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Studies of written English
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VII
In its broadest sense any meaningful piece of written prose marked for its unity, content and message may be called a composition, that is a unit of written communication involving a writer, a message and a reader.
Between the sentence and the whole composition stands the paragraph. It is a composition in miniature because it meets the same requirement of unity, content andmessage (see "Studies of Written English" in Units One, Two, Three).
A group of paragraphs constitutes more complex compositions, such as essays, short stories, accounts, letters, class-compositions as a special exercise in written communication, etc.
Essay is a short prose composition (5—20 pages) on a particular subject. Usually it is of explanatory and argumentative nature (see "Studies" in Unit One). For instance, the passage "Teacher Training in Great Britain" (see Unit Five) as well as "Introducing London" (see Unit Three) is close to a formal essay. "What's Your Line" (see Unit One) and the first letter of Judy describing her college experience (see Unit Five) may be classed with informal essays on teaching.
Unity of essays is built up around the central idea. Any addition of unimportant details or afterthoughts destroy the unity.
Coherence is achieved through skilful arrangement of details according to the following rules: a) present your material from "the general to the particular"; b) try the order of enumeration, that is, arrange several points of view according to their importance, or interest, or order of happening; c) use key-words as connectives and transitions.
The following is a brief list of transitional words and phrases that help to connect paragraphs of an essay: on the one (other) hand, in the second place, on the contrary, at the same time, in paricular, in spite of this, in like manner, in contrast to this, in the meantime, of course, in conclusion to sum up, in addition, morepver, finally, after all, and truly, in other words.
Emphasis is achieved with the help оf concrete details. Avoid generalities and abstractions. Before writing an essay consider the following:
1. Study the materials about the topic.
2. Think of the main idea you are going to develop in your essay.
3. Write an informal essay "Looking at the Map of Russia."
4. Make a plan (topic plan, sentence plan, paragraph plan).
5. Develop the paragraph plan into an essay according to the rules of unity, coherence and emphasis.
6. Go over the essay for "self-editing" purpose and see if it meets the main requirement of good writing — clarity of communication.
Assignments:
1. Маke an outline of the passage "The British Isles" and analyse it from the point of view of its unity, coherence and emphasis.
2. Write a formal essay "Looking at the Map of the British Isles" according to your own plan.
LABORATORY EXERCISES (II)
1. Listen to the texts "Industrial and Agricultural Districts in Great Britain", "The English Landscape", "Looking at the Map of Russia". Mark the stresses and tunes. Repeat the texts following the model.
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2. Without looking back at the texts, decide whether the following statements are true or false.
3. Extend the sentences according to the model.
4. Write a spelling-translation test; a) translate the phrases into English; b) check them with the key.
5. Listen to the text "The Lake District" and write it as a dictation. Check it with the key.
6. Listen to the poem "England" by G. G. Byron. Mark the stresses and tunes. Learn it by heart.
7. Listen to the text "The Isle of Man" or some other text discribing a part of Great Britain. Make asummaryof the main points of the passage.
CURIOSITY QUIZ FOR EAGERS
I. Quiz "Across the Globe".
Answer the following questions. It is accuracy and amount of Information that count when choosing the winner:
1. What is the longest river in the world?
2. In what way do the western shores of the British Isles differ from the easten shores?
3. What are the smallest countries in the world?
4. What language is spoken in Holland?
5. What are the Seven Wonders of the world?
6. What is the capital of Australia?
7. What are the Rockies and where are they found?
8. What is the coldest area in Russia?
9. What is the national emblem of Canada?
10. Where is the city of Honolulu situated?
II. Quiz "Across the British Isles".
Answer the following questions. In this case it is resourcefulness and sense of humour that count when choosing the winner:
1. What is the main difference between the Cumbrians and the Cambrians?
2. Do Englishmen bring coal to Newcastle?
3. Do Englishmen go up or down to get to Edinburgh?
4. What is the difference between Loch Ness and Loch Lomond?
5. What colour is predominant on the map of the British Isles?
(Think twice before answering. There is Greenwich in the South, you may spot Greenock in the North, search the map first.)
6. Which is closer to London, Oxford or Cambridge?
7. What is the difference between Portsmouth and Plymouth?
8. What is Liverpool famous for?
UNIT EIGHT
SPEECH PATTERNS
1. We must prevent him from leaving.
The cold wet weather prevented the Lowood girls from going for long walks.
His rheumatism often prevented Salvatore from doing anything at all.
You'd better keep yourself from taking extreme measures.
Various reasons kept Bill from joining the expedition.
Eliza tried to keep her little child from crying.
2. You can't act without feeling.
Jolyon started for the Club without having made up his mind.
Frank now felt, without knowing why, that the offer was probably good.
Rose sat there for a long time without unfastening her coat.
You can't teach one how to use speech patterns without giving a good supply of various examples.
They can't have good crops without cultivating soil.
3. His clothes made him hard to recognize.
Lots of mistakes made his speech difficult to follow.
There was something in Bosinney's appearance that made him easy to recognize.
Her shallow-mindedness makes her dull to speak to.
They found it impossible to supply the factory with raw cotton.
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We found it hard to make up our minds about choosing a place for rest.
4. These letters are hardly worth the paper they are written on.
The problem is hardly worth the trouble taken. The picture is of little value, it is hardly worth the money paid.
The experiment is hardly worth the time you've spent on it. The incident is hardly worth all this excitement. The soil was hardly worth the toil.
EXERCISES
I. Change the sentences, using the patterns:
Pattern 1: 1. The explorers could not reach the southern boundaries of the desert because of the scorching heat and lack of fresh water. 2. The day was foggy; the fishermen could not see the coast-line. 3. It's wet outdoors. Put on my raincoat, it'll save you for a while. 4. He couldn't take part in the conference because he was ill. 5. She could not make a good speech because of her poor knowledge of English.
Pattern 2: 1. Amy did not say a word and left the room. 2. You can hardly realize what an ocean-going ship is if you haven't been inside. 3. They will not come to see us if they are not invited. 4. He could listen to long verses in Latin, though he did not understand a word. 5. He would mark rhythm with his right foot, though he never realized what he was doing.
Pattern 3: 1. Owing to the smallness of our boat it was easy to navigate in such shallow waters. 2. It was impossible to move on because of the rainy season in the tropics. 3. We could hardly recognize the place after the hurricane. 4. It was easy to change our plans owing to his quick arrival. 5. I could not recognize your sister because of her new hairdo.
Pattern 4: 1. I don't think you are right taking so much trouble over the problem. 2. That sacrifice of his was almost useless. Just to think of all the efforts made! 3. What's the fare? I'm afraid it is more expensive than your luggage. 4. She had made a long way to come there, but the conference was of little value to her. 5. The manuscript turned out to be a variant of the original. I was sorry I wasted so much time translating it.
II. Complete the following sentences, using the patterns. Make nse of the words and phrases in brackets:
Pattern 1: 1. Various reasons... (to do optional subjects). 2. Her illness... (to qualify for this post). 3. My neighbour's silly remarks... (to enjoy the performance). 4. His advice... (to get into trouble). 5. The windy weather... (to take us for a drive).
Pattern 2: 1. You can't leave Great Britain... (to see the Lake District). 2. She will not take any medicine... (to consult a doctor). 3. You shouldn't leave... (to have a snack). 4. She can't speak about the news... (to get excited). 5. You won't be able to pass your exam... (to work hard).
Pattern 3: 1. Her manners... (unpleasant to deal with). 2. Lack of rainfalls... (difficult to plough). 3. Likeness of their names... (easy to remember). 4. I don't find it... (to bother him). 5. We find it... (to make use of tape-recording).
Pattern 4:1. The picture is of little value, it... (money). 2. The results of the expedition... (efforts). 3. The trip is... (trouble). 4. The decorations are... (time). 5. The victory was... (sacrifice). 6. The medicine is... (money).
III. Translate the following sentences into English. Use the patterns:
Pattern 1: 1. Примите лекарство, оно предохранит вас от простуды. 2. Что-то помешало Тому сказать Бекки, что там в пещере он видел индейца Джо. 3. Что помешало вам воспользоваться этой возможностью? 4. Она рассказывала смешные истории, чтобы мальчик не плакал. 5. Фрэнк понимал, что только быстрые действия спасут его от разорения.
Pattern 2: 1. Молли уехала из города, никому не сказав о своих подозрениях. 2. Герт спросил, какое право имеет Лэнни строить планы, не советуясь с ним. 3. Не глядя на него, Герт сказал: «Можешь идти». 4. Не говоря ни слова, Лэнни вышел.
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Pattern 3: 1. Множество специальных терминов делают его доклад трудным для понимания. 2. Заботы и тревоги сделали ее лицо трудноузнаваемым. 3. Яркие метафоры делали его примеры легкими для запоминания. 4. Все находят, что с ним легко иметь дело. 5. Я нахожу, что с вашим старшим братом приятно поговорить.
Pattern 4: 1. Едва ли эта марка стоит денег, которые вы заплатили за нее. 2. Дело не стоит хлопот. 3. Упаковка дороже, чем товар. 4. Едва ли эта поездка стоит потраченного времени. 5. Джеймс Форсайт считал, что свежий воздух не стоит тех денег, которые платят за загородные дома.
IV. Respond to the following statements, using the patterns. (Make use of the conversational formulas given in the Reminder.):
A. 1. Alexander Popov was unable to perfect his invention because of the lack of money. 2. Little David was afraid of the Murdstones, he could not read his lesson well in their presence. 3. Lanny realized that Mabel might get into trouble. He wanted to save his sister. 4. You can't possibly start on a sea voyage if the weather report is unfavourable.
B. 1. You must see the Lake District with your own eyes to be able to appreciate its beauty. 2. My uncle dislikes Mary though he has never seen her. 3. Passengers should not be reminded to pay their fares. 4. I hope, you will translate all these sentences and never consult a dictionary.
C. 1. There was something strange about the Gadfly's manner of speaking. 2. Latin grammar is logical, that's why it is easy to understand. 3. Byron's verses are well-rhymed, you can learn them by heart quite easily. 4. If you know Swedish you'll find little difficulty in understanding Norwegian because these languages are of common origin.
Reminder: Just so. Quite so. I quite agree here. Naturally. Certainly. Sure. I think so. Looks like that. I disagree with you. You are wrong. You are mistaken. There's something in what you say, but.... Certainly not. Impossible! It's unfair. It's unjust.
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