Writing in English: A Guide for Advanced Learners

Transcription

1 Dirk Siepmann/John D. Gallagher/ Mike Hannay/J. Lachlan Mackenzie Writing in English: A Guide for Advanced Learners revised and extended edition A. Francke Verlag Tubingen und Basel

2 Preface 1 Introduction 9 MODULE Organizing ideas into text 17 Introduction 17 Chapter 1: The term paper: gearing up to start writing The term paper as an argued text 1.2 The three processes of planning, writing proper and editing 1.3 Making the plan 22 Using a computer Conclusion 33 Chapter 2: Different types of term paper: Two models Term paper as essay or as mini-article Quotation and paraphrase The literary essay The linguistic mini-article 47 Chapter 3: Title, Introduction, Body and Conclusion The Title The Introduction The Body sections Paragraphs within the Body sections The Conclusion 71 Chapter 4: Getting the paper ready for submission: Editing and formatting Editing Formal requirements 78 Bibliography 80

3 VI Contents MODULE II: Building effective sentences 83 Introduction 83 Chapter 1: Basic issues in sentence construction Sentence construction 85 Information packaging Sentencing 92 Overview 96 Chapter 2: Information packaging Basic grammatical moulds The order of information in the clause The front of the clause The end of the clause Fitting the sentence into the running text 2.3 Organizing the starting point Clauses with passive verb forms Fronting Pseudo-clefts The th-wh construction Non-agent subjects Establishing a special kind of starting point: framing Circumstantial adverbials Conjunctive adverbials Stance adverbials Organizing the end point Extraposition Discontinuous structures Dative shift Object postponement Presentatives What goes wrong in clause construction Frontal overload Bad textual fit Unclear focus signalling Overview 142

4 VII Chapter 3: Complex sentences Different kinds of sentence Sentence complexity Sentence shapes Clause combining: the basic forms Adverbial clauses Non-restrictive relative clauses Non-finite clauses Verbless clauses Appositions Other structures Shapes again 3.3 Foregrounding and backgrounding Complex framing The basic patterns Missed opportunities Interruption techniques Aspects of interruption Missed opportunities Elaborational techniques Elaboration Missed opportunities Coordinating and listing Problems with sentence length Long sentences Short sentences 3.9 Review 190 Chapter 4: Punctuation 4.1 Commas 1: the principle of semantic unity Commas 2: optional use Separating members of a sequence Separating adverbial clauses Separating coordinated clauses Separating initial constituents Colons The basic functions Advice Semicolons 211

5 VIII Contents The basic uses The difference between colon and semicolon as combining devices 214 Dashes and brackets Brackets Dashes Commas revisited: dealing with comma splices Overview 220 Bibliography a) Sources of examples 222 b) References 223 MODULE Lexis and Grammar 225 Introduction 225 Chapter 1: A constructional view of language 226 Chapter 2: Academic lexis and patterning Nouns and noun patterns Complex noun phrases in English and German Productive nominal patterns Position and length of complex noun phrases General strategies for noun phrase building Adjective patterns Major groups of adjectives Participial and compound adjectives General strategies for building adjective phrases Prepositions and prepositional phrases Verbs and verb patterns Common academic verbs Verb patterns The interface between verb patterning and 268 Chapter 3: From word to collocation Words, words, words How words go together Collocation of semantic-pragmatic features 286

6 IX 3.4 Collocational gaps and incompatibilities Making creative use of collocation The interplay of collocation and patterning A worked example infinitive clauses Summary: Strategies for forming word groups 295 Chapter 4: Rhetorical moves and their lexical realizations Stating your topics and objectives 298 Introducing a topic Excluding a topic from consideration Reporting, summarizing and paraphrasing Summaries and abstracts Strategies for paraphrasing Quoting 4.3 Expressing opinions and criticizing Enumerating ideas and changing the topic Topicalizing specific items Exemplification Comparison and contrast Concession Cause, reason and explanation Consequences and result 391 Static relations 393 Bibliography 395 MODULE IV: Style 398 Introduction 398 Chapter 1: Style and stylistic competence What is style? 399 How to achieve stylistic competence Academic style Vocabulary Nominal constructions Verbal constructions From non-specialist to specialist text 1.5 Personal style 412

7 Chapter 2: The principles of style Aptness Clarity Concision Variety Elegance 448 Bibliography 454 A final word 458 Glossary 460 Index 464