7
UNIT
Writing Reviews
In this unit, you will learn:
• The difference between facts and opinions
• Writing a factual review
• How to express opinions
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Unit 7
Writing Factual Reviews
Writing
Reviews
What is a review? A review is a piece of writing that gives information
about something and may include opinions of the quality of that thing.
Based on reviews they have read, people often make decisions about
where to go or what to do. There are many kinds of reviews that
we read (and sometimes have to write) in daily life. Here are some
examples: movie reviews, television programme reviews, reviews
of sports games, travel or resort reviews, music reviews, restaurant
reviews, concert reviews, and book reviews.
Reviews can be factual (giving facts and information about a topic), or may express opinions of the writer
about the topic. Most reviews are a combination of facts and opinions. The writer uses facts to support
his or her opinions. Firstly, we will look at factual reviews, and later we will look at reviews in which
opinions are expressed.
Part 1 – Factual movie reviews
Look at the examples of two factual movie reviews below.
Titanic
(1) The movie takes place on board the
Titanic, a luxury passenger ship, making
its first voyage, from England to America
in 1912.
Jaws
(1) The story in this film happens on a
small resort island off the coast of Florida
in the 1970s.
(2) The story is about the adventures of
Jack and Rose, a young couple, who fall in
love after they meet on the ship.
(2) The movie is about a great white
shark, which suddenly begins to attack
and kill people swimming at the beaches
of Amity Island.
(3) The movie begins with the world’s
greatest ship, Titanic, leaving England for
America. Everything is fine until the ship,
which no one believed could sink, hits an
iceberg. As the ship begins to sink into the
freezing ocean, Jack and Rose struggle to
keep together and stay alive.
(3) The movie begins at a beach party
when a young woman goes for a
midnight swim and is attacked and killed
by the huge shark. As more and more
people are killed, the chief of police and
two other men go out in a small boat to
find and kill the shark.
Factual movie reviews often look like this: The first part (1) tells us when and where the movie is set.
The second part (2) tells us who, what or where the movie is about. The third part (3) tells us about
what happens during the movie – but never the ending!
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Exercise 1 – Guess the movie
Here are two short examples of parts one and two of two movie reviews. Which movies are these reviews
about?
A.
The movie is set on the Earth about fifty years in the future. The story is about a robot that comes
back from the future to kill a woman in the present.
B.
The story takes place in Japan during the nineteenth century. The movie is about an American
soldier who fights with Japanese samurai against the Japanese government.
Film A: _________________________
Film B: _________________________
Exercise 2 – Try it yourself
Now write two similar examples (for parts one & two) for movies you have seen.
C.
_________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
D.
_________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Read the examples to another student and see if he/she can guess the movie titles.
Exercise 3 – Finish one of your reviews
Now, you are going to write part three (a summary of what happens) for one of the movies you wrote
about in Exercise 2. Before you start, have another look at the example reviews of Titanic and Jaws.
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Discussion time
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
1.
Look at the topics in Things to describe in movies (later in this unit). Which of these are most
important to you when you watch a movie? Try to explain why.
2.
With a partner, describe movies which you think are:
a)
too violent b)
boring
c)
moving
d)
3.
Do you ever read movie reviews? When/where do you read them?
4.
What’s your favourite movie? Why?
5.
What is a movie you didn’t like? Why?
unrealistic
Quiz 1 – Name the movie
Look at Quiz 1 on the DVD. You must decide which movie is being described.
Part 2 – Factual restaurant reviews
You are going to practice writing factual restaurant reviews.
Look at the examples below.
Topsilopsiloi
(1) Topsilopsiloi is a traditional Thai restaurant
located in the centre of London.
(2) This new restaurant serves a wide variety of
traditional Southern Thai dishes, but specializes
in tom yam kung, a spicy soup. The restaurant’s
cosy, simple decor makes it popular with both
couples and families. Prices are reasonable.
Topsilopsi is open daily from 11:00 to 3:00 and
from 5:30 to 11:00. Saturdays are always busy,
so you may need to make a reservation.
Delhi Belly
(1) Delhi Belly is a famous, upmarket
Indian restaurant located in Manhattan,
New York City.
(2) Delhi Belly is part of a world-famous
chain of restaurants offering food from
Northern India. Delhi Belly specializes
curries and tandori dishes. The dark and
cosy decor is typically Indian in style. All
waiters and waitresses wear traditional
Indian dress and the non-stop Indian music
adds to the authentic atmosphere. Prices are
quite high. The restaurant opens Monday to
Saturday, from 6 p.m. until late.
Factual restaurant reviews often look like this: The first part (1) tells us where the restaurant is and
what kind of food is served. The second part (2) gives us more information about the decor (what the
restaurant looks like), the atmosphere, the cost and the opening times.
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Exercise 4 – Try it yourself
You are going to write a factual review about your favourite restaurant. The language box below will help
you. Ask your teacher about words or phrases you don’t know.
Atmosphere
Decor
Service
Prices
Food
cosy
noisy
romantic
friendly
unusual
lively
exotic
relaxed
traditional
modern
elegant
bright
dark
colourful
plain
exotic
friendly
fast
polite
slow
poor
excellent
awful
rude
cheap
expensive
(at the) high end
reasonable
moderate(ly)
not too bad
a rip off
average
traditional
unusual
authentic
spicy
vegetarian
specializes
delicious
bland
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Unit 7
Writing
Reviews
Writing Reviews Expressing Your Opinions
Part 1 – Movie reviews with opinions
Look at the examples below.
Titanic
I enjoyed the movie, but it wasn’t as good
as I had expected. The acting was excellent
and the non-stop action was exciting. The
special effects were also amazing, especially
the ship itself, which seemed so real. The
wonderful music was very romantic. However, because of the unrealistic, silly love
story, the dialogue was rather poor. I am sure
you’ll enjoy it, though. See it at the cinema
on the big screen.
Jaws
Jaws is truly a great movie. Superbly
directed by Steven Spielberg, it thrills from
start to finish. The acting and dialogue are
both excellent. Robert Shaw is excellent
and very believable as the crazy Captain
Quint. The story is original, interesting and
frightening. The excellent soundtrack adds
to the suspense. You’ll love it. See it on the
big screen.
Note: You can write a review either in the past tense or in the present tense. The important thing is to use
the same tense throughout your review.
Exercise 1 – Try it yourself
You are going to write a review of your movie, giving your thoughts and opinions. The language boxes
below will help you. Ask your teacher about words or phrases you don’t know.
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Things to describe in movies
the acting
the scenery
the direction
the dialogue
the cinematography/camerawork
the soundtrack or the music
the story
the special effects
Useful adjectives and adverbs
wonderful
fantastic
great
interesting
original
unusual exciting
romantic
beautiful
imaginative
moving
unrealistic
superb(ly) difficult (to understand)
slow
strange
predictable
(too) violent
terrible
boring
unbelievable
dull
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Part 2 – Restaurant reviews in which opinions are expressed
Look at the examples of the restaurant reviews below. Ask your teacher about words or phrases you don’t
know.
Topsilopsiloi
Delhi Belly
Topsilopsiloi is an excellent, mid-price
Thai restaurant. The traditional Southern
Thai dishes are authentic and very tasty. Try
the restaurant’s speciality, tom yam kung.
It’s delicious! The decor is simple, but cosy,
and the restaurant has an attractive romantic
atmosphere. It’s a great place for a date. The
service is excellent, and everyone is very
polite. The food is also cooked and served
quickly. I really enjoyed my meal and the
prices were reasonable. I will definitely go
back
Delhi Belly may be a famous Indian restaurant,
but, I found it very disappointing. First of
all, the decor was old and the restaurant
needs redecoration. The atmosphere was also
unattractive. The non-stop Indian music was
so loud we couldn’t even talk. The service was
very slow, and our waiter was rude. Finally,
when my curry did arrive, it was cold and
watery. When I complained, the waiter hit me
with a naan bread and told me to leave! I will
definitely not be going back!
Exercise 2 – Your restaurant review
Now you are going to write a restaurant review of your thoughts and opinions about a very good or very
bad restaurant.
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Quiz 2 – Choose the correct word
Look at Quiz 2 on the DVD. You must choose the correct word or phrase to complete the sentence.
Finale – Restaurant review
You are going to write a full restaurant review, including factual information about the restaurant and also
your opinions of the restaurant. Watch the slideshow about the restaurant and make notes.
Note for teachers
This exercise can be done in the textbook, as an assignment on paper, or online.
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Take it away
Now go to the web site and complete the exercises for Unit 7.
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