unit 9 writing a creative essay · unit 9 writing a creative essay an essay is a short non-fiction...
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Unit 9
Writing a Creative Essay
An essay is a short non-fiction prose piece analytic (e.g. pollution),
descriptive (e.g. food), interpretive (e.g. argumentative), from a personal viewpoint.
When we write a creative essay, we may begin writing about the things that
happen to us in our daily lives.
The Styles of EssaysThere are two general writing styles in essays:
1. Informal essays: consists of what comes through the writing as
personality; it is a free-form style of writing.
2. Formal essays: the focus is on the subject which is presented a
straightforward, conventional style of writing.
There are four basic types of formal essays:
2.1. The expository essay essentially explains or conveys fact and ideas.
It is written in a clear, definite format.
2.2. The descriptive essay basically reveals of suggests a picture, the
physical appearance of some person, place, or thing. It tries to create a picture (image)
in the reader’s mind.
2.3. The argumentative essay attempts to persuade or convince the
reader to accept an idea, viewpoint, attitude, or belief. Attention is given to illustrating
the truth or falsehood of some thing. The writer’s purpose may be to motivate the
reader to action.
2.4. The narrative essay tells a story or present a series of events in
events, or series of events, by telling a story.
The expository is the most common form of essay, but essays often
include elements of two or more of these types. For example, touches of narration and
description can help vitalize an expository essay.
(Bernard, 1981, p.56)
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Sources of Topics and Material for an Informal EssayDirect experience: things a writer was or is personally involved in; for
example, an essay on his/her life.
Personal observation: things a writer has personally observed, even though
she wasn’t actively involved; for example, someone who has observed others study
and perform activities.
Information from others: relying on information from other sources, not
from personal active involvement or observation, for example reading books, seeing
films, listening to others talk.
The Personal EssayA personal essay focuses on an incident or person from your own life. An
essay is basically a short literary composition, usually written in prose on a specific
subject or theme.
Writing an essay can help the writer develop thinking skills, better
understand and become more aware of the material he is writing about.
Writing an essay is a way of reaching out to, touching, and communicating
with others.
This unit will focus only on informal essays in order to give learners an
opportunity to create more ideas imaginatively through writing.
(Bernard, 1981, p. 60)
Exercise 1
Explain the following information about writing an essay in your own
words.
Informal essays:
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Formal essays:
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The descriptive essay:
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The narrative essay:
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Direct experience
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Model 1 is an essay based on the direct experience of the writer:
Starting a New Life
It was June 23, 2003. and we were ready to leave Thailand to go to
the United States.
My sisters were crying . Then my eyes closed and thought for a
minute. I didn’t know if I still wanted to leave.
We went in the car very slowly. I looked at our house and smiled.
We passed our school and places that helped us learn and grow up. We
went to the airplane and read all the letters from my friends and
relatives. Some made me laugh and some made me cry. I didn’t know if
I wanted to cry because I left my family, or to smile because I was
going to see my parents.
Today, I think of the past, but I’m happy.
(Adapted from Dicker, 1992, p. 59)
Exercise 2
Write a creative essay based on your own direct experience.
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Development of Writing a Creative EssayWriting so as not to be misunderstood must reflect better in verses the way
the writer develops and presents his material. Development of a topic involves how
the writer organizes or arranges the written material. The logical, systematic, and
orderly presentation of material makes an essay easier to read and understand. The
writer should create a flow of information and ideas that leads the reader to a full
awareness and understanding of what the writer is trying to communicate.
Some Ideas : How to Develop the Topic:
a. Chronological time sequence- The essay follows the order of what
happened first, second, third.
b. Simple to complex- The writer first presents the easily understood or
agreed upon facts or concepts, leading to more difficult ones.
c. Most important to least important material- This is the pattern of a
newspaper story, which presents the most important information first,
leaving the less critical data for the end.
d. Least important to most important material- This is a way of building to
a climax, helping to maintain the involvement of the reader.
e. From specifics to generalizations (inductive)- The writer presents
specific facts, ideas, and observations, then draws a conclusion(
generalization)based on them.
f. From generalization to specifics (deductive)- The writer presents a basic
viewpoint(generalization or conclusion) and leads from that to specific
facts, ideas, and observations.
(Adapted from Bernard, 1981, p. 66)
Here is a sample of deductive essay:
I like being part of the creative writing workshop. I liked all the creative
things we did even though sometimes I could not think so fast. I really
enjoyed the poems, the stories. It was really fun. Another thing I like about
the workshop is that I could get away from classroom.
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g. From cause to effect- The writer first discusses causes and then the resulting
effects.
Styles
The combination of distinctive features of writing reflects the writer’s
personality and character.
Here are two statements that characterize different styles of writing about the
same subject.
A: Parents should not embarrass their child; they should not call them stupid,
bighead, skinny or other names that might embarrass them in front of their
child’s friends or in public.
B: Don’t correct or embarrass kids in front of other people. It messes up
pride.
Styles involve the ways in which a writer puts down the words he/she has
chosen to use. Things to consider are:
Tone: The writer may decide to be serious, humorous, sarcastic, cynical,
straightforward, imaginative, sophisticated, and down to earth
Diction: The choice and use of words by the writer; “It messes up pride,” the
use of the word “messes” is an example of diction. Diction can vary in several
ways and involves numerous choices and decisions from the writer. Some choices
involving diction include standard English “greeting” or slang, street language
“what’s up?”
Part of the creative process of writing an essay centers on the diction of the
writer. Allow the writer choose words, encourage her invention and experimentation
with words.
(Adapted from Bernard, 1981, p.67)
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Some examples of creative ideas on the topic “Peace”
Example 1
Thoughts of Peace
Peace is kitten sleeping softly in a box of softness. Peace is
not war. Peace is fish, gerbils and hamsters and other animals not being
afraid of being harmed. Sitting on an iceberg, floating in the ocean.
Rolling and lying calm on soft green grass. Peace is sitting and writing
little poems. Sleeping and dreaming of soft pretty quite dream. To
contemplate is to be in peace. Peace is to be loved by many. To play in a
peaceful way is peace. Peace is to give and not to receive. Those are my
ideas of peace.
Susan
(Adapted from Bernard, 1981, pp.73-74)
Example 2
Peace
Peace is to me calmness, tranquility, love and beauty.
Relaxation and the feeling of running through a sheet of grass on a hot
summer’s day. It feels so refreshing and calm. Goldfish swimming in
such a graceful manner. Peace is soft music putting you to sleep. Peace
is calmness that you have over violence, and love overtaking your heart.
Peace is reunions of families. A child without a mother to love and
finally finding someone who will love and protect you as long as you
live.
Lauren
(Adapted from Bernard, 1981, p.74)
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Example 3
Peace
Peace is everything quiet and daydreaming. Peace is having
not a worry in the world. For there to be soft music. Peace makes you
think of being on a stage doing ballet. Peace is when you feel like
you’re about to go to sleep. Peace is being under a tree watching the
sun waving. Peace is like walking around knowing you are not going
to be harmed. And to cuddle up with an with an animal by the
fireplace, when it is cold outside. Peace is waking up in the morning
watching the dawn.
Jeanette
(Bernard, 1981, p.74)
Exercise 3
Fill in the table below, according to example 1-3.
Topic/ Example Expressions show
creative thinking
Creative words
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Exercise 4
Choose ONE topic from the list below to write a creative essay.
Beauty Nature Darkness Happiness Love Success
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Model 2: Personal Essay
A Day I Will Never Forget
People often complain that our generation is politically
apathetic. Just 25 years ago, it was common for students to join in
strikes and antiwar protests, but nowadays, as the stereotype goes,
young people are more likely to be found watching MTV or shopping
At the mall, I certainly was no different. Appallingly ignorant of
current events, I never read a paper or watched the news, but I knew
all about the personal lives of popular TV and movie stars. Then some
thing happened to change my outlook forever.
In my social studies class, we had an assignment to interview an
older person about the changes he or she had witnessed in his or her
lifetime. I decided to interview my neighbor, Mrs. Fletcher. Since she
had never spoken to me much before, I figured she would have little to
say and I could complete the assignment quickly.
To my surprise, Mrs. Fletcher started telling me about a world I
had never known: life in our town before the civil rights movement. I
was astonished to learn that in the 1950s, African Americans went to
separate schools, rode at the backs of buses, and were prevented from
living in white neighborhoods. As Mrs. Fletcher talked about how she
and other Africans helped break the color barrier by insisting on being
served at white-only lunch counters, I became filled with shame at my
own ignorance. How could I have been so unaware?
(Adapted from White, 1997, pp. 181-182)
Exercise 5
Write a creative essay on the topic “The Day I Will Never Forget” based on
your own experience.
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Creative Descriptive EssayWriting a creative descriptive essay is writing you do to describe something
or someone. The language you use has to be creative in order to make your writing
more creative. Creative paragraphs can be very short, one sentence, one line or even
one word. Creative paragraphs usually have topic sentences, but they may be only one
single word. Look at an example of an essay written creatively:
Model 3
Is your city polluted? Can you breathe? Is dust everywhere? There are too
many reasons for pollution in our cities.
The cars. One big reason. Cars. Too many cars. Belching out exhaust. Dirty,
deadly gasses.
And litter. People are lazy. Throw litter in the streets. In the parks.
Anywhere.
And the factories. Belching out smoke, gases, waste water.
All are polluting our beautiful city. Our beautiful life.
(Adapted from Folland, 2004, p. 12)
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Exercise 6
Write a creative essay to describe the environment in your place.
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Exercise 7
Look at the outline of a descriptive essay in the box and write an essay by
writing the rest of the word after the first letter. Look at the outline as a guide. (some
words are given in the outline below)
Title : Spicy Papaya Salad: A Delectable Surprise
Main idea : Spicy Papaya Salad is a delectable surprise for foreigners
Supporting ideas (one for each paragraph)
The introduction: spicy papaya salad dish favorite
food Northeast it is spicy but delectable
Body 1: first taste Hot chilies fire
Body 2: -watering ingredients young Baby Shocking
garlic lime delectable
Body 3: surprising smell touch fish special
smell
But really
Conclusion: spicy delectable surprise chilies
ingredients
special smell Luscious try deliciously surprised
The introduction: an introductory question to the reader to get his/her interest, some
basic information and the main idea (thesis statement)
Have you tasted s_________p________s_________?
The famous Thai d__________. The f__________
f_________ in the N_____________.I________i_______a
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s_______
b_________d______________surprise.
(notice: the second sentence has no verb (it’s a descriptive phrase)
the writing style is conversational and informal
the adjectives are stronger than normal
the last sentence is the thesis statement
The body: (in short paragraphs one on each supporting idea)
(Body 1)
Spicy? Surprisingly spicy surprise. The f_______t__________.
H________,hotter a hottest. The red ch__________. Your mouth
on f_________________.
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Delectable? Surprisingly de___________.So many mouth_-
w____________in ___________.Yo___________papaya.
Ba________tomatoes. Sh____________g____________.Sour
li________. And the most de____________
ingredients, MSG.
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And the su__________sm___________! A to__________of
fermented f_________. B__________re__________a
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sp________sm_______!
And then the conclusion (1. reword the thesis statement, the main idea; 2. summarize
the body; 3. give your opinion and final conclusion)
Yes, it’s a s__________, and a de________su________.
With its hot c__________surprise, its delectable in____________,
and its’ sp___________sm_________. Lu_____________You
t___________it, and be
deli___________su______________.
Exercise 8
From the outline write a creative descriptive essay by rearranging the
following paragraphs into a suitable order. (Look at supporting ideas to help with the
order)
Title : Tourists Love Thailand
Main idea : Why tourists enjoy Thailand .
Supporting ideas : weather, people, attractions, culture, food
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Tourists Love Thailand: Why?
________ And the culture. Thai culture. So graceful. So respectful. Thai dancing.
The fabulous festivals and exotic ceremonies. And even something modern : Thai
country rock.
__________The weather. They come from the cold to the hot of Thailand. To
sunshines. And warm breezes. Where even when it rains, they feel warm.
__________And the attractions. The millions of fascinating tourist attractions.
Exquisite temples. Ancient historical sites. Golden beaches. Emerald seas.
Breathtaking nature. And jungles full of adventure.
_________ And, of course, the Thai people. The friendliest in the world. Smiling.
Caring. Helping. Kind, lovely people who welcome tourists. With open hearts.
_________Been to Thailand ? The beautiful and charming land in South-East Asia.
The land of smiles. Millions pf tourists come. Every year. Why do they have Thailand
in their hearts?
__________And finally, the food. Who hasn’t heard of Thai food? Hot and spicy.
Sweet and sour. Sizzling seafood. Surprising papaya salad.
__________All tourists fall in love with Thailand. With the Thai sun, the Thai peole,
the Thai attractions, the Thai culture, and the Thai food. And the tourists keep on
coming. And coming. And loving. Our land.
Now write the essay from your idea of the best order. Begin with Introduction, Body
and Conclusion.
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Introduction
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Body 3
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Creative Personal Descriptive EssayPersonal writing, writing about yourself, your likes, your dislikes, what you
do, what you want to do. And so on.
Writing creatively means that you can have more freedom from the rules of
grammar and structure, that you can use unusual words, that you can let your
imagination loose! You choose what to write about and how to write about it. Look at
the following examples.
Example: Title: My Favorite Sport: Swimming
Supporting Ideas: fun, refreshing, exercise, meet people
My Favorite Sport : Swimming
Do you like swimming? Diving into a cool, clear pool. Swimming in
the aquamarine sea. I love swimming. Swimming is my favorite sport. There
are many reasons why.
It’s excellent exercise. Exercises every muscle in the body.
Especially the arms, the legs, the stomach. And the lungs, too. Great for my
health.
But it’s also fun. Trying out different strokes. Diving and jumping.
Playing games with my friends. Splashing and just having fun.
It’s refreshing. On a hot day. To dive into the cooling water. To float
near the surface. To relax. To forget the stresses of the day.
And it’s a great way to make new friends. And keep up with old ones.
Down on the beach. Or beside the pool. You never need be alone.
Yes, swimming sure is my favorite sport. Great exercise, great fun,
great for relaxing and a great way to meet people. A great sport. I’ll never
stop swimming. Want to join me?
(Adapted from Folland, 2004, p. 17)
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Example
My Favorite Weather : Hot
What weather do you like? Of the three seasons in Thailand. The cool.
The hot. The rainy. Or even the cold, icy winter of Alaska. Me? I like the hot,
the summer. It’s my favorite weather.
The things I like? The summer warmth. No cold, icy wind. No snow.
Just hot sunshine. Balmy, beautiful hot weather.
The things I do? The activities of summer. Swimming. Sunbathing.
Chilling out in the sun. Sitting on a deck chair in my yard. Or on the beach. Or
playing a round of golf. A game of tennis. Or badminton. And a chance to go
sightseeing. Around the ruins of Ayutthaya. Or up the hills in Khao Yai
National Park.
The clothes I wear? Summer clothes. Short pants. Sandals or sneakers.
Sleeveless t-shirts. Thin cotton clothes. Feel free’n’easy. And of course my
new swimsuit!
The evenings? Oh, the summer evenings. So warm. So wonderful. So
romantic. In a shady garden restaurant. In a lively beer garden. Listening to live
music. And live happiness. And then walking home in the warm darkness. With
my sweetheart.
Oh, yes. The hot weather is my favorite. Because of the summer warmth.
The summer activities. The summer clothes. The summer evenings. I am in
paradise in the hot weather. Come spend a warm, summer evening with me.
And you will agree.
Exercise 9
Write a personal descriptive essay. Begin with Introduction, Body 1(the
things you like), Body 2 (the activities), Body 3(the clothes), Body 4(evening),
Conclusion. Look at the plan provided to you. And then write from the plan.
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Example
My Favorite Weather : Hot
Step one : Plan
- What will your supporting ideas be?
- The reasons why this season is your favorite.
The things you like about this season (the
warmth, the balmy, hot weather), feeling, hate
the cold)
The activities you can do (swimming,
sunbathing, sports, picnics, sightseeing)
The clothes you can wear (short pants, sandals,
short sleeved, shirts, tank tops, flimsy dresses,
swimsuit)
Evening activities( garden restaurant, beer
garden, outdoor, movies, outdoor dancing to
Northeastern country music, walking)
Step two: Introduction, Body 1(the things you like), Body 2
(the activities), Body 3(the clothes), and Body 4(evening), conclusion.
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Exercise 10
From each of these incomplete topics think of your own title and list 3 or 4
supporting ideas (which will be the ideas for your paragraphs)
A. Write about your favorite sport.
Your title_____________________________________________________
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B. Write about your favorite type of music.
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C. Write about your favorite piece of clothing.
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D. Write about your favorite kind of movie.
Your title______________________________________________________
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E. Write about your favorite…(whatever you like : food, person, subject, shop)
Your title______________________________________________________
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Exercise 11
Take any of your personal topics, write the title and start writing. Try to be
creative. Use the same techniques as in the examples. Use creative words where you
can.
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Creative Personal Narrative EssayA narrative writing can be about something you have done, something that
has happened to you or something a friend of yours has done. It can be truly creative
and created by your imagination or a fictional story.
Think what you want to write a story about.
Title: A trip to Pattaya
Make a rough outline plan.
- Went to Pattaya on vacation / money and ticket stolen / no
money / hungry / find a wallet / hand in to police / reward/
happy ending
Write down a list of events (one event will form one paragraph)
1. Go to Pattaya on vacation
2. Check in hotel. Go out to dinner. Leave wallet in room.
3. Return to hotel. Find wallet, ticket, everything stolen.
4. Hotel want money. Leave hotel.
5. Sleep on beach. No money.
6. Hungry. Walking past restaurant. Very hungry.
7. Still walking. See wallet on sidewalk. Full of money.
8. Thinking. More money than I had before. Credit cards.
What should I do.
9. My conscience wins. Hand in to store. They don’t want it.
Hand in to police.
10. Police make phone call. Owner comes. Beautiful middle-aged
woman.
11. She gives me big reward. Pays hotel. Buys new ticket.
12. Return home. With promise of new vacation with woman
Exercise 12
Revise the sentences above to make the story more interesting or exciting
by adding more details. Write a title, an introduction, the body paragraphs, and
the conclusion
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Look at this outline example of “A Great Day at The Beach”
Example
a) A Great Day at the Beach (by the River, on the Mountain, in the city)
(title) : A Great Day at the Beach
(events) : on the beach, sunbathing, girl in trouble, saving her, picnic,
marry
Write a title: A Great Day at the Beach
Now, the introduction. Introductory sentences and thesis statement.( where you
were, some information about it, main idea)
At the beach ? The golden sands of Kata. A glorious beach on Phuket
Island. I really had a great day at the beach.
(Thesis statement: I really had a great day at the beach)
Next, the body. Short paragraphs, each on a different part of the story.
Start with a topic sentence including the main event or idea of the paragraph.
Remember the event ideas written earlier: on the beach, sunbathing, girl in
trouble, saving her, picnic, marry
BODY 1: set the scene (where in more detail) on the beach
when- summer
BODY 2: doing – sunbathing
BODY 3: happened first – girl in trouble
BODY 4: happened next - saving her
BODY 5: happened after that- picnic
CONCLUSION: happened finally-marry (Restate your thesis statement. Give your
concluding feeling or opinion. State what happened in the end. Write a finishing,
creative sentence).
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Exercise 13
Put the paragraphs into the most suitable order according to the plan above.
And then rewrite them in a creative narrative essay.
A Great Day at the Beach
_______A. Suddenly I heard a scream. Coming from the water. Looked like a girl.
Alone. Far out. In trouble. The sea had become angry.
_______ B. What was I doing? Lying on the warm sand. Bathing in the sun.
Dreaming
of. Romance. But all alone. With my dreams.
________ C. On a beautiful beach. Golden sand. Gentle sunshine. It was summer. A
blue sky to dream in. A loving orange sun.
________ D. What could I do? I ran. Fast. Dived into the rough water. Swam. Like
an Olympic champion. I reached her. Hardly breathing. Sinking. Took her in
my arms. Swam back to the shore. Safe. But exhausted.
_________E. What a great day at the beach. Saving a girl from the angry sea. Then,
a picnic together. We got married three months later. I really love that Kata beach!
_________F. Later. Eating her picnic on the friendly sand. Together. Drinking her
wine. New friends. Real romance.
_________G. At the beach? The golden sands of Kata. A glorious beach on Phuket
Island. I really had a great day at the beach.
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Exercise 14
Choose an event or experience from the partial topic titles. Write your title
and the ideas (events) from which you will write the paragraphs.
a) A Bizarre Day in/on/at…
Example : A Bizarre Day on a Bus
Your title : ___________________________________________________________
The events: __________________________________________________________
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b) Wonderful Days in Nature
Example : A Dream Weekend in Kao Yai
Your title : ___________________________________________________________
The events: __________________________________________________________
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c)The Worst Day in My Life
Your title: ___________________________________________________________
The events: __________________________________________________________
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d) My First Impression of Udon Thani Rajabhat University.
Your title :___________________________________________________________
The events:___________________________________________________________
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e) The Happiest Day in My Life
Your title: ___________________________________________________________
The events:___________________________________________________________
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f) My Enjoyable Trip to Nongkai
Your title:____________________________________________________________
The events:___________________________________________________________
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g) A Wonderful Birthday Party at My House
Your title:____________________________________________________________
The events:___________________________________________________________
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h) A Day at My Grandparents’ in the village
Your title:____________________________________________________________
The events:___________________________________________________________
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i) The Exciting Day of the First Driving Lesson
Your title: ___________________________________________________________
The events:___________________________________________________________
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Exercise 15
Write a creative narrative essay from ONE topic you have chosen in
exercise 14.
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