Tips on how to write a good composition

Do you find writing compositions difficult? If you follow a few steps you´ll find that it almost writes itself. You only need a clear idea of what you want to say. 

Remember that our compositions will have about 150-200 words, that´s 15-20 lines.

TIPS

1) Do not write straight away. Plan before you begin. 

2) Write down briefly the main ideas (brainstorming) 

3) Your composition should have 3-4 paragraphs: introduction/development/conclusion.

4) Write clear sentences with simple words. Link them with connectors. 

5) Stay focused on the main idea of your composition. 

6) While writing your essay, it is probable that you will make a few spelling or grammar mistakes. It is a good idea to try to read through your composition once more and correct them. 

BASIC CONNECTORS

Introduction: 

I´m going to talk about… (voy a hablar de..)
This topic is very interesting because… (este tema es muy interesante porque…)
I have chosen these theme because… (he elegido este tema porque…)
Nowadays (hoy en día)
Today…(hoy)
...for several reasons (por varias razones)
To begin with...(para empezar)

Expressing sequence: 


To begin with (para empezar) 
First/Firstly  (Primero/en primer lugar
Second/Secondly (Segundo/en segundo lugar
Third/Thirdly (Tercero/en tercer lugar
Next/then  (Seguidamente/luego (además)
After/afterwards (Después de/más tarde
Finally/Eventually (Finalmente/al final
Last but not least (Por último, si bien no menos importante.
On the one hand…on the other hand (por una parte…por otra parte) 

Giving details: 

According to (según…)
For example, for instance (por ejemplo)
In addition, furthermore, besides, too, as well as, also (además/también) 
Not only….but also…(No solo….sino que también)

Giving examples:

For example  (Por ejemplo)  
For instance  ( Por ejemplo)

Such as  (Tal como )

Like  (Como)
Apart from (Aparte de)

Giving opinions: 

Personally I think that… (personalmente pienso que)
I´m not sure if.. (no estoy seguro si…)
For me (para mi)
In my opinion, from my point of view (en mi opinion)
It seems clear to me that… (Veo claro que…)

Cause:

Because/because of  (Porque)
Therefore   (Por lo tanto, entonces)
Since   (puesto/ya que)
As a result/ as a consequence  (Por eso, como resultado/como consecuencia).
In order to   (Para/ con tal de).

Contrast: 

Although/though (aunque)
However (sin embargo)
But (pero)
Despite the fact that (a pesar del hecho de que)
In spite of (a pesar de) 

Whereas/while  (Mientras que)
Nevertheless  (Sin embargo)
On the other hand (Por otro lado)

Cause/Effect:

As a result  (Como resultado)
Since  (Ya que) 
This is why   (Esta es la razón)…

Comparison:

As  (Como)
Than  (Que) 
Similarly  (De manera similar)

Generalizing:

Mostly  (Prácticamente/normalmente/mayoritariamente)
In general   (En general)

Clarifying:

That is to say  (Es decir)
In other words   (En otras palabras)

Emphasizing:

As a matter of fact   (Por cierto, de hecho)
Definitely    (En efecto, definitivamente) 
Obviously   (Obviamente)
Above all   (Sobre todo)
Actually    (De hecho ) 

Conclusion: 

Finally, eventually, all in all    (finalmente)
To sum up    (para resumir)
To conclude    (para concluir)

In conclusion   (Concluyendo)
In short    (En resumen)

Treasure - The Cure

A tender song I love.
Sweet dreams...

PPAP

Bueno, hay cosas que hay que aceptar, porque están ahí y hay que reconocerles un "algo" que os engancha. Como la moda de jugar con las botellas de cuarto de agua mineral semillenas y lanzarlas con efecto sobre la mesa para que caigan de pie...verdad? (Hasta a Reino Unido llevásteis este juego este verano los que fuisteis a Peterborough y Newcastle). Pues este video es una paranoia que os encanta cantar en clase, en el patio....y como está en inglés, pues allá va. Cedo a vuestra petición, de acuerdo, pero tenéis que aprenderos el trabalenguas, sí o sí.

Mary Shelley

I ´m sure you have heard about "Frankenstein" but... do you know who wrote this frightening story? Mary Shelley did.

Mary Shelley (1797-1851) was born in London. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, died ten days after giving birth to her. She was one of the first feminists and her father was the writer and political journalist William Godwin, who became famous with some revolutionary works and attitudes to most social institutions, including marriage. 

In her childhood Mary Shelley was left to educate herself amongst her father's intellectual circle. In 1813, at the age of 16, she met Percy Bysshe Shelley, who came into Godwin's circle, and she ran away to France and Switzerland with him. They married in 1816 and their first child, a daughter, died in Venice, Italy, a few years later.

The story of Frankenstein started on summer in 1816 when Mary joined with Percy Shelley and Claire Clairmont near Geneva. She took a challenge to write the most frightening ghost story and, with her husband's encouragement, she completed the novel within a year.

Sleeping at Last - Moon

The Moon today, Sunday, october 16th, is in a Full Moon phase. 100% illuminated, on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. 

Past Simple / Past Continuous / Present Perfect (4th Secondary)

1	Finished events in the past with no connection to the present: Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa. The Vikings invaded Britain.
2	With a finished time word (yesterday, last week, at 2 o'clock, in 2003): I went to the cinema yesterday. We visited Japan in 2007.
3	For stories / lists of events: He went to a café, sat down and lit a cigarette. Yesterday I went to the library, met a friend for lunch, and playedtennis .
4	Details of news: I've hurt my leg. I fell off a ladder when I was painting my bedroom. I've been on holiday. I went to Spain and Portugal.
5	As part of the second conditional: If I won the lottery, I would buy a house in Chelsea. If she knew his number, she would call him.

1	A continuous action in the past which is interrupted by another action or a time: I was taking a bath when the telephone rang. At three o'clock, I was working.
2	Background information, to give atmosphere to a story: It was a beautiful day. The birds were singing, the sun was shiningand in the cafes people were laughing and chatting.
3	An annoying and repeated action in the past, usually with 'always': He was always leaving the tap running. (In the same way as the Present Continuous)
4	For two actions which happened at the same time in the past: I was watching TV and he was reading.

*Pay attention to STATIVE VERBS

                                                      

1 Unfinished Actions

We use this tense when we want to talk about unfinished actions that started in the past and continue to the present. Usually we use it to say 'how long' an action or state has continued with 'since' and 'for'. Often, we use stative verbs in this situation: I've known Karen since 1994. She's lived in London for three years.

'Since' and 'For'

We use 'since' with a fixed time in the past (2004, April 23rd, last year, two hours ago). The fixed time can be another action, indicated with the past simple (since I was at school, since I arrived): I've known Sam since 1992. I've liked chocolate since I was a child. She's been here since 2pm. We use 'for' with a period of time (2 hours, three years, six months): I've known Julie for ten years. I've been hungry for hours. She's had a cold for a week.

2 Finished Actions

Life experience (we don't say when the experience happened, just sometime in the past) I have been to Tokyo. She has lived in Germany. They have visited Paris three times. We have never seen that film. Have you ever read 'War and Peace'?

A finished action with a result in the present (focus on result) I've lost my keys (so I can't get into my house). She's hurt her leg (so she can't play tennis today). They've missed the bus (so they will be late). I've cooked dinner (so you should come and eat).

With an unfinished time word (this month, this week, today, in the last year) I haven't seen her this month. She's drunk three cups of coffee today. This week they've been shopping four times.

Note: We can't use the present perfect with a finished time word:

• I've seen him yesterday.

'Been' and 'Gone'

In this tense, we use both 'been' and 'gone' as the past participle of 'go', but in slightly different circumstances.

Been

We use 'been' (often when we talk about 'life experience') to mean that the person being talked about has visited the place, and come back. Notice the preposition 'to': I've been to Paris (in my life, but now I'm in London, where I live). She has been to school today (but now she's back at home). They have never been to California.

Gone

We use 'gone' (often when we are talking about an action with a result in the present) to mean that the person is at the place now: 'Where's John?' 'He's gone to the shops' (he's at the shops now). Julie has gone to Mexico (now she's in Mexico). They've gone to Japan for three weeks (now they're in Japan).

Present Continuous vs Present Simple

In case you still have some problems when using Present Continuous and Present Simple, here you have some links to revise them. They are all self-correction exercises. Click and try!!

http://www.ejerciciosinglesonline.com/new-exercises/ex1-presente-simple-vs-continuo-ejercicio

http://www.language-worksheets.com/presente-simple-presente-continuo-primaria.html

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/simcon1.htm