WRITING WORKSHOP

A DESCRIPTIONS

1) DESCRIBING A HOUSE

I. Read the description and the notes.

Castle to rent

This beautiful 17

th- century castle

1in Lost Valley in

southern France has 25 hectares of land.

The owners live in the east wing of the castle and 2rent the

rest of the building to tourists.

In front of the main entrance to the castle theres a rose garden

and a pretty fountain, which is lit up at night. In the back garden

theres a heated swimming pool with a wonderful terrace for

sunbathing.

Theres room in the castle for 20 people to sleep. There are 10

bedrooms on the first and second floors, all of which have a

television, and there are six bathrooms. Theres a large formal

dining room on the ground floor, where eight people can eat,

and theres a dining area outside where all 20 guests can have

dinner together.

For relaxing in the evening, theres a large living room with

sofas and armchairs. Downstairs theres also a study and a very

spacious kitchen with doors to the garden.

The house is cleaned twice a week and there is a babysitting

service.

To describe what we can find in a place / house, use the expression there is/are To explain where things are, use prepositions like on, in, above, below, etc. It is a good idea to explain what you can find or what you can do in each room or

space and why you like it or not. BE CAREFUL! Once you have mentioned the house, to refer to it DONT USE there

is, but its:

Downton Abbey is in York. It belongs to Lord Grantham and Mary Crawley. There are 20 rooms and a big library. In the library there is a copy of Guttenbergs Bible. It is 560 years

old.

Introduction:

1. Where is the castle?

2. How does it work?

Describing the

outside.

Describing the

inside.

What can you

do there?

Extra info

about services.

Test what you know:

a) Circle the correct option.

1Its / theres a very nice house. 2Theres / its a large garden and 3there are / they are some trees in the garden. I think 4there are / they are some apple trees. 5Theres / its a living

room, with a big blue sofa. In the kitchen 6there arent / they arent any shelves, but 7they are / there are some cupboards. 8There are / they are quite old, but the fridge and cooker are

new. And the bathrooms fantastic 9there isnt / it isnt very big, but 10theres / its a shower and a bath!

b) Write a description of this house.

Outskirts of London A garage one medium car A swimming pool 2 floors No dining room big living room 2 bathrooms + 1 toilet for guests

c) With this information, write a description of the hotel:

2) DESCRIBING A PLACE

I. Read the first paragraphs of chapter 1 of Craigen Castle Mystery and answer the

questions:

My wife and I are standing in the gardens of Craigen Castle. The castle is

on an island in north-west Scotland. It is built on the edge of a cliff, high

above the sea.

Opposite the island on the mainland is the village of Onach. A bridge joins

the island to the mainland. My wife was born in Onach, but she doesnt

really know the village very well. She left when she was young and hasnt

been back there since.

The island belongs to Lord William Douglas. It has belonged to the

Douglas family for hundreds of years. Until recently, Craigen was the

family home. But castles are expensive to maintain, so now Lord Douglas

only lives here in the summer. When he is here, Craigen Castle is open to

visitors. July is the most popular month. In July the gardens are bright

with flowers and full of people.

NOTE that the first sentence of each paragraph has been underlined. What things are

mentioned in these sentences? These sentences are called topic sentences, why do you

think that is?

Paragraph 1: What do the highlighted expressions refer to?

They are indications to explain where the castle is. To do this, the writer uses

prepositions: in, on, above

Paragraph 2: How does the writer give us information about Onach and the person who was

born there?

He introduces Onach connecting it with the Castle and he connects Onach with his

wifes story.

Paragraph 3: What does he tell us about the island and his owners?

He uses connectors like but, so, and commas to explain what has happened with the

castle.

He also explains why summer is the most popular month by saying that in July the

gardens are bright and it is full of people.

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT? COHERENCE: Use connectors to stay with the idea and full stops to talk about a different idea. Use synonyms and different words to refer to the same thing: Onach / the mainland / the village - the island / the castle / Craigen Castle Remember to give information so the writer can picture the place in his/her mind.

Where is

the castle?

Where is

Onach? Who

was born

there?

Details about

the castle and

its owner.

II. Read this description of London: What aspects of the city does the writer

mention?

MY CAPITAL CITY

London has a population of about 7,000,000. It lies on the river

Thames. From about 1800 until World War II, London was the biggest

city in the world, but now there are bigger cities.

London is famous for many things. Tourists come from all over the

world to visit its historic buildings, such as Buckingham Palace and

the Houses of Parliament, and hear the famous clock, Big Ben. They

also come to visit its theatres, its museums, and its many shops, such

as Harrods. And, of course, they want to ride on the big wheel next to

the river, the London Eye!

Like many big cities, London has problems with traffic and

pollution. Over 1,000,000 people a day use the London Underground,

but there are still too many cars on the streets. The air isnt clean, but

it is cleaner than it was 100 years ago.

For me, the best thing about London is the parks. There are five in

the city centre. But my childrens favourite place is Hamleys, the

biggest toy shop in the world!

Key words and expressions which we have studied during the course have been

underlined to see how they can be used in context.

Remember to start your description with general information about the place and then

give more particular details in the following paragraphs.

Descriptions can change according to what topics the writer wants to mention, so dont

feel obliged to talk about these things in particular when writing or describing a place to

another person. Add your personal touch!

a) Now write about any great capital city you want!

B FORMAL EMAILS: BOOKINGS

I. Read the email.

Who is it from?

Who is it to?

What is it about?

How does it begin and end?

II. These lines are from the email. Where do they go?

a Could you tell me what time the restaurant closes?

b I look forward to hearing from you.

c Could I possibly have a quiet room at the back of the hotel?

III. Here is another example:

A formal start

Would like +

to + inf =>

formal

language

Contact

information

When you

DONT know

the name, use

faithfully

From Sylvie Vartan sylvievartan@hotmail.com

To

Subject reservation for November

Dear sir/1Madam

I would like to make a 2________________ for a single 3____________ for three 4_________, 24, 25 and

26 November.

I would like a room with a 5_____________ of the gardens, if possible. Could you send me some 6_______________ about the spa treatments? 7______________ confirm the reservation. 8______________

Sylvie Vartan

IV. Complete the email with these words.

Madam - information - information - Please - nights - reservation - room -

Yours - view

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT? Use formal language:

Beginning Dear Sir or Madam / Mr. Smith Some extra useful words

and expressions:

I would like...

Please

Thank you

..., if possible.

Could you....?

End Please confirm the reservation.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

I look forward to hearing from you. Signature Yours

Yours faithfully

Yours sincerely

a) Write an email to book a room at a hotel.

Book a double room for four nights next month.

Ask for a room with a view of the sea.

Ask about internet and other facilities (phone, television, room service, car parking,

etc.)

Give your personal details.

b) Write another email to book a room at this hotel.