Writing 1: CONNECTING WORDS AND PHRASES

Complete the following sentences with words or phrases from the box. There are two extra words or phrases that you don't need.

as soon as     instead of      also    no matter     and       despite      but      although         because        as long as      however       due to       without

Example: Online shopping is usually safe as long as you use well-established sites.

1     We decided to stay in and watch TV.......................................going out to the cinema.

2     I can't find the frozen food……………………I'm not used to shopping in this supermarket.

3     He's hoping to get a job on the local paper…………………………….he leaves school.

4     …………………..the rise of the Internet, most people still get their news from a newspaper.

5     Some animal species are endangered…………………………………their habitats being destroyed.

6     …………………………….I don't usually like his music, the new album is really good.

7     ……………………………………….         what sport you do, we have the equipment you need.

8     As well as being easy to look after, they are.......................... cheap to feed.

9     It's hard for me to understand TV programmes in English…………………… reading the subtitles.

10 It's a good idea to have a pet dog………………………………….you must look after it well.

Writing 2: PARAGRAPH ORGANISATION

a) Look at the following text and notice how the underlined words and phrases join the three sentences together

Nowadays, working in the media is a popular career choice among young people. They think it will be a glamorous life. What they often don't realize, however, is that it's hard work. As well as this, there is a lot of competition for jobs.

b) Look at the first sentence of a letter and re-arrange the following sentences to continue the paragraph, giving special attention to the underlined words and phrases. Three sentences are numbered to help you.

Dear Peter,

In your last letter you asked what I thought about your idea of becoming a journalist.

…From what you've told me, it seems that you are.

…Most of them say they enjoy it because they're working with language.

…It can also be quite a hard field to get into.

…That's because you sometimes have to work long hours, especially near the publication date.

…You may not even get paid for them at first but if they're good, at least you'll get your name in print.

…A good first step might be to try and get a job with a local newspaper.

1  I'm not really an expert but I do know some people who work in that field.

…Even if it's not actually writing, it's a way of getting yourself known.

5 On the other hand, it appears to be quite a demanding job.

…Another way would be to send in articles to papers or magazines.

…So I think that's the first point - you have to be interested in language and communicating with people.

7 So, how do you get started?