Pre-Sessional Programme
Presentation Introduction / Outline: Peer Feedback
Listen to your classmate’s presentation introduction/outline, and make notes ( , x, comment) on the following
points so that you can give him/her some useful feedback. Please listen to the CONTENT and think about the
STRUCTURE, as well as the DELIVERY.
1. Speaker appears confident and purposeful before starting to speak
2. Speaker attracts audience's attention from the beginning
3. Speaker introduces himself/herself
4. Speaker introduces the topic and the aim(s) of the presentation
5. Speaker makes his/her position on the topic clear
6. Speaker explains how the presentation will be organised

Make a note of the structure here:

Is this structure logical? If not, what changes would you make?

Does the structure/content match the presentation title and thesis statement?
7. Speaker indicates when questions will be answered
8. Speaker smiles and looks at everyone in the audience
9. Speech clear and audible to entire audience (no pronunciation problems)
10. Talk given with confidence and enthusiasm
11. Presentation addressed to all parts of the audience
12. Eye contact with audience throughout presentation
13. Speaker does not read from script
14. Pace neither too fast nor too slow
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
Learning outcomes
At the end of this lesson you will have
 become more aware of the need for effective strategies to record and remember academic collocates
 encountered a number of common collocates and become more effective using them in context
1)
2)
3)
4)
What are your strategies for recording academic vocabulary?
What is a collocation?
Why are collocations particularly important in developing your academic writing?
What strategies can you employ to improve your knowledge of collocations?
COLLOCATIONS FOR STRUCTURING AN ARGUMENT
A. Organising the text
Here are some useful collocations for organising one’s arguments.
Adverbs in English fall into two main categories: those ending in –ly (e.g. softly) and those with other endings
(e.g. well).
Later, I shall make reference to the work of Georgi Pereimutter, a leading figure in the field of zoology.
In this chapter, I draw a distinction between societies where democracy has developed slowly and those
where it came about quickly or suddenly.
Chapter 3 raises important questions about the need for transport planning in rapidly growing urban
environments. It also touches on issues such as pollution.
But we also need to take into consideration the economic history of Latin America as a whole.
This chapter makes a case for re-examining the assassination of President Kennedy in the light of evidence
which has emerged since 1963.
B. Reinforcing arguments
Look at these extracts from university lectures and note the collocations.
Many studies have attempted to assess the significance of diet in the prevention of cancer.
Wastov lays emphasis on examining the vital first three years of a child’s development.
These statistics lend support to the view that attitudes to the environment are changing fundamentally.
Some economists hold firmly to the belief that a certain level of unemployment is inevitable.
C. More collocations for referring to arguments
The book The Eye of the Universe draws an analogy1 between the birth of the universe and a lottery. It also
draws parallels2 between the formation of new stars and the birth and death of flowers. It presents the case
for a complete rethinking of how we understand space. The author, Patrick Rivaux, puts forward the
argument that the universe is as it is because we humans are here looking at it. The author takes up/adopts
the position that the universe cannot have any beginning or end, and states his opinion that we can never
understand the universe using the human ideas of time and space. He argues convincingly 3 that the universe
has a unique nature. He draws attention to new research which suggests that other universes may also exist
alongside ours. He briefly summarises 4 the views of leading physicists and mathematicians, disagrees
profoundly 5 with some of them and draws the conclusion that science alone cannot solve the mystery of the
universe.
Look at A and fill in the gaps in this article.
Collocations in English (1) _______________ into a number of different categories. In this article I should like
to draw a (2) _______________________ between ‘ordinary’ collocations and those that are so fixed they can
be called idioms. Although my main focus is on ‘ordinary collocations, I shall also to some extent (3)
____________ idioms into consideration too. I plan to (4) ____________ a number of questions about
learning collocations in a foreign or second language. I shall attempt to answer these questions by (5)
______________ reference to the work of the leading writers in the field. My intention is to make a strong (6)
____________ for a more intensive focus on collocation in the language learning process. I shall also (7)
_____________________ on issues such as pronunciation.
Look at B and C and complete these collocations.
1. ____________________ the significance of a factor
2. argue something very _______________________
3. _________________ an analogy
4. ____________ support to an argument
5. put ______________ an argument
6. ________ firmly to a belief
7. ________ attention to a new trend
8. ________ emphasis on one factor
9. disagree ________________ with someone
10. ________ a conclusion
1
makes a comparison between things which have similar features, to help explain an idea
says that something is very similar to something else
3
argues in a way that makes people believe that something is true or right
4
expresses the most important ideas in a short and clear form
5
disagrees very strongly or in an extreme way
2
Choose the correct collocation
1. This paper proposes / presents / offers the case for the complete revision of the theory.
2. Recent research hints / explains / suggests that Jackson’s theory of economic development is flawed.
3. The author of the book adopts / adapts / affects an unusual position on the topic.
4. The writer of the article explains / states / declares his opinion very clearly.
5. The article concludes by briefly / shortly / precisely summarising the main points that the author wishes
to put across.
6. The writer does / draws / creates some interesting parallels between life now and life in the Middle
Ages.
7. I keep / take / hold firmly to my belief in the importance of basic human rights.
8. The book rises / arises / raises some key questions but fails to deal with them in a satisfactory manner.
Correct the nine collocations errors in this review of an academic article.
Kerr takes in a controversial position in his latest article. He gets forward the argument that differences in
behaviour between the sexes can be explained in terms of genes. He attempts to do a case for educating boys
and girls separately in their primary school years. He argues, occasionally persuadingly, that both sexes would
benefit from this. He pulls attention to recent research which, he claims, makes support for his argument.
However, he fails to draw a number of important factors into consideration. He also gives no reference to the
important work of Potter and Sinclair in this field. I am sure that I will not be alone in disagreeing highly with
many of his conclusions.
Follow up
Look up the words theory, research, and argument (with its academic meaning) in a good learner’s dictionary.
Make a note of any other interesting collocations that you find.
Adapted from Brown G. and Rice S. English Collocations in Use. Cambridge University Press
Hedging
In academic writing you need to make it clear when you are expressing a claim or opinion as opposed to a fact.
The best way of doing this is to distance yourself to some extent from the claim by ‘hedging’ (i.e. using less
direct language in order to make your views more measured and cautious).
There are a number of hedging techniques. Examples of them are :
1. The use of hedging verbs as appear and tend.
e.g. British shoppers do not appear to care where their food comes from as long as it is cheap.
2. The use of hedging adverbs such as arguably and fairly.
e.g. Internet Protocol Television is arguably the most interesting new media development.
3. Using that clauses to hedge.
e.g. It is widely accepted that the Athenians of Ancient Greece formed the world’s first democracy.
4. The use of the language of probability.
e.g. We may require a different model of social mobility if we are to establish a truly egalitarian society.
5. The use of hedging expressions.
e.g. On balance, patients require years of support before they can overcome post-traumatic stress.
TASK A - HEDGING VERBS
Rewrite the sentences below as hedged statements, using the words in brackets and making any other changes
necessary.
1. It has been stated that 25% of homeless adults suffer from some form of mental illness.
(estimated)
2. The practice of short selling brought about the collapse of Lehman Brothers. (contributed)
3. Drought is the major problem in some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. (appears)
4. The report concludes that in some parts of the country bipolar disorder is being overdiagnosed. (indicates)
HEDGING ADVERBS
Below are a selection of adverbs that you can use to express a degree of doubt:
apparently, approximately, arguably, reasonably, relatively, reportedly, supposedly, typically, not necessarily.
TASK B: Work with a partner and discuss which of the adverbs above you use. Try to give example
sentences.
Notes:
TASK C: Circle the most appropriate option.
1. The US economy grew fairly/slightly/approximately faster in the first quarter than was expected.
2. The transition from prison life to ordinary society is fairly/quite/relatively a difficult one.
3. Groundnut oil is similar in character but approximately/quite/rather more expensive than grapeseed oil.
4. Third-year undergraduate courses typically/ fairly/ usually cover less ground in greater depth than the first
two years.
USING THAT CLAUSES
You can use several types of impersonal that clause to distance yourself from an argument or point of view.
Note that the phrases below are only ‘semi-fixed’ in that you can, for example, change a verb such as suggest
to show or indicate.
1. It...that...
Using It... allows you to avoid phrases such as I would argue that... Below are some examples of ways to open
your sentences.
It is widely accepted that
It has been argued
It is possible to argue
It has been suggested
It seems fair to say
that ...
2. Reference to studies, etc
The latest research appears to show/ indicate
Studies show/have shown
The evidence suggests
that...
Statistics have demonstrated that
Published sources indicate
Note that with the expressions above you would need to support the ideas expressed with reference to actual
statistics, published works etc.
Also, would is sometimes used as an additional hedging device to with verbs such as appear, argue, assume,
seem and suggest.
TASK D: Correct the mistakes in the sentences.
1. It seems fair conclude that private finance initiatives (PFIs) in the public sector have suffered in some
instances from poor project management.
2. The evidences would suggest that stricter regulation of online loan companies is required.
3. It has been argue that the process of globalization should ultimately reduce global inequalities.
4. It has widely accepted that a good reputation is one of the most important assets that a company
possesses.
TASK E: Read the information in the brackets and hedge the sentences where necessary.
Homework