ESL Cities Writing

This page has several ESL cities writing tasks for you to do. When you do these you will be able to tale your time and really decide on the best word to use. This means that you will be able to really learn the city living vocabulary well.

Being able to use words about cities is very good as you will probably need to live in a city if you ever travel to a different country, as this is where most of the jobs and education opportunities are. Do the tasks on this page slowly and try to really choose the best words to use so that you can really remember the vocabulary well. If you need any help when thinking of the best word, you can look at the ESL cities vocabulary page.

There are four exercises for you to do on this page, and they are as follows:

• Writing topics.
• Summary writing task.
• Writing a description of a picture.
• Writing a role-play.

ESL Cities Writing Exercises

Exercise 1 – Writing Topics

In this ESL cities writing task you need to select one of the following three topics and write as much as you can about it. You should use sentences, paragraphs and as much of the ESL cities vocabulary as you can. The more you write the better you will get at using English, so write a lot! Then, if you really want to, you can write about the other two topics as well.

• Describe the biggest city in the country you come from.
• Explain what the good parts of living in a city are.
• Describe how you would make living in a city better.

Exercise 2 – Writing a Summary

This next ESL cities writing exercise is a summary writing task. You need to read the following passage and then rewrite it using different words and sentences but keeping the same information. The summary should be shorter than the original so only keep the main points.

Stress of City Life

Many studies have shown that people living the city life are more prone to anxiety disorders, stress and even depression. Consequently, the rates of mental illness tend to be higher in big cities than they are in small towns or the countryside. It is very likely that the stressors of daily city life contribute to the prevalence of various mental illnesses. In order not to suffer from mental illnesses, city dwellers should recognize what is typically causing them stress so that they know how to deal with it. 

First of all, living in a city means you have to share a small amount of space with a lot of other people. You might live in the same housing complex or tower block with hundreds of other people, which makes housing very expensive, particularly in the city center. Many people also use the same transport system that you use for work, causing traffic jams in peak hours. Then, when you go to the supermarket after work, it is often very crowded and you have to wait in a long line to reach the cashier.

The activities of business centers and industrial zones in the city create can run seven days a week for 24 hours as day creating constant traffic and producing smoke that pollutes the air. Research has found that besides damaging your lungs, air pollution causes stress to your internal body organs. Another thing that gives a bad impact to your health is electrical fields. The huge use of electricity creates electromagnetic fields that can affect people’s health and cause many health problems, such as headaches and digestive problems.

Traffic jams are the most common problem of big cities, and therefore for city dwellers they are a part of their daily life. Being stuck in a traffic jam daily does not only lead you to breath smoke from automobiles but also impacts your wellbeing in a negative way. You will feel stiff and your muscles will feel tight because you cannot move much during the long commute, and this will make you uneasy for the rest of the day.

There are several things you can do to deal with all those stressors. First, try to get enough sleep of 6-8 hours a day. This will enable your body to undergo natural detoxification and increase your immune system. Second, whenever you have time, get outside and see nature and greenery as it helps you to regain balance and to reenergize you. Finally, try to distract yourself from the stressful parts by reading interesting books, listening to relaxing music or watching enjoyable films. 

Exercise 3 – Describing a Picture

In this ESL cities writing exercise you need to look at the following picture and then explain what is happening. You can also describe what you think might happen next or what might also be happening at the same time somewhere else. Write using full sentences and include as many details as possible.

Exercise 4 – Writing Role-plays

In the final ESL cities writing task you need to write a role-play from one of the two following prompts. In each prompt you are told where it is happening, what is happening and the people involved. You just need to write what they would say to each other. When you have finished you can act-out the role-play with some friends to get experience of speaking as well.

Role-play 1

• Location: At a café.
• Situation: Someone has just moved to the city to live and a friend is explaining what city life is like.
• Participants: Two friends - one who has just arrived in the city and one who has lived there for a long time. 

Role-play 2

• Location: Speaking on the telephone.
• Situation: Talking to a landlord about renting a flat and asking about its location.
• Participants: Two people – the landlord and the new tenant.