Unit 2 Everyday People.doc

1              Read the rubric and underline the

key    words,    then    answer    the questions.

b) Read the topic sentences (A-D) and match them to the gaps in the article (1-3). One of the sentences does not fit.

Your school newspaper has asked you to write article about an interesting person you know well, describing his/her appearance, personality and hobbies/interests. Write your article for the news­paper in 120-180 words.

1              What type of composition is this?

A  a friendly letter      C a news report
B  an assessment      D  a descriptive
report              article

2              Who should you not describe, and why?
A a boring relative C a neighbour
B  a famous person   D  a close friend

you've never met        of yours

3              Which specific topics must be included
in your composition? Put a tick (/).

.... hobbies/interests    .... job/career
.... appearance              .... daily routine

.... plans/ambitions      .... personality

4              Which topics/points could you include in
the introduction and conclusion? Put /
(introduction), C (conclusion), or a cross
(X) for points you would probably nor
use.

....              the person's name

....              his/her childhood/early life

....              feelings/comments about him/her

....              relationship (i.e. friend, workmate, etc)

....              when/where/how you met him/her

2 a) Read the article and label the paragraphs with these headings.

•             general information      • personality

•             hobbies/interests              • appearance

•             writer's comments/feelings

A   His personality is an interesting mixture of contrasts.

B   Max's appearance often makes people think he must be an actor or

a pop star.

C   His appearance and personality make him seem older than he is.

D   In his free time, Max loves excitement and action.

c)              Which   of   these   writing   techniques   are   used   in   the
introduction and conclusion?

•           addressing the reader directly     • asking a rhetorical question

•           using direct speech

d)              Which  person  in the  pictures  (A-C)  does the article
describe? Which words/phrases make you think so?

6       Fill in the blanks with good, kind or  well, then make sentences as in the example.

John is a good-looking man in his early thirties.

7              a) Study the examples, then fill in the gaps

using and,  who,  with or as  well as.

4       Fill  in the correct  word from the  list, then use the expressions to talk about Max.

amusing, centre, early, dangerous, hazel, humour, kind-hearted, leather

• When we describe a person's physical appearance, we normally start with the more general features (e.g. height, build, age) and go on to the more specific ones (e.g. eyes, nose, hair, etc).

• As part of a description of somebody's appearance, we often describe the clothes they wear.

e.g. Joe is a tall, well-built man in his twenties. He has got beautiful green eyes, dark brown hair and a beard. He usually wears blue jeans and sweaters.

A   Nancy is a pretty girl in her late teens 1)              is tall

2)              slim, 3)              fair hair, bright blue eyes

4)              a small, straight nose.

B  Tom, 1)              is in his mid-thirties, is a tall, well-
built man 2)              almond-shaped eyes, 3)             

              an upturned nose 4)              a moustache.

b) Rewrite  this  short  description,  using the linking words/phrases above.

Jerry is forty years old. He is of average height. He is muscular. He has got big blue eyes. He has got short, blond hair. He has got a beard. He likes wearing casual clothes.

5       Circle the odd word out in each group. Can you think of more words to add?

8  Use vocabulary from Exs. 5 and 6, and the linking words in Ex. 7, to describe the people in the pictures.

9   Match the adjectives to their justifications. Which are positive? Which are negative? Use the adjectives to describe members of your family, students in your class etc, as in the example.

My mother is a very energetic woman. She likes to keep active by taking part in various activities, such as ... On the other hand, she can be bossy sometimes, because...

10     a)  Fill   in  the  gaps  with  the  correct  linking words/phrases from the lists.

b) Rewrite this short description, using the linking words/phrases given.

who - In addition, - and On the other hand, - For example,

Mrs Richards is a hard-working person. She doesn't mind working long hours. She is generous. She loves giving her friends presents. She can be rather impatient. She hates it when shop assistants take a long time to serve her.

11        Read the short text and correct the tense/ form of the verbs underlined.

13 Read the rubric and underline the key words, then answer the questions to plan your composition in detail.

1              • What type of composition is this?

•          Who is going to read your article? What style will you use?

•          What are the specific topics you must include?

2              • Who will you describe? What does he/she look like?

What vocabulary can you use to describe his/her appearance?

•          How would you describe his/her personality? What examples could you give to justify your description?

•          What are his/her hobbies/interests?

3              • How many main body paragraphs will there be?

What will each paragraph be about? What topic sentences will you use?

4              • What topics will you use for the introduction and

conclusion?

•              What writing techniques will you use to make the
beginning and ending more interesting?

5              • What linking words/phrases will you use?

What tenses will you use?

14 Use your answers to the questions above, as well as the plan below, to write your composition following the rubric in Ex. 13. Use the texts in Exs. 2 and 12 as models.