8 Part 1:The Writing Process A report on the spread of TB worldwide d)Nursery education is better for children than staying at home with mother-Discuss. A study of the growth of nurseries since 1995 A report on the development of children who remain at home until five' A discussion comparing speaking ability in the two groups of children An outline of the increase of women in the labour market since 1960 e)Compare studying in a library with using the internet.Will the former become redundant? The benefits of using books The drawbacks of internet sources Predicted IT developments in the next 15 years An outline of developments in library services since 1945 6.Underline the key terms in the following titles and decide what you are being asked to do. Example: sm Relate means to link one thing to another.The title is asking for links to be made between the growth of railways in Europe in the nineteenth century and the political philosophy of nationalism.The writer must decide if there was a connection or not a)Identify the main causes of rural poverty in China. )e pce fcnee8由威de c)Classify the desert regions of Asia and suggest possible approaches to halting their spread
8 Part 1: The Writing Process A report on the spread of TB worldwide A case study showing how TB relates to social class A discussion of new methods of treating the disease d) Nursery education is better for children than staying at home with mother – Discuss. A study of the growth of nurseries since 1995 A report on the development of children who remain at home until five A discussion comparing speaking ability in the two groups of children An outline of the increase of women in the labour market since 1960 e) Compare studying in a library with using the internet. Will the former become redundant? The benefits of using books The drawbacks of internet sources Predicted IT developments in the next 15 years An outline of developments in library services since 1945 6. Underline the key terms inthe following titles and decide what you are being asked to do. Example: Relate the development of railways to the rise of nineteenth-century European nationalism. Relate means to link one thing to another. The title is asking for links to be made between the growth of railways in Europe in the nineteenth century and the political philosophy of nationalism. The writer must decide if there was a connection or not. a) Identify the main causes of rural poverty in China. b) Calculate the likely change in coffee consumption that would result from a 10% fall in the price of coffee beans. c) Classify the desert regions of Asia and suggest possible approaches to halting their spread
Reading and Note-Making 9 3 Evaluating a Text Having understood the title and made an outline plan,your next step is probably be is still learning these skills will be repaid by saving you from using unreliable or irrelevant materials. bout the 0 Can op Thesequestions can be shown in Start here FACT OR FACT OPINION? →OPINION AGREE OR →sE TRUE TRUSTWORTHY AGREE AND USEFUL 2.Read the following sentences and decide first ifthey are fact or opinion. eamdelcgamcsaencandforagoecwhc Opinion Agree or True or or fact?disagree? false? a)The USA has the biggest economy in the world b)Shakespeare wrote textbooks c)Shakespeare was a great writer d)Smoking can be dangerous e)Too many people(32%)smoke in Britain f)95%of criminalscannot read g)Poor education causes 75%of crime
Reading and Note-Making 9 FACT FACT OR OPINION? OPINION TRUE OR FALSE? TRUE 1. When reading a text, it is important to ask yourself questions about the value of the text. Is this text fact or opinion? If fact, is it true? If opinion, do I agree? Can this writer be trusted? These questions can be shown in a diagram: Start here 2. Read the following sentences and decide firstifthey are fact or opinion. Then decide if the factual sentences are true, and if you agree with the opinions in the other sentences. Opinion or fact? Agree or disagree? True or false? a) The USA has the biggest economy in the world b) Shakespeare wrote textbooks c) Shakespeare was a great writer d) Smoking can be dangerous e) Too many people (32%) smoke in Britain f) 95% of criminals cannot read g) Poor education causes 75% of crime 3. Evaluating a Text Having understood the title and made an outline plan, your next step is probably to read around the subject. Although you may be given a reading list, it is still vital to be able to assess the usefulness of journal articles and books. Time spent learning these skills will be repaid by saving you from using unreliable or irrelevant materials. AGREE OR DISAGREE? AGREE FALSE DISAGREE TRUSTWORTHY AND USEFUL ?
10 Part 1:The Writing Process 3.It can be seen that even short sentences can contain a mixture offact and opinion.Most longer texts,of course,consist of both. Read the following and underline facts (and opinions ( a)Britain has one of the highest crime ratesin the world. b)Arobbery takes place every five seconds.Acar isstolen every minute.Clearly not afraid of the police. c)Even ifthey are caught,few criminalsever appear in court. d)Most of those who are found guilty are let off with a tiny fine e)To restore law and order,we need many more police and much tougher punishments. 4.The previous sentences can beevaluatedas follows a)Fact but only partly true.Britain does not have one of the highest much higher rates of violent crime. b)utt er omhm hat d)This statement is vague.A fine is not letting off.What is meant by timy? From this it can be seen that even if the facts are correct,the opinions that ueh e cul no be oe better to look for another source. a)Everyyear large numbersofstudentstravel abroadtostudy atuniversity.Mostof them spend thousands of pounds on their degree courses.The cost of travel and accommodation adds significantly to theirexpenses.But they could save a loto money by studying their courses online,using the internet and email.Increasing numbers of universities are offeringtuition by the interet,and thishas many advantages for students.In the future most students are likely to stay at home and study in front of a computer b)London isan ideal cityfor youngstudents.Britain'slvely capita,with apopulationo two million,is the perfect place to live and study.Cheap,comfortable accommodation isalways available,by ystem.Another advantage is the friendly citiaens who are well-known for their custom of stopping to chat with strangers.Overall,London is probably the best place in the world to study English
10 Part 1: The Writing Process 3. It can be seen that even short sentences can contain a mixture of fact and opinion. Most longer texts, of course, consist of both. Read the following and underline facts ( ) and opinions ( ). a) Britain has one of the highest crime rates in the world. b) A robbery takes place every five seconds. A car isstolen every minute. Clearly, criminals are not afraid of the police. c) Even if they are caught, few criminals ever appear in court. d) Most of those who are found guilty are let off with a tiny fine. e) To restore law and order, we need many more police and much tougher punishments. 4. The previous sentences can be evaluated as follows: a) Fact, but only partly true. Britain does not have one of the highest overall crime rates in the world. For some crimes, e.g. car crime, the rate is high, but other countries, e.g. South Africa and the USA, have much higher rates of violent crime. b) These facts may or may not be true, but it is not clear from them that criminals are unafraid of the police. c) Fact, but not true. A significant number ofthose arrested are charged and later prosecuted. d) This statement is vague. A fine is not letting off. What is meant by tiny? e) This is a half-truth. More police would probably help reduce crime, but it is not clear if stronger punishments would have that result. From this it can be seen that even if the facts are correct, the opinions that are expressed may not be reliable. The evaluation above would suggest that the writer of the original text could not be trusted, and it would be better to look for another source. 5. Evaluate the following passages in a similar way. First underline facts and opinion, then decide if the text as a whole is trustworthy. a) Everyyear large numbers ofstudentstravel abroadtostudy atuniversity.Mostofthem spend thousands of pounds on their degree courses. The cost of travel and accommodation adds significantly to their expenses. But they could save a lot of money by studying their courses online, using the internet and email. Increasing numbers of universities are offering tuition by the internet, and this has many advantages for students. In the future most students are likely to stay at home and study in front of a computer. b) London is an ideal city for youngstudents. Britain’slively capital, with a population of two million, isthe perfectplace to live and study.Cheap, comfortable accommodation is always available, and transport is provided by the clean and reliable underground system. Another advanta ge is the friendly citizens, who are well -known for their custom of stopping to chat with strangers. Overall, London is probably the best place in the world to study English
Reading and Note-Making 11 c)Aleading academic hasclaimedthatEuropean unemploymenthas been madeworse by high rates of home ownership.He arguesthat the growing trendtowards owner- occupationisthe bestexplanation for thehigh ratesofunemploymentinEurope.This he argues,is because home owning makes people morereluctant to move if theylose their job.Hisresearch suggests that astrong private rented sector is thekeytolow unemployment.For example,Ireland,where only 9%rent their homes,has an unemployment rate of%.At theotherextreme,% but only 3%are unemployed. d)Global warming affects most people in the world,especially those livingin low-lying areas near the sea.It hasbeen predicted that themelting ofpolar icemay cause the sea to rise by as much as twelve metres by2050.This would cause flooding in many major coastal cities,such as Tokyo.It has been suggested that the best solution to this problem may be for mankind to become amphibious,like frogs.It isargued thatlf was originally found in the sea,and so it would merely be a return to our original habitat e)There isshocking new evidence of theeffectsofheavy alcoholconsumption byyoung people.In Britain in 2000 nearly 800 people under 44died from cirrhosisof theliver,a condition which ismainly caused by excessdrinking.This is over four timeshighe than the number in 1970.As a result,the government is studying the possibility of compulsoryhealth.The growingproblem seemstob due to'binge'drinking among the young,when drinkersdeliberately set out to get drunk
Reading and Note-Making 11 c) A leading academic has claimedthat European unemployment has been made worse by high rates of home ownership. He arguesthat the growing trendtowards owneroccupationisthe best explanationforthe highratesofunemploymentinEurope. This, he argues, is because home owning makes peoplemore reluctant to move iftheylose their job. Hisresearch suggeststhat a strong private rented sector isthe key tolow unemployment. For example, Ireland, where only 9% rent their homes, has an unemployment rate of8%.At theotherextreme, Switzerlandhas a rentalrate of 60%, but only 3% are unemployed. d) Global warming affectsmost people in the world, especially those livingin low-lying areas near the sea. It has been predicted that themelting of polar icemay cause the sea to rise by asmuch as twelve metres by 2050. This would cause flooding in many major coastal cities, such as Tokyo. It has been suggested that the bestsolutionto this problem may be for mankind to become amphibious, like frogs. It is argued that life was originally found in the sea, and so it would merely be a return to our original habitat. e) There isshocking new evidence ofthe effects of heavy alcohol consumption byyoung people. In Britain in 2000 nearly 800 people under 44 died from cirrhosis ofthe liver,a condition which is mainly caused by excess drinking. This is over four times higher than the number in 1970. As a result, the government is studying the possibility of compulsory health warnings on alcohol advertising. The growingproblem seemstobe due to ‘binge’ drinking among the young, when drinkers deliberately set out to get drunk
12 Part 1:The Writing Process 4. Understanding Purpose and Register Having decided that a text is reliable,a student must read and understand as much as necessary for the needs of the essay.Understanding a text is not just a matter of vocabulary;the reader needs to find out the writer's intentions. Is the aiming to question escribe or ente d The answer to this 1.Compare the two extracts below: for the College b)Are you wondering what todowiththat jumperyou weregivenforChristmas that'stwo sizes too small-or worse,the personal stereothat simply doesn't work?Well,don't worry.Chances are,you'll be able to get your dud gitts swapped,fixedor get a refund And,armed with our guide to yourrights,you'llbe abletoget any defective products orted. The first extract is written to inform the reader about a job vacancy and to give information about the work.The second aims to persua e the reader ehgegiedechen and im t The s ses a infor al to one the pronou n you,the question form and informal vocabulary such as dud and swapped 2.Read the following extracts andcom plete the table using one or two ofthe following:inform/amuse/persuade/entertain. Text Purpose a 6 The loweryou are in the e hierarchy. e nts,have had the sar t30 ductive.be 9ndoOaWetofnihhatitoihiliutSetoreoURohome Writing for publication canbe both profitable andenjoyable.It'sopentoeveryone ause you don't need any qualifications.In Britain there is a huge demand for nev devery wee .In e ar are UK's must havol g Ac o ent
12 Part 1: The Writing Process 1. Compare the two extracts below: a) Rebus College isseeking candidatesfor the positionof Treasurer.Asthe Chief Financial Officer of the College, the Treasurer is responsible for working with the senior administratio n and Trustee s to develop and implement a financial strategic vision for the College. b) Are you wondering whattodowiththatjumperyou were givenforChristmasthat’stwo sizestoo small – or worse, the personal stereothat simply doesn’t work? Well, don’t worry. Chances are, you’ll be able to get your dudgiftsswapped, fixedor get a refund. And, armed with our guide to yourrights, you’ll be able toget any defective products sorted. The first extract is written to inform the reader about a job vacancy and to give information about the work. The second aims to persuade the reader to buy the guide described. The language style, or register, of the extracts is also very different. The first uses very formal vocabulary such as seeking, position and implement. The second uses an informal tone, the pronoun you, the question form and informal vocabulary such as dud and swapped. 2. Read the following extracts andcomplete the table using one ortwo ofthe following: inform/amuse/persuade/entertain. Text Purpose a b c a) The lower you are in the office hierarchy, the more disgusting your sandwiches. You can safely assume that a chicken and banana man is not amain board director. Some people, generally those in accounts, have had the same sandwich for the past 30 years. People like to prove how busy theyare by eating their sandwich at their desk. Butthisiscounter-productive,because everytime youtake amouthful thephone rings, and you’ll only get to finish that last mouthful just before you go home. b) Writing for publication canbe both profitable andenjoyable. It’s opentoeveryone, because you don’t need any qualifications. InBritainthere is a huge demand for new materials, with thousands of newspapers and magazines published every week. In addition there are TV and radio program me s, the theatre and films. Given this situation, there are many openings for new writers. But the director of one of the UK’s main writing colleges, theWriting Academy, advises: ‘to enterthismarket successfully you must have good training’. 4. Understanding Purpose and Register Having decided that a text is reliable, a student must read and understand as much as necessary for the needs of the essay. Understanding a text is not just a matter of vocabulary; the reader needs to find out the writer’s intentions. Is the writer aiming to inform, persuade, describe or entertain? The answer to this question may affect the way a student uses the material