Writing skills: advertising

By Jackie McAvoy

Level: Intermediate, Upper intermediate Type: Teaching notes

Aim: To raise awareness of the type of language used in advertising:

• extreme adjectives
• superlative phrases
• 'glowing' idioms
• travel vocabulary

To use the target language as a basis to write an effective advert for the student's own town or city.

Time: One hour

Materials

1) Four versions of the advertisement text (A, B, C and D)

2) Language Analysis and Practice - Advertisement Adjectives

3) Advertisement Idioms

4) Travel Vocabulary

5) Writing Practice

6) Answer Key

Lesson steps

1. Give out versions A, B, C and D (each text is gapped differently) so that students can later get into groups of four, with one A, one B etc. in each group.
2. Students look at their own gaps in the text and write appropriate questions (eight gaps in each version) to elicit the answer for each gap. 
3. Form groups of A, B, C and D. Students ask and answer each other's questions. (Total time for steps 1, 2 and 3 is 15 minutes)
4. Hand out Language Analysis and Practice (three sheets). Suggest they work through the three sheets individually and then come together to share their answers. You can leave students in these groups for the Language Analysis and Practice. Change the grouping after theLanguage Analysis exercise if you want a different dynamic of interaction. (15 minutes)
5. Give out Writing Practice and allow enough time for individuals to write their advert (15 minutes) with 10-15 minutes left over for 'selling' their town at the end of the lesson.