Optional Course Successful Writing Describing Places 04

Describing Places
A descriptive composition about a place or a building should consist of: a) an introduction in which you give the name and location of the place or building and / or the reason for choosing it; b) a main body in which you describe the main aspects of the place or building in detail - for example, when you describe a place you should describe what you can see and do there; when you describe a building you should describe its exterior and interior, as well as give historical facts about it; c) a conclusion which includes your comments / feelings and / or a recommendation. Descriptions of places or buildings can be found in tourist magazines, travel brochures, stories, letters, etc. The style you use depends on the situation and the intended reader. For example, in an article for a magazine you should use semi-formal style and a polite, respectful tone. You normally use present tenses to describe a place/ building. You use past tenses to write about the historical facts. 1. Read the rubric and underline the key words, then answer the questions. You have seen an advertisement in an international travel magazine inviting readers to send in articles about a town they have visited. Write your article describing a town, including things to see and do as well as information about the town's shops and nightlife. a. What type of writing is this? Who is going to read this? Are you going to use chatty language / abbreviations / colloquial phrases? Why (not)? b. Which of the following points must you include? A. main sights B. population and climate C. Shops D. entertainment E. train schedules F restaurants PHRASES OF LOCATION To describe the location of a place/building, can use the following phrases. - is situated/is located... - in (the) south/east/west/south-east/ north west/etc (of) - on the south/east/west/north/etc coast of... - in the centre/heart/middle of... 2. a) Match the words/phrases in the list to the headings that follow. Can you add any ideas your own.? museum, boutique, nightclub, ancient theatre, open-air market, zoo, cafe, bazaar, temple, art gallery, restaurant, music hall, palace, botanical gardens, fair, statue, antique shop, shopping centre, amusement arcade, multiscreen cinema, funfair, theatre, souvenir shop, monument, Things to see: Shopping: Nightlife: b) Use the vocabulary from part a) and the phrases below to talk about your town, as in the example. The most fascinating/lively/ interesting/etc part of the city is... The town centre has... The nightlife in ... is exciting, with ... The most famous attraction is... There is plenty of... The town is well-known for its... e.g. The most interesting part of the city is the open-air market. The most famous attraction is the botanical gardens. 3 a) Read the article and label the paragraphs with the correct headings, then talk about Brighton. comments/recommendation nightlife things to see and do name, location, reason for choosing it shopping

An Ideal Seaside Resort by Sally Fulton Brighton is a large town on the south-east coast of England. Located only an hour from London, it is a charming seaside resort and the perfect destination for a peaceful weekend.

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Optional Course Successful Writing Describing Places 04

Brighton has several tourist attractions which are worth visiting. Among these is the Royal Para 2 Pavilion, a beautiful Indian-style palace which was built in the early nineteenth century. Brighton's most famous attraction is the lively Palace Pier, with its fantastic funfair and amusement arcades. Both young and old can have fun while admiring the spectacu|ar view of Brighton's seafront. There are plenty of places to go shopping in Brighton. The town centre has a large modern Para 3 shopping centre. There are also narrow lanes full of lovely antique shops that are always bustling with tourists. The nightlife in Brighton is exciting. There are a lot of music and dance clubs which are Para 4 extremely popular with younger people. The area is also well-known for its fashionable restaurants, which offer a variety of international cuisines. Brighton is a town that has something to offer everyone. Whether you want to spend your time Para 5 snopping and seeing the sights, or simply relaxing and enjoying the fresh sea air, Brighton is the ideal choice for a few days away from the city. b) Underline the topic sentences in the main body paragraphs. Suggest other appropriate topic sentences. c) Read the article in a) again and match the adjectives in bold with their opposites in the list below. Then, make sentences using them. unknown, local, wide, old-fashioned, ugly, boring, unattractive, unpopular, hectic USING THE SENSES To give the reader a more vivid picture of the place/building you are describing, you can refer to the senses (i.e. sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch). Visitors can dine watching the moon rise over the mountains, (sight) You can hear the sound of church bells ringing.(hearing) I remember the Far East with its aromas of exotic herbs and spices, (smell) Enjoy a cup of freshly-ground Italian coffee, (taste) Relax in the soothing warm waters of the Roman Baths, (touch) LINKING STRUCTURES To join short sentences you can use various linking structures. Study the examples below: 1. You should visit the old part of the city. It is full of ancient temples. You should visit the old part of trie city, which is full of ancient temples. 2. Young children will enjoy the local funfair. They can go on exciting rides and eat tasty toffee-apples there. Young children will enjoy the local funfair, where they can go on exciting rides and eat tasty toffee-apples. 3. Charlie's Lobster House is one of the most popular restaurants in the area. It has delicious lobster dishes. With its delicious lobster dishes, Charlie's Lobster House is one of the most popular restaurants in the area. 4. Ranega Airport is on the east coast of the island. It is one of the most modern airports in the country. Situated on the east coast of the island, Ranega Airport is one of the most modem airports in the country. 4. Use the words in brackets to join the sentences below. 1. Sydney is a large and interesting city. It offers visitors a wide variety of sights to see and things to do. (which) 2. It is full of exotic restaurants. You can enjoy a meal there. (where) 3. Sydney is on the south-east coast of Australia. It has one of the busiest harbours in the country. (located) 4. Sydney is an ideal place for a holiday. It has a wonderful blend of cultures and friendly people. (with) 5. a) Fill in the blanks with the correct adjectives. delicious, friendly, south, live, tropical, famous Join us in Rio in -east Brazil. No visit to Rio is complete without a cable car ride up Sugar Loaf Mountain! Why not take the train up the Corvocado to see the statue "Cristo Redentor"? Don't miss the Botanical Gardens, with almost 5,000 species of plants a nd trees. Have dinner at a traditional restaurant and try "feijoada" - it's ! Go to a musical or a show. Learn to dance the Brazilian way at one of Rio's samba halls. Rio has something to offer everyone, and the people are really !
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Optional Course Successful Writing Describing Places 04

b) Read the rubric and underline the key words, then answer the questions. An international travel magazine is running a competition and has asked its readers to submit descriptions of places worth visiting. Write your article for the competition, describing a place and including things to see and do as well as information about nightlife there. Should you use a very formal, impersonal style? Why (not)? What tenses should you use? Which of the points in part a) would you include in the main body of your article? Read the phrases below. Which sense does each refer to? Which of these could you use in your description? the aroma of fresh coffee snow-covered mountains people talking clear blue sky the scent of fresh flowers spicy food cold stone floors the blazing heat of the sun c) Use the information in Ex. 5a) and your answers in Ex. 5b) to help you write your article about Rio de Janeiro (120-180 words). Use the article in Ex. 3a) as a model.

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