Speakout Advanced Writing Reference Pearson Educacin, S.A., 2012 1

Speakout Advanced

WRITING REFERENCE UNIT 3

Writing a description of a place

When you write a description of a place, you need to try to paint a picture with words so that the reader feels as if they were in that place. For this reason, it is a good idea to:

give a lot of details describing the place; use a wide range of vocabulary, especially adjectives; describe what you can hear, smell, touch and taste, where appropriate.

1a) Read the first paragraph of the description.

What details does the author provide to give the reader a feel for Amsterdam?

b) Read the second paragraph.

Identify: a reference to taste; a rich visual description; a reference to sound.

c) Read the third paragraph.

What adjectives does the author use?

d) Read the final paragraph. How does the author describe the following?

- sleeping in the park - drinking wine on a boat

Amsterdam - my kind of town

When I went to The Netherlands in 2009 with three of my friends, I couldnt get over how picture-perfect Amsterdam was. Flower boxes on window sills! Cats on cafe tables! Girls in pretty colourful dresses riding bikes around the city! Couples on boats in the canals! It was like one picture postcard after another.

Amsterdam as a city is difficult to beat. The food is amazing, especially the soft and tangy cheese, the people are friendly, and the city is very clean and well-kept. The streets are spotless and on a good day the house fronts glisten in the gentle pale-yellow sunlight. Most visitors spend their time in the centre and stroll along the tree-lined canals as they listen to the chug of barges as they gently pass by. But theres so much more to the city than that ...

One area that you shouldnt miss is the Jordaan district, located to the west of the city centre. This charming neighbourhood is full of narrow alleys, leafy canals lined with centuries-old houses, quirky specialty shops, chic cafes with the hypnotic smell of coffee mingled with freshly-made buns, and designer boutiques complete with the hippest designs.

When it comes down to it, Id actually say Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities in the world. Its so liveableI could easily see myself falling into a routine there of riding a bike through the city, napping in the cool shade in a park, or lazily having a glass of cool crisp white wine as you glide over the calm waters on an old wooden barge. All in all, it is a fantastic city, and you should definitely visit if you have the chance. You might even end up living there!

Introduction

The city in

general

A special area

Conclusion

Speakout Advanced Writing Reference Pearson Educacin, S.A., 2012 2

Adapted from www.world-walk-about.com website

Learn to add detail

2 Completely rewrite the sentences to provide a more vivid description. You may write

more than one sentence.

1 It was raining and windy. 2 The roast chicken looked good. 3 The band was very loud. 4 Her clothes were very colourful.

Extension

3 Look at this description of a journey in a horse and cart from The Hound of the

Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. What details does the author use to describe:

1 the lane? 2 the banks? 3 the general scene?

4 What is strange and memorable about the use of the adjectives dripping (moss) and

fleshy (fern)?

We curved upward through deep lanes worn by centuries of wheels, high banks on either side, heavy with dripping moss and fleshy ferns. Bronzing bracken and mottled bramble gleamed in the light of the sinking sun.

curve upward: drive up (a hill), first in one direction and then another lane: country road worn: made flat bank: raised land at the side of the road drip: to fall drop by drop (of water) moss: green plant that covers rocks when the climate is damp fleshy: adjective from flesh fern: a type of plant consisting of big green leaves bracken: a plant similar to a fern (see above) bronzing: (poetic) yellow-brown mottled: with different shades of colour bramble: plant with thorns gleam: shine

Practice

5 Write a description of a place / town you know well (200250 words).

Writing plan

1 Before your write

Close your eyes and visualise the place in as much detail as possible. Write down words to describe what you can see, hear, smell, feel or taste, as

appropriate. Decide what information you are going to include, and in what order.

Speakout Advanced Writing Reference Pearson Educacin, S.A., 2012 3

2 Paragraph plan

Paragraph 1: introduce the place you are going to describe. Paragraph 2: describe one or two aspects of the place in detail. Paragraph 3: describe one or two more aspects of the place in detail. Paragraph 4: give a summary of your own opinion of the place.

Check your description

Have you followed the writing plan? Have you included a lot of details to make your description more vivid? Does your description give the reader a good idea of what it is like to be in the place? Have you used several of the senses in your description: sight, hearing, smell, touch and

taste? Have you used a wide range of vocabulary, especially adjectives? Have you checked the grammar, spelling and punctuation of your description?