Modul Writing OK
Modul Writing OK
Modul Writing OK
Compiled by
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE
PANCA SAKTI UNIVERSITY
BEKASI
2023
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Preface
This textbook is intended for college of university students, who sit in the first or second
year class. It does not deal much with grammar and vocabulary , even though both of them are
very important in writing. All of the exercises are about sentence writing, to give more practice
to the students to the write .
The material in this book are mostly taken and compiled from some textbook, among other
are : Spencer’s Guide composition exercises, 1998; Lefkowitz’s From process to product:
Beginning-Intermediate Writing Skillsfor students or ESL, 1997; Lites and Lehman’s Visions; An
Academic Writing Text, 1999 ; etc.
The lecturer who uses this book is really expected check and correct the student’s work,
nad to return their task papper. This step will help them a lot in improving their ability to write.
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SENTENCE WRITING
Lesson One
The following paragraph is the description of the port Calcutta. Write 4 ( four ) other
paragraph based on the key words given below.
( A ). Calcutta
Calcutta is a port in India. It is situated on the north – east coast, on the estuary of the river
Hooghly, which flows into the Bay of Bengal. The population of the city is seven million.
The distance from New Delhi, the capital of the country, is about one thousand miles.
( B ) Southampton – Britain – south coast – River Itchen – English Channel – three hundred
thousand – London – eighty miles.
( C ) Marseilles – France – south coast – River Rhone – Mediterranean Sea – seven hundred
thousand – Paris – four hundred miles.
( D ) New York – the U.S.A. – east coast – River Hudson – Atlantic Ocean – eight million –
Washington – two hundred and fifty miles.
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Lesson Two
( A ) Robert’s Flat
Robert’s flat, in which he has lived for the last three years, is on the third floor. It looks on
to a square. It has five rooms, of which the biggest is a study. Robert is a writer and works
at home.
( B ) James’s flat – five years – top floor – park – three rooms – studio – painter – studio.
( C ) Barbara’s flat – six months – second floor – two rooms – work- manager- office.
( D ) Mr. and Mrs. Kent’s flat – one and a half years – first floor – river – six rooms – living-
room – teachers – school
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Lesson Three
The following paragraph is about Frank.Write 4 ( four ) other paragraphs based on the
key words given below!
( A ). Frank
Frank is a cashier who works in a bank. His working hours are 9 a.m. to p.m. He earns £20
a week. At week-ends he plays golf or goes riding. In his spare time he is studying
economics, and in ten or twelve years he hopes to become a bank manager.
( B ) Henry – lathe operator – factory – 7.30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. - £16 – football – cycling –
engineering – foreman.
( C ) Joyce – secretary – office – 9.15 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. £12 – tennis – swimming – drawing and
painting – dress designer.
( D ) Helen – salesgirl – department store – 9.30 a.m. – 6 p.m. - £10 – table-tennis – walking –
book-keeping – shop manageress.
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Lesson Four
( A ). Broad Street
Broad Street is one mile long. It begins at market and ends at the church. There are shops
on both sides, and a theatre at a point one-third of the way along. Where High Street
crosses it there are traffic-lights, and where another road joins it there is a telephone-kiosk.
It is a very busy street, and difficult to drive along.
( B) Main Street – two miles – square – park – houses – school – one-half – Green Road –
pedestrian crossing – letter-box – quiet – pleasant – live in.
( D ) Grange Road – three and half miles – Coach Station – village – fields – farm – two-thirds –
railway-line – level-crossing – large oak-trees – winding – interesting – walk along.
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Lesson Five
Smoking
Smoking is harmful for four reasons. Firstly, it is a very expensive habit. Frequently, the
price of cigarettes rises. Secondly, it is bad for the respiratory system. Smokers get colds which
last for a long time. As well, they get bronchitis and pneumonia more easily than non-smokers.
Thirdly, everyone knows that there is a connection between lung-cancer and smoking. Finally,
smoking gives you bad breath. Most non-smokers hate the smell or tobacco and they do not want
to sit near someone who will puff smoke all over them. In my opinion, it is better not to start
smoking.
Notes:
1. The first sentence in the above paragraph is called the topic sentence. This topic sentence
contains a controlling idea: for four reasons. You develop this controlling idea by using the
connectors such as: Firstly,………………Secondly,……………Thirdly,…….Finally,
………Instead, you can also use the terms : First,……………Secondly,………..Thirdly,
……At last ……,etc.
2. In this kind of paragraph, you usually use the General Present Tense which means that its
content was true in the past, it is true at present, and will be true in the future. So if you
write another paragraph about the advantages of smoking, you will also use General
Present Tense.
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Lesson Six
The following paragraph is about some disadvantages of school canteens. Write another
paragraph about their advantages, especially having some food and drink, relaxing, etc.
School Canteens
School canteens have three disadvantages. Most of the food they sell is “junk“ food, which
is bad for your teeth and not very healthy. This food is not as nutritious as the food your Mon
gives you. As well, students spend far too much money on stuff they do not need. Moreover, it is
because of canteens that some palace and play grounds are littered with plastic bags, empty
cartons, cans, etc. Personally I think that they should all be closed.
Question:
1. How many words does this paragraph have? How many sentences?
4. What is the meaning of “junk” food? Please give some examples of the junk food !
a. to be closed and
b. to be close to
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Lesson Seven
Watching TV
Everybody knows that there are some advantages of watching TV. The first benefit is that
it helps you to relax after you have been studying or working hard. The second one is that it
gives you some think to talk about with your gang at school. If you did not have a TV set you
would be really out of it you would not know what the others were talking about. Finally, I
think that there is an educational benefit as well. You can see many interesting programs on TV
that tell you about other people and about nature. And you can learn about other places in the
world too. So it really helps you with your studies, the people who have a TV set a lot
advantages.
Question:
3. What words or phases does the writer use as connectors? What are they?
6. Please write a sentence by using the word television, and another sentence by
using a TV set.
7. In American English, you spell programs with one m. How do you spell it in British
English?
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Lesson Eight
This paragraph is about Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Since it is only one
paragraph, the writer cannot deal with many aspects of the city such as its climate, its
population, its political life, its education system, etc. He deals only with one aspect namely
the interesting sights in Canberra.
Canberra
In Canberra there are many interesting sights for the tourist to visit. First of all, there is
parliament house where the business of the Government is done. Then there is Lake Burley
Griffin which has the captain cook jet of water. This jet looks very beautiful in the wind.
Besides, we have the National Library which stands near the Lake. It is a white building that
looks like an ancient Greek temple. Near the National Library is Canberra’s building. This is the
High Court. Soon tourists will also be able to visit the new National Gallery which will have a
big and expensive collection of paintings and sculpture. Tourists like to look at the different
embassies too. In fact, you could probably spend a few weeks looking at the sights in Canberra.
Questions:
1. How many words does this paragraph have? How many sentence?
2. What is the topic sentence of this paragraph? And what is its controlling idea?
3. Does the writer use connectors in this paragraph? What are they?
Instructions:
1. Write one paragraph as about the same length as above, and tell about the interesting sights
in your town or city for the tourist to visit.
2. Do not imitate the model above blindly because Canberra and your town / city are
completely different.
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Lesson Nine
1. The following paragraph is about honey bees. Read it two or three times in order to
understand it better.
Honey bees
Honey bees have a very interesting organization. Each colony consists of only one group.
This group lives in a hive. Inside this hive there are many six-sides cells which are made of wax.
In some of these cells the workers store the honey they have made. The honey is made from the
pollen and nectar which the bees gather from the flowers they visit. At the centre of all this
organization is the queen bee. Her only job is to lay the eggs which will produce more bees.
3. Now, try to write one paragraph with the topic Honey. You can start your paragraph with
the topic sentence: Honey is important for human beings. The controlling idea is important
for human beings. Use the correct connectors, if possible.
I think that living in a flat has several advantages over living in a house.
You can use the connectors such as: First, Second, Third, At last, etc. The length of your
paragraph is not less than 100 words, between eight and ten sentence.
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Lesson Ten
The following three paragraph are about “journeys”. The paragraphs should be rewritten
in reverse ( in the opposite direction ). It will be easier for you to do them if you draw a
sketch map to begin with.
A. Driving down the valley from north to south you pass the villages of Upper Clutton,
Middle Clutton and Lower Clutton in that order. The river is at first on your right, but
between Middle and Lower Clutton the road crosses the river, which is then on your left. It
is five miles between the first two villages and three miles between the second and third.
C. We left home at eight o’clock in the morning and drove eastwards. The sun was rising and
shone in our faces. We crossed the River Mallard at 10.30 a.m., the River Widgeon at 2
p.m., and the River Teal at 3.30 p.m. We arrived at the hotel an hour later, just us it was
getting dark.
Note: The speed of the car for going to the hotel and for going home is regarded the same!
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Lesson Eleven
You still remember that a paragraph has only one main idea. The main idea is in the topic
sentence, the most general sentence in the paragraph. The topic sentence tells the topic and
what the writer will any about it (the main idea).
Instructions:
2. Write another paragraph of your own with the same topic. The idea can be the same but
you should use your own English.
There are many good reasons for people to study in a foreign country. First, it is a good
opportunity for foreign students to learn a new language. In addition, they can practice it every
day. Second, they are able to live in a different culture. Therefore, students will learn new
customs and traditions. Finally, they will be in contact with new people. They can develop
relationships with international friends. People can broaden their experience and increase their
knowledge by studying outside of their own countries.
Questions:
3. What is the topic sentence of that paragraph? What is its controlling idea?
Phrases:
a. In a foreign country
b. In addition
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Lesson Twelve
Animals
There are two classes or animals, wild animals and domestic animals. Wild animals live in
the forest; domestic animals live in the fields, on farms, and sometimes, as the case of the dog
and the cat, even in our home. Both wild animals and domestic animals are very useful for man.
We use the skins of wild animals to make leather goods. We use their fur to make fur coats.
Domestic animals, of course, are even more useful than wild animals. The horse, for example,
helps man to do his everyday work. The cow gives him milk. The sheep gives him wool. Finally,
from the pig, the cow, the calf, the sheep, man gets most of the meat which he eats as food every
day.
Questions:
1. How many words do you find in this paragraph? How many sentences?
3. What is the difference between everyday and every day? Between skin and leather, meat
and beef, forest and jungle?
Instructions:
1. Write one paragraph with the same length as that above with the topic : A Tiger.
2. Begin your paragraph with the topic sentence as follows: A tiger is a wild animal.
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Lesson Thirteen
An anecdote
An Italian was once visiting in New York City. He wished to take a walk in order to see
the city, but he was afraid that he would get lost because he did not know a word of English.
Therefore, after leaving his hotel, he stopped at the first corner and carefully copied in his
notebook the name of the street on which his hotel was located. Then he walked on. Finally,
however, he got lost, some hours later he arrived ina police station. After a good deal of confused
conversation, an interpreter was called. The Italian explained to the interpreter that, although he
did not know the name of his hotel, he did know the street on which it was located. He then
showed the interpreter what he had copied in his notebook. The words which he had socarefully
copied were “One Way Street”
Questions:
a. To get lost
b. Therefore
c. A good deal of
d. An interpreter
Instructions: Tell that story again in one paragraph by using your own English. Do not forget
to use the correct tense.
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Lesson Fourteen
The following paragraph is not yet complete. It has no topic and its topic sentence is
missing. Find the suitable topic and write down the acceptable topic sentence.
______________________
Questions:
4. What tense does the writer use in the above paragraph? Why?
Instructions:
Write one paragraph of about 100 words (between 8 and 10 sentences). Use the topic sentence
as follows: In learning English, it is necessary for me to use a good dictionary.
(continue!)
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Lesson fifteen
The following paragraph is about The Public Market. Describe a place in your country that
a person should visit. The title should be the name of the place. Look at the example below.
Try to write from eight to ten sentences.
The Public Market is an interesting place to see in Boston. One reason is that there are
many good restaurants there with a variety of foods. People can eat inexpensive food without
waiting in line. Another reason to see the market is the different stores. There are all kinds of
clothes, foods, plants, jewelry and crafts to find there. Finally, the market is full of artistic people
who work skillfully. They make and sell beautiful things to the people. The Boston Public
Market is a nice place to spend the day.
Questions:
1. How many words can you find in this paragraph? How many sentences?
2. What is the topic sentence of this paragraph? What is its controlling idea?
Instructions:
1. Write a paragraph of about 100 words ( from 8 to 10 sentences ) with the title:
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Lesson Sixteen
The following paragraph is about The Missing Key. It is written in the past tense. Read it
carefully and try to understand it!
Yesterday my friend lost her keys, and she looked for them all over the house. At first, she
checked under the table, on the chairs, and in the refrigerator in the kitchen. After that, she tried
to find them behind the stove. In the living room, she moved the sofa and searched below it. She
did not see them between the chairs either. In the bedroom, they were not beside her bed. She
could not find them on of her dresser or her drawers. At night, my friend laughed because she
found them in her pocket.
Question:
1. How many words does this paragraph have? How many sentences?
2. What is the topic sentence of that paragraph? What is its controlling idea?
3. Why is this paragraph written in past tense? Why not in present tense?
Instructions:
1. Write one paragraph of about 100 words ( from 8 to 10 sentences ) with the title The Lost
Book. Begin your paragraph with this sentence :
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Lesson Seventeen
The paragraph below is about A Bad Day. It is also written in the past tense, and the verbs
are in irregular form. Read it carefully and try to understand it.
A Bad Day
I had a bad day yesterday. Everything went wrong. First, my alarm clock didn’t ring.
Because of that, I woke up late. I didn’t go to my first class, so I was marked absent. Moreover, I
caught a cold the same day. I drank orange juice and took vitamin C. Then, I made breakfast. I
ate one piece or toast before the toaster broke. After that I went to school. I drove but I didn’t
have any gas. I forgot to put gas in the car, and I left my wallet at home. Also, I didn’t bring my
keys. At school, I sat in the last row. The teacher spoke to me, but I didn’t say anything because
I didn’t know the correct answer. As a result, I got a bad grade. The teacher told me to go home.
When I got home, I thought about my day and felt bad. I slept for a long time. My roommates
found me on the sofa. What a day !
Questions:
1. How many words can find in this paragraph? How many sentences?
2. What is the topic sentence of this paragraph? What is its controlling idea?
Instructions:
1. Write one paragraph of about 120 words ( from 10 to 12 sentences ) with the title A Busy
Day.
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Lesson Eighteen
This paragraph is about the Standardized Tests. It is written in the present tense. You can
find passive sentences in it. Read it carefully, then do the exercise below.
Standardized Tests
College students in the United States take many tests. There are special tests to gain
entrance to colleges and universities as well. The Scholastic Aptitute Test (SAT) and Graduate
Record Examination ( GRE )are examples of entrance exams. The Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL) is required of student whose first language is not English. These
standardized tests are designed and scored by the Educational Testing Service.
Questions:
1. How many words can find in this paragraph? How many sentences?
4. How many passive sentences do you find in the paragraph? What are they? Which is
correct; What are they?
Instructions:
1. Write one paragraph of about 120 words ( from 10 to 12 sentences ) with the title : SMPTN
( it stands for: Seleksi Masuk Perguruan Tinggi Negeri ).
Every year many recent SMU graduates take UMPTN in order to get a seat in a
government university.
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Lesson Nineteen
In the following paragraph, you will find some consequences of pollution. There are also
some passive sentences in it. Read the paragraph carefully and try to understand it.
Consequences of pollution
pollution is not controlled, there will be a lot or negative consequences. The environment
and all living creatures will suffer. Likewise, the world is going to become an impossible place to
survive in. The air will become worse if pollution continues. More cars are being produced, and
their exhaust fumes pollute the atmosphere. Skies seem gray and black because of the smog in
the air. In addition, factories continue to pump smoke into the air people breathe. If chimneys
aren’t filtered, the air will get more polluted.
Questions :
1. How many sentences are there in this paragraph? How many words?
4. What word can be inserted between air and people in the sentence :
In addition factories continue to pump smoke into the air people breathe.
Instructions:
1. Write a paragraph of about 120 words ( 10-12 sentences ) with the title:
The following paragraph is about habits. We are sure that everybody has habits. Read it
and try to understand it.
Habits
Most people have habits that are difficult to break. For instance, my friend wakes up late if
doesn’t set his alarm clock. In additional, if he falls asleep on his back, he always snores. As
another example of habit, my students smoke every time they have a break. If they don’t have a
cigarette, they are nervous in class. Similarly, my cousin eats too much if he is worried or has
free time. If he doesn’t eat , his stomach makes loud noises. In short, everybody has habits, and if
it’s not one thing, it’s another.
Questions:
1. Do you know how many sentences the paragraph has? How many words?
4. Do you know what your habit is? Is it a good habit or a bad one?
Instructions:
1. Write a paragraph of about 100 words ( 8-10 sentences )with the tittle My Habit. It can be a
good habit or a bad one.
2. Try to use the right connectors. You can use either present tense or past tense.
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Lesson Twenty-one
Read this passage. It consists of three short paragraph. It has General Present Tense.
A Day In My Life
My day usually begins at six-thirty. I get up and do some exercises for about fifteen
minute. Then I take my shower. After my shower, I get dressed and have breakfast with my
family. I usually have a light breakfast, consisting of toast and coffee. At seven-thirty I leave for
school.
I usually take the bus to school. I catch the bus near my house and then walk from the bus
stop to school. It takes about thirty minutes to get from my home school. My first class is at
eight-thirty and I usually finish school at three. Sometimes I stay late to have a game of
volleyball or to work in the Library.
I usually reach home at around four o’clock. When I get home I like to watch TV for a
while. Then I start my homework. I have dinner at seven o’clock. After that I often have more
homework to do. Sometimes I watch TV or go out with friends after dinner. I generally go to bed
around ten-thirty.
Instructions:
Write a passage of the typical day in your life using the above description as a model. Mention
the following:
1. Getting up
2. Before breakfast
3. Breakfast
4. Leaving for work or school
5. Arriving for work school
6. How long your work or school day is
7. What you do after that
8. What you do when you come home
9. Before dinner
10. After dinner
11. Going to bed
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Lesson Twenty-two
Singapore
Singapore is an island city of about three million people. It’s a beautiful city with lots of
parks and open spaces. It’s also a very clean city.
Most of the people live in high-rise apartments in different parts of the island. The business
district is very modern, with lots of tall new office buildings. Singapore also has some nice older
sections. In Chinatown there are rows of old shops and houses. The government buildings in
Singapore are very beautiful and date from the colonial days.
Singapore is famous for its shops and restaurants. There are many good shopping centers.
Most of the goods are duty free. Singapore’s restaurants sell Chinese, Indian, malay and
European food, and the prices are very reasonable.
Instructions:
Write a short description of your town or city using the model above. Answer these questions to
complete your description.
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Lesson Twenty-three
This information is taken from a brochure. It is about the New Asia Hotel. It also consists
of three paragraph. It is in General Present Tense. Read it attentively.
One of the nicest hotels in the city is the New Asia Hotel, which is located on Garden
Drive. The hotel is about 20 minutes by car from the airport and about 10 minutes from the
center of the city.
The hotel is a tall modern 6-story building with large grounds. There are over 200 rooms in
the hotel. Each room has a television set, a bathroom, and air-conditioning. Prices for a room
range from $40 to $80.
There are two restaurants in the hotel as well as a coffee shop. One restaurant serves
European food and the other serve Japanese food. On the hotel grounds there are tennis courts
and a swimming pool.
Instructions:
Write a description about the Orchid Hotel using the model above. Use the following data :
Only 15 minutes from the airport and right next to the beach.
Tel : 985-3344
Write a description about the famous hotel in your town/ city, for example the Hotel. Try to find
correct data.
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