Explaining How Something Works
B1 · Writing Lab · about 30 minutes
1 · Learn
Process writing answers “how?” in order. Its skeleton: an introduction naming the process and the result, the steps in strict sequence (First / Next / After that / Finally), and a closing note about the result or a common mistake. Miss a step and the reader's cake — or engine — fails.
The passive voice earns its keep here: “The beans are roasted”, “The mixture is poured into tins.” Processes care about WHAT happens, not who does it, so the passive keeps the thing — not the worker — in the spotlight.
2 · See an Example
How Sourdough Bread Is Made
Sourdough bread takes two days and almost no work — most of the time, the bread makes itself. The process starts with the starter, a living mixture of flour and water full of natural yeast.
First, the starter is mixed with flour, water, and salt, and the dough is kneaded for ten minutes. Then it is left to rise for about four hours; during this rest, it is folded gently two or three times. After that, the loaf is shaped and put into a cold fridge overnight, where the flavor slowly develops. Finally, it is baked in a very hot oven for forty minutes.
The result is a bread with a dark, crunchy crust and a deep, slightly sour taste — proof that patience is an ingredient too.
3 · Analyze the Example
- Introduction = promise + surprise. “Two days and almost no work” — the reader gets the shape of the process and a hook in one line.
- Passive spotlight. “Is mixed / is left / is shaped / is baked” — the dough stays the star; no baker needed in the sentences.
- Sequence + timing. First / Then / After that / Finally, each with durations. A process without times is a rumor.
- Closing evaluates the result. The last line describes the product and lands a small truth (“patience is an ingredient”).
Useful Vocabulary
The process takes two days.
Stir the mixture slowly.
Knead the dough for ten minutes.
The dough rises in a warm place.
Patience is the secret ingredient.
Useful Expressions
- The process starts with …
- First, … is mixed / heated / cut …
- Then / After that / Finally, …
- … is left to … for … (time)
- The result is …
Common Mistakes
✗ You take the flour and you mix it and then you wait and you bake it and you eat it.
✓ The flour is mixed with water and salt. The dough is left to rise for four hours, then it is baked for forty minutes.
Endless “you…” instructions sound like a chat message. Process writing uses the passive and names times.
✗ Finally, you mix the ingredients. First, you bake the cake.
✓ First, you mix the ingredients. Finally, you bake the cake.
Sequence words must match reality: first things first, finally last. One swap breaks the whole process.
✗ The water is boiled and add the tea.
✓ The water is boiled, and the tea is added.
In a passive chain, every verb needs its “be”: is boiled, is added.
4 · Guided Practice
Put the steps in order and add sequence words: (Pour the water over the coffee. / Grind the beans. / Drink and enjoy. / Heat the water.)
See a model answer
First, the beans are ground. Then the water is heated. After that, the water is poured over the coffee. Finally — drink and enjoy.
Rewrite in the passive: “Workers pick the olives in October.”
See a model answer
“The olives are picked in October.”
Find the missing step: “To make tea: boil water → pour it on the tea → drink it.” What is missing for good tea?
See a model answer
The waiting step: “The tea is left for three to five minutes” — brewing time is the step everyone forgets.
5 · Write — Your Task
✍️ Explain a process you know well — how a food is made, how to change a bicycle tire, how a plant grows, how to apply for something: introduce it, give the steps in sequence with times where they matter (passive where natural), and close with the result or a pro tip.
Goal: 3 paragraphs, 10–13 sentences · Length: 170–210 words
- List your steps on paper first — check none is missing before you write.
- Use the passive for steps where the actor doesn't matter.
- Give times and quantities: “for ten minutes” beats “for a while”.
6 · Check — Self-Check
Work through your checklist honestly, then run the Self-Check. It counts words and sentences and spots mechanical points — it does not grade your English. You are the editor.
Read a model answer for the task
A good omelet takes five minutes and three eggs, but the order of the steps makes all the difference. First, the eggs are beaten with a little salt until the color is one pale yellow. Meanwhile, a pan is heated slowly — never rushed — and a piece of butter is melted until it foams.
Then the eggs are poured in and the edges are pulled gently toward the center as they set. After about a minute, cheese is added, and the omelet is folded once. Finally, it rests on the warm plate for thirty seconds. The result: soft in the middle, golden outside, and gone in two minutes.
7 · Improve & Rewrite
Weak version — rewrite it in your notebook first, then compare:
How to make coffee: you put coffee in the machine and water and you press the button and coffee comes and you drink it.
See an improved version
Good coffee from a simple machine is mostly about order. First, fresh water is poured into the tank — yesterday's water makes yesterday's coffee. Next, a paper filter is placed in the basket and rinsed, so no paper taste survives. Then the ground coffee is added, leveled, and only then is the button pressed. After four minutes, the coffee is poured at its peak. The result is a cup that needs no apology.
Quick Quiz
Keep going
📘 Grammar deep-dive: Passive Voice: be + past participle🌱 Vocabulary Builder: the B1 Food Cooking set← Previous lesson · B1 — all lessons · Next: Writing Reviews: Movies, Books, and Places →
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