Ha Long Bay

The Temple of Literature

The Sword Lake
The Louvre
Buckingham Palace
Central Park
Son Doong Cave
DESCRIBING A PLACE

By Ms. Ta Thanh Hien, M.A.

Read the candidate task card below and answer
the questions
• Describe a place you know that has a beautiful
natural environment.
You should say:
- Where it is located
- What it looks like
- When you first went there
And explain why you find this place especially beautiful.
• Is the place about an urban or rural place?
• What tense/tenses will you use to talk?
• At what point do you have to give reasons?
• What place would you choose to describe?
 VOCABULARY (1)
nice/good: big: fun:
• (A1) Wonderful
• (A1) Large • (A1) Interesting
• (A1) great
• (A2) Huge
• (A1) Fantastic • (A1) Exciting
• (A2) Enormous
• (A1) Beautiful • (A1) Busy
• (A2) Great
• (A2) Excellent
• (A2) Wide • (B1) Fascinating
• (B1) Impressive
• (B1) Giant • (B2) Amusing
• (B1) Peaceful
• (B2) Massive • (B2) Entertaining
• (B2) Magnificent
• (C1) Immense • (B2) Delightful
• (B2) Charming
• (B2) vast
• (B2) Elegant
• Mega
• (C1) Exceptional
• (C1) Splendid
 VOCABULARY (2)
• (A1) city centre
• (C1) residential area • Amenity/ amenities
• (B2) inner-city • (B2) pavement cafés
• (C1) chain stores  • historical places of interest
• (C1) fashionable boutiques • (B2) local facilities
• (B1) tourist attractions • (B1) shopping malls
• (A1) public spaces • (B1) office blocks
• (C1) on the outskirts • (C1) multi-storey car parks 
• (B2) in the suburbs  • (B1) public transport system
• high-rise flats • (A1) tourist attraction
• Skyscraper • (B1) Neighbourhood
• get around • (B2) .. is blessed with a variety of
astonishing landscapes
 VOCABULARY (3)
• (B2) A must-visit place
• (B1) Natural beauty • (B2) Cultural diversities
• Impeccable/perfect beauty • (C1)…has largely remained
• (B2) Natural treasures untouched/ has been
• (B2) Breath-taking scenery unspoiled (C1)
• (B2) Naturally stunning and • (C1) All-natural in a sense
beautiful • A place of Divinity
• (B2) An adventurous place • Amazing sights
• (B2) A vast green area •  Stunningly beautiful sandy or
• (C2) Intriguingly beautiful high pebbled beaches
altitude • ..hasn’t been touched by the brutal
• (C2) Insanely beautiful and modern development works
• The butterfly, the birds, the bushes, • … is a piece of paradise in the
the long trees and tea garden world
makes it a place worth visiting. • .. A must-go destination
 Other expressions
- I particularly liked this… because….
- Its main effect on me has been…
- I feel attached to this… because of its…
- The main reason for my reaction was….
- What I’ve learnt from this is…
- The influence this has had on me is…
- This taught me an important lesson…
 Introducing
The place I’d like to describe is ... (which
is) located/situated / lies on/next to....../ in
the North/ South of…/stands on…

…is a city of + N .
…has a population of… .
Details 1

There is + a/an + Adv + Adj + N.

There are also + Adv + Adj + Ns.
You can enjoy + N .
...is surrounded by + N .
The landscape in which it stands is + Adj.
 • … has (a/an) + Adj + N(s), which attracts
thousands/millions of tourists every
year.
• The reason that …. is so famous is that...
Details 2

• ...can be clearly seen from...

• What you notice is...
• ...you can see (the variety of
architectural styles)...
• Also, anyone who would like to enjoy…
can go to…
Details 3

• Further up the street, you will find

• ...examples of...and a number of......built in...
• Further down the street is the oldest part of the city.
• One thing that makes it unique among... is its + N.
• You can end your day by + V-ing...

• So, ...is a ... place with... people and scenery.

• All in all, it’s a ... city that is worth visiting.
Concluding

• ......is an ideal place for those who...

• For those reasons, I am sure this is a place that is certainly worth a
visit.
 (Tourist) Attractions in Hanoi
• One-pillar Pagoda
• Temple of Literature
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• The Sword Lake
• The West Lake
• 36 ancient streets/ The Old Quarter
• Duong Lam Old Village
 Places of natural beauty in Vietnam
• Ha Long Bay
• Son Doong Cave
• Con Dao Islands
• Sand Dunes of Mui Ne
• Fansipan Mountain (in Sapa)
• Cuc Phuong National Park (in Ninh Binh)
• Tram Chim National Park (in Dong Thap)
• Thac Bac Waterfall (in Sapa)
• Mekong Delta (in the southern region)
• Ba Vi National Park (in Hanoi)
• Trang An (in Ninh Binh)
• I’d like to talk about Bristol, which is (1) situated
…….…………………..of
in the West my country,
about 200 kilometres from the capital, London. It has a (2) ………………….. population of
about half a million.
• Bristol (3) ….…………………..the
is situated/ lies on River Avon, and in the past it was an important
port. Nowadays, that’s all finished, and the harbour is mainly used by
pleasure boats. The main industries are financial services, which (4)
…………………..things
include like banks and insurance companies, and also
engineering and micro-electronics.
• There’s an open space (5) …………………Brandon
called Hill (6) …………………..
in/ near thecentre of
(to the) North West that is a district called Clifton, which has
town and (7) …..…………………..of
beautiful 18th - century houses. It’s a nice place to visit, but unfortunately it’s
too expensive for me to live there!
• There are quite a lot of things to see in Bristol. For example, there’s a
(tourist) attactions like
beautiful 16th – century cathedral and several other (8) ….…………………..
the Clifton suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain,which is one of the
earliest iron ships.
• We’ve got two universities and also several colleges, so there are lots of
students and plenty of (9) …………………..amenities like bookshops and cinemas and
restaurants. It’s a good place to live.
Exercise 5: Complete the sentences below with adjectives from
the list. What places do you think these are?
dull – busy – deserted – exciting – peaceful – wild – colorful - friendly

1. busy It’s nice to be where there are lots of people.

I like it because it’s so………..
2. I suppose it’s quite a ……….. place. There isn’t much of interest to do.
3. Sometimes it’s completely dull ………….…. There’s nobody around at all.
4. With the wind and the weather, deserted
and only the birds for company, it’s a
really …………place.
5. wild
I love watching the competitive spirit of the two teams. There’s a
really…………………atmosphere in the stadium.
6. exciting
The staff are really helpful, and it’s easy to meet new people over a drink.
It’s a very …..………… place.
7. What makesfriendly
it easy to relax and think is how …..…………… it is. No noises
or surprises. peaceful
8. I like the flowers: all bright yellows, reds and blues. It’s a very ………..
experience. colorful
 Exercise 6: Replace each adjective in the sentences in exercise 4
with a near synonym from the list below.
crowded – vibrant - boring – welcoming – quiet – sensuous – empty - remote
1. I like it because it’s so…..………..
crowed It’s nice to be where there are lots of
people.
2. boring
I suppose it’s quite a ……….. place. There isn’t much of interest to do.
3. Sometimes it’s completely ………….empty There’s nobody around at all.
4. With the wind and the weather, and only the birds for company, it’s a
remote
really ……………place.
5. I love watching the competitive spirit of the two teams. There’s a really
……………atmosphere in the stadium.
vibrant
6. The staff are really helpful, and it’s easy to meet new people over a
welcoming place.
drink. It’s a very ……………………
7. What makes it easy to relax and think is how …………… quiet it is. No noises or
surprises.
8. I like the flowers: all bright yellows, reds and blues. It’s a very
sensuous experience.
………………..
 What to talk about?
• Location
• Size/ Population
• History
• Business/ Industry
• Attractions
• Amenities
 PRACTICE
1

2
Describe a place you know that has a beautiful natural environment.
• You should say:
- Where it is located
- What it looks like
- When you first went there
And explain why you find this place especially beautiful.
3

4
5

6
7