Writing Sample: A Review

Bewitch, also known by its French name "Ma sorciere bien-aimée", is a successful sitcom which was produced in the 1960s in the USA and aired in more than 30 countries. It stars actress Elizabeth Montgomery, who plays Samantha, a very attractive young witch who falls in love and marries a red-blooded very typical and at times dull mortal man.

This absolutely hilarious story begins with the couple´s wedding night when Samantha decides to come out of the broom closet and confess Darrin (Dick York), the mortal husband, that he has married a spell-casting cauldron-stirring one-hundred-percent American witch. This of course leaves Darrin baffled for a while but he ends up accepting Samantha´s "difference" with the condition that she promises to do her best to quit witchcraft and become a totally normal dinner-making, house-cleaning  ( very-1950s)  housewife.

Such promise, however, proves impossible to honour, as Samantha´s eccentric and extravagant relatives appear in her house chapter after chapter to mess up with her peaceful domestic life and force her to use her magic.

It is actually these secondary characters which have made the tv show immortal. Perhaps the most memorable one being Endora (Agnes Moorehead), Samantha´s mother, who is a kind of super witch with extraordinary powers, which she uses to torture and make fun of her son-in-low, Darrin. With a twitch of her nose and a tiny bit of magic Samantha saves her beloved husband´s life night after night to the delight of the show´s audience.

Even though this is an old tv programme, it is still available on the Internet via Youtube, and I thoroughly recommend watching it. I think everyone will enjoy the fantasy of this comedy.

Gustavo Albarracín


Writing sample: A film review, click here.

Idioms Idioms Idioms... Can you guess what these idioms mean?

1. To know someone or something like the back of your hand.

2. To learn something by heart.

3. To go in one ear and out the other.

4. To have something on the tip of your tongue.

5. To pull somebody' s leg.


Answers

1. If you know someone or something like the back of your hand, you know it very well.

2. To learn something by heart means to memorise it.

3. If something goes in one ear and out the other, you listen to it but you really don´t pay any attention to it.

4. If you have something on the tip of your tongue, you can´t really remember it and you are just about to say it but the words just don´t come to mind.

5. To pull somebody´s leg means to joke or to be kidding.

Example sentences

1. "I don´t really need to study for the exam. I know the lesson like the back of my hand."

2. "When I was at school there were several things we had to learn by heart, like the names of the planets and the multiplication table."

3. "He did tell me when he was coming to town but I didn´t really pay attention, sorry. It went in one ear and out the other."

4. "I wanted to say hi but I just couldn´t remember her name. And the worst part of it is that I had it on the tip of my tongue..."

5. "What? You won the lottery? I don´t believe you. You are pulling my leg, aren´t you?."



Would you like to learn more idioms? Click here.

CPE/CAE Writing to impress the examiner

When it comes to the CPE and CAE writing exams, showing off your high level of English by using a wide range of vocabulary and the most complicated grammar structures you learnt at school is not only ok but a have-to-do. No time nor place for being simple and humble, really! You need to demonstrate how good you are and how much you deserve to pass the exam by doing your very best.

Here there are some tips on how to enhance your text and make an excellent impression on the examiner:


1. Avoid using plain common adjectives like "nice" or "interesting" when writing a book/film review.

Instead of writing "It is an interesting book with a nice argument." Try something like "It is a riveting book, with a gripping plot and an unpreddictable ending."


2. Use idioms, especially when writing articles, informal letters or stories.

Instead of:
"She told me the dress had been expensive but I didn´t believe her. I thought maybe she was joking."

Try:
"She told me the dress had been expensive but I didn´t believe her. I thought she was pulling my leg."

*pulling someone´s leg = joking


3 Use inversions when writing stories to make them more sophisticated and dramatic.

For example:

Little did I know of was about to happen that dark and stormy night...

Had I listened to my heart, I would have known that...( he was not a good man...)

Set Texts for the Cambridge English Exams 2013

For the Proficiency in English Exam ( CPE )




- The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd (2002)

- The Birthday Party, by Harold Pinter (1958)











For the Certificate in Advanced English ( CAE )

- Lord of The Flies, by William Golding  

- The Lighthouse, by PD James





* Note:  Reading these books is not compulsory for taking the Cambridge exams, but it will help you to prep. Besides, there will be an optional piece of writing connected to one of them in Part 2 of the Writing Exam.

A letter to the editor (Proficiency exam)

Need help with the writing section in the Proficiency in English exam? Take a look at this "letter to the editor."


Dear Sir

I am writing in response to the article in last Wednesday´s edition of your paper regarding the proposal of increasing nursery provisions across the country to encourage women back into the worklife after having a baby. I would like to comment on the points that were raised.

First of all I would like to say that I totally agree with the statement that providing greater nursery provisions will allow women to return to work as soon as possible. Improvements in childcare programmes will definitely contribute to this, and I think they are a wonderful idea. As I see it women should be able to have children without having to worry about losing their jobs, simply because it is their natural right to do so.  

Secondly, I would like to mention that the fear some companies have that this pro-children policy will encourage women to have too many children and therefore cause them serious economic problems, is irrational. Women of these days are career-oriented and are likely to choose to have just one or two children. Not having to worry about leaving the company will just make them more committed to their work and more motivated to contribute to the enterprise´s success. 

I also would like to add some ideas to your comments: "a greater nursery provision provides an ideal opportunity to introduce a national programme of pre-school learning". I think it is true that we do not have an adequate nursery programme, specially for six-month babies and toddlers. We have seen education as a right for anyone older than three years old without considering the younger population. I fully expect to see a change in such an important aspect of education in our country.

To sum up, women do not need to risk their careers when deciding to have a baby. It is the government´s job to ensure that children are secure in their first years as well as to create an appropriate national education programme and to encourage companies to provide nursery facilities.

I look forward to hearing other readers´ views on the subject.

Yours faithfully
Gustavo Albarracín

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My top five favourite idioms

1. It´s not my cup of tea.

What does it mean when somebody says something is not their cup of tea? It simply means that they are not fond of it.

 And we use it like this:

"I don´t really like reggaeton music." = "Reggaeton music is not my cup of tea."





2. To have a whale of a time

If you have a whale of a time it means that you have a jolly good time with your friends.

- "So, how was Mexico?"
- "It was great! I had a whale of a time with my friends."

Click here for other phrases with time.



3. Mum's the word


This is a very popular idiom. According to wikipedia "mum" is a Middle English word meaning "silent."

" I´m getting married in September, but mum´s the word, nobody knows it yet."






4. Once in a blue moon

This is one I use frequently, and it means that you don´t do something very often (or that something doesn´t happen very often).

- "How often do you do exercise outdoors?"
- "Once in a blue moon, to be honest."




5. Sour grapes


Do you know this one?
The picture helps. It´s a lot like the children´ story. We use it when there is something that we desire but can not have it, and we simply deny wanting it.

"I said I didn´t really love her anyway, but it was sour grapes."



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