Writing an article

What is an article?• piece of writing intended for publication• written for a wide audience – attract attention!• amusing stories, descriptions• formal or informal (target audience!)• interesting, entertaining manner• give opinions, thoughts as well as facts• less formal than a report – it is easy to read• based on research work

What can an article do?• describe an experience, event, person or place• present an opinion or balanced argument• compare and contrast• provide information• offer suggestions• offer advice

What should it consist of?1. an eye-catching title which attracts the readers’ attention and suggests the theme of thearticle. (Think about why you read a magazine or newspaper article recently - what madeyou read it?) Articles can also have subheadings before each paragraph.2. an introduction which clearly defines the topic to be covered and keeps the reader’sattention.3. the main body of two to five paragraphs in which the topic is further developed in detail.4. the conclusion - summarising the topic or a final opinion, recommendation or comment.

Remember…Before you begin writing it is important to consider:• where is the article going to appear - in a newspaper or

magazine?• who are the intended readers - a specific group such as

students or teenagers, or adults in general?• what is the aim of the article - to advise, suggest, inform,

compare and contrast, describe, etc.?

DO NOT• use over-personal language• use over-emotional language• use simplistic vocabulary• talk about yourself

Writing titles• should be a concise summary of the information • stimulates the reader’s interest • should not be too long and should mirror the style of the article

e.g. description – use adjectives

“The Tranquillity and Peace of an Island that Time Forgot”e.g. proposing solution, opinion – address audience directly

“What You Need to Do to Be Successful”

Capitalization• Generally, these parts of speech are capitalized in titles.

• Nouns (man, bus, book)• Adjectives (angry, lovely, small)• Verbs (run, eat, sleep)• Adverbs (slowly, quickly, quietly)• Pronouns (he, she, it)• Subordinating conjunctions (as, because, that)

Capitalization• Generally, we do not capitalize:

• Articles: a, an, the• Coordinating Conjunctions: and, but, or, for, nor, etc.• Prepositions (fewer than five letters): on, at, to, from, by, etc.

• When in doubt and you do not have a reference guide in front of you, here is one general rule to remember recommended by The U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual:

• "Capitalize all words in titles of publications and documents, except a, an, the, at, by, for, in, of, on, to, up, and, as, but, or, and nor."

Topic sentences• ensure the unity of the paragraph• find a theme – sums up the main idea of the whole paragraph• preferable to place them at the beginning of paragraphs

Planning – Have you studied abroad?

First think about:• Where is the article going to appear? (In a magazine.)• Who are the intended readers? (Probably a fairly wide age group.)• What is the aim of the article? (To talk about your experiences, good and bad, whilestudying abroad.) Then you need to decide:• Which country have you studied in?• How long were you there for?• What did you study?• What problems did you have while you were there?• How have you changed?

PlanningBrainstorm your ideas and make notes of what you are going to include.Then, after some thought, you should be able to think of a topic sentence which can be expanded into a paragraph. For example, a topic sentence which could start an introduction is:

‘Studying abroad is an exciting experience, giving you the opportunity to learn more about the traditions and culture of the host country and its people.’

Planning• INTRODUCTION - Paragraph 1 - Exciting experience, learn about the

host country and the people.

Paragraph 2 - Education, friends and language skills.• MAIN BODY - Paragraph 3 - Various problems.

• CONCLUSION - Paragraph 4 - Result - independent and self-confident.

Common mistakesLanguage is too formal and more suited to essays. Avoid words like: to sum up, some people say, nevertheless, on one hand etc.You don't use quotes or examples.You either use not enough, or too many, questions. The questions, called rhetorical questions because they don't require an answer, shouldn't be more than one per paragraph. Good examples are:Have you ever ……..?What do you think about ……..?Are you one of those people who thinks that ……?What would life be like if ……?Repetitions