DESCRIPTIVE TEXT

>>DEFINITION
Descriptive text is text or speech that is meant to give a verbal picture of an object, character, location, or event. Description is considered one of the four traditional forms of composition (along with exposition, narration, and persuasion).




>>THE GENERIC STUCTURE

• Identification: identifying the phenomenon to be described.
  
• Description: describing the phenomenon in parts, qualities, or/and characteristics.

>>THE LANGUAGE FEATURE

• Using attributive and identifying process.
• Using adjective and classifiers in nominal group.
• Using simple present tense.

>>EXAMPLE

Tabuhan Cave

In the cave, Nyi (Mrs) Kamiyem and Ki (Mr) Padmo sit on a big stone. Nyi Kamiyem will sing a song and Ki Padmo will beat the drum. Joining them are people called wiyogo which are drummers and other gamelan musicians. 

What makes this unique is that they mix gamelan with the sounds of nature. The visitors dance, forgetting all problems. Many tourists go to this cave. Maybe you are interested in going there too but you don't know where it is. Gua Tabuhan is located near Pacitan in East Java. It is situated in a lime hill called Tapan, in Tabuhan, Wareng village. The route is easy. Along the road there is beautiful tropical scenery to enjoy rice fields, coconutpalms and birds.

East of the cave peddlers sell souvenirs. The drink and food peddlers are on the north side. People sell agates on the cave terraces. Somehow, it is like a fair. It is said that the cave is the only place where nature produces sounds like the music of gamelan. Nyi Kamiyem, a well-known pesinden (traditional Javanese singer) from the village of Gabuhan, who often sings in the cave, does not doubt anything.

Gua Tabuhan did not use to welcome visitors. According to Kartowiryo (90), village elder, Gua Tabuhan used to be a hiding place for robbers. It was believed to be a sacred place. No one dared go inside. However, Wedana (chief of a district) Kertodiprojo, went to the cave to find out what was wrong. He found out that the cave was inhabited by the annoying evil spirits. The people chased the spirits away.

The cave is dark, so people need lights, and a local guide will lead the way. Sometimes visitors bump their heads against the sharp rocks on the ceiling. Inside the cave there is a plain big stone which is believed to be the prayer mat of Pangeran Diponegoro, one of the Indonesian heroes who fought against the Dutch. It is said that Pangeran Diponegoro used to seclude himself in the cave. Some people now use the place for meditation. There is a stream in the cave, in the east corner, which can only be seen outside. However, it can be heard from inside.

Besides the cave, Watukarang, a beach nearby, is good to visit. By the way, do you want different souvenirs? You can find them in Donorodjo village where agate craftsman work. So, have a nice journey.

SOURCES:

http://mejadunia.blogspot.com

http://understandingtext.blogspot.com

http://www.education.com

HAPPY EARTH DAY FRIENDS :)

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ASKING IF SOMEONE REMEMBER OR NOT

"how were you, when you were child? do you remember it?" that's the simple way to asking if someone remember or not. And, that's our topic for today.


>>> DEFINITION
Asking if someone remembers or not is a better way to remind someone about something or maybe can be used to ensure about memories of someone.


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Formal Expression:

• I wonder if you remember..... 
• You remember...., don’t you?
• You haven’t forgotten...., have you?
• Don’t you remember.....?
• You happen to remember it now?

Responds if you Remember:

• Let me think, yes, I remember.
• I remember especially the scenery.
• I’ll never forget that.
• I’ll always remember.
• I can remember it clearly.

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Informal Expressions:

• Remember the old house we used to live in? 
• Remember that?
• I’m sorry I don’t remember

Responds if you Remember: 

• Hold on. Yes, got it! 
• I know.....
• Wait a minute............. yeah I get it!
• I's coming back to me now!
• Alright, I remember it.

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Respond if you Forget:

• Sorry, I’ve completely forgotten.
• I’m afraid I forget.
• I really can’t remember.
• I’m afraid I have no memory of him.
• Errr, let me think. No, it’s gone. Sorry, it slipped off my mind.
• I'm sorry, I don't remember.

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Example:

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ASKING ABOUT INFORMATION

ASKING ABOUT INFORMATION ----> Have you ever done that?? I think so. Because it's impossible for you to get know of something new that you don't know before by yourself, right? and you have to ask then..... OK, now let me tell you what is ASKING ABOUT INFORMATION. 

----> DEFINITION
This is just my opinion about the definition: Asking About Information is to put a question to someone about that we don't know.

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There are a number of formulas used when asking for information in English. Here are some of the most common:

• Could you tell me...?
• Do you know...?
• Do you happen to know...?
• I'd like to know...
• Could you find out...?
• I'm interested in...
• I'm looking for..

These two forms are used for asking for information on the telephone:

• I'm calling to find out...
• I'm calling about...

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>>INFORMATION ABOUT COMPANY

What does your company do?		We produce marketing materials.
What is your specialty?
What do you specialize in?		We specialize in art and design.
What is your main line of business?

What are your major products?		We produce office machines.
What services do you provide?		We design software.
		We provide technical support.

>>INFORMATION ABOUT PRODUCTS

Could you give me some (more) information on this?		This is one of our top brands.
		It's our best selling refrigerator.
		This one is the best in its class.
What can you tell me about this (product)?		We're really pleased with its performance.
		It's an excellent computer.
		I highly recommend this one.
Tell me about this one/model.		This model comes with several features.
		This particular one has two components.

>>INFORMATION ABOUT PRICE

What are you asking for this?

What does this sell for?

How much is it?

How much does it run?

This (one) sells for $5900.

This one goes for $2900.

This one is priced at $9695.

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Here are some sample phrases and sentences for asking information in English.

1. Q: What is this? __ A: This is a table
2. Q: What is that? __ A: That is a chair
3. Q: What's this? __ A: It's a pen
4. Q: What's that? __ A: It's an apple
5. Q: What are these? __ A: These are pencils
6. Q: What are those? __ A: Those are books
7. Q: Where is Mr. King? __ A: He is over there
8. Q: Where is Ms. Knight? __ A: She's (right) here
9. Q: Where's Jhonny? __ A: He's in the house
10. Q: When's the movie? __ A: It's at 09.00
11. Q: When's lunch? __ A: Lunch is at noon
12. Q: How is the food? __ A: It's delicious

this is the audio for the dialogue above..... :)

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Another example:

Amina: What’s the lowdown on the new guy? 

Earl: Which new guy?

Amina: You know, the cute one. Fill me in. Is he single? 

Earl: I don’t know. I have no idea. 

Amina: You’re working with him side-by-side and you haven’t gleaned any personal information about him? 

Earl: We talk about work. It’s not my job to pry into his personal life.

Amina: I need to get the scoop on Mr. Perfect and you’re my source.

Earl: You don’t know anything about him, so how do you know he’s perfect? Maybe when you get to know him, you’ll find out he’s a selfish, self-centered jerk.

Amina: Wait, catch me up on what’s going on here. Have other people asked you about him?

Earl: Yeah, maybe about a dozen of the women in this office. They’ve been bombarding me with questions.

Amina: Oh, sorry. I didn’t know.

Earl: Yeah, I’m not the guy’s social secretary. You women have to satisfy your own curiosity elsewhere.

Amina: Point taken, but do you know if he’s shown interest in any of the dozen women you’ve talked to?

Earl: Ugh!



Script by Dr. Lucy Tse 

SOURCES:

http://www.eslgold.com

http://www.thefreedictionary.com

http://esl.about.com

http://www.eslpod.com

HAPPY EARTH DAY FRIENDS :)

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NEWS ITEM

HUAAAAHHHH!!!! finally I'm back after took very longgggggg break. I'm so dizzy lately. And have no moods to post anything >,< *sorry*


Today, I'll post about MY PRESENTATION :-) 
It's NEWS ITEM!!!


by the way, do you know what is it?
and, maybe do you think, is it important to us to know about News? If yes, what are the benefits???
Let's check out this.....


I. DEFINITION

News item is a text which informs readers, listeners, and viewers about events of the day. The events are considered newsworthy or important.

II. THE GENERIC STRUCTURE

•Main event / Newsworthy events (tells the event in a summary form)

• Elaboration / Background events (elaborates what happened, explains what caused the incident

• Sources / Resource of Information (comments by participants, witnesses, authorities, and experts involved in the event)

III. THE LANGUAGE FEATURES

•       Information on the use of headlines

•       Use action verb

•       Use Saying Verb

•       Use Passive Sentences

•       Use Adverbs

•       Focused at man, animal, or certain object

•       Past Tense

•       Specific, detail information e.g. badly injured

IV. SIGNIFICANT GRAMMAR FEATURES

1. Short, telegraphic information about story captured in headline

2. Generally using simple past tense

3. Use of material processes to retell the event

4. Using action verbs

5. Using saying verbs

6. Focus circumstances

7. Use of projecting verbal proces in sources stages

V. HOW TO WRITE A NEWSPAPER HEADLINE?


The one thing that can make or break a newspaper article is the headline. A good newspaper headline is concise, informative and, at times, entertaining. When you write a newspaper headline, your goal is to hook the reader into reading the article. Writing a headline for your article is easy, if you follow these steps.

1. Reread your article; identify the underlying theme.
2. Express the theme in an active voice using as few words as possible. Active verbs lend immediacy to a story. If a reader sees a headline written in a passive voice, he or she might glance right over it.
3. Keep your headline in present tense.
4. Keep it simple. A headline is a short, direct sentence without extra adjectives or adverbs.
5. Provide enough information in the headline to give the casual reader an impression of the entire story.

VI. THERE ARE SOME RULES THAT CAN HELP TO MAKE NEWSPAPER HEADLINES MORE COMPREHENSIBLE, THUS ARE:

1)      It is unusual to find complex forms, generally the simple present form is used

2)     The present progressive tense is used usually to describe something that is changing or developing, but the auxiliary verb is usually left out

3)      To refer to the future, headlines often use the infinitive

4)      Headlines are not always complete sentences

5)      The passive voice is used without the appropriate form of "be"

VII. TIPS AND WARNINGS!!!

•       Don't try to be overly witty.

•       Make sure you don't misrepresent the story by choosing a headline that doesn't cover the main subject of your piece.

•       Make sure the headline can stand on its own.

•       Always lead with the latest information, even if the story happened yesterday. This also lends a sense of immediacy to the story.

VIII. RANDOM FACTS ABOUT NEWS ITEM

1. Introductory paragraph usually answer the questions who, what, when, and where.
2. The newspaper report may end with an ending statement or comment on the events reported.
3. Sometimes, there is a photograph that shows who or what the newspaper report about.
4. The headline of the newspaper is usually short, simple and catchy.
5. The photograph in a newspaper is usually accompanied by a caption.
6. There is a series of short paragraphs that provides the details of the events.
7. A newspaper report may contain quotes that are comments made by people involved in the event.
8. The date tells us when the newspaper report appeared in the newspapers.

IX. EXAMPLES

TEXT

(First Paragraph) Moscow – A Russian journalist has uncovered evidence of another Soviet nuclear catastrophe, which killed 10 sailors and contaminated an entire town.

(Second Paragraph) Yelena Vazrshavskya is the first journalist to speak to people who witnessed the explosion of a nuclear submarine at the naval base of shkotovo – 22 near Vladivostock.The accident, which occurred 13 months before the Chernobyl disaster, spread radioactive fall-out over the base and nearby town, but was covered up by officials of the Soviet Union. Residents were told the explosion in the reactor of the Victor-class submarine during a refit had been a ‘thermal’ and not a nuclear explosion. And those involved in the clean up operation to remove more than 600 tones of contaminated material were sworn to secrecy.

(Third Paragraph) A board of investigators was later to describe it as the worst accident in the history of the Soviet Navy.

PS:


1. The first (1st) paragraph is Newsworthy Events
2. The second (2nd) paragraph is Background Events
3. The third (3rd) paragraph is Sources

   

PICTURES:

This is the title of each pictures

SEE YOU AGAIN~~~~