B1, WRITING ASSESSMENT 4

Palahniuk’s Club
Communicative goals:
 Write a review of a simple text, using appropriate conventions, if provided with a
model.
 Write a simple review of a film, book or TV program using a limited range of
language.
 Summarize information from a simple presentation or lecture aimed at a general
audience

1. Think about…

1. What do you think a fight club is?

2. Do you think violence can be

justified in some cases?

3. What do you think about people

who fight a lot?

Violence: Behavior involving physical

force intended to hurt someone or
something.
Justify: Show or prove to be right or
reasonable.

2. Words matter!
To do well in this lesson it is necessary to learn a number of words. Please complete
the following exercise. At the end you will have increased your vocabulary.

2.1. Underline the expression that best matches the idea of the boldfaced word or
phrase. Have a dictionary at hand!

a. The book is written so that it seems like the author and narrator are the same person.

- The person who writes the story - The person who tells the story

b. He suffered from headaches, insomnia and loss of appetite.

- The condition of being unable to sleep - The condition of sleeping too much

c. The town and its environs are inviting, with recreational facilities and museums.

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 - Connected with ways of enjoying yourself when you are not working

- Sports

d. Joseph got into a fistfight with Corner and beat him.

- A fight between two people using their hands

- A fight between two people using weapons

2.2. Match the word on the left with the meaning on the right. Write in the
parenthesis the corresponding letter.

Word Meaning
1 Vivid( ) a Something easily accomplished (informal British)
2 Doddle( ) b Producing a strong or clear impression on the senses
3 Consumerism( ) c Absence or denial of any authority or established order
Multiple personality
4 d The promotion of consumer’s interests
Disorder ( )
5 Anarchy e Dissociative identity disorder
A small difference in sound, feeling, appearance, or
6 Nuance f
meaning

3. Read a bit!

Read the following text about a review of the movie and book adaptation “Fight
Club”.

Fight club is a 1999 film based on a

1996 novel written by Chuck
Palahniuk. This is definitely one of the
greatest movies of all time according
to different portals and movie critics.

It starts with the screenplay. Adapted

from, and very faithful to, an excellent
book. The book by Chuck Palahniuk
was perfect for a movie: vivid,
powerful, challenging, original,
unpredictable. Considering how
perfectly the book already was, the
screenplay would have been a
doddle.

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Some very interesting themes are explored -consumerism, class warfare, multiple-
personality disorder, male bonding, terrorism and anarchy- without being
judgemental. Aditionally, the director used the cinamatographic elements in a way the
structure of the movie was attaching the spectators in every single scene. All the elements
of the book are capture perfectly.

The fligh club, which main characters are performed by Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, are
perfectly cast as the two lead characters in my opinion. Correspondingly, Helena Bonham
Carter is the perfect selection to take on the role of Marla, as her role and performance is
very convincing. These three actors were the perfect convination to get the plot alive.

To sum up, not only the book but also the movie is a must-see. Not only by the plot it
develops but also because of it characters which are unpredictable in so many ways you
cannot expect. An absolute classic.

By grants 19 April 2014

Adapted from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137523/reviews

4. Tips for composition:

In this session you find grammar elements and composition strategies that help you
with your writing production. Read the explanation; this is important for the next
step!

TOP TIPS FOR WRITING A REVIEW

Every single time you read a book, watch a movie or a TV program you are generating
your own opinions about them. The goal of a review is to evaluate or judge something;
state your opinion and support it. Here, some tips for creating a review.

1. Make notes: While reading or watching something you want to write about, take
some general notes that may seem important to you. If necessary, read, watch, or
listen more than once so you can confirm information, first impressions or
statements you want to establish.

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 2. Draft your review: Write down your ideas and impressions. Add information as
author, main characters, plot and main events and situations.

3. Structure and write your text:

a. Write an introduction that gives the reader a well-established opinion: Is it
great, okay or bad?

This is definitely one of the greatest movies of all time according to

different portals and movie critics.

b. When writing the body focus on the plot. Take into account elements such
as style, register, cinematography, acting, sound, tone, etc.

The book by Chuck Palahniuk was perfect for a movie: vivid,

powerful, challenging, original, unpredictable

c. Wrap it with a conclusion that guide the reader whether the book/ movie/
program should be considered or not.

To sum up, not only the book but also the movie is a must-see.

4.1. What is a review? A review is an evaluation of a publication such as a movie, book

musical composition, event, performance etc. It can be short (A few sentences) or long
(A few paragraphs). For the purpose of this exercise we are going to learn how to write
a short one. Let’s start taking some notes about the questions in the tips for
composition:

 What is the title of the book/movie, the name of its author or creator and
publication dates?

________________________________________________________________________________________________
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 What is your opinion of the book/movie you’re evaluating? (it can be positive,
negative or mixed)

________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________________________.

 What is the criteria you use to judge the book/movie?

________________________________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________________________.

 What are the adjectives you would mostly use to describe the book/movie?

________________________________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________________________.

 Think about the conventions of the genre you chose.

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___________________________________________________________________________________________.

 Which book/movie are you going to use to compare and contrast?

________________________________________________________________________________________________
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 Source: https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/writing-film-book-review.php

SUMARIZING INFORMATION
When reading or writing, summarizing is very important as it helps to determine essential
ideas and consolidate important details.
It doesn’t matter the piece of information you want to summarize, take into account the
following questions:
1.

What are the main ideas?

What are the crucial details necessary for supporting the ideas?

What information is irrelevant or unnecessary?

2. After that, follow the next tips:

3. 1. Select the most important information: Check the essential idea and information you
may use for your composition.

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4. 2. Highlight key aspects as characters, moments, ideas or dates that can help you in the
future.

TITLE The fight club

AUTHOR/ DIRECTOR Chuck Palahniuk.
Unnamed narrator (Brad Putt/ Edward Norton)
MAIN CHARACTERS
Marla Singer
PLOT/ MAIN IDEAS- Consumerism, class warfare, multiple-personality
TOPICS disorder, male bonding, terrorism and anarchy.
5.

4.2. Take a look at the steps to write following book review and summarize the
information taking into account the following aspects:

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS

J.K Rowling has been one of the most important writers in the 21 st century. All of her
books have been a best-sellers and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is not the
exception to the rule. This book, tells the story of famous Harry Potter’s final battle against
the evil Lord Voldermort.

After a dangerous journey and the death of Dumbledore, Harry is ready to defeat the evil
with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. A face to face encounter
between Harry and Voldermort leads the reader to feel the most trilling experience.

This is definitely the most emotional and exciting book of the entire series and is a must
read for those who love the genre.

TITLE

AUTHOR/ DIRECTOR

MAIN CHARACTERS

PLOT/ MAIN IDEAS-

TOPICS

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