Arab British Academy for Higher Education
A third Style of Writing which gets away from your own Personal Description is Informative Writing
This has to be clear and as stated Informative , but it does not need to go out of its way to be Interesting; the Interest will be contained by the subject matter itself. Usually you will want to know something about the subject, and as long as that is the case, you will not be too bothered as to whether the style is particularly humorous or exciting in any way; all you are after here is clear facts!!
Now look at the following promotional material:
DESCRIPTION: A comfortable Three Star Hotel suitable for business people and families
LOCATION: About half a mile from the sea
FACILITIES: An indoor Swimming Pool; ample Car Parking;
Three Bars; an All-Day Restaurant; a Creche and Playroom
NUMBER OF ROOMS: 40, (30 Double, 10 Single). All have ensuite bathrooms, with baths and showers
PRICES AVAILABLE ON ENQUIRY: From £60 bed &
Breakfast
Activity 3
You have the brochure with details of hotel facilities; can you describe them briefly in your own words (not more than 50)?
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Now we come to another and very popular kind of writing, Persuasive, which is both Personal and intended to Present a Case of some Kind
So the style of this type of writing will be Conversational, and it is possible there will be a certain amount of Advice and Instruction contained
Here are some examples of the sort of Persuasion that might be presented in current Examinations and Language Tests: a) Safety: methods for Keeping Safe in various potentially risky situations b) Health : advice on maintaining a Healthy Life-Style , which can include diet, exercise, and healthy activities such as sport c) Entertainment: a description of different kinds of entertainment, films and television, radio d) Environment: a report encouraging a healthier environment with less crowding and pollution
The main point of this style of writing is to make one’s case, in a sense regardless of whether it is right or wrong!
In trying to persuade, it is a mistake to present the viewpoint of the other person. It is your job to present your case as convincingly as possible, and while you not should of course change facts, or present them in a deliberately misleading fashion, neither should you look for facts that will weaken your case if you are trying to persuade someone (or a group) to accept it! In writing persuasively, you have always to assume that there will be someone else very ready to take an opposing standpoint! You do not need to do their job for them!
Please read through the following article which tries to make a case against smoking; the next Activity allows you the chance to present an opposite view
(if you like!); all viewpoints have their opposites!
There are a good many cases to be made against smoking, the main one presented by the Authorities, is that it is damaging to health. This I would suggest is not very satisfactory, as one can think of many people who have lived to a considerable age and were well known smokers. And saying for example “Smoking Kills” is to my mind asking for trouble, as many people will regard the statement as a dare, and smoke anyway...
Another objection to presenting “danger” as a reason for not smoking, is that many activities are definitely encouraged which are considerably more
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Arab British Academy for Higher Education dangerous than smoking. Being a policeman or a soldier are two, or a boxer, a jockey, a mountaineer, or a racing driver; and think of the number of accidents, injuries and deaths are caused by sports such as football, or even something as simple as driving a car or crossing the road. I would say that the risks to life or of injury caused in everyday life are far higher statistically than just by smoking...
So, having dismissed health risks and danger as reasons for not smoking, what else can one present which is more valid or convincing?
The main one at present I would say is the price - you cannot buy 20 cigarettes for less than £4 these days, and most smokers will go through up to 20 a day. If you work that out, you can be spending nearly £5 a day on cigarettes, or £120 a month. That I would say for many is quite a high proportion of your disposable income!
But an even stronger reason for not smoking is the fact that it isn’t a pleasant activity - to start with anyway. Most smokers started when they were young - almost certainly under age - as a sort of dare, feeling they were quite grown up in smoking - even though if they admitted it, they didn’t like smoking at all.
The problem is that tobacco is addictive, and like it or not, it is very easy to feel that you need it. That is the dangerous and insidious thing about tobacco, the fact that you end up feeling you have to smoke! There is no choice, and to be without a choice is never good. That I would say is a very strong reason for not starting in the first place.
Finally there is the wastefulness of smoking. It provides one’s body with absolutely nothing beneficial, except the possible pleasure of physical sensation; and anyone hooked on any kind of drug knows how unreliable that feeling is! It is both unreliable and more than dangerous, it will tend to put the person in a position where he or she has no control over what they are doing, and that is never wise… Even dangerous activities, most people will admit, should be controlled and safeguarded. But to indulge in something as potentially addictive as tobacco, that is the major risk, and to my mind it is the danger of addiction that should be presented as the major reason for not smoking, not the simple danger to health -or even life!.
To be addicted to anything is the worst kind of slavery, everyone should recognize that, and tobacco is no better a subject for addiction than anything else! It is not the tobacco that is wrong, to my mind, it is its possible addictive quality that should literally at all costs be avoided!
(585 Words)
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Activity 4
Having read the Passage, answer these Questions:
) Rewrite the second Paragraph in your own words, reducing the number to about fifty; take notes but try to do the exercise without looking at the Paragraph.
) Complete the following sentences from the Passage, trying to fill in the gaps with words with a similar meaning: a) There are a good many ________ against smoking
Many activities are definitely ________
C) Risks of injury in everyday life are far higher ________ than just by smoking
) The problem is that tobacco is ________ e) Dangerous activities should be ________
3) Do you agree with the viewpoints put in this Article? Write a
Paragraph giving your own opinions. There is a Suggested
Answer after this Lesson, but it is not possible to give a definite answer. However, the practice of puffing your ideas into words, and comparing them with what the Course suggests may be helpful. By all means consult your Tutor if you want any further guidance in presenting your viewpoint.
Always keep your opinions clear and if possible simple
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