Freezing! (dramatic)
My Lone Walk to the North Pole (a summary)
Rescue from the rapids (a summary)
Whats the big idea? (a question)
Seven banks a day are robbed in LA (a surprising)
Youre already well equipped to prevent crime (a surprising)
Opening
Did you know ?
What would you do if ?
General Structure
Give your article a heading or headline which makes the subject clear and also catches the readers attention.
Divide the article into paragraphs to help the reader follow the argument.
Begin with an interesting introduction an example, perhaps, or a question.
End with an overall comment or concluding.
STORY
Beginnings and endings
A narrative needs an interesting beginning to catch the readers attention and encourage him or her to read on, and a clear ending to round the story off satisfactorily. A weak beginning or ending can spoil the effect of the story, so its worth spending time working out how to start and finish.
Verb tenses
We use:
The simple past to describe the main events:
I ran to answer the phone but it stopped ringing as I picked up the receiver.
The past continuous to set the scene:
It was raining heavily as we set off.
The past perfect to describe events which happened before the main events:
When I got on the bus all the seats had been taken.
Preset participles to show two actions which are linked:
Noticing that she looked lost, I asked if I could help.
Perfect participles to show that one action was complete before another started:
Having reported my stolen passport to the police, I returned sadly to the hotel.
Time Links
before . then at first, next
later during after that afterwards
when finally, as soon as eventually,
immediately in the end, once
A few days earlier Just after that Some time later
Following the accident Later on
Adding variety and interest
Try to use different adjectives to convey the atmosphere. For example, if you want to convey the idea of fear, you could use frightened, terrified, scared.
Varying the length of sentences can be effective.
Use direct speech occasionally for dramatic effect (remember to use inverted commas correctly: No, he yelled, dont touch that switch!)
DISCURSIVE
Making points
Many people feel that ...
First and foremost, ...
It is widely believed that ...
It would be ideal if ...
Another argument in favour is ...
It is clear from the facts that ...
The benefits of ... outweigh the disadvantages.
On the whole, I think ...
Contrasting points
On the other hand ...
Other people think ...
An opposing argument is ...
Giving opinions
I personally feel that ...
I find it hard to see why ...
I certainly don't believe that ...
It is difficult to believe that ...
I object to the cloning of animals.
Organising and linking your ideas
First of all, Secondly, In addition,
Moreover, Furthermore,
So As a result, Therefore,
However, On the one hand on the other hand
On the whole While it is true to say
Finally, To summarise, In conclusion
