Et NEW EDITIONS S O P H I A Z A P H I R O P O U L O S

<C°c<5> 4^

Introduction

I N T R O D U C T I O N

New Fowler Proficiency Writing Skills I is the first part of a

two-part course which aims to teach the techniques students require to attempt any of the variations among t h e s ix f o r m s o f w r i t i n g t a s k s e t i n t h e r e v i s e d Cambridge Proficiency examination. Approximately one third of the material in Writing Skills has been revised for this book. All the other material in this book is new. Eleven of the twenty units consist of t w o facing pages, and should, under normal circumstances, be completed in a l e sson , with a writing task to be d o n e later in approximately one hour, the time allowed for it in the examination. In the remaining nine units of four pages, t w o lessons will normally be required.

T h e c h a n g e s i n t h e e x a m i n a t i o n

The biggest change in the writing paper of the revised

Cambridge Proficiency examination is that it now has

t w o parts, as do FCE and CAE.

P a r t I cons is t s of a compul sory quest ion comprising i n s t r u c t i o n s and a t e x t o r t e x t s w h i c h p r o v i d e candidates with a clear contex t . There is always m o r e t h a n o n e p o i n t t o a d d r e s s i n t h i s q u e s t i o n , and candidates should learn to identify t h e s e points and e n s u r e t h a t t h e y c o v e r t h e m w h e n wr i t ing . T h e quest ion is discursive, and candidates are e x p e c t e d to wri te o n e of the following:

an article

an essay

a letter

a proposal

I n P a r t 2 , c a n d i d a t e s c h o o s e o n e q u e s t i o n c o m p r i s i n g i n s t r u c t i o n s w h i c h g i v e c a n d i d a t e s guidance to the context . In order to be successful in Part 2, candidates should be c o m p e t e n t at narrating, analysing, hypothes i s ing , descr ibing, giving reasons , p e r s u a d i n g , judging p r i o r i t i e s , eva luat ing , making r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s , g i v i n g i n f o r m a t i o n and summarising. Candidates are e x p e c t e d to wri te o n e of the following, from a choice of three:

an article

a letter

a proposal

a review

a report

For t h o s e candidates w h o have studied o n e o f the t h r e e s e t t e x t s , Q u e s t i o n 5 c o n s i s t s o f t h r e e quest ions , o n e for each of the s e t t ex t s . Candidates are required to wri te o n e of the following:

an article

an essay

a letter

a review

a report

The t ime limit (2 hours) and length of writing tasks

(300-350 words) , remain unchanged.

T e a c h i n g w r i t i n g skills

It is important for students to understand that while credit is given to Proficiency candidates for their use of s t r u c t u r e and v o c a b u l a r y , t h e s e are n o t t h e only considerations to be taken into account; organisation and the relevance of the answer to the task are at least equal ly impor tant . Di f ferent wr i t ing tasks requ ire s p e c i f i c t e c h n i q u e s t o deal w i t h t h e m , and s u c h techniques can be taught effectively through mode l s written within the capacity of a good student that can be analysed, imitated and practised. These models are supported with revision of the necessary grammatical structures and lexical items by means of accompanying exercises and the reference section and the appendix at the end.

D o i n g j u s t i c e t o o n e s e l f i n a n e x a m i n a t i o n The Proficiency examination requires a considerably more sophisticated use of English than First Certificate and the difference be tween these t w o levels is often underestimated by students. The difference, however, is n o t so much a m a t t e r of using m o r e c o m p l i c a t e d s t r u c t u r e s or a w i d e r range of v o c a b u l a r y as o f providing an a n s w e r relevant to the q u e s t i o n , well organised in good, clear sentences and paragraphs. The range o f q u e s t i o n s o p e n t o t h e e x a m i n e r i s considerable, as indicated by the contents pages of this book, but learning the right technique to deal with each is half the battle. Therefore , it is r e c o m m e n d e d that students pay particular attention to the tips provided throughout the book. These consist of practical advice on what to do and what not to do in a given situation and should make it possible for students w h o take it to do justice to themselves in the exam.

Contents

U N I T P A R T T E C H N I Q U E M O D E L S R E V I S I O N P A G E

S E C T I O N I : A R T I C L E S

I 2 Describing and narrating What a difference!

Close friends again

Tenses

Used to and would

I Taking sides Who's freedom? Theirs or ours? 10

I Balancing an argument Computers: a dream or a nightmare? Connectors and modifiers:

balancing an argument

14

I Providing solutions Too many people, not enough earth Conditionals

Preserving the planet for future Should, ought to and would

generations

16

S E C T I O N 2 : L E T T E R S

5 2 Complaining Semi formal: A resident's concerns

Formal: An official complaint

18

2 Giving information A letter of welcome to

exchange students

20

2 Making suggestions Preserving and restoring a town Articles

Improving a town Should

24

I Giving opinions Young people on the streets Conditionals 26

S E C T I O N 3 : E S S A Y S

Comparing Public and private transport in the city Connectors and modifiers

Responding to generalisations Relation between national

character and climate

Articles

30

32

I i I Providing information The importance to good health

Alternative medicine

Connectors and modifiers 34

Contents

U N I T P A R T T E C H N I Q U E M O D E L S R E V I S I O N P A G E

S E C T I O N 4 : P R O P O S A L S

12 2 Applying for funds

13 Assessing choices

14 Evaluating a situation

IS 2

16 2

Reviewing a book

Reviewing a film

Assessing facilities

2 Assessing suitability

20 2 Giving information

R e f e r e n c e s e c t i o n

A p p e n d i x

CPE W r i t i n g S h e e t s

First aid facilities at the

Five Oaks Sports Centre

Spending the proceeds

of a summer fair

Decline in local tourism

A college newspaper

S E C T I O N 5 : R E V I E W S

Not without my daughter

Castaway

2 Reviewing a restaurant/hotel The Willows

S E C T I O N 6 : R E P O R T S

The Majestic Hotel

The Jorvik Viking Centre

A college film club

Passive voice

Should

Conditionals

Tenses in 'timeless' time

Tenses in 'timeless' time

Phrases in apposition

Compound adjectives

Connectors and modifiers:

developing an argument

3 8

4 2

4 6

5 0

5 2

5 4

5 8

6 0

6 2

6 4

7 0

7 2

Articles Describing and narrating

In this article, Martin Fraser describes his return to a small t o w n in England after an absence of 25 years. Read the article and c o m p l e t e the exerc ises that follow.

L

What a difference] W h e n I was a boy I u s e d to s p e n d a

f o r t n i g h t e v e r y s u m m e r w i t h m y a u n t

El izabe th in Leabury , a small town in the

M i d l a n d s . B u t twenty-f ive yea r s ago s h e

re t i red and m o v e d to the seaside , and I did

n o r r e t u r n u n t i l I h a d t o g o t h e r e o n

business last week.

My aun t ' s h o u s e was on the outski r ts

of t he town so I often used to r ide ou t into

t he count ry on my bicycle. I would follow

t h e L o n d o n r o a d for a m i l e o r two a n d

t h e n b r a n c h off for a c i rcular t o u r of t he

n e i g h b o u r i n g vi l lages , even tua l ly f inding

m y w a y b a c k b y t h e o t h e r m a i n r o a d .

A b o u t a mile f rom h o m e t h e r e was a small

p o n d with ducks swimming on it. I used to

s top the re to watch t h e m and skim s tones

a c r o s s t h e w a t e r . B e y o n d t h e p o n d was

Hayward ' s F a r m , with cows grazing in the

f ields, a n d t h e n I w o u l d c o m e d o w n t h e

hill in to t h e t own a n d t u r n r ight in to my

aun t ' s r oad to comple t e the circuit.

T h e r e h a v e obv ious ly b e e n c h a n g e s

since I was a boy bu t I was no t p r e p a r e d

for many of those I saw last week . F o r o n e

th ing , t h e m o t o r w a y t h a t pas ses c lose t o

t h e t o w n a c t u a l l y g o e s o v e r t w o o f t h e

villages I used to r ide to . As you c o m e into

Leabury , you no l onge r pass a farm with

cows grazing in the fields. A vast hous ing

e s t a t e s t r e t c h e s f r o m t h e m o t o r w a y t o

what used to be the outskir ts .

T h e c e n t r e o f t h e t o w n h a s b e e n

e n t i r e l y t r a n s f o r m e d . T h e o ld b u i l d i n g s

have b e e n knocked down and the re is a big

s h o p p i n g c e n t r e w i t h a m u l t i - s t o r e y ca r

pa rk bes ide it. T h e r e a re no family shops

i n t h e m a i n s t r e e t n o w , o n l y t h e s a m e

off ices, s t o r e s a n d fas t - food r e s t a u r a n t s

you find everywhere . T h e old town used to

have a c h a r a c t e r of its o w n b u t now it is

like any o t h e r p lace in Eng land .

On t h e way b a c k , I w e n t t o s e e my

a u n t ' s o l d h o u s e , t h o u g h I h a r d l y

recognised i t a t first. T h e p re sen t owners

h a v e p a i n t e d i t b r igh t ye l low so i t l o o k s

like a big ja r of mus ta rd . I shook my head

in disbelief a n d t u r n e d towards h o m e . But

j u s t b e f o r e I r e a c h e d t h e m o t o r w a y , I

sudden ly saw s o m e t h i n g famil iar , a l i t t le

p o n d with a wall r o u n d it, s ome ducks, and

t w o b o y s s k i m m i n g s t o n e s a c r o s s t h e

w a t e r . A t l e a s t s o m e t h i n g s h a v e n o t

changed .

Articles Describing and narrating

2 This article refers to four separate t imes:

A 25 or more years ago, when the writer was a boy B last week, when he visited the town again

C the present moment D some time or period of time in between his childhood and now

Study Reference section 12 on page 68 and Reference section 14 on page 69 and then answer these quest ions , writing the correc t letter of t ime reference (A, B, C or D) in the space, as in t h e example .

Which pe r iod or per iods a re re fer red to in:

a the first sen tence?

b the whole of t he second p a r a g r a p h ?

c the first sen tence of t he thi rd p a r a g r a p h ? a n d

d t he descr ip t ion of t he ent ry to t he town?

e the descr ipt ion in the fourth p a r a g r a p h ? and

f the wri ter ' s c o m m e n t s in the last p a r a g r a p h ? and

Which tenses (present , p resen t perfect or pas t ) or forms (used to , would) does the wri ter use to deal with each pe r iod?

B

C

D

3 Look at the pictures of Athens and w o r k with another m e m b e r of the class to decide what changes have taken place in the period of 70 years b e t w e e n the t imes w h e n the photographs w e r e taken.

W r i t e an article about changes that have taken place in o n e of the following in recent years:

a your n e i g h b o u r h o o d

b a p lace whe re you wen t on holiday as a child

c a city or country you first visited m a n y years ago and have seen again recent ly

Follow this plan of four stages (though there may be m o r e than four paragraphs):

1 Introduction, indicating the place and your association with it

2 Description of the place as it used to be

3 Description of the place as it is now, emphasising changes that have occurred

4 Your reactions to these changes

7

Articles Describing and narrating

T h e description of changes in a place (pages 6-7) w a s told from the point of v iew of the present m o m e n t . In many articles of this kind, however, the main narrative t e n s e is past.

Study Reference section 12b and d on page 68 and then read Gloria's article about a meet ing with a schoo l friend she m e t again after ten years w h o had changed. Most of the verbs have been left in brackets. C o m p l e t e the article by putting them into the m o s t suitable t ens e .

Close fr iends again

Soon after I left school my family (1) (move) to Bristol and I (2) (lose) touch with all my friends, when l (3) (return) to London last year after ten years, l (4) (find) some of their names in the phone book and we (5) (organise) a reunion.

But there was no trace of Eugenia, my closest friend. The others told me they (6) (not see) her for a long time.

Eugenia was the most attractive girl in my class. She was tall and slim and (7) (have) ioveiy dark brown eyes and long black hair that (8) (come) half way down her back, she was very popular because

she (9) (have) a wonderful sense of humour, she used to invent

games to keep us all amused and always (10) (seem) to be laughing and smiling.

One morning last month I (11) (go) into a jeweller's shop

in the city to buy a watch. The only assistant was a tall woman who

(12) (look) a few years older than me. Her hair was grey

and although she still (13) (have) a young, slim figure, there were lines around her eyes, and she (14) (have) a long, deep scar on her cheek. I (15) (ask) to see some watches, our eyes (16) (meet), and she (17) (give) a little cry of

amazement. She (18) (stare) at me for a few seconds and then she (19) (say): "Gloria, (20) (you not remember) me?"

I (21) (shake) my head and her face (22) (grow) sad, but then she (23) (say) quietly: "No, l (24)

(change) a lot, l suppose. I'm Eugenia."

I was so embarrassed that l (25) (not know) what to say so l just (26) (put) my arms round her. We (27)

(arrange) to meet and then she (28) (tell) me the story of her

life. She said that after leaving school, she (29) (go) to America

and had married a man she had met there. They (30) (live)

together happily for several years until her husband (31) (kill) in a car crash, she (32) (be) injured in the crash and her hair (33) (turn) grey overnight. After that she (34) (return) to London but (35) (have to) take the first job she could find.

I (36) (see) her several times since then. I want to do everything I can to help her. it was a terrible shock at first to see how much

she (37) (change) but now we (38) (become) close friends again and can be together.

Articles Describing and narrai:

Gloria gives us a lot of information about herself and Eugenia. Find the paragraph in which she tells us the following and write the correc t paragraph number in the space, as in the example .

a how she lost contac t with E u g e n i a ..J....

b how she m e t her again

c how she feels abou t her now

d wha t E u g e n i a was like at school

e wha t she looked like at school

f wha t she used to do at school

g wha t she does now

h wha t she looks like now

i wha t she was doing in t he years be tween

j w h e r e Glor ia first m e t her

k why Eugen ia has changed

7 W h a t do you think is the m o s t important point in the story? Why? H o w d o e s Gloria emphasise it?

Look at the pictures of the man and the w o m a n and w o r k with another m e m b e r of the class to n o t e d o w n h o w they have changed physically in the course of thirty years.

W r i t e an article with the main narrative t ense in the past about the changes you not iced in s o m e o n e you saw again not long ago but had not seen for a long t ime. The person may be s o m e o n e you know or a famous person you saw in real life or on TV (not an actor/actress playing different parts).

Follow this plan of four stages (though there may be more than four paragraphs):

1 Introduction, indicating how you first saw the person

2 Description of what they used to look like If you knew them, what they were like; if you write about a famous person, say what impression they gave you.

3 Description of what they looked like when you saw them again, what they were like, or the impression they gave

4 Say how and why you think they had changed, and how you felt about the changes.

Articles aking sides

Read the quest ion and the article b e l o w and c o m p l e t e the exerc ises that follow.

The following c o m m e n t s w e r e made during a public discussion, held at your t o w n hall. The discussion was about the freedom of the press. You have been asked to write an article for the local newspaper responding to the c o m m e n t s and giving your o w n opinion.

Journalists have a

responsibility to the public

to investigate a story and

uncover the real facts - no

matter who they upset.

î/fou can't

denij that a aood

dal ielli

They are encouraged to invade peoples privacy

by shameless celebrities who want press

coverage at any cost.

5 can newipaperi

\ey snoui

ashamedof

tfiemsefvesl T'hey

have no respect for

an individuals

privacy!

Journalists are fierce in defence of the freedom of the press but KEITH HUNTER asks

Whose freedom? Theirs or ours? E v e r y t i m e t h e r e i s a n o u t c r y a g a i n s t t h e

excesses of the popular press and they are threatened

with some kind of sanction, usually no more than the

responsibility to print an apology where no one will

notice it, editors and newspaper owners take refuge

in the sacred concept of ' the freedom of the press '

and warn against the evils of censorship. They argue

tha t i t is the i r duty to invade p e o p l e ' s privacy, in

effect to deprive them of their freedom to live their

own l ives in p e a c e , b e c a u s e i t i s ' i n t h e p u b l i c

interest. '

N o o n e w h o be l i eves i n d e m o c r a c y a n d t h e

freedom of speech wants newspapers to be silenced if

they are genuinely engaged in exposing corruption in

high places. In the newspapers ' defence, it can also be

a r g u e d t h a t m a n y f i g u r e s i n t h e p u b l i c eye a r e

desperate for almost any kind of publicity. Some of

them seem to have no higher aim in life than a vague

d e s i r e t o f e a t u r e i n m a g a z i n e s , p o s i n g for

p h o t o g r a p h s or r ecoun t ing the in t ima te detai ls of

their lives in interviews.

Those who create news stories with sensational

headlines, however, - the photographers who pursue

the famous on motor cycles, the journalists who bribe

t h e i r s e r v a n t s t o d i s c l o s e t h e s e c r e t s o f t h e i r

employers ' private lives, the editors who send armies

of employees with microphones and tape recorders to

the h o m e of anyone , rich or poor , whose relat ives

have died tragically - have a very clear aim in life. For

them the freedom of the press is really the freedom to

make money out of other people 's shame and misery.

M o s t o f u s w o u l d b e r e l u c t a n t t o i m p o s e

censorship on the press but would like to put a stop to

their intrusion into people ' s private lives. Not long

ago the re was a play on TV that suggested a nea t

solution. A Member of Parliament proposed that if a

newspaper published an untrue story about someone,

he would be given the same amount of space in the

newspape r to wri te a story about the journal i s t or

editor, t rue or false. I wonder how they would react if

similar lies and half-truths about their own private

lives and those of their families were published 'in the

public interest '!

If you write an article where you are strongly in favour of

something or against it, remember that others may have

different opinions. It is more effective to mention them and

then show they are wrong than not to mention them at all.

Taking sides Articles

2 C h o o s e the s en tence , a or b, that best describes what the wri ter is saying in each paragraph. Then read the correc t s e n t e n c e s t o g e t h e r to summarise the argument.

Paragraph 1 a Editors are right to defend the freedom of the press when they are criticised.

b Editors use the popular belief in the freedom of the press to justify their invasion of

people 's privacy.

Paragraph 2 a No one wants censorship for political reasons and it is t rue that many well-known figures

seek publicity at all costs. b Newspapers have a duty to expose corruption and have to publish stories about

well-known figures if they are required to.

Paragraph 3 a So newspapers work hard to find out the facts of the cases they investigate.

b But newspapers only investigate stories about people 's private lives to make money out

of them.

Paragraph 4 a Newspapers should be censored if they tell lies.

b Newspaper staff should be subjected to the same t reatment as their victims if they tell lies.

In which paragraphs is the wri ter following the technique suggested in the tip on the oppos i t e page?

3 The wri ter tries to influence the reader with his cho ice of words . A n s w e r the quest ions b e l o w to understand m o r e about this.

a F ind words or phrases in t he first two p a r a g r a p h s tha t suggest t he following:

The press

1 go too far in pursu ing news stories .

2 a re no t really sorry for wha t they do .

3 a re hypocri t ical in the i r defence of the i r act ions.

4 upse t peop le ' s lives.

Many well-known people

5 will do anything to be not iced .

6 have no ser ious a im in life.

7 invite t he invasion of the i r privacy.

b W h a t is the effect of subst i tut ing these words for those t he wri ter uses: follow (pursue ) , pay (br ibe) , in format ion (secrets) , n u m b e r s (a rmies ) , u n h a p p i n e s s (misery)?

c Which of these words is obviously an exaggera t ion bu t effective because it also implies aggression?

Articles S!

Taking sides

4 Based on the compos i t ion and the tip on page 10, put the paragraph plan b e l o w into the correc t order.

a Say why you disagree with these a r g u m e n t s a n d d is regard t h e m because those you suppor t a re m o r e impor tan t . Give examples .

b R e a c h a conclusion, summar i s ing your persona l opin ion in two or t h r ee sentences .

c Th ink of o n e or two ideas for the o the r side of the issue and say wha t sort of p e o p l e a re likely to suppor t t hem.

d I n t roduce the subject in genera l t e rms . Do no t reach a conclusion immedia te ly t hough you can suggest which side you a re on.

Look at this quest ion and then put the paragraph n o t e s b e l o w into the correc t order according to the plan in exercise 4. Can you think of a suitable title?

You heard the following c o m m e n t s about vivisection while you attended a debate on the subject at col lege recently. You have decided to write an article for publication in the col lege magazine responding to t h e s e c o m m e n t s and giving your o w n opinion.

So manu

once ^atal diseases

are now curable an

its all thanhs to

research, carried out

on anima

d

Under no

circumstances should

animals be used in laboratory

experiments. Animals feel

pain and shouldn't be made

to suffer in this way.

ils.

'Medicalresearch

is acceytahie, hut

using animahsjor

cosmetic testing is

intoferahfe.

There is no justification for

vivisection: animals have rights too.

Q0Q(?Q<?QQ0Q Scientists - must carry out research on someone/something - better

animals than humans. 1000s lives saved through medical breakthroughs

- only possible because of experiments on animals. Humans are higher

life form than animals - using animals justified.

Conflict surrounding use of animals in labs - nothing new. Laws brought

in - ban some experimentation. Extend law to cover ALL experiments?

Medical research to save lives OK if NO other way of doing research

possible. Cosmetic research not acceptable - total ban.

Animal rights activists all forms banned no justification.

Pain/Suffering extreme. Humans - no right to treat animals like this.

Alternative methods must be found, Some research done for cosmetic

reasons only!

Taking sides Articles 2 i 6 C h o o s e o n e of the quest ions b e l o w and write your article using the paragraph plan oppos i te . Don't forget to

think of a title.

You belong to a debating soc ie ty and overheard these c o m m e n t s at a recent debate . The debate w a s about w h e t h e r capital punishment should be restored for s o m e crimes. You feel strongly about the issue and have decided to wri te an article for your local newspaper responding to the c o m m e n t s and giving your o w n opinion.

An eye for an eye,

a tooth for- a tooth!

^Jabln

anotlier perion-'i

life is never riq Lt

wLatever tL

l{ the restoration of capital punishment

prevents even one murder, then its

worthwhile.

What if

someone who's

innocent is

foundguiCty?

plan in

b You live in a small t o w n s o m e of w h o s e residents are becoming increasingly worr ied about sports and hobbies that harm the environment. The t o w n council held a meeting to discuss the problem and you attended. After hearing w h a t local people had to say, you decided to wri te an article for the local paper responding to the c o m m e n t s and giving your o w n opinion.

^Jlie auiet

country ianei around tL

town, are overrun witli

ijouiiii racing eir

motorlllei and creating, a

nuliance let atone

putting tL iivei oJI

otkeri In danger.

The wildlife of Granger's Lake is being terrified every

weekend by jet skie shattering the silence of this once

peaceful haven. It's a disgrace. ifl can't

ride my jet ski on the Cake, where am 1

sup-posed to go?

We live in this town too and should

be able to do what we like, where and when

we like. Were not any

laws.

13

Articles Balancing an argument

l Read the quest ion and the article b e l o w and c o m p l e t e the exerc ises that follow.

Your tu tor has s h o w n you the following extracts on the subject of computers . You have been asked to write an article for the col lege magazine entitled Computers: a dream or a nightmare? W r i t e your article taking the points raised b e l o w into considerat ion and giving your o w n opinion.

Technological progress in the world of

computers saves everyone time. At the

touch of a button, massive amounts of

information can be accessed. Furthermore,

work done on a computer can be updated

and changes can be made speedily.

Future generations will come to rely on computer technology to such a great extent that they will no longer need to learn to do things for themselves. This would appear to be acceptable, but what happens when the machines go wrong?

Computers: a dream or a nightmare? W i t h i n a few y e a r s , we h a v e

c o m e t o r e g a r d c o m p u t e r s a s a n indispensable par t of everyday life. We see them in operat ion in almost every office and they are increasingly common in the home. While this has b e e n a g r e a t a d v a n t a g e for s o m e p e o p l e b e c a u s e i t has m a d e t h e i r work easier, it has been a nightmare for others, who have had difficulty in learning new skills. In the same way, while some parents believe that their c h i l d r e n c a n l e a r n f a s t e r w i t h

computers , others worry that they will b e c o m e totally d e p e n d e n t on t hem before they have learnt to read, write and count for themselves.

On the one hand , the benefi ts computers have brought are obvious. Above all, they save space and time. Vast quanti t ies of data can be kept e c o n o m i c a l l y o n d i sk s a n d r e p r o d u c e d a t any t i m e in s t ead of filling rows of filing c a b i n e t s , and t h e r e a r e h u n d r e d s o f t i m e -c o n s u m i n g t a sks t h a t c a n now b e per formed very simply. In a minute or two , a typ is t can now ed i t a n d re type a le t ter ; in a few seconds , a bank can check how much a customer has in an account in another city.

O n the o t h e r h a n d , h o w e v e r , t h e r e a r e a l so d i s a d v a n t a g e s . C o m p u t e r s d o m a k e m i s t a k e s although they are always the result of a h u m a n e r ro r . We r ead of peop le r e c e i v i n g gas bi l ls for m i l l i o n s of p o u n d s b e c a u s e the c o m p u t e r has b e e n b a d l y p r o g r a m m e d o r a n

opera tor has pressed the wrong key. The trouble is that computers do not recognise such e r r o r s so t h e r e is a danger that the next generation may be taught to rely on them absolutely b e f o r e t h e y h a v e l e a r n t t h e ba s i c skills necessary to work out problems for themselves.

O n b a l a n c e , c o m p u t e r s a r e n e i t h e r a d r e a m n o r a n i g h t m a r e . T h e y a r e a d m i r a b l e t o o l s t h a t improve the quality of life but, like all tools, they must be used sensibly. We must never forget that human beings provided them with the information they contain so we cannot trust them unti l we know enough to recognise when it is inaccurate. In this respect, t h e g r e a t e s t r i sk c o m e s a t t h e national level; the advice given by a government compute r could lead to d i s a s t e r i f t h o s e r e s p o n s i b l e for making the decisions were t e m p t e d to take it just because it came from a m a c h i n e t h a t i s s u p p o s e d t o b e infallible.

2 The writer's approach to the subject is balanced. Study Connectors and Modifiers A3 on page 70 and underline the four w o r d s or phrases that the wri ter has used to balance his argument.

Tip 2 The writer's approach to the subject is balanced. Study Connectors and Modifiers A3 on page 70 and underline the four w o r d s or phrases that the wri ter has used to balance his argument.

Good articles of this kind do not require the use of very

complicated structures but they do require connectors to be well

used. Always check the appendix on page 70 before writing one.

Balancing an argument Articles 3 A n s w e r t h e s e quest ions.

a Which two sen tences in t he first p a r a g r a p h a re examples of t he wri ter ba lancing by using contras t . Which ph ra se does he use to show tha t he regards t he examples as equa l?

b W h a t cont ras t exists b e t w e e n p a r a g r a p h s 2 a n d 3?

c W h a t conclusion does t he wri ter r each? Is he in favour of c o m p u t e r s or against t h e m ?

d Ind ica te t he pu rpose of each pa rag raph , wri t ing t h e correct n u m b e r in t he space.

A d v a n t a g e s of c o m p u t e r s Conclus ion Disadvan tages I n t r o d u c t i o n ,

The wri ter supports general s ta tements with explanation or examples . Underline the phrases or s e n t e n c e s in the article that support t h e s e s ta tements .

a We rega rd compu te r s as an indispensable pa r t of everyday life.

b F o r some p e o p l e this has b e e n an advantage , for o the r s a n igh tmare . c C o m p u t e r s save space . d C o m p u t e r s save t ime. e C o m p u t e r s m a k e mis takes . f T h e informat ion they conta in may no t be correct .

A magazine is inviting readers to submit articles about different forms of transport. You have read the personal account b e l o w and have decided to wri te an article on the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by train. W r i t e your article responding to the points b e l o w and giving your o w n opinion.

It seems that nowadays cars and aeroplanes are much more popular forms of transport than the train, depending, of course, on whether your journey is short or long distance. But 1 remember years ago, when 1 was a young child, that travelling by train was considered the best way to go.

very

jrfoTï to be well

we writing one.

Before writing your article, look at the plan b e l o w and make s o m e notes . You can wri te four paragraphs, following the same plan as the article on computers .

a Tit le. T h i n k of a tit le for your art icle. Whi l e it is i m p o r t a n t for your art icle to have a sui table tit le, do no t spend too m u c h t ime on it.

b In t roduc t ion . Give a genera l impress ion of t he cu r ren t s i tuat ion. Do no t at this s tage give explanat ions of advantages or d isadvantages .

c Advan tages of travell ing by t ra in . List t h r ee in compar i son with cars or p lanes , and give an example or explanat ion for each, as in t he tab le .

Advantage 1 .No.traffic.jams.

2

3

Example/Explanat ion

. difficult.to. calculate. time of.. jour.ney.5..

d Disadvantages . List t h r e e d isadvantages and give an explana t ion or example , as for p a r a g r a p h 2.

Disadvantage Example/Explanat ion

1

2

3

e Conclus ion . Sum up your a rgument , giving your own opinion.

15

4 Articles

Read the quest ion below, the n o t e s oppos i t e and the article below, and c o m p l e t e the exerc ises that follow.

You belong to a soc ie ty that is c o n c e r n e d about the environment . A gues t speaker recently gave a talk to the soc ie ty on the subject of the problem of population growth which you attended. You t o o k s o m e notes and have been asked to wri te an article for the society's monthly newspaper. W r i t e your article.

Providing solutions

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 OOK^O World pop, doubled since 1950. UN predict + 5 0 % by 2050.

World's naturai resources - running out!

Impose birth confrot? - human rights/religion/tradition would not

agree (eg China)

Politicians in developing countries say developed countries use too

many resources - reduce, BUT still not a solution.

Put pressure on govts to find solution. If not = war, famine, disease!

[ Too many people, not enough earth Of all the problems the human race is responsible

for that threa ten life on Ear th , popula t ion growth is t he most ser ious . T h e world ' s popu la t ion has m o r e t h a n d o u b l e d s ince 1950 a n d t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s predict that it will grow a further 5 0 % by 2050 to nine billion. All these additional people will require more food, more land to grow it on and more houses to live in, and will consume more raw mater ia ls to provide the basic requ i rements of everyday life. The world 's resources cannot support such an increase indefinitely.

At first sight, the solution seems simple. Experts in developed countries argue that we should impose birth control worldwide. If pa ren t s only had the chi ldren they really wanted, they say, populat ion growth would be manageable , as it is in Europe . People should be e d u c a t e d in re l iab le m e t h o d s of b i r th cont ro l , and where necessary, these should be supplied. If a birth is not desired, the pregnancy should be t e rmina ted by abortion.

H o w e v e r , t h e f a i l u r e o f c o u n t r i e s t o r e a c h agreement on problems like global warming indicates that there would be even stronger resistance if a plan of this kind were pu t into pract ice. In this case, the

opposition would be due not merely to selfish national i n t e r e s t s bu t to ind iv idua l wishes and conv ic t ion , family or tribal tradition and the powerful influence of religious authorities. In some parts of the world, large families are considered desirable and a son is regarded as e s sen t i a l . In C h i n a , w h e r e t he g o v e r n m e n t has pursued a ruthless policy of limiting families to one child, populat ion growth has only been controlled at the cost of considerable personal suffering.

Poli t icians in many developing countr ies , where the populat ion is growing much faster than in Europe , r e f u s e to a c c e p t t h a t i t i s t h e m a i n c a u s e o f environmental problems. They point out that countries like the Un i t ed States consume far m o r e than their fa i r s h a r e o f t h e w o r l d ' s r e s o u r c e s . D e v e l o p e d countries should reduce their consumption, but even if t h e y d id , t h i s w o u l d n o t p r e v e n t d i s a s t e r u n l e s s p o p u l a t i o n g rowth was b r o u g h t u n d e r con t ro l . We should put pressure on governments to find a viable s o l u t i o n . O t h e r w i s e , t h e p a i n f u l a l t e r n a t i v e will become unavoidable; the populat ion will eventually be decimated by war, famine and disease.

2 C h o o s e the best heading for each paragraph, and wri te the correc t number in the space. N o t e that t w o of the cho ices are n o t correct .

a An al ternat ive solut ion d W h y a solut ion mus t be found

b A st ra ightforward solut ion e Selfish oppos i t ion

c W h y solut ions a re no t easy f T h e size of t he p r o b l e m

3 Look at Reference section 4a and b on page 64 and Reference section I1 on page 67 and then study the use of should, would and will in the article above and underline them w h e r e they appear.

Providing solutions Articles

Read Sarah's article on the environment. C o m p l e t e it by putting the verbs in brackets in the correc t t e n s e or using should or would w h e r e necessary.

Preserving the planet for future generations

Human activity (1) (have) a devastating effect on the environment since the industrial Revolution. Factories and their products have polluted the air in cities, and the water in rivers and seas; forests (2) (be transformed) into desert by poor methods of cultivation; in our hunger for land, we (3) (invade) the natural habitat of other species, now in danger of extinction. Our activities (4) (probably increase) the temperature of the earth, bringing with it the risk of flooding, wha t (5) (we do) to resolve these problems before it is too late?

Solutions certainly exist. In general, we (6) (consume) less and recycle raw materials. In particular, we (7) (restrict) the use of cars in cities; we (8) (close) factories that pollute the air or the rivers; we (9) (protect) wildlife by banning indiscriminate hunting; and we (10) (protect) the rainforests by providing poor farmers with the means to cultivate efficiently. Above all, we (11) (try) to control population growth, which (12) (add) to the problems as fast as we take steps to resolve them.

If we could accomplish this, we (13) (preserve) the planet for future generations. But it (14) (not be) possible unless governments laid aside self-interest and (15) (agree) to co-operate. In fact, laws protecting the environment already exist in almost every country. The trouble is that they are often broken, in many countries with the consent of the rulers. Perhaps a real solution (16) (only be found) if every country in the world had an honest, democratic government.

in such circumstances we may think that there is nothing we can do as individuals to save the environment. But we can do a great deal if we are prepared to make sacrifices. We (17) (ask) ourselves if we really need to go out in the car or buy something new. And we (18) (respect) the environment at all times, we (19) (not leave) litter around the countryside or throw rubbish in rivers. We (20) (plant) trees and not cut them down.

Sarah is following the same paragraph plan that was used for the article on population growth. In paragraphs 1 , 2 and 4, circle the topic s e n t e n c e and underline the examples that support it.

Wr i t e an article in answer to the quest ion below, using the paragraph plan in exercise 2.

The extract b e l o w was taken from a letter you read in your col lege magazine. You have decided to wri te an article for the magazine responding to the letter and proposing s o m e solutions to the problem.

. . . is just not the same any more. I remember walking along

the river as a child and even swimming in it when the weather

was warm. Now, the water is stagnant and polluted and the

path along the bank is littered with rubbish.

The town centre itself has also been affected. Traffic blocks

the roads and the poor pedestrians are choked with exhaust

fumes. It really is time that something was done to save our

town and the surrounding countryside before it's too late.

If you answer a problem-solving question, do not make vague general statements that you cannot support. Make use of any facts that you know to be true from whatyou have experienced or read. Take account of opposition to any solution you propose and bear in mind that there is probably no simple answer to the question.

Letters Complaining

Sheila Donaldson is annoyed about the way in which people behave in the park near her house . Read her letter to the secretary of the local ne ighbourhood watch s c h e m e and c o m p l e t e the exerc ise that fol lows.

Dear Anne,

I'm writing on behalf of my family and my neighbours to ask you if you would mind writing to the council about Russell Park. We are fed up because,

as you know, we've written to them several times to protest but they still haven't done anything.

The real problem is that there aren't any walls or fences round the park and

young people bang around inside at night shouting and laughing so loudly that we can't sleep. Some of them are vandals and have broken the swings that the children play on and trampled all over the flowerbeds.

There is also a problem with tramps - New Age Travellers as they are called

these days - sleeping on the benches at night. So every morning the park

looks a mess with paper and beer cans lying about. The council ought to send people round to clear up every day, instead of once a week.

Really these are just signs of bigger social problems that the council should

try to tackle. They ought to provide a shelter for the homeless and teach the vandals a lesson by enforcing the laws that l suppose exist.

We would really be very grateful if you could write on our behalf - maybe your letter would carry more weight and get some results. I'll see you at our meeting next month.

Best regards,

Sheila Donaldson I n t h e lamination, you are not required to write addresses on your letters.

2 Dec ide w h e t h e r the following s ta tements are true or false. Underline the phrases in the letter that justify your answers.

T F

a This is the first t ime Sheila has compla ined .

She is complaining about young people because they:

b cl imb over the walls r o u n d the park .

c m a k e a noise in the pa rk at night.

d have des t royed instal lat ions in t he play area .

She is complaining about New Age Travellers because:

e they s leep in the pa rk dur ing the day.

f c rea te lit ter.

She thinks the council should:

g send p e o p l e r o u n d to clean the pa rk once a week.

h p rovide a c c o m m o d a t i o n for N e w A g e Travel lers .

i pass laws to control vandals .

j punish vandals by enforcing the p resen t laws.

18

Letters Complaining

Read Anne's letter to the council, writ ten in formal language, and c o m p l e t e the exercise that fol lows.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing on behalf of my neighbours in the vicinity of Russell Park to express our annoyance that in spite of repeated protests, nothing has been done to improve the situation there.

The problem stems in part from the fact that there are no walls or fences round the park and young people remain there at night making so much noise that it keeps everyone awake. A number of them are vandals who have broken the swings in the children's play park and destroyed the flowerbeds.

Apart from that, the park is used as a refuge at night by New Age Travellers sleeping on benches, with the result that every morning the area is covered with litter. In our view, the park should be cleaned every day, instead of once a week.

We are aware that the real solution lies in dealing with more general social problems affecting society. However, we consider that action should be taken to provide a shelter for homeless people and that if laws exist to prevent young people from vandalising the park, they should be enforced.

We look forward to hearing from you, jQ W£KtKtBBKS& Yours faithfully, Two ways in which formal and

_ . informal language are different y-\nne DanKs a r e m a t w e ^ 0 n o t u s e s f o o r i

Anne Banks ^ o r m s < " e g > I v e ) f o r m a l l e t t e r s

and we often use passive forms rather than active (eg, nothing

-zz< at the sentences below, taken from Sheila's letter. Find and underline the equivalent sentences in Anne's letter. \ c : e the way the phraseology changes depending on whether the style of writing is formal or semi-formal.

a We 've wr i t ten several t imes to p ro tes t bu t they still haven ' t d o n e anything.

h Y o u n g peop le hang a r o u n d inside at night shout ing and laughing so loudly tha t we can ' t s leep.

c Some of t h e m are vandals and have b r o k e n the swings that the chi ldren play on.

d The pa rk looks a mess with p a p e r and bee r cans lying about .

e The council ought to send peop le r o u n d to clear up .

f They o u g h t to t each t h e vanda ls a lesson by enforcing the laws tha t I suppose exist.

Read the question and the notes b e l o w and wri te your letter, using Anne's letter as a model for form and style.

You attended a residents' m e e t i n g r e c e n t l y w h i c h w a s held to d iscuss t h e problems with a football ground near your house . You heard the complaints be low at the meet ing and have decided to write to the counci l on behalf of y o u r n e i g h b o u r s t o ask t h e m t o t a k e a c t i o n t o improve the situation.

% \ s \ s \ \ \ \ \ \ They make so much noise - no games late at night!

Keep rival fans_apart! Stop the fighting! Police should escort visiting supporters to and from the ground.

Don't let them park their cars on the pavement! Tow them away!

Buses and coaches in the club car parkl Stop people throwing

stones at visiting teams! •_

Letters Giving information

Read the quest ion b e l o w and Tom Aldridge's letter, and c o m p l e t e the exerc ises that follow.

TrZu^T 1 t 3 k i n f P a r t i n

u

a n

L

e x c h a n S e Programme with s tudents from abroad and has dec ided t o produce a w e l c o m e letter wh,ch students will receive on arrival. The edi tor has asked y o u t c w r i t e a w e l c o m e letter g.vmg information on col lege facilities, describing places of part cu ar interest: hT he area as well as mentioning special events which will take place during their stay

Dear Visitor

(!) Welford College of Educat ion, I would like to welcome you to

our college, and I hope that you have a pleasant stay during the Student Exchange Programme. The

information which follows is intended to help make your stay more pleasurable.

College Facilities

The Main Library is open from 8 am - 10 pm on weekdays and from 10 am - 7 pm at the weekend.

Books may be borrowed for a one-week period, with the exception of books in the Reference Library

(Anderson Building), which must not be removed under any circumstances.

The Halls of Residence provide half-board accommodation, so lunch can be bought at the college

canteen (Main Building), or the Students ' Union, or off campus itself. (2) ,

however, that the college is some distance from town (20 minutes by bus) so students should ensure

they have sufficient t ime between lessons if they want to leave campus.

A map of the campus can be found on the noticeboard situated in the entrance to the Main Building.

Fur ther information regarding lessons, extra activities, etc can also be found there, while the

noticeboard outside the Students ' Union is the best place to find out about upcoming social events.

Places of Interest

The town itself has lots to offer. With its tiny streets and winding alleys, it is a great place to buy

souvenirs. The Art Gallery and the Natural History Museum are situated in the town centre.

Special Events

As part of the National Students ' Council Arts Festival, the college has organised a week of concerts

to be held in the Students ' Union from 15th May. Programmes and tickets (3)

members of the Enter ta inment Commit tee .

A quiz night (4) 25th May. This is a charity event; all proceeds will

go to the local children's hospital. Students interested in taking part should contact Sarah on the

Enter ta inment Commit tee .

We hope that this information (5) and that you enjoy your stay.

Please (6) the College Secretary should you require further

information.

Yours sincerely

Tom Aldridge

Student Counsellor

Giving information Letters

Read Tom's letter again and fill in the gaps with the phrases below.

are available from

is being held on

do not hesitate to contact

it should be noted

will be helpful

on behalf of

The quest ion stated that the wri ter should give information on col lege facilities, describe places of particul; nterest in the area as well as ment ion special events which will take place during their stay. C o m p l e t e the

chart with the things the wri ter ment ions on each of the topics .

College facilities Places of particular interest Special events

WÊÊ \~~~ III ^ ipPI ! 5 • I 5 • I

Look again at the letter and answer the following quest ions .

Why does t he wri ter men t ion :

a the Refe rence Library?

It is very important that letters giving information do not sound like long lists. The information will sound more realistic if there is a reason for giving the information.

b the Hal ls of R e s i d e n c e ?

c the fact tha t the college is some dis tance from town?

d the no t iceboards?

e the Nat ional S tuden t s ' Counci l Ar t s Festival?

f the local chi ldren 's hospi ta l?

6 Letters Giving information

5 The following table summarises all the information given in Tom's letter. C o m p l e t e the table with the

w o r d s and phrases below.

A r t Gallery charity

Halls of Residence

upcoming social events

enough time Entertainment Committee

off campus Reference Library

I week borrowing 15th May

C o l l e g e facil it ies

P laces o f i n t e r e s t

town

Spec ia l e v e n t s

library Main L ibrary - 8 - 1 0 w e e k d a y s , 1 0 - 7 w e e k e n d s -

- A n d e r s o n Bui ld ing - no b o r r o w i n g a l l owed

lunch - half board on ly ; no lunch

can teen - Ma in Bui ld ing

S tuden ts ' Un ion

co l lege 20 m i n s f r o m t o w n - ?

noticeboards Main Bui ld ing - m a p of c a m p u s - info l e ssons / act iv i t ies

S tuden ts ' Un ion -

souven i rs

Nat ional H is tory M u s e u m

week of concerts Nat ional S tuden ts ' Counc i l Ar ts Festival

S tuden ts ' Un ion

p r o g r a m m e s and t i cke ts -

quiz night 25 th M a y

- p roceeds to loca l hospi ta l

in terested? - Sarah , Enter ta inment C o m m i t t e e

Giving information Letters 6 I 6 Read the quest ion b e l o w and prepare your letter by complet ing the table

with the kind of information you would give.

The Tourist Board in your area has decided to produce w e l c o m e letters which will be given to tourists on their arrival at the local airport to help them make the m o s t of their holiday. You have been asked to write the letter for English-speaking visitors. You should ment ion places to visit in the nearest t o w n , describe the surrounding area and r e c o m m e n d any events you think visitors would find interesting.

S u r r o u n d i n g a r e a

In teres t ing e v e n t s

2 3

Letters Making suggestions

The local newspaper has offered prizes to readers making suggestions for improving the t o w n w h e r e you live.

Read the letter from o n e of the o lder inhabitants of the t o w n , published recently, and c o m p l e t e the exerc ises that follow.

Sir, I am writing in response to

your appeal for suggestions for improving our town. W h e n I was y o u n g i t was o n e of t h e m o s t b e a u t i f u l t o w n s in t h e country, but its charm has been its downfall in recent years. It has been turned into a tourist a t t ract ion popular with young people who do not appreciate it. In consequence, most of the improvements I suggest would b e a t t e m p t s t o p r e s e r v e o r r e s t o r e w h a t i s left o f t h i s de l igh t fu l p l a c e b e f o r e i t is destroyed.

O n e of the main prob lems is t h a t air traffic to ou r t iny a i r p o r t , e s p e c i a l l y c h e a p c h a r t e r f l igh t s i n s u m m e r arriving at night, has expanded

to such an ex t en t t h a t t h o s e who live nearby are unable to sleep because of the noise. In my view the airport should be c l o s e d a t n i g h t a n d t o u r i s t flights should be restr icted to the hours of daylight.

It used to be very pleasant t o wa lk t h r o u g h t h e n a r r o w streets of the old town in the evening, with their restaurants and cafes, bu t now they have b e e n r e p l a c e d b y b a r s a n d night clubs open till very late, playing loud music, and there are so many cars parked on the pavements that it is impossible t o w a l k sa fe ly . T h e c e n t r e s h o u l d b e r e s t o r e d t o its fo rmer a t t r ac t ive s t a t e . Ba r s should be required to close by 12.00 pm, the streets should be

c o n v e r t e d in to a p e d e s t r i a n precinct and a multi-storey car p a r k s h o u l d b e bu i l t o n t h e vacant site near the market .

A n o t h e r useful innovat ion t h e c o u n c i l c o u l d i n t r o d u c e w o u l d b e a n i n f o r m a t i o n c e n t r e for t o u r i s t s i n t h e square outs ide the town hall. At present many visitors arrive wi thou t a c c o m m o d a t i o n and wander through the streets in search of hotels and boarding houses , or s top passers-by to ask t he way. If t h e r e w e r e a properly equipped information centre, it would not only be of help to them but would be of g r e a t b e n e f i t t o t h e t o u r i s t industry.

Alexander Martin

Read Mr Martin's letter again, and make notes about the problems he mentions and the solutions he suggests in the table below.

C h o o s e the best heading for each paragraph, and write the correct number in the space. N o t e that t w o of the choices are not correct.

a A town for young p e o p l e

b In fo rmat ion for touris ts

c T h e a i rpor t

d T h e newspaper ' s appea l

e T h e old town

f Tour is t s in the town

Note the form of address used to the editor of a newspaper, unless you know that she is a woman, in which case 'Madam' is used instead.

P r o b l e m So lu t ion ( s )

a 1

b 2

c 3a

3b

d 4

Letters Joking suggestions

Young peop le usually have a different se t of priorities from their parents and grandparents. Before you read Anna Margolis's letter, look at Reference section I on page 64, Reference section 11 on page 67 and Reference section 13 on page 69. N o w c o m p l e t e the letter by putting the verbs in brackets in the m o s t appropriate form, using active or passive forms with would, should, must or could, and writing the or a in the spaces , only w h e r e necessary.

Sir,

While I agree with some of (I) suggestions (2) readers have made for

improving (3) town, (4) main problem in my opinion is that (5) council

is only concerned with attracting (6) tourists. In my view there are (7) number of

improvements that (8) (undertake) for the benefit of (9)

residents, especially (10) younger ones.

In (11) first place, there are not enough sports and leisure facilities. Instead of building

(12) multi-storey car park on (13) vacant site near (14) town centre, they

(15) (construct) (16) indoor swimming pool and (17)

tennis courts that (18) (use) in (19) winter.

Secondly, I have read that (20) old railway station is going to be pulled down. The space

(21) (transform) into (22) park and it (23)

(not cost) much to provide a place for (24) small children to play (25) games. Part

of it (26) (turn into) (27) adventure playground or (28)

children's zoo.

Lastly, tourists who go as far as (29) river (30) (disgust) by

(31) litter along (32) banks and (33) pollution from (34)

few old factories that are still in (35) operation. The area (36)

(clean up), the factories (37) (close down) and (38) serious effort

(39) (make) to transform (40) riverside area into (41)

place where (42) people (43) (enjoy) (44) kind of

pleasant walk they once had through (45) old part of (46) town.

Anna Margolis

- - - a lists three kinds of improvements , with a paragraph for each:

a in t roducing someth ing new

b t ransforming someth ing a l ready in existence

e remedying someth ing unsat isfactory

I : —slete the table b e l o w by referring to her letter.

P r o b l e m So lu t ion ( s )

a enough leisure facilities 1

2

b Open space created when railway 3

station is pulled down 4a

4b

: Litter on river bank 5

Pollution of river 6

•"• - :e a l e t t e r addressed to the edi tor of your local newspaper, suggesting improvements that could be m a d e to y o u r t o w n or the area of a city w h e r e you live. Follow the paragraph plan of Anna's letter and t r y to include at least o n e example of each kind of improvement .

Letters Givins opinions

Read the quest ion and the letter b e l o w and c o m p l e t e the exercises that follow.

You have read the extract be low as part of a et ter to a local newspaper. You decide to write a

letter to the same newspaper responding to the points raised and expressing your o w n views

J know I am not alone in feeling threatened by

the presence of groups of young people who

seem to have nothing better to do than hang

around the town centre making a nuisance of

themselves. It is a reflection of our society

nowadays: a society that encourages laziness

and allows the younger generation to waste

their time in this way. If something is not done

soon, then 1 fear that these individuals will

turn to crime and our town will no longer be

the safe peaceful place it once was.

Sir, I am writing in response to

a l e t t e r I r e a d in T u e s d a y ' s edition of The Kenton Herald

a n d h a v e to say I f ee l t h e opinions expressed are a little o n e - s i d e d i n t h a t t h e l e t t e r implies that young people are to be blamed for this situation and that it is what they want. I t i s m y o p i n i o n t h a t t h e c o m m u n i t y s h o u l d a c c e p t s o m e o f t h e b l a m e t o o . I f s o l u t i o n s t o t h i s p r o b l e m had b e e n sought earl ier , the s i tuat ion might no t have got so ou t of hand .

W h i l e I a d m i t t h a t o u r town cen t re is increasingly a p l a c e w h e r e t e e n a g e r s a n d y o u n g a d u l t s c o n g r e g a t e , I also apprec ia te that many of t h e m h a v e n o a l t e r n a t i v e . Young people have nowhere else to go. There are no youth

clubs or cen t r e s in o u r a r ea that could provide some form of occupation for them during the day. T h e y a r e fo rced to e i t h e r m e e t a t e a c h o t h e r ' s homes, often an impossible or u n d e s i r a b l e o p t i o n , o r i n public places, namely the town centre.

In addition to this, it is well known that unemployment in our area is a serious problem a m o n g 18-25 year o lds . J o b opportuni t ies are limited and any t h a t a r e a v a i l a b l e a r e t a k e n b y p e o p l e wi th q u a l i f i c a t i o n s o r p r e v i o u s work experience. As a result, it has long been the case that if school leavers cannot go on t o f u r t h e r e d u c a t i o n for whatever reason, they will be unl ikely to find j obs locally. Moreover, there is the age-old problem: without experience,

you can't get a job and if you can't get a job, how do you get experience?

Finally, I am of the opinion t h a t w e s h o u l d s h o w m o r e unde r s t and ing towards these young people , who are , after all, our neighbours. Although it is unpleasant to see people hanging around on the streets, i t m u s t b e e v e n w o r s e fo r those who are in this situation. If we were to offer t hem the c h a n c e t o c h a n g e t h e i r s i t u a t i o n , I am s u r e t h e y would do so. It is t ime for us all to take some responsibility for them and their position.

I look fo rw a rd to s e e i n g my l e t t e r p u b l i s h e d in a forthcoming issue.

John Holmes

Letters Giving opinions

read the letter again and answer the following quest ions .

bucfa pa rag raph( s ) does John :

a refer to the lack of facilities for young peop le?

b talk about whose responsibil i ty t he p rob l em of young p e o p l e on the s t reets is?

c talk abou t u n e m p l o y m e n t be ing a r ea son for t he s i tua t ion?

d explain why he 's wri t ing?

aeree to some extent with what t he wri ter of t he le t ter in The Kenton Herald said?

and

_ c c < at these conditional s en tences taken from the letter.

a If solut ions to this p rob l em had b e e n sought earl ier , t he s i tuat ion might no t have got so ou t of hand. 1

. . if school leavers canno t go on to fur ther educa t ion they will be unlikely to find jobs locally.'

: e were to offer t h e m the chance to change the i r s i tuat ion, I am sure they would do so. '

; : -ne is an example of:

1 a p resen t or future act ion in which the resul t will probably h a p p e n ?

2 a p resen t or future act ion which is unlikely to h a p p e n

3 a past act ion which canno t be changed?

• a: Reference section 4c on page 64 and then write a conditional sentence to express the following situations.

. hose boys d idn ' t have jobs and spent their t ime doing a great

[teal of voluntary work .

b This t e enage r was no t offered t he job so he d idn ' t t ake it.

The police d idn ' t allow young p e o p l e to hang a r o u n d on the s t reets in t he past which is probably why they d idn ' t do so.

d T h e r e weren ' t g roups of young p e o p l e in the town cen t re years

ago which m e a n t peop le d idn ' t feel t h r e a t e n e d .

2 7

Letters Giving opinions

5 N o w look at Reference section 4e on page 65. Look at h o w the conditional s en tences from the letter can be rewritten.

a 'If solut ions to this p rob l em had b e e n sought earl ier , t he s i tuat ion might no t have got so ou t of hand . '

H a d solut ions to this p r o b l e m b e e n sought earl ier , t he s i tuat ion might no t have got so ou t of hand .

b Tf school leavers cannot go on to further education for whatever reason, they will be unlikely to find jobs locally.'

Should school leavers be u n a b l e to go on to fur ther educa t ion for wha teve r reason , they will be unlikely

to find jobs locally.

c Tf we were to offer t h e m the chance to change their s i tuat ion, I am sure they would do so. '

W e r e we to offer t h e m the chance to change the i r s i tuat ion, I am sure they would do so.

6 Rewrite these s e n t e n c e s practising the m o r e formal ways of writing conditional s entences .

a If young p e o p l e have no qualifications or t raining, they will not be able to find work .

b If oppor tun i t i e s for t ra in ing existed, I am sure peop le would take advan tage of t hem,

c If we all take an interest in ou r town, things will get be t te r .

d I f t eenagers had b e e n encou raged to go on to college, they would have had be t t e r chances of finding work.

Giving opinions Letters

Look at this quest ion b e l o w and then do the exerc ise which fol lows.

You have read this extract aoout relationships b e t w e e n different generat ions in a -ational newspaper. You : = :ide to write a letter to :~e same newspaper -esponding to the points _ e - : i o n e d and giving your > i opinion.

I look at the younger generation now and can see no similarities

with my own when we were young. Nowadays they have

altogether too much freedom. They're encouraged to go out and see

the world; to travel rather than settle down. Their priorities have

changed. No longer do they want to raise a family: they're more

interested in buying fast cars, expensive holidays and generally

wasting their money. In my day we were expected to show respect

to our elders, raise a family and become law abiding citizens.

' : j will find it easier to answer this kind of quest ion if you disagree with the points that have been raised in the r • : -ac t . Answering t h e s e quest ions will help you to think of ideas to include in your letter.

a T h e extract says tha t young peop le have ' too m u c h ' f reedom. ' T o o m u c h ' m e a n s ' m o r e t h a n they n e e d or i s good

: : them' . H o w can you suppor t the a l ternat ive view that the f reedom young peop le have is no t excessive?

b H o w have young peop le ' s pr ior i t ies changed?

c How can these changes be seen as a positive th ing?

4 Is it t rue to say tha t young p e o p l e ' no longer wan t to raise a family'?

" is the writer implying about young p e o p l e today w h e n he says: 'we were expected to show respect to ou r

e lders , raise a family and b e c o m e law abiding cit izens '?

e : - - : etter to help you organise your opinions into a paragraph plan and then write your letter.

:: i ;_ = s: on be low and, before you write your letter, ask yourself quest ions , as in exerc ise 7 above, to help

: _ - £ i c t he following extract in a magazine. You dec ide to wri te : : : : r e same magazine responding to the points raised and g M n g y o u r o w n opinions on the matter.

e reaUy got out of hand. Everywhere you look there are pictures

n dels u ho are supposed to represent perfect people. We're

r-.;.zzr.:.\ aid. directly or indirectly, that appearance is everything. Have

x Jjorgrxt£7i that 'beauty is only skin deep'? Doesn't personality count

z'jng anymore? The cost of keeping fit and dressing fashionably is

jr the majority of people. Magazines, advertisements and the like

>** ?typ making ordinary people feel inferior.

You don't have to disagree

with everything that is said.

You may agree to a certain

extent but feel the opinions

expressed are one-sided.

Essays Comparing

I Look at the quest ion and the essay b e l o w and do the exerc i ses that follow.

Your tutor s h o w s you t w o extracts from articles about transport .

Working out which bus route is best and then waiting at stops for buses which are more often than not delayed or overcrowded is not my idea of fun. Nothing beats the convenience of being able to hop in my car and drive quickly to my destination.

Public transport is better now than ever before. It's cheap, reliable and avoids the problem of finding or affording parking.

Your tutor asks you to write an essay about public and private transport in the city, stating which form of transport you prefer.

(1) , the answer to the question 'Which is better in the city - public or private transport?' may seem obvious. A/lost people would rather use their own car than stand in a queue waiting for a bus. (2) , however, driving a car may not always be the most convenient form of transport in a city, even if the authorities allow you to take it into the centre.

Having your own form of transport, which usually means a car, naturally has advantages. (3) , at least (4) , is the fact that you can start and finish your journey when and where you like, driving from your house to your office, for example.

(5) (6) , even if you have your own parking space at home, you may find it difficult or expensive to park near your office, if that is the case, it would

have been quicker and cheaper to travel by bus.

(7) , bus journeys are only quicker if the use of private cars is restricted because buses are likely to be held up in the same traffic jams. Provided you live near a bus route that takes you near your destination and the bus is on time, it is probably a better means of transport than your own car, but as we all know buses are often late and frequently crowded so you may have a very frustrating, uncomfortable journey.

When l was on holiday in London recently, I travelled in the centre of the city by taxi, bus and underground. The taxi fares were very expensive and the journey took a long time because the

driver continually had to stop at traffic lights or behind a line of cars. The bus was even slower

for the same reasons but also because it had to stop to pick up and set down passengers. The underground trains were crowded and uncomfortable but this was by far the fastest and cheapest way to cross the city. (8) , I would rather go by car than bus on the surface, but if I can travel underground in the city, I prefer public transport.

2 Study Connectors and Modifiers on page 70. Then read the essay again and c o m p l e t e it, choos ing from the list of connect ing phrases.

at first sight first and foremost however in fact in practice in theory on the other hand personally

3 A n s w e r t h e s e quest ions.

a W h y is pr ivate t r anspor t p re fe rab le in theory?

b Why isn't it always be t t e r in prac t ice?

c In wha t c i rcumstances a re jou rneys quicker by bus than by car?

Comparing

finish

I Why are bus journeys often unre l iab le and unp lea san t ?

e Why are journeys by bus usually slower than those by car?

f Why are journeys by the u n d e r g r o u n d the mos t convenient in cent ra l L o n d o n ?

G «e each paragraph a heading, choos ing from this list. W r i t e the r e j e c t number in the space.

a Advan tages and d isadvantages of travelling by bus

b Advan tages and d isadvantages of travell ing by car

I inclusion: i t d e p e n d s w h e t h e r you a re above g round

: luc t ion: is pr ivate t ranspor t always pre fe rab le?

If you have to compare two things that each have advantages and disadvantages, it is easier to deal with them in separate paragraphs, concentrating on one at a time (see Paragraphs 2 and 3) than to write a number of sentences comparing them in the same paragraph.

-_-£ question below, which is similar to the article you w r o t e in Unit 3 on travelling by train. There is a e - c e . however. There you w e r e considering the g o o d and bad points of o n e thing; here you are i- -g t w o things with g o o d and bad points in each case. Follow the same plan as the essay on the ; te oage, using the n o t e s b e l o w as a guide.

V O J T class is going on a field trip to an island in the s u m m e r holidays. There has been much discussion about ere oest way to travel. Here are s o m e of the c o m m e n t s that w e r e made.

F lying is quicker, ' ng us with more time to

pend on our hofiday.

i tLe Loiidc

bq boat

ii muck more relaxing and. qetó qe

aij mood before

u!i get to tLe Island.

Think of the cost: flying

is really expensive.

ijou q

TFOUR tutor has asked you t o wri te an essay on this subject: Which is the better way of travelling to an island, by

:t: :• :. air? W r i t e your essay, responding to the v iews expressed and stating your o w n preference.

: auct ion. Wr i t e a ba lanced p a r a g r a p h bu t do no t go into too many details .

Explain the advantages and d isadvantages of travelling by air. (But see TIP below)

" :n the advantages and d isadvantages of travelling by sea.

:h a conclusion. If you have a pre fe rence , say so and suppor t it with an example , preferably from -. - - -.al exper ience. If not , you can ba lance your conclusion, suggesting that t he choice d e p e n d s on : _ r s -uch as the r ea son for t he journey or t he t ime of year etc. Give an example in each case.

t .'' imte an essay - T i o dungs, and

bmr m smng preference for mat of ALJIL deal with the kind wsm pm.fu in paragraph 3 tmm&t m *iU lead more mmmmtA mto your conclusion, httktscmse. if you would rather p.i **• an: rexerse the order of xnx&nphs 2 and 3.

Essays

Read the quest ion and the essay b e l o w and c o m p l e t e the exerc i ses that follow.

Your tu tor s h o w s you t w o extracts from articles about national character.

It is only natural that the climate affects people's personality. How can a worker from a hot country possibly work as hard as his northern counterpart? The same can be said for the happy-go-lucky attitude that so many people from warm places have, which is rarely seen in most colder countries.

Assumptions that people

have the same character

simply because they are

from the same country are

completely unfounded. It

is unfair to base opinions

like this on what are, quite

obviously, stereotypes.

Your tutor asks you to write an essay about the relation b e t w e e n national character and climate responding to the points raised and giving your o w n views on the matter. W r i t e your essay.

Responding to generalisations

Years ago, (1) historian Arnold Toynbee based his theory of (2) .. history on (3) climate. Comparing groups of immigrants to (4) United States, he argued that (5) Pilgrim Fathers in (6) New England were forced by their harsh climate to work hard and so became self-reliant and stern and puritanical in (7) temperament, while those who settled in (8) warmer southern states were easy-going and relaxe. and depended on (9) slave labour. If his theory was correct, similar comparisons should be possible between the people of northern and southern Europe.

Needless to say, such generalisations cannot be applied to (10) individuals, and generalisations about people from different countries are based on stereotypes that foreigners form about them, which may be inaccurate or out of date. Some people in Greece may still imagine the typical Englishman as someone carrying (11) umbrella and wearing (12) bowler hat, even though the English tourists who come to Greece seldom remind anyone of this picture in their appearance or behaviour.

All the same, there is no doubt (13) grain of (14) truth in this theory that makes (15) sense. People from Scandinavia, historically confined to their houses throughout the long winter by ice and snow, had more reason to be gloomy and introspective than people in Mediterranean countries, who could get out into (16) sun all the year round. It is even reasonable to suppose that when the long summer evenings come to Norway and Sweden, with eighteen hours of daylight, the people have more excuse to celebrate by going a little mad and getting drunk.

Where the theory is generally accepted is in the comparisons made in almost every country in Europe between people from the north and the

south. In England, southerners have always regarded those from the north as hard-working, but unpleasantly direct in speech and mean about money, while the northerners see Londoners, in particular, as lazy, self-indulgent and insincere. Anyone who goes to Milan or Barcelona will find people

making the same criticisms of southerners from Naples or Seville and being condemned by them in the same way. Everywhere the warmer weather in

the south seems to have produced the same contrast. Greece is a smaller country, with less scope for climatic differences and in ancient times, it

was the Spartans, from the south, who were by tradition tougher and less pleasure-loving, is Greece an exception to the general rule?

3 A n s w e r these quest ions.

ations

theory of (2)

P t° (4)

I New

»id so became

k while those oing and relaxee rrect, similar pern and

to (10)

countries are th may be

imagine the

»>d wearing

"•ome to Greece

r behaviour. truth in this

historically

md snow, had

Mediterranean

round, it is

wngs come to ople have more

''•sons made in

p i and the 'om the north

about money,

'If-indulgent

id people ville and being T weather in

is a smaller rt times, it Jher and less

on page 64 sssary.

Responding to generalisations Essays 10 these quest ions and write an essay on o n e of them.

Your tutor s h o w s you t w o extracts from articles about personality traits.

Courage is the greatest virtue. If you are not brave, the rest are no use. In this day and age, there is no place for the faint-hearted.

Nowadays, it appears that the only thing which will help us survive is our sense of humour. There's absolutely no point in being conscientious when all around you are slacking off. The main thing is that you are able to laugh things off.

Your tutor asks you to wri te an essay about the m o s t important personality trait in today's world responding to the points raised and giving your o w n v iews on the matter. W r i t e your essay.

v : - can prepare for this cho ice by complet ing t h e s e exerc ises first.

- _ : following virtues in ranking order. W r i t e a number from I to 7 in the space provided.

courage

- i r d work

hones ty

chasti ty

generosi ty a sense of h u m o u r

humili ty

- ; - r answers to these quest ions to help you c o m e up with a plan for the compos i t ion .

I . judge peop le by o n e vir tue a lone or a combina t ion?

~ . Nevertheless , some vir tues a re m o r e impor t an t t h a n o thers . Which ones and why?

H :w do you r a t e courage and h u m o u r against t he o thers you have m e n t i o n e d ?

H accurate do you th ink the extracts a re?

Your tutor s h o w s you t w o extracts from articles about personal happiness.

'ttTu'k it is true to say that money can't buy happiness, you can't be happy without

a. ¡1 can anyone be expected to be happy their lot if they haven't got anything?

X'hhout the basic necessities, it is unrealistic : expect to be happy.

There is nothing more important in the world than one's health. Without it, one's life is at best uncomfortable, at worst a complete misery. One cannot be expected to be happy if in pain, or if one's friends or family are ill. Therefore, the only guarantee to happiness is one's health.

v rx ,r tutor asks you to wri te an essay about personal happiness responding to the points raised and 5 • r s y ° u r o w n v iews o n the matter. W r i t e your essay.

points made in the extracts in a four-paragraph

Shor t in t roduct ion , indicating your op in ion I f money does no t m a k e p e o p l e happy, wha t does? Def ine what you think does m a k e t h e m happy. Can the lack of m o n e y cause unhapp ines s a n d prevent peop le from enjoying life? Th ink of examples . H • far are the extracts t r ue? To what extent does m o n e y . ntr ibute to happiness and how does i t do so?

Most people would not immediately answer yes' or 'no' to questions like the ones in this unit. The best way to answer is to find something interesting to say, giving examples from what you know. Do not fill your essay with well-meaning generalisations.

Essays Providing information

I Read the quest ion and the essay b e l o w and c o m p l e t e the exerc ises that follow.

You have attended a course on health and have been asked by your tutor to wri te an essay on the importance of diet to g o o d health. You have been to a lecture on the subject and have made the notes below. W r i t e your essa> using your n o t e s and expressing your o w n opinions.

variety most f i n i m 'j'tin—fli

Mediterranean important factor diet (people

live longer)

THE IMPORTANCE OF

DIET TO GOOD HEALTH

I What should we eat?

Health risks

big meals? Which meal is most

important?

dangers of food poisoning (meat,

fruit, seafood)

hygiene (at home and in

restaurants)

(1) that diet is essential to good health, choosing the right diet, (2) , depends on a number of factors. (3) , what we eat is obviously important. (4) , we need to consider how often we have a meal and which meals should be the main meals of the day. (5) , even if our diet is suitable, we must do our best to ensure that the food we eat is not contaminated.

Even the experts disagree about what constitutes the best diet. There is, (6) , fairly general agreement that a balanced diet like the 'Mediterranean diet', mainly consisting of

fruit, vegetables and fish but also including some meat, is the healthiest and, (7) people who follow it live longer. The key to a good diet is really variety, in places where people

depend entirely on one kind of food, their diet will lack some vitamins and their health will suffer.

We may have our main meal during the day or in the evening but there is no doubt that it is better to have a good breakfast than eat a lot late at night, we need energy at the beginning of a day's work but not when going to bed, when a big meal may lead to indigestion. Regular meals are also important. Young people often get indigestion because they eat sweets, cakes and fast food in between meals and have no appetite when they go home for lunch or dinner.

(8) the right diet does not always prevent illness, though we can minimise

the risks by insisting on cleanliness in restaurants and refusing to eat anything that is not quite fresh. Some diseases contracted by animals may be passed to human beings eating meat; insecticides sprayed on fruit trees may be poisonous if we eat the fruit raw; some coastal waters are contaminated and seafood caught there can cause food poisoning. In normal circumstances, however,

the right diet is the essential factor for good health, it can make us strong, keep our weight down and so enable us to live longer.

• ^ • • • • • • ^ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I t : '

2 Study Connectors and Modifiers on page 70 and c o m p l e t e the essay above with the phrases below.

apart from that

it goes without saying

as a result however

nevertheless finally

in the first place

of course

ion

m p o r t a n c e of 'rite your essay

hygiene T home and in estaurants)

Providing information Essays 11 Essays providing information generally make a number of main points, contained in topic sentences . T h e s e are

• supported by examples or explanation. Find the main points in the essay oppos i te and the s en tences

— 2 : s u p p o r t them. The first has been d o n e for you.

a Pa rag raph 1: O n e ma in poin t followed by examples .

.VMn. PPM'.. Choosing the rjght diet depends on. a..number 0f .factors.

^ompies: .#>.?.. three . sentences. that follqyy

b Pa r ag raph 2: O n e ma in point , followed by a sen tence of explana t ion .

F aragraph 3: Two main points , each followed by explanat ion or example .

: : a p h 4 : Two main points , o n e followed b y examples , the o the r b y a c o m m e n t .

_->:• 2 : the quest ion b e l o w and then do the exerc ises .

Tfou have attended a talk about alternative medicine and the value of homeopath ic remedies in particular, and have made the n o t e s below. Your tu tor has n o w asked you to wri te an essay on this • e c t using your no te s .

j ^ ' n d p j e _ of_lTomeopathic remedies - treat whole person not just disease

herbal remedies - harmless although not always effective

around since 18th century + even Hippocrates, father of medicine

rome from plants, can be used without doctor's prescription (must follow instructions)

_susgicion about traditional drugs - dangerous side effects

eg_p_r Bach's flowers - good for stress, psychological illnesses

a W h y are peop le tu rn ing to h o m e o p a t h i c r emed ies?

b W h a t is the advantage of using t h e m ?

c W h a t example of a h o m e o p a t h i c r e m e d y is given?

d W h a t is it used for?

E H o w long have h o m e o p a t h i c r e m e d i e s b e e n in use?

f W h a t pr inciple is b e h i n d h o m e o p a t h i c r emed ie s?

S W h a t are they m a d e f rom?

h W h a t p recau t ions mus t you t ake if you use t h e m

to t rea t vourself?

Essays Providing information

5 Read Lucy's essay to s e e h o w she has organised the information from her n o t e s into paragraphs.

1 ( 1 (1) recent years, many people have become suspicious of (2)

traditional drugs prescribed by their doctors because they have read

tl™t (3) number of them have (4) dangerous side effects. As (5) resuit, they are turning to (6) alternative medicine

and (7) homeopathy.

(8J herbal remedies have (9) advantage of being harmless,

even if they do not always cure (10) disease (11) patient is

suffering from. (12) example of one such remedy is (13) Dr

Bach's flowers, which are supposed to have (14) special properties

helping (15) people to overcome (16) symptoms of (17)

stress and (18) similar psychological illnesses.

( 1 9 ) homeopathy is essentially (20) natural healing process,

stimulating (21) body's natural forces to (22) recovery.

( 2 3 ) remedies used are generally obtained from (24) plants.

They are available to t reat (25) wide range of (26) illnesses

and can be used without (27) consulting (28) doctor,

provided (29) patient chooses (30) right cure, (31)

cure that matches his symptoms, and he follows (32) instructions

for (33) use very carefully.

Although (34) turn towards (35) alternative medicine would

seem to be (36) recent phenomenon, in fact, (37) homeopathic

remedies (38) people use today have been in (39) existence s i n c e (40) eighteenth century. (41) principle behind them is

even older and derives from Hippocrates, (42) father of (43)

medicine, who recognised that it is necessary to t reat (44) whole

person, and not just (45) disease he is suffering from.

6 Alan and the have been left o u t of Lucy's essay. Add them only w h e r e necessary.

ms

Essays Providing information

Z - : : se o n e of the quest ions b e l o w and wri te an essay.

You have been asked by your tu tor to wr i te an essay on the importance of exerc ise to g o o d health. •Vrite your essay using the n o t e s b e l o w and express ing your o w n ideas.

11

exercise programme?

resting rnioyable

regular exercise

THE IMPORTANCE OF

EXERCISE TO GOOD HEALTH

What exercise should we do?

low impact high impact obesity

~ded a lecture on the . : i c a i c t i o n s and the - e i : :ney pose to g o o d health.

" : . - : - t o r has asked you to - - :e i- essay on the subject

-g r_-e "ores oppos i t e and E : ess -,g -our o w n ideas.

i_ all can be dangerous to your health

0 0 0 0 0 0 Q - Q o can take many forms: alcohol, smoking, taking drugs, work

some are deadly: lung cancer, cirrhosis of the liver

passive smoking

I pregnant women can pass their drug addiction on to their unborn baby

are started by peer pressure, stress/anxiety, curiosity

difficult to quit - special support groups & rehabilitation I programmes (eg Alcoholics Anonymous)

3 7

Proposals Applying for funds

Read through the quest ion and the proposal b e l o w to ge t a general idea of the meaning and then c o m p l e t e the exerc i ses that follow.

You are a m e m b e r of a sports club and have been asked by the club to wri te a proposal to the local authorities asking for financial help to deve lop the first aid facilities currently available at the sports centre . It has been suggested that you focus on existing facilities, what exactly is required and h o w the funds would benefit t h o s e people using the sports centre . W r i t e your proposal.

This proposal aims to outline the reasons why funding is required by the Five Oaks Sports Centre in order to

improve first aid facilities available at the centre. It will also show that these improvements are necessary and will

benefit members .

Currently the first aid provisions at the centre are insufficient. There is a first aid box in the reception area and a

qualified member of staff is on duty to deal with minor injuries and accidents. Unfortunately this member of staff

has other duties to perform during working hours and is not always easy to locate. Valuable t ime could be lost

trying to track down the individual in the event of an accident of a more serious nature. This is obviously an

undesirable situation that needs to be corrected.

In the event that funding is made available, the first priority is the creation of a first aid station within the sports

centre. This would need to be clearly signposted so people can find it quickly and easily, and fully equipped with

the necessary supplies. Secondly, the appointment of qualified, full-time members of staff employed to work

within the station is also necessary. There would only need to be one on duty at any one time although other

employees who have some first aid training could be on call should they be required. These members of staff

would need to be be supplied with beepers, so they could be contacted at any time regardless of where there may

be. Finally, telephones connected directly to the first aid centre should be installed to enable people requiring

assistance at the site of an accident to phone for that assistance.

At present those people using the sports centre who suffer an injury or become unwell are not being properly

catered for. If the suggestions above were implemented, fast and effective assistance would be readily available at

all times. This would benefit our members and the public who use the centre, increasing the confidence that

people have in the Five Oaks Sports Centre .

2 C h o o s e the best heading for each paragraph, write the numbers 1-4 on the dot ted lines below, and wri te the headings in the spaces in the proposal.

Ill

a H o w funding would be spent

b P u r p o s e

c Existing facilities

d Benefi ts

;;• :

38

Applying for funds 12

: : • 2 : :~e p roposa l again and answer these quest ions.

sat a re the two shor tcomings of the first aid facilities current ly provided by the Five O a k s Spor ts C e n t r e ?

b Hew many suggestions does the p roposa l include?

- . :hese suggest ions?

t i lap e listing four different kinds of proposal. W i t h a partner, look at the list of shortcomings and : ox. Can you comple te the table with the missing information?

retraining, re-entering the job market

for local community as well as students

'<oi>ege games

facilities, old/damaged equipment

: excess :- •'acilities

::-:rs facilities shared with public

- rr : : r . i i free to shop

no local computer facilities except Internet cafes

no quiet area for study

occupy children

reference section - homework, research

school leavers - further education

the unemployed - training/job opportunities

no help/advice for school leavers, the unemployed or

people wanting to return to work

Proposal

•_ - :: :c create a study & cown library with computers

Existing shortcomings

1

2

I (children bored - misbehave, shops difficult to navigate with pushchairs, young children, etc)

1

1

2

Benefits

2

3 work on own

1

2

1

2

3

1 ,

2

3 meet people

minding / childcare i-ge shopping centre

:areer advisory service

-nproving sports facilities j community

39

Proposals Applying for funds

A proposal needs to be writ ten in a formal style. Look at t h e s e s e n t e n c e s b e l o w and tick ( /) t h o s e that you think would be suitable to include in a proposal.

1 I th ink that a p lace whe re m u m s and dads can leave the i r kids for an h o u r or two is a really good idea.

2 Unfor tuna te ly , the spor ts facilities available a re i n a d e q u a t e and m u c h of the e q u i p m e n t is e i ther o ld or d a m a g e d .

3 Lo ts of peop le don ' t want to sit in a smoky, noisy cafe just so they can surf the net .

4 This p roposa l tr ies to say why ou r town n e e d s a ca reer advisory service.

5 T h e provision of such a service would leave pa ren t s free to shop in t he knowledge tha t their ch i ldren a re be ing well looked after.

6 I 'm sure you'l l agree that a c o m p u t e r a n d study a rea is jus t wha t our town library needs .

7 If the spor ts cen t re is really good a n d c h e a p , lots of peop le will use it.

8 This p roposa l out l ines the reasons why U p p e r Ches ton requ i res funding to c rea te a Ca ree r s Advisory Service tha t would be of benefi t to local p e o p l e of all ages.

Can you rewrite the s e n t e n c e s from exerc ise 5 that you did not tick, so they are in a m o r e suitable style?

H P 40

•

Applying for funds Proposals

zse o n e of the quest ions b e l o w and wri te a proposal, using the information from exerc ises 4-6 to

You w o r k at the local library and you and your col leagues have decided to ask the local authority for funding to ex tend the services offered. The funding wou ld be used to create a quiet s u d y ' r e a d i n g area and provide a c o m p u t e r area w h e r e m e m b e r s of the public would be able to j s e the computers and also access the Internet. W r i t e a proposal outlining why t h e s e facilities a.-e necessary and h o w they would benefit the community as a w h o l e .

You are a qualified child minder and have decided to write a proposal applying for funds to start up pour o w n business. You would like to use the m o n e y to provide childcare facilities at a shopping centre in the nearby t o w n . It has been suggested that you include details of the lack of facilities ixesentry available, h o w you would spend the m o n e y and h o w your plans would be of benefit.

a r e a youth counse l lor and have been asked to wri te a proposal to the local authority asking for n jnds to create a careers advisory service in your t o w n . You should explain why this service is - c e d e d and h o w i t would benefit the community.

You are a m e m b e r of the Student Union at your university. There have been a number of : : - : a i t s about the lack of sports facilities available to s tudents and i t has been decided that the

versity will apply to the local authority for funds to make improvements . You have been asked zz write a proposal outlining the existing facilities and explaining h o w the m o n e y should be spent.

Proposals Assessing choices n H

i Read the quest ion and the proposal b e l o w and comple te the exerc ises that follow.

You have read a not ice in the local newspaper from the t o w n council inviting residents to give their opinions on h o w m o n e y raised at a recent fair could be used. The t o w n council lors have made s o m e suggest ions - extending the t o w n library, improving the local park or renovating a local building. You decide to send in a proposal, comment ing on t h e s e possibilities, and stating which idea would be the best for the local community and why.

Purpose

The aim of this proposal is to discuss the suggestions which were made by the town councillors on

how the money raised at the 1st Annual Summer Fair should best be spent.

Town Library

The town library, which is very popular with the local residents and is said to be one of the best in the

country, is very cramped, with space being at a premium. This is partly due to the fact that the new

audio section occupies a (1) ; amount of space in the main library, which

means that the wide variety of books available has to be crammed into a much smaller space than

would otherwise be desirable. It is, therefore, logical that some people feel that building an extension

would be a (2) way to spend the money raised at the Summer Fair.

St Leonard's Park

The park on St Leonard 's Street has long been a meeting place for old and young alike. However,

with the exception of the gardens, which are very well cared for, the park is (3) in

need of repair. The open-air stage, which was once the venue for many plays and concerts, has been

badly vandalised, and a (4) amount of money will be needed in order that

it be restored. Fur thermore , the children's playground is, for want of a bet ter word, a safety hazard,

and this must be rectified immediately if the town council is to avoid being held accountable for

accidents.

The Old Schoolhouse

For many years now, there has been talk about the renovation of the old schoolhouse in the main

town square. Unfortunately, this has not yet been brought to fruition. It is (5) a

great pity that this building, which is part of our local heritage, has been allowed to fall into disrepair.

However, the cost of renovating such a building would (6) exceed the funds

available at this time.

Recommendation

In conclusion, while all three suggestions would benefit the local community in some way, it is my

belief that St Leonard 's Park deserves our (7) attention. I hope that the points

outlined in this proposal will receive your (8) consideration.

J *

2 Read the proposal again and fill the gaps using the adjectives and adverbs below. More than o n e answer may be possible.

badly commendable considerable immediate

serious substantial surely undoubtedly

Assessing choices Proposals

m If

3 Find w o r d s and phrases in the proposal which mean the same as:

a l imited

b takes up

c really needs mend ing

d fixed

e b l amed for

f carr ied ou t

g de t e r io ra t e in condi t ion

h be m o r e t h a n

r e s e Quest ions about the proposal on the previous page.

• ••, hich p a r a g r a p h does t he wri ter s ta te t he p u r p o s e of t he p roposa l?

-;ch pa rag raph does the wri ter s ta te which of t he suggest ions he thinks is t he bes t?

• • _ e> the wri ter do in the first sen tences in p a r a g r a p h s 3-5?

: rr ain reasons for spending money on each of the suggest ions?

T o * r a Library:

St Leona rd ' s Park :

T h e O ld Schoolhouse :

•dertine the explanat ions /examples given for t he reasons . A r e t he re explanat ions /examples for all t h r e e

• Wh\ do you think this is?

the three suggestions in order, s tar t ing wi th t he o n e t he wri ter th inks is t he mos t appropr i a t e , wri t ing t he : : r >sal w hich helped you find your answer.

Proposals Assessing choices

5 Look at the s e n t e n c e s below. They are writ ten in the active voice . In the proposal, find corresponding s e n t e n c e s in the passive vo ice and wri te them below.

As with all formal writing, the passive voice is used in proposab.

This is mainly due to the fact that it is not appropriate to talk

directly to the person who is going to read the proposal. This is

especially true if blame is being apportioned.

a T h e a im of this p roposa l is to discuss t he suggest ions which t h e town counci l lors m a d e .

b T h e y say tha t t he town library is o n e of t he best in the country .

c They have to c r am the wide variety of b o o k s available into a m u c h smal ler p lace .

d S o m e o n e has badly vandal i sed the open-a i r s tage, which was once the venue for m a n y plays and concer ts .

e Y o u will n e e d a cons iderab le a m o u n t of m o n e y in o r d e r tha t i t be res tored .

f Y o u mus t rectify this immedia te ly if the town council is to avoid s o m e o n e holding t h e m responsib le

for accidents .

6 Rewrite the following sentences using the passive voice where possible.

a S o m e o n e must h i re a bus w h e n the hockey t e a m plays away from h o m e .

b Unfor tuna te ly , we will no t raise a lot of money for the field tr ip.

c T h e y said that t he science lab at this college is the best in t he country.

d S o m e o n e needs to look after the employees ' chi ldren while employees a re working.

44

Assessing choices Proposals

should buy a cooker or a microwave oven for p e o p l e to hea t up food.

; uld set up a gym in the ba semen t , which nobody uses.

5sal on o n e of the following quest ions . Do the exerc i ses before you begin writing to help you.

' : - - ege has been given funding by a famous former s tudent and the Student C o m m i t t e e has made : : ~ e sugges t ions - a n e w sc ience lab, a n e w mini-bus or a field trip abroad. You dec ide to send in a : :: zn . c o m m e n t i n g on t h e s e possibilities, and stating which idea would be the best and why.

i •': owing quest ions to c o m p l e t e the paragraph plan.

- : - o d u c t i o n : W h a t is t he a im of your p roposa l ?

p a r a g r a p h 2: W h a t r ea son and explana t ion /example can you th ink of for bui lding a new science lab?

p a r a g r a p h 3: W h a t r e a s o n a n d exp lana t ion /example can you th ink of for a n e w mini -bus?

p a r a g r a p h 4: W h a t r eason a n d explana t ion /example can you th ink of for a field t r ip a b r o a d ?

ion : W h a t i s your r e c o m m e n d a t i o n ?

ny you work for has been given funding to improve working conditions. The board of directors

iree suggestions - childcare facilities, cooking facilities or building a gym. Employees have been

nd in proposals comment ing on t h e s e possibilities, stating which idea would be the best and

your proposal.

owing quest ions to c o m p l e t e the paragraph plan.

— r r o d u c t i o n : W h a t is t he aim of your p roposa l?

c a r a g r a p h 2: W h a t reason a n d explana t ion /example can you th ink of for chi ldcare facilities?

P a r a g r a p h 3 : W h a t r ea son a n d explana t ion /example can you th ink o f for cooking facilities?

Paragraph 4: W h a t r ea son and explana t ion /example can you th ink of for a bui lding a gym?

C o n c l u s i o n : W h a t i s your r e c o m m e n d a t i o n ?

Proposals

Read the quest ion and the proposal b e l o w and do the exerc ises that follow.

You are a m e m b e r of the local tourist association which recently held a meet ing on the problem of the reduction in the number of visitors to the area. You at tended the meet ing and have been asked to write a proposal for the local authorities evaluating the situation and making s o m e recommendat ions , using the n o t e s you t o o k at the meeting.

oooo o o o o \ & \ f c ^ \% \ | \ | %| \ &

^ w W W W W ™ W Problem: drop in tourism hotels, restaurants and shops had to shut down 10% more people out of work

in 5 yrs

Solutions: _ 1 advertising 2. clean up beaches

_3 appeal to different tourists

Purpose

The purpose of this proposal is to discuss the problems the local tourist industry faces and to put

forward measures that could be taken to improve the situation.

Cur ren t Si tuat ion

Unfor tunate ly , our town is confronted by the same p rob lem tha t is crippling the rest of the

country. The fall in the number of tourists visiting our town is having a devastating impact on the

local community. In just five years, local tourism has declined by 30%, forcing many businesses to

c lose . As a resu l t , local u n e m p l o y m e n t has i n c r e a s e d by 1 0 % . O u t l i n e d be low are s o m e

suggestions that could help rectify this situation.

Recommendat ions

1 Many of our members feel that the key to increasing local tourism is to diversify into other

kinds of tourism. Perhaps the local council should consider different ways of promoting our

town as a holiday resort by providing financial assistance to those who wish to invest in our

area . If grants were given to investors to set up new ven tu res , such as specialist holiday

companies, there would be more variety which would encourage different sorts of tourists to

visit our area.

2 In order to at t ract visitors to our area, i t is essential tha t we have at tractive beaches and

coastlines. This would entail clearing beaches of rubbish, and making sure that all beach bars

and seaside restaurants are attractive to look at, unlike some of the monstrosities which are

spoiling the coastline at present. Providing this measure is taken, the visitors who come here on

beach holidays would be encouraged to return, and our reputa t ion as a beach resort would

improve.

3 Another answer to the problem would be to launch an international advertising campaign. If

local government funds were made available for such a campaign, the local tourist association

would do its utmost to make a sizable contribution. This would be an excellent way to p romote

the region and encourage tourism. H a d we done this earlier, we may have been able to avoid

the unfortunate situation in which we find ourselves today.

Conclusion

It is impera t ive that someth ing is done to ensure t he revival of local tour ism. It is our firm

conv i c t i on t h a t t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t h e s u g g e s t i o n s a b o v e w o u l d m a k e a s ign i f ican t

contribution to this.

Proposals Evaluating a situation

r. _r.:rv

ases in the proposal which are similar in meaning to the o n e s below. S o m e t i m e s m o r e than ble.

j : r'.e are ou t o f work

menda t i ons

beaches

m and the proposal again and answer the following quest ions .

phi s) does the wri ter :

genera l s i tuat ion at t he t ime of wri t ing?

n m e n d a t i o n based on informat ion given in the no te s?

aim of the proposal is to evaluate the situation and m a k e recommenda t ions?

ir r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s will he lp improve the s i tuat ion?

he r e c o m m e n d a t i o n can be i m p l e m e n t e d ?

informat ion abou t the p rob l em given in the no tes?

or tance of measu re s be ing t aken?

the result of the r e c o m m e n d a t i o n will be?

Don't use the same words and phrases in your writing that are in the question. Try to use synonyms, or paraphrase as far as possible.

a n d .

and ,

and ,

•: : ::s one. you are trying to persuade someone to take action. Therefore, mouM do your best to make them understand how important something is.

:-. r = s e n t e n c e s be low using the w o r d s in bold. Use b e t w e e n t w o and five words . You may wish to look :- ~zze •'or help with the structures needed .

i ~-«; : s - :hat business is b a d is having a huge effect on the local communi ty .

business on the local communi ty .

Imr peop le feel that giving grants to new businesses is the way to increase t r ade .

. fee that the to give grants to new businesses .

! :s might like to think about ways to tidy up the ne ighbourhood .

. .::horities c leaning up the ne ighbourhood .

i . - r ;. e a people must be t ra ined proper ly if we a re to r e d u c e the u n e m p l o y m e n t level.

c-^ntial" aider to r educe the u n e m p l o y m e n t level, p e o p l e a re t ra ined proper ly .

This is how best to encourage business in the area ,

c \ : 111 e n t

to encou rage business in the area .

f We must do someth ing before it 's t oo la te ,

imp* r a t h e

d o n e before i t is too late .

4 7

Proposals Evaluating a situation

Look at Reference section 4a, b and e on pages 64 -65 and Reference section 11 on page 67 and then comple te the proposal b e l o w with the correc t form of the verbs in brackets or using would w h e r e necessary.

You are head edi tor of the col lege newspaper and you recently at tended a staff meet ing about the problem of l ow readership. You have been asked to write a proposal for the Principal evaluating the situation and outlining s o m e suggestions, using the n o t e s you t o o k at the staff meeting.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Problem:

college wants to stop publishing college newspaper not popular enough

local advertisers want to pull out _

Solutions:

1 make appearance. more up-to-date

2 make available in other areas of college

3 special features on local events

Purpose

The purpose of this proposal is to discuss the problems the college newspaper faces and to make

recommendat ions which (1) (improve) the situation.

Current Situation

Unfortunately, our newspaper is in grave danger of being closed down. The college is seriously

cons ide r ing w i thd rawing its funding , on t he g r o u n d s tha t c i rcu la t ion i s no t high e n o u g h .

Fur thermore , local advertisers are contemplating withdrawing from the newspaper for the same

reason. Out l ined below are some suggestions that (2) (help) rectify this

situation.

Recommendations

1 In order to increase the circulation of the college newspaper, it is imperative that there are a

number of points of sale apart from the English Depar tment , where it is sold at present. This

(3) (entail) persuading other members of staff on the newspaper to give

up some of their t ime in order to sell papers at the main college ent rance . The Students '

Union (4) (be) another suitable location. (5)

(this/think of) sooner, we may already have been making a profit.

2 Some members of staff believe that the key to increasing circulation is to bring the newspaper

into the 21st century. Perhaps the design depar tment could create a new concept for the paper.

I f t he n e w s p a p e r l o o k e d m o r e m o d e r n , s t u d e n t s (6)

(undoubtedly find) it more attractive.

3 Another answer to the problem would be to have new features and articles which students

want to find out about. For example, a 'What ' s O n ' section could be included, with details of

local cinemas, concerts, etc. This (7) (be) an excellent way to encourage

students to buy the newspaper on a regular basis.

Conclusion

I t is vital t ha t s o m e t h i n g is d o n e to p r even t the col lege n e w s p a p e r be ing c losed down. If

suggestions such as the ones above (8) (take) seriously, we believe that the

newspaper can be saved.

1

Evaluating a situation

: r~~ ; . e s : on and the proposal again and c o m p l e t e the paragraph plan.

- z- :•: . zz on: discuss newspaper's problems and suggest improvements

Z . — i~ : 5 t - a t i o n :

G o e r i sanation?

itbout the p r o b l e m ?

lations:

I?

pitmen t?

2 ?

art?

• _ . —i!r\ii".:on 3?

| H w i » i ^ k n i e n t ?

Z :<-<:»js»on: -- -..-.r.ce of m e a s u r e s b e i n g taken,

xir r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s will improve the s i tuat ion.

- r r e "'c cwing proposal using the n o t e s below.

•per of the local business people 's associat ion which recently held a meet ing on t h e ; ack of business in t h e area. You attended t h e meet ing and have been asked to write ie local authorities evaluating t h e situation and outlining s o m e suggestions, using t h e

t a i H-= a - e m

Z "Z Z -z — -m ă c e ş i i zn

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Reviews Reviewing a book

I Look at the quest ion b e l o w and read Julia's review that fol lows. Then c o m p l e t e the exerc ises that follow.

A magazine which regularly reviews b o o k s has invited its readers to send in a review of a b o o k in which courage and determination play an important role. W r i t e a review for the magazine saying w h a t you learnt from it.

Not Without My Daughter was r e c o m m e n d e d to me as t he amaz ing t rue story of o n e w o m a n ' s

cou rage and love for he r d a u g h t e r in a par t icular ly difficult a n d d a n g e r o u s pe r iod of he r life.

Bet ty M a h m o o d y , t he au thor , (1) was betrayed by h e r husband , Dr Sayyed Bozorg M a h m o o d y

( M o o d y ) and impr i soned wi thou t r ights , wi th no m e a n s o f r e tu rn ing to he r own country .

Desp i t e t he te r r ib le t r e a t m e n t and ha rdsh ips she (2) endured, which would have b r o k e n m a n y

a s t rong-wil led pe r son , she (3) determined to e scape wi th he r daugh te r , M a h t o b .

T h e b o o k (4) began inside an ae rop l ane which (5) was making its descent into her husband ' s

home land . On b o a r d (6) were Betty, M o o d y and M a h t o b . Even a t this stage of the b o o k the

r eade r s (7) understood tha t Betty (8) was having misgivings abou t he r j ou rney to a country which,

at the t ime, so despised A m e r i c a and its citizens. However , she (9) felt tha t she (10) had to allow

he r daugh t e r to visit he r husband ' s family before be ing enrol led in school back in t he States .

T h e story (11) unfolded to reveal tha t Bet ty 's worst n i g h t m a r e (12) had come t rue : she and her

beloved daugh t e r (13) had become p r i soners at t he mercy of her h u s b a n d and his often cruel

family. Bet ty (14) couldn't come to t e r m s with her fate a n d (15) vowed to escape and r e tu rn to

Amer i ca . Unde r s t andab ly , she (16) was unwill ing to do so wi thout M a h t o b bu t (17) found, to he r

hor ror , t ha t t h e p e o p l e she (18) met (19) couldn't or (20) wouldn't he lp her .

Finally she (21) came in to contac t with A m a h l , w h o (22) was able to a r r ange he r escape across

the bo rde r . T h e story (23) ended with a de ta i led account of Bet ty and M a h t o b ' s t r eache rous t r ek

t h rough the m o u n t a i n s dur ing a snowstorm and their final arrival in Turkey, from where they

(24) travelled back to A m e r i c a .

As well as be ing well-wri t ten, this ex t raord inary b o o k is also thought -provoking . I found I was

unab le to pu t i t down, and finished r ead ing it within 48 hour s of s tar t ing it. A l t hough it is

upse t t ing at t imes , the overwhelming love of a m o t h e r for he r child (25) was a p p a r e n t on each

page . I real ised that no t everyone in this wor ld has a safe and peaceful existence; someth ing tha t

m a n y peop le , myself inc luded, often t ake for g ran ted . I t will r emain an unforge t tab le account of

courage , love a n d de t e rmina t i on tha t shou ld be an inspi ra t ion to us all.

2 Read the review again and answer the following quest ions .

In which pa rag raph( s ) does Julia:

a give he r reac t ion to the b o o k ?

b give us a brief overview of the p lo t?

c m e n t i o n the title and au tho r of t he b o o k ?

d suppor t her choice of b o o k while expanding on the p lo t? , and

Reviews Reviewing a book

-. Reference section I2f on pages 68-69 . Julia w r o t e her review as a past t ense narrative. Change the

e-rs in italics into the t e n s e s that should be used to write about a book.

I n t r o d u c t i o n

I

3

P a r a g r a p h 2

4

6

8

9 1«

P a r a g r a p h 3

II 12

U

14

15

14

17

15

19

i: a re quest ions b e l o w and c h o o s e o n e . W r i t e a paragraph plan using Julia's review as a guide. Expand

. • z i- 'zo a review practising present t enses .

- - i g a z ne is running a feature in which they review bo o ks HJjJ . : make g o o d presents for a friend. They are inviting U u i

e - - e a c e r s to send in reviews on bo o ks they think would Whenyou write a review, do not

z-z s - -_ao.e. W r i t e a review of a b o o k you think would make a get caught up in just retelling the

i : - - - explaining why story. Instead, concentrate on the main points that explain why you

z • : . ; e ong t o a b o o k club and have been asked t o write a c h o s e t h l s b o o k t o r e v i e w a n d

, . I. I i your reaction to it. •z - :~e n e x t news le t ter recommending a book to '

--z — e ~ o e r s . W r i t e a review of a b o o k which has had an

- : ; : : a - y o u r life.

jction title? au tho r?

brief overview of p lo t?

" a . - B o d y main points of t he p lo t tha t

suppor t your choice?

Conclusion reaction' :

51

Reviews Reviewing a film mmm

Read the question and the review below and do the exercises which follow.

A popular monthly magazine, which regularly reviews films, has invited its readers to write a review of a film recently released on video for the magazine. Wri t e your review of a film recently released on video and say what you consider to be the disadvantages of watching a film on video rather than at the cinema.

Castaway, which (1) ( just /release) on

video, (2) (be) o n e of t he biggest b lockbus te rs of

2000. F o r s o m e s t range reason , I (3) (not see) i t

at the c inema, so I (4) (dec ide) to get i t ou t on v ideo. A l though I (5)

(be) very glad I did, I now (6) ( regre t ) no t having seen it on t he big screen.

Chuck No land ( T o m H a n k s ) (7) (be) a F e d E x executive w h o (8) (live)

by the clock a n d (9) (not spend ) e n o u g h t ime with his girlfriend Kelly ( H e l e n H u n t ) ,

as his work frequent ly (10) ( t ake) h im to the four corners of the ea r th . At a Chr i s tmas

party, Chuck (11) ( P a g e ) a n d mus t leave immedia te ly for Asia. D u r i n g the flight,

Chuck ' s p l ane (12) (hi t) a ter r ib le t h u n d e r s t o r m , the p lane (13)

(crash) and Chuck (14) (be) t h e only survivor.

He (15) (float) in a life raft to a deser t island s o m e w h e r e in t he Pacific. Relying on his

wits and instinct, N o l a n d (16) (crea te) a makeshif t h o m e . He (17)

(face) assor ted chal lenges , including learning how to crack o p e n coconuts and how to m a k e a fire by

rubb ing o n e p iece of wood against ano the r . As t he days (18) ( tu rn in to) weeks , his

hopes of being rescued (19) (dwindle) .

Chuck ' s adven tu re (20) (be) a lonely, deso la te one : a fact which is constant ly

reaff i rmed by shots of the massive ocean and starry skies. After four years of lonely existence, Chuck

(21) (bui ld) a raft a n d (22) (make ) a final a t t e m p t at escape .

Chuck (23) (bat t le) with t he waves for hour s on end and (24)

(give up) hope of be ing rescued w h e n he (25) ( spot ) by a cargo ship and

(26) ( t ake back) to civilisation, whe re things (27) (not be ) a t

all the way he (28) ( imagine) t h e m to be .

T h e film (29) (be) very impressive, bu t i t would have b e e n even m o r e so on the big

screen. As with all ac t ion scenes wa tched on a TV screen, just ice canno t have been d o n e to t he p lane crash,

which mus t have b e e n terrifying w h e n seen (and h e a r d ) a t the c inema. Similarly, t he scenery mus t have

b e e n b rea th tak ing , and the vastness of the sea and sky would have m a d e Chuck ' s lonel iness even m o r e

painful to watch. Unfor tuna te ly , this (30) (be) t he pr ice o n e has to pay for watch ing a

v ideo r a the r than the ' real thing ' .

Study Reference section I2f on pages 6 8 - 6 9 and fill in the blanks in the review with the correc t t e n s e of the verbs in brackets.

Underline any words and phrases used in the review to s h o w when something happened, or the passing of t ime.

When describing the plot of a film or book, it is

important that the reader knows the order in which the

main events occur. To do this effectively, you should

use a variety of time expressions in your writing.

Reviewing a film Reviews

I (live)

H u n t ) ,

i r istmas

çht.

ï on his

y

k his

sd on t h e review on the previous page, put the paragraph plan b e l o w into the correc t order. W r i t e

c^rjon, Main Body, Conclusion.

State your genera l reac t ion to the film. C o m m e n t on the d isadvantages of watch ing

the par t icular film on v ideo and discuss the genera l d isadvantages of films on video.

Sta te t he title of t he film and give a r ea son for watch ing the film on v ideo. Ind ica te

tha t watching films on v ideo has its d isadvantages .

Briefly descr ibe t he plot . M e n t i o n aspects of the film which exemplify your opin ion

of watch ing films on v ideo.

r. : - e quest ions below, think of a film for each o n e and c o m p l e t e the paragraph plans which fol low with

Dopular film magazine has invited its readers to write a review for the magazine. W r i t e a review of a

> - c < b u s t e r and say what you cons ider to be the essential qualities that make a blockbuster.

- t r o d u c t i o n t i t le?

r e a s o n for watch ing the b lockbus te r?

Ind ica te tha t b lockbus ters have essential quali t ies .

" a n B o d y p lo t?

examples of b lockbus te r qual i t ies?

C o n c l u s i o n your genera l reac t ion?

qual i t ies of film?

genera l quali t ies of b lockbus ters?

aopular monthly magazine, which regularly reviews films, has an awards ceremony every year. Readers

•: • a aeen invited to nominate a film for the category ' C o m e d y of the Year'. W r i t e a review about a film

: _ : - - < deserves to win the award and say what you cons ider to be the essential qualities that make a

=coc c o m e d y film.

- f o d u c t i o n ti t le?

reason for wa tch ing the comedy?

Ind ica te tha t comed ies have essential quali t ies .

M a i n B o d y p lot?

examples of qual i t ies of comed ies?

C o n c l u s i o n your genera l r eac t ion?

quali t ies of film?

genera l quali t ies of comedies?

a is — —— '—' "

" ' ; ! ^ e - := a -eview in answer to o n e of the quest ions above, using your paragraph plan, and taking the things you

•jina Èmm learnt in this unit into considerat ion.

53

Reviews Reviewing a restaurant/hote

I Read the quest ion and the review b e l o w and c o m p l e t e the exerc ises that follow.

You are employed in a large company w h o s e manager is retiring. The company wants to organise a leaving party as a token of its appreciation for the manager's many years of service . You have been asked to write a review of a restaurant in your area that you cons ider suitable for the occas ion. You should include details of seating capacity, cuisine and any o ther services you feel would make this a suitable venue.

The Willows, (1) ,

has a r e p u t a t i o n for providing top-qual i ty , t radi t ional Engl ish cuisine toge the r with high-class

service. I t also has t he advan tage of be ing able to provide a pr ivate dining area that can be hi red for

an evening or lunch t ime event.

T h e r e s t au ran t is set in t he a t t ract ive su r round ings of t he hotel w h e r e guests and those using the

r e s t au ran t a r e able to enjoy a walk t h rough the extensive gardens , (2)

, down to the lake that gives

the hote l its n a m e . T h e pr ivate dining r o o m itself, (3)

, provides seat ing for a m a x i m u m of 100 peop le , a l though

the re is a dance floor and DJ a rea if r equ i red . In this event , seat ing would be r educed to a

m a x i m u m of 80. Should a DJ be requ i red , the hote l can organise this or those hir ing t he r o o m can

do so. If a DJ is no t requ i red , then the hote l will a r r ange for some p leasan t background music in

keeping with t he event .

T h e waiting staff at The Willows, (4) , do their

u tmos t to m a k e one ' s visit enjoyable and the chefs are r enowned for their skill and the variety in t he

dishes they create . T h e manage r suggests a set m e n u for an occasion such as a re t i rement party, a

n u m b e r of which are available, varying in pr ice according to what is chosen. She assures me that

vegetarians and o the r dietary needs can be ca te red for, providing advanced notification is given.

As The Willows is s i tua ted on the outskir ts of Tonbr idge , (5)

those using publ ic t r anspor t shou ld not e n c o u n t e r difficulties in reach ing the res tauran t . T h e r e is

also ample pa rk ing for those w h o would be driving.

I would no t hes i ta te to r e c o m m e n d The Willows as an ideal locat ion for Mr W i t h e r t o n ' s r e t i r emen t

par ty. I t offers excellent service and good food in a relaxed, p leasan t env i ronmen t tha t can be

convenient ly r eached by m e m b e r s of ou r staff.

Look at Reference section 7 on page 66 and study the examples there before complet ing the review with the phrases below.

a large nearby town

a beautiful, wood-panelled room overlooking the grounds

friendly and professional individuals

lovingly maintained since they were planted at the turn of the twentieth century

the well-known restaurant situated in the grounds of The Lake Hotel

/1hot€l Reviewing a restaurant/hotel

: : : : ; - -ases in the review that mean the following:

nd belonging to and su r round ing a building

Ut «Éfe a view of « a: ite--.ery best

Hi Mlfci I B Ì ml

1 ntzrm :'c

= • - . again and answer t h e s e quest ions about it.

:e::s : the r e s t au ran t has the wri ter focused on?

m ati : in is given in direct answer to t he ques t ion set?

her information is given in suppor t of this venue?

-.is *ve paragraphs. W h i c h of the headings : : : - :s to each of the five paragraphs? . J — - e^ s I-5 o n the dot ted lines t o indicate

sftflity and park ing

.-.rings, seating and music a r r a n g e m e n t s

hieing the venue iarv of recommendation

Reviews Reviewing a restaurant/hotel

Look at Reference section 2c on page 64 and compare t h e s e sentences :

T h e dining r o o m has w o o d panels .

It is a wood-pane l l ed dining r o o m .

Rewr i t e these sentences , conver t ing t h e m from o n e form to ano ther ,

a T h e hote l has twenty b e d r o o m s .

b It is a glass-roofed swimming pool .

c T h e bui lding has t h r e e floors.

d They a re all da rk -ha i red wai ters .

e She is a we l l -mannered recept ionis t .

7 C o m p l e t e the table with the adjectives b e l o w that can be used to describe food, staff and hotels/restaurants.

delicious elegant surroundings extortionate (x2) first<lass fresh friendly inattentive

inefficient luxurious neglected overcooked overpriced (x2) polite professional

rude shabby spacious tasteless unhelpful varied welcoming well-presented

Hotels/Restaurants

Reviewing a restaurant ¡hotel Reviews 17

: w o m o r e quest ions. C o m p l e t e the paragraph plans b e l o w them with notes to help you organise l'-.s and ideas for each review. Then c h o o s e o n e review to write , following your plan and practising

he vocabu la ry you m e t in exercises 3, 6 and 7.

-ave been reading an issue of Out on the Town, a magazine to do with entertainment . You saw

a d v e r t i s e m e n t and have decided to answer it. W r i t e a review for the magazine recommending a

a _ r a n t in your area, explaining why it would be a g o o d choice .

We are looking

for restaurants

that would be

suitable venues

for a

21st birthday celebration. Do

you have any

ideas?

- t - o d u c t i o n n a m e , locat ion of r e s t au ran t ?

M a - B o d y food available?

staff?

a t m o s p h e r e ?

cost, o t h e r facilities?

C o n c l u s i o n Sum up your r e c o m m e n d a t i o n .

~'i 3 : j d e n t Union at the university you attend is organising a conference for s tudents from a number

a- e f f e r en t universities. It has asked for suggestions of hote ls in the area w h e r e the conference can be

~£ a. W r i t e a review of a suitable hotel, including details of what it has to offer, w h e r e it is located

ar-d any o t h e r information you feel is relevant.

- : r o d u c t i o n n a m e , locat ion of ho te l?

Main B o d y facilities for conference?

capacity?

cost/special ra tes?

o the r re levant facil i t ies/ information?

C o n c l u s i o n Sum u p your r e c o m m e n d a t i o n .

Reports Assessing facilities

Marina w o r k s for a travel agency and stays in hotels in order to assess their facilities. Afterwards she wri tes a report. Look at her c o m m e n t s on the Majestic Hotel and put a tick beside positive c o m m e n t s and a cross beside negative c o m m e n t s .

O O O O O 0 0 0 0 0 0 \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ a Hall porter very heJgfuMJooked theatre tickets, gave directions.

b Long queue at breakfast. Took 20^ minutes_to find a free table. No separation between smoking and non-smoking tables.

Room old fashioned. Mattress uncomfortable, couldn't sleep.

_d Receptionist barely polite, no smile. Couldn't find my reservation. Did not offer to help with luggage, gave me the wrong key.

e Bathroom spotlessly clean, modern, shower, .useful toiletries.

f Room service forgot my order of sandwiches. Had to ring three times.

g Excellent menu at lunch, first-class service, fine cuisine.

jh TV only offered local channels. Reception very poor.

\

Read Marina's report oppos i te . C o m p a r e it to the c o m m e n t s she made and find the paragraph w h e r e she has used each of the c o m m e n t s . W r i t e the correct letter (a-h) in the spaces below.

To make a report as clear as possible, information is separated into paragraphs, each of which is given a heading. C h o o s e the best heading for each paragraph, wri te the numbers 1-5 on the dot ted lines b e l o w and the headings in the spaces in Marina's report .

P a r a g r a p h 2:

P a r a g r a p h 3 :

P a r a g r a p h 4:

. a n d .

, and ,

. a n d ,

a Staff and service on offer

b In t roduc t ion

c R e s t a u r a n t facilities

d A c c o m m o d a t i o n

e Conclus ion

Reports

John Pettiman

Marina Sanches

T i e Majestic Hotel

" J a n u a r y 2003

c«tlines mv assessment of the Majestic Hotel, where I stayed overnight on the 18th January 2003.

- . . . mmodation and restaurant facilities the hotel offers.

•: Majestic was mixed. While some of the hotel staff were very helpful - the hall por te r not

theatre tickets for me, but also gave me precise directions for getting to the thea t re - others

•. . . ptionist on arrival made an especially poor impression. He did not greet me with a

stead was barely polite. He took a long t ime to find my reservation and when he did find it,

a key. which turned out to be the wrong one, and instead of getting a por te r to help me with

;arr\ it myself. I have no complaint to make of the chambermaids but the room

» and inefficient. I o rdered a sandwich but had to ring three t imes before it was brought

: . had forgotten my order .

. pleasant but the furniture was rather old-fashioned and the bed was a nightmare; the

. p> and uncomfortable that I couldn't sleep. There was a TV but it only offered local

. . ;eption was very poor. This failure to consider the needs of foreigners was reflected in

- not supplied with the newspaper I asked for the next morning because I had made my

. n abroad and the computer automatically excluded my request. The one good thing about the

m. It was spotlessly clean, had a modern shower, and was provided with useful

_ . :ien forget to bring like combs and a sewing kit.

the poor room service, I had breakfast the next morning in the breakfast room, but this was

: . arge enough for the number of guests. I had to stand in a long queue for twenty minutes

-.. - _ - a r t e a table; the one I was given, non-smoking, was so close to the smoking tables that I

T - T j, r : : - -~ •:. all through my breakfast. In contrast, the restaurant, where I had lunch, was by far

mmtXMM- There was an excellent menu, the meal was very well cooked and the waiter service was first class.

the Majestic Hote l cannot claim to be majestic as there are ra ther more criticisms to be

a • c points to be raised in its favour.

: • v a - e o o r t s be low, using Marina's report as a guide.

" : . - ' a - a chain of department s tores and visit different s tores zz zz.z:: i~e - facilities and service . You have been asked to wri te a

: a- - e ad office on a n e w department s tore which has just : assess ng t h e facilities available and comment ing on the

: a : - = ' e d . W i r e y o u r report.

-or a chain of restaurants and visit different restaurants d i e chain to assess their facilities, service and quality of

You have been asked to wri te a report on a n e w restaurant -as ast o p e n e d , assessing the facilities available, the service

: : — a - : - g on the quality of cuisine. W r i t e your report .

In answering this sort of

question in an examination,

don't make the mistake of

only concentrating on

negative points; mention

both the good and bad

points.

Reports Assessing suitability

I Look at the quest ion and the report below. Then c o m p l e t e the exerc ises that follow.

You w o r k for a company that organises excurs ions to places of historical interest for groups of foreign visitors. You w e n t to visit such a place locally (a museum, castle, etc) and have been asked to wri te a report giving details of what the place offers visitors, why it would be interesting historically and saying w h e t h e r it would be suitable for foreign visitors.

To: Mr Jenkins

From: Jane Hendle

Subject: The Jorvik Viking Centre , York

Date: 12th February 2003

Introduction

This report relates to my recent visit to The Jorvik Viking Centre in the historic city of York. The purpose of my

visit was to determine the centre's historical interest and also its suitability for foreign visitors. The centre has been

built on the archaeological site where many artefacts relating to everyday life in Viking times were uncovered.

The Exhibition

Visitors travel around the main exhibition in vehicles called magic timecars. (1) , they are

t ransported back in t ime to the streets of a busy market town in 948 AD and experience the sights, sounds and

smells of that time! Visitors then go through other areas such as a Viking home and the harbour which are all

recreated to be typical of England at that t ime. This visually stimulating exhibition is fascinating to all ages, even

the very young, as they can experience the everyday life of our ancestors in Viking England. (2) ,

it would appeal to foreign visitors because commentary, via audio cassette, is available in five languages.

The next section of the centre is more modern and focuses on the excavation of the site in the 1980s. Visitors see

and hear what the site looked and sounded like. There are also numerous objects recovered from the site on

display, including tools, pots and jewellery.

The exhibition itself does not become crowded because visitors are confined to their timecars, which are carried

along at a constant pace. (3) , other areas of the centre were fairly busy on the day I visited due

to a number of school visits on that day.

Facilities

(4) the Jorvik Viking Centre has a small café where visitors can buy refreshments and snacks,

I was unable to use it as there were too many people queuing to make purchases or waiting for free tables.

(5) , it would be advisable for a group of visitors to make other arrangements at one of the

nearby cafés or restaurants in York. There is also a souvenir shop which sells postcards, posters and gifts,

(6) the choice is limited.

Conclusion

(7) , the Jorvik Viking Centre would certainly be of interest to visitors historically as it is an

unusual and memorable experience providing an insight into Viking England. It is also suitable for foreign

visitors as information is provided in a number of languages. (8) , a t tempts should be made to

arrange visits at times when other group visits have not been booked.

Study Connectors and Modifiers A on page 70 ,, , , , , and then comple te the report with these a h h o u & ( x ^ nevertheless consequently connecting words and phrases. to sum up first of all moreover however

Reports Assessing suitability

• should have a c lear i n t r o d u c t i o n explaining t h e p u r p o s e of t h e r e p o r t and a conc lus ion t h a t

cues t ion . Read t h e beginnings and endings b e l o w t h a t have c o m e from va r ious r e p o r t s . Match t h e

wi th t h e conc lus ions and unde r l i ne w o r d s and p h r a s e s t h a t help you identify:

;por t was wri t ten. cation for why the wri ter does or does no t r e c o m m e n d a par t icu lar p lace .

o n s

TIC <jbject of this repor t is the Langton Wildlife Park. The repor t a ims to out l ine what the park

° • its visitors in general as well assessing its suitability for families with young children.

- : this repor t is to out l ine the suitability of Al ton T o w e r s T h e m e Park as t he

sane for this year ' s school t r ip in May. Access , facilities and cost have been cons idered .

• the repor t commiss ioned by A & M Travel to assess t he value of including C a n t e r b u r y

. n the list of excursions current ly available at this travel agency.

_ report on the newly-opened Ga teway A r t Gal lery, which I visited last week.

'•:des informat ion abou t t he gallery, its owne r and the exhibits. T h e gallery o p e n e d

nonths ago in H a v e n St ree t and is proving to be very popula r .

Z : - : -i ons

: the points m e n t i o n e d above, this ca thedra l would prove to be popu la r . T h e bui lding

of historical interest even to those who a re not religious. In addi t ion to the s tunn ing

ire and grounds , the inside of the bui lding conta ins many interest ing features as well as

on regarding its history.

p. despi te the interest shown by the public , I feel that someth ing is missing. As a result of

ng. the showrooms do not do the works on display just ice. A l though there may be one or

ings worthy of no te , the majority of exhibits seem to be of p o o r quality.

ide. the park is extremely well-organised and offers va lue for money, especially if visitors

ntage of the special offers that are available.

sion, this a t t rac t ion, which is convenient ly located, wou ld seem to be a sui table venue ,

i the cost of en t r ance does a p p e a r to be high, un l imi ted use of the r ides is included,

tore, the o t h e r facilities on offer would m a k e this an enjoyable day ou t for all.

be conclusions is no t re la ted to t he in t roduct ion , and the re fo re the ques t ion set?

- . : - i i ' i " e q u e s t i o n s b e l o w a n d w r i t e y o u r r e p o r t .

":. ~ : • - i tour is t office tha t w a n t s to increase t h e variety of t o u r s and ; . -. : - s t i - ' e rs c u s t o m e r s . You have been asked to wr i t e a r e p o r t a b o u t a - • i _ -ecently visited. You should give details of w h a t kind of m u s e u m it is, r - e - : t e i c- offer and say h o w suitable it would be for visitors of various ages.

: t ege s having a g r o u p of foreign visitors to stay for a week . T h e principal w=- :t_ : en t s to wr i te r e p o r t s on a cultural festival t ha t they think t h e

mmors would enjoy. W r i t e a r e p o r t giving information a b o u t t h e festival ; ; • a: the / isitors would learn from it a b o u t y o u r coun t ry ' s cu l ture .

Remember that your

introduction should

outline what your

report will cover and

make sure your

conclusion sums up

your findings and that

it answers the question.

61

20 Reports Giving information

[ Read the quest ion and the model report be low and c o m p l e t e the exercises that follow.

As secretary of the col lege film club, you have been asked to wri te a report for the club's annual meeting. W r i t e your report , comment ing on membership, activities and special events which have taken place over the past year, and ment ion any plans which have been discussed for next year.

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to outline the progress made by the film club this year, its first year of existence,

and to discuss its plans for the future.

The Members

Although we did not start off as well as expected, the situation improved as the year went on and students learnt

more about what the film club is all about. To date, our members number forty, which is quite remarkable

considering the lack of publicity.

Activities

As well as our weekly meetings to discuss film in general, the club has developed special interest groups where

people meet, depending on their interests in different genres. This has proved to be quite popular, and the

discussions are carrying on into our normal meet ings, which is st imulating the interest of o ther members .

However, the most successful aspect of the club is the film-making meetings; which, quite frankly, have been

phenomenally popular.

Special Events

The series of lectures by young directors which were held in January was a resounding success. According to

those who at tended, the quality of the lectures was second to none . Unfortunately, the film festival held in

March was not as successful as we has anticipated, due to circumstances beyond our control. The film bureau

proved to be unreliable, and the organisers were forced to change the programme without notice on a number

of occasions.

Future Plans

It has been agreed that funding must be found for more equipment , due to the popularity of the film-making

lessons, and a new series of lectures is already being investigated. Fur thermore , some members have suggested

that the lack of initial interest and the failure of the film festival were mainly due to lack of publicity, so this is

also being looked into. It has also been decided that we must find a more reliable film bureau to work with.

Conclusion

On the whole, it would be fair to conclude that, although a number of setbacks have been encountered, the

Film Club has managed to establish itself as a popular extra-curricular activity, and is here to stay.

2 Read the report again and answer the following quest ions .

a In the in t roduct ion , apar t f rom stat ing the p u r p o s e of t he repor t , the wri ter gives a p iece of informat ion .

W h a t is it?

b In p a r a g r a p h 2, wha t is m e n t i o n e d apar t from the n u m b e r of m e m b e r s ?

c W h a t a re the t h r ee ma in activities m e n t i o n e d in p a r a g r a p h 3?

62

Giving information Reports

eriine any extra in format ion which is given abou t these activities.

i îe two special events m e n t i o n e d in p a r a g r a p h 4?

•. anv extra informat ion which is given abou t these activities.

r t m e n t i o n s nega t ive po in t s as well as posi t ive ones . Circ le t he se po in t s in t h e m o d e l . W h e r e d o e s

_ - comment on wha t can be d o n e to avoid t h e m in t he fu ture?

: i es the wri ter m e n t i o n in this p a r a g r a p h ?

• • e : ag-am plan of the model report using the w o r d s below.

--an festival film-making meetings lectures special meetings weekly meetings

FUTURE PLANS

o w n d o g r a m plans for b o t h o f the quest ions b e l o w and write o n e of the reports .

~--_~ze - of t h e Entertainment C o m m i t t e e at your college, which is organising a fancy : ;: : : - behalf of a local charity. W r i t e a progress report for a meet ing with the chanty, wemng w h a t a r r a n g e m e n t s have been made regarding food and drink, music and tickets, and . - e - 1 - s ~ e done.

o" responsible for wheelchair access in the town, write a progress report for n<* - e e t i n g , commenting on what has already been achieved concerning public — : : - dings and private businesses and shops and describing what remains to be done .

Reference Section

A an

An is used before a vowel sound: an elephant, an

umbrella, an aeroplane; but not when u is

pronounced like 'you': a useful book. It is also used

before h when h is not pronounced: an honest man.

W h e n we mention something for the first time, we

normally use a/an; when that thing is referred to

again, we use the definite article t h e , because by

now it is understood which one we mean:

A p h o t o g r a p h e r took his photograph without

permission. He got so angry that he broke the

photographer's camera.

We also use a /an in numerical expressions (for

example, in expressions of frequency or quantity):

She has classes three times a week.

Petrol costs about sixty pence a litre here.

(See also the , u s e a n d o m i s s i o n )

Adjectives

a P o s i t i o n

1 Adjectives generally c o m e before the noun

or as a complement after be and some other

verbs ( look, s e e m , fee l etc.)

She's a pretty girl. She looks very pretty.

2 W h e n we use more than one adjective

before a noun we do not usually write a n d

between the adjectives. We use commas if

the combination is not usual, but not if it is

very common. Compare:

He's a nice little man. (common)

She's a shy, secretive woman, (not usual)

We use a n d when the adjectives are a

complement after b e , s e e m , fee l , etc.:

He's short and fat./She seems charming and

intelligent. With three adjectives, we usually put a

comma after the first:

We were cold, wet and tired.

b O r d e r

In normal usage, we prefer to put s o m e

adjectives before others:

He's a nice little man (NOT little nice).

The rule is that general adjectives like n i c e or

p r e t t y c o m e before more precise ones . N o t e

these examples:

a I've read the first hundred pages.

(ordinal-cardinal)

b An intelligent young man (mental

ability-age)

c A large round ball (size-shape)

d A green cotton dress (colour-material)

e A German car factory

(nationality/origin-purpose)

c C o m p o u n d a d j e c t i v e s

Compound adjectives are sometimes made

an adjective and a noun plus an - e d ending,

meaning is usually w i t h or having:

He's a red-haired, broad-shouldered man. (He's a man with red hair and broad should

3 Adverbs of frequency

a Adverbs of frequency, like a l w a y s and o f t e n

and other single-word adverbs of indefinite ti

like r e c e n t l y , generally go before the main v

but after forms of be:

Margaret is never late; Jane never comes

late, either.

b They usually go between an auxiliary and the

main verb or after the first auxiliary if there

t w o or more:

/ have never seen such a good film.

She must sometimes have wondered if she made the right decision.

4 Conditional sentences

a P r e s e n t a n d f u t u r e

We generally use the present tense for the

condition and a future tense for the main clau

but note the alternative with the imperative:

If I see him tomorrow, I'll give him your message

If you see him tomorrow, give him my message.

Modals may also be used in the main clause:

If you go out, you must put on your coat. It's a

b I m a g i n a r y s i t u a t i o n s in p r e s e n t or f u t u n

We use the past tense for the condition and t

conditional tense ( w o u l d + infinitive) for the

main clause. With the verb b e , we usually use

w e r e for all persons:

If I were (was) rich, I'd buy a house by the sea.

If we offered you the job, would you accept it.

c P a s t s i t u a t i o n s

In talking about the past, we usually use the p

perfect tense for the condition and the

conditional perfect ( w o u l d h a v e + past

R e f e r e n c e s e c t i o n

ntal

material)

ves made witl

d ending. Th

1

red man.

id shoulder:

i and o f t e n

indefinite tir

the main ver

c o m e s

uy and the

ry if there are

ered if she ho:

»e for the

le main clause

mperative:

four message,

my message.

ain clause:

ir coat. It's comL

lit or fu ture I

ndition and ths

ive) for the

e usually use

x by the sea.

au accept it?

By use the pas:

id the

+ past

aanJciple) for the main clause:

f d k n o w n what was wrong, I would have

told you.

But if the present situation is a direct result of

: _--_iIfllled condition in the past, the main

AA_SE may be in the conditional tense:

d studied more when I was at school, I would

a better job today.

P e r m a n e n t c o n d i t i o n

: : e d i t i o n is always true we use the present

:=•-£= " both parts of the sentence:

- rresn ' t rain, the rivers dry up and the

- : : die of thirst.

V a r i a t i o n s A 3 aternatives to a we can suggest that the

: : : : : ay is not very likely:

x should s e e him, will you give him my

R:.\-ife? (please give him my message)

~ - e r e is also a formal variation of this:

Shou ld you see him,...

- : a : ves to b are:

r" «e were to offer you the job, would you accept it?

Were we to offer you the job,... ~ - e s s suggest that the offer is unlikely.

I •s-.te—atives to c are:

Hod known, I would have informed you.

~- : s more formal than:

tf had known ...

•rect questions: word order a .ESTIONS, the question uses the

; a - -EGATIVE, not interrogative form: the

• is ALWAYS subject before verb. If the

- : - -as no question word, the indirect

J I M - N C R =s after i f / w h e t h e r ; if it has a question

marz. ~iz < • : • : s repeated in the indirect question:

JNE M I S ID know iflwhether you are English.

•• - :- - - F - E / will be tomorrow.

• : - - . :~a -G£S - •'orm in the present and past

k speak English?) Ask him iflwhether he

: ac -e ar." .-.onder what he said.

if 7m a - E S B O N WORD is ALREADY the subject in the

APSOTFLHBSNON, THE WORD ORDER will not change

JIIIERA ARE S be:

iPllhia N f f - " ' J next 7) Tell me what happened next

: - re' *ho she is.

admission

advice

admit

advise

agreement agree

Indirect speech: paraphrase Some verbs can be used in indirect speech to

indicate the way things are said and the purpose of

what was said. In the table below, note the purpose

of the verb from the example in direct speech, and

the constructions possible with the verbs we can use

instead of s a y and te l l in indirect speech:

Purpose Verb Direct speech and paraphrase

accusation accuse 'You stole it, didn't you?' I accused him of stealing it 'Yes, I took it' He admitted having taken it. 'You should take more exercise.' He advised her to take more exercise. He advised taking more exercise. '/ think you're right' She agreed with me/the idea. 'All right I'll help you' She agreed to help me. 'That's the best method.' We agreed that it was the best method. We agreed on the best method.

apologise 'I'm sorry I arrived late.' He apologised for arriving late. 'You should have done the job better.' He complained that they should have... 'I wish he wouldn't do that.' She complained to me about him. 'I didn't steal it' He denied that he had stolen it. He denied having stolen it. 'Would you like to come to the party?' He invited her ( to c o m e ) to the party. 'I'll help you, shall I?' She offered to help m e . 'I won't do it' He refused to do it. 'I wish I hadn't broken it' She regretted having broken it. She regretted that she had broken it. 'Don't forget to post it' She reminded him to post it. 'Why don't you go with her?' He suggested that I should go with her. 'Let's go for a walk!' She suggested going for a walk,

threaten 'If you don't go away, I'll call the police.' He threatened to call the police if they didn't go away. 'Be careful. The roads are icy.' He warned her to be careful. He warned her of/about the icy roads. He warned her that the roads were icy.

apology

complaint

denial

complain

deny

invitation invite

offer

refusal

regret

offer

refuse

regret

reminder remind

suggestion suggest

threat

warning warn

R e f e r e n c e s e c t i o n

7 Phrases in apposition

O n e way of giving additional information about a

person or thing is to use a phrase in apposition

(instead of a relative clause with a relative pronoun

and a form of b e ) .

Mr Taylor, (who is) the team manager, said...

The cathedral, (which is) the oldest building in the

city, was built...

8 Prepositions of place

a at, in, on

At is used:

for particular points: at the end of the road,

at number 27.

for places when we are concerned with their

purpose or location, not their size or shape:

at the station, at the supermarket.

She works at the post office.

(Compare: She's in the post office, buying

some stamps (= inside).)

for places (small towns, villages etc.) the

speaker does not consider very important or

does not know very well: at Melton

Mowbray, a town near Leicester. (Someone

w h o lived there would probably say: / live in

Melton Mowbray.)

In suggests:

'inside' or a situation with three dimensions:

in the kitchen, in the High S tree t (but

USA = on Main Street) because of the

houses on both sides,

a large area, like a country, province, city:

in New Zealand, in Kent, in Manchester.

O n suggests:

a surface: on the wall, on Earth, on a small

island.

a line: on the coast, on the River Thames,

on the road, on the way to on t h e

left-hand side of the street.

Also note the following:

They're sailing in their boat on the lake.

She's swimming in the lake.

In the corner of the room (= inside) but atlon the

corner of the street (= outside).

He's at the cinema (he's gone to see a film).

/'// meet you at the cinema, (outside, or near

the door)

They aren't here. They must be in the cinema.

(inside the building)

On the screen (surface), on the radio, on

b into, onto, out of, off

With verbs of movement, we generally use

and o n t o , though in and on are common:

He fell intolin the water.

He got ontolon his bicycle.

O u t of indicates the opposite movement to

i n t o and off the opposite movement to o n t

(See in and on in a above, for the idea of bei

'inside' or 'on a surface'. Compare:

He took the knives and forks out of the drawer.

(opposite of in to / in)

We'll have to take the tyre off the wheel.

(opposite of o n t o / o n )

9 Prepositions of t ime

at, in, on

Use this list as a check:

at for exact periods of time: at five o'clock,

dinner time, at this moment.

at for festivals: at Christmas, at Easter, at

New Year.

others are: at night (but during the day), at

weekends, at present (= now)

on for days and dates: on Monday, on

June IOth, on Christmas Day (compare at f

the festive period), on summer evenings, on

Sunday morning on Friday night

in for longer periods of time: in August, in

spring, in 1985, in the nineteenth century, i

t h e Middle Ages, in the past, in the future

(compare at present)

in for periods of time within which or at the

of which something may happen: in the

morning, in five minutes, in a week's time.

10 Reported speech

a S t a t e m e n t

W h e n we convert direct speech to reported

speech and the introducing verb is in the past,

the tense changes. Expressions of time and pla

also change unless the speaker is still in the sa

place on the same day ( h e r e is still h e r e , and

t o d a y is still t o d a y ) . Use the conversion tabl

: - - " " E ' E N C E and note that in all cases t o l d me

: I : E said:

D i r e c t R e p o r t e d

"w working hard. She said she was

working hard,

travel by train. She said she travelled by

train.

*TT go ing to change She said she was going to

— • :: change ...

"I s e e ,ou on She said she would see ...

'-me -E .ER seen it She said she had never

s e e n . . .

: ; : <e :: him on She said she had spoken ...

I com run faster She said she could run ...

_ * E ~z - may She said the train might

ar^rre " E . arrive...

must go to the She said she had to go ...

Ml "'jr.

" • -.: future She said she would have

IRREARWIG) to go ...

O t h e r c h a n g e s

- e ~ there

r : that

i : then

«*5sce-riay the day before, the previous day

: - - : - -: ••• the day after, the next day, the

following day

:: ee- the week before, the previous

w e e k

i •-. * E E K THE week after, the next week, the

following w e e k

i i: before

ARE ••• ORD order of indirect questions (see

Ind irec t q u e s t i o n s ) . The tense changes in

-RECITED questions are the same as for

- . ; : I - r - - . s Isee table in a above).

D i r e c t R e p o r t e d

- e v e . seen She asked me if I had seen ...

r f _ ~~

Where does She asked me where he lived.

ve We?

c O r d e r s a n d r e q u e s t s

These are made with the imperative in direct

speech. In reported speech we use the object +

infinitive after t e l l (for orders) and a s k (for

requests):

D i r e c t R e p o r t e d

D o n ' t worry. She told him not to

worry.

Please keep quiet! She asked them to keep

quiet.

W h e n we do not reproduce the actual words used in

direct speech we can paraphrase what was said by

using other verbs (offer, s u g g e s t , etc.) (See

I n d i r e c t s p e e c h : p a r a p h r a s e )

I I Should

a should a n d ought to

S h o u l d and o u g h t to indicate obligation or

advice. We prefer o u g h t to i f we are doubtful

that the obligation will be met or the advice will

be taken: You've got a bad cough. You should/ought to see

a doctor.

You ought to see a doctor, but I don't suppose

you will.

The past forms are s h o u l d / o u g h t to h a v e +

past participle. They are used to express regret

in the first person, blame or criticism in the

second and third:

/ shouldn't have said that to her. It was very

unkind, (regret)

You should have been more careful. Then you

wouldn't have broken it. (blame or criticism)

b Should a n d would

S h o u l d and w o u l d can both be used for the

first person in the conditional tense , and as the

past of shal l for the first person in reported

speech. But they have separate meanings and

usage. (For w o u l d s e e Conditional sentences

4 b , 4 c and 4e . )

W h e r e they are often seen in combination is

where sentences of advice or regret/blame (see

s h o u l d a) are followed by conditional

sentences: They shouldn't (should not) allow

motor cycles in the forest. If they kept them out,

these fires wouldn't (would not) start.

You should have taken my advice. If you had, this

wouldn't (would not) have happened.

Tenses

a P r e s e n t t e n s e s

The present simple tense is used for actions that

occur repeatedly or at any time, often with

adverbs of frequency like a l w a y s and time

expressions like e v e r y day. The question form

and negative are formed with do as auxiliary:

She lives in the country but she doesn't

work there.

Do you ever wonder what's going to happen in

the future?

Everything comes to those who wait, so they say.

The present simple tense can be used to refer to

future time.

The present continuous tense is used for actions

that are going on at present and for temporary

situations. The tense is formed by the verb be +

present participle:

Look! They're waving at us!

What is she doing these days? She's writing

a novel.

The present continuous tense can be used to

refer to future time.

b P r e s e n t p e r f e c t a n d p a s t t e n s e s

The present perfect tenses are used:

1 to talk about actions or situations that began

in the past and are still going on, sometimes

with a time expression which refers to the

present:

I've been working hard this year.

2 to talk about actions which have taken place

repeatedly up to the present:

I've seen that film six times.

3 with for, s i n c e and expressions like all

m y life:

I've lived in the village for ten years, but my

husband has lived here all his life.

They are not used with past time expressions,

which always require a past tense. Compare:

/ haven ' t seen her recently/for a long time.

I saw her yesterday/three days ago.

We use the present perfect for questions and

answers referring to past events without a time

reference, but the past must be used when a

time is mentioned:

Have you seen the film at the Palace?

No, I haven't/Yes, I saw it on Saturday.

c P a s t s i m p l e a n d c o n t i n u o u s

The past simple is used to refer to past acti

in the order they occurred, but also for

customary or continuing actions in past time:

He spent his childhood in London, and did not

move to the country until he got married at

age of twenty-five.

The past continuous is used for continuing

actions in past time in relation to a main acti

in the past simple.

He m e t his wife in the city; at that time he was

studying at the university, (before and after he

met her)

In everyday situations, we usually find these

tenses in three combinations:

1 a sequence of completed actions (past

simple):

She c a m e in, took off her hat and coat, a

sat down.

2 an action taking place before and possibly

after a completed action (past continuous

and simple):

/ was talking to my father on the phone

when she came in.

3 t w o actions continuing side by side in pas

time (past continuous):

While he was talking to me I was looking

out of the window.

d P a s t a n d p a s t p e r f e c t t e n s e s

We use the past perfect tenses when we are

already talking about the past and want to ref

to a previous time:

When he finally arrived, we had been waiting

him for over three hours.

Until he met her, he had never been in love.

e P a s t a n d c o n d i t i o n a l t e n s e s

We use the conditional tense ( w o u l d +

infinitive) in combination with the past when

we refer forward in time in a narrative:

/ h o p e d that she would soon feel better.

(Compare: / h o p e you will soon feel better.)

f T e n s e s in ' t i m e l e s s ' t i m e

We do not normally use the present tenses as

the main narrative tenses unless we are dealin

with what always happens - for example, 'a

typical day in someone's life' or in describing

Reference section

what happens in books, films, etc. N o t e the use

;f tenses in this kind of narrative:

^amlet' takes place in Denmark. When Hamlet

comes on stage he is mourning his father, who

died before the play began, but the audience have

a -eady seen his ghost appear to Hamlet's friends.

Seen afterwards, they will come to tell him what

REY have seen (or saw the night before).

r>e. use and omission

~ i e _se of the definite article in English often differs

— J - -sage i n other languages. Check each example

qprirst your own language.

a U s e

•*« e use t h e when talking about:

weights and measures: Petrol is sold by the

litre, (but: It's sixty pence a litre.)

I musical instruments: She can play the violin.

3 groups or classes of people: the young, the

blind (NOT the youngs) but the verb form is

plural:

The young/Young people today are very

different from my generation.

* rivers, seas, oceans, mountain ranges (but

not mountains or lakes): t h e T h a m e s , t h e

M e d i t e r r a n e a n , t h e A t l a n t i c , t h e A l p s .

5 unique objects and points of the compass:

t h e w o r l d , t h e sun , t h e m o o n , t h e

n o r t h . The moon is the earth's moon,

though there may be others.

We say t r a v e l n o r t h (direction) but t r a v e l

to t h e n o r t h (compass point, area).

3 O m i s s i o n

•Ve do not use t h e when speaking about

:- a 'a owing:

games and sports: She plays tennis and

goes skiing.

1 subjects of study: She studies history and

geography.

: anguages: She can speak English. ( N o t e that

we talk about t h e Engl i sh (the people as a

group, as in a3 above), but nationality has no

article: I'm English.)

4 mountains: E v e r e s t , A c o n c a g u a .

5 meals and clock times: She has breakfast at

eight o'clock.

6 gerunds: She likes getting up early.

c U s e a n d o m i s s i o n

We use t h e when referring to something

specific, not when we are talking in general

terms; something specific includes something

previously mentioned. Compare the following:

We want peace, not war.

The war in that distant country is still going on.

(a specific war)

T h e is not used unless the noun is followed by a

clause that modifies it; for example, a relative

clause, or a phrase containing of that modifies it.

Nouns modified by adjectives before them or

prepositional phrases after them do not

require t h e :

Life is hard.

Modern life is more complex than life in the

nineteenth century.

The life that we lead today is more complex than

the life of our ancestors.

14 Used to

used to a n d would

Used to, followed by the infinitive, refers to

what habitually happened in the past in contrast

to what happens now. The negative is either

u s e d n o t t o o r did n o t u s e t o . U s e d t o has

no present form. For customary actions in the

present, we use the present simple tense:

/ used to live in London, but now I live in Bristol.

We usually prefer w o u l d + infinitive for

repeated actions in past time in a context

already established by a verb in the past simple

tense or u s e d t o . It does not always indicate a

contrast with present time but rather

'Whenever!Every time this happened...'.

When I was a child, we used to visit my

grandmother every Sunday. The whole family

would put on their best clothes and we would

walk to her house.

6

Appendix

C O N N E C T O R S A N D M O D I F I E R S

Expressing opinion in modern English depends to a considerable extent on the correct use of connecting words and ph

that help the reader or listener to understand what is being said. Such words or phrases can be used to show how an

argument is organised, to prepare the reader for what is coming next or to convey the tone of what is being said. In

completing a writing task, above all one that requires you to organise an argument or express an opinion, use this Appen

for reference. It is also worthwhile, whenever you c o m e across any of the words or phrases listed below in this book or

your general reading, to make a note of it and see how it is being used.

A D E V E L O P I N G A N A R G U M E N T

1 S e q u e n c e

Making a list of points:

Point I : In t h e first p l a c e , To b e g i n w i t h , To

s t a r t w i t h , F irs t o f all, First a n d f o r e m o s t

(when it is the most important point).

Point 2: S e c o n d l y , In t h e s e c o n d p l a c e (used

if there are further reasons to come); In

a d d i t i o n to t h a t (usually the second and final

reason); A p a r t f r o m t h a t , W h a t i s m o r e

(conversational), M o r e o v e r (formal) (used for

second reasons of a different kind, but tending

towards the same conclusion as the first);

B e s i d e s (for a second reason so strong that it

makes the first almost irrelevant).

Final point: Finally, Lastly; A b o v e all (only

used if the last point is the most important).

Conclusion: I n c o n c l u s i o n , T o s u m u p

(usually at the beginning of the last paragraph,

not at the end of a list); T a k i n g e v e r y t h i n g

i n t o a c c o u n t , All t h i n g s c o n s i d e r e d , All in

all (reaching a conclusion, whether or not the

points listed agree); In brief, In s h o r t , In a

w o r d (the last t w o conversational) (only used if

what you say is brief).

2 C o n t r a s t

This can be established by clauses with but or

concession clauses with although, in spite of etc.

Connectors are also available, however, to show

that a point contradicts or limits the previous

point(s) made to some extent:

H o w e v e r , N e v e r t h e l e s s , All t h e s a m e , A t

t h e s a m e t i m e ; A f t e r all (a strong argument

against previous points that has apparently not

been considered); In c o n t r a s t (a direct

contrast to what has gone before); On t h e

o t h e r h a n d (used for balance - see below -

but also alone to indicate an alternative point

of view).

3 B a l a n c e

This can be established by clauses using whil

In presenting opposing arguments of equal

strength, use O n t h e o n e h a n d and O n the

o t h e r h a n d . To indicate that you are reachi

balanced conclusion, use On b a l a n c e .

4 Result To show the result of an action, or to indica

the logical development of an argument from

examples you have given, use As a resu l t , In

c o n s e q u e n c e , C o n s e q u e n t l y .

B E S T A B L I S H I N G F A C T S

I n fact , T h e f a c t o f t h e m a t t e r i s t h a t . . . ; A s

m a t t e r of fac t (indicating that the hearer may be

surprised by it).

At f irst s ight , On t h e f a c e o f i t (used in c o n t r

to In f a c t to show the difference between

appearance and fact).

In p r a c t i c e , used in contrast to In t h e o r y , In

p r i n c i p l e to establish what happens in reality; In

e f f ec t , close to In f a c t in meaning, suggests 'for

practical purposes'.

C E X P R E S S I N G P E R S O N A L O P I N I O N

I n m y o p i n i o n , I n m y v i e w , T o m y m i n d , A s I

s e e i t (conversational); P e r s o n a l l y , F o r m y p a

(contrasting the individual view with that of the

majority); As far as I'm c o n c e r n e d

(conversational) = 'In so far as it affects me'.

D M O D I F Y I N G

1 G e n e r a l s ta tements

G e n e r a l l y , In g e n e r a l , As a rule , As a

g e n e r a l rule , O n t h e w h o l e , I n t h e m a i n ,

F o r t h e m o s t part .

2 Par t ly c o r r e c t

T o s o m e e x t e n t , T o a c e r t a i n e x t e n t , U p

to a p o i n t .

L a n k o f k n o w l e d g e

A s far a s I k n o w , T o t h e b e s t o f m y • • w w l e d g e ; F o r all I k n o w (conversational)

. ti-::i g-orance.

A c c o r d i n g to . . .; By all a c c o u n t s (indicating

-5SCC-S Dility lies w i t h a number of people).

_ — t e r . v a l i d i t y

U n d e r t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s , A s i t is, T h i n g s

- g =s t h e y a r e (conversational) (what is

: :- y valid in present circumstances, not in

: : " j m s t a n c e s ) .

5 - - S G

O b v i o u s l y d e a r l y . O b v i o u s l y , O f c o u r s e , N e e d l e s s t o

say A s e v e r y o n e k n o w s , I t g o e s w i t h o u t

J J f i i g

2 E s p e c i a l l y

In par t i cu lar , Espec ia l ly . N o t e that

e s p e c i a l l y appears as an adverb, not as a

connector at the beginning, like c lear ly ,

o b v i o u s l y .

F R E P H R A S I N G

I n o t h e r w o r d s , T h a t i s t o say.

G R E F E R R I N G T O A S U B J E C T O R P E R S O N

A s r e g a r d s . . . , W i t h r e g a r d t o . . . , I n t h i s

c o n n e c t i o n , A s far a s ... i s c o n c e r n e d .

H T E R M I N A T I N G D I S C U S S I O N

In a n y c a s e , A n y w a y , At a n y r a t e (the last t w o

more conversational). All these suggest 'whatever

happens', 'whatever the facts are', and in effect imply

that nothing else can be said or needs to be said.