First Year Writing
Lesson 8
Homework Lesson 7
• Start the grammar section p47 – p57
• Study p58 & p59
• Read and prepare for next lesson p60
Turn to
p59
Exercise 1
Every organization, as soon as it gets to any size (perhaps 1,000
people), begins to feel a need to systematize its management of
human assets. Perhaps the pay scales have got way out of line, with
apparently similar-level jobs paying very different amounts; perhaps
there is a feeling that there are a lot of neglected skills in the
organization that other departments could utilize if they were aware
that they existed. Perhaps individuals have complained that they
don't know where they stand or what their future is; perhaps the
unions have requested standardized benefits and procedures.
Whatever the historical origins, some kind of central organization,
normally named a personnel department, is formed to put some
system into the haphazardry. The systems that they adopt are often
modelled on the world of production, because that is the world with
the best potential for order and system.
Reference words
Reiteration
Every organization, as soon as it
it gets to any size (perhaps 1,000
people), begins to feel a need to systematize its management of
human assets. Perhaps the pay scales have got way out of line, with
apparently similar-level jobs paying very different amounts; perhaps
there is a feeling that there are a lot of neglected skills in the
organization that other departments could utilize if they were aware
that they existed. Perhaps individuals have complained that they
they
don't know where they
they stand or what their
their future is; perhaps the
unions have requested standardized benefits and procedures.
Whatever the historical origins, some kind of central organization,
normally named a personnel department, is formed to put some
system into the haphazardry. The
The systems that they adopt are often
modelled on the world of production, because that
that is the world with
the best potential for order and system.
•
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
•
•
(Topic Sentence) Every organization, as soon as it gets to any size
(perhaps 1,000 people), begins to feel a need to systematize its
management of human assets.
(4 hypothetical situations)
Perhaps the pay scales have got way out of line, with apparently similarlevel jobs paying very different amounts;
perhaps there is a feeling that there are a lot of neglected skills in the
organization that other departments could utilize if they were aware that
they existed.
Perhaps individuals have complained that they don't know where they
stand or what their future is;
perhaps the unions have requested standardized benefits and procedures.
(concluding sentence) Whatever the historical origins, some kind of
central organization, normally named a personnel department, is formed to
put some system into the haphazardry.
(illustration sentence) The systems that they adopt are often modelled
on the world of production, because that is the world with the best potential
for order and system.
Lexical net
organization
human assets
paying
organization
unions
procedures
department
production
system
systematize
pay scales
amounts
departments
standardized
organization
system
potential
management
similar-level jobs
skills
utilize
benefits
personnel
systems
order
Exercise 2
We all tend to complain about our
our memories. Despite the elegance
of the human memory system,itit is not infallible, and we have to
learn to live with its
its fallibility. It seems to be socially much more
acceptable to complain of a poor memory, and it is somehow much
more acceptable to blame a social lapse on 'a terrible memory', than
to attribute it to stupidity or insensitivity. But how much do we know
about our
our own memories? Obviously we need to remember our
memory lapses in order to know just how bad our
ourmemories are.
Indeed one of the most amnesic patients I have ever tested was a
lady suffering from Korsakoff's syndrome, memory loss following
chronic alcoholism. The test involved presenting her
her with lists of
words; after each list she
she would comment with surprise on her
her
inability to recall the words, saying: 'I pride myself on my memory!'
She appeared to have forgotten just how bad her
her memory was'.
She
Lexical net
We all tend to complain about our memories. Despite the elegance
of the human memory system, it is not infallible, and we have to
learn to live with its fallibility. It seems to be socially much more
acceptable to complain of a poor memory, and it is somehow much
more acceptable to blame a social lapse on 'a terrible memory', than
to attribute it to stupidity or insensitivity. But how much do we know
about our own memories? Obviously we need to remember our
memory lapses in order to know just how bad our memories are.
Indeed one of the most amnesic patients I have ever tested was a
lady suffering from Korsakoff's syndrome, memory loss following
chronic alcoholism. The test involved presenting her with lists of
words; after each list she would comment with surprise on her
inability to recall the words, saying: 'I pride myself on my memory!'
She appeared to have forgotten just how bad her memory was'.
Topic Sentences
The first sentence of each paragraph in a text is called
the topic sentence and signals to the reader subject of
the paragraph that s/he is about to read. At the same
time, topic sentences act as links between the
paragraphs of a text and is, therefore, an essential
element in the structure of a text. Topic sentences have
two roles: they act as a form of courtesy to the reader, by
guiding him/her through the text’s content, while creating
a solid scaffold to help hold the text together. You are
advised to think carefully about your topic sentences,
because not only do they have a very positive effect on
the reader, an effective use of topic sentences will help
you find a methodical way to organise what you want to
say.
Turn to
p61
Task 1
Complete the text below with the following words:
ideas readers paragraphs audience topic goals idea
stages paragraph evidence sentences manner
A paragraph is a collection of related (1) …………..…………….
dealing with a single (2) ……………………….. .Learning to write
good (3) ……………... will help you as a writer remain focussed
during your drafting and revision (4) …………………….. . Good
paragraphing also greatly assists your (5) ……………..… in
following a piece of writing. You can have excellent (6) …….……,
but if those ideas are not presented in an organized (7) ……………,
you will lose your (8) ….…………. and fail to achieve your
(9) ……………… in writing. It is best to keep one (10) ……………
to one paragraph. Each idea should be developed with supporting
(11) ……………………… within the same paragraph. If you begin to
transition into a new idea, it belongs in a new (12) ………………… .
(adapted from Purdue Online Writing Lab)
Task 1 Answers
A paragraph is a collection of related (1) sentences
dealing with a single (2) topic. Learning to write good
(3) paragraphs will help you as a writer remain focussed
during your drafting and revision (4) stages. Good
paragraphing also greatly assists your (5) readers in
following a piece of writing. You can have excellent
(6) ideas, but if those ideas are not presented in an
organized (7) manner, you will lose your (8) audience and
fail to achieve your (9) goals in writing. It is best to keep
one (10) idea to one paragraph. Each idea should be
developed with supporting (11) evidence within the same
paragraph. If you begin to transition into a new idea, it
belongs in a new (12) paragraph.
(adapted from Purdue Online Writing Lab)
A Topic Sentence
Cohesion
Unity
Adequate Development
Task 2
Read the information below
and decide which of the four aspects of successful writing
the following points refer to.
1. The information a paragraph contains must be easily understandable to a
reader. A good writer will repeat key words or use synonymous words.
Pronouns can replace nouns in previous sentences and transition words
help to link points.
2. The idea or thesis the paragraph is going to focus on should be clear from
the first or second sentence. This helps
2. to guide the reader and allows them
to understand the purpose of each paragraph.
3. The topic should be discussed as fully as possible. The length will vary from
paragraph to paragraph, depending on the author's purpose, but writers
3. have two or three sentences. It is
should be wary of paragraphs that only
more than likely that the paragraph is not fully developed.
4. The entire paragraph should concern itself with a single focus. If it begins
with one focus or major point of discussion,
it should not end with another
4.
or wander within different ideas.
(adapted from Purdue Online Writing Lab)
Task 2 Answers
1. The information a paragraph contains must be easily understandable to a
reader. A good writer will repeat key words or use synonymous words.
Pronouns can replace nouns in previous sentences and transition words
help to link points. Cohesion
2. The idea or thesis the paragraph is going to focus on should be clear from
the first or second sentence. This helps to guide the reader and allows them
to understand the purpose of each paragraph. A Topic Sentence
3. The topic should be discussed as fully as possible. The length will vary from
paragraph to paragraph, depending on the author's purpose, but writers
should be wary of paragraphs that only have two or three sentences. It is
more than likely that the paragraph is not fully developed.
Adequate Development
4. The entire paragraph should concern itself with a single focus. If it begins
with one focus or major point of discussion, it should not end with another
or wander within different ideas. Unity
(adapted from Purdue Online Writing Lab)
Task 3 Read the paragraph below
and describe the role of each sentence.
More than 100,000 people have signed up for a single
online course providing English language lessons. It is
the British Council's first experiment with so-called
MOOCs, or massive open online courses, which deliver
tuition free of charge. Spain, Burma and Russia are
among the countries with the highest number of students
taking the six-week course. The British Council is
claiming this as one of the biggest English language
learning classes in the world. More than a third of these
language students are following the course through their
mobile phones.
(Sean Coughlan, bbc.co.uk, 11 Sept., 2014)
Sentence 1: This is the topic sentence: the key information is about
an online English language course.
Sentence 2: This sentence provides more information. The reader
should understand that the ‘single online course’ mentioned in the
previous sentence is an example of a MOOC. No explanation is
given regarding what the British Council is. This is what is known as
presumed knowledge of the world, where the writer decides whether
or not his reader will understand an extra-textual reference. Here the
writer has deemed an explanation unnecessary.
Sentence 3: This sentence provides more information regarding the
nationalities of the 100,000 people mentioned in sentence 1 who
have enrolled. Here the reader learns which countries they come
from and the duration of the course.
Sentence 4: The British Council is once again mentioned and the
reader now understands that the number of people enrolled is very
substantial. The non-factive verb ‘claim’ however, attributes this
information to the opinion of the British Council.
Sentence 5: This provides information regarding the means by
which the students access the course. Potentially a subsequent
paragraph could go on to develop the use of technology in language
learning.
Task 4 Read the paragraph below
and describe the role of each sentence.
Authors writing in English from all corners of the
globe will be eligible for the Man Booker Prize
from 2014, organisers have confirmed. "We are
abandoning the constraints of geography and
national boundaries," said Jonathan Taylor, chair
of the Booker Prize Foundation. At present, the
£50,000 ($79,850) prize only considers works by
writers from the Commonwealth, Ireland or
Zimbabwe.
(bbc.co.uk, 18 Sept., 2013)
Turn to
p60
HOMEWORK
Homework week 8
• Reflect on today’s lesson
• Study p62 – p64