Blog Writing

•You are volunteering for a local organisation that is trying to clean up local forests and to protect the animals within them.

•Write a blog post to reflect on your experiences so far…

Writing a blog...

Make sure you have an engaging title.

How to start?

·         For many people,…

·         I’ve been waiting to write this for some time…

·         So, if you haven’t heard about the recent controversy of …

·         So, I recently went to …

·         I know I’ve posted about … before, but …

·         From … to …, our … have

·         There’s a story currently…

·         Nowadays, I find myself …

·         So, this post is going to …

Expressions/ Idiomatic vocabulary

·         Well, it goes without saying that …

·         If I could put my finger on one thing in particular, it would be …

·         Shame it doesn’t work like that.

·         It goes hand in hand with …

·         Rhetorical questions and answers: Who knows? I don´t. …, right? But when did … become …?

·         Yes/No, …

·         A distraction that I, for one, can’t wait to get rid of.

·         How dare he/ she/ they!

·         I have never eye-rolled this much…

·         Let’s face it …

·         Boo them!/ Cheer them!

·         Needless to say …

·         Anyway, each to their own.

·         To become a dartboard - to become a target

·         To go through the roof - to increase

Introducing yourself in the text/ expressing opinions

·         As a teenager

·         As a black woman…

·         How much I care…

·         But that’s just me.

·         I never thought I’d find myself saying this but …

·         I must say that I agree/disagree with …

·         If I could put my finger on one thing in particular, it would be …

·         What I do know is …

·         Aghh, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound like …

·         So, I’m here to …

·         As much as I think that …, I also think that …

·         I love…

·         I reckon… (informal for I think)

·         I guess there is/are …

·         I was pretty freaking amazed…

·         Oddly, while…

·         Aside from the fact that I’m …, I also think …

·         Shock horror, I’m not into …

Speaking directly to your reader

·         Ha! Don’t be ridiculous!

·         Don’t try and kid yourself!

·         Don’t be silly enough to…

·         Get off your high horse!

·         Get off your soap box!

·         Make a difference!

·         By the way, …

How to end?

·         If you want to share/ offer your opinion and join in with this conversation, please leave a comment below.

·         I’d love to know your thoughts so leave a comment below!

·         If you agree with me, please share my post.

EXTRA: Idioms are an excellent way to show off in informal writing. Try to learn some of the ones below and use them in your blog.

CAE Idioms

More Idioms

Writing Task: FORMAL LETTER

Dear Sir/Madam (In case you don’t know the name → Yours Faithfully)

Dear Mr X (→Yours Sincerely)

Reason for writing (Who I am (not the name!), What I want, When and Where it happened)

I am writing with regard/reference to (the article which appeared when/where) to express my concern about/disappointment with/dissatisfation with/disapproval of/apologies for (motivation)

Body (2/3 paragraphs – Points from input material)

• Firstly/To begin with/Moreover
• In fact/Furthermore/In addition/Finally
• (I feel) I must also (dis)agree with
• I would like to/ I want to  point out that
• According to your (article)/ Your (article) states that.. However/which is completely wrong

Action Step/Desired outcome

• I trust/very much hope you will (print this letter in the next issue of your newspaper)
• I would appreciate it/be grateful if you would
• It seems only fair that you should
• I look forward to receiving/seeing
• In light of the above (I feel I am entitled to a full refund and a formal apology)

Ending

Yours faithfully/Yours Sincerely

Firma

(Ruolo/Carica)

Linking Words:

	Formal	Less formal
Addition	furthermore, in addition to, in the same way as, moreover, similarly	also, and, as well as, besides, just as
Opposition	although, however, nevertheless, nonetheless, whereas	but, or, so, on the other hand
Reference	in all cases, in general, in many cases, in most cases, in some cases, regarding, with reference to	since, so
Cause and effect (result)	accordingly, consequently, on the whole, therefore, thus, unfortunately	anyway, at any rate, because, because of
Listing	firstly, finally, in the first place, secondly, lastly, next	after, and, and then, before, first, last, second, soon, then

Debating Vocabulary

Verbs:

To improve / worsen

To encourage / prevent

To support / object to

To develop

To provide (with)

To implement

To solve

To allow / permit / let

Scenarios

Imagine a society where…

Wouldn’t you prefer …?

BE CONVINCING

Without a shadow of a doubt, …

It is absolutely vital that / crucial that …

There is no question that

TECHNIQUES TO INVOLVE THE LISTENERS / AUDIENCE

We all know that… (get the listeners on your side)

Think about it: … (use imperatives to attract the audience’s attention)

I’m sure that everyone in the room would agree / recognize / accept … (encourage your listener to agree)

Let’s face it, … (making something seem like a self-evident truth)

Imagine a school where … Does this sound ……….? (scenario)

Would you really ………? (rhetorical question – add detail)

What next? Would you accept …(use exaggeration)

CONNECTIVES

·Although / Even though / Though

·Despite / In spite of

·Therefore / As a result of this / Consequently

·On the other hand / However / Yet / Conversely

·Otherwise / If not

·This may  lead to / This could cause

·Without

·If

·As

·Whereas

·While

·Therefore

·Due to this

·First of all / Firstly / Secondly / Thirdly / Furthermore / Moreover / In addition to this

·In conclusion / In summary / To sum up, …

·…for two main reasons: Firstly…., Secondly, …

·Unfortunately / Undoubtedly / Currently / Unsurprisingly

Responding to the opposition

After listening to your points, I must point out that …

While it’s true that ……, you must admit that …

I would like to point out one major flaw in your argument: …

Although I accept that …., as you have said, I find …. absolutely preposterous!

Don’t you think that it’s a little naïve to assume that … ?

You claim that … But it’s completely realistic to suggest that…

Rhetorical questions (Add detail and develop the question)

Do you honestly want to implement a system which ….?

Lists of 3:

Adjectives (It is expensive, inefficient and unreliable)

Nouns (It would negatively affect students, parents and teachers.)

Verbs (to improve, renovate and develop …)

Points (It would lead to an increase in the profits of the company, a positive impression of the business and a number of new customers)

Knock down the other side of the argument

While it’s true that …,

Although many people may agree that…

Yes, …. Yes, … and yes, … However, have you seriously considered ….?

Reading Comprehension Practice

In preparation for the exam tomorrow, work through the reading comprehension exercises via the following link:

B2 Reading Practice