Writing Practice

103 Pages·0.604 MB·Russian

by  Казарова Е. И.

Copyright ОАО «ЦКБ «БИБКОМ» & ООО «Aгентство Kнига-Cервис»
Е.И. Казарова
Writing Practice
Учебное пособие по развитию навыков
письменной речи
•ФЛИНТА•
Copyright ОАО «ЦКБ «БИБКОМ» & ООО «Aгентство Kнига-Cервис»
Е.И. Казарова
Writing Practice
Учебное пособие по развитию навыков
письменной речи
2-е издание, стереотипное
Москва
Издательство «ФЛИНТА»
2014
Copyright ОАО «ЦКБ «БИБКОМ» & ООО «Aгентство Kнига-Cервис»
УДК 811.111(075)
ББК 81.2Англ
К14
Научный редактор
Н.А. Дударева
Рецензент
О.Б.Саакян (РАН)
Казарова Е.И.
К14 Writing Practice. Учебное пособие по развитию
навыков письменной речи [Электронный ресурс] / Е.И.
Казарова. — 2-е изд., стер. — М.: ФЛИНТА, 2014. —
102 с.
ISBN 978-5-9765-2004-2
Пособие по развитию навыков письменной речи предназначено
для студентов гуманитарных специальностей, а также для тех, кто
желает получить образование за рубежом. Оно имеет целью ознакомить
студентов с основными требованиями, предъявляемыми учебными
заведениями США и Западной Европы, к письменным работам любого
типа, например, сочинениям, изложениям, эссе, резюме, деловым
документам, письмам и т.д.
Раздел «Formal Organization» обучает четкому структурированию
письменной работы, т.е. подразделению ее на параграфы разных видов,
использованию связи между ними, формированию общей темы работы
и главной мысли каждого параграфа.
Раздел «Logical Organization» написан в соответствии с посылкой,
что письменная речь - это активный мыслительный процесс, учит
правильно использовать логические методы организации: оперировать
фактами, мнениями; делать выводы, заключения; пользоваться приемами
обобщения, спецификации, классификации, сравнения; выделять
причину и следствие и др. Каждый из этих логических приемов снабжен
лексическим минимумом.
Разделы III и IV дают представление об основных формах
письменных творческих работ, предлагают материалы для чтения, их
дальнейшего обсуждения и письменного анализа. Здесь также
представлены особые письменные задания, характерные для учебного
процесса в зарубежных учебных заведениях.
Издание содержит ряд образцов сочинений, большое число
тренировочных упражнений для развития навыков формального и
логического построения письменной работы, а также творческие задания
для написания сочинений, изложений, эссе, писем.
«Reference Unit» предоставляет материалы для грамотного
оформления письменной работы.
УДК 811.111(075)
ББК 81.2Англ
ISBN 978-5-9765-2004-2  Е.И. Казарова, 2003
© Издательство «ФЛИНТА», 2014
Copyright ОАО «ЦКБ «БИБКОМ» & ООО «Aгентство Kнига-Cервис»
Introduction
Composition is based on the assumption that
writing is a form of communication and that the
process of writing is an active thinking process.
It demands a high degree of intellectual
involvement.
A distinction should be made between Content
(that is to say, subject matter) and Logical
Organization (that is to say, method of
organization). You are asked to concentrate on two
things: what you are saying and how you are
organizing what you're saying.
Throughout the book you will learn general
rules (requirements) for formal organization as
well as basic methods of logical organization that
are common in English writing. When you are
thoroughly familiar with all these methods you will
be able to study at an English-speaking University
or use English in business or professional life.
The skills developed will be helpful for producing
any kind of written paper like composition,
reproduction, essay, summary, business document and
so on.
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Part I
Formal organization

Any essay or composition should meet definite
requirements typical for English writing. Let us
start with formal methods of organization. Your
composition must be clearly structured in
paragraphs. Three kinds of paragraphs make up every
formal composition. An introductory paragraph
(introduction) begins the paper, stating what the
paper is going to be about in the form of the
thesis statement. Body paragraphs develop the
thesis statement. A concluding paragraph
(conclusion) restates the thesis, usually in
different words, and shows briefly how the
development relates to it. Many writers use
transitional phrases (transitions) between
paragraphs to achieve logical relations.
The topic sentence of a paragraph tells what
the paragraph is about and how the idea is
developed. A topic sentence can be put any place in
the paragraph.
Now let us consider formal methods of writing
organization in detail.
Model composition

I Have Three Days To Hear

have frankly lived my entire life with very
/
little appreciation for the essential senses, such
as seeing, tasting, listening, feeling, and
smelling. However, if l didn't have one of these, I
am sure that I would be heartbroken. In fact, if
someone tells me today that I have only three days
to hear, I will immediately organize a plan to hear
some things which I really want to hear and to keep
in my mind before I fall into silence. Here is the
plan I will follow during my last three days to
hear.
In that situation, on the first day, I will
try to hear the sounds which are made by nature.
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Walking into the mountains and forest, I can hear
and feel the sounds of land from the wind, plants,
and animals. Also, going out to the sea and river,
I can hear and feel the sounds of water made by the
waves and flowing water. The sounds of the first
day will bring the most basic sounds, and it is
useful to make out the sounds of God.
On the second day, I will go to the city and
hear the sounds which are made by people. First, I
will go to an instrument store and hear the sounds
of the instruments, one by one. Then, I will attend
a concert hall, listen to the music being played by
a lot of instruments , and feel the harmony which
is created by people with musical instruments.
Next, I will walk around the city all day, and I
will hear every sound of human society, such as
cars honking, machines grinding, dogs scratching,
and babies crying. The experiences on this second
day will make it possible for me to remember human
society.
When the last day comes, I want to stay home,
for I want to hear the sounds in my house and the
voices of my family and friends. Thus, staying
home, I will hear every sound which is made there
so that I can remember the sounds after becoming
deaf. Also, during this last day, I will listen to
the voices of my family and friends saying, "I love
you much." Then I will try to remember all of
so
the voices of the loving people as they describe
their affection for me.
After I hear and experience the sounds of
nature, humans and society, and my home and family,
I will willingly accept my situation not to hear
more. After the three days of concentrating on the
sounds around me, I will try to be satisfied with
my really good experiences to hear a lot of sounds.
I will never forget these sounds; they will remain
in my heart forever.
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Exercise 1. Answer the following discussion
questions.
1. What is the general topic of this essay?
What is the thesis statement? Where is it
located?
2. Find the topic sentences in the second,
third, and fourth paragraphs. Does the author
adequately support these ideas? How?
3. Underline the transitions used in this
essay. Would you change any of them? Would you
add transitions anywhere?
4. How does the author conclude the essay?
Does he summarize the main ideas? Does he make
a recommendation or prediction? Do you think
it is well written?
5. What are some good points about this
essay? What changes would you make?

Beginning the writing process
KEY CONCEPT: TOPIC

The topic of an essay or a paper is the
subject. It is usually a noun or a short noun
phrase. The topic must be limited so that it
can be discussed adequately. Beginning writers
often make the mistake of not limiting their
topics
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Here is an example of a topic that is too
general:

My Country

To narrow our topic, we ask ourselves
questions. Which country? What can we say about
this country that can be covered in one essay? We
might come up with new topics like:

Marriage Customs in My Country
Characteristics of a Good Wife in My Country
Exercise 2. Narrow the following topics:

A. Automobiles__________________________________
______

B. Exercise_____________________________________
______

C. Happiness____________________________________
KEY CONCEPT: THESIS

After we have narrowed our topic, we need
a thesis statement. A thesis is one sentence
that states the main idea of an essay

_____

In order to write a thesis statement, we have to
address three questions:

I.Why are we writing?
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II. Who is our audience?
III. What is the main point we want
our readers to know?
The first question is usually answered by an
infinitive, such as to show, to explain, to prove,
to inform, or to persuade. When we answer the
second question, we decide if our audience knows
much about the topic. If they know very little
about it, more details will have to be given. It
also tells us how formal or informal our writing
should be. If we are writing a paper for a
professor, the tone will be more formal than if we
are writing to entertain our peers.

The following is an example of good thesis
statement.

Meeting a girlfriend is not difficult to do
if you follow these three steps.

A good THESIS statement has several
characteristics:

1. states a narrowed subject.

2. has a controlling idea, which expresses the
writer's attitude or belief about the
topic.

3. often suggests a method of organization.
4. may include a modal such as should, could,
would, or might.

5. is always a sentence - NOT a question.

6. is not a simple statement of fact.

7. does not "announce" the writer's intention.

8. begins with a real subject.
In the thesis sentences below, the controlling
ideas are underlined.
1. To find an apartment, follow these three
steps.
2. The serious economic situation can be seen
as a result of three primary factors.
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3. Registration day is a confusing experience
for most university students.

Now circle the words that can be used as

controlling ideas.

environment ways
causes because problems friends
kinds differences
Exercise 3. Thesis: Go back to Exercise 2 and
write a thesis sentence for each of the three
topics you narrowed there.
Exercise 4. Look at the thesis statement for
the model composition. Does it meet each of the 8
characteristics listed?
Exercise 5. Below are proposed thesis
statements. Using the guidelines above, decide if
each one is a good thesis, a weak thesis, or not a
thesis. Then explain the reason for your answer.

1. What unique problems do married students
face?
2. Two interesting new movies have been
released this year.
3. The two most popular science fiction movies
this year offer two very different views of
the future.
4. Studying in another country is becoming a
common experience for students all around the
world.
5. Living in a foreign country provides many
unique opportunities, for example, the chance
to become independent, learn about other
cultures, and see one's own culture from a new
perspective.
6. The purpose of this essay is to show three
important examples of Eastern influence on the
West.
7. Although people often speak of the
"westernization" of the East, there are three
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