Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.
Preparation
Add your comment below:
So cool to read about everyone's home tradition they miss the most! I'm from England but I've been living in the States for five years and the thing I miss the most is Bonfire Night on November 5th.
The best thing about Bonfire Night is the fireworks, oh, and the bonfires! … and the history behind it. Basically, Guy Fawkes and his friends tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I. They nearly did it too – they hired a room under the House of Parliament and filled it with explosives. But someone told the royal palace. The authorities found Guy Fawkes in the room guarding the explosives, and he was sentenced to torture and death.
So it's a tradition that celebrates the fact that the king survived. It also means people don't forget what happens if you plot against your country. There's a kind of poem about it that starts 'Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot.' That's why we build a 'guy' – a life-size model of Guy Fawkes – and burn it on the bonfire. Pretty dark and horrible when you think about it!
Tips
- It's nice to start by saying something that shows you have read other people's posts.
- In a class forum you can be quite informal.
- In informal writing you can sometimes miss out the beginning of a phrase:
So cool to read about everyone's home tradition ... - Remember, in a forum you are part of a long conversation with a lot of other people so they might ask you questions.
Hello Hebaoraby,
We're happy that you're here. What kind of text you should write depends on who's going to read it and what your purpose is in writing it. The example above is quite informal since it's in an online discussion forum. If you're going to write a text to put in a comment on this page, I'd say something informal would be more appropriate than a formal text.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team