English for Academic Purposes Lecturer: Miljen Matijašević e-mail: miljen.matijasevic@gmail.com G10, soba 6, Tue 11:30-12:30 Session 4

English for Academic Purposes DATE CONTENT 1 5 Mar 2018 Introduction to the Course 2 12 Mar 2018 Academic Style (essays feedback) 3 19 Mar 2018 Structure and Cohesion 4 26 Mar 2018 Definitions and Classifications Paraphrasing and Summarizing 5 5 Apr 2018? Describing Trends 6 16 Apr 2018 Writing Formal Letters 7 23 Apr 2018 Writing graded tasks

Today’s session Definitions and Classifications Paraphrasing and Summarizing

Definitions Simple, academic and extended

Definitions school doctor elephant How would you define the following concepts? school doctor elephant

Definitions structure of a good definition: thing to be defined + verb + general class word + wh-word + particular characteristics A school is an institution where children are educated. A doctor is a person who gives medical treatment to people. An elephant is an animal which lives in Africa and Asia.

Definitions What is wrong with the following definitions? A lecturer is a person who lectures. An examination is when students have to show what they have learned. A dictionary is a book like the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. A degree is given by a university to a student who has passed the appropriate examinations.

Definitions What is wrong with the following definitions? A lecturer is a person who lectures. circular An examination is when students have to show what they have learned. no class word, wrong wh- word A dictionary is a book like the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. example rather than a definition A degree is given by a university to a student who has passed the appropriate examinations. no class word Improve these definitions!

Definitions ANSWERS A lecturer is a person who gives a talk about a certain subject in order to teach the audience about it. An examination is a process of testing knowledge, usually for the purpose of evaluation. A dictionary is a book which contains definitions, synonyms and examples of use of words of a language. A degree is a certificate which is issued by a university to a student who has passed the appropriate examinations.

Academic definitions Definitions can be made to fit the academic style by: omitting the wh-word Plastics are substances moulded into shape when they are heated. nominalization Psychiatry is the study and treatment of mental illness. using cautious language Geography may be defined as the science of the earth’s surface. where necessary, featuring an additional sentence Sociology may be defined as the branch of science which studies the development and principles of social organisation. It is concerned with group behaviour as distinct from the behaviour of individuals in the group.

Definitions + Paragraphs TASK: Write a paragraph which will include a definition, classification and exemplification TOPIC: writing TYPES: ideographic and phonetic ideographic: one sign = one idea phonetic: syllabic (one sign = one syllable) alphabetic (one sign = one sound)

Sample answer Writing is the activity of registering ideas on paper or another medium using symbols. Although most people immediately think of writing words and sentences, this is not necessarily so. Writing can be ideographic and phonetic. In ideographic writing, one sign represents one idea, such as ‘going to school’, while in phonetic writing ideas are cut up into pronounceable units, i.e. pieces of language. One sign can represent a syllable, e.g. ‘-tie-’, which we call syllabic writing. Alternatively, it can represent one single sound, such as ‘b’, which is referred to as alphabetic writing. Thus, if we wanted to be precise about our kind of writing, we would refer to it as alphabetic phonetic writing.

Paraphrasing and Summarising

Paraphrasing and Summarising Paraphrasing can be done in several ways: by changing the vocabulary The difficulties were examined. The problems were investigated. by changing the verb form (active to passive) Marks (1997) analysed spelling errors in 200 students. Spelling errors were analysed in 200 students (by Marks (1997) by changing the word class The reports were completed in May, which enabled… The completion of the reports in May enabled…

Paraphrasing and Summarising ‘Culture shock’ is the state of being confused when in contact with a different and unfamiliar civilization. ‘Shock’ suggests something that is negative: this may be true, especially at first. Typically, a person going to study in another country for the first time may miss family and friends and, consequently, feel homesick. The persons may have sleeping difficulties and, in extreme cases, may become depressed or ill. How would you approach summarising this short text? What should be its length in relation to the length of the original text?

Paraphrasing and Summarising SUMMARY Culture shock is the confusion cause by contact with an alien society. Initially, reactions may be negative. topic sentence – rephrased the rest of the paragraph – the point summarised in one sentence

Paraphrasing and Summarising Summarise the following text: In Britain, the most common leisure activities take place at home and include entertaining friends and relatives. Watching television is by far the most popular pastime as 99% of homes have a TV set, and the average viewing time is about 26 hours a week. In addition, using and hiring video tapes is also very popular, with 80% of homes having a video recorder. Listening to the radio is virtually universal as almost every home has a radio; it is listened to, on average, about 16 hours a week.

Paraphrasing and Summarising Suggested answer: The most favoured pastimes in Britain are home-based, with television being the most popular, including video, followed by listening to the radio. Summarize the text on the next slide.

Summarise the following text Johnson (1971) has listed two major advantages of tourism in rural areas. The first is economic: tourism creates employment. The jobs are mainly in the travel industry, hotels, guest houses, restaurants and cafes. However, visitors spend their money in a variety of ways which affect other jobs indirectly. For example, by buying local souvenirs and gifts, tourists help to support local shops. The second advantage of tourism is the support that the income provides for local services and amenities. Because large numbers of visitors use the local buses etc. it makes it possible to keep these buses running for local people. As well as advantages there are also three main disadvantages of tourism (Walker, 1982). The first is erosion of the countryside by so many people: paths, grass and other areas of vegetation and woodland get worn away. In addition, tourist traffic causes congestion and obstruction and delays local people doing their work. Finally, an influx of tourists causes pollution problems in many areas. The pollution can take many forms but the main ones are the exhaust fumes of vehicles which pollute the atmosphere, and the litter that people leave behind, such as tin cans, plastic and paper, and bottles.

Paraphrasing and Summarising Fill the gaps in the text ‘Visiting the elderly could save lives’ Discuss the main points of the article. Consider the people mentioned, studies conducted and the main points made in order to prepare for writing a summary.

Paraphrasing and Summarising HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: Summarize the text ‘Visiting the elderly could save lives’ and the text on slide 19. E-mail your summaries to the teacher (miljen.matijasevic@gmail.com) The summary must be in Word format and the filename must have the following format: Ana_Preradovic_SUMMARY.docx

Thank you for your attention!