Organisation

1 Chronologically or Reverse-Chronologically2 In spatial relation3 From General to Specific (inductive)4 From Specific to General (deductive)5 From Least Important to Most Important  6 Through Division and Classification7 By Cause and Effect8 By Problem and Solution9 Through Comparison or Analogy10 Through Contrast11 By Process12 Through Definition

Style• Verbs – avoid phrasal (prepositional) – use single (often

Latinate) verbs• Do task nine = p. 20

• Avoid Contractions• Use formal negative forms:

– The analysis didn’t yield any new results– The analysis yielded no new results

• Avoid “run on expressions”: etc, and so forth, and so on• Avoid addressing reader as “you”• Generally avoid use of “I”• Limit use of direct questions: “What can be done about

this?”• Place Adverbs within verb: “Very little is actually known…”• Use words efficiently/avoid being “wordy”

Flow/Coherence

• Use linking words/phrases• See: http://home.ku.edu.tr/~doregan/Writing/Linkers.html

• Use appropriate punctuation

Task 18 page 34

• Use of summary words

GeneralSpecific Texts

• Answers to examination questions

• Opening paragraph to an assignment

• Background to analysis or discussion

Broader Statement

Details/Supporting Points

General Statement

What’s “general” is relative to the focus of your writing

Russian is a thriving language although with the collapse of the Soviet Union, it’s

influence isn’t as great as it was.

Russian is one of these languages.

All over the world, ever since the beginning of time people have spoken languages.

What’s “general” is relative to the focus of your writing

Russian is a language belonging to the East Slavic subgroup of the Indo-European

language family.

GS Texts often begin with…

• Short or extended definition

• Contrastive or comparative definition

• Generalization or purpose statement

• A statement of fact

Definitions

• Who is your audience?• Can you not assume that your educated

academic audience already understands the meaning of key concepts?

• When might, even your professor benefit from you defining your terms?

• Even if your professor knows what a term means, what other reason might you have for providing a definition?

Where do definitions come from?

• Do you write them yourself?

• Copy them from another source?

• Consult a dictionary?

From Homework – Exercise 3

• What words have you defined?

• Any common? (if so, compare with classmates).

Introducing/Signaling a definition

• Use verbs: named (but rarely used)

denote

call (but can be tricky) refers (use for terminological explanations)

When using these verbs you normally provide the definition first and then at the end provide the “term” you are defining.

Use phrases: known as

define as

From Homework – Exercise 5

• Can you find any definitions in the texts you have brought to class?

• What verb/phrase is used to introduce the definition.

• Is it a– Short definition/gloss?– Sentence definition?– Extended definition?

Grammar/Structure of Definitions

Term Class Distinguishing Detail

(A)______________ is (a) ____________ Wh-word ____________________.

(A)__solar cell ____ is (a) ___device____ which __converts the energy of the sunlight into electric energy_.

Do the definitions in your texts follow this pattern?

Task 7

• Articles – to use or not to use?

Task 9

• Use of relative clauses

• Instead of

“A thermometer is an instrument with which temperature can be measured” why not say:

“A thermometer is an instrument used to measure temperature”.

Task 11

• Provide peer feedback on your definitions

Extended Definitions

Focus on components, types, applications, history, examples.

Tend to begin with 1 sentence definitions as above

Task 16 p. 72

Competing Definitions

• Not so common in the hard sciences

• Often found in social sciences

• Note useful phrases on p. 73 for introducing your chosen definition

Term Class Distinguishing Detail

(A)______________ is (a) ____________ Wh-word ____________________.

A Turk is…

Contrastive Definitions(concrete vs cement)

• What concepts in your field of expertise might you be asked to distinguish between?

• Choose one of these pairs and write a contrastive definition now.

Comparative Definitions

• What’s the difference between a comparative definition and a contrastive definition?

• What is the value of using one or more comparative definitions?

Dictionaries

• Do you use them?

• Which particular dictionaries?

• For what do you use them?