Sunday, November 9, 2014

Week 4 - Writing a review and UofE Part 1

Ask yourself these questions when writing a review.
Who is the audience? For a review it is normally an interested consumer or magazine reader
What is the purpose of the writing? Describe something and give your opinion
Is it formal? NO!
Should I use headings or bullet points? Use headings if you like
How should it start? Capture the reader’s interest with a good title and exciting opening sentence.
How should it finish? Clearly state your opinion.

Task:
3 You see the following announcement on a website, Great Lives:

Reviews wanted. Send us a review of a book or film that focuses on somebody who has made an
important contribution to society. Did you learn anything new about the person’s life from the book
or film? Did the book or film help you understand why this person made their
important contribution? Write your review in 220-260 words.

Review: Read the followings answer, highlight any errors. Imagine you are an examiner, what
grade would you give these essays for the 4 criteria underneath?

         Who doesn’t like to watch, even from time to time, an old movie starring an iconic actors and actresses known all over theworld? Marylin Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn – we know them all. Although the last one might be known as well as for not only being an actress, but also a voulanteer helping to fight hunger in Africa. Her latest biography – ,,Audrey’s Hepburn life” tells us the story of a girl, who has made an amazing career, became beloved by millions, won several Oscar awards and was concidered to be a fashion icon. Nevertheless this is not everything that she achived. Audrey always wanted to help other people. This is why after ending her career she decided to help people, who needed this help more than anyone else. The book tells us the story of years of exhausting work in Somalia – for people who needed her help the most. Douzens of photograph present how much she cared about them. The most surprising for me, was the fact that she honestly did not do it to have better public opinion, she was never boasting abot it. But thanks to her fame, more and more people started to get interested in poor districts of Africa. The result was magnificent. Her whole life is an amazing example of how hard work pays off. Propably this is why the book turned out to be such a success. I recommend it to anyone interested in her career and life, I promise you won’t regret it!
           Content:    /5                Communication/style:  /5              Organisation:  /5                      Language:   /5


Useful review phrases
Expressing and supporting opinions
I felt/thought it was …
I was impressed by …
What struck me most was ...
What I liked most/didn't like was ...
On reflection, I think it was ...
It struck me as being ...
What I didn't understand was how ...
In spite of these few criticisms, I think ...
I would have no hesitation in recommending
I believe/do not believe that ... (because) ...
Personally I feel that ... Let me explain why.
In my opinion, ... Just consider ...
As I see it, … The reason is ...
It seems to me that… This is because ...
I would argue that for the following reasons.
I feel very strongly that ...
I am convinced that ...
I am of the opinion that ...
I am very much in favour of/against ...
I am completely opposed to ...


The reasons why I believe that ... are as follows.

Useful vocab for this specific task
Important contribution in society
Worthwhile/ Beneficial/ useful
Inspirational
To contribute TO
Overwhelming
Insightful/ knowledgeable
To give an insight into
Biography/autobiography
To put into practise
To implement something
To face up to
To inspire a generation
To help the world to progress
To innovate
To be innovative

Use of English and Reading Part 1
This tests your knowledge of collocations
Phrasal verbs
Phrases and expressions
Linking words
• Firstly read the title and text anticipating what could go in each gap before you see the
options.
• Make a guess for every option. You will not lose any marks.
• Record all phrases and collocations as they come up and learn them.

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