Writing Skills
Article Address the reader directly, using a colloquial approach: make questions, use first and second person, phrasal verbs and contractions. Did you know that…? What would you do if…? Personally, I can’t imagine anything worse! Give specific examples or quotations: As Mrs X… explained… Give your article a heading which makes the subject clear and catches the reader’s attention. Begin with an interesting introduction- an example or a question. End with an overall comment or concluding remark. Headings: • a dramatic word or phrase: Freezing! • a summary of the story: My Lone Walk to the North Pole; Rescue from the Rapids. • a question: What’s the big idea? ; Just a normal day? • a surprising fact: You’re already equipped to prevent crime.
O’Connell, Sue: Focus On FC. Longman (2004)
Describe someone you (don’t) get on well with Who he/she is How you met Why this person is special
Appearance and style of clothing: Comment, give examples Character, likes & dislikes Activities, job, studies
Overall appreciation, sum up your feelings about him / her.
Adjectives describing character (always say why / give examples) tactful supportive self-demanding relaxed talkative
• • • • • •
sensitive easy-going stubborn reliable thoughtful
How long for have you known this person? Does she often give you /ask for advice? Does she like to follow the latest fashion? Is she good at keeping secrets / telling stories / jokes? Is she fun to be with? Do you share likes/dislikes, beliefs/values?
Formal letters Formal register: No contractions No phrasal verbs No direct speech, use indirect questions if necessary. One-word number should be written out. Two-word numbers should be expressed in figures. twenty, 24 see: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/10-rules-for-writingnumbers-and-numerals/
If you start the letter: Dear Sir or Madam, you should finish: Yours faithfully If you start: Dear Mr (Smithers), finish: Yours sincerely
Letter of Complaint Formal register: No contractions No phrasal verbs No direct speech, use indirect questions if necessary. If you start the letter: Dear Sir or Madam, you should finish: Yours faithfully If you start: Dear Mr (Smithers), finish: Yours sincerely Useful vocabulary: I am writing to complain about… / to say that I am not happy with… (In the brochure) you said that… In fact, … The information … is misleading. My first / second complaint is that… The problems did not stop there. To make matters worse… To my surprise / disappointment… Furthermore…
Narrative writing Who, where and when Background: past continuous to set the scene Opening sentence should be gripping
The blackout in Barcelona happened on a typical autumn night in 1999, about ten o’clock. I was writing an email, my husband was reading a book and my daughter was watching a science fiction film on TV. Suddenly, all the lights in the house went out. ‘Just when the film was getting interesting!’, my daughter said…
What happened: events in clear sequence Use a variety of past tenses: past simple for main plot past perfect for events that happened beforehand Use direct speech for variety and interest. Use a wide range of adjectives and adverbs. Five minutes later, we were listening to the radio. Perhaps the whole system had collapsed because towns like Gerona and Tarragona, a hundred kilometres away, were also blacked out.
Ending to explain the final result or to amuse or surprise the reader. The experts couldn’t discover the cause of the failure until the next day, but for a long time my daughter was convinced that the Martians had landed on Earth.
Time links before… after… by the time… Meanwhile, … As soon as …
Later …. After that… Afterwards, … Eventually, … In the end, …
Website review You have seen this notice in an English language magazine. Is there a website you particularly like using? If so, could you write a review of it? Tell us what you use it for and why you like it, and mention anything you don’t find quite so useful. We’d also like to know who you’d recommend the site to. Structure • • • •
The website and reasons for using it Useful features Features the writer does not find useful Recommendation
Look at the following example: What adjectives are used to describe the positive features? Which words are used to modify adjectives? Which adverbs of frequency are used? I love reading and listening to music and if I can’t find what I’m looking for locally, I normally buy it from Amazon. The prices are always extremely competitive and the service is fast and efficient: sometimes a book or CD can arrive within a few days of ordering it! What I find particularly useful about the website are the customer reviews, which are usually very informative. There are often several of these for one book or CD, so you get a fairly good idea of what something is like. I also like the fact that Amazon send you recommendations for what to buy next, based on the books or music you have already ordered. They sell a range of other items too, including cameras, domestic appliances and sports equipment. Personally, I prefer going to shops for those kinds of things, but friends of mine use the site to buy clothes or electronic goods. I’d recommend the site to anyone who shares my interests. It’s especially handy if, like me, you live in a rural area and can’t get into town very often. Source: ReadyforFCEWBp.56
A suggestion for shy new reviewers If you are inexperienced at web design and somewhat new at computers, you make a perfect candidate to test an interface. You don't have to make brilliant comments about the javascript, just tell them exactly what you thought of the site from your perspective. Does the front page make you want to click in further? Are you confused when you first see the navigation and menu system or does your eye flow to the most important parts first? Are things generally where you expect them to be? Tell the developer whether the site loads quickly enough for your hardware configuration. When you click on a link, is it what you expected to be on the next page, or not? If it's not, tell the owner what you thought you were going to see- this is very important for the designer to be able to get a fresh view on how the navigation works. Can you find your way around and then back to the start again? Are the search facilities appropriate for the site? Imagine yourself as the site's target audience and tell the designer whether you think the colours and graphics are appropriate for the audience. Is the kids’ site colourful and lively or dull and grey? Is the tax advice site using too much flash and graphics that people wanting tax advice don't care about? These are just a few thoughts on how you can review a few sites from an end user's perspective instead of a developer's. Source: http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/website-reviews-12/read-these-guidelines-beforeposting-744418.html
Also useful: http://www.greatwebsiteguide.com/