1. By Mtra. Lina Cruz Ortega
Writing a biography
By Mtra. Lina Cruz Ortega
What it is?
Plan for a biography
Tips
Writing Techniques
Plan for an article
What’s a Topic Sentence?

2. What’s a biography? It’s a detailed description of a person’s life.
Basic details include:
An interesting title that catch the reader’s attention.
Date and place of birth and death.
Family information.
Lifetime accomplishments.
Major events of life.
Effects / Impact on society, historical significance.

3. How to write a biography?
When we write a biography, we divide it into four paragraphs.
In the 1st paragraph, we say who the person is and what s/he is famous for.
Walt Disney is a well-known name all over the world. He was the famous animator who created characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Disney’s films have entertained millions of people over the years and are still popular today.

4. In the 2nd paragraph, we give information about his/her early life (when/where born, education, etc.)
Walter Elías Disney was born in Chicago on December 5th, He was one of five children and grew up on a farm in Missouri. Many of his first drawings as a children were of farm animals. At the age of sixteen, Disney returned to Chicago where he studied art at McKinley High School.

5. In the 3rd paragraph, we give information about his/her life as an adult (major events of life marriage, achievements, etc.)
In 1920 he joined the Kansas City Ad Company, where he made cartoon advertisements. Disney’s ambition, though, was to make films, so in 1923 he decided to go to Hollywood. Walt and his brother Roy set up their own small Company in a small office there. Disney got married to Lilian Bounds on July 13th, They had two daughters, Diane and Sharon.

6. Continue… (3rd Paragraph)
In 1928, he created Mickey Mouse, his most famous cartoon character. That was the start of Disney’s amazing success. His Company grew and many awards were given to him for his films, which include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi and Pinocchio. His greatest creation, however, was Disneyland, which opened in 1955 in California.

7. In the 4th paragraph, we write about his/her death and how people feel about him/her. If the person is still alive you can state in present tenses (present simple/ present perfect simple) why this person is important.
Walt Disney died at the age of 65 on December 15th, Sadly, he didn’t see the opening of the world-famous Disney World in Florida, in His dreams live on, though, and people can share them by watching his films and going to his amusement parks.

8. Plan to write a biography
Paragraph 1: Say who the person is
Say what he is famous for
Paragraph 2: Give information about his life as a young
man (when/where was born, education, etc.)
Paragraph 3: Give information about his life as an adult
(major events of life, marriage, achievements)
Paragraph 4: Write about his death
How people feel about him

9. Tips:
We use the past simple when we write biographies about people who have died.
We often use prepositions of place and prepositions of time when we write biographies.
Examples:
Disney was born on December 5th, 1901.
He was born in Chicago.
At the age of sixteen, he returned to Chicago.
He joined the Kansas City Ad Company in 1920.

10. Tips:
We often use the past simple of the passive voice (was / were + past participle) in biographies.
Example:
Walter Elias Disney was born in He was known for his ability to draw cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Millions of people have been entertained by Disney’s films all over the world.

11. Tips:
We can join two sentences by using relative pronouns or adverbs (who, that, which, where). We use who for people, which or that for objects, and where for places.
 Examples:
Walt Disney was the famous animator who created characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.
At the age of sixteen, Disney returned to Chicago where he studied art at McKinley High School.

12. Writing Techniques
There is a variety of writing techniques you can use to make your composition more interesting to the reader.
To begin or end your writing you can:
Address the reader directly. (Write as if you were speaking to him/her)
e.g. You can imagine what life would be like without water.
e.g. You might think you know everything about Michael Jackson, however, not everything has been said about him.

13. Writing Techniques
Use direct speech to give somebody’s exact words, a quotation from a famous person or someone who has influenced your life, a proverb or a saying. In all cases it is necessary to use quotation marks.
e.g. Albert Einstein used to say: “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
e.g. After all, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

14. Writing Techniques
Use a rhetorical question (=a question that does not expect a reply.)
e.g. What would modern society be like without computers?
Don’t you think that the Beatles have been the most popular pop group of all times?
Have you ever thought about traveling around the world?
What would you do if you discovered that the sun revolves around the Earth and not the other way around?

15. Plan to write about a person you admire
Paragraph 1: Say who the person is
Say the reason you chose him / her.
Paragraph 2: Give information about his/her personal
qualities.
Paragraph 3: Mention the reason why you admire
him/her.
Paragraph 4: Say final comments and feelings about
the person

16. Paragraph 1: Say who the person is Say the reason you chose him / her.
Introduction
The person I admire most from the twentieth century is Mother Teresa. I regard her as one of the kindest and most caring person the people have ever known.

17. Paragraph 2: Give information about his/her personal qualities.
Main Body
Mother Teresa was a selfless person. She devoted all of her time to others and never put he own needs first. She was also very courageous and never thought about the risks she was taking when looking after people who were sick or dying.

18. Paragraph 3: Mention the reason why you admire him/her.
What I admire most about Mother Teresa are her achievements. Her entire life was devoted to charity work. For example, in 1952 she opened a centre in Calcuta for the terminally ill, where patients could be cared for and die with dignity. She also won many awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in She donated the money from her awards to fund other centres. Even though Mother Teresa is no longer with us, these centres still operate, offering help to those in need.

19. Paragraph 4: Say final comments and feelings about the person
Conclusion
I admire Mother Teresa not only because she was generous and kind-hearted person, but also because her accomplishments have influenced people all over the world. It is hardly surprising that since her death in she has been regarded as a true saint.

20. Important!!! Main body paragraphs should begin with topic sentences.
A Topic Sentence introduces or summarizes the main topic of the paragraph and gives the reader an idea of what the Paragraph will be about.
The Topic Sentence should be followed by supporting sentences which provide examples, details, reasons, justifications and/or evidence to support the topic sentence.

21. Example Topic Sentence There are many disadvantages to air travel.
Supporting sentences
Firstly, plane fares are extremely high. For example, if you choose to travel from London to Manchester by train, you will definitely pay less than you would if you traveled by plane. Moreover, being on a plane for hours can be tiring.