Practice of English Composition

Practice of English Composition 영작문 연습 Prof. Shao Guangqing shaoguangqing@gmail.com

Contents • Unit 2Descriptive essays • Part 3Developing your ideas • Review and warm-up • Reading: Food from the Sea • Language focus: PPs; adding details; Similes • Writing a first draft (homework) • Part 4 Editing your writing • Using adjectives • Formation of adjectives • Order of adjectives • Editing a student paragraph

Part 3Developing your ideas • Review and warm-up • Reading: Food from the Sea • Language focus: PPs; adding details; Similes • Writing a first draft (homework)

Review and warm-up • Still remember how to draft an outline for a descriptive essay? • Introduction • Hook • Background information • Thesis statement • Body paragraph • Topic sentence • Details • Conclusion • Final opinion

Reading: Food from the Sea • Read the essay. What is the main event the writer describes? • The writer describes catching and eating crabs on the beach with his father.

Examining the student essay • 1. What does the place described in the essay look like? • The place is very quiet and there are many crabs walking on the white sand.

Examining the student essay • 2. How does the writer feel about his experience? • The writer feels it was an unforgettable learning experience.

Examining the student essay • 3. What sounds, sights, smells, or tastes are described? • The writer describes seeing crabs walking on the beach and into the traps, and the sounds of the pelicans and the seagulls. • He describes the strong smell of the dark, oily fish. • He describes the sweet, salty taste of the boiled crabs.

Examining the student essay • 4. What is the final opinion that the writer gives in the conclusion? • The writers final opinion is that food tastes best when it is something that you have caught or grown.

Language focus: prepositional phrases in descriptive writing • The boat slowly sank with the water level until it rested on the bay floor. • PPs showing position and location. • We took the boat out to his underwater oyster park./The idea was to float the boat over the fence walls. • PPs showing direction.

Language focus: prepositional phrases in descriptive writing • at six in the morning/in that sweet moment/ on Sunday • PPs showing time. • I stood up in defiance./He pulled back in horror. • PPs showing manner or attitude.

Language focus: adding details to sentence • What is the problem of the following sentences used for description? • They are too general for description. • The crabs were good. • The crabs were tender and sweet with a salty taste. • He bought some fruit. • He bought some sweet, juicy strawberries. • She walked to the door. • She walked quickly and silently to the door.

Practice: adding details to sentence • We put the spinach in the pan. • …in a large, iron frying pan. • Our guests enjoyed the dinner. • … the sophisticated dinner. • I entered the room. • …the large, spacious apartment. • We returned from the store. • We quickly returned from the gourmet grocery store.

Language focus: similes 직유 • The sun was likea glowing ball of fire. —Shakespeare • I was young an easy…and happy asthe grass was green. —Dylan Thomas • My love is likea red, red rose. —Robert Burns • He is ascleverasa fox.

The house The ocean The cold wind Their friendship The train The air smelled sweet like honey. is as solid as a rock. sparkles like a diamond. was as fast as a bullet. cut sharply like a knife. was as huge as a castle. Practice: similes

Part 4 Editing your writing • Using adjectives • Formation of adjectives • Order of adjectives • Editing a student paragraph

Using adjectives • The beach was quiet and still. • Many crabs were walking slowly on the white sand. • The traps looked like round cages. • There were some small, fragrant fish in the trap. • The fishy smell made the crabs hungry. • I smelled the strong smell of the dark, oily fish. • The meat was white, pinkish and tender.

Formation of adjectives • V+ing • entertaining; exciting • V+ed • excited; broken • Noun modifiers • a shoe store • describing feelings • -ing • -ed

Describing feelings • The movie was very (bored/boring). • The audience was very (confused/confusing) by the story. • As a student, I found the class very (interesting/interested). • The speaker was very (exciting/excited) by the topic. • The children were (tired/tiring) by the game. • The new tastes were (stimulating/stimulated) to the chef.

Order of adjectives • It was a (metal/new/fantastic) sculpture. • …a fantastic, new metal sculpture. • They walked down the (old/elegant/marble) staircase. • …the elegant, old marble staircase. • The museum had (wooden/entrance/beautiful) doors. • …beautiful, wooden entrance doors.

Order of adjectives • There were (blue/huge/bright) lights to mark the entrance. • …huge, bright blue lights... • The food was served in (simple/tiny) portions on (small/dinner/modern) plates. • …in simple, tiny portions…on small modern dinner plates. • The women wore (velvet/new/stunning) dresses. • …stunning, new velvet dresses.

Order of adjectives general specific

Editing a paragraph • 1. take the long drive to my… • 2. a large, white wooden house • 3. a big, old red door • 4. a spacious kitchen • 5. The beautiful old table • 6. a white lace tablecloth • 7. huge round platters of food

THANK YOU

Practice of English Composition