Writing about someone you admire is one of the most rewarding exercises when learning English. This activity focuses on creating a biography, which is the life story of a person, specifically an artist of your choice. The key is organizing your ideas, choosing the right verb tenses, and including the details that make your text interesting and complete.
How should you use verb tenses in a biography?
One of the most important aspects of writing a biography is selecting the correct verb tenses [0:22]. There are two scenarios to consider:
- If the artist has already passed away, use all verbs in the past tense.
- If the artist is still alive, combine past and present tenses depending on the type of action.
For finished actions, the past tense is the right choice. For example: "She was born in California." [0:42]. For current actions, switch to the present tense: "She is a singer" [0:49]. This distinction between finished actions and current actions is essential for your biography to sound natural and accurate.
Since you are writing about someone else, always use verbs in the third person [0:27]. Words like he, she, his, and her will be your main tools throughout the text.
What topics should you include in a biography?
A well-structured biography covers specific topics that give the reader a clear picture of the artist [0:53]. Here is what you should address:
- Occupation: define what your artist does — singer, writer, painter, or another profession [0:58].
- Nationality: mention where the artist was born and where they are living now [1:05].
- Birthday: include their date of birth [1:12].
- Family: share relevant details about their personal life [1:16].
- Fun facts and extra details: add specific or surprising information that makes your text stand out [1:21].
- Your favorites: if the artist is a singer, mention your favorite song or video clip; if the artist is a writer, talk about your favorite book [1:30].
Including your personal favorites adds a unique touch to the biography and shows your connection with the artist's work.
How can you organize your writing?
In the resources section, there is a worksheet designed to help you structure your text [1:44]. It contains all the topics mentioned above, so you can fill in the information before starting to write. There is also guidance on how to complete the worksheet properly [1:53]. Additionally, you can find an example of a biography in the class description to use as a reference [1:58].
Why is sharing your biography important?
Practicing writing is only half the work. Sharing your biography in the comment section [2:05] allows you to receive feedback and learn from other students' texts. Reading how others describe their favorite artists is a great way to pick up new vocabulary and sentence structures.
Choose an artist who inspires you, gather the details, and start writing your biography — then share it so everyone can read about the person who moves you.
