POST 1. FIRST TERM: GOOD AND BAD POINTS

Your first blog assignment consists of writing about  your experiences during the first term of 2012. You may want to include the positive and negative aspects of it.  Be sure you read my sample post to get some inspiration , and then describe:

- what you learned/studied

- the sports and free time activities you did

- the challenges/problems you had to face

- Others (family, friends, etc..)

- Word Count: 150

- make comments on at least 3 of your classmates posts.

Let me tell you about my last term.

Time really flies, the older you get, the faster it goes by. However, during this swift first term many things happened, I learned new things, I tried to make good use of my free time, overcome some problems, and  spend time with the people I care for.

Although I didn’t study anything in particular, I started to watch the chefs on cable television and learnt how to make some nice dishes. So, at least,  I can’t complain about my diet, which has improved significantly –but I’m afraid I have put on some weight, though. Well everything has  good and bad sides, doesn’t it? 

I´m ashamed to say that I don’t do much exercise, and last term was not an exception, but since I got me a new guitar I tried to catch up on  my playing skills, and so I learnt some new songs and  also spent time singing karaoke, one of my favourite past-times.  I almost forgot to mention that I did lots of repairs in my house, I built a new closet for my tools, got rid of things I had stopped  using  and had my flat painted and new curtains put up -Feg Shui experts should  be very pleased and proud of me!  Unfortunately, all the paint tubes and brushes I bought are still waiting in a box, begging me to use them.

The best thing was that I was offered a contract at the university I work for, therefore my work prospects seem to be getting better.  And something positive in this regard is that I will not have to hop from one faculty to another any more.

Another very positive aspect of last term is that, although I didn’t see much of my family, I met with my friends regularly and also made some good new acquaintances; togheter we went to lots of places, such as restaurants, the cinema, fairs, and interesting sites in Santiago.

 As you can see, even though last term seems to have been too short for me, I managed to do  lots of things. I cant’t complain, can I?

HOW TO INTRODUCE A TOPIC AND LINK YOUR SENTENCES

PUTTING YOUR IDEAS TOGETHER

Here is a “helping word” to students in trouble, I mean, several words that will help you when you find it hard to write something  because your ideas are not connected.

These expressions are used to introduce a new topic:

-as for, in regards to, concerning (en cuanto a, en relación a)
-in reference to, with regards to (tocante a , concerniente a )
-about, concerning (acerca de)

You can use these words (Connectors) to link your ideas.

RESULT – SUMMARY
So – Therefore, – as a result – thus – Consequently, – in this way – in short – in brief
CONCESSION
However, – Nevertheless, – despite – in spite of – yet – although – though – still …
CONTRAST
Instead – in comparison – but – on ( the ) one hand – on the other hand – by contrast – whereas – otherwise
ADDITION
Also – and – Furthermore, – Moreover, – in addition ( to ) – besides – above all…
REASON
Because – since – as - because of , due to – thanks to - that’s why – that’s the reason why -
EMPHASIS
As a matter of fact, – in particular – Of course, – In fact, – indeed – in any event…
ILLUSTRATION
For instance – for example …
REPETITION
Similarly – likewise – in the same way…
SEQUENCE
First – next – then – finally – at last – eventually – in the end…In conclusion,
Firstly – Secondly- thirdly…

And here are some useful phrases for opinions:

- Many people claim that…
- It is true that….
- This is not an exaggeration … even though…
- I tend to dis/agree with …
- In my view…
-As far as I'm concerned,
- In conclusion, – To conclude,
- I can understand… However, …
- As we have seen/will see, there are ( at least ) two sides to this issue.
- I am convinced that we can / deal with this situation /improve this situation / solve this problem…
- This is an issue that / can be solved / must be faced …
- Another aspect of the issue is…
- In my opinion, the advantages of… far outweigh the disadvantages…
- We can argue that… but…
- Personally I am in favor of…..

On these websites you will find some exercises on connectors.

http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/grammar/engineering/transitions/2.xml

http://www.englishdaily626.com/sentence_connectors.php?005

http://sana.tkk.fi/awe/cohesion/signposts/contrast/exercises/1r.html

WELCOME

POST 1

Hi dear students and welcome to my blog. I hope you learn new things by writing your posts  and that you find the experience interesting.

Here you have some important information that will help you organize your posts and improve your writing skills:

HOW TO WRITE A COMPOSITION

Different Parts of a Composition:
Whatever you choose to write for a composition, you usually follow the same basic structure: Introduction/Opening + Body + Conclusion/Closing

1. Opening (1 paragraph)
-It consists of a presentation of the topic (use an "attention grabber": something to capture the reader’s attention).
-It contains the ideas you are going to deal with (a quick overview of what’s coming)

2. Body (2-3 paragraphs)
-The body is a group of paragraphs that develop on the main idea as introduced in the opening.
-Each paragraph argues, describes, explains, discusses, defines, clarifies, illustrates or whatever on the opening statement.
-One idea is discussed in each paragraph.

3. Closing (1 paragraph)
-It can be a summing up, reviewing or restating the main idea in different words or briefly stating your opinion, feelings or suggesting a solution, or some “food for thought” or a wish…

Ensure the concluding paragraph is not too long; three or four sentences will be enough.
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How can you write an attention grabber?
By...
-Making an unexpected statement
-Using Humor
-Using a relevant quotation
-Posing a Rhetorical question designed to arouse curiosity without requiring an answer
-Shocking the Audience with an unexpected fact or statistic

Examples:
A good attention grabber: "The death penalty is the most premeditated of murders"; “Elvis is not dead...”; “Who said that the countryside is boring?”; “Seagulls are just rats with wings”; “Hating seagulls is like being racist or homophobic”

A bad attention grabber: “Today I have to write about...”; “the topic of this post is...”