Tuesday, 18 December 2012

Tuesday 18th December

Objective: To learn to create an accurate and original piece of descriptive writing

Task 1: On the previous post, copy and paste your comparison from last week as a comment. Remember to select "Name/URL" from the drop down list and to enter your name before posting

Task 2: Complete the Question 5 task which we began last lesson:


The travel section of your local newspaper is inviting readers to write about their favourite place.
Write a letter to the editor describing a favourite place you know and explaining why others would like it.
Focus on meeting the following objectives:
1) Varied sentence structure
2) Sophisticated vocabulary
3) Creative and original answer
The following videos will help you:


Homework due by Thursday
Read all of the comments on this post and the previous one and, for each post, write a comment explaining which answer you think is best and why.

21 comments:

  1. Wonuland. It’s just simply amazing a place where you are free, where you can you have fun and best of all everything is free.
    See there’s a lot of people in the world that are alone, sad and homeless. But in Wonuland everyone has somewhere to live and a community of vibrant people. The smell of strawberries, mangos and tropical fruit fill the uplifting atmosphere, the illuminating lights; light up your world. Best of all everyone has their own Justin Bieber. Talk about the good life.
    You see there was a boy called Tommy. Tommy had no friends; he got bullied and he was brought up in a broken home. But you know what I did? I brought Tommy to Wonuland and he had the time of his life. Driving a car made out of chocolate and marshmallows for wheels (a world even homer Simpson can’t resist). He had all he could eat Chinese and the best of all he had a friend. There is nowhere on earth that is like Wonuland, so why stop people from being happy? Why not bring them here? Why not come to Wonuland?
    Don’t thing this place is only for children. NO! Wonuland is a place for adults to get away too. This place is divided with adult world and children; the only way these places are similar is in how much fun you both have but different in how you have this fun.
    In the adult world you have chocolate baths, your own Bieber cleaner (I’m sure all adults will love that) and best of all you all have your own massage rooms where you can stay calm all the time and no cost; but the cost of everyone being happy.

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  2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper describing a favourite place you know and explain why others would enjoy it. (16)

    Dear Sir,

    What I adore about my favourite place is not the fact that you can just about make out the gentle howling, wailing and whispering of the wind, nor is it the fact that the pure and raw emptiness of my abandoned cathedral impels you to be grateful for the fulfilment, however partial it may be, you have.
    It is the fact that you can practically bathe in the solitude it offers.
    To some, you may think, elective isolation is something only the lonely (obviously) would select. However, the cathedral provides such a silence that it's almost deafening. This silence enables you to both reflect and dream, secluded with your thoughts.
    I shall enlighten you with the tale of my first encounter with this cathedral. I was taking my dog, Ginger, out for a walk and we opted to go off the beaten path. It then began to rain and having no umbrella to act as a shield from the merciless precipitation and being so far from home, we had no choice but to run into the woods to use the trees as armour.
    And there it stood, majestically illuminated by the rain, lightning and darkness.
    Now, the cathedral itself is a beast of a structure: its winding external staircases encompass the beauty within; the archaic, ancient amber brickwork slowly decays along with the insides of the cathedral; the stained glass windows luminously and brilliantly prevail, determined not to meet the same demise as the brickwork and interior, an utter contrast to the gloomy woods it inconspicuously sleeps in.
    The walls of my cathedral are etched and dented with the prayers of hundreds upon hundreds of people, whether the prayers are for a recently deceased canine friend (who simply must to find his bone up in Heaven) or prayers for the victims of war in Afghanistan.
    The matted grass outside harbours that generic, grassy scent that invades every single chapel and confession room inside the cathedral. The number of confession rooms is my most adored aspect of the cathedral and although there is no minister, you're still able to confess like there is no tomorrow...


    Kind Regards,

    Mr. Church





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  3. Some people dream about exploring the world, some love extreme climates and some, if not most,, prefer to kick-back in the tranquillity of their own room. We, homo-sapiens, are trapped under a facade of being ordinary but yet we try to mask this normalness by fitting into a spectrum. Whether it be going on holiday to a hot country or climbing the tallest point on earth, we have become accustomed to behave typically that even our adventurous desires are typical.

    Not to say these desires are bad but we speak about it more than we do. We live in an era where a person would rather sit behind a computer screen and watch 10 minutes of people falling over than go outside and do something. It is perfectly fine to want to go to a hot country or climb Everest but the closest you can get to a sun tan from a computer is pressing your face against the bottom of a laptop.

    See my favourite environment is forests. As a child I have, lived in, got lost in and hunted in forests. I’m not so much a tree-hugger but there is a certain sensation you get when you’re surrounded by hungry animals all perfectly designed to kill you.
    We’ve become so dependent on technology that when in a forest we call it empty. The kid inside all of us should be screaming paintball, chases, camping; for some strange reason that kid is being suppressed. A scary maze game can provide an equivalent thrill? There is a part of me that wants to believe that. The reality is, however, that running through trees and doing parkour is much more exciting than playing Assassin’s Creed and getting a virtual character to do it for you.



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  4. This place is like my home away from home. My secret love. My secret paradise.
    My secret place.
    When you think of London the first things which come to mind aren’t: Peace, serenity and generally nice people. However you shouldn’t underestimate this vibrant city and what it has to offer...
    I discovered this place whilst on a walk around central London, stumbling upon a lost city I continued walking in the direction of the green grass, grass so green it was as if I was walking on emeralds, sky so blue as if it had been painted with care and consideration, an ambrosial smell which captured my nostrils and never let go. I was awe of this place, it seemed so pure so true nothing I have ever seen or experienced especially in the hustle and bustle of London town.
    The reason why I’m enchanted with this place is because life seems to go so fast sometimes: there’s no time to think, no time to breathe, no time to look back at the day that’s just gone by but here I don’t have to worry about that at all. Time goes how fast I want it to go. It’s a parallel universe: It’s my universe. I’m sure you are looking for that special place where it’s all about you.

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  5. Question 5

    Dear Newspaper Editor,
    A favourite place should be a place you thoroughly enjoy, right? Had an unforgettable time and formed the best memories with family, friends or even complete strangers and even perhaps alone, right? I have the best destination to anyone’s standards.

    The combination of sun, sea and sand; the feeling of being so welcome in a foreign country; the place humble like no other. Buggiba, Malta. The home away from home.

    Unlike many destinations around the world, Buggiba welcomes all tourists with open arms and makes them feel comfortable as if settled with the long lost friends. No strange looks or funky stares just smiles all round. Shops, pizzerias, karaoke bars, regular bars and everything you could ever need a bus ride away.

    People of Buggiba all seem to have a common respect for on another. Struggling with your shopping? Someone’s there to give you a hand. Lost? Someone will take you to wherever you need to go and won’t leave you until you’re happy. No seats on the bus? Not a problem, someone will willingly offer their lap if not their seat. Their whole community live as one. Given the island isn’t particularly larger, that brings everyone together.

    Sites are never too far away or expensive for that matter. €5 maximum for a bus ride to the other side of the island and to a range of beautiful beaches, water parks, zoos, shopping facilities and much more! A 20 minute journey to the docks for a 10 minute ferry or boat ride on the rich blue, warm Mediterranean Sea to another island giving you the chance to admire the array of fish and the other glorious sealife.

    NOT FINISHED!!!!!

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    Replies
    1. I love the use of rhetorical questions; It really grips the reader and keeps thems on the edge of their seats. You've done a great job of describing the atmosphere and surroundings. It really persuades the reader to want to visit Malta. :)

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  6. Question 5

    Dear Sir,

    I love bathrooms.

    Glistening. Beautiful. Dazzling. Clean tiles that gleam like shiny razor teeth of a fearless dog. Silver taps smooth as can be, matched with a wonderful shower screen. Now who wouldn’t want to shower in that? It really is the apple of my eye! Every day I work; every day I come home; every day I go to my place of ideal heaven. Ah... what bliss.

    Some people want a person to keep them company. How about these? You should have heard these before. Oh... I will be with him forever. Or even this? Romeo, Romeo where art thou Romeo? Cheesy love twisted stories that always end up in devastation. Heartbreaking. I would know. However, in my situation, all I need is a bathroom. A spotless place to touch, to feel, to caress.

    If you think about it, how easy would it be to provide people with a bathroom? Rather than leave them to wallow in their depressive states that they eventually go in to via the selfish partners that they were with prior. Bathrooms are easy to maintain, a couple of hours a week of tender loving care- that’s all it needs!

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    Replies
    1. Yours is very humorous and I personally think it was the most imaginative of them all. It would/should catch anyone's attention!

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  7. Question 5
    Dear editor
    I am writing to you to inform you about the best place on earth, where the air smells better, where the cold breeze feels warmer and where time doesn’t exist .This place is surrounded by beautiful and unique plants, the birds sing louder and sound more amazing than anywhere else in the universe.
    Imagine if you will, yourself right now, swimming in clear blue water. The warmth of the water makes you feel like you’re in your mothers embrace once more and the waves like velvet caress your body. The tranquillity of the place astonishing. The beauty indescribable. The exotic trees swaying in the wind like Hawaiian dancers. That’s just the day.
    As the sun gracefully sets, the water converts into a rainbow. The stars become the source of light shining bright like diamonds. The rain like pearls falls out the sky only to admire this great island. Can you imagine that editor?
    Just imagine paradise.
    Mute. Resonant. The perfect combination.
    You could be living this great life in paradise but you choose to stay in your office. You are not living ; you exist.

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  8. The travel section of your local newspaper is inviting readers to write about their favourite place.
    Write a letter to the editor describing a favourite place you know and explaining why others would like it.

    Mr Editor,
    Thunderous, over-populated and it’s the best place in the world.
    The familiar faces overwhelm and invite you when you enter into its bosom’s embrace. Smiles directed your way alluring you over to their stands of exotic fruits and different spices. Sweet, Sour, Spicy. All a blend of richness that surrounds your taste buds dancing and swirling on your tongue.
    Unable to stop yourself from becoming a hockey player you dodge and jolt your competition to get the best deals hoping to get to the goal first. It’s a world of animals where you find peace within their prime. You feel accepted. Wanted. Strangers coming up to you for more reason to then just take your money; they absorb you in conversation, such a friendly dialect that you forget who you’re speaking to sometimes. Don’t you ever want to feel that way sometimes? Don’t we all have that need to be wanted? To be liked?
    “10 Lemons for a dollar!” and “fresh coconut water here!” battle with each other wanting to assert dominance over all the other stalls – survival of the fittest. You smile as the heat and sun’s rays caress your bare back and kiss your head gently finding bliss and delight being bathed in the sunshine from up above and around you.
    You may think that you can find this sort of feeling anywhere but you can’t. The feeling is unique and confided in this small immense place. Every turn you take will greet you with a new discover. Enthralment, Fascination, a subtle lure that takes you beyond “shopping” but a lust to take a little piece of each discovery you make. Are we to be blamed for a human’s lust for adventure? For their favouritism to belong?
    The Market is a place for more than just shopping, it’s a place where you find acceptance.

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  9. Question 5:

    My favourite place...
    I genuinely think it is magical. The perfect balance of dreams and reality.
    Covent Garden.
    Strolling, hopping, and skipping through Covent Garden ever since I could walk. The authentic pavements, wonky and uneven, yet so entertaining.
    The Disney store, Build-A-Bear... my childhood regulars. Obviously, as I matured, Godiva and Links of London was my second home. The pretty colours of Paperchase blinding me. Covent Garden is one of a kind. The real London. A true reflection of what we’re all about. There is entertainment in every corner, every space, in the main square. People overlook as they dine in London’s finest outdoor restaurants. Covent Garden attracts people from all over the world. It is suited to everybody. The old, unique boutiques, the side roads, the modern classy stores.
    Covent Garden is a home. Summer or winter. Rain or sunshine. I simply cannot resist. I certainly feel at home. People thousands of miles away from their homes, feel at home. The enormous, carefully crafted pillars, towering over us. It is although we are walking backwards through history, strolling through Victorian England, and the pillars are still there, standing strong.

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  10. My favourite place in the world would have to be the library. Reason being it’s a place you can go and not have to care about how you look or what you wear or any of those superficial things. Unlike all those other places all you think about is the way people see you. You want to be accepted, you want to fit in, and you want to be important. When I’m in the library all of those things don’t matter. I go there for myself. My own little adventure. The books take me on a journey; they take me places where I know no one has ever been.
    Every Saturday at 2, when the burden gets too much and the weight of the world crushes my shoulders. I get dressed put on my coat and leave my house. It only takes me like 5minutes. 5 minutes of my life that I dread every single time. As the cold wind hits my face I know i don’t belong. I roam around on streets that do not notice me. The closer I get to the library my feet pick up pace. It’s like a force controlling me, dragging me closer. I let it take over. I do not fight it. A few steps from the library and I just begin to realise that my eyes are filled with tears. Unaware that all my troubles have been caressing my mind. I cannot wait to enter to get away from it all.
    I burst into a run crashing through the double doors. All eyes are on me. For once in my life people look at me not through me. I do exist. I do matter. I do fit in. I casually stroll to my favourite corner. The musty smell of the old rusty books tickled my nose. The ceiling was high, higher than the sky. A chandelier hung in the middle. Owning the whole room. Completing the scenery. My fingertips grazed across the paper sprouting out of the book. Everything horrible escaped my thoughts. This is where i belong, i know it is. This is the one place where no one will judge me for my looks...

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  11. My favourite place? Simple. My dormitory. My refuge. My sanctuary. It entices and supplies the comfort that no other place can provide. Its four walls, similar to others but original in every aspect. No other person is suited for it but me – not that as fact!
    This place that I speak of is the beholder of all my imagination and creativity. It’s where the magic starts. It’s where the rainbow ends. Its spark of which sets the fire... It’s amazing! It with-holds no limitations; it holds me back not one bit.
    As the biting wind takes a nip at my frosted cheeks, I retreat to this place of safety situated on the backstreets of the Chinese restaurant. How lucky am I? Every day, I am able to appreciate the wafts of food of which creep through my nostrils. When I’m even luckier, I have the opportunity to part-take in the left-over’s, which is often. Not many people are as fortunate as I.

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  12. Dear Mr E. Ditor,
    Today I shall describe to you the most amazing place I have ever visited to you. I can Imagine the ideas propping into your head right now. Spain? Africa? The Tesco’s next to ‘Sam’s fish ‘n’ chips Shop’? I am glad to surprise you that the answer is none of the prior.
    My first visit to this wild place was back in 2010, when my friend told me about it after he returned from tending to his cannabis farm. He spoke of the sweet, sweet air, the warm red glow, and the safety of its high transparent borders. Mr Ditor, I visited...
    A jar of Jam.
    Now I understand that you’re probably ruling me off as a nutcase and calling the loony house right now but I beg you to put down the phone and hear the tales of this wondrous place.
    It’ll begin with the red. It’s simply amazing. Imagine if you will, the most amazing woman you’ve ever seen walking down the road in front of you. Your view is great; short skirt, nice legs, long, flowing, blonde hair. She’s beautiful, right? How can she be any better? Well now imagine her in red. Sweet, shiny red. Her legs force the traffic to stop and stare at magnificent sight. Red. Her long hair flowing, sparkling , dancing in the wind. Red.
    {This is not finished}

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    Replies
    1. I think this is the most imaginative of all of the answers and unique.Also you dont tell the reader what the place is right at the start which keeps them wondering.

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    2. I think this answers is extremely imaginitive and well structured. Also, there is a distinct, orginal voice with some humurous aspect within it. A job well done !!!!

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  13. My favourite place you ask? It’s a glorious wonderland. Beautiful and crisp white. Where dreams are born and myths are laid beneath the various blankets of snow.
    The North pole.
    The story behind the North pole is exciting itself – the place in which every childs’ hero lives, where the reindeer stay and where the little elves work themselves hard just for Christmas cheer. An enormous factory just to please families all over the world, from Los Angles to Australia but I can assure you... it is much more than that.
    The land itself is a place of tranquillity, the air cold and crisp. If you wonder deep into the heart of the North Pole you will find a burst of life – you feel the warmth from everyone, the happiness will absorb you and you’ll feel a Christmas spirit like no other. The atmosphere is something magical... something quite un-explanatory.
    A safe environment for kids but thrilling enough for teens – it’s really a place for all. The furniture, street signs and

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    Replies
    1. I like this piece of writing especially the opening sentence as it is very imaginative and also I believe very original. The detailed description enables the reader to perfectly imagine this dream place.

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  14. Jubilance, peace, elation! Do you ever wonder why life sometimes, never have these aspects? Do you ever wonder why people cannot always be like this? Finally, do you ever wonder that there could be such a paradise; where all these three charms exist?
    I would tell you exactly where this place is but, first you need to hypothetically visualise the superlative landscape.
    Now, Imagine this if you will, Christmas is near; school is out; adults are off celebrating with colleagues and you my friend are trapped with your children and you enduring, affectionate husband. You see this advertisement on this luxurious heaven; you are intrigued and of anticipating to be in this mist. You and your family are on your way to this lavish place. Waiting, anxiously to reach the scene, as you finely reach this destination the exterior is absolute aureate! Joyous people, and young children from the ages of 3 up attempted to skate in the most stunning ice rink, you have ever seen. Vibrant colours; delicate snow laid upon the ground; a large Christmas tree decorated to perfection, with a light sprinkle of snow; splendour and perfection. The Christmas lights dance joyfully to the soulful, spirit-filled music. Such exquisiteness brings chuckles and astonishment amongst you and your families faces.

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    Replies
    1. I really enjoyed Toni's because it's so descriptive and genuinely forces you to imagine her favourite place :}

      She's also used:
      - Brilliant vocabulary
      - Varied her sentence lengths
      - More importantly, several different language devices, namely rhetorical questions, the rule of three and alliteration :D

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  15. Dreams. The place where the word “no” doesn’t exist nor does “cant”, “couldn’t” or “shouldn’t”. A place where impossible has no meaning & possible is its motto. Where risks are chances, every chance is a risk and every risk is an opportunity... to reach the unattainable.

    Earth, a planet with 9billion people and you. Dreams? A galaxy.. Where your identity becomes more spectacular than ever, your personality & soul becomes a supernova. Allowing you to feel accepted, loved & cherished. Where being you is beyond acceptable. Who wouldn’t want to be here?

    This is why...

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