English Writing Practice: Describing People, Stories, Letters and Houses

Describing a Person

From: Patri
To: Ana
Subject: Christelle

Hi Ana,

Thanks for your email. Of course I can tell you about Christelle. She is 21 years old and she is studying music with me. I think she is quite generous and very sociable. She has got lots of friends. She is also very good with children. She has younger sisters, and I know she likes playing with them. She is incredible! She passed all her exams last year, which is more than I did!

She likes going out, watching films, and listening to music. She is very happy doing things on her own because she is very independent. Her parents are divorced and she lives with her mother and stepfather, but she also sees her father regularly.

The only negative things I can think of are that she is a bit untidy. Her room is usually a mess. But I'm sure she will learn fast!

She is really nice. I hope that's useful. Let me know if you need any more information about her.

Love,
Ana

A Nightmare Journey

I remember it was five years ago when I was going to the airport with my family. We were going to Mexico on holiday and we had to be at the airport three and a half hours before the flight.

We had bought a small dog, a Chihuahua the size of a hand. The dog was quite expensive. But we had a problem: the scanner could not pass animals, and we had two options. On the one hand, we would have to leave it there; on the other hand, we had to take the risk. We didn't want to leave it there because it was a present for my sister, so we risked that we would be stopped for trying to pass an animal through a security point where it is completely prohibited.

At that time I had caught chickenpox, and my whole face was full of welts and red spots. My mother told me that, as I was wearing a wide sweatshirt, I should tuck the dog into a glove and keep it in the front pocket. When the time came to pass through, I was very nervous because I was hiding an animal and risking a lot. When it was our turn, the officer told us to wait a moment because we were going to have our luggage checked. I was sweating, and I became more and more nervous with every second. Then it was my turn to pass.

In the end, the officer looked at my ill face and we were saved by a whisker. I did not know what to do because I was very nervous, so I walked away quickly. In the end we got through, but with a great deal of suffering.

An Informal Letter

Dear Ana and Sandra,

Sorry for not writing earlier, but I've been incredibly busy since I got back! I'm writing to thank you for letting me stay with you in June. I had a fantastic time. The weather was perfect and I think my English is better. It was very nice to meet Gema and Irene. There were a lot of memorable days.

For the last three weeks I've been very busy organising my next year at university. I have to enrol for all my subjects and choose the optional ones I want to take. I've also been doing a lot of exercise, as I put on four kilos while I was in Glasgow! I have been going swimming every day with my friends.

Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks again for everything. My family would love to meet you. Give my love to Gema and Irene.

Best wishes,
Patricia

Describing a House or Flat

To start, my house could be called a mansion, because it is quite large. It is a house of two hundred square metres, and the garage, which is behind the house, is connected to the patio.

It is a spacious house with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a big study, a living room and a large dining room in the centre of the house. It has a big staircase with two wings leading to the upstairs. It is a house for four people. I could say it just needs some details to be finished.