Soho - my favourite part of town

lively   colourful   exciting   famous   continental   honest   pedestrianised    shabby   

interesting  cosmopolitan    Chinese   endless   royal     magnetic

 

Do you feel these adjectives would describe people, places or food?

 

Divide this text into three paragraphs – Introduction, History, Other Parts of Soho. 

 

One of my favourite parts of London is Soho, which is right in the centre, and includes Piccadilly Circus, Shaftesbury Avenue and Leicester Square. One of the main reasons I like it is that it is always lively and colourful, with people dashing around going about their business - most of it honest, some of it not. The place is a bit of a mess, and the buildings aren’t the most beautiful in London. The streets are a bit shabby but always interesting, with surprises around every corner. The name is derived from a hunting call, ”So-ho”, that huntsmen were heard to cry as they chased deer in royal parklands. It has been a cosmopolitan area since the first immigrants, who were French Huguenots, arrived in the 1680s. More French arrived escaping the revolution during the late 18th century, followed by Germans, Russians, Poles, Greeks and Italians. Soho is packed with continental food shops and restaurants. More recently there have been a lot of Chinese from Hong Kong. Gerrard Street, which is pedestrianized, is the centre of London’s Chinatown. It has restaurants, Chinese supermarkets, and in February there are the New Year celebrations. Many famous people have lived in Soho, including Mozart, Karl Marx and the poet T. S. Eliot. It has a reputation for attracting artists, writers and poets. Shaftesbury Avenue is in the heart of London’s theatre land, and there are endless clubs/pubs, cafes, street markets, advertising agencies, clothes shops, music publishers and recording studios, which makes it an exciting place to live and work. Piccadilly Circus is like a magnet for young people from all over the world. They like to sit on the steps under the statue of Eros, celebrating the freedom and friendship of youth. It is said that if you wait long enough at Piccadilly Circus, you’ll meet everyone you’ve ever known! 

Discuss: What do the words in bold mean?

 

 

1. One of my favourite parts of London

 

2. One of the main reasons I like it is that

 

3. The place is a bit of a mess,

 

4. The streets are a bit shabby

 

5. It has been a cosmopolitan area since the first immigrants, who were French Huguenots,

 

6. Soho is packed with continental

 

7. there are endless clubs/pubs, cafes, street markets, advertising agencies, clothes shops, music publishers and recording studios,

 

8. Piccadilly Circus is like a magnet

 

9. if you wait long enough at Piccadilly Circus,

 

 

 

 

 

A. and the buildings aren’t the most beautiful in London.

 

B. but always interesting,

 

C. which makes it an exciting place to live and work.

 

D. for young people from all over the world.

 

E. you’ll meet everyone you’ve ever known! 

 

F. arrived in the 1680s

 

G. is Soho

 

H. it is always lively and colourful

 

I. food shops and restaurants.

 

Can you recall the adjectives that were where these gaps in the text are?

 

One of my_________ parts of London is Soho, which is right in the centre, and includes Piccadilly Circus, Shaftesbury Avenue and Leicester Square. One of the main reasons I like it is that it is always ________ and________, with people dashing around going about their business. The place is a bit of a mess, and the buildings aren’t the most_______ in London, but the streets are always_______, with surprises around every corner.

 

The name is derived from a hunting call, ”So-ho”, that huntsmen were heard to cry as they chased deer in royal parklands. It has been a ________ area since the first immigrants, who were French Huguenots, arrived in the 1680s. More French arrived escaping the revolution during the late 18th century, followed by Germans, Russians, Poles, Greeks and Italians. Soho is packed with _______ food shops and restaurants. More recently there have been a lot of Chinese from Hong Kong. Gerrard Street, which is__________, is the centre of London’s Chinatown. It has restaurants, Chinese supermarkets, and in February there are the New Year celebrations. Many ________ people have lived in Soho, including Mozart, Karl Marx and the poet T. S. Eliot. It has a reputation for attracting artists, writers and poets.

 

Shaftesbury Avenue is in the heart of London’s theatre land, and there are ________ clubs/pubs, cafes, street markets, advertising agencies, clothes shops, music publishers and recording studios, which makes it an _______ place to live and work. Piccadilly Circus is like a magnet for _________ people from all over the world. They like to sit on the steps under the statue of Eros, celebrating the freedom and friendship of youth. It is said that if you wait long enough at Piccadilly Circus, you’ll meet everyone you’ve ever known!