Read the article:

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/why-learning-to-write-well-is-still-important-in-age-of-ai

and decide if the sentences below are

True or False:

 

 

1. The swift development of AI has caught many off guard.

2. A person writing texts for a living might feel at loose ends.

3. Using tools like ChatGPT doesn’t seem like a good investment.

4. The main function of writing is to manage to make someone understand what your point is.

5. Provided one is a shrewd wordsmith, writing will help one advance his/her career.

6. Spilling the beans is the best way to control one’s fear.

 

 

 

Key: 1T; 2T; 3F; 4F; 5F; 6F

 

Glossary

 

• grunt work – thankless and menial work; it can also refer to jobs that either lack glamour and prestige or are boring and repetitive
• to bang out – to produce (something) in a quick or hurried manner
• not a shred of (something) –  not even a small amount of (something)
• to brim – to fill; to become full of something
• to regurgitate – to reproduce
• wordsmith – a person who has skill with using words, especially in writing

 

 

Practice makes perfect

Fill in the gaps in the video excerpt with the words in bold below:

figure up             muttering            solving       eavesdropping   bursts

making up          overhear   pretending           contractions       colour        fix

 

Three anti-social skills to improve your writing

Dialogue gives a story 1. ………, makes it exciting and moves it forward. (…) So what goes into writing effective dialogue? Well, there are social skills: making friends, 2. ……………. conflicts, being pleasant and polite. We  won’t be using any of those today. Instead, we’ll be working on – let’s call them ”anti-social skills.” (…) The first is: 3. ……………. . If you’re riding a bus and hear an interesting conversation, you could write it all down. Of course, when you write fiction, you’re not describing real people, you’re 4. ………………. characters. But sometimes the words you 5. ………………. can give you ideas. (…) So let’s say you’ve decided on some characters. This is anti-social skill number two: start 6. ………….. they are real. (…) Spend some time with them. (…) Once you know your characters, you can 7. ………………. how they talk. At this stage, it’s helpful to use anti-social skill number three: 8. ………….. to yourself. When you speak your character’s words, you can hear whether they sound natural, and 9. ……….. them if necessary. Remember most people are usually pretty informal when they speak. They use simple language and 10. …………… . So, ”Do not attempt to lie to me.” sounds more natural as ”Don’t try to lie to me.” Also keep it short. People tend to speak in short 11. ……….. , not lengthy speeches. (…)

Now watch the video and check your answers:

Key: 1. colour; 2. solving; 3. eavesdropping; 4. making up; 5. overhear; 6. pretending; 7. figure up; 8. muttering; 9. fix; 10. contractions; 11. bursts

 

Discuss

 

• Do you prefer writing or typing?
• Is writing in your language different from writing in English?
• What are your biggest problems with writing?
• Do you reckon writing will disappear in the future, once computers can write down everything you say?
• L. Doctorow said: “Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.” Would you agree?

 

 

Explore more to create your own teaching-learning experience!

 

Writing Can Help Injuries Heal Faster

Expressive writing may lead to faster recovery from injury

 

Read:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/writing-can-help-injuries-heal-faster/

 

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