Perform the following writing task 2:
Write a news report based on the module and extra vocabulary. Remember the notes above how to write news reports.
Module 7. Socialising
WRITING
Write a descriptive essay describing events based on the module and extra vocabulary. Learn the notes below how to write descriptive essays describing events / festivals / celebrations.
Writing notes
Describing events
These pieces of writing can be found in magazines, newspapers, as parts of letters etc. To describe an annual event (e.g. carnival) you should give accurate information in well-structured paragraphs:
Introduction
Set the scene (name, place, time, reason)
Main body
Para 1. Preparations
Para 2. Description of the actual event
Conclusion
Feelings, comments, final thoughts
Points to remember:
Present tenses are commonly used to describe annual events (e.g. annual festivals). However, if the event happened in the past, past tenses should be used (e.g. a wedding which you attended last Sunday). The Passive is frequently used to describe the preparations or activities which take place
(e.g. Turkey is served for Christmas dinner)
Narrative techniques and a variety of descriptive adjective can be used to set the scene and describe the atmosphere. This will make your description more vivid, e.g. As I entered the room I saw brightly-coloured balloons hanging on the walls and a huge, beautifully decorated birthday cake on the table.
MODEL
Graduation ceremony
Graduation day at Swansea University takes play in July. The Town Hall is used for the ceremony. The occasion is kept formal and traditional in order to properly honour the achievements of the students.
Days before the ceremony, students are given their caps and gowns. A stage is set up and chairs are arranged for those attending. The hall is decorated with beautiful bouquets of flowers, and speeches are prepared by the invited guests of honour.
On the day itself, students and their families attend a Cheese and Wine Party held by the faculty before the actual ceremony. A few hours later, usually around 2.30 in the afternoon, the ceremony begins. Speeches are made, then the students queue up in the order in which they are going to be called. Their names are read out one by one, and students go up onto the stage to receive their degrees from the Dean, who shakes each graduate’s hand. All the graduates look sophisticated in their black caps and gowns as proud parents take photos of them. Afterwards, everyone attends a less formal dinner party where professors have the chance to congratulate the graduates.
Graduation day is a special occasion in a student’s life. It is a time to feel pleased about reaching a very important goal. Each student will always remember his graduation because it signified the end of a long period of hard work and the beginning of a new era in their life.