How to Write an Article
Oral English: Sounds /s/ and /z/
Reading
1. Writing: How to Write an Article
The way you write an article depends very much on whom you are writing for. For example, if you are writing an article about Islam for someone who is not a Muslim, the article will be very different from one you write for someone who is a Muslim.
Articles vary a great deal in the way they are arranged, but as we have seen you can’t go wrong with following all purpose plan.
Steps to Writing a Good Article
Introduction
Define the subject and purpose of your article. Try to start off in an interesting way to capture the attention and interest of the reader.
The Body of the Article
Arrange the information logically. Each paragraph should deal with a single thought or set of information. In the case of a sequence of events, you will need to decide how to ‘parcel them up’ in neat groups. For example, in the case of Muhammad, you might have one paragraph describing the events before he went to Medina, one on while he was in Medina and one after his return from Mecca.
The Conclusion
This could be a general summing up of the contents or an overall statement of the importance or value of the subject. It might also indicate possible future developments or possible lines of study.
Practice:
Write an article on What role women can play in the society.
2. Oral English: Sounds /s/ and /z/
The /s/ and /z/ sounds are another unvoiced – voiced pair: /s/ unvoiced and /z/ voiced. Although /s/ should not be a problem but some Nigerians have difficulty with /z/.
Now pronounce these words
| /s/ | /z/ |
| Sink | Zinc |
| Cease | Seize |
| Police | Please |
| Price | Prize |
Note that the usual spelling of /s/ is ‘s’ or ‘ce’ and the usual spelling of /z/ is z. However, ‘s’ in spelling often has a /z/ sound, not an /s/ sound, especially at the end of a word.
Pronounce the following words, giving ‘s’ at /z/ sound.
his those was rains years names
knees sings praise bodies feeds dogs
Sometimes a word can be spelt in one way but have two different pronunciations – one with /s/, one with /z/. And sometimes, though two words may have nearly the same sound or spelling, one contains /s/ while the other contains /z/
Read the following words or phrases line by line, carefully noting the difference
| /s/ | /z/ |
| Used to | To use |
| A close friend | To close |
| A fine house | To house |
| Advice | To advise |
| Decease | Disease |
| The rain ceased | They seized their bags |
| Loose talk | Don’t lose your money |
| A diploma course | Cause and effect |
Practice:
1. spare
a. stomach
b. usual
c. busy
d. zone
2. please
a. sixth
b. ignorance
c. neighbors
d. police
3. miss
a. sugar
b. simple
c. sham
d. realize
4. tease
a. vest
b. zip
c. crisis
d. sir
C. Reading; Comprehension
Survey the following passage and find out what the writer means by ‘The hidden persuaders’
The Hidden Persuaders
Are you a victim of hidden persuaders? We are all influenced far more than we realize by professional persuaders, the men and women of advertising. Advertisers have something to sell and they use a number of ways to persuade us to buy their products. They spend millions of Naira every year studying human behaviour so that they can control our choices effectively.
Certain feelings and fears are common to nearly all of us and advertisers take advantage of these emotions. For instance, most of us need security and want to be popular with others. We also want to be healthy, successful and attractive. By playing on feelings like these, advertisers make us believe that we need and want certain products because they will improve our lives in some way. For example, toothpaste makers doubled their sales in a few years by making people feel uncomfortable about their teeth and breath. Unless you had fresh breath and white teeth you would be a social misfit!
Another interesting example of emotional manipulation can be seen in the advertising of beauty products. An advertising executive once said that women will pay a hundred naira for skin cream, but no more than ten naira for a cake of soap. The reason is that soap promises to make them clean. However, cream promises to make them beautiful. The women are buying a promise. In other words, the cosmetic manufacturers are not only selling cream but hope.
Perhaps the most obvious method is in the use of sex appeal. Some adverts promise success with the opposite sex. If you buy a product, you will get the man or woman of your dreams. For example, an advert for impulse products tell us ‘Impulse made me my man’s favourite’. Sex appeal is Ego, it will change your life, says the man in the advert, surrounded by beautiful women.
In other adverts, aimed mainly at men, women are used to sell products not normally associated with them. Research has shown that the image of an attractive woman is always an effective way of advertising. She may sit on a new car or she may lie at a man’s feet stroking his new socks. Whatever she does, her image sells. A company did a test to see if people were influenced by a product’s packaging. Firstly, they gave a group of women three different boxes which all contained the same washing powder. Then they asked them to try out the different washing powders and decide which one is best. After they had used the products, many women stated that the one in the brilliant yellow box was too strong while the one in the blue box left their clothes dirty. The best of all according to the women was the third one which has a design of soft colours on it.
Next time you buy something, ask yourself why you choose that specific product. Are you being persuaded that you need something by the men and women of advertising?
Answer these questions
A misfit in line 10 is probably a person who
a. is not acceptable
b. is very attractive
c. is very health conscious
d. hates advertising
Manipulation in line 11 probably means:
a. depression
b. management
c. advertising
d. influence
What exactly is the writer talking about in the passage?
Summarise the passage according to paragraphs in 6 sentences ie 1 sentence each.
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