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Cambridge University Press978-0-521-16526-6 – Cambridge Academic English B2 Upper IntermediateChris Sowton and Martin HewingsExcerptMore information
© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org
Reading
1 Researching texts for essays
1.1aFocusstudentsontheessaytitleandaskwhattheythinktheessay’spurposeis(toidentifytherelevantfactorswhichaffectpeople’schoiceofcareers;toproviderelevantsupportingevidence,suchascasestudies,researchandsurveys;toevaluatehowimportantthevariousfactorsare–i.e.whichfactorsaremorerelevantthanothers).
Focusstudentsonthefourtexttypesandaskthemtosuggestfeatureswhicharecharacteristicofeach,e.g.:
–an academic textbook:formallanguageandstructure,appropriatetitle,respectedauthorandpublisher
–a general information website: websitename,a‘dotcom’suffix,unknownauthor,wikifeature
– a company website:a‘dotcom’suffix;lessformallanguage,focusonsellingaproductratherthanresearch
–a research article:specificstructure(e.g.methodology–results–discussion),academiclanguage
Studentstrytomatchthetexttypestothesourcesofinformation.Iftheyarefindingthisdifficult,usetheinformationabovetoguidethemtowardsananswer.
Unit aimsREADING•Researchingtextsforessays•Skimmingandscanning•Identifyingthesequenceofideas•Understandingimplicitmeanings•Inferringthemeaningofwords•Vocabularybuilding:adjectives
LISTENING AND SPEAKING•Introducingpresentationsandclarifyingkeyterms
WRITING•Understandingessayorganisation•Draftinganessayintroduction•Commonknowledge
bStudentschecktheiranswersto1.1a.
1 A2 B3 D4 C
cGuidestudentstowardsthefollowingcriteria,whichcanbeusedtodecidewhichsourcesareappropriateforanacademicessay.
–audience:Whothetextisintendedfor?
– authority: Howqualifiedisthewriter?Isitarespectedpublisher?Hasthearticlebeenpeer-reviewed(reviewedbyanotherexpert)?
– time:Whenwasitwritten?Istheinformationstillrelevant?
– reliability:Hasitbeenalteredinanyway(orcensored)?Istheauthorbiasedorneutral?
SourcesAandCaremuchmorelikelytobeacceptable.Theyhaveauthorityandarelikelytobemorereliable.
Optionalextension
1 Widenthediscussiontodebatetheadvantagesofusingtheinternetforacademicresearch(e.g.itisquickandinexpensive,butitmaybelessreliableoracademic).
2 Askstudentstoevaluateanyinternetresourcestheyhaverecentlyusedforacademicpurposesandtosaywhytheywereappropriate.Theyprepareandgiveashortpresentationinsmallgroupsortothewholeclassabouttheonlineresourcestheyuse.
1.2a Optionallead-in
Askstudentshowpoints1–6mightbeusedintheessay:–summary of the current state of knowledge on the
topic:thiswouldshowtherelevanceofthetopictothereader;
–research papers on the topic:thiswouldprovideageneraltheoreticalbackground;
–the latest statistics on the number of people in different careers:thiswouldprovidesupportingevidence;
–definitions of specialist terms:thiswouldclarifycertainwordsandexpressions;
–reports of the most up-to-date research:thiswouldprovidefreshinformationonthetopic;
– a personal view:perhapsthiswouldn’tbeusedintheessay(sinceitwouldhaveanarrowfocus),butitmightinformyourgeneralunderstandingofthetopic.
10 Unit 1 Choices and implications
1 Choices and implications
Cambridge University Press978-0-521-16526-6 – Cambridge Academic English B2 Upper IntermediateChris Sowton and Martin HewingsExcerptMore information
© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org
1 textbooks,onlineencyclopediaentries,monographs2 editedcollections3 officialreports4 textbooks,onlineencyclopediaentries,monographs5 journals,monographs6 blogs
bStudentsevaluatethestrengthsandweaknessesofthetexttypes.
blogs: Generallyspeaking,likeonlineencyclopedias,thesemaybeaninterestingandusefulstartingpointforresearch.edited collections: Theseprovideusefulacademicinformationandagoodrangeofrelevant,authoritativeideasonasubject.journals:Theseareexcellentsourcesofacademicinformation–uptodate,easytosearchandusuallyfreethroughyourinstitution.monographs: Theseareanappropriateacademicsource,butsincetheyareoftenfocusedatexperts,thelevelofknowledgerequiredmightbequitehigh.official reports:Thesecanprovideusefulinformationandaccuratestatistics,butifproducedbygovernmentalagenciestheymaybesubjectiveandbiased(orevencensored).online encyclopedia entries:Thesearenotappropriatetouseinyouressayasthereliabilityoftheinformationisquestionable.However,theymaybeausefulstartingpointandmayleadyoutomoreacademictexts.textbooks:Thesecanprovidegood,high-qualityacademicinformation,butmaybetoogeneralforanacademicessay.
Alternative
/ Studentsrankthetexttypesinorderofrelevanceforacademicresearch.Theythendefendtheirrationalewithapartner.
1.3aAfterreadingtheintroductoryinformationaboutFeiHe,studentspredictwhattheanswertothequestionswillbe.Thenplay 1.1 .Studentslistenandchecktheiranswers.
1 textbooks2 monographs,onlinejournals
b Studentsdiscusstheirownexperience.Getfeedbackfromtwoorthreestudents.
Homeworkoption:internetresearch
Studentssearchtheinternetforotherwebsitesaboutcareerchoicewhichcouldbecategorisedaccordingtoeachofthetexttypesin1.2b.Thiswouldalsoenableyoutocheckwhetheryourstudentsunderstandthedifferencesbetweentexttypes.
Languagenote
FeiHesays:‘…Ithinkstudentsarepassiveto[*]learn.’Wewouldnormallysay:‘…Ithinkstudentsarepassive learners.’Hesays:‘Andstudentsseldomto[*]findpapers…’.Wewouldnormallysay:‘…Andstudentsseldomfindpapers…’.Healsosays:‘Butthisthingisdifferentin[*]Britishuniversity.’Wewouldnormallysay:‘Butthis(thing)isdifferenttoBritishuniversities.’
2 Skimming and scanning
2.1 Optionallead-in
Askstudentsaboutthewaytheyread.AskthemabouttheirexperiencesinEnglishandintheirownlanguage.–How would you look through a travel guide if you just
wanted specific information about the hotel you were staying in?(youwouldscantheguide–lookingonlyforthenameofthehotel)
–How would you look through a newspaper if you just wanted to check if there was anything you wanted to read?(youwouldskimthenewspaper–notreadingeveryword,focusingonthegeneralmessageofeacharticle)
1 skim2 scan3 skim4 skim5 scan
2.2aElicitcriteriawhichmightbeusedtorankthetopics,suchaspriority,need,cost,etc.Youmightwanttosuggeststrategiesforreachingagreement,suchaschangingyourmind(bylisteningtoabetterargumentproposedbysomebodyelse),negotiating(e.g.if you place x higher than y, I’ll allow b to come before a),conceding(yieldingonaparticularpointbecauseyouarenotthatstronglyattachedtoit).
bGetfeedbackfromthewholeclass.
Unit 1 Choices and implications 11
Cambridge University Press978-0-521-16526-6 – Cambridge Academic English B2 Upper IntermediateChris Sowton and Martin HewingsExcerptMore information
© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org
2.3 Elicitthebestwaytoidentifythemainideaofatext(identifying‘high-value’partsofatext,suchasthetitle,subtitles,sentenceswhichrepresentthemainidea,theintroductionandconclusion,andkeywords).Giveatimelimitoftwominutestoskimthetextandidentifywhichsentenceisthecorrectanswer
sentence2
3Identifying the sequence of ideas
3.1 Thistaskencouragesstudentstolookatatextinmoredetailandunderstandthelogicalprogressionofideas.Askstudentstoreadalonebeforecheckingtheiranswersinpairs.
2 c 3 a 4 f 5 h6 d 7 b 8 g
4 Understanding implicit meanings
4.1aExplainthatindicatingconsequencesandreasonsareanimportantaspectofacademicEnglish.Elicitthemeaningsofconsequenceandreason.
–consequence:theeffectofanaction
–reason:whysomethinghappened
Extract 1: thesecondsentenceistheconsequenceofthesituationdescribedinthefirst,asindicatedbythelinkingdevice‘Asaresult’.Extract 2: thesecondsentencegivesareasonwhynationalgovernmentsprioritiseallthetime.Thiscanbeinferredfromthecontentoftheindividualsentences.
bElicitthemeaningsofexampleandexpansioninrelationtoacademicwriting.
– example:givingsupportingevidencetosupportamoregeneraltheory
– expansion:givingmoredetails,particularlywhendealingwithcomplexissues
Extract 1: ‘example’–thesecondsentenceprovidesexamplesofhowprogresshasbeenmade.Extract 2: ‘contrast’–thesecondsentencecontraststhesituationofthe‘unlucky’oneswiththatoftheminority‘lucky’ones.Extract 3: ‘reason’–thesecondsentencegivesareasonwhygloballeaderscanrarelyanswerthequestion.Extract 4: ‘expansion’–thesecondsentenceexpandson(givesmoredetailsabout)whatismeantby‘theworld’swoes’.
Optionalextension
Understandingimplicitmeanings,page138(instructionspage,132)
PHOTOCOPIABLE
5 Inferring the meaning of words
5.1 Optionallead-in
Asktheclasstobrainstormstrategiesforcheckingthemeaningofunfamiliarwords.Writethemontheboard(e.g.usingdictionaries,askinganotherstudentortheteacher,guessingthemeaningfromcontext,guessingthemeaningusingcluessuchasprefixes,suffixes,etc.).Askstudentstoworkinpairsanddiscusshowoftentheyusethesestrategies.Whentheyhavefinished,pointoutthatguessingmeaningfromcontextandusingwordclueswillhelptheirlong-termEnglishdevelopment,inthatthesestrategies:–increasethelikelihoodofrememberingtheword;–increasethechancesofthewordbecomingactive(you
canproduceitandnotjustunderstandit);–helpmakereadingquickerandmoreeffective.
Explaintostudentsthattheyaregoingtolearnanewstrategywhichwillhelpthemdealwithunfamiliarwords.Explainthatlookingupnewwordsinadictionarycanoftenbeatime-consumingprocess(althoughcheckingafewwordswillnottakeupmuchtime,doingitregularlyandrepeatedlywill).Alsoexplaintheimportanceofguessingthemeaningfromcontext–dictionariescanonlyprovideageneralexplanationofaword,soguessingfromcontextismorelikelytobeaccurate.Thisisausefulstrategyforexamsandothersituationswhereadictionarymaynotbeavailable.
Suggestedanswers1 projectswhicharemostcost-efficient2 negative3 ‘dealwith’collocatesstronglywith‘problems’
and‘difficulties’(negativeideas)4 ‘challenges’,‘problems’,‘issues’5 endingpoverty,eliminatingethnicorracial
hatred,improvingmaternalhealth
5.2a Studentsworkthroughthewordsusingthestrategyin5.1.Getfeedbackfromthewholeclass.Askthemtotalkyouthroughtheprocesstheywentthroughbeforearrivingattheiranswer.
1 c2 a3 b
b remit–responsibilitiesovert–open
12 Unit 1 Choices and implications
Cambridge University Press978-0-521-16526-6 – Cambridge Academic English B2 Upper IntermediateChris Sowton and Martin HewingsExcerptMore information
© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org
Optionalextension
Askstudentstofindthefollowingwordsinthetextin2.3.Askthemwhatcluestheyhavewhichcouldhelpthemidentifythemeaning.– universal(line6):fromthesamewordfamilyas
universe– disproportionately(line7):dis=negativeprefix;
ly=adverbsuffix– finite(line16):fromthesamefamilyasfinal/finish– unsustainable(line22):un=negativeprefix;
able=adjectivesuffix– communicable(line35):fromthesamewordfamilyas
communicate;able=adjectivesuffix
6 Vocabulary building: adjectives
6.1 Optionallead-in
Elicitthefollowinginformationabouthowadjectiveswork,specificallyinthecontextofacademicEnglish:–theyprovideadditionalinformationaboutnouns;–theyshouldbeusedinacademicEnglishonlywhen
theygenuinelyaddmeaningtothetext;–theyusuallyprecedenouns(unlikeinmanylanguages).
1 finite2 straightforward3 communicable4 crucial5 universal;assured6 widespread;infinite
Optionalextension:strongerclasses
Askstudentstoexplainthedifferentconnotationbetweentheadjectivesusedin6.1andwhycertainadjectivesusedmaybepreferableinacademicEnglish.1 Finitesuggestsagreaterdegreeoffinalitythan
limited.2 Straightforwardismorespecificthansimple.3 Communicableisamoretechnicalword,andmore
precisethanpassed from one person to another–italsocollocatesstronglywithdiseases.
4 Crucialisapowerful,one-wordadjectiveratherthanthemorecomplicatedadverb+adjectiveextremelyimportant.
5 Universalcollocatesstronglywitheducation.Inthiscontext,assuredsuggeststhatthefoodsupplyisnotdependentonanythirdparty,whereasguaranteedsuggeststhemoresignificantroleofexternalfactors.
6 Among many people and in many placesisaclumsyphraseandnotveryacademicsounding(peopleisalsoquiteageneralterm).Infiniteisastrongerwordthanunlimited.
Listening and speaking
7 Introducing your presentation
7.1 Optionallead-in
Askstudentstobrainstormthekindofinformationwhichtheywouldexpectintheintroductionofapresentation(e.g.overviewofmaintopics,generalbackgroundinformation,rationale,importanceoftopic).
StudentslookatslidesAandBandpredictwhichwordsgointhespaces.Play 1.2 .
Talk 1proportional representationalternative votingfirst-past-the-post
Talk 2income taxsales taxproperty tax
8 Clarifying key terms
8.1 Elicitthefollowinginformationaboutbasictext-organisationprinciples:
–subject-verb-objectisthenormalwordorder;
–auxiliaryverbsusuallycomebeforemainverbs;
–prepositionsusuallycomebeforenouns;
–adjectivesusuallycomebeforenouns.
Studentstrytocompletethetalk,basedontheprinciplesoutlinedabove.Studentschecktheirpredictedanswerswithapartner.Thenplay 1.3 tocheck.
2 hereI’llfocuson3 Thisiswhen4 What’smeantbythisisthat5 Inotherwords
8.2a b 2c 3,4,5
b a 7b 6c 8,9,10
Unit 1 Choices and implications 13
Cambridge University Press978-0-521-16526-6 – Cambridge Academic English B2 Upper IntermediateChris Sowton and Martin HewingsExcerptMore information
© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org
Languagenote
Thefollowinglanguagefeaturesaregenerallyacceptableinpresentations,butlesssoinacademicwriting:–useofI(here I’ll focus on)–useofpresentcontinuoustooutlineideas(I’m going to
highlight)–contractions(That’s)–cleftsentences(What’s meant by this is …)–rhetoricalquestions(Why is this important?)
8.3a Optionallead-in
DrawahorizontallineontheboardandwriteI speak without any notes at allatoneendandI write out a whole scriptattheother.Askstudentstothinkaboutpresentationstheyhavegiven,andtodecidewhereonthelinetheywouldplacethemselves.Getfeedbackfromthewholeclass.ExplainthatstudentsshouldbeaimingtobeclosertoI speak without any notes.However,thisstrategyisrisky(forgettingwhatyouaregoingtosay,hesitatingwhenusingEnglish,lackingconfidence)soitisprobablybetteratthisstagetousenotesandguidance.Explaintheproblemsofreadingawholescriptoutloud(itsoundslikeyouarereadinganessay,thereislessspontaneity,lessengagementwiththeaudience).
b Studentsprepareashortpresentation(ofunderfiveminutes)basedontheslide.Encouragethemtouselanguagefrom8.1and8.2.
Optionalextension
Studentsperformtheirpresentationsagain,withadifferentpartner,attemptingtoimplementthefeedbackgiventothem.Taskrepetitioncanhelpstudentstonoticespecificimprovementsintheirperformance.Studentsgivetheirpresentations.Eachlearnershouldlistenactivelytotheotherpresentationandgivefeedbackattheend.
Writing
9 Understanding how essay types are organised
9.1 Optionallead-in
Writethefollowingessaytitlesontheboard:1 Compare and contrast the position and powers of the
UK prime minister and the US president.2 Discuss the relative merits of private and state-funded
education.3 “Governments should be able to use prisoners as a
source of cheap labour.” Discuss. Nowaskthesequestions.– Which title is asking you to adopt a strong position and
to present evidence as to why this position is right? (3)– Which title is asking you to show you have a good
general understanding of a particular topic, but not to necessarily take a strong position? (1)
– Which title is asking you to present the different viewpoints connected to a particular topic, and to assess which one you tend to agree with? (2)
1 Discuss.Somepeopleconsidertheimpactofshoppingcentrestobepositiveandothersnegative.Thequestionasksstudentstopresentbothpositionsand,probably,statewhichpositiontheysupport.
2 Defend.Thequestionasksstudentseithertoagreeortodisagreeandargueindefenceoftheirposition.
3 Describe.ThequestionasksstudentstodescribewayspolitenessisachievedinEnglishanddrawcomparisonsandcontrastswithhowthisisdoneinanotherlanguage.Itisunlikelythattherearedifferentpositionsonthisreportedintheliterature,anditiscertainlyunnecessaryforthestudenttoarguefororagainstagivenposition.
4 Defend.Studentsareexpectedtosupportorchallengetheposition.Itislikelythattheywillsupportitandsotheessaywillbeanargumentsayingwhythisisareasonablepositiontotake.
5 Discuss.Itseemslikelythatthemediadoeshaveaninfluenceandtheessayshouldacknowledgethisandprovideevidence.However,otherinfluencesshouldbepresented.
6 Describe.Thequestionasksstudentstolistfactorsanddescribethem.Itdoesn’taskstudentstotakeaposition.
Note
The‘discuss’instructioninanessaymaybeusedwithdescribe,discussordefendessays(asin3Discuss the ways …).
14 Unit 1 Choices and implications
Cambridge University Press978-0-521-16526-6 – Cambridge Academic English B2 Upper IntermediateChris Sowton and Martin HewingsExcerptMore information
© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org
9.2 Optionallead-in
Askstudentstothinkabouthowtheythinkafullessayofeachtype(describe,defend,discuss)wouldbeorganised.Focustheirattentionontheintroduction,mainbodyandconclusion.Ask:– In which type of essay would there be a statement of
your position in the introduction? (defend)– In which type of essay would you identify a number of
specific aspects in the introduction, and then go on to explain each in more detail?(describe)
Studentscompletetheexercise.Getfeedbackfromthewholeclass.
1 introduction(Thisshouldbeclear,focusedanddirect.It’sgenerallyconsideredacceptabletouse‘I’.)
2 conclusion(Sentenceswhichrepresentthemainideascanbeausefulguidetoidentifyingyourmainarguments.Ensurethatthequestionhasbeenanswered.)
3 body(Generalisationsgobeforeexamplesandexpansion.)
4 introduction(Thisprovidesausefulmaptoreaders,sotheycanworktheirwaythroughyouressay.Thepresentsimpleispreferredhere.)
5 introduction/body(Thisshouldonlydefinethekeytermswhichareessentialforthereadertounderstand.)
6 body(Theevidenceshouldberelevantandwell-chosen.)
7 conclusion(Itisbestnottosimplyrepeattheinitialstatementofyourposition,butrathertoparaphraseanduseslightlydifferentlanguage.)
8 introduction(Itisimportanttoshowthatyouhavearoundedviewofthesubjectandtoshowthereaderyourcompetence.)
Optionalextension
Givetheclassaparticulartopictailoredtotheirareasofstudy/interest.Askthemtowriteoneexampleofeachtypeofessaytitle(defend,discuss,describe).AnexampleforthesubjectareaofEconomicsispresentedbelow.– Describe: What are the main characteristics of neo-
liberalism? – Discuss: Discuss the merits of the various approaches
taken by national governments to the 2007 credit crisis.– Defend: Explain whether you think a neo-liberal or
Keynesian approach to economics is the best solution to the current economic crisis.
Next,dividetheclassintothreegroups:‘defend’,‘discuss’and‘describe’.Eachgroupshouldchooseoneoftheessaytitlesandwriteabriefplanforit.Thiswillindicatewhetherthestudentshaveunderstoodthedifferencebetweenthedifferenttypesofessay.
9.3 Studentsreadthroughthesentencesandidentifywhichtypeofessayisrepresented.Getfeedbackfromthewholeclass.Elicitfromstudentstheirreasonforthischoice:
–phrasesindicatingcontrast(on the other hand);
–adverbs/adverbialphrasesindicatingadditionalpoints(too; in addition);
–neutral,objectivetone(it has been found; some would argue; have been questioned);
–clearoutliningofdifferentpointsofview.
Itisa‘discuss’question.Thespecifictitleoftheessayisasfollows:Towhatextentshouldlargeinternationalcompaniesmakeactinginasociallyresponsiblemannermoreofaprioritythanincreasingtheirprofits?
Homeworkoption
Givestudentsoneinitialparagraphsentenceeachandaskthemtowriteashortparagraphbasedonit.Inthisway,acompletediscuss-typeessaywillbecreatedbytheclass.
10 Drafting the introduction to an essay
10.1a Optionallead-in
Writetheseheadingsontheboard: Background, Different views, Writer’s position. Elicitwhatkindoflanguagecouldbeusedundereachheading.– background:timephrases;generaloverview;adverbs
suchas generally, typically, commonly, etc.– differentviews:linkingwordssuchas however, in
contrast, on the contrary, etc. – writer’sposition:wordsandphrasessuchas I, in this
essay, argue, etc.
thebackground:1,2arecognitionofdifferentviews:3,4astatementofthewriter’sposition:5
Note
Somestudentsmaybefamiliarwiththeterm‘thesisstatement’.Thisissometimesdescribedasasentenceintheopeningparagraphinwhichthemainideaoftheessayispresented.Inthisbook,wedonotusethistermbecauseitcanbequitedifficultforstudentstoidentifyitprecisely.First,itcansometimesbedifficulttosayexactlywhatthe‘mainideaoftheessay’isortopinthisdowntoonesentenceintheintroduction.Second,someusesof‘thesisstatement’suggestthatitcanincludesub-topicsthatwillbediscussedinthebodyoftheessay,andevenanindicationofthepatternoforganisationthattheessaywillfollow.Thismeans,then,thatsometimesthewholeoftheopeningparagraphmightbea‘thesisstatement’.
Unit 1 Choices and implications 15
Cambridge University Press978-0-521-16526-6 – Cambridge Academic English B2 Upper IntermediateChris Sowton and Martin HewingsExcerptMore information
© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org
Instead,wewantstudentstotakeawaytheideathatinmanyessays,theywillneedtogivetheirownpositiononthetopic,havingfirstpreparedthegroundintheopeningparagraphbygivingrelevantbackgroundinformation,whichmightincludearecognitionofdifferentviews.Theyshouldalsorecognisethatinsomedescriptiveessays,theymaynotneedtogivetheirpositionatall.
b line 3 thesecentres;theyline 4 theirline 5 they
Optionalextension
Thestructurethis/these+umbrellatermiscommoninacademicwritingbutmaybeunfamiliartostudents.Writethesesentencesontheboard.Askstudentstosayasuitableumbrellatermforeachgapsothepassagemakessense.
– UNESCO is extremely important in this field. Thishas provided millions of dollars of
funding. (organisation)– Modules in History and Philosophy are available. These
count as credits towards your degree.(subjects)
– Archaeology is important, although this is declining in popularity in universities.(field)
– In political science, nationalism and patriotism are important ideas. It is important to note that these
cannot be used interchangeably.(terms)
Otherumbrellatermswhichcouldbepresentedinclude:institution,association,concept,method,mechanism,topic,issueanddiscipline.
10.2Studentscompletetheactivity.Pointoutthatthesentenceshereareonlypartofafirstdraft.Ifstudentsfindtheactivitydifficult,ask:
– Can you see any signposting language which might help?(e.g.however)
–Can you identify which sentence shows the writer’s position?(b)
–Where in the passage does the writer’s position normally come?(towardstheend)
2 c 3 e 4 a 5 g 6 d 7 b
Languagenote
Thestagesoftheintroductionareindicatedhere.–background:f,c–recognitionofdifferentviews:e,a,g,d–statementofwriter’sposition:b
10.3Seethemodelansweronpage19.
10.4a Seethemodelansweronpage19.
b Beforedoingthisactivity,emphasisetheimportanceofdraftingandredrafting.Therearemanybenefits:
–improvingthelogicalrelationshipbetweenideasinyourtext;
–ensuringthatyourpositionisconsistentthroughout;
–correctinganymistakeswhichmayhavebeenmade;
–checkingthatthereareno‘looseends’whichneedtobecorrected.
11Language for writing: common knowledge
Optionallead-in
Checkthatstudentsunderstandthedifferencebetween‘commonknowledge’andinformationwhichshouldbereferenced.AskthemtodifferentiatebetweenthesesentencesaboutMagnaCarta.–Magna Carta was signed in the year 1215.(This
ishistoricalknowledge.Therefore,itiscommonknowledgeanddoesnotneedtobereferenced.)
–Magna Carta was far from unique, either in content or form.(Thisisaveryspecificpoint,whichsoundslikesomeone’sspecificanalysis,andthereforeshouldbereferenced.)
– Magna Carta has had a significant impact on the American constitution.(Thispointisambiguous–itcouldbeconsideredcommonknowledge,itcouldbeconsideredaspecificpoint.Wherethereisthisambiguity,studentsshouldbecautiousandreferenceaccordingly.)
11.1 1 b2 c3 a
11.2 Languagenote
Whenmakingstatementsof‘commonknowledge’inacademicwriting,weavoidassumingthatallpeoplehavethesameview(soweavoidphrasessuchasNo-one can deny…,etc.).Wealsopreferimpersonaltopersonalconstructions(as is well-knownratherthanmost people know that).Thereareanumberofstructureswhichcanbeusedtoenablethis,suchasimpersonalpronouns(one can see that …)andit-clauses(it is widely/generally agreed ...;it is believed that...;it has been claimed/said/suggested that ...).
1 Itiswidelyaccepted2 Theconsensusviewisthat3 Itisgenerallybelieved4 Thereisbroadagreement5 Asiswellknown
16 Unit 1 Choices and implications
Cambridge University Press978-0-521-16526-6 – Cambridge Academic English B2 Upper IntermediateChris Sowton and Martin HewingsExcerptMore information
© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org
Corpusresearch
Focusonthecorpusbox,whichdemonstrateshowcommonthislanguageisinacademicwriting.EvidencefromtheCambridgeCorpusofAcademicEnglishshowsthatthemostcommonadverbsareasfollows(mostfrequentfirst):– it is … generally; widely; now; commonly;
well … accepted– it is … widely; generally; commonly; often … believed
11.3 Alternative
Studentsdonotrewritetheirownintroductions,butapartner’s.Itissometimeseasiertoseethemistakesinotherpeople’swritingthaninyourown.
CorpusresearchGrammar and vocabulary
1 Avoiding repetition: that (of) and those (of)
1.1 Languagenote
Wecanusethat oforthose of,oftenincomparisons,toavoidrepetitionwherethatandthosearepronounsstandinginforanounphrase.Thatisusedtoreplaceuncountablenouns(e.g.population)andsingularcountablenouns(e.g.brain)whilethosereplacespluralcountablenouns(e.g.imports).Theiruseiscommoninacademicwriting,butrareinspeech.Theycanbeusedtoincreasethecohesionanddecreaserepetitioninatext.
1 that=work2 those=thepolicypriorities
1.2 Checkstudents’answersandgetfeedbackfromthewholeclass.Notethattheseareonlymodelanswers,andotheranswersarepossible.
Suggestedanswers1bThedensityofironismuchlessthanthatof
gold.2aTheruralpopulationoftheUnitedKingdomis
morethanhalfofthatofFrance.b TheruralpopulationofFranceismorethan
doublethatoftheUnitedKingdom.3aHumanbrainsweighmuchlessthanthoseof
whales.b Brainsofwhaleshaveaweightroughlyfour
timeslargerthanthoseofhumans.4aThelifeexpectancyofanaverageweightmaleis
slightlymorethanthatofanoverweightmale.b Thelifeexpectancyofanoverweightmaleisfive
yearslessthanthatofanormalweightmale.
Languagenote
Often,apossessiveforminsteadofthat/thoseofcanbeused,particularlywhenthenounphrasereferstopeople.Women’s average salaries have increased, although less rapidly than men’s.→ Women’s average salaries have increased, although less rapidly than those of men.However,thisislesscommoninacademicwritingthatthat/thoseof.
•Avoidingrepetition:that(of)andthose(of)•Wordfamilies:linkingpartsofatext•Verb–nouncollocations
Unit 1 Choices and implications 17
Cambridge University Press978-0-521-16526-6 – Cambridge Academic English B2 Upper IntermediateChris Sowton and Martin HewingsExcerptMore information
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2 Word families: linking parts of texts
2.1 Highlighttheimportanceofwordfamilies(theycancreatelinksbetweenideasandavoidrepetition).EmphasisetheimportanceofnounsandverbsinacademicEnglishas‘content-bearing’words.
1 priorities–prioritization2 assumed–assumption
Optionalextension
Makealistofcommonnounsuffixeswiththeclassandwritethemontheboard.Examplesinclude:-ion;-ness;-ity;-ment;-ence;-er/-or(oftentalkingaboutaperson);-ism/-ist(oftentalkingaboutbeliefsystemsandtheirsupporters);-ship(oftenanabstractnounindicatingdifferentrelationships);-hood(oftenanabstractnounindicatingdifferent‘families’).Askstudentstothinkofatleastoneexampleofanounforeachsuffix.Ensurethatthewordsareindeednouns.
2.2 verb noun(s) verb noun(s)
approachassessassumebenefitcreatedefinedistributeestablishestimatefunction
approachassessmentassumptionbenefitcreationdefinitiondistributionestablishmentestimate/estimationfunction
identifyindicateinterpretoccurprioritizeprocessrequireresearchrespondvary
identificationindicationinterpretationoccurrencepriority/prioritizationprocessrequirementresearchresponsevariation
Languagenote
Theremayoftenbemorethanonetypeofnounwhichcomesfromthesameroot.Youmayacceptthefollowingaspossibleanswerstoexercise2.2.–assessor=apersonwhoassesses(e.g.anexam)–creator=someonewhocreatessomething–creativity=thequalityofbeingcreative–distributor=apersonororganisationthatsupplies
goodstoshopsorcompanies–functionality=anyoftheoperationsperformedbya
pieceofequipmentorsoftware–an interpretertranslatesbetweentwolanguages–procession=alineofpeoplemovinginonedirection–researcher=apersonwhocarriesoutresearch–variety=thequalityofbeingvaried
2.3a 2 variation 3 benefits 4 responses
b 2 exclusion 3 reaction 4 analysis
2.4 Suggestedanswers2 Thisassessmentwasusedtodetermine
whetherlearninghadoccurredduringthecourse.
3 ThereisnotalwaysarequirementtohaveaPhDinBusinessStudies.
4 Eachhypothesiswasthentestedindividually.5 However,adifferentinterpretationhasbeenput
forwardbyWhite(2009).
3 Verb–noun collocations Optionallead-in
Tofocusstudentsontheconceptofcollocation,presentthefollowingwordcombinationsandaskwhichsoundmorenaturalinEnglish.Thecorrectanswersareunderlined.fastfood/quickfoodstrongtea/powerfulteastrongcomputer/powerfulcomputerheavysmoker/fatsmokerheavyface/fatface
3.1 Pointoutthatgooduseofcollocationcanmakestudents’Englishsoundmorecompetentandnatural.Collocationsareoften‘arbitrary’(thereareoftennologicalrulesastowhycertainwordsgowithothers).
2 take 3 measure 4 satisfy5 achieve 6 make 7 take
3.2 find answers to problems: solve,resolve,tackle,overcome,dealwithcause or encounter problems: pose,face,raisestay away from problems: circumvent,avoid
Homeworkoption
1 Studentsidentifyotherverbswhichcollocatewiththenounsin3.1.Forexample:
– problems: identify, present, cause – action: agree on – benefits: derive, gain, accrue – needs: have, express – outcomes: influence, determine, evaluate – progress: achieve, assess, monitor – decisions: make, reach, abide by
2 Studentsidentifysentencesfromtheirsubjectareawhichincludethesecollocations,e.g.
– Other people might tackle problems differently, but also reach the same goal. – Less developed countries may also face problems
with initial implementation costs. – Bulmer claims that statisticians often go to many
lengths to avoid problems with reliability and validity.
18 Unit 1 Choices and implications
Cambridge University Press978-0-521-16526-6 – Cambridge Academic English B2 Upper IntermediateChris Sowton and Martin HewingsExcerptMore information
© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org
10.3 Model answerInmodernsociety,thewaythatthegeneralpublicviewsscientistsandtheirworkisimportant.Onereasonisthatitcanaffectwhetheryoungpeopledecidetotakeupacareerinscience.Themediaclearlyhasasignificantinfluenceontheimageofscientiststhatispresentedtopeople.Infilmsandtelevision,forexample,theyareoftenshownasbeingmadoroutoftouchwiththerealworld.However,themediaisnottheonlyinfluenceonpeople’sviewofscientistsandtheirwork.Forexample,mostpeoplestudyscienceatschool,andthisexperiencemayhaveanimpact.HereIwillarguethatalthoughthemediaplaysapartinformingpeople’sviews,otherfactorsmaybeequallyinfluential.
10.4a Model answerTheissueofsocialresponsibilitywithincompanieshasbecomeincreasinglyimportantinrecentyears.Theinfluenceofglobalisationhasmadethisissueevenmoreimportantforlargeinternationalcompanies.Manycompaniesfeelthatitisnotonlythe‘rightthing’tobemoresociallyresponsible,butthattherearecommercialadvantagesaswell.Thissaid,profitsarestillthedrivingforceoftheoverwhelmingmajorityofcompanies,andamongstcertaintypesofbusinesses,oldattitudesstillprevail.Thisessaywillexploretheinterplayofthesevariousmatters,focusingonseveralcasestudiesintheprocess,andwillattempttopredictwhatchangesmayoccurinthefuture.
Model answers
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