Salam Aidiladha!

Class at work

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Other people's dream houses

The following paragraphs were written by a group of students on Eoi Ecija Intermediate blog. Take a look at what they wrote before. It will help you to get some ideas on the kind of dream house you would like to have. 

Delfina Garcia Sanchez says:

My dream house would be on the beach - a big house with five or six bedrooms, an enormous living room with big windows. During the day, it will be full of sunlight. I would like a great fireplace and a nice and big kitchen too.The most important thing for me would be the views and the garden with trees and a lot of flowers. I love looking after the flowers and having the breakfast in the garden and seeing the sea. I prefer not to have neighbours too near but a short drive from the stores will be nice.

Dolores Fernández Carmona-B says:

My dream house would be placed in a high mountains’ zone in a hot country but the beach wouldn’t be placed far at one hour approximately. It’d be a detached house with two flats.

In the first flat, the house would have a spacious living-room with some sofas, armchairs and a chimney which in winter will be used to keep the house’s temperature. In the house’s centre, there would be a patio which is bathed with lots of sunlight.

Besides, in the first flat we’d have a kitchen-dining room, a bathroom and two bedrooms with big wardrobes. In the second flat, we find a vestibule or hall, three bedrooms, a bathroom and a big terrace with impressive views.

My dream house would have a big garden with an enormous swimming pool. In the garden there would be a zone reserve with a big table and much chairs for to eat or to do barbecues whenever my family or friends come.

In winter, all would be full of snow and we would enjoy the wildlife and the views of the mountains and the forest. On the other hand, in summer all would be full of flowers and the colour of green. It would be great.

Carlos Arroyo del Mármol says:

I would like to live in the deep countryside away from it all. My dream house would be a cottage surrounded with clear lakes, green meadows and it would be near an Abbey where I could talk with people or walk in splendid gardens. Indeed, the cottage would be within a village, without street signs or road markings, no cables or television aerials.

My cottage would have a living-room with a huge stone chimney, two spacious bedrooms, a bathroom, a tiny kitchen with a firewood oven, and a breathtaking porch to see the sunset everyday.

When the weather was nice at night I would sit on the ground and see the stars and I would just have time to myself and resolve my issues.


 

My dream house in Netherlands

 This is Kinderdijk Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Netherlands. 19 old windmills stand proudly under the sun against the clear blue sky. I was curious to read about the village on the Internet. But when I arrived there, I realised that was going to be an unforgettable visit for me. The view was simply stunning; it took my breath away. With the cold spring wind blowing on my face, I walked through the village with my family. Admiring the old windmills one by one. Snapping their pictures from all possible angles we could think of at that time.

One windmill in particular caught my sight. It was not any ordinary windmill. It was a home to a family. A water gate was installed in front of the house. The green lawn was well-kept. A bicycle was left outside of the house. Flower pots were arranged neatly under the window. Goodness! This is it. I just have to include it as one of my many dream houses.

Can you imagine yourself waking up in the morning and looking out at the sun from the small window of the windmill? Or listening to the creaking sound of the windmill fans in the middle of a lonely night? Or stopping your boat by the water gate while waiting for someone to open it up for you? Or enjoying your bicycle ride along the bank of the canal. This is simply amazing! Something I would have never thought of imagining to have in Malaysia.

Students, that is my dream house. What is yours? How does it look like? Where do you think it will be located? Don't forget to share your stories with me.

Dream houses

Do you have a dream house? Look at the following pictures. Which one do you like the best?

 

 

A descriptive essay (people)

Write about a person who worked very hard to succeed in his life. Write a composition of about 350 words.


          I do not have to search for the most hardworking person that I know. The person is right here in my home itself. The person I am mentioning is my father, Encik Abdul Rahim bin Kassim. My father has been the most hardworking person that I have come across in my life. I can just describe him as a 'workaholic'. He holds to his principle which is "Work is Worship".

          My father is a lawyer by profession. He is a successful lawyer. His success did not come in an easy way. It came through his hard work. He struggled when he was young. He lost his father and became the breadwinner of the family. Whatever he earned in those days by doing odd jobs is used for the daily needs of his family which consisted of his mother and his younger sister.

          My father had the motivation to succeed in life and was good at his studies. He planned his time well and able to attend school even when he was working. My father then won a scholarship to further his studies in a college after doing well in his school's exam. Later, he completed his studies in law with his second scholarship. Today, he is a leading lawyer in our city. This comes after his hard work in building his career. 

          My father is regular and systematic at work. At least one of his assistants will be in the office working with my father when he is ready to begin the work for the day. Together with his assistant, he goes through the cases posted for the day and prepares himself for the court. Once done, he leaves for the court. Sometimes his trainee lawyer also follows him for the hearings.

            In the court too, my father will always be on his leg. Either presenting a case or pleading for his client with the presiding officer or consulting his notes for the case to be heard next. As a lawyer, my father spends some time discussing with other lawyers about major cases.

          After the work in the court is over, my father will straight away walk into the office. He will prepare himself for the coming cases. Sometimes he also goes out to get more information about his case. If my father is just in the office, he will spend his time by reading law journals and books to keep him updated. Often his reading goes till late in the night.

          My father has an inexhaustible energy in him. Such energy comes from his devotion and dedication to his work. His clients like him very much. He also has other qualities that endear him to his friends, relatives and friends. Now that he has achieved the height of his career, he is aiming to become a judge. I am sure he will achieved that soon.          

(Source: SPM Composition, Learning Through Diagrams, 2011)

A descriptive paragraph (people)

When you describe someone, you give a picture in words to your readers. To make the word picture as vivid and as real as possible, you must write specific details that appeal to your readers' senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch). A descriptive paragraph needs sharp and colourful details.

Example
Here is a paragraph written by a student describing her mother.

The young woman in the picture has a face that resembles my own in many ways. Her face is a bit  more oval  than mine but the softly waving brown hair around it is identical. The small straight nose is the same model I was born with. My mother's mouth is closed, yet there is just the slightest hint of a smile on her full lips. I know that if she had smiled, she would have shown the same wide grin and down curving "small lines" that appear in my own snapshots. The most haunting features in the photo, however, are my mother's eyes. They are exact duplicates of my own large, dark brown ones. Her brows are plucked into thin lines which are like two pencil strokes added to highlight those fine, luminous eyes.

(Extracted from http://www.sabri.org)

Describing a person's facial hair

Adjectives:  bearded, unshaven, clean-shaven, trimmed, neatly trimmed

Describing a person's hair

Hair
Texture/ Appearance
- wavy, curly, straight, spiky, stiff, buzzed, shaved, parted, neatly combed, tamed, long, short, cropped


Hair styles
- braids, ponytail, pig tails, bun, twist, bob, ringlets, flips, bangs, buzz layered, feathered, chopped, gelled, spiked, slicked down


Lots of hair
- thick, full, lustrous, bushy, coarse, wiry (stiff)


Little hair
- thin, scraggly, fine, baby-fine, wispy, limp, flat, balding, bald, bald spot, receding hairline (gradual loss of hair at the front of the head)


Treated hair
- permed, dyed, bleached, highlighted, weaved


Hair colours
- black, brunette, brown, chestnut-brown, honey-blond,blond, golden-blond, ash-blond, auburn, red, strawberry-blond, gray, silver, white, salt-and-pepper

Describing a person's mouth/ lips

Shapes of lips

 

Laughing

Smiling

Grinning

Describing a person's eyes

Eye shape and size

 Eyebrow shape

Eye expressions:

piercing eyes

mesmerizing eyes

sad eyes

sorrowful eyes

tear-filled eyes

gentle eyes

sympathetic eyes

warm eyes

compassionate eyes

expressive eyes

twinkling eyes

lively eyes

dancing eyes

laughing eyes

Describing a person's face

Face Shape
-   square, oval, round, triangular, heart-shaped

Skin/ Face/ Complexion
Complexion is the natural appearance and colour of the skin, especially of the face.
For example, Mary has a creamy, soft complexion.

Freckled:  sprinkled or covered with light brown spots

 

Rosy:  pink-cheeked; fair complexion that glows with a hink of pink

 

Ruddy:  skin that has a healthy reddish tint; may have the appearance of sunburn

Tanned:  skin with a healthy golden-brown tint

Wrinkled:  full of or covered with lines or loose folds of skin; often associated with age

Other skin related adjectives:   pale, spotless, silky, smooth, creamy, baby-soft, glowing, paper-thin or translucent (as with a very old person), rough, callused, dry

Welcome, 4AK2 students!

Dear students,

This is your English class blog. I will post announcements on what we are supposed to do throughout these few weeks and notes that are related to descriptive writing in this blog. Feel free to explore some of the links that I have attached here. Hopefully, you will be able to improve your English a bit with the help of this blog. May Allah SWT make it easy for you...