Session 6 22 April 2008 Review: articles collocations dictionary work Presentation skills 1: giving an introduction speech Writing: using sentence connectors and punctuation Presentation skills (adapted from Giving Academic Presentations. S. Reinhart. University of Michigan Press). A) Which of the following approaches would you use to help you prepare and deliver a speech? 1. Checking the accuracy of your information 2. Writing your speech out word for word 3. Reading your speech 4. Memorizing your speech word for word 5. Preparing notes on a small card and using the card if you forget what you wanted to say 6. Practising your speech once, assuming you ll do a good job on the day 7. Practising your speech silently in your head 8. Rehearsing your speech 5 times in front of a mirror 9. Recording yourself in video or audio format and evaluating yourself. 10... B) What is the difference in organisation between these two introduction speeches? Speech 1 Speech 2 Introduction: name and country Introduction: name and country B.S. degree (1992) Educational background 1st job military (1992) B.A. degree 2nd job (1994) M.A. degree M.A. degree + award (1998) Current studies 3rd job (1999) Work experience Current studies and research assistantship 1st job major 2nd job research area of interest Current job- research assistant current interests Extracurricular activities new baby Skiing American football Computer games close Close C) Using indicator statements for clarity Excerpt A Following graduation, Sonya worked first as a lab technician..then she was promoted to lab supervisor After that, she became a lab instructor. Excerpt B
Following graduation, Sonya had three laboratory jobs. First, she worked as a lab technician Then she was promoted to lab supervisor And after that, she became a lab instructor D) Pronunciation: pausing Complete the table below for future reference: Example Grouping linking word (adverb) subject + verb + object prepositional phrase noun phrase noun phrase subordinate clause main clause John s major area of interest is managing non-profit organisations. Before John went to college, he travelled around the world for two years. Right now, John s studying business at the University of Michigan. His major area of interest is managing non-profit corporations. Before John went to college, he travelled around the world for two years.
English for Economics E) Introducing a speaker at a conference Listen to and read the following introduction of a guest speaker, James Hilton, by the director of the Language Resource Centre at the University of Michigan, Monika Dressler, at a conference entitled Integrating Teaching, Information and Technology. The conference was designed for faculty members at the university. Then answer the following questions: a) What information is included in the presentation? b) How is the information organised? (e.g. chronologically or in categories) c) How does the presentation take into account the purpose and the audience?
USING SENTENCE CONNECTORS TO IMPROVE THE FLOW OF A PARAGRAPH (adapted from Swales, J Feak, C: Academic Writing for Graduate Students) 1. Work in groups. Read version A of a text on the use of e-mail. Does it flow? 2. Complete the table below for future reference: A (functions) B (sentence connectors) a) To introduce an opposite or contrasting idea 1. b) To restate or explain a concept 2. c) To add information 3. d) To show a cause or an effect 4. 3. PUNCTUATION is important. Look at the following examples and complete the rules. i) Gian Raimondo and Vinicio have been invited to write a paper; as a result, they will be very busy in February. ii) Francesco really wanted to become a rock star. Nevertheless, he agreed to complete his PhD before auditioning for the Rolling Stones. a) Use a comma/semi-colon/full stop to join two independent clauses, and put a comma/semicolon/full stop after the sentence connector b) Use a comma/semi-colon/full stop after a sentence connector at the beginning of a sentence to link it to the sentence before 4. Now read version B, which contains sentence connectors (but no punctuation!). Punctuate the connectors as necessary. Is it easier to follow the ideas now? Compare the text with connectors to your version. 5. Now write a similar passage, using sentence connectors to organise your ideas. Try to: a) include a contrasting idea, b) restate a concept, c) give examples d) include a cause or effect. 1. First brainstorm some ideas with your partner, and try to organise them into a plan. 2. Then write a first draft 3. After that, switch drafts with another pair. Is their text interesting and easy to read? Do they use cohesive devices and punctuation correctly? 4. After that, identify any other mistakes which need correction. 5. Finally, rewrite your text incorporating any suggested corrections.
6. For homework, look at a sample economics paper and notice how the author uses connectors. *** Many councils would like to ban cars from city centres. Trade is the best way to help the Third World to develop Some women believe that men are superfluous Version A Most major companies provide their employees e-mail accounts as well as Internet access. Many of these companies are concerned about potential abuse and monitor their employees use of the media. More than 75% of all major corporations report that they monitor their employees use of e-mail and Internet access, either by spot-checking or constant surveillance. Businesses have many reasons for monitoring e-mail and internet use. They may be concerned about protecting sensitive company information. They may be worried about lawsuits arising from sexual harassment due to mass mailing of offensive jokes. There may be concerns about productivity. Recent studies have shown that nearly 86% of employees use e-mail and internet for personal reasons. Many companies ban unproductive e-mail, such as jokes, and restrict web access. Version B Most major companies provide their employees e-mail accounts as well as Internet access nevertheless many of these companies are concerned about potential abuse and monitor their employees use of the media in fact more than 75% of all major corporations report that they monitor their employees use of e-mail and Internet access either by spot-checking or constant surveillance businesses have many reasons for monitoring e-mail and internet use for example they may be concerned about protecting sensitive company information or they may be worried about lawsuits arising from sexual harassment due to mass mailing of offensive jokes in addition there may be concerns about productivity recent studies have shown that nearly 86% of employees use e-mail and internet for personal reasons as a result many companies ban unproductive e-mail such as jokes and restrict web access.
CLAUSES Clauses are the main building blocks of sentences. There are 2 types of clause: dependent and independent. An independent clause : - expresses a complete thought - can be a sentence by itself Blogs are a fascinating phenomenon. A dependent clause : - begins with a subordinator - cannot be a sentence by itself - is one of three types: adverb, adjective or noun adverb: because it concerns choices. (starts with an adverb subordinator) adjective:..which considers questions such as (=a relative clause) noun: (Francesca says) that women are better economists than men (= the subject or object of an introductory clause, often say, tell, report, know, believe etc)) TYPES OF SENTENCE A) Simple sentences have 1 independent clause: Blogs are a fascinating development B) Compound sentences have 2+ independent clauses joined by: a coordinator: a sentence connector : a semicolon: Microeconomics is fascinating, so I mastered it quickly Microeconomics is fascinating; therefore, I mastered it quickly Microeconomics is fascinating; I mastered it quickly C) Complex sentences have 1 independent clause and 1+ dependent clause(s) (underlined below) The punctuation depends on the type of dependent clause (adverb, adjective or noun): Adverb clause: Because microeconomics is fascinating, I mastered it quickly I mastered microeconomics quickly because it is fascinating. Adjective (relative) clause: Microeconomics, which I mastered quickly, is a fascinating subject Microeconomics is a subject which I mastered quickly
Noun clause: Elisabetta doesn t agree that microeconomics is fascinating That microeconomics is fascinating is open to debate. D) Compound-complex sentences have 2 independent clauses and 1+ dependent clauses: Since microeconomics is fascinating (dep), I mastered it quickly (indep), but I still haven t grasped finance (indep). EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL PROBLEMS WITH SENTENCES Sentence fragments and run-on sentences Fragmented and run-on sentences are very common mistakes at sentence level. A) A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. Such sentences consist of phrases or subordinate clauses only. The sentence is unfinished because it lacks a main verb. As group work is successful in developing a range of skills and knowledge. This unfinished sentence begins with the subordinator 'As' and is a subordinate clause without a main clause. There are two simple ways to fix the problem: (1) Remove 'As' -the subordinating conjunction: Group work is successful in developing a range of skills and knowledge. (2) Keep 'As' but add a main clause (a phrase with a subject+ main verb) : As group work is successful in developing a range of skills and knowledge, it should be included whenever possible. **The choice of solution depends on what the author was trying to say. B) Run-on' or comma-spliced sentences consist of two main clauses inadequately joined. Either there is just a comma, which is not sufficient to link the clauses, or there is no linking at all. Students work as a group each student should submit their report separately. Assessment methods may be used individually or in combination in order to assess a range of skills and knowledge, some of these methods are summarised briefly here. Main clauses need to be linked with a conjunction, sentence connector or semicolon, or written as separate sentences: Students work as a group but each student should submit their report separately. Students work as a group; nevertheless, each student should submit their report separately.
Students work as a group; each student should submit their report separately. Students work as a group. However, each student should submit their work separately.
EXERCISE: FIXING PROBLEM SENTENCES Identify what is wrong with each sentence and then rewrite it to fix the problem. For each problem sentence, (1) decide what the problem is; (2) say what your solution is; and (3) rewrite the sentence so that it is correct. You can fix some sentences in more than one way. You may need to compose your own endings in some cases so there may be more than one correct alternative. 1. The average real growth of the economy in the 1960s and 1970s. 2. A single economic agent makes every decision, there is no need for market structure as all decisions are automatically co-ordinated. 3. The main economies which were hardest hit, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, and the Philippines. 4. The CGE approach has been applied to a wide rage of issues its capability to provide an economy-wide framework is more powerful than a partial equilibrium analysis. 5. It means that the amount of money they need to put aside in order to ensure a given level of retirement income.