English Writing Skills Improvements Excercises, Exercises of Technical English

Download English Writing Skills Improvements Excercises and more Exercises Technical English in PDF only on Docsity! AJEEP English Writing Skills Description This course aims to improve student writing on two levels: the global level of idea development, support and unity, and the more detailed level of mechanics, such as capitalization and punctuation. We will use the paragraph and essay as vehicles to strengthen writing characteristics that are shared by academic writing and writing for journalism, Each lesson has practical exercises for the students to complete in class with the help of peers and the instructor. The topics covered in this module are by no means exhaustive; they are introductions at best. Course Goals Students will strengthen their English writing skills, Course Content Learning Objectives After successful completion of this module, students will be able to LO1 explain the differences and similarities between academic writing and journalistic writing, Lo2 | understand the structure of a paragraph, LO3 write an effective tapic sentence. LO4 develop adequate support for a topic sentence. , LOS understand and exhibit unity in writing, LO6 | understand the basic essay format, LO7 understand the essay writing process. LOB develop an angle appropriate for a 5-paragraph essay. LOO write effective thesis statements, LO10 | write different styles of leads for introductions. LO12 write an effective conclusion for a feature style essay. LO13 write a 5-paragvaph essay, exhibiting a strong introduction, well- developed body, effective conclusion, with unity throughout the essay. LOW apply basic rules of capitalization in English. LOIS demonstrate appropriate use of apostrophes in English. LOW "use commas in lists and alter transition words at the beginning of | Sentences, LO16 | use commas in compound sentences. Required Texts No textbook is required for this module. Glossary of Terms Acadentic writing Writing done by scholars for scholars. Topic sentence Introductory sentence in a paragraph that states the topic of the paragraph, Controlling idea Part of a topic sentence that tells what specific aspect ofa topic a paragraph will cover. Supporting sentence Paragraph sentence that supports the topic sentence and develops your idea, Thesis statement Sentence in an academic essay that states what the essay is about, Unity ifall sentences and ideas in a paragraph or essay are related to one main idea, then the writing has unity. Anecdotal Lead Alead that tells a short true story about a person or incident related to your larger piece of writing, Scenario lead This descriptive lead puts the reader at the scene of the story. Transition wards Words that form a bridge from one idea to another idea. Simple Sentence A sentence that has only one subject-verb pair and is a complete thought. Compound Sentence Two simple sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction. Coordinating Conjunction Conjunctions that jain two independent sentences together. The coordinating conjunctions are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and sa, FANBOYS is a mnemonic device to help you remember the coordinating conjunctions. * Decumentation of sources — Academic writing and journalism use different Styles, but both require documentation and attribution. * Format ~ Opinion essays are similar to academic essays. For the English writing skills classes, we will use the essay format from academic writing and look at those characteristics that are shared by academic writing and journalism. We will net write an academic research paper. We will use the essay mostly as a vehicle to strengthen these writing skills: sentence structure, punctuation, idea development and support, and unity, Here is the outline: Lesson 1 ° Academic writing vs. journalism * introduction to paragraph format and content * Capitalization rules Lesson 2 * Topic sentences * Supporting sentences * Punctuation: apostrophes Lesson 3 * Paragraph unity — more on relationship between topic sentence and supporting sentences * Sentence structure — simple sentences and compound sentences * Punctuation — commas Lesson 4 Fram paragraph to essay * Structure of an essay * Essay writing process * Focusing your topic * Thesis statements Lesson 5 The Essay Continued * Developing introductions * Quilining Lesson 6 The Essay Continued * Writing Workshop © Write conclusion © Finish essay The Paragraph A paragraph is made of a group of related sentences that support ane main idea. A good paragraph in academic writing has the following elements: Tapic Sentence This sentence contains the main idea that the author wants to express, It is often located at the beginning of the paragraph but sometimes, especially in longer pieces, it can be found in the middle or even at the end of a paragraph. Supporting Sentences All sentences in a paragraph should support the topic sentence. A combination of details, examples, statistics, anecdotes and quotations can be used to iNustrate your idea. Logical Order ‘The sentences need ta be in an order that makes sense. This will depend on the type of paragraph you are writing, For example, if you are writing a paragraph outlining the steps to get a visa, you will likely organize the steps chronologically, using words like First, next, etc. ff you are writing a paragraph that describes a place, you will probably choose a different kind of order. Cancluding Sentence if your writing comprises only one paragraph, it should have a concluding sentence. An essay should have a concluding paragraph. Unity When all the sentences in a piece of writing relate to one main idea, it has unity, ew Practice Exercise 1 Reed the paragraphs below. Answer the following questions for each peragraph. 1) Js there a topic sentence? What is it? 2) Does the paragraph have unity? in other words, do all the sentences Support the topic sentence? 3} Does it have a concluding sentence? 4) Which paragraph is the strongest? Why? 5) How could each paragraph be improved? Paragraph 1 Advantages of Owning a Small Car Owning a smail car has several advantages over owning a large car, First of all, a small car is usually cheaper than a large car. If you purchase wisely, you will have money left over to enjoy other areas of your life. Second, a small car is easier to park. In many cities parking is very difficult, so. a small car will be helpful, it will save you a lot of time and frustration. Finally, a smail car uses less gas. Once again, you can save money. With all the advantages of owning a smail car, who can afford to buy a large one? Paragraph 2 The importance of a College Education A college education is essential for people's careers. You can gain a lot of knowledge and practical skills to help prepare you for your future. As well, many campuses have a wide variety of clubs for students to join. Sports facilities are often good too. You should research internships while you are a student because they can heip you get a job when you graduate. Paragraph 3 The Healthy Student Staying healthy is not easy, especially when you are a student, Here a few tips to follow. The first is to get enough sleep. Time management is key. If you are organized about studying, then you won't have to stay up all night to study. Another thing is to eat well. It's easy and convenient to grab fast food, but it's not so great for your body. Eat healthy to feel more energetic. Finally, yau should exercise regularly. So really it's about time management and energy. Practice Exercise: 2 With a partner, rewrite paragraphs 2 and 3. Use the same tapic sentences that are given for each paragraph, but change the supporting sentences so that they ail relate to the main idea. Remember ta include a concluding sentence. When you are finished, we will look at your paragraphs together with your classmates. Capitalization: Practice Exercise 4 The following sentences ail have errors in capitalization. Add capitals where necessary. 1. While in dubai, the professors visited the bur] khalifa. 2. Professor karimi is teaching beginning reporting this semester. Laily studied french in paris. w My sister works for googie. wos The radio station is located on the corner of main street and park avenue. His favorite food is italian. The professors toured many media outlets while they were in san jose. They visited the san jose mercury news, kqed news, and bay area tv. om NM a This year’s women in media conference will be held from january 2 to january 5. 10. The keynote speaker for the conference will be ms. halima kazem. Capitalization: Practice Exercise 2. The following paragraph needs capital letters! Change small letters to capital letters wherever you think it is necessary. maria kazem i'd like to introduce my classmate, maria kazem. she is frorn kabul, the capital city of afghanistan. maria is 32 years old and has been teaching journalism for four years. before that, she worked as a reporter for war and peace reporting, she continues to write news articles and is a frequent contributor to ap. in january, maria established an organization called writing for women. this is an organization which helps women writers get gublished. in her free time {when she has any!), maria likes to watch old movies and g0 for fongs walks in the park. maria currently lives in san jose with her husband and twe children. Your Turn: interview a classmate and write a paragraph similar to the one above. Your paragraph should be 100-150 words long, Be sure to use capital letters correctly. English Writing Skills Lesson 2 Review Capitalization What's wrong with the following sentences? ® faisal’s brother studies economics. * Halima Kazem teaches beginning reporting. * Last weekend, we saw the golden gate bridge and visited the muir woods. ¢ Julie rented a van. [ think it was a honda. * Thank gad itis friday! Last week we started talking about the paragraph. What makes a good paragraph? * One main idea * Topic sentence (statement of your idea} * Supporting sentences (development of your idea} ® Unity * Concluding sentence Topic Sentence and Supporting Sentences The topic sentence is usually found at the beginning of the paragraph and introduces the reader to the tupic of the paragraph. It has two parts: the topic and the controlling idea. The topic states the subject, and the controlling idea tells what specific aspect of the subject the paragraph will discuss, Look at the following examples. What is the topic? What is the controlling idea? ° Exercise is goad for both mental and physical health. * Exercise can be practiced from a very early age toa very old age. ° Exercising in the outdoors has many benefits, « Afghan weddings are expensive, especially for the groom, ° Afghan weddings require weeks of preparation and involve the work of many people. What does the controlling idea do? It tells you what specific aspect of the subject the paragraph will be about. it narrows the focus. So if we look at the example about Afghan weddings being expensive for the groom, everything that follows that sentence must be about wedding cxpenses paid by the groom. You cannot, for example, write about traditional wedding dances in that paragraph unless it is somehow related the groom’s expenses. Likewise in the third example, you could not include information about exercising indoors. The topic sentence limits the scope of the paragraph. Look at the previous examples of topic sentences. What kind of information would you include in cach paragraph? Elicit answers and examples from class. (Together, do Afghan weddings are expensive, especially for the groom. Put an board, Talk about relationship of supporting sentences to topic sentence. } Use of Apostrophes in English Contractions Apostrophes are used jn contractions to indicate missing letters, Contractions are used frequently in speaking and informal writing, but not in academic writing. In journalism, contractions are used only in quotations. ‘There are many contractions in English. Here are a few examples. he’s heis won't will not it's itis they'd they would or they had Possessives Possessives are words that show ownership. There are two ways to do this in English. * Use an apostrophe followed bys. Lg. That is Diane’s camera, (the camera belangs to Diane.) * Use a prepositional phrase with of. Examples: the house of my neighbor (the house that belongs to my neighbor} the roof of my house (the roof that belongs (or is attached) to my house} * When you use a person's name, you must use an apostrophe + s to show possession. Susan’s computer - correct The computer of Susan -- incorrect Rules for using apostrophes to show possession 1. Singular noun that does not end ins Add apostrophe + s eg. friend my friend’s sister car my car's headlights 2. Plural noun that does not end ins Add apostrophe + s eg. children the children’s teacher women the women’s soccer team 3. Plural noun that cnds ins Add apostrophe only eg. students the students’ classroom horses the horses’ stable 4, For singular nouns or names ending ins, AP style uses use an apostrophe only, eg. Kansas’ new governor ‘Thomas’ cat (There is much disagreement on this rule; it changes depending on which publication you are writing far.) Common Mistakes and Problems 1. Do not confuse its and it’s. its is a possessive pronoun. The cat licked its paw. (ne apostrophe!) (like her, his, their) i@’s is a contraction for itis. /#’s (itis) hottoday. —_ (apostrophe is necessary) 2. Do net use apostrophes to make nouns plural, The professor's have a meeting at 3 p.m. this afternoon. Incorrect The professors have 4 meeting at 3 p.m. this afternoon. Carrect Practice Exercise A Change each of the following phrases ta the possessive using an apostrophe or an apostrophe + s, 1. the pooms of Rumi 2. the capital city of Afghanistan 3. the president of CNN 4, the assignments of Une students 5. the dresses of ladies 6. the perfume of the flowers 7. the brother of Chris 8. the members of the UN _ 9. the orders of the doctor _ 10. the questions of the reporters 11. the votes ofthe people Practice Exercise B Write one sentence for each word listed below. Use the passessive form. children men girls people reporters English Writing Skills Lesson 3 Topic Sentences and Supporting Sentences Topic sentence has two components: 1) topic 2) controlling idea What is the difference? Topic - general Controlling idea - specific aspect of topic What is the topic and controlling idea in each of the following sentences? « Afghan weddings are expensive, especially for the groom. * [fyou want to learn a language, immersion is the best way to do it. ¢ Although biking on campus is necessary, we should implement some rules to make it safe for everyone. * Solving the problem of gun violence in America is not complicated; it is simple. * Spanking children isn’t child abuse, but it’s not an effective way to teach a lesson. In each of these examples, what kind of information would you expect to follow? In other words, what will the supporting sentences tell you? Supporting sentences develop the idea expressed in the topic sentence by providing details in the form of « Examples = Anecdotes + Statistics * Quotations (Elicit an example of each kind of support using the Afghan weddings example.) Practice Exercisé 1. Tn the last class, we wrote topic sentences for the following topics. Chuose one of the topic sentences you wrote and develop a paragraph. Each person should write a paragraph, Traveling in Afghanistan Learning English Sports Being a journalist Teaching Flowers Peer Editing When you are finished, exchange paragraphs with someone else who has finished. Read each other's paragraph. Do all sentences in the paragraph support the topic sentence? Submit your paragraph to me after one of your colleagues has read it. Coordinating conjunctions join two sentences together. They are: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so FANBOYS ~ this word can help you remember the coordinating conjunctions, Examples of Compound Sentences 1. President Qayoumi opened the ceremonies, and Bob Rucker clased them. 2. The test was difficult, but it was fair. 3. He might move to New York, or he might move to Boston. 4. Kelly wanted to learn Dari, so she moved to Afghanistan. On both sides of the conjunctions, there are complete sentences. For example, sentence #1 could be split into the following sentences. President Qayoumi opened the ceremonies. Bob Rucker closed then. When you join two simple sentences with a coordinating conjunction, you must use a comma before the conjunction. Comma or no comma? (Do together as a class.) Find the conjunction. Is there a complete sentence on either side of the conjunction? If so, then you need a comma. 1. Faisal might study economics or business. He hasn't decided yet. 2. He might study economics or he might join his father’s company. 3. The weather was hot and rainy. 4. The weather was hot and it rained every day. 5. She studied hard but she didn’t pass the test. 6. Laily studied hard and passed the test. ?. Maria was not tired so she went to bed late. 4 Practi¢é Exercise-L Add commas where necessary. 1. Maria Laily Parwana and Shafiga all cooked dinner for us. it was delicious and very filling. The women went for a walk after dinner and the men stayed back and watched TV. Therefore the men were a little sleepy and the women were full of energy. Everyone had tea when the women returned from their walk. Finally Susan drove everyone back to the hotel. The professors were tired but they stayed up late to work on their packages, The professors have several classes tomorrow: Video Editing English News Writing and Editing. (How many different ways could you edit this one?!) Practice Exercise 2 Write sentences describing the steps necessary to obtain a travel visa. Pay particular attention to punctuation. Practice Exercise 3° Conipound Sentences A. Read the following folktale. B For sentences 1-5, explain why commas are used or nat used. c For sentences 6-8, you decide if commas are needed. The Fisherman and his Wife Once upon a time, there was a poor fisherman who lived with his wife, Isabel, in a hovel by the sea. One day, the fisherman was surprised to catch a golden fish. The fish begged to he Iet go, “lam no ordinary fish,” it said. '“l am really a magic prince, and | will not taste very good to you.” *This impressed the fisherman, so he let the fish go back ta the sea. When his wife heard the story, she said the fisherman should have asked the lish to grant him a wish. 2Isabel told her husband to go back and ask the fish to grant her wish for a nice house. “The fisherman returned to the sea but was nervous when he saw that the sea was becoming black. 5He sang a song ta summon the fish, and it granted the wife's wish. The wife was happy with her new house only for a short time. “She soon became greedy and asked for more. First she wanted a castle where she would be queen. Next, she wanted to be an empress and finally, a pope. ’The fisherman knew this was wrong but he could not reason with his wife. The fish granted the wishes, but each time, the sea hecame blacker and stormier. Eventually the fisherman’s wife went too far. “| want to make the sun and moon rise, T want ta be like God,” she said. ®The fish toak back everything it had given the couple and the fisherman and his wife lived once again in their hovel. Practice Exercise. In a small group, write a folktale from your country. Use compound sentences and pay attention to comma usage, Narrowing your topic: developing an angle (Talk about developing angles using funnel method and tree method.) Funnel {Draw a funnel shape around the topies below.) At the top, you have a topic so general that you could fill several books about it, As you go dawn the funnel, you continually narrow your topic until you come to a topic that is suitable for the size of essay or article you are writing. At each stage ask, “What about the topic?” What about Afghan weddings? What about preparation for Afghan weddings? Etc. Weddings Afghan weddings Preparation for Afghan weddings Clothing preparation for Afghan weddings Develop thesis statement here? Tree - sketch tree with Dubai as trunk and subtopics as branches Dubai {HUGE topic} ° Life in Dubai o Life for immigrants in Dubai 8 Life for Indian immigrants in Dubai * Shopping in Dubai «© Modern shapping centers © Shepping in the Seuks = Shopping for gold in the Souks - hew to find a good deal, "Other? Their ideas? * Tourism in Dubai co star hotels in Dubai = Who stays at 7-star hotels? = How does a hotel become a 7-star hotel? * Architecture 2 ? Their ideas {Ask fur and add their ideas to the tree.) Practice Activity.4 Work witha par ther, Use cither the tree method or “the funnel method to find an angle suitable for a 5-paragraph essay. Use one of the topics below. Afghanistan Teaching Media {Pairs put diagrams on board. Class critique on focus ~ doable in short essay?) The Thesis Statement We've already covered topic sentences, so the thesis statement should be fairly easy. A thesis statement is similar to a topic sentence, While a topic sentence states the main idea of a paragraph, the thesis statement introduces the main idea of the essay, (The thesis statement is similar to the nut graf in feature writing} The thesis statement controls the focus of the essay: each paragraph that follows should develop and support the thesis statement. Some points about the thesis statement: 1. It introduces the main idea of the essay. 2. It limits the topic to a size that is appropriate for the length of the essay / article. 3. Experienced writers often imply the main idea without stating it directly in one particular sentence. For beginning writers, or for writers working in anew language, stating your thesis will help make your essay clearer. 4. As a writer, you have the choice of where to put your thesis statement. However, for beginning writers, the most common place to put the thesis statement is after the introduction / lead. The thesis statement can be the last sentence in the first paragraph, or can stand alone, as its own paragraph. Practice Activity 2 : Look at the fallowing thesis statements. They are written for a 5-paragraph essay. Which do you think are most successful? Which ones are not successful, and why? My hometown was founded in 1652. My hometown has several interesting historical sites that visitors should see. Speaking more than one language has several advantages. Learning a new language is difficult Improving your pronunciation in a different language can be difficult, but there are a few tips that will help you become a better speaker. I'm going to tell you about people fram my country. People in Afghanistan come from different ethnic backgrounds, but they share two common characteristics: they are extremely sociable and have a good sense of humor, UB WN pe No Practice Activity.3 Write a thesis statement for the angle that you | developed in practice activity 1. Remember, the thesis statement should present the main idea that the author will develop in his or her essay. Homework Using the thesis statement that you developed in today’s class as a guide, brainstorm some ideas and make a list of possible support points. Write more ideas than you will heed so that you can choose the best. In the next class, we will work on outlines and introductions. In the last class we will work on conclusions. English Writing Skills Lesson 5 Outlining What is an outline? Do you use them? When and why? As you hogin to write longer pieces, outlining becomes increasingly important. Why? Let's go back to cur old example of Afghan weddings, with the thesis statement, Afghan weddings are expensive, especiuily for the groom. Let’s brainstorm together support for that statement. Think of examples, details, maybe even some personal stories. (Put all ideas on board and critique together as a class.) * Does each of these ideas support the thesis statement? * Cut those that do not support the thesis statement. * Is there a logical way to group our ideas? » How could we write an outline for this essay? Is there an order that seems best? e {Put outline on board.) Practiee Exercise 1 Using your notes, make an outline for your essay. Look at your thesis statement. Does the outline support your thesis statement? Do the details support your thesis statement? If anything does not relate to the thesis statement, cut it! Introductions / Leads The introduction for an essay is much like the introduction or lead for a feature article. It is not like a news story lead. What kind of lead does a news story use? (A summary lead.) Can someone explain that to me? Do not use this type of lead for your introduction to your essay. People read a news story because they are looking for information. But people read a feature article or an essay because they are interested in the topic. Ifyou cannot hook your audience with your introductian, they will not read further. So that means an interesting introduction is perhaps even more important in a feature article or essay than in a news article. Purpose of the introduction * capture the interest of the readers * introduce the topic ** Do not use a summary lead for an introduction to a feature article or an academic essay, English Writing Skills Lesson 6 Today, we will work on writing conclusions and finalizing your essay in class, Writing Conclusions Your conclusion signals the end of your essay and should leave a lasting impression on the reader; It’s important to note that conclusions are different for academic writing, feature writing and news writing. News writing --- this one is casy hecause there are usually no conclusions in news writing for print. Academic writing (and report writing) - conclusion required * Summarizes main points of essay * Does not introduce new support * Sometimes restates thesis statement in a different way * Often includes a prediction or a recommendation for future action. Feature writing - conclusion required * Does not usually summarize the main points * Does not introduce new support « Uses comments, anecdotes, quotes or observations ina way that highlight the main idea. * Leaves a strong impression in the mind of the reader ~ just as the lead creates strong interest in the story. Examples Example 1 Let's go back to our example of Afghan weddings, with the following as our thesis statement. Afghan weddings are expensive, especially for the groom. In summary, the Afghan groom has large payments to make in the areas of wedding preparation, the wedding ccremony itself and for household purchases. This financial obligation is a burden for many men, and indeed an increasing number must postpone marriage for lack of adequate resources, A recent study, however, indicates that in urban areas of Afghanistan, the bride’s family is increasingly contributing to wedding costs. This new trend offers a glimmer of hope to those Afghan men who simply cannot afford to get married. Feature Article Summary For many men in Afghanistan, getting married is not a joyous rite of passage, but an enormous financial problem. In the words of Ahmed Karimi, “I want to get married, but my bank account won't let me.” Example 2 Here is one more example, this time abcut the differences between Canadian and American English. Academic Summary To summarize, Canadian English and American English exhibit differences in three main areas: vocabulary, pronunciation, and spelling. Though the differences are distinct enough to indicate a person's nationality, they are minor, and rarely cause miscommunication. Further studies on pcaple’s preconceived ideas associated with various Canadian and American regional accents is an area worth investigating. Feature Article Summary if you find yourself speaking with someone and wondering if they are Canadian or American, listen closely. Their words may give you the answer. Write Your Conclusion Work on your conclusion. When you arc finished, exchange conclusions with a partner and do peer reviewing. For this essay, | would like you to write a conclusion that could be used in a feature article. De act write a summary conclusion. Peer Reviewing Read your partner’s conclusion. Is it clear? Road the introductory paragraph. Is the conclusion related to the introductory paragraph? Is the conclusion written in feature writing style? (There should be no summary.) Is there anything you can think of that would make your partner’s conclusion stronger? Finalize your Essay Use the following checklist to help you finalize your essay. Checklist Format Title -- Do you have a title that is properly capitalized? Spacing - Is your essay douhle-spaced? Indentation ~ Are paragraphs indented? Margins - Do you have a 1-inch margin around the text? Does your essay have: an introductory paragraph three body paragraphs a conchiding paragraph Content Thesis statement - Does your essay have a thesis statement? Do ail paragraphs support the thesis statement? Topic sentences — Does each paragraph have a topic sentence? Do all paragraphs have unity? Does each paragraph have good detail to support its topic sentence? Is there a logical flow between sentences and paragraphs? Grammar, etc. Spelling - Do a speli-check on your computer. Capitalization: -Gcheck for capitalization; use the handout trom lesson 1. Subject-verb agreement ~ Do all verbs agree with their subjects in number? Verb tense shifts ~ Are verb tenses consistent? Punctuation - Check for correct usage of periods and coramas.