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Descriptions of places

1  Where can you read articles describing places? What tenses are they usually written in? Read the theory box to check.

Articles describing places can be found in" newspapers, magazines or on websites. They normally consist of:
- an introduction giving the name, location and
the reason for choosing the place;
-a main body (2-3 paragraphs) describing the main aspects of the place in separate paragraphs e.g. describe what it's like there, what you can do/see, the facilities, the atmosphere etc;
-a conclusion including your final comments/ feelings.

We normally use present tenses for descriptions of places. We use past tenses to write about \^historical facts or actions in the past.

Plan

Introduction
Para 1: name/location/reason for choosing it

Main body
Paras 2-3: description, activities, facilities

Conclusion
Para 4: final comments/feelings

2   Read the rubric and list the key words. Who are you and who will read your article? What will you write?

You see the following notice in a travel magazine.

We are currently looking for articles with the following title: My Favourite Place Send us your article! Remember to describe your chosen place, telling us what you can see and do there and saying why you like it so much. We will publish the best article in next month's edition.

Write your article (120-180 words).



E  veryone has a special place, somewhere they t have happy memories of. Well, for me it's Osoyoos Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It's my favourite place in the world and I spent many happy summer holidays there as a child. The lake is in a truly spectacular location and there are many exciting things to see and do there.

The lake and the area around it are both unique and stunningly beautiful. Located in Canada's only desert, it provides a welcome break with its sandy shores and cool, shady trees. As you approach the lake area, through field after field of orchards stretching as far as the eye can see, you are struck by the wonderful scent of all kinds of fruit such as apricots, plums and cherries.

There are many interesting and fun activities to do at Osoyoos Lake. Water sports such as water skiing, boating and fishing are particularly popular. As kids, my brothers and I spent many long, hot afternoons swimming and jumping off the raft we made every summer! In the evenings, we would light a campfire, roast marshmallows and listen to the sound of crickets chirping loudly in the background.

Osooyos Lake is a fantastic place! I have many unforgettable memories of the unique sights, sounds and smells there and the exciting things we did. It will always hold a very special place in my heart.

3   Read the model article. What is each paragraph about? What makes this place special to the author?

4  Read the theory box, then find examples in the article in Ex. 3.

To make your description vivid:

•    use a variety of adjectives (stunning view, exciting hightlife etc) and adverbs (walked siowly, answered calmly ets).
•    use the senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) e.g. You wake up every morning to the sound of the church bells ringing loudly ( hearing)

5   Which adjectives has the author used in the article on p. 146 to describe the following?

•    holidays • lake • shores
•    trees • water sports
•    afternoons • memories

Order of adjectives

 if you use more than one adjective with a noun e.g. long, cool, relaxing evenings, remember that: opinion adjectives e.g. beautiful, pleasant go before fact adjectives e.g. old, wooden; when there are two or more fact adjectives, they usually go in the following order:

Adjectives/Adverbs

6   Replace each simple adjective in bold with more interesting ones from the list.

•    huge • fantastic
•    well-organised • safe
•    excellent • long • sandy
•    ideal • large • wooden
•    curved • cool • shady

Everyone who has been to Hanauma Bay in Hawaii says that it is a 1) good place to go swimming. There is a 2) nice beach which is 3) good for sunbathing and relaxing. It is very 4) nice as the 5) big bay is well protected from the 6) big ocean waves. Also, there are 7) good picnic facilities with plenty of 8) nice tables and9) nice trees.

7    Put the adjectives in the correct order, then write sentences using each group of words.

1 ancient/stone/ spectacular statues

2    long/hot/beautiful                            5 brightly-coloured/huge summer fields
3    stony/wide path                              6 French/wonderful/old
4    little/wooden/cute huts                       bakery

8 a  Choose the correct adverbs to complete the gaps.

•    lazily • noisily • patiently • extremely • happily

1    The Phi Phi Islands are ........ beautiful.
2    There are always people sunbathing........by the lake.
3    Children were playing    ............. in the fountain.
4    You can hear water falling    .............down the stream.
5    The old man was waiting............for his turn.

b Complete the text with the adverbs in the list.

•    deafeningly • enthusiastically • leisurely • incredibly  • smoothly

As the ship 1)..........pulled up to the dock, we looked out over the port. The view of the town with the mountains in the distance was 2)..........beautiful. We got off and headed at a 3)............pace towards the town. Street vendors were shouting 4)    ........and children were jumping up and down 5).........trying to sell us souvenirs.

The senses

9  Match the phrases to the pictures. Which of the five senses / (smell, sight, sound, taste, touch) is being used in each phrase? Talk about each picture using your senses.

•    waves crashing onto the beach
•    icy cold air burning your ears    A
•    blazing heat of the sun on your skin
•    the crunch of snow under your feet
•    clear blue sky
•    melting snow dripping from the rooftops
•    seagulls crying loudly



> In the morning, you wake up to the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach and the sight of... Later on, as you walk ... you can ...

Static/Moving features

10 a  Read the theory box.

We can use prepositional phrases such as all around, to the left/right of, at the top/bottom of, as far as the eye can see etc to describe static features and verbs such as flow, run stretch, wind, curve, rise to describe features suggesting movement. This makes our description more vivid.

b   Read the extract and find the words/phrases used to describe moving features and those used to describe static features.

My grandma's house is situated at the end of a narrow road which climbs gently upwards. A trickling stream runs along the bottom of the garden. Beyond the house, green and yellow fields stretch for mile after mile. To the left there lies a dense wood with a footpath running through it .leading to the nearby little village.

C Think of your house. Use prepositional phrases to talk about its location.

Past Participles

Past Participles
The past participle can be used to introduce phrases with a passive meaning: e.g. Tired after their long walk, the children soon fell asleep. (The children were tired after their long walk, so they soon fell asleep.) Notice that the participle must refer to the subject of the main clause in the sentence.

11  Read the example. Then rewrite the sentences, beginning each with a past participle.

1   The lake is surrounded by forest. The lake is in a stunning location.

> Surrounded by forest, the lake is in a stunning location.

2  The beach is isolated from the rest of the island. The beach is popular for private parties.

3  The village is situated near a river. The village is ideal for those who want a quiet break.

4  Mykonos is found in the Cyclades group of islands. Mykonos is well-known for its nightlife.

Discuss & write

12  RNE  Read the rubrics, underline the key words and discuss the questions for each in pairs.

1  Who are you?
2  Who/What are you writing for?
3  What will you write? What must you include?
4   How many paragraphs will you write?

A A travel magazine is looking for articles on popular tourist destinations in your country. Send in your article. Describe the place, explaining why it is so popular (120-180 words).

B You see this in a newspaper travel supplement.

The Perfect Day Trip
Have you found the perfect place for a day trip? If so, we want to know about it! Write a letter of recommendation to the editor. (120-180 words)

13  Choose one of the rubrics and write your answer. Follow the steps below.

Steps

Step 1: Decide which place you are going to write about.
Step 2:  Brainstorm for ideas - write down all the words that come to mind when you think of the place e.g.  Sherwood Forest Country Park: cool, shady trees; relaxing stroll; leaves rustling; families having picnics; thick tree truks; beautiful wild flowers
Step 3: Decide which of your ideals you will use in each paragraph.
Step 4: Write your article/letter.
Step 5: Develop your paragraphs. Use techniques to bring your description alive.
Step 6: Check that you have included all the points in the rublic.

14  Swap papers with your partner and check that steps 1-6 have been follwed. Also check grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Английский язык. 11 класс : учеб. для общеобразоват. учреждений / [О.В. Афанасьева, Дж.Дули, И.В. Михеева и др.]. - 2-е изд., доп. и перераб. - М.: Express Publishing : Просвещение, 2009. - 244 с. : ил. - (Английский в фокусе).

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