DESCRIBING PROCESS

A: Hello, B! What are you doing?

B: Hello, A! I am making hot tea.
A: How to make it? Tell me, please.
B: Put tea and sugar into glass. Then put hot water into glass, and stir well. Then, serve the hot tea.
A: Oh, I see. Thank you.
B: You are welcome.

A. Describing Process
Pernah kan kita baca resep suatu memasak dan cara memasaknya, atau juga kita pernah
baca bagaimana cara untuk menggunakan suatu alat ?

The Expressions:

I. Beginning
- The first thing you do is....
- To begin with.....
- To start with....
- First.....
II. Continuing
- And .....
- Then .....
- And then .....
- Next ..... + verb in imperative form
- After this ...... (infinitive without to)
- Following this.....
- When (this done)/(you’ve done this) ......
- Once (this is done) / (you’ve done this) ......
- While (something else is happening) .......
III. Ending
- Finally .....
- Lastly ......
- To finish .....

Example :
How to make an omelette
We need at least 4 eggs per omelette. First, break the eggs carefully into a bowl and season with
salt and freshly milled pepper. Then, beat them with fork. After this, heat the oil, not too much
heat, just heat it. Then, pour the eggs into the hot pan. Carefully tap the pan so that the cooked
omelette moves and slightly overlaps the pan edge. And then gently fold this overlap in toward the
centre it should only go one third distance. Now arrange your chosen filling in the centre of the
omelette and finally, fold the other edge in towards the middle.
 Describing a Process or Procedures
Describing a process or procedures means writing about how something is made or how
something happens. Examples: the rainwater cycle, how coffee is grown, how glass is made,
getting a driving license, starting a business.
When you explain the step-by-step order of how things happen or how things get done, you
are describing a process - how to get a visa, how to mend a puncture, how to make coffee,
how glass is made.
1. Make a rough list of the steps in the right order
2. Start with an introductory sentence or two about the process - how important it is, how
simple it is, etc.
* In this essay, I will describe how paper is made.
* I will now explain how a photocopier works.
* Building a road is a long process, but it can be divided into four main stages.
3. Use sequence words - first, next, after that, before, then, finally,
*The first stage in making glass is … In this stage, the sand is cleaned and
weighed…Next….After that….In the final stage, the glass is….
4. Finish with a concluding sentence or two.
* As you can see, paper manufacture is a difficult process. If you follow the steps described
then you will be successful.
* As I have described, there are many steps involved in supplying water to a city. By using
the step by step approach outlined above you can make sure of a sfe supply.
5. Use the correct voice - passive or active. Read the instructions carefully.
Example:

Active Passive

The farmer sends the milk to The milk is sent to the factory.
the factory

Place the container on the mat. The container should be placed

on a mat.

These steps use the active voice, or imperative.

Popcorn
Popcorn is something you often eat when you watch a movie at a cinema. It is very easy to
make perfect popcorn if follow the correct procedure.
First, put three tablespoons of oil in a large pot. Then, heat the oil on a high flame until one
kernel of popcorn pops when you drop it into the hot oil. Now, pour a quarter cup of popcorn
into the pot and cover the pot with a lid. Reduce the flame and gently shake the pot. Continue
shaking until the corn has popped. Finally, empty the popcorn into a large bowl and add
melted butter and salt.
As you can see making popcorn is very simple if you follow the steps above. Enjoy your
movie!
These steps use the passive voice.
Want Coffee?
Coffee is a very popular drink around the world. People drink it at all times of the day. There
are several kinds of coffee, but I am now going to describe how instant coffee is produced.
 First, the coffee beans are picked from the trees and dried in the sun. Then, the beans are
roasted and then cooled rapidly before being ground. The beans are then mixed with hot
water and the mixture is strained before it is frozen. Finally, the frozen mixture is ground and
then dried in a vacuum before it is packed into jars. The coffee is now ready to be sold in
shops.
Instant coffee is not quite as good as real coffee, but it is very popular and saves a lot of time.
The manufacturers have done most of the steps for us!

Pineapple with caramel sauce

 First, peel the pineapple and coat the sugar.
 Next, heat the butter in a frying pan and turn the pineapple for 5 minutes on each side.
 Then, add some cream, bring to the boil, and stie well.
 After that, add the apple juice to the pan, add to the boil, and cook until there is very little left.
 Finally, pour the sauce over the pineapple and serve.

1. What is the main ingredient of the recipe ?

2. What should we do after adding the cream ?
a. pour the sauce over the pineapple and serve.
b. add the apple juice to the pan, add to the boil, and cook until there is very little left.
c. peel the pineapple and coat the sugar
d. heat the butter in a frying pan

3. What is the first step to make Pineapple with caramel sauce ?

4. How long should we fry the pineapple ?
a. 3 minutes c. 4 minutes
b. 5 minutes d. 6 minutes

5. What is the mixture of the sauce ?

Menggambarkan sesuatu atau barang (describing things)

Sometimes you may be asked to describe something, what it looks like, and it’s function or
purpose. For example, You may to talking to a person not up on the latest technological
devises or telling someone about the newest time saving kitchen gadget.

When you are describing objects you use adjectives, (words that describe nouns) such as the
size, color, shape, material made from, thickness, texture, etc. Look at the expressions below
that can be used when asking for descriptions of things

English Expressions

Expression Response

What does it look like? It’s big, with eight hairy arms.

How big is it? It’s 3 feet, by 4 feet, by 5 feet.

How much does it weigh? It weighs 75 pounds.

What color is it? It’s bright yellow, brighter than a banana.

What’s it made out of? It’s made of plastic and aluminum.

What is it? It’s a garlic press.

What does it do? It puts a sharp point on wooden pencils.

What the purpose of a refrigerator? The purpose of a refrigerator is to keep food cold so

it does not spoil.

What do you use a (… cheese grater) for? A cheese grater is used to make small strips of

cheese from a larger block.

How does a (… water heater) work? Water is collected in a large tank and heated by

either gas or electricity.

English Dialogue

Students should work together in pairs and read the following dialogue, one student
reading one part, the other student reading the other. Note the expressions used in the
dialogue and the progression of the conversation. The dialogue can be used as a model
to have similar conversations.

Randall: Do you know what a grandfather clock is?

Horace: Yes, of course.

Randall: I assume it is a kind of clock, but what does it look like?

Horace: Well, they’re usually big, about an average person’s height, and maybe 20 to 24
inches wide.

Randall: And.

Horace: The clock face is at the top, usually a round face, and many have Roman
Numerals.

Randall: Go on.

Horace: Below the face is a pendulum which hangs from a chain, or something similar,
which swings back and

forth as the clock ticks.

Randall: I’m sorry, what’s a pendulum?

Horace: A weight hanging from a chain, cable, or string.

Randall: I see.

Horace: In all the grandfather clocks I have ever seen, the cabinets were made out of
wood, usually stained

brown.

Randall: Why are they called grandfather clocks?

Horace: I don’t know. Maybe because they are an old style of clock that was common in
our grandfathers’ days.

Randall: The clock in your father’s office is a grandfather clock, isn’t it?

Horace: Yes, but he calls it his grandmother’s clock.

Randall: Why?

Horace: Because his grandmother gave it to him.

After reading, close your book and tell your partner a summary of the dialogue. Then
switch and have your partner tell his or her summary. Start like this: This dialogue is
one person describing a clock. It is … This may seem silly, since you both already know
what the dialogue is about, but the purpose is to practice using your English, not to give
information or test your reading skills.

Conversation Activities

1. Pair work- discussion

Do you or your family have a grandfather clock or any other antique items that has
been handed down from

one generation to the next? Tell your partner about it using some of the ideas for
discussion below. Your

partner should ask questions to get more information.

 what is it
 its age and its history
 why it is significant or important to your family
 who in your family will the item be handed down to next
 why that person will get the item
2. Pair work- discussion
Work with a partner and describe the following items are and how they work. The
listening partner should ask

questions to get more detail or clarification. Obviously most (if not all) people
already know what these things

are and how they work, but the purpose of the exercise is to practice using the
language. So… the partner

asking about the items should pretend to be very, very stupid or from a very remote,
uncivilized location that

has never been exposed to these modern conveniences.

 Pencil sharpener
 Bicycle
 Toaster
 Clock
 Calculator
 Camera
 Stethoscope
 Bow and arrow

Describing things and places

Seri Beginner English adalah program pelajaran bahasa Inggris untuk pemula.

Dalam seri ini kita pelajari berbagai ungkapan dasar dalam bahasa Inggris yang bisa Anda
terapkan dalam percakapan sehari-hari.

Perhatikan contoh percakapan berikut:

A: What is your country like?

B: It’s quite small and beautiful.

A: What’s your city like?

B: It’s very big and dirty.

A: Oh really?

B: Yes, and it’s very expensive too!

A: What’s your home like?

B: It’s quite small but very comfortable.

Orang-orang dalam percakapan tadi berbicara tentang negara, kota, dan rumah mereka.

Pada bagian pertama orang tersebut bertanya tentang kota lawan bicaranya "What’s your city
like?" – seperti apakah kota Anda?

Kemudian orang tersebut menjawab "It’s very big and dirty" – sangat besar dan kotor.

Pada percakapan kedua, pertanyaannya adalah "What’s your home like?" – seperti apakah
rumah Anda?

Dan jawabannya "It’s quite small but very comfortable" – agak kecil namun sangat nyaman.

Jika Anda tertarik untuk menanyakan tentang negara seseorang, pertanyaan yang Anda
ajukan adalah what is your country like?

Jadi cara menanyakan tentang suatu tempat atau benda, yaitu what is lalu sebutkan nama
tempat atau benda yang anda ingin tanyakan dan akhiri dengan kata like, misalnya what is the
weather like? - seperti apakah cuacanya? atau what is your job like? - seperti apakah
pekerjaan Anda?

REFERENCES

http://www.bbc.com/indonesia/mobile/bahasa_inggris/2011/06/110624_ebyr_beginner5d.shtml

www.belajaringgris.net/conversation-asking-about-and-describing-objects-3169.html

www.belajaringgris.net/conversation-asking-about-and-describing-objects-3169.html