5 - Writing

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Written Discursive Practices I /EDI 1: Use of the English Language Alicia de Paz
Adapted from Strauch, A. O., (1998) Bridges to Academic Writing, USA, CUP
Paragraph Writing1
The first thing to notice about a
paragraph is its graphic form. Look at the
picture on the left. As you can see, open
areas appear around the edges of the
written material. These are called
margins.
As you can see there are margins on
both sides of the paragraph. On the left,
the margin is marked on the sheet of
paper (although not all kinds of sheets
have margins printed on them.) On the
right, the margin was left by the writer
because it is convenient when a piece of
writing has to be marked by a tutor.
The paragraph has a beginning
which is marked by a blank space called
indentation. Although there are styles of
writing that do not use indentations to
mark paragraphs, it is convenient to
indent so as to make it clear for your tutor
to see where you want to start a paragraph.
As regards its contents, a paragraph
is a group of sentences about one main
idea (or one point). It develops the main idea (or point) with specific supporting details.
The paragraph below is a typical one.
Every night, at exactly eight minutes past nine, the Limited roars through the village. I can see it coming several miles awa y. Its
powerful headlight fingering rail and telegraph wires with a shimmer of light. Silently and slowly it seems to draw nearer; then, suddenly, it is
almost above me. A wild roar of steam and driving-wheels, the wail of its hoarse whistle at the crossing, and then, looming black up against
the night sky, it smashes past, and in the swing of drivers and connecting-rods I think of a greyhound, or a race horse thundering the final
stretch. High in the cab window a motionless figure peers ahead into the night; suddenly he is bleakly silhouetted by the glare of the open
fire-door, and in the orange light I can see the fireman swing back and forth as he feeds his fire. The light burns against the flying steam and
smoke above; then blackness—and now the white windows of the Pullmans flicker past, and through the swirl of dust and smoke I watch the
two red lights sink down the track.
Referring to the sample paragraph, answer the following questions.
1. What is the main idea in the sample paragraph?
2. Where is the main idea located in the paragraph?
3. Do the words in each line start at the far-left edge of the paper?
4. Do the words in each line continue to the far-right edge of the paper?
Select A or B.
5. Does the first sentence start exactly at the far-left margin?
A. Yes B. No
6. Where does the second sentence start?
A. On the same line as the first sentence.
B. On the line below the first sentence.
Note: In some cases, if a sentence ends at the right margin, the following sentence must start on the following line.
7. Where do all the rest of the sentences in the paragraph start in relationship to the sentences before them?
A. If possible, on the same line as the previous sentence.
B. Always on the line below the previous sentence.
1 It is important that you learn the meaning of the words in bold in this booklet, for you to use them when you talk
to your tutor.
Writing 2
As seen above, the first sentence states the main idea2. The middle sentences, called the body, develop and
support the main idea with organized points and details. Look back at the sample paragraph and see which are the
specific supporting details.
The last sentence, called the conclusion, ties the entire composition together and provides closure.
BASIC GUIDELINES FOR PARAGRAPHS

1. The main idea of a paragraph appears in the first sentence. This guideline is recommended for developing writers.
(Advanced writers might place the main idea in another position.)
2. Indent the first sentence of every new paragraph.
3. Leave margins on the left and right edges.
4. The sentences in a paragraph run continuously, with no breaks, from the first to the last sentence.
After the first sentence, each sentence follows immediately after the previous sentence, if space allows. (In the
computer, do not press ENTER until you finish the paragraph)
5. Leave a space approximately the size of two letters between sentences. On a word processor, the size of this space
will vary.
Which of the following (A or B) represents the correct format for a paragraph? Circle the title of your choice.
Choice A
Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla
bla.
Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla.
Bla bla bla bla bla.
Bla Bla Bla Bla Bla Bla Bla Bla.
Choice B
Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla. Bla bla bla. Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla. Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla. Bla bla bla
bla bla bla bla bla.
Identify four problems in the following paragraph. You may refer to the Basic Guidelines for Paragraphs
above. Write your answers in the spaces provided.
The Narrow Escape
The Northern Queen was sailing in the Arctic Ocean as part of a scientific survey.
She was working farther north than the other two ships in her group. It was now late in the year and there was still a
great deal of work to be done.
The captain therefore took a risk. He delayed as long as possible in the area, although winter ice was beginning to form.
He delayed too long, however, as ice began to surround the ship.
Soon there was no way out in any direction.
After several more days, the Northern Queen was completely trapped. The captain sent an urgent radio message for
help,because there was now a real danger that the weight of ice would crush the ship.
Rescue reached them by air just in time, however,saving the crew although the unfortunate vessel could not be saved.
1) The first sentence of each the following texts are missing. Choose the most appropriate
suggestions from those given below the texts. Be ready to give reasons for your choice.
TEXT 1
Dear Sirs,
____________________________________________________________________. I had the wallet when I
boarded the 8.30 London—Norwich train, and I consulted something in it soon after the train left
London, somewhere around Harlow. I did not need it again until I wanted to pay for a taxi in
Norwich. It was not in the taxi, and I therefore conclude that I must have dropped it on the train
during the part of the journey from Harlow to Norwich. The wallet is of brown leather, and it
contained several credit cards in my name, as well as some £20 in cash. I travelled in a second-
class non-smoker in, I think, the second carriage from the front.
2The main idea may appear at any position, or it even may be implied (not stated, but obvious). At this level of writing,
however, you should put the main idea first.
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I would be very grateful if you could let me know if it has been handed in to you.
Yours faithfully,
Choices for first sentence:
a) My wallet, which I seem to have lost, was a present from my husband.
b) Some people keep money in a pocket, but I prefer to keep it in my good-quality wallet.
c) Have you got my wallet by any chance?
d) I am writing to you to ask about my wallet, which I lost yesterday.
TEXT 2
_____________________________________________________________. In the kitchen the washing-
machine’s just stopped – it seems to have been going for ages – and Angela’s taking the clothes
out. I can only see soap-suds all over the top and down the sides. Margie is in the bedroom, trying
to rouse Alan with a cup of tea which she has just made – he’s been in bed since 9 last night – and
now she’s pulling the bed-clothes off him … I think he’s only pretending to be asleep. Outside
there’s a most peculiar couple – the man’s just come out into the road holding a pullover he’s been
knitting and the woman has spent the whole morning under the car. She’s now rather filthy and
seems rather fed-up … I can hear her screaming at him. Ah! The door-bell has just rung – must go
and see who it is!

a) The whole house (neighbours included) seems to be a hive of activity.
b) My family and my neighbours are strange.
c) I have just arrived home.
d) The house is a big and comfortable place.
2) The following paragraphs need editing. Some are not really paragraphs, some do not
have a good topic sentence. Rewrite them so that they are good paragraphs. (You will
need to change some sentences, but do not change the stories)
1) Susie wanted to read a book, so she went to the bookcase to choose one. She set her glasses down on a
cushion, and sat on the sofa. When she tried to pick up her glasses, she realized they were missing. She
looked around but couldn’t find them anywhere. Out of nowhere, a gnome appeared holding the missing
glasses and silently he laid them on the couch. Amazed by the episode, Susie started to cry because she
couldn’t wrap her mind around what had just happened.
2) Thomas was walking along the street when he saw a beggar pouring petrol all over himself. Shocked by the
sight, he ran to the nearest telephone box to make a quick call and then returned to the scene. In despair, he
tried to stop the pauper from hurting himself with no success. Once the petrol can was empty, the beggar
threw it away and set himself on fire. At that moment, Thomas started to jump, scream and run in circles
excitedly and pointed to someone who was drawing near. It was a member of a TV crew who seemed to want
to interview the burning man. As the interviewer approached, Thomas started waving at the camera with a
smile on his face.
3) Kevin is a boy who usually dreams about what happens to him during the day. One night after reading
horrible news in the newspaper, he turned off the lights and fell asleep. Suddenly he found himself walking
and far away he saw a creature that called his attention. He called the strange creature to come near and
when it was closer, he realized that it was a big ugly monster with only one eye and big claws. He was so
afraid that he started to run but the monster started chasing him. Suddenly he fell down stairs and a kind of
chain appeared in front of him. He had started pulling it, when he woke up. It was all a bad nightmare.
4) George Blumstead got up very early that morning and had a bath. When he was shaving, his wife Blondie
asked him to hurry because breakfast was ready, so George dressed and went downstairs. As usual they had
Writing 4
breakfast together and George read his paper. Once breakfast was over, Blondie helped him with his coat, she
kissed him goodbye and George left for the bus stop. Once there, he sat down to wait for the bus. An hour
later, his boss started wondering where George was. In fact, he had fallen asleep at the bus stop.
5) Once upon a time there was a man called John Brick who was working as a bricklayer at a new building
site. One day when he was at work, he noticed a traffic warden directing traffic and realized how much he
would enjoy becoming a traffic warden. He decided then to quit his current job and enrol to be trained. When
he finished the course, he felt satisfied with himself and lived happily ever after.
6) An old man who lived in a block of flats was happily watering his flowers but some of the water fell onto
the balcony of the woman who lived in the flat below. When the woman found the strange liquid, she thought
that her dog was responsible for the mess and scolded the animal for it. The dog, a very smart one, smelt the
liquid and realized it didn’t have its odour but the neighbour’s. After some time, while the woman’s maid was
walking the dog in the park, the animal recognized the old man when he was walking towards them and
started chasing him.
7) Last week, Jim’s children asked him to take them out for a walk. Jim accepted and told his wife that he
was going out with the kids. She really liked the idea and told them to be careful and return home early.
They were having a great time together – everything was going well – when Jim fell into a disgusting pile
of waste material. Immediately, the kids started laughing, and then Jim realized they had played a joke on
him. He got up and went home very angry, leaving the kids alone.
They were very surprised by the reaction of their father and started to argue about whether he was going
to tell their mother what they had done and if she would punish them. This made them feel very worried and
scared.
8)Applying psychology is a good way of dealing with children nowadays. A good example of this theory is
Mary, a young mother of three children.
On Sunday morning, Mary went to a bookshop looking for a way of dealing with her children. They were
always shouting, playing, breaking everything around them.
When she got there, she asked for a book that could help her with this matter. The assistant offered her
many books explaining the difference between them.
Mary wasn’t entirely satisfied with those books, until the assistant said “Oh, I think I have the perfect
book for you. It’s called Child Psychology.”
Mary bought it and went back home. In the afternoon, her children were misbehaving so she decided to
apply “Child Psychology” by throwing the book at them.
To hand in: Use new sheets of paper for any task you hand in. Nothing else should appear on that page.
All tasks should be printed, (I do not accept tasks by e-mail or handwritten)
Use A4 paper size
Write your name, name of the subject3 and name of the course4 on the left-hand corner
Write the date on the right-hand corner
Identify the exercise as: Writing Task No. ... + name of the reading
Double-space for corrections
No task should take more than 1 sheet of paper
The task has a deadline. If you are missing on that date, you can’t hand in later.
3 Either Written Discursive Practices I or Use of the English Language

4 Either Teacher Training Course or Translation Course
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Jolly, D., (1986) Writing Tasks, , Avon, CUP
4.4 Describing human scenes
This unit is not concerned with describing or reporting the past; that sort of written text is dealt with in
another unit. Unit 4.4 is devoted to descriptions of present events and scenes. Although this is common in the
spoken medium (as commentary) it does not exist as a complete written text-type, apart from when it appears
as an account from the spoken medium. Nevertheless, as is implied in the practice items, people frequently
need and want to describe what is happening around them in personal writing.
Writing 6
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Write the description in

between 150 and 250 words
and in only one paragraph
Write the description in between

150 and 250 words and in only one
paragraph
Practice 3
Write one of the descriptions suggested

below in between 150 and 250 words and
in only one paragraph:
A You are in prison for three months. It’s November, and it’s raining outside. You’re rather depressed. In an attempt to
conquer your depression write a description of your present ‘scene’ to a friend. Mention sounds and smells as well as
what you can see.
This shouldn’t be a complete letter, but only part of one. Write the description in between 150 and 250 words and
in only one paragraph (see INSTRUCTIONS on page 2)
B You’re a tax-exile on a Caribbean island. At present you’re on the beach, and quite content. In writing to a friend you
happen to include a description of what the people around you are doing.
This should only be part of a letter. There’s no need to put address and date etc. Write the description in
between 150 and 250 words and in only one paragraph (see INSTRUCTIONS on page 2)
Writing 8
Writing Task No. 1 – Describing Human Scenes – Practice 1

Write the whole description in one paragraph.
Take into account some kind of spatial order for your description (right to
left, left to right, centre to the sides, foreground to background, etc)..
Remember to start your paragraph with a main idea suggested by the whole
picture and that justifies the order you follow in the description.
Remember to take into account the instructions to hand in given on page 1 of
this booklet and Basic Guidelines on page 2.
The deadline for this task is on ____________________________
W r it in g 9
Describing a room
Once Conrad said that the only purpose of description was, ‘to make you hear, to make you feel, and above
all to make you see’. That is an observation that is worth learning by heart.
Hearing, feeling and seeing are part of the sensory range that we, as humans, are able to enjoy. Add to
these the functions of taste and smell and the five senses are listed.
We have the ability to experience these sensations and to recall them. For most of us our strongest powers
of recall involve sight and hearing because these are the areas on which we are most dependent.
Words have powerful forces connected with them. Their meanings, when known by many fellow-users of a
language, link people by referring specifically to matters of shared knowledge and experience. So the written
word can, in a great number of ways, link and ‘bond’ people, enabling them to share ideas, views and
sensations.
The function of description is either to act as a background for a piece of narrative — an account or story —
or it can stand by itself and convey any of the five senses — sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.5
1)Read the extracts below and mark all the words that appeal to the senses
Mr Missier’s office was in a small rectangular loft at the top of steep wooden steps. […] The basic contents of Mr
Missier’s headquarters were whitewashed walls, a single overhead fan, two wall calendars, a tiny safe, a filing cabinet,
three tables and six people, one of them a tea boy. There were other objects, of course: his desk, covered in black
leatherette with a ziggurat of torn files; an umbrella hanging from the top of the plastic curtain over the bottom half of
a window with rusty bars. The window opened outwards, and a large crow perched on the frame, cawing loudly. One
of the clerks poked at it every now and then with the umbrella, and it flew off, returning a moment later to continue its
cawing.
Gavin Young’s Slow Boats to China.
West Blackhawk Street was dominated by the dead hotel. I couldn’t make out what its name had been: eight wooden
letters, cracked and bleached, were still pinned at odd angles to its facade. Once they’d been a bright sky-blue; now
only a few shreds of paint adhere to the crevices in the grain. They had the tantalising obscurity of an unfinished
crossword puzzle:
O T C W
0 HO L
I looked inside the window. The ceiling was falling in and the timber reception desk was whitened with flakes of
rotten plaster. An abandoned tubular chair stood in a waste of carpet which had lost its pile. There were flowerpots on
the windowsill, but the plants inside them had died long ago, leaving naked bamboo stakes behind.
Jonathan Raban’s Old Glory.
There are different types of supporting details that may appear in the description of a room
2)Read the extract below and in the list that follows the paragraph put a tick next to the descriptive detail
that is present in the paragraph 6
The Student Academic Computing Centre
The Student Academic Computing Centre (SACC) is a busy facility that offers students access to computers. It is
located in room B2-33. The facility consists of a main room with about 140 computers and two glass-walled side rooms
with 60 computers that may be used by an entire class. The IBM computers are equipped with various software that is
required in all disciplines at the college. Microsoft Word and WordPerfect are the word processing applications used in
SACC and throughout the college. Technical aides are available to assist students who have trouble. Students may use
the lab between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturdays. It’s a busy facility so there are rules to
keep it running smoothly. Students may only use the computers for their class work, not for personal business. A time
limit of 90 minutes per student may be enforced when students are waiting for a workstation. Students must present
their college identification cards to be admitted to the lab. There’s also a rule about being quiet in the lab, but it’s still a
bustling centre of activity on campus.
Check the Descriptive Details in the Reading
contents of the place people at the place
location time of activity at the place
size smells at the place
description of features of the place sounds at the place
A Teacher’s Favourite Reading Place
A year ago, I didn’t have a favourite place to read on campus, but when our library was renovated, it soon became
my most relaxing place to read. The Educational Resource Centre was refurbished from top to bottom. The falling
5 Burton, S.H. & Humphries, J.A. (1992) Mastering the English Language. London, Macmillan
6 Robinson Fellag, L. (1998) Looking Ahead, USA: Heinle & Heinle.
Writing 10
ceiling tiles were replaced by bright white ones, and the peeling white walls were repainted in soft beiges and pale
green. Even the cold tile floors were redone with multicoloured carpet tiles arranged in patterns. The best
improvement to the library, however, was the seating. The old, torn cloth chairs and beaten-up wooden tables were
discarded. Now there are modern stuffed chairs covered in earth coloured woollen fabrics and reddish wood tables that
gleam with polish. Instead of the industrial lamps that used to hang over the tables, there are long, black metal
fluorescent lamps with bulbs just bright enough to read by, but not overpowering. Under one of these lamps, seated in
a comfortable stuffed chair at a quiet back table, you will often find me reading a novel or a magazine.
Check the Descriptive Details in the Reading
contents of the place people at the place
location colours of the place
size smells at the place
description of features of the place sounds at the place
1 It is important to be able to use prepositions correctly when describing a scene. Working with a partner,
supply suitable prepositions for this description of a boarding house. 7
Green curtains were hanging (1) ___________ on either side of the
window. The pussy willows looked wonderful (2) ____________
them. He went right (3) _____________ and peered (4) _____________
the glass (5) ____________ the room, and the first thing he saw was
a bright fire burning (6) ____________ the hearth. (7) ____________
the carpet (8) ____________ the fire, a pretty little dachshund was
curled up asleep (9) ____________ its nose tucked (10) ____________
its belly. The room itself, so far as he could see (11) ____________
the half-darkness, was filled (12) ___________ pleasant furniture.
There was a baby-grand piano and a big sofa and several plump
armchairs; and (13) ___________ one corner he spotted a large
parrot (14) ___________ a cage. All in all, it looked (15) ____________
him as though it would be a pretty decent house to stay (16)
____________.
(Roald Dahl)
2 Get into pairs (A and B) to do the next exercise. B should look at the picture on the next page. You are
each going to look at different versions of the same picture (a living room). Without looking at each other’s
pictures, try to find out what the differences are, for example:
Is there a cat on the rug in front of the fire in your picture?
7 Stephens, M. (1993) Practise Advanced Writing, Longman, Singapore

W r it in g 11
3 Describe the room in picture A above (page 12) as if you had entered it for the first time.
4 Describe the room in picture B above (page 13) as if you were trying to discover where the suspect of a
murder might have hidden the murder weapon.
5 Imagine you are a dramatist. You have just written a drama, the major portion of which is set in a living
room just like the one pictured below. Because dramatists never use pictures in their scripts, you have to
write up the stage scene. Organize the description from the audience’s viewpoint (near to far). Begin your
description:8
We are looking at a living room ...
8 Hamp-Lyons, L. and Heasley, B. (1992) Study Writing, Musselburgh, CUP

Writing 12
DESCRIBING OBJECTS
Study these descriptions of a common object. Each answer a different question. At what point are
you able to identify the object? Which questions helped you most?
Question Description
1 What does it consist of? It consists of a frame and two other pieces.
2 What are the names of the parts? It consists of a frame and two other pieces called skins.
3 What shape is it? It consists of a cylindrical frame and two circular pieces called
skins.
It consists of a cylindrical wooden frame and two circular plastic

4 What is it made of?
skins.

5 How are the parts connected?
skins, one fitted over each end.

6 What is it used for?
skins, one fitted over each end. It is used as a musical instrument.
7 How is it used? It consists of a cylindrical wooden frame and two circular plastic
skins, one fitted over each end. It is used as a musical instrument.
The musician beats the skins with his hands or with special sticks.
SECTION 1 PLANNING A DESCRIPTION

When you describe something you should try to think of the kind of questions your reader would want to ask
about the object. Your plan can consist of an ordered list of reader’s questions. Some possible questions are
listed above. Others which might be useful for a description are:
What colour is it?
What are its dimensions?
What special characteristic has it?
Try to add other questions to this list.
Exercise 1
Look at this drawing of a mhor.
What questions does the drawing answer for you? What additional
questions might you ask? How would you order the questions?
Compare your list with that of another student.
Exercise 2
Your partner will think of an object. Ask your partner questions until you can identify the object.
Write down the questions which helped you most.
Repeat the exercise for several different objects. Then compare your list with your partner’s list.
Are your questions like those on page 9?
Exercise 3
Study this description of an optical microscope.
A microscope is an instrument which is used by scientists to magnify very small
objects to make them visible. The commonest type is the optical microscope. An
optical microscope consists of a lens tube, a slide platform, an object condenser and
a metal frame. The lens tube contains a number of lenses, the most important of which
are the ocular and objective lenses. The lenses are for magnifying the object. The
slide platform contains a number of clamps for holding the slides. The object
condenser is composed of a lens and a diaphragm. The latter is used to control the am
ount of light entering the lens tube. The frame is made up of two parts: a heavy base
and a swivelling top. The optical microscope is good enough for ordinary laboratory
work but for research the much more powerful electron microscope is used.
How many of the questions in the description of the drum can be answered from this description?
In what order are they answered? Is this the best order?
W r it in g 13
Exercise 4
Study this picture of a microscope. What

information is more clearly presented in the
picture than in the text? Could the text be
changed to give more of the information in
the picture?
Useful language Consist of, comprise, etc.

To answer the question What does it consist of?, we use a small group of verbs:
consists of
A comprises X (and Y) A contains D (and C)
is composed of (all the components) includes (some of the components)
is made up of
X (and Y) constitute(s) A
We can answer the question What is it used for? like this: 1 A drum is used to make music
2 A drum is used for making music.
3 A drum is used as a musical instrument.
4 We can make music using/with a drum.
Exercise 5
Study these objects. List as many
possible uses as you can for each one.
When you have finished, compare your
list with that of another student. For
example:
A brick can be used for building.
as a weapon.
to hold a door open.
Exercise 6
Copy and complete this

diagram which breaks down an
optical microscope like the one
on the previous page into its
components, using the
information given in Exercise 3.
Now write a short paragraph describing what a microscope consists of. Use the completed
diagram and the picture of the microscope to help you. Do not look back at the text until you have
completed your paragraph. Then compare your description with the text.
Writing 14
Exercise 7
Write a description of an object which is well known to you but is not well known to your
classmates. You may add a drawing to complete your description.
When you have written your description, exchange it with that of another student. Read his
description carefully. Then add to it any questions about the object which you feel are still
unanswered.
SECTION 2 PRACTISING THE LANGUAGE NEEDED

The descriptions above may appear in technical or scientific texts; more often descriptions appear as part of other
text types, such as letters, advertisements and reports.
Look at the model descriptions below and consider in which source texts they may have appeared.
A - Mr Denis sent us this report of a sighting of a flying saucer: It was long, round, cigar-
shaped, and had several curious markings on the bottom. It seemed very bright, and
hovered about 20 feet above the ground...
B - These curtains are patchwork in design, and are made by stitching lots of different
squares of material together in interesting colour combinations. Each curtain is about
six feet long, and they hang from an old wooden tail which has round wooden rings at
intervals along it. The wood is dark, and the predominant colours in the curtains are
white, light green, and russets, browns, and oranges.
c Vale Cottage is a roomy, 17th Century building, roughly an L-shape, built of limestone
with walls about 22” thick. There are four downstairs rooms, and three up, including
an attic room. The exterior has been painted off-white, and is rough in appearance...
LANGUAGE NOTES
When you describe objects you need language in the following categories:
measurements (e.g. width, height, length, depth, area, volume, weight)
shape (geometric, e.g. triangular, oval; informally-expressed, egg-shaped)
colour (pure, e.g. yellow, purple; combinations, e.g. reddy-brown; gradations, eg lightish
green, off-white)
texture of surfaces (eg smooth, ridged, bumpy)
pattern and decoration (e g floral, striped, criss-crossed)
material (e g wooden, brass, denim)
physical properties (e g transparent, hard, brittle, combustible)
position (part, e.g. bottom, end, upper-edge; relational position, e.g. on, by, near, inside)
Other categories that could be useful concern the notions of value, quality, use, and sensory
impressions.
W r it in g 15
Jolly, D., (1986) Writing Tasks, CUP, Avon, (teacher’s book)
1 Complete these descriptive sentences:
measurements The box is 25 cm __________ ,6 cm __________ and.

has a __________ of 6 cm
weight and This cheese __________ half a kilogram; the ham is 200 grams in
volume __________ .
A normal English milk bottle __________ about ½ litre of milk.
colour Some roses are a pale __________ colour, some deep __________ and others yellowy-__________.
shape These earrings are __________ -shaped.

A tennis ball is __________; an egg is __________.
material The blade of a spade is __________ steel;

the handle is usually __________ .
pattern I have one __________ shirt, one __________ shirt, and the rest
are __________, without a pattern.
sensory There is nothing in this box - it sounds __________
The surface of an apple feels __________ and it smells __________.
condition Monthly magazines often have __________ covers.
There are holes in my shoes; they are __________ . I need to get some __________ ones.
use A wooden spoon __________ stirring soups, serving salads and making bread.
capacity The aerial on a radio __________ extended when needed.
2 Look at the picture of the box below and then say where the numbered points are:
eg. 1 - in the top left-hand corner on the front
2 - in the middle of the right-hand end
3 _________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
4_________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
5 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Practice 1
A Describe this tea set for a possible buyer over the internet who has asked for a full description.
Writing 16
B Describe this rocking chair for a possible buyer over the internet who has asked for a full
description .Write between 200 and 250 words nd in one paragraph
Practice 2
A You accidentally left your hair-dryer, or your shaver, or your calculator, or your small radio
with a friend in another town. Write her a description of it so that she can find it. (between 200 and
250 words)
B You have just seen this unusual fish. Write a description of it so that an expert will be able to
identify the fish. (between 200 and 250 words)
C Write a description of this four-wheeled vehicle to convince an exhibitor that it is worth

presenting it in an old cars exhibition. (between 200 and 250 words)
W r it in g 17
5.1 Reporting Incidents and Events
Read the three paragraphs below and make a list of the expressions and words used to
mark links. Divide the links into the three types above
2 Our local school recently put on Cinderella as a play and invited the Mayor of the town to see it. After the
performance, the distinguished guest went backstage. She congratulated the young actors and actresses. She spoke
to Henry who played the part of Charming Prince and Liz, who played the part of Cinderella. The Mayor asked
Liz if she would enjoy being a princess when she married Prince Charming and she blushed and giggled. The
Mayor congratulated the Fairy God-mother and, of course, the teacher who produced the play, Miss Jones. Miss
Jones was very pleased because she had worked hard to put on the play with a company of eleven-year-olds. The
Mayor then approached us and said, ‘Excellent ... excellent ... and ...-er ... you must be the Ugly Sisters!’ ‘No,
ma’am!’ we cried. ‘We’re the children’s mothers!’
3 Mrs May, our District Nurse, was driving home at 3 am. one night after an urgent visit to a sick patient. She was driving along a
deserted country lane, when she saw a new kind of animal. She stopped her car and got out. The animal was clearly visible in the blaze of
her headlights. It looked like a hedgehog with a tall white hat. It was crossing the road without paying any attention to Mrs May. When Mrs
May went close to it, she noticed that there was a plastic yoghurt pot on the hedgehog’s head. The poor creature had got its head stuck in
the plastic pot! Her instincts as a nurse told her she would have to rescue it, so she pulled at the pot, but the hedgehog pulled too. After a
struggle, she pulled the pot off the hedgehog’s head. Mrs May thought the hedgehog looked rather sad, when she noticed that t he pot was
half full of strawberry yoghurt. Quick as a flash, she gave it back to the hedgehog. The creature seized it, put it on its he ad again, and
triumphantly continued its journey across the road.
Writing 18
Being dramatic! Stephens, M. (1993) Practise Advanced Writing, Longman, Singapore
We sometimes start a sentence with phrases like this when we want to give a sense of drama.
Like lightning, his legs bounded him upright.
1 Work with your partner to match the following:

a) Not daring to move, i) the thought hit him that Vat must have fired the shot.
b) With hardly a sound, ii) she stared in horror at the snake, now only feet away.
c) Never stopping to look back, iii) the fire brigade arrived and got the fire under control.
d) In the nick of time, iv) he crept into the silent room.
e) Like a bolt from the blue, v) she ran desperately through the tangled undergrowth.
2 Complete the following in a suitable way.

a) Quick as a flash, he ________________
b) Without stopping to think, she _________
c) Hardly daring to breathe, he _______________
d) In barely a whisper, she ____________
e) Without a word of warning, he ______________
Can you think of any similar phrases?
3 We can use inversion to make sentences more dramatic. Change the sentences below, in
the same way.
Hardly had he got his breath back, when the horse appeared again.
a) She’d never heard a dog howl like that before.
Never before __________________________________________________________________________________
b) The sound of tapping had barely stopped when a new sound began.
Barely __________________________________________________________________________________
c) I heard the footsteps again. I’d scarcely reached the corner.
Scarcely __________________________________________________________________________________.
d) He reached the top of the hill. The storm broke.
Hardly __________________________________________________________________________________
e) He shouldn’t be told under any circumstances.
Under no circumstances ________________________________________________________________________
Connecting sentences
The sentences below come from a very different style of text. Work with your partner to put
them into the correct order. The underlined words should help you to do this. Where do
you think the story comes from: a novel, a police report, a newspaper, a letter? Give
reasons for your answer.
a) ‘All the same, I keep wondering what would have happened if it had been a child or a pensioner
instead of me.’
b) She ran round to the other side of her car but, to her horror, she saw that they were following her.
c) The owner voiced the same fears although she claimed that the dogs had never attacked anyone
prior to this incident.
d) He popped into some public toilets as the couple were about to drive home.
e) ‘She brought them to heel very quickly and was very apologetic’, said Mrs Kirtland.
f) A terrified housewife fought off an attack by two Alsatians with her handbag yesterday.
g) The nightmare finally ended when the dogs’ owner — believed to be a holiday-maker — called the
Alsatians off.
W r it in g 19
h) She then hit out at them with her handbag but they went for that as well.
i) Nevertheless, she plans to have both of them put down in the near future, rather than risk a second
and possibly more tragic occurrence.
j) Then, out of nowhere, two ferocious dogs appeared and went straight for her.
k) Meanwhile, Mrs Kirtland walked on towards the car.
I) The dogs suddenly went for Mrs Jan Kirtland (47) at Milford while she was out for a walk with her
husband, Bruce.
Coe, N., Rycroft, R. and Ernest, P., (1996) Writing Skills, Cambridge: CUP.(p.80)
8.5 FIRST AND LAST SENTENCES

It is important to make the reader interested in what we write with a good beginning sentence. This sentence,
besides, must be the main idea of the paragraph.
Another important sentence is the last one. Being the ending point of the incident or event, this sentence must
give the reader a sense of completion.
In the following paragraph the first and last sentences are missing. Working in groups of
two or three, choose the most suitable suggestion from the ones given below. Then
compare your answers with those of other groups.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
We got to London at about 10 o’clock, and they were at the station to meet us. We got the tube, and chatted all the
way to South Kensington. That’s where the museums are, and we had already decided that we wanted to go there.
So Rosemary went to the Science Museum with Uncle Peter, and I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum with
Aunt Jill. Aunt Jill explained lots of interesting things to me, and apparently Rosemary had a good time, too. When
we came out, though, we were all tired and hungry, and they took us to a super French restaurant nearby. In the
afternoon we were still too tired to walk anywhere, so we went to the latest disaster film. It was ever so expensive
— Aunt Jill paid, thank goodness! — but the cinema was enormous, and the seats were really comfortable. If the
film hadn’t been exciting, I think I would have fallen asleep! After that we just had time to do a bit of shopping
before it was time to rush off back to the station. __________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
a) Rosemary and I sometimes go to London to visit our relatives, see the museums, and so on.
b) There are so many things to do in London, especially if you have relatives there.
c) Last Saturday Rosemary and I had a marvellous day in London with Aunt Jill and Uncle Peter.
d) Uncle Peter and Aunt Jill live in London, and they’re quite well off, I think.
Choices for last sentence:
e) Aunt Jill and Uncle Peter haven’t got any children of their own, but they are quite well off.
f) So, as you can see, it was a very interesting day in the capital for both of us.
g) That was the second time I’d been to London; the first time was two years ago.
h) The trains go about every hour, except on Sundays, and the journey takes an hour and a half.
Now, working individually, complete the following paragraph, for which you have only
the first and last sentences:
The best thing about my last holiday was the couple we met by accident on the beach. _________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________ I hope that gives you some idea why we enjoyed being with them so much.
Writing 20
W r it in g 21
Glossary
aide /ed/ n (esp US) assistant: the chief aides to the president.
Alsatian /l’sen/ n (US German shepherd) type of large smooth.haired dog like a wolf, often trained to help the police .
ash [] n (a) [C] tree commonly found in forests, with silver-grey bark and hard close-grained wood. (b) [U] its wood, used for tool
handles, etc.
avalanche /‘nvl:n/ n mass of snow, ice and rock that slides rapidly down the side of a mountain: Yesterday’s avalanche killed a
party of skiers and destroyed several trees. // (fig) We received an avalanche of letters in reply to our advertisement.
barge /b:/ n 1 large flat-bottomed boat for carrying goods and people on rivers, canals, etc. 2 large
ornamental rowing-boat for ceremonial occasions.
beat /bi:t/ v (pt beat, pp beaten/’bi:tn/) [Ipr, Tn, Tn.pr] hit (sb/sth) repeatedly, esp. with a stick: Somebody was beating at the door. // Who’s
beating the drum? // She was beating the carpet/beating the dust out of the carpet, ie removing dust from the carpet by
beating it.
bleach /bli:/ v [I, Tn] (cause sth to) become white or pale (by chemical action or sunlight): bones of animals
bleaching in the desert // bleach cotton, linen, etc // hair bleached by the sun.
bleak /bli:k/ adj (-er, -est) 1 (a) (of a landscape) bare; exposed; wind.swept: bleak hills, mountains, moors,
etc. (b) (of the weather) cold and dreary: a bleak winter day. 2 (fig) not hopeful or encouraging;
dismal; gloomy: a bleak outlook/ prospect // The future looks bleak. ‘ bleakly adv. bleakness n [U]
bound /baund/ v [Tn usu passive] form the boundary of (sth); limit: Germany is bounded on the west by France
and on the south by Switzerland. //The airfield is bounded by woods on all sides.
brass /br:s/ n 1[U] bright yellow metal made by mixing copper and zinc: [attrib] brass doorknobs, buttons // a brass foundry. 2[U] objects
made of brass, eg candlesticks, ornaments, etc: do/clean/polish the brass.
break out /breik ‘aut/ phr. v (of violent events) start suddenly: Fire broke out during the night. // Rioting broke out between rival
groups of fans. // War broke out in 1939. Cf outbreak n
brick /brk/ n [C, U] (usu rectangular block of) baked or dried clay used for building: a pile of bricks // houses built/made of red brick // a
brick wall
brittle /‘brtl/ adj hard but easily broken; fragile: as brittle as thin glass.
bumpy /’b mp/ adj (-ier/-iest) with an uneven surface: a bumpy road, track, etc
bustle /‘b sl/ v 1 [I, Ipr, Ip, Tn, Tn.pr, Tnp] (cause sb to) move busily and energetically (in the specified direction): bustling about in the
kitchen // She bustled the children off to school. 2 [I, Ipr] (with sth) be full of (noise, activity, etc): bustling streets // The city centre
was bustling with life.
cab /kb/ n driver’s compartment in a train, lorry or crane.
campus /‘kmps/ n (pl ~es) 1 grounds and buildings of a university or college: I lives on (the) campus. ie in a building within the
university grounds. 2(US) university or branch of a university: [attrib] campus life.
caw/k/ n harsh cry of a crow, rook or raven v [I] make this cry.
clamp /klmp/ n device for holding things tightly together, usu by means of a screw.
crack /krk/ v [I, Tn] (cause to) develop a crack (narrow opening:) or cracks: The ice cracked as I stepped onto it. // You can crack
this toughened glass, but you can’t break it. // She has cracked a bone in her arm. // a cracked mug.
crackle /‘krkl/ v [I] make small cracking sounds, as when dry sticks burn: a crackling campfire // The twigs crackled as we trod on
them. // (fig) The atmosphere crackled with tension as the two boxers stepped into the ring.
crawl /krl/ v [I, Ipr, Ip] (of traffic, vehicles, etc) move very slowly: The traffic crawled over the bridge in the rush-hour.
creak /kri:k/ v [I] make a harsh sound like that of an unoiled door-hinge, or badly-fitting floor-boards when trodden on: The wooden
cart creaked as it moved along. // the creaking joints of an old man. n such a sound.
crevice /‘krevis/ n narrow opening or crack in a rock, wall, etc.
criss-cross /‘krsks/ adj [attrib], adv with lines crossing each other: a criss-cross pattern, design, etc // electricity cables erected
criss-cross over the countryside.
v [I, Tn] form a criss-cross pattern (on sth): Railway lines criss-cross in a dense network. // Rivers criss-cross the
landscape
crow. /kr/ n any of various types of large black bird with a harsh cry..
crumble /‘kr mbl/ v [I, Ipr, Ip, Tn, Tnpr, Tnp] (sth) (into/to sth) (up) (cause sth to) be broken or rubbed into very small pieces: crumble
one’s bread, ie break it into crumbs // The bricks slowly crumbled in the long frost. // crumbling walls, ie that are breaking apart.
dachshund /‘dkshnd/ n type of small dog with a long body and short legs.
damp /dmp/ adj (-er, -est) not completely dry; slightly wet: damp clothes // a damp surface // Don’t sleep between damp sheets.
demonstration /,demn’stren/ n [C] (against/in favour of sb/sth) public, often organized, rally or march
protesting against or supporting sb/sth: a mass demonstration in support of the régime.
Writing 22
draw /dr/ v (pt drew /dru:/, pp drawn /drn/) [Ipr, Ip] move in the specified direction: The train drew in/into the station. // The car drew
slowly away from the kerb. // One horse drew further and further ahead. // A pilot boat drew alongside, ie next to a ship. // (fig)
Christmas is drawing near. // His life was drawing peacefully to its close.
drawbridge /‘drbr/ a bridge (esp formerly across the moat of a castle) that can be pulled up to stop people crossing: lower/raise
the drawbridge.
drum /dr m/ n (music) instrument consisting of a hollow round frame with plastic or skin stretched tightly across the open end(s) which is
struck with sticks or the hands: play the drum(s) in a band.
earldom /:ldm/ n rank of an earl (/:l/ n (fem countess) (title of a) British nobleman ranking between a marquis and a
viscount)
enduring /n’djr/ adj continuing in existence; lasting: enduring memories // an enduring peace // Her influence was the most
enduring of all.
epithet /‘epet/ n adjective or descriptive phrase that refers to the character or most important quality of sb/sth eg Alfred the Great,
Attila the Hun.
finger /fg(r)/ v [Tn] touch or feel (sth) with the fingers: She fingered the silk to feel its quality. // I don’t like eating food that’s been
fingered by someone else.
fire-guard /’fag:d/ n protective metal frame or grating round a fire in a room.
fireman /’famn/ n (pl -men /-mn/) person who tends the fire in a furnace, steam-engine, etc.
fit /ft/ [Tn, Tn-pr] A (on/to B); B with A supply sth and fix or put it into place: fit handles on the cupboards // fit the
cupboards with handles // The room was fitted with a new carpet.
flake /flek/ n small thin layer or piece, esp one that has broken off a surface or object; small loose bit: Scrape off all the loose flakes of
paint before redecorating. // snowflakes // soap-flakes.
flicker /‘flk(r)/ v [I] (of a light or flame) burn or shine unsteadily: All the lights flickered for a moment.
foul /fl/ adj having a bad smell or taste; dirty and disgusting: foul stagnant ponds / a foul rubbish dump / This medicine tastes foul
frame /frem/ n rigid structure of a piece of furniture, building, vehicle, etc which makes its shape and forms a support for its parts: the
frame of a cupboard, bed, rucksack // the frame of an aircraft, a car, etc
ghastly /‘g:stl/ adj (-ier,-iest) [usu attrib] causing horror or fear: a ghastly accident, experience, fright, murder.
glare /gle(r)/ n [U] strong unpleasant dazzling light: avoid the glare of the sun, of car headlights etc.
grate /gret/ n (metal frame for holding coal, etc in a) fireplace
greyhound /‘grehnd/ n large thin fast-running dog used in racing: [attrib] ‘greyhound racing
halt /hlt/ n [sing] temporary stop; interruption of progress: Work was brought/came to a halt when the
machine broke down.
hasty /‘hest/ adj (-ier, -iest) (a) said, made or done quickly or too quickly; hurried: a hasty departure, meal, farewell // hasty words
that are soon regretted. (b) [ pred] (in doing sth/to do sth) (of a person) acting quickly; too fast: You shouldn’t be too hasty in
deciding to get married. hastily adv. hastiness n
headlight /‘hedlt/ n (a) lamp at the front of a motor vehicle or railway engine. (b) beam from this: Driving without headlights at night
is illegal.
hearth /h:/ n 1 (a) floor of a fireplace: a fire burning in the hearth. (b) area in front of this: slippers warming on/by the hearth.
‘hearthrug n rug laid in front of a fireplace.
hive /hv/ n 1 (also ‘beehive) box or other container for bees to live in. 2 place full of busy people: a hive of activity/industry.
hoarse /hs/ adj (a) (of the voice) sounding rough and harsh. (b) (of a person) having a hoarse voice:He shouted himself hoarse.
hoarsely adv.
hover /‘hv(r)/ v [I, Ipr, Ip] (of birds, etc) remain in the air in one place: a hawk hovering above/over its prey // There was a helicopter
hovering overhead.
joy // n 1 [U] feeling of great happiness: the sheer joy of seeing you again after all these years // overcome with (a deep sense of joy //
to dance, jump, shout, etc for joy, ie because of feeling great joy. 2 [C] person or thing that makes one feel very happy: He is a great
joy to listen to. 0 one of the simple joys of life.
label /‘lebl/ n piece of paper, cloth, metal, etc on or beside an object and describing its nature, name, owner, destination, etc: put a label
on a piece of clothing, a specimen, one’s luggage // I read the information on the label before deciding which jam to buy
leatherette /,le’ret/ n [U] imitation leather.
lens /lenz/ n (pl -es) piece of glass or other transparent material with one or more curved surfaces used to make things appear clearer,
larger or smaller when viewed through it, and used in spectacles, cameras, telescopes, etc.
loom /lu:m/ v (a) [I, Ip] appear in an indistinct and often threatening way: an enormous shape looming (up) in the distance, out of the
darkness, through the mist, etc. (b) [La,I] (fig) appear important or threatening: The prospect of war loomed large in everyone’s
mind. // the looming threat of a strike.
mugger /’m g(r)/ n person who attacks and robs (sb) violently out of doors
W r it in g 23
off-white /,f ‘wat/ n, adj not pure white, but with a very pale grey or yellow tinge: paint a room off-white // off- white ‘paint.
perch /p:/ v [I, Ipr] (on sth) 1 (of a bird) come to rest or stay (on a branch, etc): The birds perched on the television aerial. 2. (of a
person) sit, esp on sth high or narrow: perch on high stools at the bar // perch dangerously on a narrow ledge // perch on the
edge of one’s seat.
pile /pail/ n [U] soft surface, eg of velvet or of certain carpets, formed from cut or uncut loops of fibre: the thick pile of a luxurious bath
towel // [attrib] deep pile carpet.
pin /pn/ v (-nn-) [Tn, Tn-pr, Tn-p] sth to sth; sth (together) attach sth with a pin or pins (short thin piece of stiff wire with a sharp point at
one end and a round head at the other, used for fastening together pieces): Be careful when you try on the dress— it’s only pinned. //
a note pinned to the document // Pin the bills together so you don’t lose them. // (fig) They held him with his arms pinned to his side
plaster /‘pl:st(r)/ n [U] soft mixture of lime, sand, water, etc that becomes hard when dry and is used for making a smooth surface on
walls and ceilings: The plaster will have to dry out before you can paint the room.
pull (sth) up /pl ‘ p/ phr.v. (cause a vehicle to) come to a halt (i.e. stop):The driver pulled up at the traffic lights
‘pull-up /’pl p/ (Brit) n place where vehicles may leave the road and park.
pursue /p:’sju:/ v [Tn] (fml) (continue to) be occupied or busy with (sth); go on with: She decided to pursue her studies after obtaining her
first degree./ I have decided not to pursue (ie investigate) the matter any further.
pussy willow /’pswl/ n willow tree with soft furry catkins.
rail /rel/ n level bar fixed to a wall for hanging things on: a ‘towel-rail, beside a wash basin / a ‘curtain rail.
reckless /‘rekls/ adj (of sth) (of people or their actions) not thinking of the consequences or of danger; rash or impulsive: a
reckless spender, gambler, etc // fined £100 for reckless driving // He’s quite reckless of his own safety.
recklessness n [U]
refurbish /ri:f:b / v [Tn] make (sth) clean or bright again; redecorate The flat will be refurbished for the new tenants.
ridge /r/ v [Tn] cover (sth) with or make (sth) into ridges: a slightly ridged surface.
n raised line where two sloping surfaces meet; narrow raised strip: the ridge of a roof // There are ridges on the soles to help
the boots grip the surface.
roar /r/ v [I, Ipr, Ip] make a long loud deep sound (like that made by a lion) tigers roaring in their cages // roar with laughter, pain, rage,
etc // He just roared (ie laughed loudly) when he heard that joke! // a roaring (ie large, bright and noisy) fire.
rug /r g/ n 1 thick floor mat (usu smaller than a carpet): a hearth-rug. 2 piece of thick warm fabric used as a blanket or covering: a
travelling rug, ie for covering a passenger’s knees in a car, etc.
russet /‘r st/ adj soft reddish-brown: russet autumn leaves.
scruffy /‘skr f/ adj (-ier, -iest) (infml) dirty and untidy: You can’t go to a job interview looking so scruffy!
shimmer /m/ n[U] shimmering light; light that shines with a soft light that seems to waver:the shimmer of pearls
short-change /,t-’en/ v [Tn] cheat (sb), esp by giving him less than the correct change
shreds /’red/ n 1 (esp pl) strip or piece torn, cut or scraped from sth: The jacket was torn to shreds by the barbed wire. 2 . of sth (usu
sing, in questions and negative sentences) (fig) small amount of sth: not a shred of truth in what she says // Can they find a
shred of evidence against me?
shrink (away/ back) from sth/sb /’rk/ v (pt shrank /’rk/ or shrunk /’rk/ pp shrunk) phr v move back or withdraw
from sth/sb, esp through fear or disgust: As he moved threateningly forward she shrank (back) from him.:
sidle /‘sadl/ v [Ipr, Ip] up/over (to sb/sth); along, past, away, etc move (in the specified direction) furtively,
or as if shy or nervous: sidling up to the bar // She sidled over to me and asked if I recognized her. // He sidled past, trying
to seem casual.
slide /slad/ n 1 [C] glass plate on which sth is placed so that it can be looked at under a microscope.
smash (sth) against, into, through, etc /sm/ (pr v) (cause sth to) move with great force into, against etc, sth: The car smashed into the
wall // The elephant smashed through the trees. // She smashed the hammer down onto the box
smooth /smu:/ adj (-er, -est) having an even surface without points, lumps, bumps, etc; not rough: a smooth skin // a smooth road // a
smooth sheet of ice // a smooth sea, ie calm, free from waves // Marble is smooth to the touch, ie feels smooth when
touched.
smoulder /‘sml(r)/ v [I] burn slowly without flame: a cigarette smouldering in the ashtray // (fig) Hate smouldered inside him. //
She smouldered silently with jealousy, ie did not express it openly.
snatch /sn/ v [I, Ipr, Tn, Tn-pr, Tn-p] (try to) seize (sth/sb) quickly and sometimes rudely; grab: It’s rude to snatch // She snatched the
letter from me/out of my hand. // The baby had been snatched from its pram. // He snatched up his gun and fired
snooze /snu:z/ v [I] (infml) take a short sleep (esp during the day); doze: Dad was snoozing by the fire.
stake /stek/ n [C] strong wood or metal stick, pointed at one end, that can be driven into the ground, eg to support a young tree, as a
post for a fence, etc or as a marker.
Writing 24
stuff /st f/ v (a) [Tn, Tnpr, Tnp] sth (up) (with sth) fill sth tightly (with sth); cram sth (with sth): stuff a pillow (with feathers) // stuff up a
hole (with newspapers) // My nose is stuffed up, ie full of mucus. // (fig) Don’t stuff him with silly ideas. (b) [Tnpr, Tnp] . sth into sth/in
cram sth tightly into sth: sluff feathers into a pillow // She stuffed her clothes in and then tried to close the lid.
swarm /swm/ v 1 (a) [I, Ip] move in large numbers (in the specified direction): The guests swarmed round the tables where the food was
set out. // The crowd was swarming out through the gates. (b) [I] be present in (unpleasantly) large numbers: crowds
swarming in the streets.
swirl /sw:l/ n (of sth) swirling movement; eddy (i.e a movement with twists and turns and with varying speed): Dancers spun in a swirl
of skirts.
swivel ./‘swvl/ n (esp in compounds) link or pivot between two parts enabling one part to revolve without turning the other: a swivel-
chain, -hook // a swivel-choir, ie one that rotates.
v (-ll-) [I, Ip, Tn, Tn.p] . (sth) (round) (cause sth to) turn on or as if on a swivel: He swivelled (round) in his chair to face
us. // She swivelled the telescope (round).
tantalise /‘tntlaiz/ v [Tn] tease or torment (a person or an animal) by the sight of sth that is desired but cannot be reached: Give
the dog the bone- don’t tantalize him. / He was tantalized by visions of power and wealth tantalising adj: a
tantalizing smell of food.
tap /tp/ v (-pp-) [Tn, Tn.pr] sb/sth (with sth) knock gently on sb/sth: tap sb on the shoulder // He tapped the box with a stick.
thunder /’ nd(r)/ [Ipr, Ip] move in the specified direction making a loud noise: The train thundered through the station. // heavy lorries
thundering along, by, past, etc.
track /trk/ n set of rails for trains: a single/double track, ie one pair/two pairs of rails // The train left the track, ie was derailed.
tuck /t k/ v [Tnpr] put (sth) away compactly or tidily: The hen tucked her head under her wing. // tucked the map under his arm, into the
glove compartment.
turntable /’t:ntebl/ n flat round revolving surface on which gramophone records are played..
unergrowth /‘ ndgr/ (US underbrush) n [U] mass of shrubs, bushes, etc growing closely on the ground, esp under trees: clear a
path through the undergrowth.
wail /weil/ v 1 (a) [I, Ipr] (about/over sth) cry or complain (about sth) in a loud (usu shrill) voice: wail with grief // The sick child was
wailing miserably. // There’s no use wailing about/over mistakes made in the past. (b) [I] (fig) make a sound similar to that of a person
wailing: ambulances racing along with sirens wailing // You can hear the wind wailing in the chimney.
whitewash /‘whtw/ n 1 [U] powdered lime or chalk mixed with water, used for painting 2 [C, U] (fig) (process of) hiding sb’s errors,
faults, etc: The opposition dismissed the report as a whitewash.
v [Tn] 1 put whitewash on (a wall, etc): whitewash the outside of the cottage. 2 try to make (sb, sb’s reputation, etc)
appear blameless by hiding errors, faults, etc.
yell /jel/ n loud sharp cry of pain, excitement, etc: a yell of terror // let out an ear-splitting yell.
ziggurat /’zigurt/ n a type of rectangular temple tower or tiered mound erected by the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians in
Mesopotamia. The tower of Babel is thought to be one of these.
Bookshops
Check the following websites for addresses and phone numbers
Kel Ediciones www.kelediciones.com
SBS www.sbs.com.ar
Libraries
Biblioteca Lincoln - Maipú 686 - Tel: 4327-3626/3632 (Mon. to Fri. 10 -18) www.bcl.edu.ar
National Resources Centre for Teachers of English - Suipacha 1333 - 5th floor -
W r it in g 25
Thornbury, S., (2005), Beyond the Sentence,Oxford, Macmillan

Text Functions
[…] Various theories of language and context have been proposed, each identifying the contextual factors that
most significantly affect the language choices involved in text production and interpretation. Most theorists
agree that a key factor determining the structure and language in a text is its function. In fact, Michael
Halliday (the father of functional grammar) defined text as 'language that is functional. By functional, we
simply mean language that is doing some job in some context, as opposed to isolated words or sentences that I
might put on the blackboard.’
[…] Various systems have been devised to itemize and classify key language functions. Here, for example, is
one such list of 'macro-functions', that is, the larger functions under which more specific functions are
subsumed:
1 referring — that is, using language to convey or solicit information
2 expressing feelings — for example, saying what you like or dislike
3 regulating — using language to influence people and get things done, such as requesting,
ordering, giving or refusing permission, promising, warning, etc
4 interacting — using language to establish and maintain social relations (also called the social or
interpersonal function)
5 playing — using language imaginatively and playfully.
Context and Register

[…] Of all the possible components of the context that might impact on the language choices in text
production, just three seem to be particularly significant:
• the what of the situation —what kind of social activity is going on, and about what sort of topic
(what is called the FIELD)
• the who of the situation—the participants, their relationship and so on (what is called the TENOR)
• the how of the situation — the means by which the text is being created, eg e-mail, fact-to-face
talk, broadcast talk, written monologue and so on (what is called the MODE).
These three contextual dimensions — field, tenor and mode — determine what is called the register of the
resulting text. That is to say, different configurations of these dimensions demand different kinds of choices
at the level of grammar and vocabulary, and these choices create textual effects that we recognize as being
Writing 26
appropriate to the context of the text's use. Thus, the register of a teenage magazine allows for such words as
prezzie and snog that would be inappropriate in a children's encyclopedia or in academic correspondence, for
example. By the same token, you would not expect expressions like ladies and gentlemen..., are kindly
requested to..., we would also be pleased if..., on a teabag wrapper.
Let's look at an example of register at work. I once sent an article to a prestigious academic journal and was
pleased to get the following e-mailed response from the journal's editor:
The field in which the text is situated is very generally academic publishing and accounts for the presence of
words such as spring issue, disk copy, production purposes, word processing program.
The tenor is very formal, even frozen, influenced by the fact that neither of the participants have met, nor
know much about each other's status. By addressing me as Professor Thornbury, the writer avoids causing
any offence, in case I am indeed a professor (which I am not). The use of highly indirect and modalized
language (ie language using modal verbs such as would, could) is another way of creating a safe distance.
The mode is e-mail communication, usually a rather informal medium, but the writer uses the conventions of
a formal letter, again, just to be on the safe side.
In my reply, while the field and mode remain the same, I seem to deliberately have adjusted the tenor, opting
for a less formal wording, but still maintaining some of the conventions of a formal letter, eg in the address
form and the closing:
The response is quite startling in the degree to which the writer has picked up on the adjustment to the tenor:
The text is much more in keeping with the informality of e-mail communication (including uncorrected errors
of punctuation). But, of course, it would not have been appropriate to have initiated the exchange in this
style. Nor could the adjustment to tenor have occurred had the writer not been sensitive to the signs I sent
out. This is a good example of how register is both jointly negotiated and in a constant state of flux. Needless
to say, this can present enormous difficulties to writers — such as learners of English o— who are not
familiar with the conventions, or cannot easily recognize the subtle indicators of register adjustment.
W r it in g 27
Genres
We have seen how the context variables of field, tenor and mode interact to determine the register of the text,
realized in choices at the level of words and grammar. Through repeated use, certain register combinations
become institutionalized and are called genres. The term genre originally came from literary studies, but its
meaning has been extended to mean any frequently occurring, culturally-embedded, social process which
involves language. Take formal letters, for instance. If you look back at [ the first letter on the previous page],
you'll see how the conventions of the formal letter genre have been replicated in an e-mail. These conventions
are quickly abandoned in subsequent messages […] — due to the fact that the mode (e-mail) allows a great
deal more informality than traditional 'snail mail' type correspondence. […]
Writing 28
1) These were the verses the White Rabbit read:
‘They told me you had been to her, If I or she should chance to be
And mentioned me to him: Involved in this affair,
She gave me a good character, He trusts to you to set them free,
But said I could not swim. Exactly as we were.
He sent them word I had not gone, My notion was that you had been
(We know it to be true): (Before she had this fit)
If she should push the matter on, An obstacle that came between
What would become of you? Him, and ourselves, and it.
I gave her one, they gave him two, Don’t let him know she liked them best,
You gave us three or more; For this must ever be
They all returned from him to you, A secret, kept from all the rest,
Though they were mine before. Between yourself and me.’
Carroll, L. “Alice in Wonderland” (Ch.12)
2) Try putting the following jumbled text in the correct order. Note: there is an extra sentence that does not belong.
a) Inside its round fruits, called bolls, are masses of white fibres.
b) But, in the cotton fields, the bolls are picked before this can happen.
c) Pure copper is very soft
d) Cotton grows best in warm, wet lands, including Asia, the southern United States, India, China, Egypt and Brazil.
e) Cotton is a very useful plant.
f) When the fruits ripen, they split and the fibres are blown away.
What clues did you use to help you unjumble the text?
3) In this extract identify where possible the ‘referent’ (i.e. the thing referred to) of each of the words underlined.
What kinds of words are they?
“Hale knew, before he had been in Brighton three hours, that they meant to murder him...” That, as it happens, is
the opening of Brighton Rock, but turn up the opening lines of the rest of his books and they won’t disappoint you.
Graham Greene, who died yesterday, rich in years and rich in honour, was first of all a storyteller...
(from ‘Odd genius out’ in The Bedside Guardian 1991)
4) Can you categorise these words according to their logical function by putting them into the chart below?
However Even so Therefore Then On the other hand Later
Also Meanwhile Moreover So As a result Hence First
Addition Contrast Cause/Effect Time sequence
5) Using it is a piece of cake

The MT-20 offers you the most effortless way to operate a GSM mobile phone.
The revolutionary four-way rocker switch makes scrolling and controlling it as easy as pie. And it’s helped the MT-
20 win universal approval. Apart from the easy controls, it has all the functions you’d expect from the most advanced
digital phone. And several you wouldn’t. Like taking memos, receiving text messages, keeping your diary and
recognising callers.
They make the MT-20 seem more like a complete communications centre than a mobile phone.
No wonder reviewers have singled it out for special acclaim.
Pick one up at your nearest Mitsubishi dealer right away.
You’d have to be half-baked not to.
(reprinted by permission of Mitsubishi Electric Europe B. V. and CPS Golley Slater)
Lecturer: Lic. Alicia de Paz
Teacher Training Course : Written Discursive Practices I
Translation Course: EDI I (Use of the English Language)
LSCI
(2018)

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W r it in g 1

BASIC GUIDELINES FOR PARAGRAPHS

Choices for first sentence:

3 Either Written Discursive Practices I or Use of the English Language

Write the description in

Write the description in between

Write one of the descriptions suggested

Writing Task No. 1 – Describing Human Scenes – Practice 1

7 Stephens, M. (1993) Practise Advanced Writing, Longman, Singapore

8 Hamp-Lyons, L. and Heasley, B. (1992) Study Writing, Musselburgh, CUP

It consists of a cylindrical wooden frame and two circular plastic

It consists of a cylindrical wooden frame and two circular plastic

It consists of a cylindrical wooden frame and two circular plastic

SECTION 1 PLANNING A DESCRIPTION

Study this picture of a microscope. What

Useful language Consist of, comprise, etc.

Copy and complete this

SECTION 2 PRACTISING THE LANGUAGE NEEDED

measurements The box is 25 cm __________ ,6 cm __________ and.

shape These earrings are __________ -shaped.

material The blade of a spade is __________ steel;

C Write a description of this four-wheeled vehicle to convince an exhibitor that it is worth

5.1 Reporting Incidents and Events

1 Work with your partner to match the following:

2 Complete the following in a suitable way.

8.5 FIRST AND LAST SENTENCES

Thornbury, S., (2005), Beyond the Sentence,Oxford, Macmillan

Context and Register

5) Using it is a piece of cake

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measurements The box is 25 cm ,6 cm and.