Magazine Articles

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Magazine Articles

• Section B (Writing)
• Secondary 6

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Introduction

• Today, you will
• Learn about the format of a magazine article
• Learn about the language used in a magazine
  article
• Take a look at a sample of a magazine article
• Work on some pre-writing exercises

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Content and Organziation

• Write about a particular subject, person or event
• Give personal opinions or offer suggestions for
  the topic
• Include a headline for the article
• Purpose let the readers know what the article is
  about
• Keep it short and eye-catching (e.g. My Life in
  England)
• Formal or semi-formal language (depending on the
  subject and the target group of reader)

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Content and Organization

• Serious subject formal language
• Amusing subject semi-formal language
• Short phrases and short sentences to keep the
  ideas clear and to-the-point
• Direct speech more real to life
• Reported speech a sense of objectivity

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Language Tenses

• Simple present tense describe the current issue
  or to present your viewpoints in writing
  articles.
• It seems that gambling is a major problem.
  (Current issue)
• There are no solutions to remedy the situation.
  (Personal viewpoints)

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Language Headline

• Headlines not always complete sentences
• Consists of noun phrases
• Consists of a string of three to four nouns
• More Tax Cuts
• Hair Salon Opening Ceremony

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Language Headline

• Headlines often leave out articles (a, an the)
  and the verb to be.
• Thief Enters Royal Palace
• Pianist Performing at Town Hall

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Language Headline

• Simple present tense headlines for both present
  and past events
• Blind Man Catches Thief
• Infinitives headlines to refer to the future.
• Museum to Build Next Year

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Language

• A colon () to separate the subject of a
  headline from the details
• Structure Headline Details
• Plane Crash No Survivors
• Book Exhibition 10,000 Books Sold

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Organization Introduction

• Usually shorter than the other paragraphs
• Introduces the theme of the article, which the
  other paragraphs will develop
• Give an outline of your points made in the
  article

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Organization Introduction

• You can make your introduction interesting by
• Start with a story
• Refer to the quotation of famous person
• Put forward a rhetorical question

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Organization Body

• In the body paragraphs, provide support to your
  ideas by
• Giving details (e.g. examples, figures,
  statistics or personal experience)
• Showing similarities or differences
• (e.g. The Chinatown in San Francisco in many
  ways business among Chinese is conducted in
  Cantonese. There are also hawkers at the road
  side.)
• Describing a process (in the order of their
  occurrence)

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Organization Transition Markers

• To show results
• So
• Hence
• Consequently
• Thus
• Therefore
• As a result

• To show contrast
• Though
• Although
• Even though
• On the contrary
• Yet
• However
• Nevertheless
• In contrast

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OrganizationTransition Marker

• To add ideas
• As well
• Moreover
• In addition
• Besides
• Likewise
• Furthermore

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Organization Conclusion

• Summarize the points made in the article
• Provide the result of the discussion in the body
  paragraphs
• Forward-looking statements Show our hope for the
  future development of the case
• e.g. With your help, we will have a cleaner
  planet to live in.

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Language Body

• Use simple past tense for actions completed at a
  definite time in the past, with the following
  adverbials
• A bank was robbed in Shatin yesterday afternoon
  / evening / morning / last night / week /
  Monday.

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Language Body

• Sentences in active voice to make them more
  direct
• Use the passive voice not so important who
  performed the action
• Two men were arrested after the robbery.
• The suspect is believed to be an illegal
  immigrant.
• Three people are thought to have died in the
  accident.

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Language Body

• Use non-defining clauses to add extra
  information about the subject
• Mr. Chan, who is in his early-thirties, was
  admitted to the hospital.

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Sample Writing

• Sample Writing ..\..\S4_English\Reading
  Writing_Sem 2\Lesson 9 - My Life in England.doc

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Get ready for your writing assignment!