5 WRITING EXTRA
ELEMENTARY UNIT 5
paragraphs
WRITING TIP
When we write a text, we divide it into different
paragraphs.
A paragraph is a group of sentences about one
main topic. When we start writing about a different
topic, we start a new paragraph.
When you write an article or an essay it usually has:
• an introduction
• two or three main paragraphs
• a conclusion.
1 Read the report of a class questionnaire
about hobbies. Match the titles below to the
different paragraphs.
1 Hobbies popular with some people in the
class
2 Conclusion
3 Unusual hobbies
4 Hobbies popular with everyone in the
class
5 Introduction
a) Most people have a hobby that they do
in their free time to relax or have fun, for
example doing exercise or playing a musical
instrument. What are your favourite hobbies?
Here are the results for my class.
b) Some hobbies were very popular with all
the class. We all listen to music on our MP3
players or phones a lot. We also love films
and we all watch TV every evening. All of us
spend a lot of time on the internet and use
social media to keep in touch with our friends.
c) Some hobbies are popular with only some
students. For example, some people like sport
but some people never do any exercise. Some
people enjoy cooking and cook every evening
but others only cook sometimes or not at all!
d) Some students have very different hobbies
from everyone else. For example, one student
makes musical instruments from wood and
sells them online. Another student collects
socks from every town and city he visits – he
has a collection of over 1000 pairs of socks!
e) In general, the results are not surprising.
People are different, and so they like
different things, but it is interesting to discover
what the other students enjoy doing in their
free time.
© Pearson Education Limited 2016
2 Read the text and divide it into four paragraphs
When it comes to hobbies most of my friends play a sport,
watch films or listen to music. My hobby is a bit more
unusual – it’s sewing, and I make most of my clothes myself!
I think I love sewing because my mother and grandmother
love it too. They teach me to make lots of different things;
not just every-day clothes, but also special clothes called
‘costumes’ – for parties and special times of the year. Our
cousins have a Halloween party every year and it’s always
lots of fun. This year, I want to make some Halloween
costumes for my brother and me. He wants a Frankenstein
costume and I want a vampire costume! Not many people
my age like sewing, and some people say it’s a boring hobby
for a young person, but when I show my friends the clothes
I make, they think they’re brilliant. Some of them want me
to teach them how to do it and that makes me really happy.
3 Read the text and put the paragraphs into the right order.
1 People usually eat trifle on special occasions like Christmas
or at parties. It’s delicious and very sweet. My mum makes
one every year at Christmas; everyone always eats it and
there’s never any le at the end of the meal.
2 One of my favourite hobbies is cooking, I find it very
relaxing aer a hard day at work. I collect cookbooks and
have more than fiy! I like to make dishes from lots of
different countries but one of my favourite dishes is a
traditional British dessert called ‘trifle’.
3 I make trifle all year round because my friends always ask
for it. Every month, my friends and I have a dinner party.
A different person cooks every time, and whenever it’s my
turn to cook, my friends always want … trifle!
4 The main ingredients of trifle are
sponge cake, custard, jelly, cream
and fruit. You put the sponge
cake in a bowl and pour fruit
juice (or sherry) over it. Then you
put jelly and custard on top of
the cake, then cream and finally
fruit. It’s very easy to make.
4 Write a description of a favourite dish. Write about the
ingredients of the dish, how you make it and why you like it.
Plan your writing
• Think about the dish you’re going to describe.
• What’s it called? What is it like?
• What are the main ingredients? How do you make it?
When do you eat it?
• Why do you like it?
Check your writing
• Did you use clear paragraphs to separate your ideas?
• Did you check your grammar and spelling?
• Did you find any mistakes?