Контрольная работа по "Иностранному языку"

UNIT 4

WRITING ESSAYS

1. ENGLISH ESSAY STRUCTURE

An essay is a group of paragraphs about one subject. In many ways, an essay is like a paragraph in longer, fuller form. Both have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Both explain one main idea with details, facts, and examples.

However, an essay is not just a padded paragraph. An essay is longer because it contains more ideas. Each paragraph in an essay has a special purpose.

The structure of English essay is very strict, usually consists of several paragraphs (introduction, body, conclusion) that are typically presented in the following way

(Figure 1):

ESSAY STRUCTURE INTRODUCTION

Paragraph 2

Paragraph 3

BODY

Paragraph 4

CONCLUSION

The American applied linguist Robert Kaplan analyzed the organization of paragraphs in foreign student essays and came to the following conclusions:

- people may use the thinking patterns of their first language when they were writing in a second language. He suggested this because he noticed that essays written in English by college students with other first languages were often not organized like essays written by students who had English as a first language. After analyzing hundreds of such essays, Kaplan concluded that people from different cultures have different "thought patterns." (Figure 2)

Based on his evidence, Kaplan described English thought patterns as organized in a very "direct" way, represented in his diagram as a straight line progressing in one direction. Kaplan believed thought patterns of Semitic people who use languages such as Arabic and Hebrew are organized in "parallel' patterns in which grammar structures are repeated. From his analysis of English essays by East Asian students, Kaplan claimed "Orientals" thought very indirectly, without necessarily coming to the point, something that is considered important in many types of English writing.

Essays in English by students from Romance languages such as French and Spanish led Kaplan to believe that people with Romance languages think in ways that digress more often than the thinking patterns of people who have.

English as a native language. Kaplan claimed that their special thought patterns caused writers in Russian to pay a lot of attention to unimportant detail in their writing - something that native speakers of English are taught to avoid. This evidence from English essays written by foreign students led

Kaplan to conclude that people from these different language groups have patterns of thinking (Hall and Jung, 2000).

1.1 INTRODUCTION

is the beginning of the essay, which introduces the topic and presents the viewpoints of the writer.

Usually consists of one paragraph that introduces the topic, presents the writer's viewpoint

Try to catch the reader's interest, use a hook.

Introduction contains thesis statement - one sentence that states the main idea of whole text.

The THESIS STATEMENT communicates the main idea of an essay and tells the reader what the author is going to show or prove. The thesis statement tells  the topic of each paragraph in the body of the essay.

Example: "Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind."

1.2 BODY

Consists of a number of paragraphs that develop the viewpoint presented in the introduction. Each paragraph is about only one aspect of the topic. The body may

be many paragraphs long, depending on the writer's purposes and the complexity of the topic. Most essays usually involve two, three or four body paragraphs.

Support the writer's viewpoint

Contains one, two, three or more paragraphs

Each paragraph presents one and ONLY ONE aspect of the topic

There are various ways in which the body of the paragraph might develop the main idea which is expressed in the key sentence. Some of these are:

I) By giving examples:

The whirlwind destroyed everything in its path, Large trees were uprooted and hurled into the river. Shop windows were smashed. Houses toppled and fell like children's toys. The bridge across the river was ripped up and waved in the wind

like a huge tarmac ribbon. No one had foreseen such devastation.

2) By making an analogy - an extended comparison:

The college should not allow students from other colleges to attend its gigs. Inviting outsiders to a college gig is like inviting outsiders to a family dinner.

3) By using an anecdote:

The college should not allow students from other colleges to attend its parties. Last year, a gang of students from the estate began a large brawl at the Halloween party.

Several people were hurt and there was some property damage to the gym.

4) By stating reasons/suggesting possible consequences:

The college should not allow students from other colleges to attend its gigs.

Having students from other colleges at the gigs might encourage fighting among students, especially if they are from rival colleges.

5) By quoting statistics:

The college should not allow students from other colleges to attend its parties and gigs. Popular magazines state that 45% of gigs which admit outsiders end in some form of violent conflict.

6). By using a rhetorical question:

Is that true...

Have you ever had an opinion that was different from everybody else's opinion?

7). By addressing the reader directly:

If you...

8). By including a quotation - a sentence or phrase taken from a book, play etc.

When we use a quotation, it is necessary to mention the name of the person who said /write it:

As Paul Coelho wrote, "It is the possibility of having u dream come true that makes life interesting".

Of course, you may use more than one technique in a paragraph.

1.3 CONCLUSION

pulls the elements of the essay together and intensifies the writer's viewpoint.

Brings the elements of the essay together

Includes summary of points, restatements of thesis, final comments

4 Might be a sentence or a paragraph long

2. OUTLINING

An outline is a plan for how you will write an essay, Use outlines to organize your thesis, main ideas, and supporting details.

I. Introductory Paragraph

Thesis statement

II. Body Paragraph In

Main idea

1. Supporting detail

2. Supporting detail

III. Body Paragraph 2

Main idea

1. Supporting detail

2. Supporting detail

IV. Body Paragraph 3

Main idea

1. Supporting detail