ESL Pets Writing

Being able to use vocabulary is important, and these ESL pets writing exercises and tasks will help you do that. By writing you have to think about the vocabulary and really understand it to use it correctly, and this means doing writing exercises is very important.

If you need help with vocabulary about pets you can look at the word list on the ESL pets vocabulary page.

This page has the following three ESL pets writing exercises:

• Writing topics
• Writing s summary of a passage
• Writing role-plays

ESL Pets Writing Exercises

Exercise 1 – Writing Topics

In this exercise there are three writing topics. You should choose one and then write as much as you can while using the pets vocabulary you have learnt. Once you have finished the first writing topic you can try the next two if you want to.

• Explain what makes an animal into a good pet.
• Describe your first pet.
• Explain why it is good for people to keep pets.

Exercise 2 – Write a Summary

In this ESL pets writing exercise you have been given a passage about caring for pets. You should read and understand the passage and then write a summary of it using different words. The summary should be shorter than the original and just keep the main bits.

Caring for Pets

If a person owns a pet it is their responsibility to care for it. This can mean different things for different types of pets. Some pets need only a small amount of care while others need a lot. People who get a pet and then do not look after it properly are irresponsible and cruel.

The simplest pets to care for are possibly fish. If their tank is properly set up they should need very little attention. They will need a small amount of food each day and then you can just let them get on with swimming happily. It is possible that their tank will become dirty and need cleaning sometimes, but this should not happen too often hopefully.

Small animals like mice and hamsters that are kept in cages and will need to be given food and clean water every one or two days. They will also need their cages cleaning, probably once a week. If the cage is not too big this will not take too long.

Once a person starts to keep a bigger pet, such as a cat, dog or even a horse, these need the company of people to be happy. Especially for cats and dogs, they get very upset if their owner does not spend time with them. They want to be stroked and played with. Especially a dog needs to be taken for walks and to play fetch with sticks or balls. 

Dogs and cats also need to be groomed. This is when their owner, or someone who runs a business doing this, looks after their fur coats. The most basic grooming is to comb the fur and make sure it is straight and not dirty. Then some breeds, especially those with long hair, might need it washing and cutting to make them look smart and good. This is in addition to providing dogs and cats with food and water to eat and drink, so they take more looking after.

Exercise 3 – Writing Role-plays

In this exercise you have to write role-plays. Below you have been given two sets of participants (the people), the situation (what is happening) and location (where it happens), and you have to write what the people would say to each other.

Role-play 1

• Participants: Group of dog owners (2 or more)
• Situation: Talking about their dogs
• Location: In the park

Role-play 2

• Participants: Shop owner, mother or father, child
• Situation: A parent is getting their child a new pet
• Location: Pet shop