1. Go with the Flow! Just-in-time language input for communicative tasks
David Bonamy, BESIG Dubrovnik, November 2011

2. Accident at a Siberian HEP plant, August 17th 2009
Bonamy: Go with the Flow! BESIG Dubrovnik November 2011

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4. A basic format for an investigative report
Can you suggest some section headings?
Introduction
Background
Method
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations
Bonamy: Go with the Flow! BESIG Dubrovnik November 2011

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8. 1,360 tonnes 256,000 litres per second 190 metres
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11. Writing an investigative report
Can we predict what language
forms the writer will use?
Bonamy: Go with the Flow! BESIG Dubrovnik November 2011

12. Genre: investigative report
Report section
Predictable language
Introduction
Background
Method
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations
Possible answers:
Intro: present simple: “This report provides ...”; “The purpose of this document is to ...”.
Background: past simple, active or passive: “On the 17th of August, an accident destroyed ...”; present perfect: “For the last decade, there has been an increase in ...”
Method: past simple, normally passive: “The site was inspected, and debris was searched ...”
Findings: past simple, active or passive: “49 securing bolts for Turbine 2 were found. Of these, 41 bolts contained cracks”
Conclusions: past simple active or passive + that (noun clause): “It was concluded that ...; the investigation team came to the conclusion that”; degrees of certainty: “probably / possibly”; modal passives: must/ could/ may/ might/ can’t/ couldn’t have; due to, caused by, a result of; criticism: should /shouldn’t have; 3rd conditional: if X had not happened, Y would not have happened.
Recommendations: should + passive (sometimes active) infinitive
Bonamy: Go with the Flow! BESIG Dubrovnik November 2011

13. Genre awareness-raising
Bonamy: Go with the Flow! BESIG Dubrovnik November 2011

14. Genre awareness-raising
Bonamy: Go with the Flow! BESIG Dubrovnik November 2011

15. Genre awareness-raising
Bonamy: Go with the Flow! BESIG Dubrovnik November 2011

16. Just-in-time language input
Bonamy: Go with the Flow! BESIG Dubrovnik November 2011

17. Just-in-time language input
Bonamy: Go with the Flow! BESIG Dubrovnik November 2011

18. Just-in-time language input
Bonamy: Go with the Flow! BESIG Dubrovnik November 2011

19. Just-in-time language input
Bonamy: Go with the Flow! BESIG Dubrovnik November 2011

20. Bonamy: Go with the Flow! BESIG Dubrovnik November 2011

21. Thank you