’s something we have to address as
individuals, to recognize it as important, choose to improve it and continue to work on it—probably for the
rest of our lives. But the payoffs are worth it as we become better employees, better spouses, and all-around
better people.

Your employees wish you were emotionally intelligent

In a recent survey by The Economist

Executive Education Navigator of more than
4,000 professionals, a sharp divergence
emerged between skills that C-Suite
executives think they need and those that
their employees want them to prioritise. In
fact, answers from the two groups were
nearly inverse.
In the survey, which was conducted
on Economist.com, C-Suite executives most
frequently cited technology and finance as
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the two areas where they sought to improve. Yet when lower-ranking employees were asked what skills they
wished their top executives would hone, leadership and emotional intelligence were the most popular
answers.

In the survey, which was conducted on Economist.com, C-Suite executives most frequently cited technology
and finance as the two areas where they sought to improve. Yet when lower-ranking employees were asked
what skills they wished their top executives would hone, leadership and emotional intelligence were the most
popular answers.

That employees think it would be helpful for their bosses to buff up leadership skills is practically a truism. But
emotional intelligence? That's new and could explain the rise of executive-development courses with names
like “Leading with Emotional Intelligence” (Emory), “Mindful Leadership” (Cranfield) and "Leading with Greater
Self-Awareness" (Weatherhead).

Sitting in your corner office and still leaning towards that seminar on analysing Big Data? No harm there. But in
case you find yourself wanting to follow the popular mood, here are some links to emotional intelligence
programmes for leaders:

Browse emotional-intelligence programmes

Read the full article "Your employees wish you were emotionally intelligent" on The Economist Executive
Education Navigator.

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Independent Writing Sample Essay 1.
Topic: Some people like to eat in restaurants and at food stands, others like to eat at home. Which do you
prefer? Give reasons and examples to support your choice.

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 Food: Identity of
Culture and Religion,
ResearchGate
9 septembre 2020Wathinotes
débat alimentation

Author: Vatika Sibal

Site of
publication: ResearchGate

Type of publication: Article

Introduction

People also connect to their cultural or ethnic group through food patterns. Food is often used as a means of
retaining their cultural identity. People from different cultural backgrounds eat different foods. The areas in
which families live and where their ancestors originated influence food like and dislikes. These food
preferences result in patterns of food choices within a cultural or regional group.

In religion, food is one of the most important parts of religious ceremonies. The role of food in religious
culture is an important part of showing respect among their communities and many of these religions obey
the religious commandments, hence food is prepared in different ways. The meaning of food is an exploration
of culture through food. What we consume, how we acquire it, who prepares it, who’s at the table, and who
eats first is a form of communication that is, it has a rich cultural base. Beyond merely nourishing the body,
what we eat and with whom we eat can inspire and strengthen the bonds between individuals, communities,
and even countries. There is no closer relationship than the one with the family and food plays a large part in
defining family roles, rules, and traditions. It helps us to discover attitudes, practices, and rituals surrounding
food, it sheds light on our most basic beliefs about ourselves and others. There is a relationship between
culture and food. This negotiates our identities, cultures and environments.

Food is seen more than just a means of survival. According to Barthes food is considered to be
multidimensional, as something that shapes us, our identities, and our cultures and in the end, our society.
Just as different clothes signify different things example the white coat a doctor, the uniform of a police officer
or army personnel, food also transmits a meaning. But the meaning varies from culture to culture.
Furthermore, food could not be viewed as a trope if it did not signify a meaning of something to begin with,
for example: tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese on a pizza signify a taste of Italy. In addition, various food
tropes are used in everyday life: Many scholars have analyzed the relationships between food, identity and
communication. One of the most common ways we use food is in the construction of our personal identities.
But can food operate as a sole factor in the identification of a group or an entire nation? Does food have its
place within a broader set of values linked to age, religion, social status, of which some are closely linked to

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diet, while others have no link to food? Is the position of food flexible, or is it central (or trivial) in the
formation of one’s identity?

The meaning of food is an exploration of culture through food. What we consume, how we acquire it, who
prepares it, who’s at the table, and who eats first is a form of communication that is, it has a rich cultural
base. Beyond merely nourishing the body, what we eat and with whom we eat can inspire and strengthen
the bonds between individuals, communities, and even countries

Religion and Food is also connected which adds meaning and significance to our lives. Some food beliefs and
practices are based on religion. Around the world, Muslims fast during Ramadan, believed to be the month
during which the Quran, the Islamic holy book, was given from God to the Prophet Muhammad. During this
month, Muslims fast during daylight hours, eating and drinking before dawn and after sunset. Orthodox Jews
and some conservative Jews follow dietary laws, popularly referred to as a kosher diet which is part of their
Jewish scripture. The dietary laws, which describe the use and preparation of animal foods, are followed for
purposes of spiritual health. Many followers of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism are vegetarians, in part,
because of a doctrine of non-injury or nonviolence. Abstinence from eating meat in these traditions stems
from the desire to avoid harming other living creatures. Despite religious food prescriptions, dietary practices
vary widely even among those who practice the same faith. Such variations may be due to branches or
denominations of a religious group, national variations, and individuals’ or families’ own degree of orthodoxy
or religious adherence. In this we can understand that food conveys religious sentiments of the people,
making them unique and having their own identity.

In addition to impacting food choices, culture also plays a role in food-related etiquette. People in Western
societies may refer to food-related etiquette as table manners, a phrase that illustrates the cultural
expectation of eating food or meals at a table. Some people eat with forks and spoons; more people use
fingers or chopsticks. However, utensil choice is much more complicated than choosing chopsticks, fingers, or
flatware. Among some groups who primarily eat food with their fingers, diners use only the right hand to eat.
Some people use only three fingers of the right hand. In some countries, licking the fingers is polite; in others,
licking the fingers is considered impolite. Rules regarding polite eating may increase in formal settings. At
some formal dinners, a person might be expected to choose the right fork from among two or three choices to
match the food being eaten at a certain point in the meal.

Food plays an important role in the lives of families in most cultures. However, the degree of importance
varies from culture to culture. In many families, activities and ceremonies center on cooking and eating habits.
A host family demonstrates its prosperity or societal rank by providing large quantities of food. Among other
families in other locations, activities and celebrations include food, but food is not necessarily the center of
the event. Food traditions vary widely throughout the world. Even among people who share similar cultural
backgrounds and some of the same food habits, eating patterns are not identical. Further, families vary from
their own daily routines on holidays, when traveling, or when guests are present. Men eat differently from
women. People of different age groups eat differently. However, in most parts of the world, food is associated
with hospitality and expression of friendship. Therefore, sensitivity to food rules and customs is important in
building and strengthening cross-cultural relationships.

As food culture has undergone transformations and developments, so has it also caused changes in some
places? Without discarding its own customs and traditions, food culture in many regions could gain a new
visual identity, and help us to better understand our own culture and those of others. The multicultural
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character of contemporary different cuisines is the result of the specific circumstances in which regions
identify themselves, and yet its authenticity and cultural preservation is maintained.

Food plays an important role in the lives of families in most cultures. However, the degree of importance
varies from culture to culture. In many families, activities and ceremonies center on cooking and eating
habits. A host family demonstrates its prosperity or societal rank by providing large quantities of food.
Among other families in other locations, activities and celebrations include food, but food is not necessarily
the center of the event

Food has symbolic meanings based on association with other meaningful experiences. An example of the
symbolic meanings including food references can be found in many of our common expressions. Bread is a
good example of the symbolism found in foods. When people sit together with friends at a meal they are said
to break bread with one another. This expression symbolizes a setting where friends come together in a warm,
inviting and jovial manner to eat.

In conclusion, understanding a culture through food is an interesting process because once a person starts
asking these questions, such as how something is made, what ingredients are in it, or why it is called a certain
way, the answers obtained go beyond culinary learning. In these answers, food tells us something about a
culture’s approach to life. In the end, we can say that food functions symbolically as a communicative practice
by which we create, manage and share meanings with others. Understanding culture, habits, rituals and
tradition can be explored through food and the way others perceive it.

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Healthy Habits to Do Every Morning

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Jan
It’s imminent to not set a goal for a healthy lifestyle for the
New Years. This month is a great way to start fresh as many
people are trying to switch to a better version of

themselves. Of course, the ideal healthy lifestyle doesn’t

happen overnight. Instead, it takes many trials and errors in
order for a person to see what works best for them. For those
who already have a healthy lifestyle, they have morning
routines that they always follow to heart because a journey to healthy living should always start at the
beginning of the day. So, what are some daily morning routines that healthy people do?

Avoid Technology When You Wake Up

Many people wake up to the sound of their alarm and immediately check their phone as soon as they wake
up. Start the day right by making the first hour all to yourself. How often do you check your phone and receive
a bad message that turns your morning into something hectic? We suggest to take it slow; we promise you
won’t miss much! You’ll also avoid the negative ions radiating from your phone which is a bonus!

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Exercise/Stretches
Start your day by doing something that makes your body wakeup! Whatever you’re doing throughout the day,
your body will thank you for the workout. There are a variety of morning exercises that you can do at the
comfort of your home. Or if you don’t want to do anything strenuous during the day, try morning stretches
instead.

Healthy Breakfast
Many people think that if they skip breakfast, it would help them lose more weight because they are avoiding
one meal. But this is the complete opposite! When you eat a wholesome meal in the morning, you’ll be
warding off binge eating during lunch and dinner. Skip the conventional cereal and donuts. Instead go for eggs,
toast, and fruits. You’ll be sure to be satiated until lunch time.

Read
Reading helps our brain focus better throughout the day. Immerse yourself in a good book for a few minutes
whether it is fictional, a novel, news, or quotes!

Drink Water
Your body shuts down when it is sleeping, but when you wake, it is best to drink a glass of water to help your
reenergize. Additionally, this helps with easier digestion throughout the day.

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Pachamama Day: Most popular rituals in South America

August 1, 2019 daytours4u

The sky looks more blue than ever; A different energy is breathed, towns and cities wake up immersed in a
mist that emerges from chimneys and windows and intoxicates locals and visitors. This is not due to any
meteorological phenomenon, but to an ancestral tradition: it is Pachamama Day.
"La Pachamama", or Mother Earth, is the most popular of the mythological beliefs of the Andean region that
still survives strongly in many places in northern Argentina and the South American Andean region. "Pacha" in
Aymara and Quechua means earth, world, universe; while "Mama" is a mother. Hence comes Mother Earth
Day.

The "Pachamama Day" is a celebration that is

held to thank, ask and bless the fruits that Mother
Earth offers us / Photo: Daytours4u

Offerings and ceremonies

Legend has it that August is the ideal time to
worship Mother Earth, a time of gratitude for
crops and good weather, for animals and the
abundance of soil. Therefore, on the first day of

21
this month the ritual of gratitude to the earth is revived, a rite that survived the Spanish colonization and
crossed borders.
The rituals of this tradition varied over time, taking different forms and enriching themselves with the
cultural, historical and social legacies of different communities. Thus, according to the ancestral customs of
each person, the mode of celebration changes.

On August 1 the ritual of gratitude to the earth is

revived, a rite that survived the Spanish colonization
and crossed borders / Photo source
There are basically two types of ceremonies, in
homes, with private and family offerings, and in
community, where the ceremony is led by Andean
priests or the elders.
Smoke is a typical symbol of this celebration. It is
part of a purification process and the tradition’s
trademark that must be done with muña muña, a
very popular herb in this part of the region, although incense, myrrh and sandalwood are also used. The home,
business, work space and even the closest people and loved ones must be smoked, all this done in order to
remove the bad energies and start a new cycle.
In the first hour, he thanks and apologizes to the Pachamama in a community prayer: the garbage is collected
from the corners, it is placed on a shovel with embers and plants are added to the area. The ceremony begins
when the cacique nails a knife in the east side of the well, as a defense in case something bad comes out of
the interior of the earth. Then he or she begins the cleaning tea offering, which serves to prepare and clean
the body of those who participate in the ceremony. This infusion is made based on 7 natural and medicinal
herbs typical of the Puna (rica rica, copa copa, añagua, tola, chuchicaña, Puna flower and coca leaves).
In the provinces of northern Argentina such as Jujuy and Salta, the Pachamama is worshiped with the
performance of thousands of years old ceremonies, in which all kinds of food, drinks and coca leaves are
offered to the "Mother Earth". The centers where the festival acquires greater relevance are: Purmamarca,
Tumbaya, Valle Grande and in all the towns of the Puna Jujeña.
In other communities, at midnight on July 31, or before dawn, families, and neighbors gather to open a well in
the ground to be adorned with serpentine and confetti. It is corpachada. There the "first fruits" of the food
prepared to offer to the Pacha are placed: a clay pot with cooked food, a little chicha, coca leaves, lit cigarettes
that stick in the earth, bits of colored alpaca wool. You should never miss something red, it is the favorite
color of the Pacha! They are offerings that are made to the earth to thank it for all that it gives to us.

In the “corpachada” the red color should never be missing, it is

the favorite color of the Pacha / Photo source
Faith centered on Pachamama coexists in many cases with
Christianity. There are then syncretisms between beliefs: for
example, in Bolivia, Pachamama is identified with the Virgin of
Copacabana in La Paz, and the Virgin of Socavón in Oruro. In
Peru, Pachamama is identified with the Virgin of the Candelaria.

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Keep in mind that Jujuy is the National Capital of Pachamama, which is why administrative and school
dismissal was decreed on August 1 because the Pachamama ceremony constitutes a ritual of ancestral origin.

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PARAGRAPH WRITING
Adapted from “Paragraph Writing” by Frank Chaplen
Introduction
Good writing should be the goal of every student. Unless the reader can easily understand what a writer has
written, he cannot judge the value of either the writer’s ideas or his work. Thus, the student who can write
well has a great advantage over the student who cannot.
A good paragraph
A paragraph is a unit of information unified by a controlling idea. The paragraph is a good one only if the
reader completely understands the nit of information it contains and if its controlling idea is completely
developed.
The Controlling Idea
The controlling idea is the central idea that is developed in a paragraph. Therefore, the controlling idea is the
summary of al the information contained in its paragraph. Consequently, no information that cannot be
summarized by the controlling idea can be included in a paragraph. So, the controlling idea is a restricting idea
because it limits the information that can be included in its paragraph.
The controlling idea must be completely developed and explained in its paragraph. Having read that
paragraph, the reader should not have to ask questions that should have been answered in that paragraph.
E.g. There are three reasons why John is not going to university. His mother will be left all alone. She has a few
friends but they do not live very near, she would probably have to spend most evening alone. Consequently,
although John wants to go to university very much, he is going to get a job near home, instead.
The controlling idea of the above example paragraph is that there are apparently three reasons why John is not
going to university. The reader expects to read about these three reasons in the remainder paragraph.
However, only one reason is given. The reader is left asking what the other two reasons were. This paragraph is
not well built for the controlling idea is not completely developed. An improvement of the example above
would be:
E.g. There are three reasons why John is not going to university. In the first place, his family is quite poor and,
since he has four young brothers and sisters still at school, he feels that he should help his family financially as
soon as possible. Secondly, if he went to university his mother would be left all alone to look after the young
children. Finally, he has been offered a good job with excellent chances of promotion. Consequently, although
he wants to go to university very much, John is going to take the job instead.
Now read the following paragraph:
I admire my friend Richard because he is so talented, intelligent and kind. He is also very intelligent, and kind.
He is intelligent and can understand complex problems very quickly- Above all he is very kind to others. I admire
my friend for all these reasons.
Discuss: What is the problem with the above paragraph? Is the controlling idea fully developed? What
information should the writer provide to develop the controlling idea?
NOTE: the word ‘development’ in our definition of a good paragraph should now be clear. Each sentence in a
paragraph must add a piece of information until the controlling idea is fully explained. A good paragraph, like a
good story must have a beginning, a middle and an end.
Compare and analyse the following examples: (4) (5)

In Britain, a question often asked is whether the voting should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen. Many
people think that eighteen-year-olds should be allowed to vote.
However, most people think that teen-agers are ignorant about politics and do not think that eighteen-year-olds
should be allowed to vote. They feel that since few teenagers know enough about politics to make sensible
31
decisions when voting, they should not have the vote.

In Britain, a question often raised is whether the voting age be lowered from twenty-one
to eighteen. Some people argue that if a man is old enough to die for his country in time
of war, he is old enough to vote. Others argue that since, in criminal law, a person ceases
to be a juvenal at the age of sixteen; they should cease to be a juvenile in civil law at that
age too. For example, they should be able to marry without their parents’ consent, enter
contracts, and vote.
However, most people think that few teenagers know enough about politics or people to
be able to make sensible decisions when voting. They also argue that young people who
have only recently left school have not had the necessary experience to decide the truth
of what the hear and read, during election campaigns. Therefore, it seems that until
young people can show that they are critical of what they hear and read and can make
sensible decisions if they are allowed to vote, they will have to wait until they are twenty-
one to vote.

Some more points:

Excluding material that does not develop the controlling idea.
The controlling idea restricts or limits the information that can be included in a paragraph. For example, take
the controlling idea: ‘I heard some good news from Mary Smith last week.’
The writer should not write about Mary Smith but only about the good news he has heard from her. She
should not write about any good news but only about the good news he has heard from Mary Smith. And
specifically, the good news he has heard from her last week.
Does the paragraph include the info above described?

I had a chance to talk with Mary Smith earlier this week. She told me that she is much happier than she was
last week because her mother, who was ill then, is now well again. She said that she had passed all her exams
and that she has been offered a job at the university library while she studies for her Ph.D. Mary also told me
that next month she is going to France and then to Germany for three or four weeks on vacation.

PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION
We have discussed what controlling ideas are. The sentence where the controlling or main idea resides is
called the topic sentence because it defines or introduces the topic at play. Now, we are going to have a look at
the supporting sentences.
Supporting Sentences
The supporting sentences develop the main or controlling idea by giving specific details about the topic. How?
By rephrasing it, by asking questions to it and then answering them with explanations, examples or synonyms.
 Try to identify the controlling idea and the supporting sentences in the following paragraph

A university professor has many duties. In the classroom, he lectures to the students and answers questions. If
the professor is a science instructor, he also conducts laboratory experiments. During office hours, students are
free to visit the professor to get help on difficult material or problems. In addition, a professor may often work
for many hour doing research projects. Other professors might spend time writing books and preparing useful
and interesting material for his students.
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The controlling idea (in the topic sentence) is:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The supporting ideas are:
1. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Another question you can ask about your topic sentence is: How can I prove this? Your supporting sentences
should give some facts or examples that prove your topic sentence is true.
Another way to developing your topic sentence is to give examples.
PRACTICE
Read the topic sentence, then ask yourself questions about it and then add two or three supporting points
to each:
1. London is the most expensive city in the world.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Smoking in restaurants should be prohibited for several reasons

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Concluding Sentences
After you have finished writing the last sentence supporting the main point of a paragraph, you must end it
with a concluding sentence. This will tell the reader that the paragraph is finished and will summarize or
complete the picture of the whole paragraph.
The concluding sentence is similar to the topic sentence in that they share the controlling or main idea.
However, the topic sentence introduces the topic under discussion while the concluding sentence makes a final
statement of it.
You can use several methods:
 State the topic in different words
 Summarize the main points
 Conclude it by using a closing phrase

PRACTICE
Write a concluding sentence for each of the following topics
1. Learning to write a god paragraph is easy if you follow these steps.
2. My first day at school was a frightening experience.
3. Everyone in a car should fasten their seatbelts.

REVISION

What does a paragraph look like?

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In the picture, which shows an extract from an essay, we can see four paragraphs: the end of one paragraph,
followed by two complete paragraphs and finally, the beginning of another paragraph.

Basic paragraph structure

Good paragraphs usually follow a particular structure:

- Topic sentence

- Supporting sentence 1

- Supporting sentence 2

- Supporting sentence 3

- More supporting sentences (as required)

- Concluding sentence(s)

To do

Now we'll take a look at what makes a topic sentence different from a supporting or concluding sentence. Read
on!

3. Challenge 1: Get on top of topic sentences

A good paragraph often starts with a topic sentence, which summarises the main idea of the paragraph. The
topic sentence sometimes includes 'signposting' words and phrases to show how it is connected to the
paragraphs before it in the text. Some examples of these are: 'As a result of this...', 'Another reason...' and
'However,...'

To do

Below is a paragraph from an assignment from an education management course. Read the assignment title
and the and topic sentences 1- 3 below. Then read the paragraph and decide which topic sentence is the most
suitable.

Assignment title

What strategies are available to educational leaders for managing institutional change?

Possible topic sentences

1. Before this question can be addressed, definitions of the terms ‘educational leader’ and ‘institutional
change’ must be established.

34
2. When change is imminent, it is necessary for educational leaders to make appropriate preparations
(Zimmerman, 2004).

3. According to Zimmerman (2004) there are four basic types of educational change.

Which topic sentence is best for this paragraph?

[Topic sentence] Firstly, leaders must ensure that their own understanding of the change process is clear and
complete before they begin to implement change (Calabrese 2002). In particular, leaders must recognise that
change almost inevitably results in some degree of resistance on the part of school staff, and must identify any
issues which are likely to cause particular resistance. Having done this, leaders need to design communication
strategies and any related CPD in order to minimize the effect of this resistance. Badely (2013) recommends
that in any situation of major institutional change, educational leaders should always design and implement a
series of dedicated training sessions.

Now check your answer by doing this quiz.

4. Challenge: The best topic sentence

5. Challenge: Good supporting sentences

After the topic sentence, good paragraphs contain one or more ‘supporting sentences’ which explain the topic
sentence in more detail. The supporting sentences might include reasons for the reader to agree with the topic
sentence, or examples that explain or develop the topic sentence.

Supporting sentences often include ‘signposting’ language, to show the relationship between the ideas in the
paragraph. Examples include:

Firstly… Secondly… Thirdly…

The first… The second… The third…

Furthermore, … However, … On the other hand, …

To do

Read the assignment title from a course about music and culture. Then look at the paragraph from the
assignment and see if you can spot the supporting sentence that SHOULDN'T be there.

Assignment title

Choose a musical instrument which has moved beyond its original geographical location. Who has adopted this
instrument, how have they done so, and why?
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Paragraph

The three-stringed harp has also had a role in popular protests aimed at defending the indigenous peoples’
equality. One example is the single ‘Meim Yet’tu’, released in 1993 in support of the Five Rivers land rights
movement. This pushed the Five Rivers movement to the front of the international stage, dramatically raising
awareness of the harp as a symbol of the indigenous peoples’ tradition, and their stance in the nation’s land-
rights politics (Gardise and Warhust, 2011). It is very common for musical instruments to be adopted by
different cultures, and used for different purposes. The instrument has since taken on a clear role as a symbol
of the indigenous political struggle.

The sentence that shouldn't be there

The supporting sentence that is not appropriate in this paragraph is 'It is very common for musical instruments
to be adopted by different cultures, and used for different purposes'. This is because the assignment and
paragraph are only about one particular musical instrument and its use beyond its original geographical
location - not the use of instruments in general.

6. An introduction to the conclusion

The conclusion of a paragraph is really important. It may: explain why the writer has included the paragraph;
summarise the argument(s) made and evidence given; relate the paragraph to the theme of the essay. It may
also signal to the reader what is coming next. There is more information and practice material about
conclusions in the free, downloadable pdf that comes with this unit - scroll down to find and download it!

7. Review – and more practice

You're on the way to perfect paragraphs!

Let's recap what we've learned about paragraphs so far:

 Good academic writing is made up of paragraphs with one clear idea per paragraph.
 Paragraphs usually start with a topic sentence – a sentence that gives the main focus of the paragraph.
 The topic sentence sometimes includes 'signposting' language to link the paragraph to the previous
paragraph.
 Supporting sentences follow the topic sentence. They develop the topic by giving reasons, evidence
and/or examples.
 The concluding sentence usually comes at the end. It explains why the paragraph is important and
relates it to the theme of the essay.

Paragraph Unity: Guidelines, Examples, and Exercises by Richard Nordquist

"Its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing until it gets there.”

The same might be said about an effective paragraph. Unity is the quality of sticking to one idea from start to
finish, with every sentence contributing to the central purpose and main idea of that paragraph.

36
As we've seen, a topic sentence contains the main idea upon which a paragraph is developed.

In a unified paragraph, all the supporting sentences serve to illustrate, clarify, and/or explain the main idea set
forth in the topic sentence.

The best way to demonstrate the importance of unity is to show how the intrusion of irrelevant information
can disrupt our understanding of a paragraph. The original version of the following passage, taken from The
Names: A Memoir, by N. Scott Momaday, vividly illustrates how people in the Pueblo of Jemez in New Mexico
prepare for the Feast of San Diego. We've upset the unity of Momaday's paragraph by adding one sentence
that's not directly connected to his main idea. See if you can spot that sentence.

The activity in the pueblo reached a peak on the day before the Feast of San Diego, November twelfth. It was
on that day, an especially brilliant day in which the winter held off and the sun shone like a flare, that Jemez
became one of the fabulous cities of the world. In the preceding days the women had plastered the houses,
many of them, and they were clean and beautiful like bone in the high light; the strings of chilies at the vigas
had darkened a little and taken on a deeper, softer sheen; ears of colored corn were strung at the doors, and
fresh cedar boughs were laid about, setting a whole, wild fragrance on the air. The women were baking bread
in the outdoor ovens. Here and there men and women were at the woodpiles, chopping, taking up loads of
firewood for their kitchens, for the coming feast. Year round, the artisans of Jemez, known internationally for
their crafts, would create beautiful basketry, embroidery, woven cloths, exquisite stone sculpture, moccasins,
and jewelry. Even the children were at work: the little boys looked after the stock, and the little girls carried
babies about. There were gleaming antlers on the rooftops, and smoke arose from all the chimneys.
(adapted from The Names: A Memoir by N. Scott Momaday. HarperCollins, 1976)

By moving irrelevant information to a new paragraph--or by omitting that information altogether--we can
improve the unity of our paragraphs when we come to revise them.

Practice Exercise in Paragraph Unity

The following paragraph, which has also been adapted from The Names: A Memoir, by N. Scott Momaday,
describes the very end of the busy day before the Feast of San Diego. Again, we have added a sentence that's
not directly connected to the author's main idea. See if you can identify this sentence, which upsets the unity
of the paragraph. Then compare your response with the answer below.

Later in the dusky streets I walked among the Navajo camps, past the doorways of the town, from which came
the good smells of cooking, the festive sounds of music, laughter, and talk. The campfires rippled in the crisp
wind that arose with evening and set a soft yellow glow on the ground, low on the adobe walls. A natural
building material used for several thousand years, adobe is composed of sand and straw, which is shaped into
bricks on wooden frames and dried in the sun. Mutton sizzled and smoked above the fires; fat dripped into the
flames; there were great black pots of strong coffee and buckets full of fried bread; dogs crouched on the rim of
the light, the many circles of light; and old men sat hunched in their blankets on the ground, in the cold
shadows, smoking. . . . Long into the night the fires cast a glare over the town, and I could hear the singing,
until it seemed that one by one the voices fell away, and one remained, and then there was none. On the very
edge of sleep I heard coyotes in the hills.

Practice Composing Effective Topic Sentences

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Commonly appearing at (or near) the beginning of a paragraph, a topic sentence expresses the main idea of a
paragraph. What usually follows a topic sentence are a number of supporting sentences that develop the main
idea with specific details. This exercise offers practice in creating topic sentences that will attract the interest
of your readers.

Each passage below is lacking a topic sentence but contains a series of sentences with specific examples of a
single character trait:

1. patience
2. a frightful imagination
3. a love of reading

Your job is to complete each paragraph by creating an imaginative topic sentence that both identifies the
particular character trait and creates enough interest to keep us reading. The possibilities, of course, are
limitless. Nonetheless, when you're done, you may want to compare the topic sentences you have created
with the ones originally composed by the student authors.

1. Patience

For example, recently I began taking my two-year-old dog to obedience school. After four weeks of lessons
and practice, she has learned to follow only three commands--sit, stand, and lie down--and even those she
often gets confused. Frustrating (and costly) as this is, I continue to work with her every day. After dog school,
my grandmother and I sometimes go grocery shopping. Inching along those aisles, elbowed by hundreds of
fellow customers, backtracking to pick up forgotten items, and standing in the endless line at the checkout, I
could easily grow frustrated and cranky. But through years of trying times, I have learned to keep my temper
in check. Finally, after putting away the groceries, I might go out to a movie with my fiance, to whom I have
been engaged for three years. Layoffs, extra jobs, and problems at home have forced us to postpone our
wedding date several times. Still, my patience has enabled me to cancel and reschedule our wedding plans
again and again without fuss, fights, or tears.

2. A Frightful Imagination

For instance, when I was in kindergarten, I dreamed that my sister killed people with a television antenna and
disposed of their bodies in the woods across the street from my house. For three weeks after that dream, I
stayed with my grandparents until they finally convinced me that my sister was harmless. Not long afterward,
my grandfather died, and that sparked new fears. I was so terrified that his ghost would visit me that I put two
brooms across the doorway of my bedroom at night. Fortunately, my little trick worked. He never came back.
More recently, I was terribly frightened after staying up late one night to watch The Ring. I lay awake until
dawn clutching my cell phone, ready to ring 911 the moment that spooky little girl stepped out of my TV. Just
thinking about it now gives me goosebumps.

3. Love of Reading

When I was a young girl, I would make a tent out of my blankets and read Nancy Drew mysteries late into the
night. I still read cereal boxes at the breakfast table, newspapers while I am stopped at red lights, and gossip
magazines while waiting in line at the supermarket. In fact, I'm a very talented reader. For example, I've

38
mastered the art of talking on the phone while simultaneously reading Dean Koontz or Stephen King.
But what I read doesn't matter all that much. In a pinch, I'll read junk mail, an old warranty, a furniture tag
("DO NOT REMOVE UNDER PENALTY OF LAW"), or even, if I'm extremely desperate, a chapter or two in a
textbook.

Example Topic Sentences

1. My life may be a box full of frustrations, but learning how to overcome them has given me the gift of
patience.
2. My family is convinced that I inherited my imagination from Edgar Allan Poe.
3. I envy you terribly because at this very moment you're doing what I have always loved doing more than
anything else: you're reading.

WRITING TYPES
LETTER WRITING
SAMPLE 1
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing this letter to apply for the position of student assistant that I saw advertised on your website. I am
interested in working in the teachers' resource library, or in the accommodation department.
I have recently graduated from the WSB Business School in Warsaw and received high grades in both my
English and Business Courses. In addition, we had to use all of the Microsoft Office programs in the
preparation of our finished assignments, so I am able to do most things with computers.
Since I was 15 years old I have helped my father to run his small import-export business. I have been involved
in helping a variety of clients and also the general administration of the business. In the past 2 years I have
worked in the WSB library, helping teachers and students to find and use the resources there. This experience
has given me the ability to deal with the needs of all types of people.
I have an outgoing, diligent personality and find that I enjoy the challenges of working in busy environments.
In addition, my studies and experience have taught me to be accurate and efficient in organizing my work so I
would be a valuable addition to your school.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Peter Church
SAMPLE 2
Hi Leo,
It's been a while since we wrote, so I thought I'd drop you a line to bring you up to date with what's been
happening here.
I suppose the most important thing is that Jane's job is more secure than we thought. At the beginning of
the year, when she got the job, we thought it might only be for one semester, but we just found that she has a
permanent contract of sorts. Obviously this is great, as it means we can relax a little. I still don't have what I
really want work wise, but it will happen soon. You have to stay positive, don't you?
My parents are both fine, and I think they are really happy that we've moved back. For us, it's great to be so
close to family again, an extra sense of comfort and security. We see my sister quite often as she's in London,
although we're not that bothered about going into the city.
So, what about you these days? Are you still stuck in that old job? Since I've been having so much trouble
getting a job I understand your reluctance to change. There's nothing worse than filling in endless application
forms, with no idea of what it will lead to.
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 Anyway, I've got another form to fill in so I'll love you and leave you.
Regards,
John

Dear Sir,

I was surprised to read your recent editorial on the question of student's part-time jobs. You appear to be
making a lot of generalisations on the basis of just one unfortunate incident (I assure you that not all young
people who deliver newspapers are as foolish and dishonest as the two youths mentioned in your article).

The first point I would like to make is that there are many jobs teenagers can do which gave them useful
experience of the working world. They are brought into contact with a variety of people, often older, and are
given experience of expressing themselves clearly and coherently. I am thinking here of jobs such as travel
guides and shop assistants.

Another argument for schoolchildren and college students having holiday or weekend jobs is that many parents
need the financial assistance. If we take, for example, a family in which the father is unemployed or perhaps a
single-parent family on a low income, it seems logical and fair that a son or daughter should try to bring money
into the household.

One further thing I want to say is that a lot of jobs for the young can be fun for the people who do them and
also useful to the community. Youngsters who help in schools, hospitals and with the elderly often derive a
great deal of pleasure and satisfaction as well as contributing something valuable to local society.

In conclusion, I would add that when I was a girl, my father said my teens were a time for books, hobbies and
academic studies. Thinking back, I feel I would have learnt much more -about myself, other people and life in
general- if he had allowed me to do a limited amount of real work. Certainly, when she is old enough, I shall
encourage my own daughter to do so, rather than waste her time with soap operas, computer games and
discotheques, like so many people today.

Yours faithfully,

Margaret Williams (Mrs)

Letter outline
 What type of letter is it? Think about register.
 What is the purpose of the letter? Where in the letter can you find it?
 What features of formal writing can you find?

Introduction
Letters of complaint usually include the following stages:

 Background & introduction

 Problem - cause and effect
 Solution

40
  Warning (optional)
 Closing

Label the parts of the letters below into categories 1-5:

1. Problem
2. Cause
3. Effect
4. Solution
5. Warning

Closing
I look forward to receiving your explanation of these matters.
I look forward to receiving your payment.
I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Politeness
The tone of complaint letters should not be aggressive or insulting, as this would annoy the reader and not
encourage them to solve the problem. In addition, questions such as 'Why can't you get this right?' should not
be included.
Content
The content should contain enough details so that the receiver does not have to write back requesting more.
Legal action is not normally threatened in the first letter of complaint, unless the situation is very serious.

I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your company have not been supplied correctly.
I attended your exhibition Sound Systems 2010 at the Fortune Hotel (22-25 January) and found it informative
and interesting. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the event was spoiled by a number of organizational
problems.
I am a shareholder of Sunshine Bank and I am very concerned regarding recent newspaper reports on the
financial situation of the bank. Your company is listed as the auditor in the latest annual report of the bank, so
I am writing to you to ask for an explanation of the following issues.
I am writing to inform you of my dissatisfaction with the food and drinks at the 'European Restaurant' on 18
January this year.

This error put our firm in a difficult position, as we had to make some emergency purchases to fulfill our
commitments to all our customers. This caused us considerable inconvenience.
Even after spending several wasted hours trying to register in this way, the computer would not accept my
application.
I am therefore returning the invoice to you for correction.
This large number of errors is unacceptable to our customers, and we are therefore unable to sell these books.

On 31 May 2010 we placed an order with your firm for 12,000 ultra super long-life batteries. The
consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1,200 batteries.
Firstly, I had difficulty in registering to attend the event. You set up an on-line registration facility, but I found
the facility totally unworkable.
You sent us an invoice for $10,532, but did not deduct our usual 10% discount.

41
Secondly, the exhibition was held at one of Hong Kong's most prestigious hotels, but frankly the venue was
better suited to a medium-sized business conference than to a large exhibition open by registration to the
public. The lack of space led to serious overcrowding in the venue, particularly at peak visiting times (i.e. lunch
times and early evening).
We have found 16 spelling errors and 2 mis-labelled diagrams in the sample book.

I am writing to ask you to please make up the shortfall immediately and to ensure that such errors do not
happen again.
Could I please ask you to look into these matters?
Please send us a corrected invoice for $9,479
I enclose a copy of the book with the errors highlighted. Please re-print the book and send it to us by next
Friday.

Otherwise, we may have to look elsewhere for our supplies.

I'm afraid that if these conditions are not met, we may be forced to take legal action.
If the outstanding fees are not paid by Wednesday, 16 June 2010, you will incur a 10% late payment fee.

Letter writing
Order these mixed up sentences of two different letters
Dear Miss Brown,
Thank you very much for writing to me.
Marketing Manager
We received your letter dated the 20th April.
Did you know that everyone says our company’s product is simply the best there is? I think they are right,
don’t you?
We are sorry that you did not find our product met your expectations.
Richard
Dear Sally,
I hope you understand how upset I am that you didn’t like my company’s product.
Yours faithfully,
We have enclosed a money off voucher that you can use with your next purchase.
I am so sorry.
Richard Smith
We hope you will continue to buy our product as it is, according to market research, the best of its kind.
Lots of love,
Next time you buy my company’s product why don’t you use this money off voucher that I have put in the
envelope for you.
Please accept our apologies.
EXAM PRACTICE

MOCK 1

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Passage A

Aunt Pegg
Our parents were over-indulgent towards us, and we were happy but not particularly well-behaved
children. Maybe they felt guilty because, on one occasion, they had to leave home for two weeks on
business and invited our Aunt Pegg to look after us. She accepted the challenge eagerly.
Vile Aunt Pegg! Leering, sneering, peering Aunt Pegg! We would be enjoying a friendly fight or just
sitting doing nothing when she would pounce on us like a cat, and savage retribution would follow. As
we stood in the corner of the room with hands on heads, she would snarl, ‘How dare you! Making my
tidy room messy, wasting your time. I saw you!’
Aunt Pegg had eyes on sticks. How she saw us we never knew: one moment she wasn’t there, the
next she was on top of us. She was a wizened, tiny woman of great muscular strength and energy,
and her mouth was like an upside-down new moon without the hint of a smile.
She constantly spoke of her ‘philosophy of life’ but we only experienced the superficial features of it.
She kept us occupied at all times, sweeping the yard, tidying the house and learning to cook
tasteless, crumbling cakes. On the first day she blew a whistle to order us downstairs to a breakfast of
chewy, sugarless oat cereal. The sugary, salty foods we loved were locked away, and eating our
morning bowlful was a lonely marathon. If we didn’t eat it all up, we were given extra cleaning to do.
By day two we were very mournful children. Nostalgia set in as we remembered our happier past. We
went about our daily tasks like little zombies. We became uncommunicative and even forgot (to our
Aunt’s extreme pleasure) to insult each other. Both of us longed for the day when our dear parents
would return and unlock the barred doors of our prison.
On day three we were introduced to our educational programme. She set us impossible mental
arithmetic sums at tremendous speed and always finished with ‘And twenty-nine, add ’em all together
and take away the number I first said’. Then there was ‘Reading Improvement’, which consisted of
moral tales from the nineteenth century, and ‘Practical Farmwork’, which mostly involved the
identification and eradication of weeds. We were not allowed to re-enter the house until we had
successfully whispered the name of the plant into Aunt Pegg’s good ear. If we did not use the official
Latin name she would snap at us. ‘You wicked child! It is certainly not Hairy Stinkweed. I’ll not have
swearing in my house!’
Of course we attempted to break free. It happened on a visit to town, while we were carrying the
heavy bags with Aunt Pegg marching behind, tapping her walking stick like an officer in the army. At a
mutual sign we dropped the bags and ran for it. Our Aunt seemed prepared for this. She blew her
whistle and shouted ‘Stop thief!’ and we were painfully restrained by several burly members of the
public.
When we reached home we were given a stern lecture on ‘philosophy’ and ‘morals’ and sent to bed
with just a slice of bread, some cheese and a lettuce leaf. We hated lettuce. Apparently much of Aunt
Pegg’s philosophy was connected with diet.
She must have thought that we were lazy, naughty children who needed strong routine and discipline
to prevent the rot from setting in. How we cried with joy when our smiling parents returned, bearing
presents and hugging us tight.
1. Imagine you are Aunt Pegg. After one week of looking after the children, you write a letter to their
parents in which you:

• give your impressions of the children;

• give an account of your progress with them so far;
43
• tell your plans for the next week.
Write your letter. Base it on what you have read in Passage A.
You should write between 1½ and 2 sides, allowing for the size of your handwriting.
Up to fifteen marks will be available for the content of your answer, and up to five marks
for the quality of your writing.
[Total: 20]

2. Re-read the descriptions of:

(a) Aunt Pegg in paragraphs 2 and 3;
(b) the children in paragraph 5.

Select words and phrases from these descriptions, and explain how the writer has created effects
by using this language.
[Total: 10]

Part 2
Question 3 is based on both Passage A and Passage B.
Read Passage B carefully, and re-read Passage A.

Passage B

Uncles
They come in all shapes and sizes, are young and old and may or may not have children of their own,
but the only thing that matters about uncles is whether they are good or useless.
Good uncles show you love and attention, because they are part of your family but know that they do
not have the long-term responsibility of parents. They probably only appear briefly for a week or two
at a time and are unlikely to find you irritating. When they do come they bear presents, not necessarily
expensive ones, but welcome presents that your parents avoid buying, such as noise-making objects.
Remember too that uncles are on holiday and are available to whisk you away to the places that you
love to go. Not being responsible for your diet, they feed you on fatty foods and burgers that they call
‘treats’, knowing full well that your parents disapprove on health grounds. They encourage you to do
risky things like climb up high walls, and they rescue you when you can’t get down. Here now is a
simple test by which you can identify a useless uncle. On such occasions, watch for a jittery blinking
of the eye and listen for these telling words: ‘I think that’s enough. It might be dangerous.’ These
uncles have even less confidence than your parents and have failed at the first hurdle.
Useless uncles spend too much time sitting in chairs doing what they call ‘holiday reading’, usually of
books called ‘Lives of the Great Philosophers’ or ‘How to Solve the World’s Economic Problems’. If
you ask them for a game of football, they reply, ‘Later! I’m too busy at the moment.’ A real uncle
shows no sign of being able to read at all. For example, he ignores all signs that say ‘No Ball Games’.
As soon as he sees a ball, you and he are away to the nearest open space. The reason for this
enthusiasm is that most good uncles are keen to play games and they see you as an ideal opportunity
for them to show off.
Because uncles are not your parents, they have lived separate and maybe exciting lives. You know all
your parents’ stories, at least those they are prepared to tell you. Useless uncles will have spent an
unadventurous, sheltered life and anyway are unaware of anything that you might find interesting
about them. An enterprising uncle will tell you about his life among the gorillas or how he saved his
44
companion’s life by driving off a charging rhinoceros.
Maybe these stories are not strictly true, but that is not the point. Good uncles have an imaginative,
creative spirit and a talent for fiction, such as the adventures of a Mr Snodgrass who lives in an
obscure corner of your house and who only emerges when you are asleep. No doubt a useless uncle
will try to entertain you as follows: ‘I once read about a chap called Proust who went on a journey to
…Oh dear, I’ve totally forgotten where.’ It is clear that such uncles have no qualities that appeal to
children and they should be locked up in a library surrounded by volumes written in Latin until they
crumble amongst the dusty pages.
Sooner or later it is time for your uncles to depart. Bad uncles will shamble down the drive bearing two
old suitcases full of extra underwear, old woollen garments and half-read books. Good uncles wave
their arms, smile big smiles and wink at you to promise more wickedness next time.
When you turn back to the care of your parents, you will discover that your good uncles have left
gentle hints which, if followed up, will be of at least a little advantage to you.

3. Summarise:
(a) what makes a good uncle, as described in Passage B;
(b) what the children disliked about their aunt, as described in Passage A.
Use your own words as far as possible.
You should write about 1 side in total, allowing for the size of your handwriting.
Up to fifteen marks will be available for the content of your answer, and up to five marks
for the quality of your writing.

MOCK 2

Read Passage A carefully, and then answer Questions 1 and 2.

Passage A

This story was written a long time ago. It is about a hotel in the state of Victoria, Australia.

The Shamrock Hotel

Not a day’s tramp from Ballarat, set well back from a dusty track that started nowhere in particular and
had no destination worth mentioning, stood the Shamrock Hotel. It was a low, rambling, disjointed
structure, and bore strong evidence of having been designed by an amateur artist in a moment of
drunken frenzy. It reached out in several well-defined angles, and had a lean-to building stuck on here
and there; numerous outhouses were dropped down about it at random; its walls were propped up in
places with logs, and its moss-coloured shingle roof, bowed down with the weight of years and a great
accumulation of stones, hoop-iron, jam-tins, broken glassware, and dried possum skins, bulged
threateningly on the verge of utter collapse. The Shamrock was built of sun-dried bricks, of an
unhealthy, bilious tint. Its dirty, shattered windows were plugged in places with old hats and discarded
female apparel, and draped with green blinds, many of which had broken their moorings, and hung
despondently by one corner. Groups of ungainly fowl chased succulent grasshoppers before the bar
door; a moody, distempered goat rubbed her ribs against a shattered trough roughly hewn from the
butt of a tree, and a matronly old bitch of spare proportions wallowed complacently in the dust of the
road, surrounded by her yelping brood.

45
A battered sign hung out over the door of the Shamrock, informing people that Michael Doyle was the
licensed owner, and that good accommodation could be afforded to both man and beast at the lowest
current rates. But that sign was unreliable. Bed and board were quite out of the province of the
Shamrock. There was, in fact, only one couch professedly at the disposal of the weary wayfarer, and
this, according to the statement of the few persons who had ever ventured to try it, seemed stuffed
with old boots and stubble; it was located immediately beneath a hen-roost, which was the resting
place of a maternal fowl, addicted on occasion to nursing her chickens on the tired sleeper’s chest.
The turnover at the Shamrock was not at all extensive for, saving the occasional agricultural labourer
who came from ‘beyond’ – which was the versatile host’s way of designating any part within a radius
of five miles – to revel in an occasional spree, the trade was confined to the passing cockatoo farmer,
who invariably arrived on a bony, drooping horse, took a drink, and shuffled away amid clouds of dust.
Landlord Doyle was of Irish extraction; his stock was so old that everyone had forgotten where and
when it originated; but Mickey assumed no unnecessary style, and his personal appearance would
not have led you to infer that there had been a king in his family, and that an ancestor of his had once
killed a landlord. Micky was a small, scraggy man, with a mop of grizzled hair and a little, red,
humorous face, ever bristling with auburn stubble. His trousers were the most striking thing about him;
they were built on the premises, and always contained enough stuff to make him a full suit and a
winter overcoat. Mrs Doyle manufactured those pants after plans and specifications of her own
designing, and was mighty proud when Michael would yank them up into his armpits, and amble
around, peering about discontentedly over the waistband. ‘They were a great saving in waistcoats,’
she said.

1. You have recently stayed at the Shamrock Hotel and, most surprisingly, you thoroughly enjoyed
your stay.

Write a letter to Mr and Mrs Doyle explaining the reasons why you liked the hotel so much. You
know that the Doyles will use your letter to advertise the hotel in future.

Base all that you write on Passage A.

You should write between 1 ½ and 2 sides, allowing for the size of your handwriting.

Up to fifteen marks will be available for the content of your answer, and up to five marks for the
quality of your writing.
[20 marks]

2. Re-read the descriptions of

(a) the animals you might find at the Shamrock, in paragraph 1
(b) Michael Doyle, in paragraph 3.
By referring closely to the language used by the writer, explain how he makes these descriptions
effective.
[10 marks]

Part 2
Read Passage B carefully, and then answer Question 3, which is based on both Passage A and
Passage B.
46
Passage B

The Technocrat Hotel

Mr Rapadi was a much-travelled man, a great critic of the hotels he visited around the world. ‘In the
end,’ he would say, ‘they are all much like each other.’ He dreamed of creating a hotel which would
outshine all others in its modernity, would cause all who saw it to gasp and would attract the famous
and the successful. He would call it The Technocrat.
Eventually he built his hotel and it so happened that I was one of his first clients. There was no
mistaking it. It towered menacingly above the surrounding buildings, resplendent in glass and shining
metal. Everything about it was vast, its windows, its entrance and the magnificent red letters that
spelled out Technocrat.
I was humbled by this edifice. If I entered, I would be sure to be lost. But I was attracted like a magnet
and, as I approached, the doors slid noiselessly apart as if, mysteriously, they expected me. I entered
what appeared to be a bronze cavern with coloured lights twinkling from a great height and some
considerable way ahead lay the reception desk.
No one stood behind the desk to make me feel welcome. However, a courteous recorded voice,
perhaps that of Mr Rapadi himself, wished me a very good afternoon and requested my name and my
credit card which a little machine graciously read and returned to me. ‘Your room is on firty fiff floor,’
said the mechanical voice. ‘Please take identity disk from machine on right. Lifts on left side.’
There was a veritable bank of lifts — not the two or three you usually encounter in inferior hotels but a
whole line of them with glass doors, shooting up and down. I stood nervously watching them as feet
and heads came suddenly in and out of view. I never saw anybody get in or out.
As I entered my lift, it recognised my identity disk and whisked me disconcertingly to the thirty-fifth
floor before I had time to press a button. I arrived before I had begun, so to speak, and stepped onto a
metal moving carpet which delivered me to my room.
The door slid open automatically and I stepped into a technological wonderland. How did the subdued
lighting know my favourite colour? How could the TV set scan 150 channels to locate my type of
culture? Email and internet devices burst out at every corner and the bed, ah, the bed was capable of
assuming all angles and of adapting to the size of its most awkward customer.
To be truthful, I did not know where to turn. My stomach was still at reception and the little voices of
gadgets introducing themselves electronically to me set my brain in a whirl. The food delivery system
was too assertive, bullying me to listen to the menu and to make my choice. ‘Vegetable sausage,’ I
gasped to keep the thing quiet. ‘How many times?’ it demanded. ‘Once only,’ I said and was rewarded
by a piping hot plateful that I did not really want but was too afraid to decline.
This cacophony of voices was insistent, destructive. It seemed that they were too scarily human and
that a riot might soon break out. I was too frightened to approach the bathroom, for what contraption
might leap out at me? What if the water sprinklers detected my rising blood pressure and soaked the
entire room?
As I stood near the window, a bottled voice said, ‘Fresh air, sir?’ and indeed I was met by a rush of
artificial wind that nearly knocked me off my feet.
Then it struck me. In all the time I had been in Mr Rapadi’s hotel, I had not met a single person. Not
one, apart from those strange bodies that went up and down in the glass-fronted lifts.
As I left the room, the door shuddered, the moving carpet shrieked and I almost fell into the lift. I
crossed the lobby furtively and a voice rang out, ‘Your check, sir; your identity disk, sir?’ and I
escaped only just in time through the closing doors.
47
I spent that night in a comfortable family hotel up the road. A few weeks later I read that the
Technocrat had exploded mysteriously in the middle of the night, a victim perhaps of its own success.

3. Read Passage B and re-read Passage A.

Summarize:
(a) the appearance and the facilities of the Technocrat Hotel that the writer appeared to find
worrying or annoying;
(b) the appearance and facilities, or the lack of them, of the Shamrock Hotel that a visitor might
find worrying or annoying.
You should write about 1 side in total, allowing for the size of your handwriting.
Up to fifteen marks will be given for the content of your answer, and up to five marks for the
quality of your writing.

MAGAZINE ARTICLES
Magazine articles in general:
First, read the document entitled “Magazine Articles” and do the following activities
1. What is the name given to section 1, 2 and 3 (as numbered in the text given)?
2. Place these elements in order and explain how they work in an article:
statement of purpose - lead - statistics - anecdotes - a new angle (but repeating the same idea) -
analysis
(Use your own words and ideas)
3. Look at the following graph and place inside each circle elements of point 2 and others you have found
in the text Introduction Body Conclusion

School Magazine Articles

Now, let’s move on to “School Magazine Articles” (read the first 4 pages of the doc and answer the following
questions
 How can you be enthusiastic? Interesting? Convincing?
 What is the concept of personalizing?
 Does your school magazine article have to be formal or informal? (register)
 Can you explain in a few words what is important about the title of our article?
 What are the crucial elements present in an effective introduction?
 What is a transition sentence? Why do you think it is so important for an introduction to have it?
 Does the ending introduce a new topic? Why/ why not?

Check the weekly planner and keep on reading the file on School Magazine Articles

MAGAZINE ARTICLES
1. An article consists, first, of a lead, or a first paragraph that entices the reader into your article. This
could also be comprised of several paragraphs if you choose to use an anecdote or a few bulleted items
or to talk about a trend occurring. After that, however, you need a sentence or a few sentences that tell

48
 your reader what the article is about - a statement of purpose, if you will. Tell them what the article is
about so they have an idea of where they are going. Hopefully, you've enticed them into wanting to go
there.

2. This section represents the meat of your article. Here you place all your supporting material, such as
statistics, quotes you obtained from interviews, additional anecdotes, your analysis, etc. Remember,
however, that if you are writing a reported article, in most cases you must write in an unslanted
manner; this means without an opinion. If you are writing an essay, you may voice your opinon as
loudly as you like. Also, if you are writing an essay, you may not be using quotes but relying instead on
your own "voice."

3. Now write your conclusion. Sum up what you wrote about without simply repeating what you already
said. That's right: Say it again but in a totally new way so your readers have no idea that they are
reading the same information again. Give it a new angle. Put a new take on it. Offer additional
information to support what you've already offered. For an essay, if possible, provide a bit broader view
or some quote or anecdote or bit of information that takes the reader into the future. You can use this
tactic with a reported article as well, but it works especially well with essays.

49
50
51
TAKE ANY NEWS REPORT or MAGAZINE AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. Where was the text published (e.g. in a newspaper, on the internet or in a magazine)?
2. What does this tell you about the intended audience? (Age, gender, interests, attention span, and
education – does the article assume that the reader understands particular words or references?)
3. Is the headline a fact or an opinion? Identify any interesting language features and analyse the
connotations.
4. If there is a strapline, do the same.
5. Summarise what the article is about in a paragraph of three to four sentences. Remember to drop short
quotations into your answer.
6. Summarise the message of the article in one sentence.
7. Identify three facts and three opinions that support this message. Explain why each one is a fact or
opinion and what they add to the article.
8. Are any people quoted in the article? If so, these people are called sources of information. Who is
quoted and how credible are they? What effect will their comments have on the reader?
9. How would you describe the writer’s attitude? What is his/her tone? Find evidence to support your
answer. Can you find any evidence of bias? Again, give evidence to support your answer.
10. Comment on any photographs or images. Why do you think they are there? What do they reveal? How
effective are they? Write a short paragraph, giving a full, detailed answer.
11. If there is a caption under each image, comment on the language used.
12. Write a paragraph, commenting on any words and phrases from the article you find interesting. Look
out for emotive language, use of colloquial language and/or slang, puns/word play, parody, irony,
metaphors, similes, alliteration, personification, hyperbole (exaggeration) etc. Also comment on the use
of different sentence lengths and the effects that these have.

52
SAMPLE article layout and tips

53
54
55
56
EXAM PRACTICE
Passage A: Memories

In this passage, the writer remembers her experiences as a small girl in a rural wilderness.

An eleven-year-old girl is standing alone, miles from home, in one of the last great
wildernesses on earth. She has no idea where she is because, spread over the
wilderness, is a veneer of main roads, grain fields, farmyards, dilapidated shacks and
abandoned schoolhouses. A square, blue sign with a golden sheaf of wheat shows the
road number and a standard green sign the distance to the nearest town. The girl has
ridden six kilometres on gravel. Fifteen to go. She wonders if her legs can pedal all the
way to town and turns back to the road.

The crunch of bicycle wheels on gravel. The distant roar of a heavy truck coming down
the highway. The wind. These are the only sounds. When the girl stops and listens
closely, the rustle of barley in the fields and the buzz of an occasional bee add detail
to the texture of the afternoon. She walks her bike into the old schoolyard.

The pale grass is knee-high and the yard is choked with dandelions and other weeds.
Shrubs form an overgrown square, open and facing the road. In the middle sits the old
school. Still white from its initial coat of paint, it’s a standard one-room school building.

The girl wanders around it, stopping at the bottom of steps that lead up to the door.
She thinks better of walking up – even of sitting on the steps for a rest – and turns again
57
toward her bike and the road. Who knows what animals or insects have made their
home inside? Who can say what rotted old thing inside might disturb the appearance
of a perfect summer’s day?

She remembers a previous occasion when she had picnicked on a rock pile, which was
more of an outcrop of untouched prairie than the other man-made rock piles dotted
randomly through the fields. Sitting down on the ground, she began to spread out the
picnic blanket and food when a glint of light shining off a smaller, red rock at her feet
captured her attention. She reached down to dig it out of the ground with her hands.

She didn’t mind the dirt. She picked it up, admiring the flecks of gold in red catching
the sun, but turning it over found the underside crawling with huge ants. Fear, rather
than disgust, made her throw down the rock, gather up her things and ride back to the
house. She remembers how stupid she felt for thinking she could picnic there.
I was, at that time, maybe three or four years old, but I recall things clearly. I was walking
with my mother in the meadow across the road. I remember the excitement of doing
something new and the thrill that came with the sense of trespassing. In reality, the
meadow was community land, but I did not know that. I had the sense, probably false,
that we should not be walking there – but we were. Mum and I picked some flowers to
carry home and put in a vase on the table. I felt this was what my life was going to be
like. I had no idea that we would never walk to the meadow again.We would never pick
wild flowers there again. But the memory remains.

Part 2

Read Passage B carefully, and then answer Question 3 on the Question Paper.

Passage B: Mary Kingsley

In this article, the writer describes the life of explorer and scientific writer, Mary Kingsley.

Mary Henrietta Kingsley was born in 1862 in Islington, England. Her father spent much of his life
travelling around the world, documenting his journeys. Her mother was an invalid, which led to
young Mary assuming the roles of her mother in the household. Although she had little formal
education, Kingsley had a strong intellectual curiosity. She was particularly interested in tales of
voyages, reading about many different ones in her father’s large library. In 1891 Mary’s father
returned from one of his voyages with rheumatic fever. With both of her parents invalids, Mary
continued to take care of the household. In 1892, after the deaths of her parents, Kingsley was
freed from her domestic responsibilities. She remained unmarried; she was an independent woman with an
annual income of £500. At the age of thirty she decided to travel to West Africa. Before departing, she studied
as much about the region as she could.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Kingsley’s voyages to West Africa was her gender. She
was travelling at a time when women seldom took such dangerous trips to exotic locations. Few
men even went on the kinds of trips she did. Kingsley did more than most of her gender, and more than other
Europeans as a whole, had ever done in the interior of West Africa. She spent a long time going through
dangerous rivers, river rapids, and mangrove swamps during her trip.

58
She climbed to the top of Mount Cameroon. It was unheard of for women of this period to engage in any of
these activities.
Kingsley’s scientific research was also something women did not often conduct during this time.
She not only carried out huge amounts of research on the way of life of the African people, but also recorded
a vast amount of data on the geography of West Africa and collected samples of local flora and fauna. In
England, at that time, geography was considered to be a male-only subject.
Kingsley, as a woman, recorded large amounts of geographical information on areas that were
poorly known by Europeans.

Read carefully Passage A, Memories, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions 1 and 2 on
this Question Paper.
Answer all questions using your own words as far as possible.
Question 1
Using your own words, explain why the girl ‘has no idea where she is’ (paragraph 1, ‘An eleven-year-old ... ’).
(a)...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... [2]
State one sound the girl hears before she stops and one sound she hears when she listens more closely
(paragraph 2, ‘The crunch of bicycle ... ’).
(b)...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... [1]
What details in paragraph 3 (‘The pale grass ... ’) suggest that the schoolyard had been neglected for a long
time?
(c)...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... [2]
Using your own words, explain why the girl does not walk up the steps to the school building
(lines 17–19).
(d)...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... [2]
Using your own words, explain the change in the girl’s feelings after she picks up the rock
(lines 25–27).
(e)...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... [2]
Using your own words, explain what the girl felt about walking in the meadow (paragraph 5,
‘I was, at that time ... ’).
(f)...........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... [2]
Re-read paragraph 2 (‘The crunch ... ’) and paragraph 4 (‘She remembers ... ’). Using
your own words, explain what the writer means by the words underlined in each of
the following phrases:
(g) (i)
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1. ‘When the girl stops and listens closely, the rustle of barley in the fields and the
buzz of an occasional bee add detail to the texture of the afternoon.’ (lines 9–11)
2. ‘In the middle sits the old school. Still white from its initial coat of paint, it’s a standard
one-room school building.’ (lines 13–14)
3. ‘...more of an outcrop of untouched prairie than the other man-made rock piles
dotted randomly through the fields.’ (lines 21–22)
Word underlined: ...................................................................................................
Meaning of word underlined: .................................................................................
................................................................................................................................
Word underlined: ...................................................................................................
Meaning of word underlined: .................................................................................
................................................................................................................................
Word underlined: ...................................................................................................
Meaning of word underlined: .................................................................................
................................................................................................................................ [3]
Explain how the writer conveys the quiet and emptiness of the surroundings through
the use of language in each of the three underlined words in Question 1(g)(i).
You should refer to the whole phrase in your answer and not just the words underlined.
(ii)
Explanation: ...........................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................
Explanation: ...........................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................
Explanation: ...........................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................ [6]
[Total: 20]

Question 2
Imagine you are the writer from Passage A and that you are now a senior student. Your school magazine
has a regular feature called ‘Childhood Memories’.
Write your article for the magazine, describing your earlier life and what happened after the events
described in the passage.
In your article you should cover the following points:
• your thoughts as a child about where you lived
• your memories of your life with your mother
• how your life changed and why you never walked to the meadow again.
Base your article on what you have read in Passage A, but do not copy from it.
Be careful to use your own words. Address each of the three bullet points.
Write about 200 to 300 words.
Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 5 marks for the quality of
your writing.
..........................................................................................................................................................

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News Report Structure

Headline

1. News Event (What? When? Where? Who?)

2. Background (Why? previous history, lead-up to this event, causes)
3. Report of actual news event (detailed account of what happened and what is still happening)
Sub-Heading (short phrase, quotation; optional)
4. Quotations (participants, witnesses, police, hospital etc)
5. Future (consequences, investigations, predictions)

Instructions on HOW TO WRITE A NEWSPAPER REPORT

1First collect your facts. Ask the classic questions: Who, What, Why, When, Where and How. As a story
progresses you might have to run with information before every scrap of news is in, but your audience or
readers have come to expect that you acknowledge these points even if what you know now is deficient. If
after a bad accident you don't know the cause include that information.

2Start with a strong lead. Hook your viewers or readers with the most intriguing aspect of a story up front,
otherwise they won't bother reading the rest of it. I recently wrote and produced an Earth Day television
package on solar power. Since sun power itself, is no longer news, I reminded viewers that it was Earth Day,
then asked if they would be interested in free electricity. It was a good hook in days of rising energy costs.
Newspaper articles usually employ the classic inverted pyramid style where all of the five W's and H that I
mentioned earlier are handled in a single paragraph long sentence. In contrast, television news is more
conversational. There the lead is usually delivered on camera prior to going to video, which is a major part of
the story.

3Shun the passive voice. Use simple declarative sentences with a lot of vivid action verbs. Eschew words like
"eschew." Don't try to impress people with how intelligent you are. Write simply and actively as if you're trying
to reach a best friend and tell her the latest that happened today. Don't write, "Paris Hilton was taken into
custody." Write "Sheriff deputies took a sobbing Paris Hilton back to jail." Remember to eliminate needless
words.

4Find the telling detail. In the example above, it was the word "sobbing."

5Be conversational without being ungrammatical. Make sure that you write in sentences and not in phrases
with gerunds that go nowhere. Don't get lazy. Use adverbs when appropriate. "Whom" is a perfectly good
word. It's the objective, not the pretentious form of the pronoun "who." Know what the subjunctive is and use
it. It's right to write "If I were a rich man..." not "If I was homeward bound." Please check to make sure that
your subjects and verbs agree. Dependent clauses can easily throw this match off. It's "A group of people
protests for better wages," because "group" not "people" is the subject. If we in the media don't use good
grammar, who will?

6Study good examples. Here are a few of my own favorite leads:

"A horrific bombing in Baghdad has renewed fears of a civil war in Iraq."
61
"Hurricane Katrina has strengthened over the Gulf of Mexico and is now packing winds of 160 miles per hour."
"Our eye on the universe has gone blind," is how I opened a story on the Hubble Space Telescope.
When you watch news or read it in the newspaper, note which stories grab you and emulate their style.

News reports samples: What are the main features of news reports? What do all these samples have in
common? What has made the news above?

62
63
Paralyzed Lion Dies in Brazil
ARIEL DIED OF UNKNOWN DISEASE, CAPTURED ATTENTION OF THOUSANDS
By the Associated Press

(AP) – Ariel, a paralyzed male lion whose fight to walk again became the focus of an Internet fundraising
campaign and captured wide media attention in Brazil, died yesterday. On the lion's Facebook page, owner
Raquel Borges wrote, "Our beloved Ariel is gone. This is the saddest day of my life." The Facebook page
created by Borges was "liked" by more than 62,500 people. The lion's death made headlines on Brazil's biggest
news portals and was a top worldwide trending item on Twitter.

The 3-year-old, 310-pound lion started limping one day last year after spending hours leaping and chasing
balloons. Shortly afterward, Ariel's two hind legs stopped working. Then, after surgery to remove a herniated
disc, the lion was unable to move its front legs. Ariel's veterinarian said the lion's symptoms were similar to
those of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that
can cause paralysis. Results of tests that a team of Israeli veterinary neurologists administered weren't
64
expected until the end of July. "He was a perfectly normal and docile lion that slept with me until he was 10
months old," Borges said.

I’ve highlighted some elements that are typically found in news reports. Can you tell which is which?
PASSIVE VOICE (2) – distribution of info – history/ background to the news- further details – QUOTATIONS –
CATCHY HEADINGS – Exact time & place – short and concise sentences (hyphenated modifiers) - figures
Use arrows to match all the above

Read the following news report. Identify and highlight all the features we have learnt about news report style.

Midwest floods: Natural disaster and human catastrophe – all over again

Heavy rains and flooding in the Midwest have left an enormous human catastrophe in their wake: at least 24
people killed, over 38,000 people left homeless, dozens of towns and five million acres of farmland left under
water, billions of dollars of damage to people.

As disastrous as the flooding has been, in most places it was actually less severe than the last major Mississippi
flood 15 years ago. This time around, however, the flooding will likely end up hitting people even harder –
considering the ongoing economic crisis, which has left so many people without jobs, savings or insurance.

The rainfall and flooding couldn’t have been avoided, but some of their worst consequences certainly could –
had the federal government followed the recommendations of a study it commissioned after the 1993 floods.

“The study concluded that the 1993 flood was a significant but not unprecedented rainfall-river event, and that
such floods would probably occur again,” said Gerald E. Galloway, who led the 1994 study.

65
“Levees are at the heart of the problem, yet little has been done to determine their location and condition,”
Galloway continued. After the Katrina disaster, in 2006, the federal government provided 30 million dollars to
improve the levee system, and some work began. “But Congress provided no money in 2007 or this year, and
the program stalled,” according to Galloway. Last year, Congress passed the National Levee Safety Act,
supposedly to establish an inventory and inspection program. “But once again no funds have been provided to
support or even begin the work,” said Galloway.

Talk about politicians putting their money where their mouth is.

Severe rains and flooding are certainly nothing new in this country, nor are endless volumes of studies and
books about floods – going back more than 80 years, to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. To this day,
however, there is not even a centrally organized, coordinated levee system in place. The levees are considered
to be “owned” by all sorts of towns, agencies and even individuals.

The 1994 report, for example, recommended centralizing the management of the levees along the Mississippi
and its tributaries under the responsibility of the Army Corps of Engineers – yet another piece of advice, by its
own experts, that the federal government ignored. Such a plan would have helped, says Galloway: “Some
agricultural levees would still have overflowed, ... but you would substantially have reduced the damage.”

Reduce damage to the population in flood-affected areas? But that’s certainly not a priority for the politicians
and officials who run the government. We know it wasn’t in 2005 in New Orleans, and we know it isn’t today in
the six Midwestern states affected by this latest flooding disaster.

Will it be different in the future – given all the talk about “change” in this election year?

To be sure, the two presidential candidates have made their media appearances in the flood areas: John
McCain visited Iowa, and Barack Obama helped fill sandbags in Quincy, Illinois.

But both candidates have been U.S. senators – members of the same Congress that has been, year after year,
denying the money needed for flood protection. That is a pretty good sign as to how much “protection” we can
expect from politicians in the future – in the face of all kinds of disasters, natural or man-made.

Explain each of the features:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
FURTHER ACTIVITIES
1. Comment on the language (journalistic language)
2. Analyze the article, taking into consideration its sections.
3. Is the article purely informative? Is it biased, where?

66
New Zealand Earthquake

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck off New Zealand's South Island, the US Geological Survey has said. The
epicentre was 55km (35 miles) north-west of Christchurch, at a depth of 12 km (7.5 miles), it added. Police
said there had been widespread damage to buildings and roads as well as power cuts. Two men were seriously
injured by falling masonry and glass.

A state of emergency was later declared in Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city with a 386,000
population. New Zealand lies at the southern end of the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, and above an area of the
Earth's crust where the Pacific Plate converges with the Indo-Australian Plate. The country experiences more
than 14,000 earthquakes a year, of which only around 20 have a magnitude in excess of 5.0.

The last fatal earthquake was in 1968, when a 7.1-magnitude tremor killed three people on the South Island's
western coast. The earthquake struck at 0435 on Saturday local time (1635 GMT on Friday), the USGS said,
when most people would have been asleep. The earthquake struck when most people were asleep (Photo:
Graham Maclean)

Radio New Zealand reported that the quake was felt as a long, rolling motion lasting up to 40 seconds, and that
the area was continuing to feel aftershocks. The USGS said one aftershock had a magnitude of 5.7. Philip
Duncan, a journalist, was on the seventh floor of a hotel in Christchurch when the quake struck.

It hit with a bang. Being a New Zealander, it's not unusual to feel an earthquake, but it gradually built up and
got bigger and bigger and scarier and scarier. For a short while I really thought the building I was in was about
to come down. It was a very surreal experience lying in bed and looking out across the city as this massive
earthquake was rocking and all the buildings were shaking and moving. Big flashes of lights looked like
lightning across the sky, which I'm assuming were power transformers exploding.

It went for about a minute and the building rocked for several minutes afterwards. It was quite a scary
experience. But it wasn't until I left the building after we were evacuated and went around the corner that I
saw street after street of buildings that had collapsed. But the people were laid back, they were calm. It was a
cold morning, here but people were outside with blankets wrapped round them. Some were making jokes, a
bit of the Kiwi spirit, I suppose.

The local newspaper, The Press, said it was felt widely across the South Island, including Christchurch and the
nearby port city of Timaru. Police said damage and power outages had been reported as far afield as Dunedin,
360km (223miles) to the south-west. Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said the "sharp, vicious earthquake" had
caused significant damage in parts of the city. Chimneys and walls had fallen from older buildings, with roads
blocked, traffic lights out and power, gas and water supplies disrupted, he added.

"There is considerable damage in the central city and we've also had reports of looting, just shop windows
broken and easy picking of displays," police inspector Mike Coleman told Radio New Zealand. "It's very unsafe
to be out and about." Christchurch International Airport was closed after the earthquake as a precaution, as
experts checked the runways and terminal buildings, a spokesman said. Susan Birkbeck, who lives in the centre

67
of Christchurch, told the BBC: "It was absolutely shocking, we're all terrified and scared of what's going to
happen next."

Adapted from BBC News

TASK:

Imagine you are a reporter in the area.

Write a report on the recovery efforts, shelter camps and looting which take place in the coming days. Base
your report mainly on what you have read in the passage.

Here is a model paragraph to start with and possible beginnings for paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4 (you can use
these as the basis for your news report)

Though earthquakes are not new to Kiwis the one which struck Christchurch the other day has sent a shiver
down the spine of at least some locals. The 7.0 magnitude is capable of causing widespread damage and
human toll….

Shelter camps were immediately set up in safer areas. Some schools allowed the residents to spend the nights
until makeshift shelters were built. The others …….

The Christchurch mayor has assessed the extent of the damage …….

Looting was reported in many areas. Some windows ….

Tips:

1. Create a mind map before you get down to writing.

2. You may include the following points in the mind map

 The quake and the damage

 The situation immediately after the quake and the one after some days – a comparison
 Recovery efforts
 Shelter camps
 Efforts by authorities
 Looting, spirit of people

68
Newspaper Article SUCCESS CRITERIA
Newspaper features Text and sentence structure
A good headline (pun, shocking word choice, short,
Variety of sentence lengths
hyphenated)
Standfirst – Who? What? When? Why?
Present tense
(lead)
Plenty of drama – words like crash, horror, shock Appropriate degree of formality
Economy with words Links between paragraphs
Facts and opinions Connectives
Reported and direct speech – eyewitness accounts Topic sentences
Viewpoint sustained Punctuation variation
Short paragraphs
Passive Voice

NEWSPAPER HEADLINES

69
 Working mothers interrupted more often than fathers in lockdown -
Mothers more likely to have lost jobs and are doing more childcare and housework
There are fears that the coronavirus crisis has
exacerbated inequality and could lead to the
gender pay gap increasing. Photograph: Joe
Giddens/PA
Alexandra Topping
Published onWed 27 May 2020 12.18 BST

Working mothers have been able to do only one
hour of uninterrupted paid work for every three
hours done by men during lockdown, according to
a study that exposes the work imbalance
between men and women.
A report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the UCL institute of education also says mothers in England
are more likely than fathers to have lost their jobs during lockdown, increasing fears that the coronavirus crisis
has exacerbated inequality and could lead to the gender pay gap increasing.

The Office for National Statistics said separately that men were doing more than an hour less unpaid labour
than women each day, despite increasing their responsibilities during lockdown.

The IFS-UCL study interviewed 3,500 families of two opposite-gender parents and found that mothers were
doing more childcare and more housework than fathers.

The mothers interviewed were looking after children for an average of 10.3 hours a day – 2.3 hours more than
fathers – and doing housework for 1.7 more hours than fathers.

In families where the father had stopped work while his partner continued, on average they did the same
amount of household work – while the woman did an average of five hours of paid work a day.

REVISION QUESTIONS
1. Name a traditional tabloid newspaper. What is its usual readership?

2. Name a broadsheet. Describe three ways that it differs from a tabloid.

3. What is a compact newspaper? Give an example of one.

4. Name three language differences that you may find between a tabloid and a broadsheet.
5. What is direct address? What sort of text would use it?

6. What is the difference between an editorial and a report?

7. Why might an advert use an imperative tone?

8. What is a cliché? Give an example.

9. Can you give examples of language which may be seen as sexist?

70
10. What is political correctness?

11. What is the main criticism of political correctness?

12. What is a blended word? Give an example.

13. What is a clipped word? Give an example.

14. Write a sentence in which you use colloquial lexis. Underline the word(s).

15. What is ‘can’t’ an example of? How does it affect the tone of a text?

16. What is ‘kinda’ an example of? How does it affect the tone of the text?

17. Comment on the grammatical feature of the following:

This party pledges to:

 End unfair taxes Raise taxes of the very rich
 Give more money to the poor Stop pensioner poverty

18. What is the language term for the following example words?
a) GSOH; b) Ciggies; c) Classroom

19. How is the first sentence more emphatic than the second? You must
write two pages.
You could write two pages.

20. Comment on the different connotations of the following words: slim and thin; dry and arid; new,
innovative and untried.

71