Articles, like speeches and talks, also require opening and closing expressions. Here are some examples:
Opening expressions: Example
1. This article outlines the dos and don'ts before starting a business venture.
2. This article shows the dangers of revealing too much personal information on the social
networking site, Facebook.
3. For those interested in losing weight this article highlights some of the best and more realistic
ways of losing weight and keeping the weight off.
4. For those who are trying to be successful but are finding it difficult, this article will be useful and
inspirational.
5. Many parents are struggling to bring up their children, but the tips found in this article will
encourage parents and show them alternatives as well as show them that they are not alone in this
big task.
Closing expressions: Example
1 It is hoped that those who have plans to start a business will benefit from reading this article.
2 For those who have Facebook accounts or intend to open one, this article should help you to
properly manage the information that you post online.
3 Losing weight is difficult, and keeping the weight off is an even bigger challenge. However, if you
diligently follow the steps highlighted in this article, the task of managing your weight will be less
challenging.
4 Therefore, if you feel like giving up, hopefully this article would have made you realize that every
successful person has persevered through hard times.
5 Parents who are feeling discouraged will find peace and relief by reading this article, as well as
solutions to their struggles in bringing up their children.
Articles also require titles in most cases:
Examples:
1 The Dos and Don'ts in Starting Business Ventures
2 The Hidden but Real Dangers of Facebook
3 Losing Weight and Keeping It Off
4 Just When You Are About to Give Up ...
5 Parents, You are Not Alone
Articles/Example FORM 4/1 You are the Secretary of the Interact Club in your school. The club recently made a trip to an old
folks' home. Using the short notes below, write an article of not less than 250 words for the club
newsletter about what you and your members did during the visit.
• Name of old folks' home
• Date and time of visit
• Number of members and teachers who went
• The activities that were carried out
• What you learned from the trip
When writing the article, you should remember
• to give a title
• that your readers are mainly students
• to include all the points given
• to write in paragraphs
A Trip to Paradise Home
The internet Club of SMK Putra & Puteri organised a trip to and old folks’ home called Paradise Home in Ipoh on 28 June 2023.
Thirty members, accompanied by our club advisors, Mrs Sheela and Mahanum, visited Paradise home. A chartered bus took us there.
We started our journey at 8.30 a.m. and reached Paradise Home at about 9.30 a.m. When we arrived, we were ushered into the main hall by the director of the home, Puan Suria Habibi. We were then taken to the reading room where the residents were reading papers, playing games, knitting or just resting and watching television. The President of the Interact Club, Trisha, had already divided us into groups so that every one of us had a senior citizen to take care of for the day.
We talked to the residents and asked them about their families. Many cried as they confessed that
their families never came to visit them. We tried to make them forget their sorrows by entertaining them. We put up two sketches, sang many old songs and danced for them. Wani, our treasurer, performed magic tricks which kept them entertained. We then distributed the biscuits, tissue paper, fruit, combs and talcum powder that we had brought along.
The Interact Club had asked Generous Hearts Caterers from Petaling Jaya to sponsor lunch for that day. They came at half-past-twelve and served a delicious lunch to the residents. After that, the
residents went to their rooms for their afternoon nap.
The Interact Club members used this time to spring-clean the home. We swept and mopped the floors, washed the toilets and weeded the garden. When the residents woke up from their nap, they were touched and delighted by our gesture. We had also collected donations from our school to provide tea for them. After tea, we said our goodbyes. They asked us to visit them again. We promised them that we would return in the near future. We boarded the bus at 5.00 p.m. and were back at school at half past six.
From this trip, we learned that we should not neglect our elders. We should love them and care for them. If, due to unavoidable circumstances, senior citizens have to go to an old folks' home, then relatives should visit them regularly. It is not right
to cause hurt to these people who were once young, healthy and active like we are now.
The Interact Club members felt good serving people who are less fortunate, and plan to carry out more activities like this.
Written by:
Vice President, Interact Club of SMK Putera & Putri
Articles/Example FORM 4/2 YImagine you are a foreign student studying at a local school.
Using the short notes below, write an article for your school newsletter in your home country to describe the lifestyle of the students at your present school.
• Study habit: hours, hard-working
• Eating habits: favourite type of foods, favourite eating places
• Leisure activities: indoor/outdoor, individual group
• Extra-curricular activities: societies, chubs,
When writing the article, you should remember to:
• include all the points given
• write in paragraphs
Sample Answer:
I have been studying in Malaysia for just over a year
now. So far, it has been a very pleasant experience and
I have now many friends among the various ethnic
groups here. Malaysia is a beautiful country and the
people are friendly and helpful. It is so easy to make
friends here as people are obliging and very hospitable.
Compared to our country, students here are much
more hard-working. I suppose the culture is different.
Here, great importance is placed on examinations,
so students spend many long hours studying and
memorising information. This is very different from
home where we are encouraged to question more and
to find other solutions or possibilities rather than to
just memorise details. Students here are also rather
shy to ask questions and hardly ever pose questions
to their teachers. However, they work very hard and
really make an effort to answer past-year questions
and do as many workbook exercises as possible.
Sometimes, I feel tired just looking at them.
Although they work hard, they also play hard.
Football and badminton are popular sports here.
Sports, such as wall-climbing and futsal are also
picking up. It is very common to see students taking
part in some sort of sports activity in the evening and
I think this is a good practice. At least it takes their
minds off studies for a few hours.
In schools, it is compulsory for each student to
take part in an extra-curricular activity. I have
become a member of the Drama Society in school.
Extra-curricular activities are important to a student
as they will be taken into account in applications to
universities. Apart from this, I find that it is a good
way to interact with other students of different ages
and ethnic groups. I also see it as a useful way to
promote racial harmony and understanding.
One thing about Malaysians is that they love
eating. You would be surprised to know that one can
find food at any time of the day or night. The variety
of food found here is amazing. In fact, I have put on
many kilos in this one year. A common question when
you meet someone is, "Have you eaten?" Students
regularly meet at mamak shops. These are shops
run by Indian Muslim proprietors and they normally
operate all day long. The food found in these shops
are relatively cheap and the atmosphere is informal,
so students usually flock to these places.
I will leave for home in about three months’ time and I am sure I will leave with a heavy heart. Malaysia has become a second home to me and I encourage students to apply to study here for a year or so to fully experience the beauty and the cultures of this country.
Articles/Example FORM 5/1
You recently attended a motivational camp organized by your school. At the camp, an award for the best group leader was presented. As a writer for the school magazine, you have been asked to write an article about the recipient of the award for the magazine.
Answer
What It Takes to Be a Good Leader
For those who have the ambition to be a good leader, this article will help to give you a better idea
of what it takes to be one. Recently, the Teens Leadership Camp was organized by our school and
we learnt a lot from it.
Leonard Leon, aged sixteen, was chosen as the best group leader in the camp. He was also the
youngest member of the camp Both his parents are involved in businesses. Leonard's father is in
the shipping business and his mother works from home selling leather bags online. Leonard has a
younger sister who studies in the same school as him — St. John Institutions, Kuala Lumpur.
One of the criteria for the selection was the sense of responsibility the participants showed.
Leonard was seen to be extremely responsible and a role model to other participants, despite being
the youngest. Another reason for his selection was his constant caring attitude throughout the
camp. Whenever anyone was in need of help, Leonard was usually there to lend a hand.
Next, during the camp debate, he displayed incredible debating skills and was judged the best
speaker of the camp. His confident, clear and fluent speech was remarkable. All the participants
liked him, and this explains his selection as the most cooperative participant of the camp.
He was very helpful. He sacrificed his comfort and sleep to help others who had problems with
pitching their tents and other camp tasks. His diligence in fulfilling a task was another positive
element and he was always busy doing something productive.
For being the best group leader, he received a certificate of achievement and RM500 in prize
money. When he was asked what he would do with the money, he replied, 'I will ask my parents
which group of people need it most and donate about RM100 towards the neediest cause. I will
save the rest and maybe just spend RM50 on a treat for my family'
These are some of the qualities that one must have in order to be a good group leader. Like
Leonard, every one of us can be good leaders but we must first develop positive habits and
attitudes, just like Leonard.
Written by: Azman J. Singh
Articles/Example FORM 5/2
Write an ARTICLE for a consumer magazine on the topic "save on Food".
Use the notes below to help you.
Introduction: The rise in food prices. Explain why people have to avoid wasteful spending
Body: Write four paragraphs. Each paragraph should develop one main idea.
For example:
Paragraph 1 - Start your own garden
Paragraph 2 - Eat at home more often
Paragraph 3 - Buy local produce
Paragraph 4 - Avoid waste in cooking and eating
You must explain and to expand on each of the above main points with supporting ideas.
Conclusion: Sum up your point of view. You might like to call for action or use a quotation to make your conclusion more persuasive.
Sample Answer
The worldwide increase in food prices is forcing consumers to change their lifestyles. "Economy Today"
looks at how people are coping with the hard times ahead. It is clear that we have to be less wasteful in
our spending habits. Austerity, a word hardly known to a free-spending generation, is now the keynote of many lives.
To begin with, we could start our own garden. Even the smallest patch of land can provide the vegetables you need.
In most housing estates, there is some idle land nearby. This could be transformed very quickly into an orchard producing fruits for your dinner table.
Cut down on eating out. We should eat at home more often. Encourage the children at home to be inventive in the kitchen. They may turn out surprising dishes which do not cost as much as eating out would do. Home-cooked meals could be taken to school or the workplace to reduce spending at the cafeteria. Prices in school canteens are rising too!
Buy local produce. It's always much cheaper than imported stuff. A lot of food supplies can be obtained
cheap outside the market too. You have to source the right local people to find out where you can buy cheaper fish, meat and vegetables. In this way we can help bring prices down.
Avoid waste in cooking and eating. Cook in the right amounts for your family's needs. Otherwise, do planned cooking in larger amounts where you can use the food for several meals. Study your family members' eating preferences so that they do not reject meals which are too often the same or lacking in variety. As for eating, please do not overload your plate and up waiting a lot of it.
People can make a difference. We can survive this food crisis if we show self-discipline and the readiness to adapt to changing circumstances. The food crisis may be a blessing in disguise!
Written by: Azman J. Singh
Articles/Example FORM 5/3 You have been invited by your school magazine committee to write an article on the importance of exercise.
In your articles, include the following:
Benefit of exercise
Types of exercise
Exercise gear needed
Answer
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important in order to
have a long, healthy life. Exercise or physical activity is an
essential part of a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
The benefits of exercise are numerous. Physical activity
improves our heart condition and tones our diaphragm to
enable them to function efficiently. Good blood circulation
prevents clotting in the veins which can occur if we remain
inactive for too long. It is a known fact that clotting may
cause blockage which may result in premature death.
Exercise also improves our digestion and bowel movement
and keeps our body healthy. For those of us who are
overweight, exercise helps in weight loss as it uses up
calories which would otherwise be stored in our body as fat.
Exercise also tones our muscles and keeps our body trim and
fit. Besides, it relaxes our mind and body, and helps us
unwind after a hard day's work. We also sleep better after a
good exercise session.
The types of exercise we can do include brisk walking,
jogging, swimming or cycling. Other options are indoor and
outdoor games and sports like badminton and tennis. We can
also do aerobics at home or workout at a gymnasium.
During exercise, it is important that we wear appropriate
clothes to allow for easy movement as well as to prevent
injury. Exercise gear should suit our size and shape, and
allow for stretching. What items of clothing we wear depends
on the type of activity and whether we do it indoors
outdoors. Even the shoes we wear should be appropriate with
the activity we engage in. For instance, walking shoes are
meant for walking and wearing them for jogging may result
in injury to our heels. We should choose shoes that fit both
feet well.
When we are physically active, our body gets warm and
perspires, and this helps to keep our skin healthy. If we do
not replace the fluid lost from our body, we will become
dehydrated. It is, therefore, important that we drink before,
during and after exercise.
We should all learn to keep exercise at the top of our
priorities if we intend to live a healthy and perhaps longer
life. We could start by doing at least twenty minutes of
physical activity three days a week before proceeding to
workout on a daily basis.
Written by: Azman J. Singh
Additional articles
Example 1
Write an article on the advantages and disadvantages of watching television.
In your article, include the following:
Advantages
. Gain knowledge
. Easy and cheap source of
entertainment
Disadvantages
. May cause health hazards
. Telekvision programmes may become an addiction
When writing the article, you must:
- give a title to your article
- develop all the points given
Note:
For your article, you will
receive up to 15 marks
for the format and
content points and up to
20 marks for the quality
of your writing.
Model Answer
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Watching Television.
Television is one of the most commonly found electrical
items in any household. It has become an indispensable device
in the life of virtually every human being. However, watching
television has its advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, you can learn new knowledge from
different television programmes. For example, you can
gain knowledge about the ecosystem in the nature or
the characteristics of the animals by watching nature
programmes or discovery programmes. Do-it-yourself
shows give us easy access to all kinds of information.
Cooking channels offer new recipes and methods. Home
improvement shows introduce money-saving DIY tips, and
financial advisers give advice for managing finances and
investing money. Television can also be a good way to help
people learn a different language. Thus, the knowledge
that we can gain from television programmes is extensive.
A further advantage is that television has become
an entertainment hub for everyone in the world. It is an
easy and cheap source of entertainment. After a tiring
day at school or at work, watching television programmes
helps to keep stress at bay. In addition, you can spend
time with your family members and friends by watching
television programmes together. Gathering around the
television gives families and friends something to bond
over. Therefore, relationship between friends and family
members will improve.
However, for every plus there is a minus. For one thing,
spending too much time watching television programmes may
cause health hazards. People who slouch on sofa watching
television over long hours can develop short-sightedness.
Prolonged viewing may be the reason why opticians are
laughing their way to the bank. Some people are so glued to
the box that they are reluctant to engage in any physical
activity. Therefore, the television has a negative impact on
a person's life as it makes one lead to an inactive lifestyle.
Other than that, television programmes may become
an addiction to the young as some youngsters become too
obsessed with the shows. For the students, this addiction
may result in a plunge in their academic performance
because they are so engrossed in the programmes that
they are unable to concentrate in their studies. The
programmes may also contain too much violence causing the
young viewers to mistakenly think that violence is a means
to solve problems. Many are also unable to differentiate
between reality and illusion.
Taking everything into account, watching television
programmes has its advantages and disadvantages. Viewers
should be able to distinguish between the two. They should
exercise control on themselves and sieve the good from
the bad.
Example 2 Question
You find that technology plays a huge role in communication today. Write an article on
the impact of computer technology on communication.
Using the information below,
write your article.
Positive Impacts:
• Improve communication
• Promote business opportunities
Negative Impacts:
• Increasing number of cybercrimes
• Reduce real life communication
When writing the article, you must:
- give a suitable title
- develop all the information given
Note:
For your article, you will receive
up to 15 marks for the format and content points and up to 20 marks for the quality of your writing.
Answer
The Impact of Computer Technology on
Communication.
Technology has brought benefits as well as
problems to humankind. Of all the new technological
wonders in the world, the technology that has the
greatest influence on mankind is probably the
personal computer. Computer has revolutionized
the way we communicate in all aspects of our lives.
On the plus side, computer technology has
expanded the way we communicate with the
world. A person in remote village in Asia, thanks
to technology can now communicate with his
estranged son in Europe. Through computers,
businessmen can now conduct meetings with
people in other parts of the world. Doctors from
different parts of the world can now convene to
solve a medical problem encountered by a patient.
Computer users can get together online to discuss
their interests and problems wit other who share
the same interests.
Besides improving communication, computers
have revolutionized how business is carried out.
With a click of a button, one can now sell or buy
things. It has made it possible for people from
different walks of life to operate their business
from home. It has given people more flexibility and
mobility without having to move from their work
table/ computer has made communication and
doing business more convenient.
However, communication via computer has
its problems. Although computer technology has
indeed increased business opportunity extensively,
it has also created massive problems. With online
communication, comes cybercrimes. Computer
hackers use their expertise to infiltrate into people's
bank accounts to transfer money out of customers'
accounts into their own. Billions of dollars are lost
every year worldwide to repair systems hit by
virus, the most recent being Ransomware. This
is a malware that attacks hospitals, schools, state
and local government as well as large business
by locking valuable digital files and demanding a
ransom to release them.
Another obvious problem is that
communication via the computer has reduced real
life communication. People sometimes just send
an email or a text messages instead of meeting
up over a cup of coffee. Face-to-face interaction
in businesses too has become a thing of the
past. Customers are reduced to just numbers and
codes. Social interaction is substantially reduced.
Knowing your customers well is a thing of the past
as one may not know who the customer really is.
The revolution in communication brought about by
computers certainly has its drawback.
It is certainly undeniable that computer
has made an impact on communication. It has
without doubt made our lives easier. It has made
communication faster and eases business dealings.
It has greatly improved our access to information
but this is done at a cost.
