A Unique Holiday (Descriptive Paragraph)

Outline:

Topic sentence: Oktoberfest is everyone’s favorite holiday on quite a few plausible grounds.

First supporting sentence: One thing that most people love about Oktoberfest is their family’s tradition of

going to Big Bear Lake for a weekend every October.

Elaboration:

Second supporting sentence and elaborating details: Another thing that they love about Oktoberfest is the

costumes people wear.

Third supporting sentence and elaborating details: The best thing about Oktoberfest is the entertainment.

Concluding statement: All in all, the family tradition, costumes, and entertainment make Oktoberfest a unique

holiday experience that people look forward to every year.

Oktoberfest is people’s favorite holiday on quite a few plausible grounds. One thing that most people love

about Oktoberfest is their family’s tradition of going to Big Bear Lake for a weekend every October. People

rent a cabin there so that they can attend the Oktoberfest activities that go on at the Big Bear Convention

Center all month. The center has activities for children and adults, so everyone from little kids to grandparents

can find something to enjoy. For example, German games, music, foods and drinks are featured. Another thing

that they love about Oktoberfest is the costumes people wear. For instance, men and boys will dress up in

lederhosen, which are leather shorts with built-in suspenders to hold them up. Girls and women like to dress up

as Bavarian beer garden waitresses, like the woman on the St. Pauli beer label. People who don’t have a

costume, wear crazy hats: chicken hats, alpine hats with a feather, and even hats with beer cans on them. Also,

people can purchase silly necklaces to wear. Last year, for example, my sister bought a necklace with a rubber

chicken hanging from it. The best thing about Oktoberfest is the entertainment. For example, at least one band

actually comes from Germany each year to play music at the Convention Center, and even local bands play
“oompah” music. Dancing to this music is a lot of fun. Of course there is the traditional polka dancing; in

addition, the chicken dance and the Pizza Hut dance are very popular. Another source of entertainment is the

contests. For instance, there are beer drinking, log sawing, and stein holding contests for women and men. All

in all, the family tradition, costumes, and entertainment make Oktoberfest a unique holiday experience that

people look forward to every year.

My Best Friend (Descriptive)

to everyone. Because he is smart, he knows how to use humor to get his point

across without hurting anyone’s feelings. Nick is also familiar with how to use humor to

motivate people and how to get people to agree with him. The most important thing I like

about him is that I know he would never turn his back on me or lie to me or my family. I feel

very lucky to have someone like my friend because I can count on him in many ways. If

your car broke down far away from home in the middle of the night, Nick is the kind of

person who would get out of bed to pick you up. I have learned how to treat other people

better through watching him, and he has shown me what it means to be honest and

trustworthy. (159 words)

Narrative

A Travel Nightmare

When I decided to travel across Europe with a backpack, I did not think I would meet

the local police. My best friend and I were sitting in Frankfurt on a train bound for Paris

when the nightmare began. A young man came to the window of the train and asked me
at what time the train leaves. It took us only ten seconds to open the window and answer

him. When we turned away from the window and sat down on our seats, we noticed that

our backpacks were missing. Quickly, we got off the train and went to the police of the

station. We explained what happened. The police officers did not look surprised. They

said that it was a common way of stealing bags. One person stays outside the train and

asks a passenger for help or information. While the passenger is talking to this person,

someone else comes quietly into the train and steals bags or other valuables. The "team

players" are so expert at it that they can steal in less than three seconds. The police

officers told us that there was nothing they could do, but they suggested us to look

through the garbage cans and hoped that the robbers took only our money and threw our

passports and bags away. We searched everywhere, but did not find our bags. The next

morning we were not in Paris; we were at our embassy in Frankfurt for duplicate

passports. That is how our nightmare come to a surprising end.

Cause effect Paragraph:

Pollution and Human Life

Pollution which is one of the biggest problems facing the world today has many

effects on human life. First of all, pollution is bad for people's health. For

example, smog, caused by car's exhaust fumes and factory emissions, can lead

to lung diseases in humans. Also, food and water can be polluted by poisonous

chemicals, and this can cause cancer in the people who consume them.

Another effect of pollution is the destruction of human habitat. Thus, an oil spill

can make an area where people previously lived uninhabitable. Another example

is the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, which made it impossible for people
to live in a large area around the site of the explosion. Finally, pollution can also

have negative effects on people’s psychology. People who live in a clean, unspoilt

landscape like the Swiss Alps will tend to be more positively affected by their

environment than people who live in a polluted, rubbish-strewn city such as

London. To sum up, pollution has many negative

effects on the lives of humans. (173 word)

Compare-contrast Paragraph:

Basketball and Soccer

Basketball and soccer are sports with many similarities and differences. Both sports are

fun to play and each one has many beneficial qualities. Basketball and soccer are played

with a round ball. They both provide a ton of cardiovascular exercise such as running;

so if you want to get in shape these are the sports to play. A referee judges each game.

When a player breaks the rules he or she is called for a foul. A soccer player receives a

red or yellow card and a basketball player is called for a foul. Finally a score is kept in

each game. The team with the highest score wins. Even though basketball and soccer

are similar, differences do exist. Even though an athlete dribbles the ball in both sports,

a basketball player uses his hands and a soccer player uses his feet. Usually soccer is

played outside on a large field and basketball is played indoor on a court made out of

wood. Basketball is played with 5 players and soccer has 11. Lastly, basketball has four

quarters and soccer has two halves. In conclusion, both sports are fun and exciting to

play. Each one offers exercise and competitiveness. Also, they are unique in their own

way. (207 words)

Steps to Success

There are several steps that are necessary to keep in mind in order to prepare for a job

interview. First of all, it is important to double check the time and location of the

interview. It is impossible to get the job if the applicant misses the interview or is, and

the first impression is terrible if the applicant is late. An applicant must always take care

of the time management. Secondly, pick clothing that is appropriate for the type of job.

For example, if the job is in an office, clothing should be neat and clean, ironed, and

conservative such as pants and a collared shirt for men or pants or a skirt and a nice top

for women. Thirdly, before the interview, it is a good idea to do some research about

the company that the applicant is interested in. It is easy to find all kinds of information

regarding the company using the internet. An applicant could research the size of the

company, its best products, and its customers. All these information will be useful in

order to response to the interview questions. Also, it can be helpful to have a friend or

family member do a practice interview to be better prepared for the real interview. This

practice can help the applicant to feel more confident and less nervous. It will also boost

the applicant’s self-confidence. In addition, it is important for the applicant to prepare

several thoughtful questions for when the interviewer asks, “Do you have any

questions?” Having no questions prepared might show that the applicant isn’t really

interested in the job. The questions should not just be about salary and benefits. Finally,

the applicant should end the interview positively with a handshake and enthusiasm

about the job. By following these steps, applicants can increase their chances of hearing

those exciting words, “You’re hired.”

Technology makes us antisocial

Nowadays, we get technological support in every sphere of life to make our living

easier and comfortable. However, I agree with the statement that it also makes us

antisocial. We are leading a luxurious lifestyle with the help of technology, but many

things come with a price. For example, as smart phones have given us effortless life, it

has affected us physically and socially. Kids spend time on phone playing games or

watching videos. Consequently, they do not go for outing or any physical activities.

Similarly, parents spend most of the time on their phones or on laptop, and do not spend

time with their kids. In both cases, there is absence of socialization. To conclude, I

would like to state that technology should be used as an aid to give comfort, but not as

alternative for real life socialization.