Academic Writing IV

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Academic Writing IV

Spring 2013 Meet twice a week M, W (Sec.201)

Monday 2:00-3:50 (3-505) Wednesday 8:00-9:50 (3-516)

E-mail: Austin Casey [email protected]

Phone: 134 3922 0499

Website: http://austincasey.yolasite.com/

Office Hours: (ICB 319) Wednesday 6-8, Thursday 10-12

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Today:Personal StatementsGrammar Review Part 1Grammar Part 2

Task 1: Practice

Homework: Grammar Part 3, Journal 1 , vocabulary/reading

Important Announcement

I will be attending an IELTS Teacher Training Workshop on Mar 12, 13 (Next Week, Tuesday &

Wednesday)

I will miss the class next Wednesday morning.

Please do Journal 1

Announcement

Around March 18th there will be a representative from Bedfordshire and Plymouth to meet and

speak with students.

If you want to do post-graduate school in U.K. You will need a professional Personal

Statement (PS) and a reference letter. It must be current (updated) and accurate.

Grammar Review – N.

6 Types of Nouns:1. Subjects are what or who a sentence is about

The professor teaches.

Bill plays.

2. Direct objects receive the action of some verbs

The professor teaches biology.

Bill plays basketball.

3. Indirect objects answer the questions “for whom”, “to who”, “for what” and “to what?”

The professor teaches the class biology.

Bill gave John tickets.

Grammar Review – N.4. Subject complements follow linking verbs and describe the subject of

a sentence. Used the verb: “is-are-was-were-am” + be became

Bananas are yellow (X=Y)

The book is thick.

5. Object complements describe a direct object. Can only be used with certain verbs such as “call, make, name, elect, paint, elect”, etc.

We nominated the professor Teacher of the Year.

We elected Bill class monitor.

His coach called Bill a star.

They made him embarrassed.

They painted the door red

Definition: A noun, adjective, or pronoun serving as a complement to a verb and qualifying its direct object, as governor in They elected him

governor.


5. An object complement is an noun, pronoun, (or adjective) which follows a direct object and renames it or tells what the direct object

has become. It is most often used with verbs of creating or nominating such as make, name, elect, paint, call, etc.

We know there is a difference between calling Mayor Williams and calling Williams mayor or painting a red door and painting a door red. When the word follows the direct object and it tells what the

direct object has become, it is the object complement.

We appointed her treasurer.

The carpenter made the window a door.

The teacher thought Russel an interesting speaker.


6. Objects of prepositions simply follow prepositions

I gave my assignment to the professor.

Bessie will sing before a large audience.

Fall into darkness.

The weather in May.

Cheese from France with live bacteria.

Bears sleep throughout the winter.

Congratulations, I am so happy for you!

Alpha was sick until recently.

Grammar – Part 2 Answer Key

1. A 9. F

2. B 10. D

3. F

4. C

5. D

6. E

7. B

8. E

Grammar – Part 2 Practice

Take out a piece of paper and make your own sentences #1-6. Make one sentence for each noun type. Underline the noun.

Label them A-F

Ex:

A. The bear caught salmon from the river.

A B F

Pronouns

Pronouns are simply used to replace nouns.

Therefore they have all the same functions as nouns.

Part 3 - Verbs

*A verb is a word that shows either action (action verbs) or state of being (linking verbs)

*It is essential to identify verbs and classify them in order to determine the function of other elements in the sentence

Part 3 – Action Verbs

*Action verbs show action or activity, though they often do not involve physical motion

We slept all morning.

Bill considered the idea carefully.

The children jumped up and down on the trampoline.

*Action verbs can be transitive or intransitiveKelly kicked the ball. (“Kicked” is a transitive verb; it is followed by the

direct object “ball”.)

Chris laughed. (“Laughed” is an intransitive verb; it is not followed by an object.)

Part 3 – Linking Verbs

*Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence with a subject complement

A subject complement is a noun or adjective that describes the subject of a sentence

Sam is my friend. (“Friend” is a noun describing Sam.)

Sam seems happy. (“Happy” is an adjective describing Sam.)

With the verb “to be”, the subject complement can also be an adverb of time or place

Sam is here. (“Here” is an adverb of place.)

The play is tomorrow. (“Tomorrow” is an adverb of time.)

Part 3 – Linking Verbs

“To be” is the most common linking verb, but other verbs can also function as linking verbs:

Linking verbs by themselves cannot complete the thought of a sentence and must be followed by a subject complement

Sensory linking verbs Other common linking verbs

tastesmelllook

soundfeel

appear / seembecome / grow

proveremain / stay

turn

Transitive & Intransitive Verbs

Transitive v = action v (it needs a direct object)Intransitive v = can be action but does not have a

direct object.

Direct objects are words that receive the action of the verb.

Some verbs have direct objects and others do not.

If the verb has a direct object, it is transitive.If it does not, it is intransitive.


To determine whether a verb has a direct object,Ask: whom or what after it

Example:

He wrote the manuscript.

The verb is wrote.

Ask yourself: He wrote (what)

Answer: The manuscript is the direct object.

Therefore wrote is a transitive verb.

Transitive & Intransitive Verbs1. The dog shook his tail.

The verb is shook.

Ask yourself: The dog shook (what)

Answer: Tail is the direct object.

Therefore shook is a transitive verb.

2. The judge sentenced the man to 5 years in prison.

3. The attorney has revealed the bad news.

4. The accused man could not provide evidence.


Prosecutors charge people.

The knife’s sharp edge cut the chef.

Law enforcement had previously convicted the man.

Prosecutors charged him under a special law.

The criminal faced 5 years in a state prison.

The criminal finally escaped....


Mrs. Carper applauded.

The verb is applauded.

Ask yourself: Applauded (whom or what?)

Answer: There is no word to receive the action of the verb applauded and no direct object.

Therefore applauded is an intransitive verb.


Intransitive v = can be action but does not have a direct object.

The action ends rather than being transferred to some person or object or is modified by an adverb or adverb phrase.


The dog shook.

The verb is shook.

Ask yourself: Shook (whom or what?)

Answer: There is no word to receive the action of the verb shook and no direct object.

Therefore shook is an intransitive verb.


Intransitive can be followed by adv or prepositions

The man decided against a plea bargain. (The man is the subject) What did he do? (decided) in what particular way? (against) Notice that (against a plea bargain) is a prepositional phrase.

He refused because of his immaturity, not his lack of morals.


Alice complained bitterly. (Notice that this sentence ends with an adverb.)

At the end of the Roaring ’20s, the incarceration index rose slightly. (identify the intransitive verb and its modifier)

When faced with the problem, the scholar paused.


To find the intransitive: Ask whether or not the action is done is some

way, in some direction, or to some degree. (Notice, this sounds like the function of an adverb!)

Prepositions & Adverbs

The adverb or prepositional phrase answers a question about the verb:

The subject did something WHERE?If Charlie had run into the street, he would have

been injured.

In 1973, the incarceration number inched upward.


The subject did something WHEN?Thousands of cranes will return in the spring.

The number climbed in 1974 and in 1975.

Try this one:

Walter Payton died near the end of the century.

The company’s leader collapsed during the meeting.


The subject did something HOW or TO WHAT DEGREE?

The statistics come in any form you like.

Politicians and the public are complaining loudly.

Try these:

His blood pressure kept climbing steadily.

She worked with care and precision.


The subject did something WHY?Our elected officials listen because we vote.

Dana’s grades improved with the help of a tutor.

Try these:

Germany’s expedition leader collapsed from the effort.

Elise competed for her family.

Linking Verbs

A linking verb implies a state of being or condition for the subject, not action. It links the subject to a noun, pronoun, or adjective in a sentence.

Linking verbs restate the subject or they may be equivalent to the subject.

Linking VerbsThe test indicates that Sara is a genius.is = linking verb

Toni Morrison was able to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

1.Roads were a slushy mess on Sunday along parts of the East Coast.

2. It was an ominous evening.3. The victim pointed and told police, “That is the

robber who stole my computer.”4. Before the English speech competition, Bill

seemed nervous.

Common Linking Verbs:

Appear, prove, become, remain, feel, seem, get, smell, grow, sound, sit, taste, look, turn, feel,

look, prove, remain

Linking verbs are always intransitive. They do not express action.

The Monarchs are the winners.

They seem happy about their victory.

The team is in first place now.

Many verbs can be linking, transitive, or intransitive depending on their function.

Examples:Linking: The nation’s mood turned sour.

(The subject is not engaged in an action. Turned links mood with a state of being– sour.

Transitive: The judge turned the pages quickly. (The subject was engaged in the action (turned) and that action was transferred to an object (pages)

IntransitiveThe lawyer turned suddenly toward the back of the

courtroom.

The subject was engaged in an action (turned) and that action was done in a particular way (suddenly) but not to someone or something.

More examples

Many verbs can be either transitive or intransitiveTransitive: The crowd cheered the batter. Intransitive: People cheered wildly. Ask your self whom or what after the verb. If

there is no answer than the verb is intransitive.

Extra

Sometimes the modifiers following a linking verb may answer the question “what” as a direct object does for a transitive verb, they do not receive any action.

In federal courts nowadays, every sentence is the same. (We can ask: Every sentence is what? and the answer is THE SAME. But “the same” is not receiving the action of the verb as with a transitive verb. Same is restating or indicating the state of being of SENTENCE.

Extra

Female inmates are the fastest-growing subpopulation in prison.

(Inmates are what? Answer: subpopulation. But the “subpopulation” is not being acted upon, it is reinstating or indicating the state of being of the WOMEN.)

Grammar Part 3 - Task

Work on Part 3 of the Grammar Handout

#1-10

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The table below shows the number of medals won by the top ten countries in the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

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Citing Sources: Guide to MLA Style

MLA is a style of citing sources (another is APA).MLA =Modern Language AssociationMLA is a popular and simple way to cite sources.

In the back of your book (AW Appendix E p.303)

p.310 Works Cited

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MLA p.310-311

This is how to make your Works Cited page (some books call it a reference page).

It is an extra page, that is separate from your essay

It tells us where you got your information

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Book by One Author

Last Name, First Name. Title. Place: Publisher, Date.

Philbrick, Nathaniel. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. New York: Viking Press, 2000.

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Book by Two or More Authors

Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name. Title. Place: Publisher, Date.

Stephenson, Neal, and Edward Burns. The Diamond Age. New York: Bantam Spectra, 1995.

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Magazine Article

Last Name, First Name. “Title” Magazine Name Day Month. Year: Pages.

Kalb, Claudia. “California Redwoods.” National Geographic 26 Sept. 2012: 45-52

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Film

Title. Director, Producer, or Writer Name (normal English order). Company, Year.

Roman Holiday. Dir. William Wyler. Paramount Pictures, 1953.

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Article from Website

Author (last name, first name) “Article.” Title. Year (last update). Day Month Year (when you went there) <link>

Spiner, Brent “As a Droid.” Starfleet Dreams. Internet Resources. 2011. 19 February. 2013 <http://brent.spiner.com/chasingmydreams.html>.

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Paraphrasing

Mention the authors full name:Scott Smith identified…Several researchers such as Anthony Li, Greg Jacobs, and James

Duck reported…

At the end of the paragraph put the Author’s last name and page number:(West 47).

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Make it simple: I want it to look like this:

In his book Physics for Future Presidents, Richard Muller writes that we must overcome political differences and understand the science to make a better future. “I think the president has to understand the physics to make correct decisions”. (Muller p.76)

Works Cited / Reference Page:

Muller, Richard. Physics for Future Presidents. Berkeley, California: Berkeley Books, 2010.

Vocabulary

Chapter 6 p.51

Narrative Essay: Outline

Plot Diagram:

Diagram of a plot

Basic situation

Serie

s of e

vent

s/

Ris

ing

Act

ion

Climax

Resolution/

Denouem

ent

It’s time to get started……..

• Remember that your plot needs to have a:

• beginning (characters)

• conflict

• rising action

• a climax

• conclusion

(n.) data, facts, figures, information, statistics

(n.) factor, aspect, detail, variable

(n.) figure, [bar/line/pie/organizational] chart, [flow] diagram, drawing, flow-chart, [bar/line] graph,

histogram, illustration, picture, table

(n.) frequency, prevalence

(adj.) frequent, common, prevalent, regular, ant: infrequent, uncommon, rare

(adv.) frequently, commonly, often, regularly, ant: infrequently, rarely

(n.) majority, the bulk, ant: minority

(adj.) obvious, clear, apparent, evident

(adv.) obviously, clearly, apparently, evidently

(n.) occurrence, incidence, rate

(n.) odds, chance, likelihood, probability

(n.) percentage, portion, proportion, ratio, segment

(prep.) regarding, about, concerning, relating to

(v.) show, demonstrate, illustrate, reveal

(adj.) significant, considerable, notable, remarkable, ant: insignificant, unremarkable

(adv.) significantly, considerably, notably, remarkably, ant: insignificantly, unremarkably

Review: Task 2


Write about the following topic:

Machine translation (MT) is slower and less accurate than human translation and there is no immediate or predictable likelihood of machines taking over this role from humans.

Do you agree or disagree?


Useful phrases1. It is crucial that we analyze the causes of this

disturbing issue and explore effective solutions. From my own perspective, the causes are multiple.

2. One of the most evident reasons is that...

3. Another factor that should be taken into considerations is that...

4. On the other hand, there are many opponents who strongly argue that _____. However, further analysis make it clear that _____.

5. Taking into account of all these factors, we may reach the conclusion that _____.


Write about the following topic:

Many magazines and websites feature stories about the private lives of famous people. We know their personal lives and we also can see photos of them in private or embarrassing situations. They are not paid for their image being used.

Is it appropriate for a magazine or website to give this kind of private information about celebrities?

Give reasons for your answer.


Many magazines and websites feature stories about the private lives of famous people. We know their personal lives and we also can see photos of them in private or embarrassing situations. They are not paid for their image being used.

Is it appropriate for a magazine or website to give this kind of private information about celebrities?

1. It is crucial that we analyze the causes of this disturbing issue and explore effective solutions. From my own perspective, the causes are multiple......

2. One of the most evident reasons is that...

3. Another factor that should be taken into considerations is that...

4. On the other hand, there are many opponents who strongly argue that _____. However, further analysis make it clear that _____.

5. Taking into account of all these factors, we may reach the conclusion that _____.


A company has announced that it wishes to build a large factory near your community.Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this new influence on your community.Do you support or oppose the factory? Explain your position.

You should write at least 250 words.

model answer:

I am from Saint-Petersburg, Russia. I believe that building a large factory near my community has advantages as well as disadvantages. In the following paragraphs I will list basic benefits and losses that will be brought by a new factory.

For several reasons, I think that a new factory will not be a good addition to my neighborhood. First of all, factories often bring pollution. They are prone to contaminating the local air and water. Second of all, factories make noise. Another important aspect of building a new factory near by is that it will make the local traffic heavy. As a result of this, the amount of traffic congestions will increase, as well as contamination of the air. So, all these obviously will not make one's life happier and healthier in my community.

From the other side, I believe that a new factory will bring some advantages to my community. First of all, it will bring new job opportunities. Many specialists will be required to work there. Second of all, I think many local community facilities will have to be renovated to obtain reliable supply of water and electricity. So, some old pipes may be changed. Another important benefit of this is that the local roads in order to manage the increasing traffic will be rebuilt and widened.

However, I do not think that listed above benefits are worth all these troubles including water contamination and the constant pollution of air. From my point of view all factories must be built far from the people communities because they can be really harmful for people's health.

(266 words)

model answer:

I am from Saint-Petersburg, Russia. I believe that building a large factory near my community has advantages as well as disadvantages. In the following paragraphs I will list basic benefits and losses that will be brought by a new factory.

For several reasons, I think that a new factory will not be a good addition to my neighborhood. First of all, factories often bring pollution. They are prone to contaminating the local air and water. Second of all, factories make noise. Another important aspect of building a new factory near by is that it will make the local traffic heavy. As a result of this, the amount of traffic congestions will increase, as well as contamination of the air. So, all these obviously will not make one's life happier and healthier in my community.

From the other side, I believe that a new factory will bring some advantages to my community. First of all, it will bring new job opportunities. Many specialists will be required to work there. Second of all, I think many local community facilities will have to be renovated to obtain reliable supply of water and electricity. So, some old pipes may be changed. Another important benefit of this is that the local roads in order to manage the increasing traffic will be rebuilt and widened.

However, I do not think that listed above benefits are worth all these troubles including water contamination and the constant pollution of air. From my point of view all factories must be built far from the people communities because they can be really harmful for people's health.

(266 words)

Essay Types:You will write 2 essays and weekly journals

1. Remembering an Event (550-650 words)Something that happened to you. An interesting event that you remember clearly.2. Writing a Profile (550-650 words)You will describe something or someone.3. Proposing a Solution (550-650 words)You will discuss a problem and explain how to fix it

6. Journal EntriesThese will be given by the instructor. They will cover various topics.

Very similar to IELTS Task 2 questions7. Vocabulary Quiz

A weekly quiz on the target words

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Course Schedule:Lesson A Lesson B

Week 2 Essay 1: Profile /Narrative Grammar

Week 3 Grammar MLA Referencing

Week 4 Essay 1: Choose your topic Journal 1 Due

Week 5 Essay 1 Rough Draft Due (550+ words) Journal 2 Due

Journal 1

Different Shops

Write an essay comparing and contrasting the experience of shopping at two different kinds of stores. Use specific reasons and examples to illustrate the stores' similarities and differences.

Use 4 vocabulary words from Chapter 6

Journal 2

I want you to write your own IELTS Task 2 type question and answer it. Remember choose a trend or a problem. Then use the format “what are your opinions on this”

Use 4 vocabulary words from Chapter 6

Homework

Finish Grammar Handout Part 3 verbs

Journal 1: Shops (due next week)

Vocabulary: Read p.51-53 (Chapter 6)

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Academic Writing IV

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