English Writing Lessons: Week 9

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FRIDAY’S WRITING CLASS

Let’s take a minute to summarize some of the main writing tasks we have finished so far in our class. We have reviewed and practiced:

  1. sentences with THAT/WHICH and appositives (see below);
  2. one paragraph writing style (thesis sentence, three different kinds of supporting sentences and conclusion);
  3. many editing exercises;
  4. run on and choppy sentences;
  5. the difference between SO and BECAUSE;
  6. the difference between LIKE and LOOK LIKE;
  7. some summary writing (we need more practice here);
  8. some basic grammar items like apostrophes and articles;
  9. parallel structure to give your writing a nice style;
  10. during and while;
  11. many different kinds of writing tools.

Our main writing goal is to get better at explaining ideas and things more clearly. Why?

  • This writing skill will help you if you need to write English letters, reports or emails in your future job.

REVIEW AND PRACTICE APPOSITIVES

REVIEW: Look at these sentences. Find the appositive.

  1. John, my three year-old brother, broke my favorite toy.
  2. I sat beside Mrs. Jones, my kindergarten teacher.
  3. Freddy, my shaggy dog, chewed up my mother’s gloves.
  4. The insect, a large cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.
  5. My friend’s car, a Sonata, has worked well for many years.

PRACTICE: With your partner, combine the sentences in each question using appositives.

  1. My favorite relative is Joan. Joan is coming to visit next week.
  2. My son is an honor student. My son is at the top of his class.
  3. I enjoy my hobby. My hobby is stamp collecting.
  4. On the largest planets there is no water. Jupiter and Saturn are the largest planets.
  5. The sculptor will be remembered for his contributions to art. The sculptor is Michelangelo.
  6. Did you read Romeo and Juliet in high school? Romeo and Juliet is an interesting story.
  7. There goes the principal. Richard Kim is a principal.
  8. Cairo is one of the largest cities in the Middle East. Cairo has many interesting tourist sites.

TODAY’S WRITING ASSIGNMENT

In today’s writing assignment, I want you to write a paragraph that does two things. First, it describes your idea/opinion clearly. Second, you have to explain your reasons based on personal experience.

  1. Look at the popular expressions/proverbs below.
  2. Discuss the meaning of these phrases with your partner.
  3. Be sure to define the key words in each sentence.
  4. Do you think they are true or not true? Explain your answer by talking about your personal experience.
  5. You will probably want to write two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, you might have a thesis sentence (your main idea), explain the expression/proverb and define the important words. The second paragraph might describe your experience and how it makes you agree or disagree with the expression/proverb.

Expressions

  1. Money is the root of all evil.
  2. Two heads are better than one.
  3. Might is right.
  4. Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.
  5. Don’t rock the boat.
  6. Patience is a virtue.

LAST CLASS

Last week my ESL students had a midterm exam. many of the students did a great job with the editing exercise and writing a paragraph.

These week our English writing lesson will focus on two kinds of sentences:

  1. relative clauses with who, that/which
  2. appositives

I don’t like to teach grammar but my students need to know how to write these kinds of sentences in order to write well. So, let’s do it.