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Министерство образования и науки Российской Федерации
Уральский федеральный университет
имени первого Президента России Б. Н. Ельцина
А. Г. Ковалева
О. В. Анчугова
Д. П. Зарифуллина
Д. И. Курманова
М. В. Ткачева
HOW TO MASTER SCIENTIFIC SKILLS IN ENGLISH
Учебное пособие
Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета УрФУ от
Екатеринбург
Издательство Уральского федерального университета
УрФУ
2019
DearReaders,
How to Master Scientific Skills in English is a learning guide for students of higher educational establishments who are going to realise a project in English. The coursebook combines seven units:
FROM WORDS TO EVENTS
FROM ESSAYS TO PROJECTS
RELIABLE RESOURCES
EFFECTIVE READING
PUBLIC SPEAKING
ACTIVE LISTENING
EFFECTIVE INFOGRAPHICS
The main purpose of the unit is to insight a student into a topic, give an opportunity to practice vocabulary and grammar while reading, listening, speaking, writing and surfing the Internet.
Every unit contains the following sections:
[pic] INSIGHT INTO THE TOPIC gives tone to the whole unit, is presented by a text.
[pic] READING gives an opportunity to train different types of reading:
[pic] LISTENING gives an opportunity to listen and to watch audio and video fragments to get detailed information on the main topic of the unit.
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION gives an opportunity to discuss actual questions, practice monologues and dialogues.
[pic] WRITING gives an opportunity to practice writing notes, instructions, letters, e-mails using different styles.
[pic]PRACTICE gives an opportunity to do a variety of activities to improve skills in reading, listening, writing and speaking paying special attention to vocabulary and grammar.
[pic]INTERNET USE gives an opportunity to surf the Internet for additional information, tests and activities.
[pic]GRAMMAR TIPS gives an opportunity to learn more about peculiarities of English grammar in academic environment.
[pic]ADVANCEMENT QUESTIONS gives an opportunity for teachers to check students’ knowledge after every unit.
[pic]RELIABLE INFORMATION RESOURCES gives an opportunity to use recommended by the authors resources to learn more and more.
How to Master Scientific Skills in English has Appendices with texts from the Internet, scripts of audio fragments, etc in the end of the textbook.
Teachers have special section with tips on how to organise classes, use materials in different sections and keys to the Activities.
How to Master Scientific Skills in English will help you to feel sure of your scientific project success.
We wish you good luck!
FROM WORDS TO EVENTS
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
[pic]
1. Look at the picture. What does it symbolise? What is the main means of communication? Do we use different vocabulary to communicate in different situations/in different countries/with different people/at different events? Why?
Is it important to use the right words in particular situations? Give examples.
2. We live in the world of words. We use them in different forms in different situations to be understood. The meaning of the words is important. Have you ever been in the situation of misunderstanding? Share your story in the group.
[pic] INSIGHT INTO THE TOPIC
3. Look through the article. What do you agree or disagree with?
Registrant, Attendee, Participant or Learner?
JEFF HURT
Words, words, words. They are everywhere. Billboards, blogs, books, Facebook, menus, movies, internet, LinkedIn, magazines, newspapers, roadway signs, screens, social media, smart phones, television, Twitter and websites to name a few.
Words are rapped, shouted, spoken and sung. Some are believed, felt and trusted. Some are disputed, doubted and cause negative emotions.
Some words dance, move and scroll across screens. Some change colors and sizes. Some say, “Buy me. Drink me. Eat me. Feel me. Smell me. Taste Me. Take me home. You need me.” With so many words, have some lost their meaning? Have some lost their power?
Words Have Meaning and Power
When we say, “I need you,” we offer someone hope. When we say, “I hate you,” we destroy another. Words can offer life or wound. They can lead or separate.
We use words to name things. Words describe people, places and things. Call someone by the wrong name and they don’t respond. Use the wrong word and people respond according to their interpretation of that word.
We can use words to describe what we are living, how we work and how to improve our professional lives. These words need to be received, responded to and acted on by others.
A blog needs a reader. A movie needs a viewer. A speaker needs a listener. A conference needs a … ?
What Do We Call People Who Attend Conferences?
What should we call people who have registered to attend a conference? What’s the right word to use to describe how we want people who attend a conference to act, behave and respond?
Registrants? Attendees? Participants? Learners?
Take a look at these definitions. The differences are subtle yet articulate distinct responses and actions.
• Registrant – one who registers or is registered; a person who is formally registered and gains certain rights thereby.
• Attendee – one who is present or attends a functions; a person who participates in a meeting
• Participant – one that participates, shares or takes part in something; a participator; a partaker
• Learner – one that gains knowledge, comprehension or mastery through experience or study; someone who learns or takes knowledge or beliefs; one that is learning; one that is acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values or preferences.
• Speaker – a student, postdoc, faculty or researcher who gives an oral or poster presentation of her/his project in a moderated session at a conference or other meeting
• Lecturer - a speaker of authority who presents a topic to an audience for learning purposes
• Moderator, Facilitator - one or more individuals who lead a group of participants for training purposes (thus not a participant). In some cases, this person may charge a fee for their professional services as a consultant
• Keynote Speaker – a person of authority with credentials in a field to give a high level overview of his/her career or work
• Plenary Speaker or Facilitator – someone with authority to stimulate input and discussion by participants to come to conclusion for action
From Consumers to Participants to Learners
If we really want conferences and events to shift from people consuming information and passively listening to lectures to active engagement and contributors, perhaps we should choose a different word to define our registrants.
4. Read comments to the article. Whose opinion is close to yours? Why?
A.
Paul Salinger
What is interesting is that I’m involved with designing a conference right now for the Green Meetings Industry Council and we’re having this same conversation. We actually ended up changing the name of the committee working on the conference program design from the program committee to the learning design committee.
the points you are raising really resonate with me. I’m very interested in how we bring along our audiences from passive attendees to highly engaged learners and even collaborators – and this is the direction we are taking with the GMIC conference. Our intent is to design a conference that is about total engagement, where we immerse our learner collaborators in a series of knowledge based sessions that combine context and learning combined with hands on practical experience and lots of white space to absorb and discuss in networking environments.
The one issue we may need to address is whether we have done such a good job of training our “attendees” to be relatively passive and listen rather than participate, or sit through a long powerpoint-laden presentation, that this new way of approaching learning design is actually too intimidating and that some people do not want this kind of engagement.
There is probably a balance in thinking about how people learn and potentially having a variety of experience that account for that.
In some ways, I think we may need to lead the audience into this new world, but I do think it is imperative that we start to move to a new world of learning and collaboration at our conferences, events and meetings to enrich the experience for all involved.
B.
Jeff Hurt
Thanks for adding your thoughts. I’ve seen several tweets today with additional thoughts from folks. I’ll share more about those in a post tomorrow.
Do I think we’ve trained attendees to be passive? No. With good facilitators, even passive listeners (lurkers in social media) can become active participants. It’s about the small nuances from the facilitators to state “turn to your neighbor and discuss” or the well-thought question strategies for groups of three, four, six or ten to discuss. I think we’ve allowed speakers to be lecturers for too long. If there’s any group that needs retraining, it’s our industry speakers. We need to invest in them and help them learn new strategies for sharing and facilitating experiences.
C.
Adrian Segar
Jeff, I’m always impressed by how you highlight important issues.
I think the four words make significant distinctions. When writing my book I was careful to use the first three in the ways you describe.
But I don’t describe attendees and participants as learners. I want people to learn at my events, of course, but, even if I provide the most amazing learning environment possible, there’s no guarantee that anyone will learn a thing.
If people register at an event that makes them a registrants; if they attend an event they’re attendees; if they participate to some degree they’re participants to that degree. But what and how much someone learns is ultimately up to them.
Telling someone that the goal of a session is for them to learn something is important, and creating the best environment for that learning can occur is critical. But I don’t want to call attendees or participants learners, because that implies that if they attend/participate in the session they will learn no matter what. Then we’re back to learning by just showing up.
Our job is to guide, support, and encourage attendees/participants in their own learning, while never forgetting that they are ultimately responsible for their own development.
D.
Sue Pelletier
I struggle with this in writing about meetings. I usually fall back on “attendee,” since we know they showed up even if they didn’t participate in or learn during the event I’m writing about. In continuing medical ed circles, they usually call them learners (which may be a bit optimistic in some cases), so that’s what I usually use when writing about CME.
But that’s where the focus firmly lies with CME. For a team-building event, participation may be more important. If all your organization wants out of the event is financial gain, maybe registrant is the right call (though I’d urge you to rethink your goals).
I think it’s going to depend on what the goals are of the person attending and the organization that’s putting it on. I don’t think there will ever be one term that fits all meeting-goers, just as there’s no one term that aptly describes every kind of event (except maybe “event”?)
E.
Jeff Hurt
@Adrian Great point: “Our job is to guide, support, and encourage attendees/participants in their own learning, while never forgetting that they are ultimately responsible for their own development.” I like that statement. Here’s an interesting thought, we call people who attend schools, “Students,” meaning learner, whether they are learning or not. What if we applied the same principle to learning events and call those attending learners, regardless if they were learning or not? Just say in…
@Paul – Agree, the responsibility for learning is as much as on the attendee as the presenter
@Sue – I like how you’ve framed each word depending upon the goal. Your statement “…it’s going to depend on what the goals are of the person attending…” makes a lot of sense to me too.
[pic]PRACTICE
5. Find the definitions to the words in different dictionaries. Compare them. Define the words yourself in accordance to different situations. Make sentences to show the difference in the meaning of the words.
registrant attendee participant learner
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
6. Ellen with aLearning Blog has raised the question of the meaning of the words several times in her blog. As a professional educator and former association exec, she states: “First, semantics are important (or the pen wouldn’t be mightier than the sword): let’s stop calling those who attend our educational and conference sessions “attendees” and start calling them “learners.” Attendees show up. Learners want to leave a session with something more than what they arrived with: a new skill, deeper understanding, or something else”.
So what word or words should we use to call those that attend conferences and events? Do you think using the right word has any impact on behavior or is just all a matter of interpretation?
[pic]INTERNET USE
7. Read the article. Make a list of business meetings and scientific events. For more information follow the links or see Appendix 1.1.
Types of Meetings and Events
What’s the difference between a seminar and a workshop? A trade show and an exhibition? With all the different meeting terms it can get quite confusing! If you happen to plan meetings it pays to get your terminology right.
Annual General Meetings:
An Annual General Meeting (AGM), or a shareholders meeting, is a large gathering held by publicly traded companies. These meetings are held in order to let shareholders ask the board of directors questions about a company’s health, as well as to elect new members to the board.
Board Meetings:
While the term “Board Meeting” technically means a gathering of a company or organization’s board of directors, to us a board meeting really is a gathering of decision makers. At this gathering, important facts are presented and decisions are made as to the best course of action to take in the coming months.
Further Activity:
Breakout Session:
At a convention or conference, breakout sessions are meetings (workshops, seminars, or presentations) intended for small groups. These meetings can be held in smaller meeting rooms within a convention center or hotel as well as off-site meeting and boardrooms.
Further Activity:
Business Dinners and Banquets:
These are generally formal celebrations organized by a company or organization to celebrate achievements within the organization and to boost employee and member morale. Depending on the size of the organization, these dinners may be a small gathering at a local restaurant or conducted in a large hotel banquet hall or unique event space like an art gallery or museum.
Further Activity:
Conference:
Although “conventions” and “conferences” are terms that are used interchangeably, the meeting industry standard definition of a conference is of a meeting of a shorter duration than a convention and designed to meet a specific objective.
Further Activity:
Colloquium:
A colloquium can be best described as an “academic networking event.” Participants are often experts in a given field and they meet to informally present and exchange new ideas. Some academic programs require participation in a colloquium in order to complete the program.
Further Activity:
Conclave:
Conclaves are meetings conducted in secret. In general, conclaves are used to describe “closed door” meetings between individuals who have a certain level of power or influence. One of the most famous conclaves is the Papal conclave, where cardinals meet to elect a new pope.
Congress:
While most Americans generally associate the word “Congress” with the legislative branch of government, a congress can also a large group of individuals who meet on a regularly scheduled basis, often to make decisions through a debate and voting process.
Consumer Shows:
A consumer or gate show is a trade show that’s open to the general public. These shows generally have an entrance fee. People interested in learning about the latest products (electronics, automobiles, etc) often go to consumer shows.
Further Activity:
Conventions:
A convention is a large gathering of people with a shared interest (usually professional or fandom related). These events are often recurring, and are usually scheduled at a specific time each year. Conventions usually have keynote speakers, as well as presentations that familiarize attendees with advancements or trends within their particular field of interest.
Further Activity:
Exhibitions:
An exhibition is a trade show that focuses on B2B businesses.
Expo or Expositions:
An expo is a large scale exhibition or trade show often conducted on an international level. One of the most common examples of an expo is The World’s Fair.
Fairs:
A fair is a trade show or expo organized for the purpose of exhibiting arts and crafts, industrial products and agricultural products, but more local and on a smaller scale. Unlike most trade shows, entertainment and fair food (think fried twinkies and French fry studded corn dogs!) are often a major draw.
Functions:
A social gathering or party, sometimes of a ceremonial nature. A function is usually one or one of several gatherings that contribute to a larger event. Fundraisers:
A fundraiser can be a party, dance, dinner organized for the express purpose of raising money for a cause or organization.
Further Activity:
Galas:
A gala is a large scale dinner gathering or party that often includes entertainment and/or awards ceremonies following dinner.
"Green" Meetings:
"Green" meetings are events produced with sustainability in mind. When planning an event considerations are made concerning the use of water, electricity, fuel as well as the consumption of renewable products as opposed to disposable products.
Further Activity:
International Events:
According to the meeting industry standard definition, an international event is any event where 15% or more of the participants come from out of the the event’s host country.
Meetups:
A meetup is an informal meeting or get-together organized for people with similar interests. These interests can be anything: dating, networking, board games, romance novels, meditation, hiking, wine tasting–just to name a few. Most meetups are associated with , a website that provides listing services for meetups.
Further Activity:
Networking Events:
Organizing or sponsoring a networking event can be a great way to raise a company or individual’s profile within a certain community. Networking events can run from informal schmooze and booze affairs at a local bar to fully fledged galas complete with an open bar.
Party:
A generic term for any social gathering.
Plenary or General Sessions:
A large meeting open to all people attending an event. These sessions often kick off a large conference or convention before it begins.
Political Events:
Political events are organized to raise awareness or funds for a particular candidate or cause. Democratic and Republican national conventions, the largest political events in the U.S. are organized to energize the base and bring in delegates from each of the 50 states.
Further Activity:
Press Conferences:
Press conferences are often organized by newsmakers (most often in politics but also in business and in sports) to make an announcement or to field questions by press who happen to be invited to the conference.
Product Launch Events:
Product Launches are often large scale events whose organizers invite journalists, bloggers and social media influencers to witness the very first unveiling of a company’s product. A successful product launch will often include a venue that is unique to the product being used.
Further Activity:
Receptions:
In the meetings industry, receptions refer to a social function where light refreshments are served, usually buffet style. Receptions are often informal, and attendees will usually stand up and socialize rather than sit down at a table. For weddings and other social events, receptions are informal celebrations or gatherings that follow a more formal ceremony.
Retreats and Team Building Events:
Retreats can be anything from go-cart races to ski trips to ropes courses. Essentially the purpose of the retreat is to get team members to know each other better and thus be more efficient as a team.
Further Activity:
Seminars:
In business, seminars are meetings organized to inform a group of people about a specific topic, or to teach a specific skill. Expert speakers and teachers are usually invited to speak on topics like personal finance, investing, real estate, web marketing, and many others.
Further Activity:
Social Events:
A large gathering organized to celebrate major life events and religious ceremonies. Common social events include: anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, and bar/bat mitzvahs.
Symposiums:
Symposiums are meetings organized so that experts in a given field can meet, present papers, and discuss issues and trends or make recommendations for a certain course of action.
Further Activity:
Trade Shows:
Trade Shows are an opportunity for companies to exhibit some of their latest products, as well as yet to be released prototypes to journalists as well as others in the industry.
Workshops:
The terms “workshop” and “seminar” are used interchangeably. While both are education focused events, workshops generally have more hands-on and group activities. Workshops are better for teaching skills that require interactivity and individual participation to learn.
Further Activity:
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
8. Look through the situations below. Discuss with your partner what event is the most suitable for each of them. Make a dialogue to discuss which event to organise for one of the situations.
Your institute celebrates its 35th birthday this year.
A well-known economist wants to share his new theories with the public.
Some companies in your city start the production of new large-scale goods.
The football team in the city buys a new player.
The hospital in the city looks for sponsorship.
Some non-governmental organization wants to register its political party.
A political organization makes its promotion.
Farmers of the region demonstrate and sell the harvest of the year.
Scientists from different institutions share their ideas and experience.
Famous scientists, politicians and members of the government take part in the convention. A lot of attendees and the press want to ask them questions.
You have to organise an event after the conference for all the attendees for free communication.
Shops in the city want to promote their goods.
[pic] INSIGHT INTO THE TOPIC
9. Have you ever taken part in any academic event? How it was called? Give the title of the event and share your impressions.
Read the article. Summaries the differences between a conference, symposia, workshop, seminar, colloquium and roundtable.
Types of Conferences
Conferences
Conferences can be large society meetings (e.g. SACNAS, ACS, AAAS), smaller annual conferences for Centers or targeted focus groups.
• Attendees/participants are students, academic, industry or government researchers, sometimes administrators
• Participants submit abstracts to present data (oral or poster), engage colleagues, get feedback, learn to hone presentation skills, learn from others in the field, network
• Attendees could be a speaker in one session and a learner/participant in another session
• Conferences usually have one or more keynote or plenary speaker(s). These speakers are lecturers who present a high level overview of their own work or career.
Symposium
A Symposium is a meeting or small scale conference in an academic setting where participants are experts in their fields. The experts present or deliver their opinions or viewpoints on a chosen topic for discussion. Symposia are particularly good for student speakers as it allows them to practice and get feedback on their own work.
Seminars, Colloquium
• Seminars are a type of conference or other meeting typically designed for training. Departments often host regular seminars of student speakers or invited guests.
• Colloquia are informal meetings or seminars on a broad topic usually led by a different lecturer at each meeting.
RoundtablesandWorkshops
• Round table discussions: Participants discuss a specific topic. Each person around the table interactively participates.
• Workshops are usually interactive training where participants actively engage in activities rather than passively listening to a lecturer. Workshopsareusuallymoderatedby a lecturerorfacilitiator.
[pic]LISTENING
10. Listen to the speaker (1.10). He talks about the difference between symposium and conference. What is the difference? What are the chief characteristics of a symposium? What types of conferences have your heard?
[pic]PRACTICE
11. Match the words with their corresponding definitions.
|1.briefing |a. an interview given to journalists by a prominent person in order to make an |
| |announcement or answer questions. |
|2. press conference |b. a seminar conducted over the Internet. |
|3. poster presentation |c. a meeting where information is given to someone just before they do something |
|4. webinar |d. the presentation of research information, usually peer-reviewed work in the form |
| |of a paper poster that conference participants may view. |
|5. seminar |e. an assembly for discussion, especially at a conference |
|6. workshop |f. a conference or other meeting for discussion or training. |
|7. roundtable |g. A practical exhibition and explanation of how something works or is performed. |
|8. demonstration |h. A meeting at which a group of people engage in intensive discussion and activity |
| |on a particular subject or project. |
12. Match the words from Activity 5 with the types of events from Activity 9. Explain your choice. Make sentences or a short story to demonstrate your ideas.
[pic]INTERNET USE
13. Search online: see Appendix 1.2. Study the articles. Make a list of criteria to compare the types of meetings and events. Present them in a table. Compare your notes.
|Size of events |Practical goals |Characteristics of practices |Denomination of events |
|(large, medium, small) |(communication, | | |
| |update, maintenance, | | |
| |training) | | |
|Ex. small |training |Disseminate knowledge |workshop |
14. You are going to attend a conference in your field of study. Your goal is to search online for the information about the coming event. Present the information in the class.
[pic] LISTENING
15. Listen to the participant of a EGU conference (1.15). Answer the questions:
Where does it take place?
What does EGU stand for?
What are the topics of a conference?
What is the atmosphere?
What is a Scientific Conference like?
[pic]
16. What are the reasons for attending a conference?
Read the text and answer the question: What are some other reasons that you might have for attending a conference? For more information see Appendix 1.3.
Why attend conferences? Here are 5 reasons
I was chatting with a friend of mine who is a second year STEM graduate student, and she turns to me and asks, “This may be a stupid question, but why do we go to conferences?”
It made me pause to think for a moment. As graduate students, we get a lot of advice on making the most of conferences, and how to present at conferences, but it’s always assumed that we understand why we go to conferences in the first place. Clearly, for young grad students, this is not always the case, so I decided to make a short list of my top reasons for attending conferences (in no particular order).
1. To meet people
A big reason for going to conferences is to meet and meet up with people. Conferences bring together people from all different geographical areas who share a common discipline or field and are a great way to meet new people in your field. At a conference you will be able to get together with people from a wide range of backgrounds or from a number of institutions, whom you may not encounter at your home institution. As you build your professional network, conferences also become a good place for meeting up with people in your field that you haven’t seen in a while.
2. For people to meet you
It may not seem like a notable thing, but conferences are also a good way for people to meet you. Yes, you, the lowly second year grad student, presenting for the first time. You may meet someone at a meal, or they may stop by your poster, and within a few minutes, you can make a connection with someone that you might not even have met if you hadn’t attended the conference. This is especially important when you are looking for collaborators, or jobs and postdocs, or, in some fields you may even be looking for committee members. Or perhaps you are just trying to build your professional network. Conferences are another way to get your name and your work out there as you begin to establish yourself in your field of study.
3. To present your work to others
This is one of the more obvious reasons for attending conferences: to present your work! It’s good practice in talking about what you do with a variety of people from similar, related and/or completely different areas of study. Presenting will make you more confident about the work that you do, and gives you new perspective about your work as people may ask questions that make you think about your project differently. At a conference you have the opportunity to get feedback on your work from people who have never seen it before and may provide new insight, as well as from people other than your graduate adviser who are experts in your field.
4. To learn new things in your field
As you view different posters or attend different talks, you hear a lot about things in your field that may be new to you. These could be new techniques, new types of equipment, data that is yet unpublished, or investigators that you may not have heard of. Conferences allow you to get a good sense of what’s going on in your discipline that you might not be aware of living in your neck of the woods. You get to hear about the research of some of the biggest names in your field and of some of the newest faces in it. In addition, conferences give you the opportunity to talk to these people one-on-one about what they are working on, and they may even give you advice on how to develop your project. You have the opportunity to ask presenters questions about their work and the rationale behind it, which you can’t do when reading journal articles!
5. To learn new things outside of your field
This is a two-fold benefit of going to conferences, since not only may you learn things outside your field about other areas of research in your discipline, but conferences also have many sessions for professional development and career advice, particularly at large national conferences. Chances are, when you go to a conference the attendees are united by a single broad topic, such as immunology, but they have many different sub-fields of study, and many projects will be multidisciplinary. Thus, you have the opportunity to learn about a different area of your field as a way to develop your dissertation project, for your own personal pursuit of knowledge, or if you are looking to change your research focus. Moreover, conferences (especially the big ones!) have many professional development workshops and seminars for graduate students, where you hear from career professionals about skills such as networking, creating a CV or resume, different types of careers, and interviewing skills.
So why go to conferences? I guess a short summary reason would be: for your continued personal and professional development. Take advantage of these opportunities, even if you can only attend smaller local conferences. Meet people. Network. Learn new things. Who knows, you may even end up leaving a conference with a job offer!
[pic]GRAMMAR TIPS
17. Study the article about formal and informal language. What is the difference?
How and When to Use Formal and Informal English
Working out when to use formal language and when to be informal is a big part of mastering a language.
In English, formal language is used in situations that are more serious, for example, when you’re in a job interview or emailing your university professor. It can also be used when you’re speaking to someone you don’t know very well and want to make sure you sound respectful.
Informal language is used in more relaxed, everyday situations. Of course, this includes conversations with friends, family and other people you know well. Unlike many other languages, though, most English speakers tend to use informal language with people they’ve just met, too. In fact, if you start a conversation with someone on the train or speak to someone working in a shop, they will usually find it strange if you use very formal language!
But what’s the difference between them?
Formal English uses longer, full sentences and perfect grammar. Often, there are lots of sub-clauses to explain details, and few unnecessary words.
For example, if you were describing a trip you went on in a formal context such as an essay, you might say something like: “Last week, my sister and I took the train to Brighton, a popular seaside town in the South of England. Although it’s a pebble beach, and despite the cloudy weather, the beach was crowded with sunbathers and families. One group nearly lost their picnic when a strong wind blew their blanket and paper plates away.”
On the other hand, if you were telling the same story to a friend, you would be more relaxed about your grammar. You might use short or broken sentences, everyday phrases or slang, and plenty of delaying, qualifying or correcting expressions. For example: “Oh, did I tell you me and my sister went to Brighton last week? We got the train down, it was really fun. I mean, it was really cold and there’s no sand, just, you know, stones, but it was still pretty good. All these people were trying really hard to sunbathe and have picnics and stuff, and then there was this, like, big gust of wind and all the plates and blankets were flying everywhere. So funny!”
We use formal English much more often when we’re writing and use informal English much more when we’re speaking, but that isn’t always the case. For example, you would use more formal language when you’re giving an academic presentation or speech, and you would use informal language when you’re writing a message to friends.
If you’re unsure whether you should be using formal or informal language in a conversation, especially when you’re talking to someone older than you, or in a work situation, pay attention to how they speak to you and try to do the same. If you’re emailing or writing to someone and you’re not sure, it’s a good idea to use formal language. This makes sure that you always sound polite and professional.
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
18. What type of language is used at different events? Is there any difference for public, business and academic events? Explain your opinion. In groups make lists of recommendations on using the language for every group of events.
[pic]GRAMMAR TIPS
19. Read the text. Where academic English is used?
Typical features of academic English.
Academic English differs from general English in a number of respects. It is important to be able to distinguish a formal (academic) style from an informal style and to understand that what may be acceptable in spoken language may not be appropriate in writing a paper/ thesis/project/formal letter, etc.
In academic writing the writer´s approach to the topic is objective (rather than subjective), intellectual (rather than emotional), and rational (rather than polemical). His/her tone is serious (not conversational), impersonal (not personal), and formal (not informal).
Examples of various levels of formality:
Prior to the discovery of America, potatoes were not consumed in Europe.
Before America was discovered, potatoes were not eaten in Europe.
Before they discovered America, Europeans didn´t eat potatoes.
Typical features of academic English include:
1. Precision, clarity and sentence structure that is easy to understand, i.e.
- no sentences that stretch over a whole long paragraph and only confuse the reader/listener (good advice: try to read your sentence aloud to find out whether it is easily comprehensible or not);
- no unnecessary words that only prolong the sentence and make it bombastic (e.g. we analysed the data, NOT: we performed an analysis of the data).
2. Terminology closely connected with a particular scientific discipline, e.g. dielectrics, NC machines, fission.
3. Subtechnical vocabulary, i. e. words and phrases common to academic writing in general, e.g. analyse, compute, compare, differ.
4. Words of Latin and Greek origin, e.g. focus, phenomenon.
5. No words/phrases common in informal English, e.g. you know, you see, a little bit, a lot of, like I said.
6. Full forms of words instead of contracted forms, e.g. is not instead of isn´t, has not instead of hasn´t.
7. Limited use of phrasal verbs, use of formal and prepositional verbs, e.g. constitute instead of make up, compensate instead of make up for; differ from, result in.
8. Less usual prepositions, e.g. in addition to, unlike, despite
9. Passive constructions instead of I, you, e.g. the data were analysed instead of I analysed the data; a rise in consumption can be expected instead of you can expect a rise in consumption.
Notes:
- We is sometimes used for variety or emphasizing that it was the author(s) who… Although the method generally used for this purpose is the xx method, we used the method developed in our laboratory.
- An active construction is used where the passive construction is rather clumsy: This paper shows why and under what conditions computer support for workshop schedules is necessary. Instead of: In this paper it is shown …
10. Infinitive constructions, –ing and –ed forms replacing long phrases and clauses:
The experiment was repeated five times to obtain convincing results. Instead of: so that convincing results might be obtained.
Comparing the two expressions we can find that … Instead of: When we compare ..
The results obtained do not agree with… Instead of: the results which were obtained/the results we obtained …
11. Constructions expressing cause/reason, result/effect, purpose, contrast, similarity, etc.
Example of the cause – result relationship: A causes/is the cause of/gives rise to/produces … B. B results from/is the result of/is due to … B.
12. Hedging, i.e. use of modal verbs (may, might, could, would … ) and some other words and phrases to avoid a definite statement.
Example of definite statement: Industrialization is viewed as a superior way of life.
Example of hedged statement: Industrialization tends to/may be viewed as …..
13. Appropriate punctuation, i.e. use of commas, colons, semicolons, inverted commas. Inappropriate use of punctuation may change the meaning or make the text difficult to read: My friend who has just returned from his study stay abroad wants to join our project. (implies that you have more friends and one of them has just returned). My friend, who has just returned from his study stay abroad, … (implies that you have one friend).
When all the students left the lab was locked for the evening. (you have to read the sentence twice to understand that “the lab” is not the object of “left” but the subject of the clause “was locked …”). Appropriate punctuation:
When all the students left, the lab was locked … .
[pic]PRACTICE
20. Can you recognize formal academic writing? Write F (formal) and I (informal) next to each of the following sentences. Say why you think so.
1. I showed that his arguments didn’t hold water.
2. I wonder why he put up with those terrible conditions for so long.
3. Five more tests will be necessary before the experiments can be concluded.
4. It is possible to consider these results from a different viewpoint.
5. It has been proved that the arguments so far are without foundation.
6. He’ll have to do a couple more tests before he can stop the experiment.
7. It is not clear why such terrible conditions were tolerated for so long.
8. We’ll finish the job next year.
9. If we don’t get a move on with our research, we’ll lose our grant.
10. As mentioned above, the experiments were carried out at room temperature.
11. Please await instructions before dispatching items.
12. Don´t send anything off until you´re told to do so.
21. Read the following extracts quickly.
a. Try to identify the type of source. Select from:
1. a magazine for the general public
2. an advertisement
3. a scientific paper
4. a novel
5. a catalogue
6. a specialist magazine
7. a non-fiction book of witticisms
1. Body-Powered Devices Everything we do generates power – about one watt per breath, 70 watts per step. This year, Michael McAlpine of Princeton University and colleagues figured out how to turn locomotion into power by embedding piezoelectric crystals into a flexible, biocompatible rubberlike material that, when bent, allows the crystals to produce energy. Put the crystals in shoes, say, or implant them directly into the body and they could produce enough power to charge personal electronics or internal medical devices. Elsewhere, telecommunications provider Orange introduced a prototype of Orange Power Wellies – rubber boots that convert heat into current. Campers at Britain´s Glastonbury Festival were the first to demo the footwear. (With the current model, it takes 12 hours of walking to charge a cell phone for an hour). Of course, if you assemble enough people in a tight space, they don´t even need to move to generate energy: in Paris, engineers have captured the warmth generated by bodies on the Métro subway to heat a public-housing project on Rue Beaubourg. By 2011, the Métro heating system will cut carbon dioxide emissions from the housing project´s heating system by a third.
2. This paper presents the recognition performance obtainable, for both monochromatic and chromatic images, from Single Layer Networks (SLNs) of trixel N-Tuple (NT) nodes and SLNs of trixel Min/Max (MM) nodes. The general concepts of the trixel N-Tuple (TNT) and trixel Min/Max (TMM) techniques for the recognition of coloured images are briefly outlined. For comparative purposes, some results from implementation in 1991 are also included. From the presented results, it is concluded that, for the recognition of images with different coloured backgrounds, both the TNT and TMM networks provide greatly improved confidence levels. However, it should be noted that the documented results relate to near identical images on different coloured backgrounds and not to different images with variations in intensity, hue and saturation. Therefore, further work is required to ascertain benchmarks where the use of colour-encoded images provides a definite improvement in recognition confidence levels compared with either monochrome or single-bit binary encoded images. Also, it is essential that future systems must incorporate appropriate automatic thresholding facilities where the video chain characteristics are accurately defined.
3. One of the first steps in any new energy management program is to identify how much energy each facility within the company consumes. The old adage “you can´t manage what you can´t measure“ is true. For larger plants, the specific energy should be determined for various process areas and major plant utilities. Smaller facilities should at least know the specific energy for the entire plant on a production unit basis. This information needs to be compiled into a central data repository and made available to plant and corporate personnel. CalPortland has developed a comprehensive SharePoint Intranet Web site that provides such a forum. Energy managers or plant administrative personnel can enter their fuel and electricity consumption and costs into a central database on the site. An energy dashboard displays a year-to-date energy consumption for each facility as well as the total company consumption number.
4. Murphy´s law of research: Enough research will tend to support your theory.
Maier´s law: If the facts do not conform to the theory, they must be disposed of.
Corollaries: The bigger the theory, the better. The experiment may be considered a success if no more than 50 percent of the observed measurements must be discarded to obtain a correspondence with the theory.
Williams and Holland´s law: If enough data are collected, anything may be proven by statistical methods.
Rule of accuracy: When working toward the solution of a problem, it always helps if you know the answer.
Young´s law: All great discoveries are made by mistake.
Felson´s law: To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.
Finagle´s rule: Teamwork is essential. It allows you to blame someone else.
Lerman´s law of technology: Any technical problem can be overcome given enough time and money.
Lerman´s corollary: You are never given enough time and money.
Law of unreliability: To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.
Handy guide to modern science: If it´s green or it wriggles, it´s biology. If it stinks, it´s chemistry. If it doesn´t work, it´s physics.
Cerf´s extensions to the handy guide to modern science: If it´s incomprehensible, it´s mathematics. If it doesn´t make sense, it´s either economics or psychology.
Bitton´s postulate on state-of-the-art electronics: If you understand it, it´s obsolete.
Meredith´s law for grad school survival: Never let your professor know that you exist.
Vile´s law for educators: No one is listening until you make a mistake.
5. Engineers have four basic options when it comes to joining two materials together: spot welding, mechanical fasteners (rivets), double-sided tapes, and liquid adhesives. Welding and rivets are often the most popular fastening methods because they provide instant gratification: after the weld or rivet gun has done its job, the two objects are joined. Double-sided tapes also don't require curing time, but do require surface preparation. Liquid adhesives require additional time for curing, which often keeps engineers from using them. However, the other methods also have hidden costs and time requirements that can change your calculations, making adhesives a more possible solution.
6. As research into semi-solid processing of steels has been focused on thixoforming, the vast potential of other new processes for creating unconventional microstructures has been neglected. Current semi-solid processing of steel typically leads to polyhedral austenite particles embedded in various forms of carbide networks. Oversaturation of the solid solution with carbon provides a relatively effective stabilization of austenite. Interventions in the evolution of such metastable microstructures may induce various transformations of this microstructure component. It can produce a very interesting final microstructure, mechanical properties and other properties.
7. The machine was making a strange humming sound as the door slid open. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he could see that he was not alone. There, sitting huddled in a corner of the laboratory was a small creature. ”It wasn’t me! I didn’t do it”, it squeaked at him. The apparatus was all over the place; twisted tubes and broken glass everywhere. But the machine was still working. Lights were blinking on and off, but the monitors were showing that everything was functioning normally. Apart from the small creature, there was one other thing which was odd. There was a large round hole in the floor where his desk had once been.
8. Remember the Knight Rider car? The one declaring "scanner indicating danger ahead", "your reflexes are slow" or "I shall activate a turbo-boost"? A similarly futuristic car might hit the road sooner than you think, according to Klaus Draeger, BMW's head of research and development. Many cars are already connected to computer systems, making drivers' and passengers' lives both more comfortable and safer. But until now they have mainly been receiving information, so as yet they are not really engaging in dialogues, Mr. Draeger says. BMW's Connected Drive concept, currently on show at the Geneva motor show, aims to change that.
b. Give a brief description of the character of the text and illustrate it with examples.
c. Rate their degree of formality (from least formal - 1 to most formal - 4).
[pic]INTERNET USE
22. Follow the link. Watch the video. Pass the test. How to recognise and use formal and informal styles?
[pic]WRITING
23. Write a note to your friend about the forthcoming event in your city you want both of you to attend.
24. Write a short email to your friend. Tell him/her about the colloquium that is next week. Give the reasons to attend it.
25. Write a letter. Inform you colleagues about the coming conference and encourage them to take part in it.
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
26. Brainstorming. Discuss topics you would like to deal with at an academic event. Explain the choice of the topic and the event.
[pic]ADVANCEMENT QUESTIONS
1. Give definition to Registrant.
2. Give definition to Attendee.
3. Give definition to Participant.
4. Give definition to Learner.
5. Give definition to Speaker/Keynote Speaker/Plenary Speaker.
6. What types of meetings and events have you learnt? What are their specific features?
7. What types of conferences do you know?
8. What are reasons for attending conferences?
9. What is the difference between Formal and Informal English?
10. What type fo language is used at different events?
[pic]RELIABLE INFORMATION RESOURCES
1. Types of Meeting and Events. [Электронный ресурс]. Режим доступа URL:. (Дата обращения: 26.06.2018).
2. Jeff Hurt, Registrant, Attendee, Participant Or Learner? [Электронный ресурс].Режим доступа URL: . (Дата обращения: 26.06.2016).
3. Konrad,How and When to Use Formal and Informal English. [Электронный ресурс]. Режим доступа URL:. (Дата обращения: 26.06.2016).
4. TypesofConferences. [Электронныйресурс]. Режим доступа URL:. (Дата обращения: 26.06.2016).
5. Why attend conferences? Here are 5 reasons. [Электронный ресурс].Режим доступа URL:.(Дата обращения: 26.06.2016).
6.
FROM ESSAYS TO PROJECTS
|[pic] |[pic] |
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
1. Look at the pictures.
Do you have problems with writing different kind of works?
What kind of written tasks is the most difficult for you?
What types of paper projects have you put into practice?
How do you usually organize or plan a written work/paper projects?
2. Look through the list in the picture.
[pic]
Read the types of essays. Comment on them.
If necessary find additional information online.
Make presentation on the types of essays.
Follow the link to find out more:
[pic] INSIGHT INTO THE TOPIC
3. Different paper projects are of different types but most of them have the same structure. Name the main parts of a paper project.
Read the text and compare your answers with the information in the article.
Essay Structure
Writing an academic essay means fashioning a coherent set of ideas into an argument. Because essays are essentially linear—they offer one idea at a time —they must present their ideas in the order that makes most sense to a reader. Successfully structuring an essay means attending to a reader's logic.
The focus of such an essay predicts its structure. It dictates the information readers need to know and the order in which they need to receive it. Thus your essay's structure is necessarily unique to the main claim you're making. Although there are guidelines for constructing certain classic essay types (e.g., comparative analysis), there are no set formula.
Answering Questions: The Parts of an Essay
A typical essay contains many different kinds of information, often located in specialized parts or sections. Even short essays perform several different operations: introducing the argument, analyzing data, raising counterarguments, concluding. Introductions and conclusions have fixed places, but other parts don't. Counterargument, for example, may appear within a paragraph, as a free-standing section, as part of the beginning, or before the ending. Background material (historical context or biographical information, a summary of relevant theory or criticism, the definition of a key term) often appears at the beginning of the essay, between the introduction and the first analytical section, but might also appear near the beginning of the specific section to which it's relevant.
It's helpful to think of the different essay sections as answering a series of questions your reader might ask when encountering your thesis. (Readers should have questions. If they don't, your thesis is most likely simply an observation of fact, not an arguable claim.)
"What?" The first question to anticipate from a reader is "what": What evidence shows that the phenomenon described by your thesis is true? To answer the question you must examine your evidence, thus demonstrating the truth of your claim. This "what" or "demonstration" section comes early in the essay, often directly after the introduction. Since you're essentially reporting what you've observed, this is the part you might have most to say about when you first start writing. But be forewarned: it shouldn't take up much more than a third (often much less) of your finished essay. If it does, the essay will lack balance and may read as mere summary or description.
"How?" A reader will also want to know whether the claims of the thesis are true in all cases. The corresponding question is "how": How does the thesis stand up to the challenge of a counterargument? How does the introduction of new material—a new way of looking at the evidence, another set of sources—affect the claims you're making? Typically, an essay will include at least one "how" section. (Call it "complication" since you're responding to a reader's complicating questions.) This section usually comes after the "what," but keep in mind that an essay may complicate its argument several times depending on its length, and that counterargument alone may appear just about anywhere in an essay.
"Why?" Your reader will also want to know what's at stake in your claim: Why does your interpretation of a phenomenon matter to anyone beside you? This question addresses the larger implications of your thesis. It allows your readers to understand your essay within a larger context. In answering "why", your essay explains its own significance. Although you might gesture at this question in your introduction, the fullest answer to it properly belongs at your essay's end. If you leave it out, your readers will experience your essay as unfinished—or, worse, as pointless or insular.
Mapping an Essay
Structuring your essay according to a reader's logic means examining your thesis and anticipating what a reader needs to know, and in what sequence, in order to grasp and be convinced by your argument as it unfolds. The easiest way to do this is to map the essay's ideas via a written narrative. Such an account will give you a preliminary record of your ideas, and will allow you to remind yourself at every turn of the reader's needs in understanding your idea.
Essay maps ask you to predict where your reader will expect background information, counterargument, close analysis of a primary source, or a turn to secondary source material. Essay maps are not concerned with paragraphs so much as with sections of an essay. They anticipate the major argumentative moves you expect your essay to make. Trymakingyourmaplikethis:
• State your thesis in a sentence or two, and then write another sentence saying why it's important to make that claim. Indicate, in other words, what a reader might learn by exploring the claim with you. Here you're anticipating your answer to the "why" question that you'll eventually flesh out in your conclusion.
• Begin your next sentence like this: "To be convinced by my claim, the first thing a reader needs to know is . . ." Then say why that's the first thing a reader needs to know, and name one or two items of evidence you think will make the case. This will start you off on answering the "what" question. (Alternately, you may find that the first thing your reader needs to know is some background information.)
• Begin each of the following sentences like this: "The next thing my reader needs to know is . . ." Once again, say why, and name some evidence. Continue until you've mapped out your essay.
Your map should naturally take you through some preliminary answers to the basic questions of what, how, and why. It is not a contract, though—the order in which the ideas appear is not a rigid one. Essay maps are flexible; they evolve with your ideas.
Signs of Trouble
A common structural flaw in college essays is the "walk-through" (also labeled "summary" or "description"). Walk-through essays follow the structure of their sources rather than establishing their own. Such essays generally have a descriptive thesis rather than an argumentative one. Be wary of paragraph openers that lead off with "time" words ("first," "next," "after," "then") or "listing" words ("also," "another," "in addition"). Although they don't always signal trouble, these paragraph openers often indicate that an essay's thesis and structure need work: they suggest that the essay simply reproduces the chronology of the source text (in the case of time words: first this happens, then that, and afterwards another thing) or simply lists example after example ("In addition, the use of color indicates another way that the painting differentiates between good and evil").
[pic]PRACTICE
4. Match the words from the text with their definitions. Make sentences with the words.
A
|1 essay |a. a relatively distinct part of a book, newspaper, statute, or other document |
|2 guideline |b. a distinct section of a piece of writing, usually dealing with a single theme and indicated by a new line, |
| |indentation, or numbering |
|3 section |c. a statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved |
|4 thesis |d. a short piece of writing on a particular subject |
|5 paragraph |e. a general rule, principle, or piece of advice |
B
|6 coherent |a. involving the systematic observation of the similarities or dissimilarities between two or more branches of|
| |science or subjects of study |
|7 linear |b. closely connected or appropriate to what is being done or considered |
|8 comparative |c. logical and consistent |
|9 relevant |d. ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one's own experience |
|10 insular |e. progressing from one stage to another in a single series of steps; sequential |
C
|11 structure |a. bring a subject to the attention of (someone) for the first time |
|12 construct |b. bring or come to an end |
|13 contain |c. construct or arrange according to a plan; give a pattern or organization to |
|14 introduce |d. examine (something) methodically and in detail, typically in order to explain and interpret it |
|15 analyse |e. be made up of (a number of things) |
|16 conclude |f. form (an idea or theory) by bringing together various conceptual elements |
Identify parts of speech in A, B, C groups.
Choose three more words from the text for each part of speech and find definitions in the online dictionary. You may use the link to: . Make sentences with the words.
5. Fill the gaps with the words.
ideas task daunt follow structure steps essay
Guide to writing a basic essay
An 1 … can have many purposes, but the basic 2 … is the same no matter what. You may be writing an essay to argue for a particular point of view or to explain the 3 … necessary to complete a 4 … . Either way, your essay will have the same basic format. If you 5 … a few simple steps, you will find that the essay almost writes itself. You will be responsible only for supplying 6 … , which are the important part of the essay anyway. Don't let the thought of putting pen to paper 7 … you.
[pic]INTERNET USE
6. Follow the links to find out more about the steps which guide you through the essay writing process (See Appendix 2.1):
1. Decide on your topic
Further Activity:
2. Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas
Further Activity:
3. Write your thesis statement
Further Activity:
4. Write the body:
- write the main points;
- write the subpoints;
- elaborate on the subpoints.
Further Activity:
5 – 6. Write the introduction, write the conclusion
Further Activity:
7. Add the finishing touches
Further Activity:
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
7. There are some fundamental steps involved in writing academic essays. The order below is jumbled. Put the steps in the order you might do them.
a. Establish your argument or point of view.
b. Analyse the question and define key terms.
c. Brainstorm ideas.
d. Complete and check your references and bibliography.
e. Research and take notes on the topic, using books, journals, the Internet and other credible academic sources.
f. Write your plan and organise your ideas.
g. Write the first draft to include your introduction, main body and conclusion.
h. Prepare the final draft.
i. Redraft and edit your essay.
j. Have your friend or colleague read your final draft.
Now compare your order with a partner.
8. Analysing the question. To answer an essay question effectively, it is essential to understand the verb which gives the key instruction. Using online dictionary () decide what each of the underlined verbs in the essay questions mean.
Example: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the online services in education.
Discuss means you are being asked to write about advantages and disadvantages of the online services in education in detail, considering different ideas and opinions.
1. Define the term Big Data, giving examples.
2. Account for the decrease in the use of desktop computers during the last 5 years.
3. Critically evaluate the role of information technologies in the modern life.
4. Outline the steps taken by the government of your country to improve the life of people in the electronic society.
5. Analyse the threats of computing to the teenagers.
6. Assess the effects of viruses on the security of personal dater of users.
7. Compare the measures taken by different companies to protect their data.
Match the underlined words with the types of essays in Activity 2.
[pic] LISTENING
9. Brainstorming. Brainstorming is an effective activity for generating new ideas about a paper project topic. Listen to a university lecturer giving advice to a srudent, Erika, about three approaches to brainstorming (2.9). Make notes about the key points under the following headings:
- Free association
- Visual thinking
- Question and answer
Compare your notes with those of a partner.
Which approach do you prefer?
[pic]PRACTICE
10. Define a problem of your paper project in the field of your Educational Programm. Use one of the verbs in Practice 8 to specify the type of preparatory essay of the future paper project. State the topic of your paper project using one of the approaches in Practice 9.
[pic] LISTENING
11. Watch the video on how the introduction of an essay is organised (2.11). Point out the main steps. What should be in the introduction to your paper project? Share your ideas with the class.
[pic] WRITING
12. Write the introduction to your paper project. Read it in the class to exchange views.
[pic]PRACTICE
13. Study the following pattern of organisation, which is often found in academic texts presenting problems and exploring what can be done about them. If neccassary find the difinitions in the dictionary.
1. Situation
2. Problem(s)
3. Solution(s)
4. Implication(s)
5. Evaluation (assessing the solution and implications).
[pic] LISTENING
14. The video 2.14 deals with the content of essay organisation. Make notes on every essay part mantioned in the video.
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
15. Make notes under each part of the pattern in Practice 13 in accordance to the topic of your preparatory essay. Discuss the information under each item in small groups. Brainstorm the best way to deal with the problem. What are the implications of the solutions you have proposed? Assess the solutions and implications. Add the ideas from your partners to the pattern with your own ideas.
[pic] WRITING
16. Write an essay on the topic of your paper project. Exchange the essays with your partner. Prepare comments on the essay of your groupmate.
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
17. Read essays in groups of three. Comment on the structure, content and language.Use expressions to express your opinion:
In my opinion
To my mind
As far as I am concerned
From my point of view
As for me / As to me
My view / opinion/belief/impression/ conviction is that
It seems to me that
I am of the opinion that
My impression is that
I am under the impression that
I have the feeling that
My own feeling on the subject is that
I have no doubt that
I am sure / I am certain that
I think / consider / find / feel / believe / suppose / presume / assume that
I form / adopt an opinion
I dare say that
I guess that
It goes without saying that
[pic]GRAMMAR TIPS
17. Read the article by Kim Cooper from Harvad University. What information is new for you?
Tips on Grammar, Punctuation and Style
Commas and semi-colons. If the rules you learned about commas and semi-colons don't mean much to you, forget them and try this: Read one of your sentences aloud and see where you would naturally pause, where you would draw a breath. If it's a short pause, like that just was, you probably need a comma. If it's a longer pause, but not quite a full stop (for which you'd need a period), you probably need a semi-colon; remember that whatever follows a semi-colon must be able to stand on its own, as a full sentence, like this one.
If you don't want your reader to pause, there shouldn't be a comma, there, because as, this demonstrates it's very difficult to figure, out, what you're saying when your punctuation, makes the sentence unreadable.
Your sentences shouldn't leave your reader hyperventilating from the constant shallow breaths that over-punctuation requires. Nor should they be gasping for breath at the end of a long, unpunctuated sentence. (Consider yourself responsible for your readers' cardiovascular health.)
Check your dashes and hyphens. When you're setting off a clause—this one is a good example—use the longer dash, called an m-dash. (You can indicate this dash with two hyphens—like this—if you don't have an m-dash function on your computer.) Be sure that the parts of the sentence that precede and follow the dashes would make sense even if you removed the dashes and the words they bracket. (In the example above, the sentence is readable with or without the clause inside the dashes.)
You can also use the m-dash in place of a colon if you want to emphasize more dramatically the words that follow: "The mantelpiece was lined with photographs of people she loved—her mother, her grandmother, a favorite aunt." Or you can use it to add a surprising element into a sentence: "Her family's photographs were displayed on the mantelpiece; there were pictures of parents, grandparents, and siblings—and of Muffin, a Yorkshire terrier." Whereas the m-dash is used to set off parts of a sentence, hyphens are used to join words together: broken-hearted, two-thirds, sister-in-law.
Always identify abbreviations before you use them, unless you feel reasonably confident that the average intelligent reader would be able to identify the acronym—like when the acronym is more commonly used than the words it stands for. (It would be odd to write out all the words for ESP, NATO, CEO, or AIDS.) Keep in mind the audience for the particular essay you're writing, though; readers who are specialists in a particular discipline may not want or need to have terms spelled out for them.
Try to avoid split infinitives. This is no longer a hard and fast rule, and occasionally keeping an infinitive together in a sentence can introduce more awkwardness than the split, but usually the split is ungraceful. (Imagine: To be or to not be.)
Make sure all your referents are clear. When you say "This theory" or "that point" or, simply, "it," is it clear which theory or point you're referring to? When you use "he" or "she" or "these critics," will your reader have to pause to figure out who all these people are?
There's more to say about this. We often throw in a "this" when we're not entirely sure exactly what we want to draw our readers' attention to, especially when we're making a complex argument with many different elements. Sometimes vagueness in our language can be a symptom of muddled thinking. So ask yourself, what does this "this" refer to? What words would I replace it with? If you're not easily able to answer, you need to go back and work out your ideas in that section. (Readers will never understand what you mean when you don't know yourself. When you notice vague referents, or other apparently minor problems, take the opportunity to ask yourself if there might be any larger problem lurking beneath your surface error.)
Never use "that" when you're referring to a person: "The first man that walked on the moon.""The author that she was referring to." These are people, not objects—it's insulting to call them "that." Use who or whom: "The first man who walked on the moon." "The author to whom she was referring." Are you using "that" because you're shaky on the who/whom thing? See below. (And while you're at it, consider whether you're twisting your sentences around to avoid any other grammatical points you're uncertain of. If so, take control! Liberate yourself! Learn the rules once and for all so you can write freely, instead of skulking around trying not to break the rules—or breaking them without realizing it. Try starting a text file in which you list the rules you tend to forget, and keep it open when you write. You can look rules up in any style manual, or come to the Writing Center.)
Who is what doing what to whom? That's the question you need to ask yourself if you're uncertain which word to use. The one that does the action (the subject) is who. The one that gets something done to it (the object) is whom.
Avoid passive voice. It tends to sap energy and power from your prose. It's usually better to say "Einstein's theory" than "the theory that was formulated by Einstein."
Italics and underlines. You can use one or the other but never both. They mean the same thing—underlining used to be a copy-editing mark to tell printers to set certain words in italic type. Underlining italics meant the editor wanted the words taken out of italics. So underlining your already- italicized phrase is, in effect, like using a double negative.
Be sure all of your sentences have parallel construction. This sentence doesn't have it: "Re- reading my first draft, I notice it's trite, repetitive, and with no thesis." This sentence does: "Re- reading my first draft, I notice that it's trite and repetitive, and that it has no thesis." Or you could say: "Re-reading my first draft, I notice it's trite, repetitive, and lacking in a thesis." In the two examples with parallel construction, you could take out any of the words in the list and still have the sentence make sense.
[pic]INTERNET USE
18. Follow the link to find more information about the rules of English punctuation or see Appendix 2.2.
Further Activity:
Make notes under the following headings:
- capital letters (B, D) and full stops (.)
- question marks (?) and exclamation marks (!)
- commas (,)
- commas and speech forms
- colons (:) and semi-colons (;)
- quotation marks (‘…’ or “…”)
- dashes ( – ) and other punctuation marks
- numerals and punctuation.
[pic]PRACTICE
19. Look through your essay. Make corrections in accordance to the information in the text. Highlight all changes.
[pic] READING
20. Have you ever written a narrative or descriptive essay about yourself or your relatives/friends/pets? Why have you written the essay? In what situations people write about themselves?
This is an actual essay written by a college applicant to NYU in response to this question: In order for the admissions staff of our college to get to know you, the applicant, better, we ask that you answer the following question: are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?
Read the essay. What adjectives will you use to characterize it? Find sentences in the text to prove your attitude.
Funny College Application Essay
DAVID EMERY
Updated May 12, 2017
I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently.
Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row. I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.
Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.
I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat 400.
My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me. I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations with the CIA.
I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid.
On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prize-winning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin.
I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.
But I have not yet gone to college.
(The author was accepted and is now attending NYU.)
21. What result does the author of this college application essay want to obtain? Has he managed?
Read short background information about the article. Are you surprised?
This satirical essay — or a version of it — was written in 1990 by high school student Hugh Gallagher, who entered it in the humor category of the Scholastic Writing Awards and won first prize. The text was then published in Literary Cavalcade, a magazine of contemporary student writing, and reprinted in Harper's and The Guardian before taking off as one of the most forwarded viral emails of the 1990s.
Though it was not Gallagher's actual college application essay, he did submit it as a sample of his work to college writing programs and was accepted, with scholarship, to New York University, from which he graduated in 1994. Since then he has worked as a freelance writer. His first novel, Teeth, was published by Pocket Books in March 1998.
[pic] WRITING
22. Write an essay on the following question: are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person? Do it in humorous manner.
Read the essay in the class to be sure you and others have a sense of humour.
[pic] ADVANCEMENT QUESTIONS
1. Give definition to Argumentative essay. What are its specific features?
2. Give definition to Compare and Contrast essay. What are its specific features?
3. Give definition to Narrative essay. What are its specific features?
4. Give definition to Persuasive essay. What are its specific features?
5. Give definition to Descriptive essay. What are its specific features?
6. Give definition to Cause and Effect essay. What are its specific features?
7. Give definition to Expository essay. What are its specific features?
8. What are the main structural parts of an essay? What are their main functions?
9. What are the steps in writing an essay if the topic has been assigned?
10. What are the steps in writing an essay if the topic has not been assigned?
11. Comment on fundamental steps involved in writing academic essays.
12. How are commas and semi-colons used in academic writing? Give examples.
13. How are dashes and hyphens used in academic writing? Give examples.
14. How are abbreviations used in academic writing? Give examples.
15. How are split infinitives used in academic writing? Give examples.
16. How are this, that and referents used in academic writing? Give examples.
17. How are parallel constructions used in academic writing? Give examples.
18. How are capital letters and full stops used in academic writing? Give examples.
19. How are commas and speech forms used in academic writing? Give examples.
20. How are quotation marks used in academic writing? Give examples.
[pic] RELIABLE INFORMATION RESOURCES
1. AbramsElizabeth, Essay Structure. [Электронный ресурс].Режим доступа URL:. (Датаобращения: 01.06.2018).
2. CooperKim,Tips on Grammar, Punctuation and Style. [Электронныйресурс]. Режим доступа URL: (Дата обращения: 01.06.2018)
3. Он-лайн словарь
4. Guide to writing a basic essay
RELIABLE RESOURCES
[pic]
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
1.Look at the picture.
Where do you usually take information for a research?
What features do you look for choosing the information?
How do you check the reliability of data?
How do you assess the quality of resources?
Do you give a feedback to the authors if you notice a mistake?
[pic] INSIGHT INTO THE TOPIC
What is a Reliable Source?
A reliable source is one that provides a thorough, well-reasoned theory, argument, discussion, etc. based on strong evidence.
2. Study the information in the table.
|[pic] |Scholarly, peer-reviewed articles or books -written by researchers for students and researchers. |
| | Original research, extensive bibliography. Found in GALILEO’s academic databases and Google |
| |Scholar. Anatomy of a Scholarly Article. |
|[pic] |Trade or professional articles or books - written by practitioners in a field to impart |
| |practice-oriented information. Found in GALILEO databases. Some may also be found through Google or|
| |other search engine, but may require payment to see the full text. Beware of sources on the internet|
| |that look like trade/professional articles, but don't have reliable content. |
|[pic] |Magazine articles, books and newspaper articles from well-established newspapers - written for a |
| |general audience by authors or journalists who have consulted reliable sources and vetted through an|
| |editor. These sources may provide some of their articles online for free. Newspapers and magazines |
| |often contain both researched news stories and editorial/opinion pieces that express the view of the|
| |writer. |
|[pic] |Websites and blogs - can be reliable or unreliable, hoaxes or sincere misinformation. Researchers |
| |and other experts often use blogs as a way to share their knowledge with the general public, but |
| |anyone with computer access can do so too, to further any agenda they want. It's up to you to |
| |evaluate the quality of what you find online. Online news sources are particularly notorious for |
| |false information. Open Sources, evaluates a large list of news sources, labeling them according to|
| |their level of reliability. |
|[pic] |Wikipedia - some entries are reliable, some are not - it's up to you to evaluate. The authors are |
| |anonymous, so there's no way to determine their expertise, or the expertise of the Wikipedia editor |
| |who oversees the entry. Wikipedia editors will post warnings if they think the entry has |
| |weaknesses. Wikipedia entries tend to be conservative, reflecting traditional views over newer |
| |research. |
Answer the questions.
What resources are definitely reliable? How are other resources characterized?
Who Decides a Source is Reliable? Who Reviews?
3. Study the pictures and information below. Give comments on the pictures and information under every headline.
Peer Review - Scholarly Books & Journal Articles
A scholar/researcher/professor writes an article (aka 'manuscript') or book proposal. Then they......
1. Submit the manuscript or proposal to an academic journal or book publisher in their field of study.
2. The book or journal editor decides whether the topic and overall quality of the manuscript or proposal is appropriate for their journal or publication catalog.
3. If it is acceptable, the editor emails the manuscript or proposal to 2 or 3 scholarly experts in the subject
4. The experts read, critique, recommend:
1) publish as is (rare)
2) publish with revisions (major or minor)
3) Do not publish.
[pic]
Editorial Review
The editor(s) are experienced practitioners or journalists.
Used by: magazines for a general audience, professional or trade magazines for practitioners in a field, professional newspapers (print or online).
[pic]
You Review
Everything you find online through Google or other search engine, Facebook, etc.
It could be anything, from a scholarly, peer-reviewed article to a well-meaning but misinformed article, to a hoax.
[pic]
Criteria for Evaluating Reliability
The books and articles you find in GIL, the library catalog, or in a UGA Library database have been through a review process by scholarly or professional peers/editors. This process makes them much more likely to be reliable, fact-checked sources. Sources on the internet may or may not go through any fact-checking or editorial process. You must determine reliability yourself.
To determine the reliability of a source, ask yourself these questions:
Who is the author and are they credible?
Does the source have an author (either a person or an organization) or is it written anonymously?
If the author is an organization, can you find other reputable sources that treat it as a reliable entity?
Does the organization provide a description of their mission and purpose?
Do they list staff and board members, and their relevant credentials?
If the author is a person, do they present verifiable credentials? (professor at a university? researcher in a think tank? well-known practitioner?)
Have they published their work in reputable journals or magazines that you can find in UGA Library databases?
Have other authors written about this author's work in reputable books or journals?
Are they affiliated with reputable organizations that have been mentioned in books or articles found in UGA Library databases?
Is the content substantial and supported by evidence?
Does the source go into reasonable depth? Are there so many ads on the page that they overwhelm the content?
Are facts and statistics footnoted where necessary?
Are their footnoted sources reliable?
Is the site trying to sell you something? (Not necessarily bad, but be wary!)
If they advocate position, do they provide evidence to support it?
How current is the info?
Does the content seem out-of-date?
When was the webpage last updated?
Are sources cited also current?
Are its links "live" or broken?
[pic]INTERNET USE
4. Follow the link:
Study the anatomy of the scholarly article.
Look through various reliable resources, find an article with the anatomy in accordance to the example over the link. Analyze it from the point of Criteria for Evaluating Reliability. Is the information in the found article reliable?
[pic] LISTENING
5. Watch the video 3.5 and answer the questions.
1. Information is divided into two types. What are they?
2. Where information is received from?
3. What are the questions to characterize a type of the information?
4. What features show credibility of a site?
5. For what governmental resources are useful?
6. What features show credibility of a paper?
7. What defines the credibility of a book?
8. What features establish credibility of a demonstrated chapter in the book?
9. What are primary sources of information?
10. Are periodicals credible?
11. Why are academic journals on the top of credibility?
12. Is the video credential? Why?
[pic] READING
6.Before reading the text answer the following questions:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet?
What changes of the Internet use can you predict?
Is Internet reliable and trustworthy?
Anamitra Saha
The Internet, being of prime importance in our lives surely has placed itself to a position wherein its importance and need can’t be measured. The internet is important indeed no matter what and without it the urban populace precisely, is going to land in a big trouble. Internet is constant, meticulously fixed in its place, but the effects caused from internet isn’t. Effects of internet keeps on changing according to situations primarily. The internet is an abode for good, bad, best, evil, disastrous and heavenly stuffs as well. We can never pre-assume anything about internet thinking that it may have only the good stuffs. No, straightaway! It is a pathetic place because internet is highly prone to cybercrime which is quite prevalent globally. On the contrary, internet serves the best when we hit the right track and choose the right path and do not deviate deliberately. It solely depends on a person how he/she uses the internet. Internet can be a place of hell where the evil resides whereas, it can also be a homeland to the best of the things that we would like to discover and enhance our knowledge and skills beyond boundaries.
How much reliable is it to use the internet?
Reliability and trustworthy both go hand in hand. One is interdependent on each other. Only when we find something reliable, when start building our trust on it. Suppose I talk about the students, for instance. Student researchers should always make these decisions, even about materials they find in the university library. However, judging the reliability of sources found on the Internet is crucial because there is no regulating body that monitors the reliability of what is on the Internet. Although there is so much information on the Internet that it can seem like a university library, it is actually more like a huge open-air market. In one corner there might be reliable sources from whom you can obtain valuable information. But over in another corner there might be weirdos, whackos, and eccentrics, from whom anything you obtain is, at best, questionable. The problem is that on the Internet there is no way to tell the difference. Someone who wants to turn Moby Dick into a glorification of bloodspots or an animal rights tract can post a rewritten version with no indication of its differences from Melville’s original. When it comes to doing your research on the Internet, the saying should be caveat internauta, or “let the surfer beware.”
Some basic advantages as well as disadvantages of the Internet:
Advantages:
• Information on almost every subject imaginable.
• Powerful search engines.
• Ability to do research from your home versus research libraries.
• Information at various levels of study. Everything from scholarly articles to ones directed at children.
• Message boards where people can discuss ideas on any topic. Ability to get wide range of opinions. People can find others that have a similar interest in whatever they are interested in.
• The internet provides the ability of emails. Free mail service to anyone in the country.
• Platform for products like SKYPE, which allow for holding a video conference with anyone in the world who also has access.
• Friendships and love connections have been made over the internet by people involved in love/passion over similar interests.
• Things such as Yahoo Answers and other sites where kids can have readily available help for homework. News, of all kinds is available almost instantaneously. Commentary, on that news, from every conceivable viewpoint is also available.
Disadvantages:
• There is a lot of wrong information on the internet. Anyone can post anything, and much of it is garbage.
• There are predators that hang out on the internet waiting to get unsuspecting people in dangerous situations. Some people are getting addicted to the internet and thus causing problems with their interactions of friends and loved ones.
• Easy to waste a lot of time on the internet. You can start surfing, and then realize far more time has passed than you realized. Internet and television together of added to the more sedentary lifestyles of people which further exacerbates the obesity problem.
• Internet has a lot of “cheater” sites. People can buy essays and pass them off as their own far more easily than they used to be able to do.
• There are a lot of unscrupulous businesses that have sprung up on the internet to take advantage of people.
• Hackers can create viruses that can get into your personal computer and ruin valuable data.
• Hackers can use the internet for identity theft.
• It can be quite depressing to be on the internet and realize just how uneducated so many people have become in today’s society.
Overall impact of internet
When television exploded onto the scene in the 1940-50’s, it provided much the same things the Internet is providing people today: entertainment and information. However, the Internet has certain advantages over television and, most importantly, it provides instant access to specific information. It is interactive, whereas television is not. Avid proponents of the Internet claim it could feasibly replace print media. The cost of publishing a newspaper or magazine online is far less than the cost of printing one. There is no need to purchase bulk paper and ink, which in itself makes publishing on the Internet more attractive. Moreover, not as many hired hands are required to publish online. Newspapers and other print media have yet to take full advantage of the Internet. Their online publications usually appear as carbon copies of their printed publications. There is no interactivity between the reader and the source. Advertisements online do not offer direct gratification. Yes, the Internet is indeed spectacular. There are several problems associated with the Internet. It allegedly opens the world to everyone, regardless of race, creed, sex, etc. But despite lowering costs of necessary technological equipment and the advent of Web TV, not everyone can afford to go online. The internet can be divided into six services: E-mail, Telnet, File Transfer Protocol, Usenet news, Mailing Lists, World Wide Web. The Web, as the World Wide Web (WWW) is commonly referred to, is witnessing a massive growth.
[pic] PRACTICE
7.Choose the appropriate definition for the following words that are in bold in the text.
1. Meticulously
2. Prevalent
3. Deviate
4. Enhance
5. Crucial
6. Valuable
7. Caveat internauta
8. Instantaneously
9. Exacerbate
10. Spectacular
a. the principle that the user alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of materials before the use.
b. marked by extreme or excessive care in the consideration or treatment of details.
c. to stray especially from a standard, principle, or topic.
d. significant or essential as resolving a crisis
e. to make more violent, bitter, or severe
f. generally or widely accepted, practiced, or favored
g. to increase or improve in value, quality, desirability, or attractiveness
h. having desirable or esteemed characteristics or qualities
i. beautiful in a dramatic and eye-catching way, strikingly large or obvious
j. done, occurring, or acting without any perceptible duration of time
[pic]INTERNET USE
8. Visit the page of George Town University Library, read the full list of questions and choose those that are appropriate in evaluating the reliability of the information:
Sample questions:
1. Is there an indication of when the site was last updated?
2. Does the information appear to be valid and well-researched, or is it unsupported by evidence?
3. Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, or typographical errors?
4. Is the information covered fact, opinion, or propaganda?
5. If the owner is not identified, what can you tell about the origin of the site from the address?
9. Skim the articles from Evaluating Internet Resources and Annotated Guide to Selected Resources () and list the most important items in evaluating internet resources.
[pic] LISTENING
10.Watch the video (3.10) and share you ideas on the topic “Evaluating Information Sources”:
What do you take into account choosing the essential material?
[pic] GRAMMAR TIPS – LINKING WORDS
11. Put the following words and expressions into their correct place in the table depending on their function.
to sum up briefly
it can be concluded that
moreover
similarly
likewise
besides too
to conclude
in addition
in brief
in the same way
thus
also
what’s more furthermore
along with
to summarise
as well as
therefore
correspondingly
|Equation |Addition |Conclusion |
|(for example: equally) |(for example: and) |(for example: in conclusion) |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
[pic]PRACTICE
12. Complete the text with one of the words or expressions from Practice 11. Explain your choice.
Need of evaluation of internet resources
Anna Kaushik
Too much of information is available on Internet but there is no uniform way by which reliability and authenticity of Internet resources can be judged. It is important to remember that anyone can publish on the Internet and of course it is easier to find and access the published information on the Internet. The quality of the information one finds on the net must be evaluated very carefully. For a journal article to be published in traditional media, it usually goes through some peer review before it is accepted for publication. With a book one can judge quality by the reputation of the publisher, author, series and so on. The flood of raw information on the Internet has not been filtered by peer review or the collaborative efforts of the traditional publishing industry. For better browser software, it is required to develop skills and procedures to select and present information on the Internet. Notess considers that major problem involved in evaluating information on the Internet is that often search engines link to ephemeral pages. These documents often simply move, vanish, or undergo changes after the database was completed. Most databases are not updated daily. Kovacs et al. stressed the need for evaluation of information on the Internet and advised not to believe everything that is found but to find its author’s background and abilities. Kovacs used the terms good stuff and poor stuff. Good stuff to describe the quality of information on the Internet. Good stuff is any information that is relevant to the information needs of the client, and meets basic quality-of-information standards. December asserted that even the best web spiders would not be effective if the Internet continues to be flooded with poor quality, redundant, and incorrect information. King asserted that no pre-evaluation can be assumed for Internet resources and there is always a need for evaluating such resources. Since end-user searching is here to stay, it is necessary to teach researchers traditional evaluation techniques in a way that would make them useful and relevant to virtual media. Brandt evaluated the information found through various search engines (i.e. Yahoo, Lycos and Magellan) and pointed out that the web search engines do not prioritize resources on the basis of objectivity and subjectivity of information needed by the user. He advocated for finding answers to questions such as: Is it moderated or not? Are there affiliations or biographic information of authors? How does it compare to other sources? Are there other online works by the author? Are there online reviews assessing the scope and purpose? etc. Fidel et al. visualized the potential of the World Wide Web as a tool for information gathering and learning is enormous, and much of it has not been envisioned as yet. December warned that without tools and methodologies for gathering, evaluating, managing, and presenting information, the Web’s potential as a universe of knowledge could be lost. Fritch and Cromwell asserted that information on the Internet can be published by almost anyone”, that there is virtually no filtering of information on the Internet” and that filters of information typically present in a print environment (publishing houses, editors, reviewers, librarians/selectors) are often not present on the Internet. Most of resources on Internet have lack of its reliability; currency and authority that do not make users’ conform about authenticity of Internet resources. Anyone can publish almost anything on the Internet, often bypassing the quality assurance benefits offered by traditional publishing Traditional publishing benefits include issuance by an authoritative source, editorial or peer review, and evaluation by experts. There is little or no editorial review of material and no official agency, specialist, or review process for Internet subject matter.
[pic] WRITING
13.Now practice using linking words in an essay form. Check your previous works written for other units and improve them using suitable linking words. Explain your choice. Or you may express your ideas in the new topic: In the modern world there is a movement away from written exams to more practical assessment. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this trend.
[pic]PRACTICE
14. Read the following qiestions, choose the answer and give the explaination
1. Unbiased information means that the information is:
a. either fully tact-based or at least clearly shown as having some bias by the author;
b. only about the sciences orarts;
c. written to explain an idea using examples;
d. supported with graphs and pictures.
2. Verifiable information means that the information is:
e. unclear about why, where, and how the events of the research;
f. trustworthy because both the author's credibility and experience and the credibility of the information checkout;
g. from a certain period of time happened;
h. filled with vocabulary words that will help the reader learn new ways to talk about the topic.
3. Relevant information means that the information is:
i. clear and concise;
j. up-to-date and appropriate for the time period that you are covering on your topic;
k. opinionated and argumentative;
l. full of pictures and graphs.
[pic]ADVANCEMENT QUESTIONS
1. What is a Reliable Source?
2. Define scholarly, peer-reviewed articles or books.
3. Define trade or professional articles or books.
4. Define magazine articles, books and newspaper articles from well-established newspapers.
5. Define websites and blogs.
6. Define Wikipedia and other types of public online encyclopedias and thesauruses.
7. Define a Peer Review.
8. Define an Editorial Review.
9. Define criteria for evaluating reliability.
10. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet?
11. What changes of the Internet use can you predict?
12. List the most important items in evaluating internet resources.
13. What is unbiased information?
14. What is verifiable information?
15. What is relevant information?
[pic] RELIABLE INFORMATION SOURCES
1. Abstract and citation database Scopus
2. Chaoli Wang, Han-Wei Shen Information Theory in Scientific Visualization,
3. Online subscription-based scientific citation indexing service Web of Science
4. Research database for discovery and access to journal article
5. Russian scientific online library, integrated with Russian index of scientific citation (РИНЦ)
6. Scientific online library
7. Site of ex-IELTS examiner with the information on visual descriptions
8. Site with the necessary vocabulary for the description of visuals
9. Description of graphs
EFFECTIVE READING
[pic]
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
1. Look at the picture and answer the questions:
Do you read a lot to do your studies?
Do you use any reading techniques to get much information?
What increases the speed of reading?
[pic] INSIGHT INTO THE TOPIC
2. When do you usually just glance through a magazine, newspaper or book? How do you usually read texts to choose the right information for your essays/researches/projects/papers? Are there any differences in your approaches to reading in accordance to the purpose of the task?
Different reading techniques and when to use them
by Karl McDonald
One of the first things you learn about teaching is that there are different reading techniques and the students should be aware of which technique is most suited, depending on the reading task required by the text or by their teacher.
Training students to know their reading techniques and deduce when best to apply them is indeed important, especially under exam conditions when time constraints come into play and decisions need to be made depending on time availability and the importance of the task at hand.
The four main types of reading techniques are the following:
• Skimming
• Scanning
• Intensive
• Extensive
Skimming
Skimming is sometimes referred to as gist reading. Skimming may help in order to know what the text is about at its most basic level. You might typically do this with a magazine or newspaper and would help you mentally and quickly shortlist those articles which you might consider for a deeper read. You might typically skim to search for a name in a telephone directory.
You can reach a speed count of even 700 words per minute if you train yourself well in this particular method. Comprehension is of course very low and understanding of overall content very superficial.
Scanning
Picture yourself visiting a historical city, guide book in hand. You would most probably just scan the guide book to see which site you might want to visit. Scanning involves getting your eyes to quickly scuttle across sentence and is used to get just a simple piece of information. Interestingly, research has concluded that reading off a computer screen actually inhibits the pathways to effective scanning and thus, reading of paper is far more conducive to speedy comprehension of texts.
Something students sometimes do not give enough importance to is illustrations. These should be included in your scanning. Special attention to the introduction and the conclusion should also be paid.
Intensive Reading
You need to have your aims clear in mind when undertaking intensive reading. Remember this is going to be far more time consuming than scanning or skimming. If you need to list the chronology of events in a long passage, you will need to read it intensively. This type of reading has indeed beneficial to language learners as it helps them understand vocabulary by deducing the meaning of words in context. It moreover, helps with retention of information for long periods of time and knowledge resulting from intensive reading persists in your long term memory.
This is one reason why reading huge amounts of information just before an exam does not work very well. When students do this, they undertake neither type of reading process effectively, especially neglecting intensive reading. They may remember the answers in an exam but will likely forget everything soon afterwards.
Extensive reading
Extensive reading involves reading for pleasure. Because there is an element of enjoyment in extensive reading it is unlikely that students will undertake extensive reading of a text they do not like. It also requires a fluid decoding and assimilation of the text and content in front of you. If the text is difficult and you stop every few minutes to figure out what is being said or to look up new words in the dictionary, you are breaking your concentration and diverting your thoughts.
[pic]PRACTICE
3. Match the words from the text with definitions.
1. deduce
2. constraint
3. skim
4. shortlist
5. comprehension
6. scan
7. conducive
8. intensive
9. retention
10. persist
11. extensive
A. put (someone or something) on a shortlist
B. making a certain situation or outcome likely or possible
C. covering or affecting a large area
D. continue to exist; be prolonged
E. concentrated on a single subject or into a short time; very thorough or vigorous
F. read (something) quickly so as to note only the important points
G. look quickly but not very thoroughly through (a document or other text) in order to identify relevant information
H. the ability to understand something
I. a limitation or restriction
J. the continued possession, use, or control of something
K. arrive at (a fact or a conclusion) by reasoning; draw as a logical conclusion
Make sentences with the words 1-11. Discuss them in the groups.
4. Fill in the gaps with the words.
A
the first sentence ignore in a limited time
When to use Skimming?
• To quickly review long documents.
• To read a lengthy Web page to get an overview of the content.
• When you have lots of material to read 1. … .
• To check if you find the topic interesting enough to read thoroughly.
• When you want to survey a text to get a general information about.
Strategy to Skim:
• Read the titles, sub titles, subheadings and illustrations.
• Read the first and the last paragraphs and headings and summaries.
• Read 2. … (topic sentence) of each paragraph.
• You 3. … the details and look for the main idea.
• Skimming is done at least 3 to 4 times faster than the normal speed of reading.
B
searching the passage resort the dictionary
When do you Scan?
• When you’re looking up a word in the roster or 4. … .
• When you're concentrating on finding a particular answer.
• To first find a resource to help in answering your questions. (TV schedule)
• When searching the material for a specific 5. … quickly.
Scanning
• This is a method where in you read a particular list, sentence, paragraph, passage, or chapter with the intention of searching for specific facts related to a particular subject.
• When you scan a particular piece of written passage you are not actually reading the material line by line, but you are 6. … for a particular piece of information very quickly.
C
intensively skills concentration
When intensive reading is used?
Intensive reading is used on shorter texts in order to extract specific information. It includes very close accurate reading for detail. Use intensive reading skills to grasp the details of a specific situation. In this case, it is important that you understand each word, number or fact.
• When you read shorter text like a speaker’s keynote and you need to collect the key points in the speaker’s key note, you would read slowly with a lot of 7. … .
• When you read a book as a reference material for writing a thesis or when you read an article with the intention of writing a review on it, you read it 8. … .
• All the 9. … of reading i.e. skimming, scanning and extensive reading are used in our intensive reading.
D
general knowledge general understanding
When extensive reading is used?
Extensive reading is used to obtain 10. … of a subject and includes reading longer texts for pleasure, as well as business books. Use extensive reading skills to improve your 11. … of business procedures. Do not worry if you understand each word.
E
Scanning (x2) Skimming (x2) Intensive (x2)
Tips
Remember to check the purpose of your reading and then use scanning, skimming or intensive reading – either separately or in sequence–as required so that you achieve the purpose.
To check particular details of an incident reported in a newspaper article.
✓ 12. …
To see whether a magazine article will be worth reading.
✓ 13. …
To read the instructions for booking and paying for a journey on-line.
✓ 14. …
To read a text thoroughly to understand and remember what you’ve read.
✓ 15. …
To read a textbook chapter to revise a subject that you know well.
✓ 16. …
To check the names of the research methods the author of a research report article has used.
✓ 17. …
6. Quick Quiz. What reading technique will you use? Explain why.
1. The ‘What’s On’ section of the local paper
2. A novel
3. A newspaper
4. A text in class
5. A poem
6. The telephone directory
7. A postcard
8. A train timetable
9. A recipe
10. A travel brochure
[pic] LISTENING
7. Watch the video (4.7). What may help you to increase the speed of reading. Count the amount of words per minute you read in Russian, in English. Do you need to improve your results?
[pic] INSIGHT INTO THE TOPIC
8. Do you want to improve your reading comprehension? Do you want to understand and capture as much information as possible? Read the text. Have you ever used any of the listed strategies?
Comprehension strategies
1. Making Connections
Readers make personal connections from the text with: something in their own life, another text or something occurring in the world. Readers associate what they are reading, understanding and seeing with familiar situations and texts. For example, readers predict what the book is about from an image of the front cover, using their skills in making connections.
2. Predicting
Readers develop their predicting skills, using information from graphics, text and experiences to anticipate what will be read/viewed/heard and to actively adjust comprehension while reading/viewing/listening. Prediction plays a significant part in introducing new texts to readers, as they use cues from book covers, text and familiar words to make predictions about what the story is about.
3. Questioning
Readers learn to pose and answer questions that clarify meaning and promote deeper understanding of the text. Readers make a list of questions before reading to pay special attention to the information for the answers.
4. Monitoring
Readers stop and think about the text and know what to do when the meaning is disrupted. They can re-read parts of texts at any point so that texts can be actively ‘monitored’. This ensures readers have understood what they have read and encourages them to apply their knowledge in answering the questions to find deeper meanings.
5. Visualising
Readers create mental images from text they read/view/hear. Visualising brings the text to life, engages the imagination and uses all of the senses. Graphic organizers provide visual representations of the concepts in expository text. Representing ideas and relationships graphically can help readers understand and remember them. Examples of graphic organizers are: diagrams that represent categories and hierarchies, tables that compare and contrast data, time-driven diagrams that represent the order of events, flowcharts that represent the steps of a process.
[pic][pic][pic]
6. Summarising
Readers learn summarising skills as they identify and accumulate the most important ideas and restate them in their own words. For example, ‘Who, What, Where and When’ and “Main Ideas and Details’ questions help readers to identify and accumulate the most important ideas about the story as they make connections from what they have learnt.
[pic]PRACTICE
9. Find an interesting text on the topic of your project. Read it, using the described strategies above. Share your impression in a group commenting the best applied strategies. Are there any differences in applying various strategies reading different types of texts?
[pic] READING
10. How many books a week/month/year do you read? Would you like to read more? What divert you from reading? What may change the situation?
Skim the text. Does it give good advice on how to read more?
How I started reading 100 books a year
4 simple things I did to read more
James Kenichi
I came across a study a while back that freaked the crap out of me. According to the Pew Research Center, the average American reads 12 books per year. However, the median number is much low, sitting at a meager 4, and me even lower than that. In fact, up till that point in my life, I was finishing about 1–2 books per year (and that included my time in high school and college… unless you count CliffsNotes, then it would be a bit higher, but not by much).
The thing that scared me wasn’t that I was so far below the average—it was coming to grips with the number of books I would read in my lifetime if I maintained my snail’s pace.
According to this random website with a shady black background, the life expectancy for the average American is just under 79 years old. That means the average American reads 732 books in adulthood.
I was 31 when I came across all of this, so for me, I was on pace to read 72 more books in my life. Even if I got a bit more serious and got up to the average, I would only have 576 books left… both were discouraging thoughts.
Do you know how many books I have on my Amazon wish list?! Honestly, I think about 5,000.
I had always wanted to read more. I wanted to be “well-read,” but my actions definitely didn’t map to that desire. I knew right then and there that I needed to make some priority changes — 576 more books weren’t going to cut it, let alone 72! So, I decided things needed to change if I wanted to be able to read all 5,000 book on my Amazon wish list.
Here are four things I did that helped me find more time to read and ultimately change my life:
Hacked my addiction to Instagram
According to one study, the average person spends nearly two hours per day on a social media platform… crazy! Although, I had never tracked it, but I am sure I was fairly close to that number. Of course it was never two hours straight. It’s 5 minutes here, 15 there, maybe 30 minutes of YouTube at some point, and another few minutes before bed. But, it all adds up. Sure, I love seeing what my friends are up and I want to feel more connected to them, but mindlessly scrolling through pictures and ads never made me feel more connected.
I decided I needed to be more intentional with my social media use and began checking Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. just once a day for a few minutes. When I stopped checking social media so much, I was left with two things: more time and a constant urge to check what was happening on Instagram. It was like a tick. I found myself still getting my phone out whenever I was bored tempted to click on that rainbow colored icon.
I decided I should use that urge to my advantage. I moved my Kindle app to where my Instagram app used to be. From then on, every time I was bored and instinctively got out my phone, I used that time to read, even if it was for a couple minutes. In making this simple change alone, I was able to start reading one book a week. I didn’t change any other behavior. I didn’t start setting time aside for reading. All I did was substitute about 90 percent of the time I used to spend on social media for reading.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ― Dr. Seuss
Cut down on the amount of TV I was watching
After about a month of the Instagram hack, I had been thoroughly bitten by the reading bug. It wasn’t just a thing I did to fill up those spaces of boredom. I found myself frequently waiting for the next free moment I had so I could pick back up the book I was reading. I had upped my reading pace from 1–2 books per year to about 50 books per year. I still needed to pick things up if I wanted to get to the pace that would allow me to read everything on my Amazon wish list. I had to find more time or something I could cut back on to create more time and space in my day.
According to a Nielsen report, the average American watches about 5 hours of TV a day. Five hours!!! It varies a bit by age, and the bracket I was in averaged about 4 hours per day. I don’t think I watched that much TV, but it probably averaged out to be 2–3 hours per day, depending on the day. So there was the thing I could cut back on, staring me right in the face… actually, I guess I was the one staring at it. TV!
My wife and I decided to stop watching TV during the week and only watch on the weekends. The amount of time I gained with that change was crazy! We didn’t use all that extra time to read though. I decided maybe throwing in some exercise in my schedule would help me live longer… and give me a few more year of life to read :)
“You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy books
and that’s kind of the same thing.” — Anonymous
Carried a book with me where ever I went
My pace increased. I was reading about 7 books per month, still a little shy of my goal. I noticed my appetite for books was continuing to grow. What could I do next?
I came across a quote that helped me with that question.
“Never trust anyone
who has not brought a book with them.” ― Lemony Snicket
On some level, I was already doing this by having the Kindle app on my phone, but I decided I would take it one step further and started carrying an actual book around with me as often as I could. This action didn’t necessarily help me read more, but I have always preferred physical books to eBooks. eBooks helped me create a reading habit, but now it was fun to actually hold the physical copies in my hands, and apparently, there are some studies out there that say reading physical copies of books is actually better… who knows?
“Always read something that will make you look good
if you die in the middle of it.” — P.J. O’Rourke
Started prioritizing reading like I do eating
At the pace I was at, I would be able to finish about 85 books in a year. I was shooting for 100. What else could I do? Ryan Holiday, one of my favorite authors, is a huge reader. He was in many ways my inspiration to read more. Anyway, I came across a blog post he wrote about how he reads so much and something he said really struck a chord with me. “Look, where do you get the time to eat three meals a day? How do you have time to do all that sleeping? How do you manage to spend all those hours with your kids or wife or a girlfriend or boyfriend? “You don’t get that time anywhere, do you? You just make it because it’s really important. It’s a non-negotiable part of your life.” — Ryan Holiday
I decided to take his advice and prioritize reading in my life just like I do eating. I started waking up at 4am and exercising to free up more time in the evenings to read. I made sure that the activities in my life would allow for this type of schedule, so I could still get 7 hours of sleep and read more. The benefits I have experienced by waking up earlier have been further reaching than just having more time to read (but, I’ll save the details on that for another time). By prioritizing reading in my life, just like I do the other important things (because it is an important thing), I was able to reach my goal pace of 100 books per year.
Wahoo! Amazon wish list, I’m coming for you!
Books have changed my life! I have always loved books, but reading this much has changed my life. I have been able to see life from different perspectives. I have gained an appreciation for people and cultures I previously knew little about. I have been able to surround myself with the beauty and art painted by the power of words.
What changes will you make so you can read more?
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen.
The man who never reads lives only one.” ― George R.R. Martin
11. Answer the questions.
1. What do the following figures correspond to in the text:
a. 4
b. 12
c. 1–2
d. 5,000
e. 732
f. 2 hours per day
g. 2–3 hours per day
h. 7 hours
2. What are the 4 simple things to read more?
3. What procedures are used to achieve these objectives?
4. Are the described procedures appropriate for you? Why?
5. Use different reading strategies for different parts of the text to review it. Explain your choice.
[pic] WRITING
12. Summarizing the information about different reading techniques and strategies write an instruction on how increase reading comprehension reading a scientific paper. Discuss your instruction in a group work.
[pic] LISTENING
13. Watch the video (4.13) and answer the questions.
1. Why is it important to know how to read academic articles?
2. How is an academic article read?
3. What do you start with reading an academic article? Why?
4. What are the 3 phases to read an interesting for your research academic article?
14. Make diagrams that represent categories and hierarchies, tables that compare and contrast data, time-driven diagrams that represent the order of events, flowcharts that represent the steps of a process to visualise the phases of reading an academic article.
[pic]INTERNET USE
15. Research papers follow the well-known IMRD format — an abstract followed by the Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. They have multiple cross references and tables as well as supplementary material, such as data sets, lab protocols and gene sequences. All those characteristics can make them dense and complex. Being able to effectively understanding them is a matter of practice.
Reading a scientific paper should not be done in a linear way (from beginning to end); instead, it should be done strategically and with a critical mindset, questioning your understanding and the findings. Sometimes you will have to go backwards and forwards, take notes and have multiples tabs opened in your browser.
Follow the link to find out some tips for reading and understanding research papers: (Appendix 4.1). Make a short summary to share the ideas.
[pic]GRAMMAR TIPS
16. There are different kinds of modal verbs in English, but actually, just a few of them are often used in academic writing. Even with this scarce choice it is possible to make blunt mistakes. So let’s have a closer look at the kinds of modal verbs that can be easily used in academic writing. Read the information below and study the information in the table. What information is new for you?
Strength and Frequency of Modal Verbs
In academic writing, modal verbs are most frequently used to indicate logical possibility and least frequently used to indicate permission. Eight modal verbs are listed under each of the functions they can perform in academic writing, and are ordered from strongest to weakest for each function. Notice that the same modal can have different strengths when it’s used for different functions (e.g., may or can).
| |Most frequent Least frequent |
|Strongest |Logical possibility |Ability |Necessity |Permission |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
|Weakest | | | | |
| |will/would |could |should |can |
| | | |(as advice) | |
| |should | | |could |
| |may | | | |
| |can/could/might | | | |
Present and future ability
We use can or be able to for ability in the present. If the ability is surprising or involves overcoming some difficulty, we often use is/are able to: Despite the surrounding environment I can/am able to conduct the planned experiment.
We can also use be unable to if we want to sound more formal: The claimant has been unable to drive since the date of the accident.
Present possibility
We use can to talk about things which are generally possible: Health insurance can be very expensive. (= It is sometimes expensive.)
We commonly use may in academic and scientific English: Over-prescribing of antibiotics may lead to the rapid development of resistant strains.
We usually use may/might/could in academic and scientific English to talk about specific possibilities: This rash may/might/could be a symptom of something more serious.
- There can be life on Mars. + There may be life on Mars.
Past possibility
We use could to talk about general possibility in the past (things which sometimes happened): Teachers could be very strict at my old school. (= Sometimes they were strict.)
We use might in the same way in academic and scientific English: Wealthy Victorian families might employ as many as a dozen indoor servants.
Expectations
When we expect something to be true, or have a strong feeling our guess is correct, we use should or should not in academic and scientific English: Allow half an hour to get through security at the airport – it should not take longer than that.
17. Select academic meanings.Which of the following core modal meanings are the most useful in communicating academic information and ideas? Match the underlined modal verbs in the following paragraph with the related meaning from the list.
possibility ability permission
obligation necessity
intention prediction
Academic writers are often unable to make very strong claims that something is definitely true or false. They build up an argument based on what 1.may or may not be true, or on what 2. can be done. They present hypotheses which they try to prove or disprove and, from the evidence, they suggest what 3. must be the case, sometimes proposing from present evidence what 4. will be true in the future.
When studying the advantages and disadvantages of learning methods, it 5. may be necessary to place learners in artificial situations, in order to observe how they 6. might react to different stimuli. This 7. can most easily be done via electronic media (e.g. virtual reality). If the reaction is positive, this 8. must indicate the likelihood that learners 9. will respond well in real life.
18. Tentative claims
Modal verbs are often used to make the writer's claims more or less tentative, i.e. to suggest that the writer thinks something is more or less probable. One of the weaknesses of student essays is making strong claims that cannot be supported. In these cases it is useful to be able to vary the strength of a claim to suit the circumstances.
In these examples below, write the numbers 1-3 to indicate how strong the claim is (3 is the strongest).
1. This may be the case where there has been a separation order, a decree nisi for divorce, a non-molestation order, or a separation agreement between the parties.
2. This might be the case with provocation, for example: there might be objections to some of the distinctions now drawn by the law.
3. It may well be the case that there is variation within one of these categories.
19. Hypothetical situations
In academic writing it is often necessary to make claims about or describe a situation that is not currently real, unlikely in the future or didn't happen in the past. Writers sometimes need to speculate by asking "What if ...". This kind of meaning is often expressed through conditional sentences, using 'if' or 'unless'.
Hypothetical present or future: The past tense is often used in the 'if' clause and would in the main clause.
Hypothetical past: The past perfect and would have are used to write about hypothetical events in the past.
Read sentences below, analyse the underlined forms. Decide which situation they belong to: present, future or past.
1. In 1943 the British government was aware that, unless rules were laid down in advance, the United States would use its enormous wealth … to drive Britain and other countries off the international air routes.
2. One wonders how we would have lived if the car had not been invented.
3. A creature that hunts by daylight would waste its energy if it rushed around in the night when its prey was hiding in a hole.
20. In the following sentences fill in the gaps with an appropriate auxiliary verb.
1. It was clear that the two countries 1. … have to compromise if the conference 2. … not to degenerate into a complete fiasco.
2. Of course, this measure [reforestation] 3. … work only if it 4. … accompanied by efforts to reduce tropical deforestation.
3. What 5. … have happened if penicillin 6. … not been discovered?
21. Find a scientific paper in the field of your research. Find modal verbs in the paper and define their meaning. Are there any tentative claims and hypothetical situations? Explain the use of auxiliary verbs.
[pic] WRITING
22. Write an essay on the topic of your research using modal verbs. Explain their use in the group during the discussion of your essay.
[pic]ADVANCEMENT QUESTIONS
1. What are the four main reading technics? Give brief characteristics of each of them.
2. What are main features of skimming?
3. What are main features of scanning?
4. What are main features of intensive reading?
5. What are main features of extensive reading?
6. What are main strategies to improve your reading comprehension?
7. What are main features of making connections strategy in reading?
8. What are main features of predicting strategy in reading?
9. What are main features of questioning strategy in reading?
10. What are main features of monitoring strategy in reading?
11. What are main features of visualising strategy in reading?
12. What are main features of summarising strategy in reading?
13. What may help you to read more?
14. What is the IMRD format in scientific papers?
15. Describe the methodology of reading scientific papers.
16. Give characteristics to strength and frequency of modal verbs in academic writing.
[pic]RELIABLE INFORMATION RESOURCES
1. Reading techniques:
2. Reading techniques:
3. Reading techniques:
4. Modal verbs in academic writing:
5. Modal verbs in academic writing:
6. Modal verbs in academic writing:
7. Reading comprehension:
8. Reading comprehension:
9. Reading comprehension:
10. Reading comprehension:
11. Reading strategies:
12. Reading techniques:
PUBLIC SPEAKING
[pic][pic]
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
1. Look at the pictures.
What is the difference between these two pictures?
Do you have problems speaking in public?
Do you think it’s important to have good public speaking skills? Why?
Which situations require public speaking?
Do you have some special tips for successful public speaking?
2. Work in pairs. Read the quotation below. Do you agree with this quotation? Why/Why not? Who does it seem relevant to?
A man who cannot speak well will never make a career. (Anonymous)
[pic]INSIGHT INTO THE TOPIC
3. Read the article about public speaking and say if you agree or disagree with the points mentioned by the author. Can you add more points to why public speaking is important? Share your ideas with your partner.
Public speaking skills refer to the talent of effectively addressing an audience. Whether it is in front of a group of people you already know or a crowd of complete strangers, your ability to communicate to them with clarity and confidence is known as your public speaking skills.
There may or may not be an opportunity for interaction between the speaker and audience. The basic difference, however, between a casual talk and public speaking is that the latter is more purposeful and meant for celebratory, entertainment, influencing, or informative purposes.
Why is public speaking important
Good public speaking skills can have a huge impact on your career for the following reasons:
• Demonstrates your knowledge. You are always at your best when you can articulate your thoughts clearly and effectively. Public speaking skills help you do exactly that. After all, the true worth of the knowledge you possess can only be realized when you can show and apply it.
• Demonstrates your confidence. Not only does public speaking increase your knowledge during the process of preparation but it also develops and demonstrates your confidence. Whether you are interviewing for a job or hoping for a promotion, your confidence is what will make you stand out among other candidates.
• Helps you lead better. The higher you climb up the career ladder, the greater will be the number of people you shall have to lead. As a result, the need for public speaking skills and the confidence pertinent to it also increases, making it one of the determining characteristic when considering someone for promotion.
4. Public speaking is involved in different types of academic events such as roundtables, workshops, lectures, etc. Study the different types of academic events and make notes.
|Conference |The most general term to indicate a meeting for discussion - most commonly adopted by associations and |
| |organizations for their regular meetings. It is usually associated with the most traditional type of |
| |presentation, that is, papers followed by questions. |
|Symposium |Nowadays, this describes a meeting to discuss a particular subject, but its original meaning defines it as a |
| |drinking party devoted to conversation and following a banquet. A symposium thus has a slightly more informal |
| |character than a conference. |
|Seminar |The first meaning of this term refers to a group of students studying under a professor with each doing research|
| |and all exchanging results through reports and discussions. Its second definition: 'debating special issues' |
| |preserves the conversational character of the term 'seminar'. |
|Colloquium |This term indicates both a traditional conference and a conversational seminar. Colloquia tend to privilege the |
| |aspect of debate. |
|Workshop |Taken from the language of manufacturing, the term workshop indicates a brief intensive educational program for |
| |a small group of people that focuses on techniques and skills in a particular field. In academia, it is adopted |
| |to describe meetings reserved for small groups of specialists who come together for concerted activities or |
| |discussion. |
|Roundtable |The roundness of the table clearly symbolizes the equality of all participants. Each of them will have the same |
| |right to take the floor. Roundtables commonly bring together academics who usually are invited as key-note |
| |speakers. Discussion nevertheless plays the leading role in this kind of meeting. |
Turn to unit “From Words to Events” (ex. 7) and remember other types of academic events that require public speaking skills. Which types have you attended?
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
5. Work in groups. Think of a good lecture or presentation you have visited. What was it about? Do you think it was effective and memorable? Why was/wasn’t it successful?
6. Work in groups. Make a list of what makes a successful presentation.
1. The speaker was confident.
2.
3.
4.
5.
[pic] READING
7. Read the article about how to make a successful presentation and add the tips to your own ideas.
How can you make a good presentation even more effective?
This page draws on published advice from expert presenters around the world, which will help to take your presentations from merely ‘good’ to ‘great’.
Whether you are an experienced presenter, or just starting out, there should be ideas here to help you to improve.
1. Show your Passion and Connect with your Audience
It’s hard to be relaxed and be yourself when you’re nervous. But time and again, the great presenters say that the most important thing is to connect with your audience, and the best way to do that is to let your passion for the subject shine through. Be honest with the audience about what is important to you and why it matters. Be enthusiastic and honest, and the audience will respond.
2. Focus on your Audience’s Needs
Your presentation needs to be built around what your audience is going to get out of the presentation. As you prepare the presentation, you always need to bear in mind what the audience needs and wants to know, not what you can tell them. While you’re giving the presentation, you also need to remain focused on your audience’s response, and react to that. You need to make it easy for your audience to understand and respond.
3. Keep it simple: Concentrate on your Core Message
When planning your presentation, you should always keep in mind the question: What is the key message (or three key points) for my audience to take away? You should be able to communicate that key message very briefly. Some experts recommend a 30-second ‘elevator summary’, others that you can write it on the back of a business card, or say it in no more than 15 words. Whichever rule you choose, the important thing is to keep your core message focused and brief. And if what you are planning to say doesn’t contribute to that core message, don’t say it.
4. Smile and Make Eye Contact with your Audience
This sounds very easy, but a surprisingly large number of presenters fail to do it. If you smile and make eye contact, you are building rapport, which helps the audience to connect with you and your subject. It also helps you to feel less nervous, because you are talking to individuals, not to a great mass of unknown people. To help you with this, make sure that you don’t turn down all the lights so that only the slide screen is visible. Your audience needs to see you as well as your slides.
5. Start Strongly
The beginning of your presentation is crucial. You need to grab your audience’s attention and hold it. They will give you a few minutes’ grace in which to entertain them, before they start to switch off if you’re dull. So don’t waste that on explaining who you are. Start by entertaining them. Try a story (see tip 7 below), or an attention-grabbing (but useful) image on a slide.
6. Remember the 10-20-30 Rule for Slideshows
This is a tip from Guy Kawasaki of Apple. He suggests that slideshows should:
– contain no more than 10 slides;
– last no more than 20 minutes; and
– use a font size of no less than 30 point.
This last is particularly important as it stops you trying to put too much information on any one slide. This whole approach avoids the dreaded ‘Death by PowerPoint’. As a general rule, slides should be the sideshow to you, the presenter. A good set of slides should be no use without the presenter, and they should definitely contain less, rather than more, information, expressed simply. If you need to provide more information, create a bespoke handout and give it out after your presentation.
7. Tell Stories
Human beings are programmed to respond to stories. Stories help us to pay attention, and also to remember things. If you can use stories in your presentation, your audience is more likely to engage and to remember your points afterwards. It is a good idea to start with a story, but there is a wider point too: you need your presentation to act like a story. Think about what story you are trying to tell your audience, and create your presentation to tell it.
To effectively tell a story, focus on using at least one of the two most basic storytelling mechanics in your presentation:
– Focusing On Characters – people have stories. Things, data, and objects do not. So ask yourself “who” is directly involved in your topic that you can use as the focal point of your story. For example, instead of talking about cars (your company’s products), you could focus on specific characters like: the drivers the car is intended for – people looking for speed and adventure; the engineers who went out of their way to design the most cost-effective car imaginable.
– A Changing Dynamic – a story needs something to change along the way. So ask yourself “What is not as it should be?” and answer with what you are going to do about it (or what you did about it). For example, did hazardous road conditions inspire you to build a rugged, all-terrain jeep that any family could afford? Did a complicated and confusing food labelling system lead you to establish a colour-coded nutritional index so that anybody could easily understand it?
8. Use your Voice Effectively
The spoken word is actually a pretty inefficient means of communication, because it uses only one of your audience’s five senses. That’s why presenters tend to use visual aids, too. But you can help to make the spoken word better by using your voice effectively. Varying the speed at which you talk, and emphasising changes in pitch and tone all help to make your voice more interesting and hold your audience’s attention.
9. Use your Body Too
It has been estimated that more than three quarters of communication is non-verbal. That means that as well as your tone of voice, your body language is crucial to getting your message across. Make sure that you are giving the right messages: body language to avoid includes crossed arms, hands held behind your back or in your pockets, and pacing the stage. Make your gestures open and confident, and move naturally around the stage, and among the audience too, if possible.
10. Relax, Breathe and Enjoy
If you find presenting difficult, it can be hard to be calm and relaxed about doing it. One option is to start by concentrating on your breathing. Slow it down, and make sure that you’re breathing fully. Make sure that you continue to pause for breath occasionally during your presentation too. If you can bring yourself to relax, you will almost certainly present better. If you can actually start to enjoy yourself, your audience will respond to that, and engage better. Your presentations will improve exponentially, and so will your confidence. It’s well worth a try.
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
8. Comment on each tip from the article. Which ones do you think are the most effective. Why? Why not?
[pic] LISTENING
9. To make your presentation effective and successful, it should be structured, i.e. logically constructed. Watch the video (5.9) listening to the speaker sharing ideas on how to write the beginning of an English presentation and make notes.
10. How do you think other stages of a presentation should be structured? Put them (a-l) in a logical order. Different answers are possible.
a. presenting the main body of the talk
b. handle questions
c. signal the beginning of the talk
d. greet the audience
e. summarise the main points
f. introduce yourself
g. have a strong ending
h. introduce the presentation topic and objectives
i. outline the presentation structure
j. thank the audience
k. thank the organisers
l. say when you would like to take questions
m. [pic]PRACTICE
11. Look at the phrases below. Do they introduce a topic (T), introduce the plan of your presentation (P), set goals (G), or deal with the questions (Q)?
1. What I’d like to do is to discuss …
2. If you have any questions, please feel free to interrupt me during my presentation.
3. The aim of my presentation is …
4. I’m going to deal with three aspects of the subject …, first …
5. What I intend to do is to explain …
6. My topic today is …
7. Today, I’m going to talk about …
8. I’ve divided my presentation into three sections.
9. I’ll be happy to answer questions at the end.
[pic] READING
12. Look quickly at two parts of a lecture on study skills. This lecture will guide you in creating your own presentation. Answer the questions: What is the topic of each part? What advice does the lecturer give to students? Do you agree? Why/Why not?
Well, let’s start, shall we? 1 … I’d like to make is that thorough preparation is a foundation for a successful presentation or a lecture. 2 … , carry out research into it. Find out as much as you can about the topic: use in-house material, websites, journals, and make the topic of your presentation more specific. My recommendation is to address some significant issue in the area you research into. The topic should make an impact scientifically, socially, educationally, and so on. Just a report on your or somebody else’s achievements is not very interesting. Think about what might be interesting to your audience. Ask yourself questions: Why am I giving this presentation? What do I want the audience to gain? What do they already know about the topic? 3 … , gather as many facts as you can, take notes, carefully indicating the source and the author in case you decide to borrow somebody else’s ideas or quote their research results. You will need them later to put the references on slides.
4 … in preparation is to properly structure the information you have collected, so that the audience can easily follow your ideas. 5 … , you should again narrow your topic to make it manageable within the time given. You cannot share everything you know about the subject within 15 minutes, can you? 6 … , from you notes, choose no more than three major points you’re going to focus on during your presentation. 7 … , think of how you are going to develop these ideas: through examples and explanations, statistics and facts, and/or referring to an authority or your own research results, etc. 8 … , you can create a spidergram of the ideas you want to express in a note form and/or make a list of the most important ones and then put them in a logical order. Now with this plan in mind, you’re ready to write the text itself. My advice is to start with the body, not the introduction.
What makes a presentation powerful? Clarity. What makes it clear? Logic and language. A clear text is logically constructed, with all the parts linked together, and with enough signals for the listeners to follow the ideas of the speaker. The text should be simple enough to understand and the language should be expressive enough to impress the audience. If you can keep this in mind, you’re on the right path to success.
9 … , there are several typical ways depending on the purpose of the presentation and the content you’re going to deliver. 10 … , you can present information chronologically if the purpose of the presentation is to show a historical dimension of a phenomenon or a sequence pf steps in a process. 11 … , you presentation can follow a problem-solution pattern if you are after finding effective ways to deal with a certain obstacle or hurdle. 12 … , you can compose your text using a cause-effect relationship between the phenomena or events you are talking about. 13 … organize the text is to adhere to a topical approach, when the presentations is divided into subtopics relevant to the subject of the talk in order to give a broad picture of the area. 14 … organizing ideas (especially for presentations that aim to describe a situation) is the use of Wh-questions: who, what, where, when, how, which is often called a journalistic approach. The discourse markers that signpost the progression of your ideas depend on the type of text organization. 15 … , the cause-effect relationship is signaled with the help of such phrases as this leads to, it resulted in/from, this affected, due to.
Mentioning discourse markers, 16 … my lecture today, which is the power of language. I’d like to quote Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Words are also actions, and actions are a kind of words”. It’s true! The impact of your presentation depends entirely on you, your text, your content, your words. 17 … you should choose the words wisely and carefully; empowering words leads to powerful results.! Create a picture in mind of the listeners: use comparisons and metaphors, dramatic contrasts and emphasis. Do not overdo specific terminology or abbreviations – they may not be known to the audience. Use simple, short sentences with active verbs rather than passive. Show who the author is; do not hide behind passive constructions.
18 … Make sure you know the meaning, usage and pronunciation of every word you see in English. If necessary, consult a monolingual dictionary. You’d better not heavily rely on electronic translators like Google Translate or Multitran; they are useful for phrases and expressions, not complete sentences or paragraphs.
[pic]PRACTICE
13. Complete the lecture with the phrases from the boxes. Sometimes more than one answer may be possible. Compare your answers with your partner.
14. To make your presentation successful it’s essential to get the attention of the audience. Here are some tips you can use to grab the attention of the listeners. Match the ways of starting a presentation (1-7) to examples (a-g) of those ways.
|1. a personal story |a. Do you know that the fear of speaking in front of an |
|2. an amazing fact |audience comes second after the fear of death? That’s why |
|or statistic |I decided to prepare a presentation aiming at … |
|3. a quotation |b. Before we start, could you raise your hands if you have |
|4. involving the |to give a presentation quite often? Oh, I see there’s a lot of |
|audience |expertise in this room. Let’s share it. |
|5. a rhetorical |c. I’d like to begin today’s presentation with a quote by |
|question |Woodrow Wilson ‘If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a |
|6. a joke |week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half |
|7. an overview of |an hour, two days; if an hour, I’m ready now’. It took me |
|the situation |years to be able to speak well in public and I’d like to share |
| |d. When I started my teaching career, my first lecture was a |
| |real disaster. I wasn’t able to take off my eyes from the |
| |notes and read the whole lecture without looking at students. |
| |They were bored! I decided to improve my presentation |
| |skills. That’s how I came to lecturing on public speaking. |
| |e. Nowadays, very many books on developing presentation |
| |skills and courses are available, both for face-to-face and |
| |online practice in speaking. They contain tips; however … |
| |f. Once a teacher asked, ‘What do you call a person who |
| |keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?’ And |
| |the pupil’s answer was: ‘A teacher’. A joke or the truth? |
| |g. Why do we know best how to make a presentation when it |
| |concerns others, but when it’s about ourselves we sometimes |
| |fail to get our message across at a conference? |
[pic] LISTENING
15. Watch a video 5.15 with four extracts and try to match each one with the corresponding way of starting a presentation from exercise 14.
16. An effective presentation requires a strong ending. Listen to video 5.16 and learn how to write a conclusion to your presentation. Make notes on the necessary steps and useful tips.
[pic] WRITING
17. You are going to deliver a 5-minute presentation. Write a plan and then the text to your presentation following the structure and using one of the techniques to attract the attention of the listeners. Pay special attention to how you end your speech.
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
18. Listen to each other’s presentations and provide feedback, using the following questions as guidelines.
1. Did the presenters greet the audience?
2. Did they introduce themselves, the topic and the plan?
3. Did they mention the time when they wanted to take questions?
4. Did they use a technique for starting a presentation?
5. Was the beginning clear?
6. Did they follow the structure of a presentation?
7. Did they pronounce the words correctly?
8. Was multimedia presentation clear and effective?
9. Did the presenters look confident?
10. Did they maintain eye-contact?
[pic] READING
19. Read the article on how to improve your public speaking skills. Write down the key points.
Better Public Speaking. Becoming a Confident, Compelling Speaker
Whether we're talking in a team meeting or presenting in front of an audience, we all have to speak in public from time to time. We can do this well or we can do this badly, and the outcome strongly affects the way that people think about us. This is why public speaking causes so much anxiety and concern. The good news is that, with thorough preparation and practice, you can overcome your nervousness and perform exceptionally well.
This article and video explain how.
The Importance of Public Speaking
Even if you don't need to make regular presentations in front of a group, there are plenty of situations where good public speaking skills can help you advance your career and create opportunities.
For example, you might have to talk about your organization at a conference, make a speech after accepting an award, or teach a class to new recruits. Speaking to an audience also includes online presentations or talks; for instance, when training a virtual team, or when speaking to a group of customers in an online meeting.
Good public speaking skills are important in other areas of your life, as well. You might be asked to make a speech at a friend's wedding, give a eulogy for a loved one, or inspire a group of volunteers at a charity event.
In short, being a good public speaker can enhance your reputation, boost your self-confidence, and open up countless opportunities.
However, while good skills can open doors, poor ones can close them. For example, your boss might decide against promoting you after sitting through a badly-delivered presentation. You might lose a valuable new contract by failing to connect with a prospect during a sales pitch. Or you could make a poor impression with your new team, because you trip over your words and don't look people in the eye.
Make sure that you learn how to speak well!
Strategies for Becoming a Better Speaker
The good news is that speaking in public is a learnable skill. As such, you can use the following strategies to become a better speaker and presenter.
Plan Appropriately
First, make sure that you plan your communication appropriately. Use tools like the Rhetorical Triangle, Monroe's Motivated Sequence, and the 7Cs of Communication to think about how you'll structure what you're going to say.
When you do this, think about how important a book's first paragraph is; if it doesn't grab you, you're likely going to put it down. The same principle goes for your speech: from the beginning, you need to intrigue your audience.
For example, you could start with an interesting statistic, headline, or fact that pertains to what you're talking about and resonates with your audience. You can also use story telling as a powerful opener; our Expert Interviews with Annette Simmons and Paul Smith offer some useful tips on doing this.
Planning also helps you to think on your feet. This is especially important for unpredictable question and answer sessions or last-minute communications.
Tip: Remember that not all occasions when you need to speak in public will be scheduled. You can make good impromptu speeches by having ideas and mini-speeches pre-prepared. It also helps to have a good, thorough understanding of what's going on in your organization and industry.
Practice
There's a good reason that we say, "Practice makes perfect!" You simply cannot be a confident, compelling speaker without practice.
To get practice, seek opportunities to speak in front of others. For example, Toastmasters is a club geared specifically towards aspiring speakers, and you can get plenty of practice at Toastmasters sessions. You could also put yourself in situations that require public speaking, such as by cross-training a group from another department, or by volunteering to speak at team meetings.
If you're going to be delivering a presentation or prepared speech, create it as early as possible. The earlier you put it together, the more time you'll have to practice.
Practice it plenty of times alone, using the resources you'll rely on at the event, and, as you practice, tweak your words until they flow smoothly and easily.
Then, if appropriate, do a dummy run in front of a small audience: this will help you calm your jitters and make you feel more comfortable with the material. Your audience can also give you useful feedback, both on your material and on your performance.
Engage With Your Audience
When you speak, try to engage your audience. This makes you feel less isolated as a speaker and keeps everyone involved with your message. If appropriate, ask leading questions targeted to individuals or groups, and encourage people to participate and ask questions.
Keep in mind that some words reduce your power as a speaker. For instance, think about how these sentences sound: "I just want to add that I think we can meet these goals" or "I just think this plan is a good one." The words "just" and "I think" limit your authority and conviction. Don't use them.
A similar word is "actually," as in, "Actually, I'd like to add that we were under budget last quarter." When you use "actually," it conveys a sense of submissiveness or even surprise. Instead, say what things are. "We were under budget last quarter" is clear and direct.
Also, pay attention to how you're speaking. If you're nervous, you might talk quickly. This increases the chances that you'll trip over your words or say something you don't mean. Force yourself to slow down by breathing deeply. Don't be afraid to gather your thoughts; pauses are an important part of conversation, and they make you sound confident, natural, and authentic.
Finally, avoid reading word-for-word from your notes. Instead, make a list of important points on cue cards, or, as you get better at public speaking, try to memorize what you're going to say – you can still refer back to your cue cards when you need them.
Pay Attention to Body Language
If you're unaware of it, your body language will give your audience constant, subtle clues about your inner state. If you're nervous, or if you don't believe in what you're saying, the audience can soon know.
Pay attention to your body language: stand up straight, take deep breaths, look people in the eye, and smile. Don't lean on one leg or use gestures that feel unnatural.
Many people prefer to speak behind a podium when giving presentations. While podiums can be useful for holding notes, they put a barrier between you and the audience. They can also become a "crutch," giving you a hiding place from the dozens or hundreds of eyes that are on you.
Instead of standing behind a podium, walk around and use gestures to engage the audience. This movement and energy will also come through in your voice, making it more active and passionate.
Think Positively
Positive thinking can make a huge difference to the success of your communication, because it helps you feel more confident.
Fear makes it all too easy to slip into a cycle of negative self-talk, especially right before you speak, while self-sabotaging thoughts such as "I'll never be good at this!" or "I'm going to fall flat on my face!" lower your confidence and increase the chances that you won't achieve what you're truly capable of.
Use affirmations and visualization to raise your confidence. This is especially important right before your speech or presentation. Visualize giving a successful presentation, and imagine how you'll feel once it's over and when you've made a positive difference for others. Use positive affirmations such as "I'm grateful I have the opportunity to help my audience" or "I'm going to do well!"
Cope With Nerves
How often have you listened to or watched a speaker who really messed up? Chances are, the answer is "not very often."
When we have to speak in front of others, we can envision terrible things happening. We imagine forgetting every point we want to make, passing out from our nervousness, or doing so horribly that we'll lose our job. But those things almost never come to pass! We build them up in our minds and end up more nervous than we need to be.
Many people cite speaking to an audience as their biggest fear, and a fear of failure is often at the root of this. Public speaking can lead your "fight or flight" response to kick in: adrenaline courses through your bloodstream, your heart rate increases, you sweat, and your breath becomes fast and shallow.
Although these symptoms can be annoying or even debilitating, the Inverted-U Model shows that a certain amount of pressure enhances performance. By changing your mindset, you can use nervous energy to your advantage.
First, make an effort to stop thinking about yourself, your nervousness, and your fear. Instead, focus on your audience: what you're saying is "about them." Remember that you're trying to help or educate them in some way, and your message is more important than your fear. Concentrate on the audience's wants and needs, instead of your own.
If time allows, use deep breathing exercises to slow your heart rate and give your body the oxygen it needs to perform. This is especially important right before you speak. Take deep breaths from your belly, hold each one for several seconds, and let it out slowly.
Crowds are more intimidating than individuals, so think of your speech as a conversation that you're having with one person. Although your audience may be 100 people, focus on one friendly face at a time, and talk to that person as if he or she is the only one in the room.
Watch Recordings of Your Speeches
Whenever possible, record your presentations and speeches. You can improve your speaking skills dramatically by watching yourself later, and then working on improving in areas that didn't go well.
As you watch, notice any verbal stalls, such as "um" or "like." Look at your body language: are you swaying, leaning on the podium, or leaning heavily on one leg?
Are you looking at the audience? Did you smile? Did you speak clearly at all times?
Pay attention to your gestures. Do they appear natural or forced? Make sure that people can see them, especially if you're standing behind a podium.
Last, look at how you handled interruptions, such as a sneeze or a question that you weren't prepared for. Does your face show surprise, hesitation, or annoyance? If so, practice managing interruptions like these smoothly, so that you're even better next time.
[pic] LISTENING
20. Listen to the additional information on better public speaking and make notes adding more useful tips (5.20).
[pic]INTERNET USE
21. Look for information of the notions underlined in the text on-line. Find out more about the tips on improving your public speaking skills. Make a presentation on one of the tips.
[pic] LISTENING
22. Watch the video 5.22 and listen to the speaker sharing more tips on successful public speaking. What is new for you? Make notes on the tips mentioned in this video and say if you would likely use it.
[pic] READING
23. Many public speakers have funny public speaking stories. Read some of them and remember of some examples from your own experience.
Have You Heard the One About . . .
Here's a funny thing that happened to me on a cruise up the east coast. I was an enrichment lecturer on the ship and on my first lecture, my laptop just would not communicate with their video projector. Fortunately, the ship's A-V tekkie was there and loaned me his laptop, which did work with it. Unfortunately, he didn't bring the power supply for it, but he said that it was fully charged, and would last several hours. Of course, about half way through the lecture, his laptop ran out of battery power and died. My wife ran out to try to find him, which left me wondering what to do until he arrived, which might be in one minute or one hour. However, I realized that I had already memorized a standup comedy routine that I had been preparing for an upcoming gig at the talent show where I live. So for the next 10 minutes or so until the tekkie arrived, I entertained them - and got a good round of applause for my efforts.
Raoul Drapeau
Inventor, Lecturer, Commercial Arbitrator & Author
"Disastrous" Public Speaking Story
When I was the Marketing Director for a New York City television station, I became an in-demand speaker. The first presentation I ever agreed to do was on How to Give an Effective Presentation for the MBA students at NYU’s Stern School of Business and I wanted it to be perfect. However, having never done any public speaking, I was quite nervous.
My husband helped me rehearse multiple times beginning a couple of weeks before, until I felt prepared. But I still decided to take notes on index cards to have with me as a reminder tool, just in case I forgot anything.
The day arrived. My husband kindly took the day off from his job to accompany me, knowing I was still very anxious following a completely sleepless night. I remember my heart pounding so hard that he said he could actually see my blouse moving!
When I was introduced, I grabbed my cards, began walking up the three steps to the stage . . . and clumsily tripped and my cards went flying everywhere. There was some nervous laughter in the audience as the professor and I gathered my 23 cards and to my horror, I realized I had failed to number them!
I took my place at the podium, steeled my nerves and began with, “Lesson Number 1 of 'How to Give an Effective Presentation': Make sure to number your notecards!” Everyone relaxed and we all laughed. I then threw the cards on the floor and began my presentation with “Lesson Number 2: Rehearse and know your subject matter so cards are unnecessary!”
Thankfully, I had rehearsed enough and thoroughly knew what I was talking about to give a really wonderful presentation. I used dropping the notecards by explaining that “even experts and seasoned speakers get nervous.” And the final lesson was to inject humor into everything you do and your audience will remember you fondly!
I received a standing ovation and several students told me they thought I had planned the notecard drop as a brilliant and memorable way to begin. I have employed that notecard trick several times, but always on purpose! When I have coached clients who are nervous about public speaking, I share this story and one of them actually did this to put her audience…and herself... at ease!
Sandy Sloane
sandy@
[pic]INTERNET USE
24. The stories above are taken from . Follow this link and read more funny public speaking stories. Then choose one of them and in groups role play it in the classroom (See Appendix 5.1)
25. Go to the website and read the article dedicated to humor in scientific presentations. Answer the question if humor is appropriate in scientific presentations? (See Appendix 5.2)
26. Follow the link and look through the public speaking quotes. They may be helpful in preparing for your own presentation as a good way to start or finish your speech (See Appendix 5.3)
[pic] WRITING
27. Choose one of the quotations from the previous exercise and write an essay agreeing or disagreeing with the point of view expressed in the quotation. Consult the unit “From essays to projects” on the peculiarities in writing essays. Decide on the type of your essay and check the punctuation.
[pic]INTERNET USE
28. Go to the website . It’s a collection of public speaking presenters reflecting on different topics. Choose any speech from the website, analyse the speaker according to criteria you’ve learned from the unit about public speaking and make a presentation to your groupmates. Your presentation should include:
– Which type of event it is
– What is the topic of the presentation
– Which techniques does the speaker use to make the presentation effective
– Does the speaker follow all the stages of a presentation
– Comment on the speaker’s body language
– How does the audience react to the speaker
– Does the speaker use one of the techniques to attract listeners’ attention.
[pic]GRAMMAR TIPS
29. Public speaking is essential in academic events where formal language is required. The grammar of formal English has its own peculiarities. Study the following grammar points and check if you know them.
Avoiding repetition
1. To avoid unnecessary repetition of words or phrases in speech or writing, we can use
a. substitution, when we replace one word or phrase with another, such as a pronoun:
Instructions are given on each machine. We ask customers to read them carefully before exercising.
b. ellipsis, when we leave out or replace nouns, verbs and entire clauses which have previously been mentioned:
Mike left at about the same time as Jane (left).
2. We can leave out or replace nouns, verbs and entire clauses which have previously been mentioned:
The managers in our company have often adopted production processes which give rise to unsatisfying jobs because it is cheaper for them to do so.
(them = managers; do so = adopt production processes…)
Emphasis and focus
We show emphasis in writing in many different ways. They include
a. fronting, or bringing a word or phrase to the beginning of a sentence:
The bell rang. Almost at once the old man appeared at the door.
b. making one simple sentence into two clauses or a cleft sentence:
The Berlin Wall fell in 1989. It was in 1989 that the Berlin Wall fell.
Jackson published the book himself. What Jackson did was publish the book himself.
c. inversion (reversing the position of two things):
Hardly had she written one book before she started another.
We usually invert the subject and the auxiliary, modal or main verb that follows it:
Harry did not offer once to take Norma home to visit her elderly parents.
Not once did Harry offer to take Norma home to visit her elderly parents.
Nominalisation
We use nominalisation (making nouns from other parts of speech) to be more concise in writing. We can form nouns from verbs
a. by adding a suffix: educate – education, establish – establishment, teach – teacher
b. by using a verb as a noun (more informal): Can’t you open that? Shall I give it a try? I’ll take you to the station if you give me a shout when you are ready.
c. by combining the verb and particle in multi-word verbs. The particle often (but not always) comes before the verb in the noun form:
The epidemic first broke out in Guinea. – The first outbreak of the epidemic was in Guinea.
The plane took off very smoothly. – The takeoff was smooth.
The car broke down not far from home. – The breakdown happened not far from home.
Not all verbs can be used as nouns. It is best to check in a good dictionary.
He made a speak on the theatre in Ireland. – He made a speech on the theatre in Ireland.
[pic]PRACTICE
30. Read the text and identify a cleft sentence and examples of substitution and nominalization.
What is generally understood by the term ‘literature’?
Most people readily accept great historical plays and novels are part of it, but what about other types of writing, such as short stories, or other media, such as works published on the Internet? This topic is much debated in academic circles. What particularly concerns those involved in education is the type of literature taught in schools.Should the subject of literature also include contemporary works by little-known authors, which children may find more accessible, or is this just ‘dumbing down’?
31. Choose the most suitable words in italics. If both options are possible, choose both.
1. I really don’t like these modern paintings. I much prefer those / the paintings over there.
2. We didn’t complete the obstacles course as quickly as the other team completed it / did.
3. It was agreed that three staff volunteers would help with the stocktaking and that they would be paid extra to do it / do so.
4. We wish to apologise to viewers for the loss of transmission yesterday. It / This was caused by an incident involving a low-flying helicopter.
5. Jones failed to complete the 400 metres because he tore / tore a muscle.
6. Doris Lessing’s new novel failed to make the shortlist, but most critics felt it should have done / should have.
7. The President was unable to put through all the reforms that he had wanted to put through / wanted to.
8. We learnt that Chinua Achebe was not after all attending the conference, but we had come to see the novelist / it was the novelist we had come to see.
9. The scientists have made a breakthrough. What they’re doing is / It is approaching the problem from a different angle.
10. All / The only thing they want is a second chance.
11. Our policy is quite clear. Under no circumstances refunds can / can refunds be given.
[pic] WRITING
32. Turn to the presentation that you created in exercise 17. Correct the text of your presentation using grammar of formal language. Your presentation should include the beginning, the main part and the conclusion. Check the punctuation and present it in the classroom. Discuss and give feedback in groups.
[pic]ADVANCEMENT QUESTIONS
1. Give definition to public speaking.
2. Which academic events require public speaking?
3. What makes a successful presentation?
4. What are the stages of a presentation?
5. What is rhetorical triangle?
6. Give definition to Monroe's Motivated Sequence.
7. What are the 7Cs of Communication?
8. How to use body language in public speaking effectively?
9. Is it appropriate to use humor at academic events?
10. What are the peculiarities of grammar of formal language?
[pic]RELIABLE INFORMATION RESOURCES
1. Better public speaking. [Электронныйресурс]. Режим доступа URL: . (Дата обращения: 23.07.2018).
2. Funny public speaking stories. [Электронныйресурс]. Режим доступа URL: . (Дата обращения: 23.07.2018).
3. How to close your presentation in English powerfully. [Электронный ресурс]. Режим доступа URL: . (Дата обращения: 15.07.2018).
4. Public speaking quotes: Funny, inspiring insights for your presentation. [Электронный ресурс]. Режим доступа URL: . (Дата обращения: 27.07.2018).
5. Publicspeaking. [Электронный ресурс]. Режим доступа URL: . (Дата обращения: 25.07.2018).
6. Slipping humour into scientific presentations. [Электронный ресурс]. Режим доступа URL: . (Дата обращения: 25.07.2018).
7. TED. Ideas worth spreading. [Электронныйресурс]. Режим доступа URL: . (Дата обращения: 15.07.2018).
8. Top tips for effective presentations. [Электронный ресурс]. Режим доступа URL: . (Дата обращения: 15.07.2018).
ACTIVE LISTENING
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
[pic]
1. Look at the picture. What does it mean? What is the main idea of active listening? Where do we use active listening?
2. Look at the picture.
[pic]
What is the difference between hearing and listening? Which involves the most amount of listening? What is needed to listen effectively? Are you a good listener? (explain your opinion).
[pic]LISTENING
3. Listen to the teacher (6.3. What kind of students are you) giving students a quiz about their study skills and answer his questions. The topic of the quiz is “What kind of students are you?”
3.1. Match the two parts of the question and write a-h next to the numbers 1-8.
1. When do you usually get
2. When do you usually do
3. What is your average mark
4. How do you feel before doing
5. What kind of relationship do you have
6. Where do you usually sit
7. How much time do you spend
8. What do you want
a. to do when you finish school?
b. with the staff at school?
c. an exam?
d. to school?
e. your homework?
f. studying before an exam?
g. in tests?
h. in class?
3.2. Listen to the teacher (6.3. What kind of students are you?) giving students a quiz about their study skills and circle the best answer to these questions.
1. At the beginning the teacher asks the students to think carefully about ...
a. the questions.
b. their answers.
c. where they sit.
2. The answers the students choose will be seen by ...
a. the other students.
b. the teacher.
c. nobody.
3. The first question is about the time ...
a. students arrive at school.
b. students spend at school.
c. students leave.
4. The teacher asks about ...
a. where students do their homework.
b. how much time students spend doing their homework.
c. when the students do their homework.
5. In question three, students who normally get half marks should answer ...
a. A.
b. B.
c. C.
6. Question four is about the students’ relationship with ...
a. people in their lives outside school.
b. people working at the school.
c. people studying at the school.
7. The teacher thinks some students prefer to sit in the middle of the class so that ...
a. they can hear the teacher without being right at the front.
b. they can have pleasant thoughts without following the lesson.
c. no one will notice them using their phones.
8. Question six is about students’ ...
a. exam results.
b. future career.
c. plans for the future.
9. Students with mostly As have a good ...
a. attitude towards studying.
b. idea about what they want to do in the future.
c. network of support at school.
10. Students with mostly Bs need to ...
a. become excellent students.
b. increase the time they spend studying.
c. change some of their habits.
11. Students with mostly Cs are probably ...
a. wasting a lot of their time.
b. unable to do any better.
c. going to be unemployed in the future.
12. Students with mostly Cs should ...
a. join the homework club.
b. try to change as soon as possible.
c. leave school at the first opportunity.
3.3. Listen to the teacher (6.3.What kind of students are you?) giving students a quiz about their study skills and write the word to fill the gaps.
1. The quiz is designed to find out what kind of … you are.
2. The teacher tells the students to pay … to what she is saying.
3. One question asks about the students’ average … in tests.
4. Another question asks about students’ relationship with the … at the school.
5. For some people, what they do after school … on their exam results.
6. Students with mostly A answers have a good … towards studying.
7. Students with mostly B answers can improve and … excellent students.
8. If ‘C’ students don’t change, they might leave school without any … .
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
4. What kind of student are you?
[pic] INSIGHT INTO THE TOPIC
5. Listening is the absorption of the meanings of words and sentences by the brain. Listening leads to the understanding of facts and ideas. But listening takes attention, or sticking to the task at hand in spite of distractions. It requires concentration, which is the focusing of your thoughts upon one particular problem. A person who incorporates listening with concentration is actively listening. Active listening is a method of responding to another that encourages communication.
Read the fragment of the article “What is listening?”, the author is Michael Purdy, about seven components of listening. After reading name and describe all the components of listening.
Listening is comprised of seven essential components: (1) volition, (2) focused attention, (3) perception, (4) interpretation, (5) remembering, (6) response, and (7) the human element. These seven components are an integral part of the dynamic and active process of listening. That listening is dynamic means that while there may be essential components the act of listening itself is never the same twice. We must be constantly alert and open to improvisation as the elements of the listening situation change. Like a jazz musician’s spontaneous and unrehearsed play, we must adapt to the communication of the other members of our social group. Listening is also active as opposed to passive. It is something that we consciously do; it does not simply happen. Rogers and Farson, in a classic article on active listening define “active” as meaning: the listener has a very definite responsibility. He does not passively absorb the words which are spoken, but he actively tries to grasp the facts and feelings in what he hears, to help the speaker work out his own problems. (p. 149)
First, for an individual to be able to listen, he or she must want to listen. Thus, volition, or the will to listen is the initial component of effective listening. Even having willed ourselves to attend to the ideas of another, it sometimes takes courage to listen fully to another human being. To listen fully may mean we may have to change based upon what we hear. Nichols and Stevens recognized the difficulty in their 1957 book, Are You Listening?: “Whenever we listen thoroughly to another person’s ideas we open ourselves up to the possibility that some of our own ideas are wrong” (p. 51–52).
Second, good listening requires focused attention. If our minds are wandering, or, if we are jumping ahead to what we think the speaker might say, we are apt to miss important information.
Third component of the listening process is perception. We need to be aware of all of the elements of message, speaker, and context. It also implies that we must be open and receptive to the messages of others. A critical part of communication is lost when individuals are unwilling to listen to others because of, for example, prejudicial or opposing viewpoints.
Fourth component of the listening process is the capacity to interpret the messages and meanings of the others. The process of interpretation includes understanding. In an interpreting message we naturally make sense of that message in terms of our own experience. This means each message understood is a creative process; it also implies we are limited by our experience. A person may be highly motivated to listen to a message, for instance on contemporary physics. However, if the message is especially complex or technical beyond the listener’s ability, then the likelihood for an accurate interpretation is greatly diminished.
Fifth, competent listening includes remembering. Often we remember without exerting any effort. In many critical listening situations, however, we need to consciously and actively include listening skills that help us retain what we have heard. Some basic skills for enhancing memory will be covered in the next chapter. Sixth component is the need for response as essential to completing the process of good listening. Sometimes our response is internal as we integrate what we have understood and internally comment upon it. Usually after understanding a complete thought it is important that we give feedback to the speaker, or respond in such a way that the speaker has an idea of how we have understood and interpreted what he or she has said.
Seventh and last component is the human being. In listening we must always be receptive to the personal element. In both our personal and business lives people are the most important resource. Listening should validate and empower people, thus enhancing relationships. We also listen for information, but we must keep in mind that information is colored and given meaning by a person’s needs and concerns (the listener’s as well as the speaker’s). As students, doctors, lawyers, law enforcement officers, etc., we cannot “manage” without good information. Information is the lifeblood of our professions. Today organizations cannot function without a continuous flow of information. All information, however, is only meaningful as it describes and relates to a human condition.
The above components of the listening process focus not only upon the speaker’s verbal message, but also upon the nonverbal message. The meaning may be grasped from what is said, as well as, what is unsaid. Birdwhistell’s work in the early seventies, in fact, argued that perhaps the majority of a message derives from the nonverbal dimension (1970). Thus the listener must attend not only to what the speaker says, but also to how he or she says it (e.g., tone of voice, pitch, rate of speaking, etc.), and to the context in which the message is delivered (e.g., a formal auditorium, an informal gathering, a classroom, etc.). The how of what the speaker says includes feelings; for if we just listen to denotative meaning we miss the emotional content. Listening to feelings in a situation may tell us what is motivating the speaker, as well as other pertinent information. The listener who attends to both the verbal and the nonverbal communication will likely listen more accurately than the individual who is oblivious to these important cues.
The important components of the listening process are summarized in the seven steps for becoming an effective listener.
Steps to Becoming an Effective Listener
1. Want to listen
2. Focus your attention
3. Be aware (perceptive) as you listen
4. Keep in mind that the listening process involves interpretation (including both verbal and nonverbal cues)
5. Consciously work to remember what you hear
6. Make a habit of responding with feedback
7. Care about the relationship as you listen
[pic] PRACTICE
6. Match the words from the text with their definitions.
1. volition
2. focused attention
3. perception
4. interpretation
5. remembering
6. response
7. human element
a. a way of performing the information that shows how you understand it
b. a feedback of how you have understood and interpreted the information
c. the brain's ability to concentrate its attention on a target stimulus for any period of time.
d. information perception through personal point of view
e. to be aware of all the information (message, speaker, context etc.)
f. the will to listen
g. to keep a particular fact in your mind because it is relevant to what is being discussed or heard
7. Fill the gaps in the definition of “active listening” (the definition was taken from the Bussiness dictionary ).
skill
indicate
hearing
feedback
confirmation
conversation
meaning
The act of mindfully 1 … and attempting to comprehend the 2 … of words spoken by another in a 3 … or speech. Activity listening is an important business communication 4…, and it can involve making sounds that 5 … attentiveness, as well as the listener giving 6 … in the form of a paraphrased rendition of what has been said by the other party for their 7 … .
8. Fill the gaps with the words from the box.
focusing
multiple
listening
reinforce
form
signs
respond
concentration level
actively
improve
Active Listening
Active listening is a 1 … of listening communication where listeners actively listen and 2 … to the speaker. It is not necessary that when two people communicate, they are listening to each other 3 … . Half listening and half thinking are common distractions that occur. In both personal and professional life, 4 … is one of the most skills that a person must have. It can impact on your job effectiveness and the quality of relationships with others. To 5 … the level of active listening, you must pay attention to the other person. Make it sure you are trying not to distract easily. Business analyst suggests that if you want to increase your 6 … on what is saying on by the speaker, then he must try repeating speaker’s words mentally as he says them – this will 7 … his message and help you stay focused. To enhance the listening or active listening skills, you need to allow the other person that you are listening to him. Active listening not stands for 8 … on what speaker is speaking about but also actively showing verbal and non-verbal 9 … of listening. This kind of listening is widely used in 10 … situations like community organizing, public interest advocacy, tutoring, counseling, etc.
[pic] INTERNET USE
9. Follow the link to find out more about the listening process. Study the comparison chart. Discuss the main differences of two processes. Make a presentation of hearing and listening on the basis for comparison in the chart. Pay special attention to differences (See Appendix 6.1).
Further Activity:
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
10. Do you agree with these statements?
1. Language learning depends on listening.
2. When you listen to a conversation in English, you try to understand every word.
3. When you have difficulty in understanding what a speaker means you ask for clarification.
4. Listening to songs and radio programs in English are two of the best ways to learn the language.
5. Your role as a listener is to show interest.
6. As you listen to someone speak you take notes to help yourself understand the message.
[pic] LISTENING
11. Dictation (6.11.1 and 6.11.2).
1. Listen at normal speed. Do not write.
2. Listen again at slow speed and write what you hear.
3. Listen again at normal speed. Check and correct your work.
[pic] WRITING
12. Your friend is going to attend a lecture of a well-known scientist. Give him advice on how to be an effective listener. Write an e-mail (130-150 words).
[pic] LISTENING
13. Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a-h next to the numbers 1-8.
1. … to go off
2. ... a timer
3. ... productivity
4. ... ‘to-do’ list
5. ... sensible
6. ... an A-grade student
7. ... to waste time
8. ... to deserve
a. a device that makes a sound or shows you when a certain amount of time has passed
b. a student who gets the best marks at school
c. having good judgement or common sense
d. how much is being done or achieved
e. a list of things you need to do
f. to start making a noise (as an alarm or signal)
g. to earn or merit something because of what you have done
h. to spend time doing something useless
13.1. Listen to the radio interview (6.13. Organising your time) about the “Pomodoro Technique”. Decide whether statements are True or False.
1. The “Pomodoro Technique” was invented in the 1980s.
2. Students and workers can use the technique.
3. The technique is a bit complicated to use.
4. You need to break down your tasks into smaller sections.
5. Each break is called a ‘pomodoro’.
6. Peter uses an app on his mobile to time himself.
7. After four or five short breaks you can have a longer break.
8. Peter takes less time to do his homework these days.
13.2. Complete the sentences with a word from the box.
list
breaks
productivity
five
item
timer
task
time
The Pomodoro Technique is designed to help people work effectively and avoid wasting 1 … . It helps you to get the maximum 2 … in the time you have. First you have to break down each 3 … into steps. Then you use a 4 …to organize your time into intensive work and 5 … . You write a list of the things you need to do, set the timer to twenty-five minutes and start working on the first 6 …on your list. When the timer goes off you stop work for 7 …minutes. Then you repeat these steps four or five times, ticking off items on your 8 …as you finish them. After a few short breaks you can take a longer break.
13.3. Complete the sentences with a word from the brackets in the appropriate form.
1.It is important to find the most … way of working. (effect)
2. We can be more … if we work together as a team. (product)
3. Do you think that is a … idea? (sense)
4. I keep all my notes in … folders. (separation)
5. You can use a … to help you cook the perfect boiled egg. (time)
6. You will feel really … when you finish. (satisfaction)
7. It isn’t a very … time to wait. (length)
8. The Pomodoro Technique is a system to help you … your time. (management)
[pic]SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
14. Do you think the Pomodoro Technique sounds like a good idea? What techniques do you use for time management?
[pic]LISTENING
15. Match the words with the definitions and write a-h next to the numbers 1-8.
1. to tune in
2. to visualise
3. familiar
4. an adjustment
5. a knock-on effect
6. vital
7. to be looming
8. finals
a. to be coming quickly, to seem very close
b. to listen to a live radio programme
c. a small change
d. necessary, of extreme importance
e. the last exams in a university course
f. well known or easily recognised
g. to form a mental picture of something
h. something that happens as a result of something else happening
15.1. Listen to the radio interview (6.15. How to improve your memory) about improving your memory. Which sentences are true about memorisation? Tick (✓) four correct answers.
1. We all use memory in the same way.
2. We learn to use our memory as soon as we are born.
3. There are two different forms of memorisation.
4. We are taught how to improve our memory in history lessons.
5. Writing shopping lists can improve your memory.
6. Teaching helps us to memorise.
7. We can train our brains to be more effective.
8. We can only use one image at a time as an aid to memorisation.
15.2. Listen to the radio interview (6.15. How to improve your memory) about improving your memory and write the correct form of the word in brackets.
1. The speaker explains how to make our … (memorise) function better.
2. We can make … (improve) in our ability to memorise.
3. We use a … (combine) of long-term and short-term memory.
4. There are several things we can do to recall … (inform).
5. We can use word … (associate) to remember a concept.
6. The term … (visualise) means imagining a picture.
7. You can use different … (formulate) to remember historical facts.
8. Following the tips will improve your … (be able to) to remember.
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
16. Have you got good memory? What do you do to help you remember things when you’re studying?
[pic] INSIGHT INTO THE TOPIC
17. Read the information about listening skills and listening strategies.
Listening is the one skill that you use the most in everyday life. Listening comprehension is the basis for your speaking, writing and reading skills. To train your listening skills, it is important to listen actively, which means to actively pay attention to what you are listening to. Make it a habit to listen to audio books, podcasts, news, songs, etc. and to watch videos and films in the foreign language.
You should know that there are different types of listening:
1. Listening for gist. This is when we listen to something to get a general idea of what it’s about, of what’s being said. We don’t want or need to understand every word. Example: listening to a summary of the day’s news on the radio.
2. Listening for specific information. This is when we listen to something because we want to discover a particular piece of information. We know in advance what we’re hoping to find out. We can ignore other information which doesn’t interest us. Example: listening to a weather report to find out about the weather in your part of the country.
3. Listening in detail. This is when we listen we listen very closely, paying attention to all the words and trying to understand as much information as possible. Example: a member of a jury listening to a statement from a witness.
Suggestions for improving your listening skills
Before you listen
1. Think about the topic of the text you are going to listen to. What do you already know about it? What could possibly be the content of the text? Which words come to mind that you already know? Which words would you want to look up?
2. If you have to do a task on the listening text, check whether you have understood the task correctly.
3. Think about what type of text you are going to listen to. What do you know about this type of text?
4. Relax and make yourself ready to pay attention to the listening text.
While you are listening
1. It is not necessary to understand every single word. Try to ignore those words that you think are less important anyway.
2. If there are words or issues that you don't understand, use your general knowledge as well as the context to find out the meaning.
3. If you still don't understand something, use a dictionary to look up the words or ask someone else for help.
4. Focus on key words and facts.
5. Take notes to support your memory.
6. Intonation and stress of the speakers can help you to understand what you hear.
7. Try to think ahead. What might happen next? What might the speakers say, which words might they use?
After listening
1. Think about the text again. Have you understood the main points?
2. Remember the speculations you made before you listened. Did they come true?
3. Review your notes.
4.Check whether you have completed your task correctly.
5. Have you had any problems while listening? Do you have any problems now to complete your task? Identify your problems and ask someone for help.
6. Listen again to difficult passages.
[pic] PRACTICE
18. Match listening types with their definitions
1. listening for gist
2. listening for specific information
3. listening in detail
a. you want to understand all the information the text provides
b. you want to find out specific details, for example key words
c. you listen in order to understand the main idea of the text
19. Think about these listening situations. In your opinion, which listening sub-skill(s) would we normally use in each situation? Why? Complete the table, and then compare your ideas with the group.
Note: more than one answer may be possible. Sometimes different people might listen in different ways, or they might start listening using one sub-skill and then switch to another.
|Situation |Listening skill (s) |Reasons |
|1. You’re at the airport, listening for information about your| | |
|flight. | | |
|2. You’re in a city that you don’t know. You’ve asked someone | | |
|for directions to your hotel. | | |
|3. You’re listening to a song on the radio. | | |
|4. You’re chatting to an old friend and exchanging news. | | |
|5. You’re paying for your shopping at the supermarket. | | |
[pic]INTERNET USE
20. Follow the links to find out more about Barriers and improvements of Listening (See Appendix 6.2).
1. Name types of barriers and give them definitions.
Further activity
2. Name and describe 5 steps to improve your English listening skills.
Further activity
3.Give the definition of active listening. Name things that help you to become an active listener and describe them.
Further activity
[pic] WRITING
21. Write the answer to the question (140-190 words).
If you could acquire any skill right at this moment, what would it be? Why?
[pic]LISTENING
22. Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a-j next to the numbers 1-10.
1. inaccuracies
2. to vaccinate
3. to cite
4. measles
5. an aardvark
6. a hoax
7. to vandalise
8. to verify
9. to tamper with something
10. unfounded
a. to prove that something is true
b. to write or say the words of a writer
c. an African mammal with a long nose that eats ants
d. a plan to trick or deceive someone
e. to intentionally damage property
f. to change something so that it doesn’t work
g. statements that are not correct
h. not based on facts or proof
i. to give a person an injection to prevent them getting a disease
j. an infectious disease which covers the body in small red spots
22.1. Listen to the radio interview (6.22. How false information spreads) about how false information spreads and circle the best answer to these questions.
1. Which statement about circular reporting is true?
a. It is the spread of true information.
b. It is when false information is validated by one other source only.
c. It only occurs with information on Wikipedia.
d. It may involve several publications.
2. Which statement is true about journalists?
a. They are not permitted to copy information from Wikipedia.
b. They refuse to copy information from Wikipedia.
c. As soon as they include information in an article, they verify the information.
d. Many journalists may publish inaccuracies in several articles.
3. Which statement is correct?
a. Another name for a coati is a Brazilian aardvark.
b. The American student changed the information on Wikipedia to what he believed to be the truth.
c. Many people believed that a Brazilian aardvark was the same as a coati.
d. When writers wrote about the Brazilian aardvark they knew it was a joke.
4. Which statement is true about Wikipedia?
a. Some people add false content to a Wikipedia entry intentionally.
b. Updating information on Wikipedia is against the law.
c. There is hardly any true information on Wikipedia.
d. Many true facts on Wikipedia initially appear as false information.
5. What is true about childhood vaccines and autism?
a. There is a clear connection between childhood vaccines and autism.
b. Circular reporting incited many parents not to vaccinate their children.
c. The claims that they were connected first appeared on Wikipedia.
d. The media proved early on that the claims about vaccines and autism were false.
6. Which statement is correct?
a. Generally speaking, it’s easy to identify false information.
b. If the original source is Wikipedia or the media, the information is almost always false.
c. Reflecting critically on what we read is something most people often do.
d. Lack of time to think and investigate can cause us to believe things that aren’t true.
22.2. Listen to the radio interview (6.22. How false information spreads) about how false information spreads and complete the expressions from the audio with a phrase from the box.
take things at face value
in a nutshell
spread like wild fire
thought nothing more of it
by any means
in no way
1. … (using as few words as possible), it’s the confirmation of false information.
2. ... and … (not at all) is obvious as being false.
3. ... then he forgot about it and … (spent no time thinking about it).
4. That’s not to say that all information on Wikipedia is false … (not at all).
5. ... unsupported claims were picked up by the media and … (became known by lots of people very quickly).
6. We often … (accept things as they appear, rather than thinking carefully about them).
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
23. Do you use Wikipedia? What’s your opinion of it? Have you ever believed information and later discovered it was false? What happened?
[pic] LISTENING
24. Match the two parts of the phrases and write a-f next to the numbers 1-6.
1. … update
2. … be glued
3. … pay
4. … it’s not the end
5. … stay in
6. … miss out
a. touch with everyone
b. on having fun
c. to the screen
d. your status
e. attention to what someone’s saying
f. of the world
24.1. Listen to five different people (6.24. Living online) talking about communication in the digital world and match the ideas to the speakers and write a-h next to the numbers 1-8.
Speaker 1 a. Has recently learned about some of the negative effects of excessive online communication.
Speaker 2 b. Is suffering from the fear of missing out.
Speaker 3 c. Has witnessed great changes in the way we communicate over
recent years.
Speaker 4 d. Thinks that the amount of time teens spend online is alarming.
Speaker 5 e. Is quite happy for any photos of themselves to be posted online.
Speaker 6 f. Thinks limiting teenagers’ access to technology is unfair.
Speaker 7 g. Wishes people would talk more in person.
Speaker 8 h. Enjoys being able to contact all friends with the same message at once.
24.2. Listen to five different people (6.24. Living online) talking about communication in the digital world and decide whether the statements are True or False.
1. Speaker 1 likes to know as soon as they get a new message.
2. Speaker 2 thinks the most annoying thing is when people use their phone in meetings.
3. Speaker 3 says that FOMO, or fear of missing out, is more common among teens.
4. Speaker 4 thinks that young people today are aware of the drawbacks of online communication.
5. Speaker 5 has made a lot of new friends thanks to online communication.
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
25. Which of the speakers do you agree with most? Do they express any views that you disagree with? Why?
[pic] LISTENING
26. Match the words and expressions with the correct definition and write a-h next to the numbers 1-8.
1. … a handful
2. … to consolidate
3. … to snore
4. … a brain wave
5. … kip
6. … the circulatory system
7. … revision
8. … to cram
a. to try to learn a lot very quickly before an exam
b. studying what has already been studied in order to remember it better
c. an informal word for sleep
d. a small number
e. the system that moves blood through the body
f. to breathe noisily while you are asleep
g. an electrical signal or impulse in the brain
h. to make something stronger
26.1. Listen to the talk (6.26. Sleeping for exam success) about how getting more sleep can help you achieve better exam results and write a number (1-7) to put the things Professor Manson talks about in the order that you hear them.
1. When memory consolidation takes place.
2. How the things we learn become part of our long-term memory.
3. The ideal amount of sleep at each stage of life.
4. The average time students in the class sleep.
5. Conditions that improve memory consolidation.
6. A personal memory from the past.
7. Reasons why the human body needs sleep.
26.2. Listen to the talk (6.26. Sleeping for exam success) about how getting more sleep can help you achieve better exam results and complete the sentences with between one and three words.
1. Professor Manson remembers having lots of exams and assignments at school but didn’t … her revision time very well.
2. Revising for an exam the night before can help … but a good night’s sleep is even better.
3. There is a clear link between … .
4. Most students in the class sleep between … hours, whereas the recommended amount for 14- to 17-year-olds is more.
5. Sleep helps the body regulate its vital functions and also gives the … a chance to restructure information.
6. Memory … is when information passes from our short-term to long-term memories via the hippocampus.
7. Memory consolidation is improved by … information regularly.
8. Memory consolidation takes place during stages of … sleep.
[pic]SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
27. What’s the perfect amount of sleep for you? What effects do you notice if you don’t get enough sleep?
[pic] READING
28. Read the text “How Deaf People Perceive Music” and answer questions: What are three stages of Beethoven’s music? How can you describe them? What was Dr. Dean Shibata about deaf hearing? What other technologies for deaf do you know?
How Deaf People Perceive Music
People have always wondered how deaf people hear when it comes to music. Many thought that is was not possible to sense anything, but more and more research has captured how deaf people perceive music. Serving as one of the greatest examples of a deaf musician is Beethoven, and as time has gone on, more research and attention has been directed towards the mystery of how deaf people perceive music.
The Deafness of Beethoven
A prominent historical figure who became deaf as he aged was the great composer Beethoven. In the last four years of his life, he was able to write some of his most impactful music while deaf. In 1796, Beethoven started to hear buzzing, and in 1801, it was documented that he was going to be deaf. Because of his loss of hearing, Beethoven’s music is broken into three stages: The Early Period, The Middle Period, and The Late Period. The Early Period was from Beethoven’s childhood until about 1803. His music was characterized by higher note melodies. The Middle Period was the start of Beethoven’s deafness until 1820, when it was thought that he was completely deaf. His music was characterized by lower notes, while higher notes were not as significant in the music. The thought is that Beethoven probably could not hear the higher notes, so he kept them out. Beethoven created compositions such as the Moonlight Sonata. By 1820, deafness had set in, and Beethoven’s music entered The Late Period. During this period, Beethoven’s music included more high notes again. This suggested that Beethoven started to listen with his inner ear by hearing vibrations. During this time, The Ninth Symphony was completed with Beethoven being completely deaf.
Sensing the Vibrations
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Beethoven inspired future musicians, but the next person captured the hearts and minds of people across the United States. In 1995, the Miss America Pageant took place. A contestant, Heather Whitestone, amazed audiences with her graceful moves as she danced around the stage. What was even more impressive was the fact that she moved to music while being deaf. Recently, a study may have explained how she and many other people with hearing impairments are still able to enjoy music.
Dr. Dean Shibata, from the University of Rochester in New York City, believed that people who are deaf could sense vibrations in the same area of the brain that connected with hearing. In Shibata’s study, there were ten people with hearing loss from birth and eleven more people who have no hearing loss at all. With this research, people were asked to hold onto a vibrating pipe. The people would then tell Shibata when they were able to detect a vibration coming from the pipe. During this study, a brain scan was done to pick up signals transmitted in the brain. What Shibata found was amazing and would help to determine how deaf people perceive music. Shibata found that deaf people that could feel the vibrations were sending signals to the same part of the brain as hearing in non-deaf people.
Shibata spoke to his claims: “These findings suggest that the experience deaf people have when ‘feeling’ music is similar to the experience other people have when hearing music. The perception of the musical vibrations by the deaf is likely every bit as real as the equivalent sounds, since they are ultimately processed in the same part of the brain.”
Another integral piece to this study was a caution presented by Shibata. He warned doctors to be careful doing surgeries on the brain, when a deaf person clearly has “hearing” functions.
Also, Shibata suggested that deaf children should be exposed to music when they are young because their brains may develop with stimulation.
So, how do vibrations work for a deaf person? Many times, deaf people turn music up really, really loud. This would be so loud that most hearing people would need earplugs. The thrill, for deaf people, comes purely from the vibrations. They might not be able to hear the lyrics, but just hearing the vibrations of the bass, or, if they hear very minimally, they might catch a little bass.
Other Ways
One device that is really helping capture music for deaf people is the Emoti-Chair. Before the 1970s, there wasn’t much for deaf people when it came to technology. Closed Captioning Technology was created to have words to movies and television shows, but that was it. But, the Emoti-Chair is a new piece of technology that helps with the representation of sound. The chairs use music, digital patching, and speakers to help create emotions in a deaf person. There are even specialize concerts for deaf people that use these types of chairs. The chair uses higher frequency vibrations around the head and low frequency vibrations where you sit. The speakers have vocal coils that go up and down the chair adjusting to an electrical current.
Now, for a hearing person, it would be easy to tell the difference between a F and an F sharp, but it is not easy to feel the difference for a deaf individual. However, a deaf person would be able to feel the difference when it comes to an F and a C. There is enough of a separation that a deaf person could detect it.
With eight pairs of vocal coils, the top of the Emoti-Chair reaches to 1,000 Hz and the bottom of the chair extends to 0 Hz. That is a separation of 8 to 10 notes. So, based on vibrations, deaf people can start to differentiate between tempos, pitch, loudness, volume, and rhythm all from this one chair. Other versions of this chair can help deaf people know when lyrical melodies are sung and another part of the chair vibrates when harmonies are sung. Some deaf people are even able to tell the genre of music from the vibrations of the chair. Ultimately, this chair has revolutionized music for a deaf person and more devices, including a midi keyboard, are being created to help deaf people sense the vibrations.
Feeling the Beat
Even though deaf people can’t hear music the same way that others can, they can feel music. Some deaf people are even able to play musical instruments. Deaf people go to concerts and witness the atmosphere as others jam out to their favourite songs. Other people that are deaf even use sign language during a concert to the lyrics that are being sung.
Since the human ear does not work as well for a deaf person, they depend on feeling the beat. Drums are one instrument that can be felt. Unlike some instruments, drums are a loud instruments that give off great sound and vibration.
Many times, music is accompanied by lights and dancing. Music’s performing style is visual entertainment in its own right. While deaf people would love to hear sound, they do not need to find pleasure in the singular sound of music. The visual aspect and memories of music, if they were able to hear before, is what keeps deaf people engaged and involved.
The Full Perception
It is amazing how far technology has come to help deaf people experience music. Long after Beethoven started to use his inner ear to listen for the vibrations of music, people have learned to listen for vibrations with drums and the bass using technology such as the Emoti-Chair and using their visual senses to garner music in a fulfilled sense. This is how deaf people perceive music.
[pic] GRAMMAR TIPS
Reported speech
1. When we repeat another person's words, we саn use direct speech or reported speech.
• For direct speech, we use the exact words and we put quotation marks (“”) or inverted commas (‘’) around them:
“I’m really hungry because I haven’t eaten since breakfast”, said Annabel.
• When we report speech with а reporting verb (e.g. say) in the present, we use the same tenses, but we have to change the pronouns and verb forms when necessary:
Annabel says (that) she’s really hungry because she hasn’t eaten since breakfast.
• When we report another person’s words sometimes after he/she said them, we usually use а past tense verb to introduce them, and we change the tense of the verbs as well: Annabel said (that) she was really hungry because she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
• We can use that after said but we often leave it out:
Jake said he would meet us here.
2. Tense changes in reported speech
|Original words |Reported statements |
| |Present Simple |Past Simple |
|Present to past | | |
| |Present Continuous |Past Continuous |
| |Present Perfect |Past Perfect |
|Past to Past Perfect |Past Simple |Past Perfect |
| |Past Continuous |Past Perfect Continuous |
|Be going to |Was/were going to |
|Modal verbs |Can, will, must |Could , would, had to |
Some verb forms don't change.
• Past perfect:
‘I hadn’t met your sister before.’ – Не said (that) he hadn’t met ту sister before.
• Modal verbs could, would, should and mustn’t:
‘We could go to France for the day’. – Len suggested (that) we could go to France for the day.
‘You mustn’t talk during the exam – Неinsisted (that) we mustn’t talk during the exam.
3 Other changes in reported speech
• We usually change pronouns and time and place words in reported speech:
|Pronouns and possessives |
|direct |reported |
|I |He/she |
|me |Him/her |
|my |His/her |
|mine |His/hers |
|you |I/we |
|your |My/our |
|yours |Mine/ours |
|we |they |
|us |them |
|our |their |
|ours |theirs |
|Words for time and place |
|direct |reported |
|today |that day |
|tonight |that night |
|tomorrow |the next day |
| |the following day |
|next (week, month, etc.) |the next/the following (week, month, etc.) |
|ago |before |
|yesterday |the day before/ the previous day |
|last (week, month, etc.) |the last/the previous (week, month, etc.) |
|now |then |
|here |there |
|this (place) |that (place) |
4. Reasons for not changing the tense
• There are times when we can choose not to change the tense of verbs in reported speech.
• When the situation or feelings/opinions in the original speech are still true: My three sisters have bright red hair – Не told те his three sisters have bright red hair.
Compare:
We’re leaving tomorrow at 6.30.
Тhеy said they’re leaving tomorrow at 6.30. (reported on the same day as the original)
They said they were leaving the next day at 6.30. (reported some days after the original)
• When the verb follows the linking words after or because:
I locked the door after I finished cleaning.
She told him she’d locked the door after she finished cleaning.
OR She told him she’d locked the door after she'd finished cleaning.
I'm annoyed because I was talking and you interrupted те.
She said she was annoyed because she was talking and I interrupted her.
OR She said she was annoyed because she had been talking and I had interrupted her.
5. Reported questions
• When we report a question, we change the word order of the question – it becomes the same word order as a statement: (if/whether/wh-word + subject)
For example:
Are you going to buy that book?” – He asked if I was going to buy the book.
What was the result? – They asked what the result was.
6. Reported yes/no questions
• We introduce reported yes/no questions with ask/want to know + if or whether:
For example:
‘Did the Minister answer your questions?’
– She asked me whether the Minister had answered my questions. 'Have you always lived in this city? Why do you like it?'
– They wanted to know if I had always lived in the city, and why I liked it.
• With if and whether, we can add or not at the end of the question:
She asked if/whether the Minister had answered my questions or not.
7. Reported wh- questions
• We introduce reported wh- questions with ask/want to know + wh- word:
‘When will the article appear in the newspaper?’
– They asked us when the article would appear in the newspaper.
‘Where’s the cash desk?’
– She wanted to know where the cash desk was.
• We don't use an object after want to know:
8. Reported orders, requests and advice.
Reporting orders
• We can report orders, requests and advice with а reporting verb + infinitive with to. These reporting verbs all need an object.
• We usually report instructions and orders with tell:
The doctor said, ‘Stop working so hard.’ – The doctor told me to stop working so hard.
• We use order when the meaning is stronger:
The police officer shouted: ‘Get out of the car!’ – The police officer ordered us to get out of the car.
Reporting requests
• We usually report requests with ask:
My mother said, ‘Will you please tidy your room?’– My mother asked me to tidy my room.
• We can use beg for а strong request:
‘Please - oh, please - give us the sweets’. – The children begged us to give them the sweets.
• With these verbs, we make the same changes to pronouns and time and place words as for reported statements. We also change the tense if necessary:
On Monday my mother said, ‘Tidy your room when you get back from school this afternoon.’ – My mother asked me to tidy my room when I got back from school that afternoon.
• We don't use say + to to report requests or orders:
• To request information, we use ask (+ object) + if/whether/wh- word:
He asked (me) if I had everything I needed.
Reporting advice
• We report advice with advise, tell or warn:
The doctor said, ‘I think you should go to а gym.’–The doctor advised me to go to а gym.
The teacher said, ‘You should all take the exam.’ – The teacher told all the students to take the exam.
Dad said, ‘Be careful – there’s ice on the roads.’ – Dad warned me to be careful because there was ice on the roads.
• We do not use this pattern with suggest. We use suggest + should or suggest + -ing form:
The doctor suggested (that) I should get some exercise.
My friends suggested going to the gym.
Reporting negative orders, requests and advice
• We report negative instructions, orders, requests and advice with verb + not + infinitive with to:
‘Please don't bring food into the shop.’ – The assistant asked us not to bring food into the shop.
‘I wouldn't buy а new car if I were you.’ –My father advised me not to buy а new car.
• We can also use warn in а situation where there is some danger:
‘Don’t swim beyond the rocks.’ – He warned us not to swim beyond the rocks.
‘Don’t do too much exercise at once.’ – The doctor warned me not to do too much exercise at once.
9. Tell and say
• The two most common reporting verbs are tell and say. We use these two verbs to report information, but we use them in different ways.
• Tell needs an object, usually а person:
He told the reporters that the explosion had been an accident.
• Say does not usually have an object:
He said that the explosion had been an accident.
• But we can use an object with say , if we introduce it with to:
He said to the reporters that the explosion had been an accident.
• In informal conversation we usually report speech with the verbs say and tell. In more formal speech and writing, we use a greater variety of reporting verbs.
‘I think you should inform the judge’ – Dad told me he thought I should inform the judge OR The lawyer advised me to inform the judge
10. We don’t usually repeat yes and no in reported speech, except in informal speech for emphasis
‘Yes, we decided earlier today.’
– He said they had decided earlier that day (formal)
– Anyway, he said that yes, they had decided earlier that day.
11. Reporting verb patterns.
|Pattern |Verbs |
|Verb + that clause |no object |add admit announce claim complain insist reply respond say state suggest |
| |+ object |tell someone warn someone |
|Verb + infinitive with |no object |agree claim offer refuse |
|to | | |
| |+ object |advise someone ask someone beg someone encourage someone invite someone order |
| | |someone persuade someone |
| | |remind someone tell someone warn someone |
|Verb + -ing form |no preposition |admit advise consider regret suggest |
| |+ preposition |admit to apologise for complain about insist on |
| | |thank someone for |
PATTERN 1
‘I’m getting married in July.’– Simon announced that he was getting married in July.
PATTERN 2 ‘You must remember to book the hotel later.’ – Не reminded me to book the hotel later.
PATTERN 3 ‘I’m sorry I lost your umbrella.’– She apologised for losing my umbrella.
• Some reporting verbs (shown in bold above) can have two or more patterns:
The boys admitted that they had broken the office window. / The boys admitted breaking the office window. / The boys admitted to breaking the office window.
• When а reporting verb is followed by а preposition (e.g. thank someone for), we always use the -ing form of the verb that follows:
She thanked me for helping her.
You can check which preposition is used in а good dictionary.
[pic]PRACTICE
29. Listen to the lecture (6.29) and make her words reported. The topic of the lecture is “To improve your listening skills with active listening”.
[pic] WRITING
30. Dictation “Lecture having fun” (6.30.1 and 6.30.2).
1. Listen at normal speed. Do not write.
2. Listen again at slow speed and write what you hear.
3. Listen again at normal speed. Check and correct your work.
[pic] ADVANCEMENTQUESTIONS
1. What is listening?
2. What is hearing?
3. What is the difference between hearing and listening (name 10 key differences)
4. What is an active listening?
5. What are 7 essential components of listerning?
6. What does it mean to be an effective listener?
7. Name 7 steps to becoming an effective listener.
8. What types of listening do you know? (name them and give their characteristics)
9. What are steps and stategies for improving your listening skills?
10. What barriers to effective listening do you know? How can you solve them?
[pic] RELIABLE INFORMATION SOURCE
1. Он-лайнFree Practice Tests for learners of English [Электронныйресурс].Режимдоступа URL: (датаобращения 8.08.2018)
2. DianneSchilling [Электронныйресурс].РежимдоступаURL: StepsToEffectiveListening (датаобращения 7.08.2018)
3. 5 Steps For Improving Listening Habits| Guide & Strategies [Электронныйресурс]. Режим доступа URL: (дата обращения 7.08.2018)
4. Он-лайн BusinessDictionary [Электронный ресурс] Режим доступа (дата обращения 15.08.2018).
EFFECTIVE INFOGRAPHICS
[pic]
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
1. Look at the picture and answer the questions.
1. What does the picture demonstrate?
2. Is it informative? Do you understand how much jelly, peanut butter and bread to use?
3. Will the picture help you to make breakfast sandwich?
4. What part of the picture is the most informative for you? Why?
[pic] INSIGHT INTO THE TOPIC
2. In groups of 3 – 4 discuss what infographics is. Define it, try to classify and give description of different types. Discuss your results with other groups.
3. Read the text. Which group has more correct ideas?
What Is an Infographic?
by Josh Ritchie
What is an infographic? The popularity of the infographic has risen dramatically in the past few years. Data visualization, information design, visual content, and infographics are just some of these terms, and the confusion is understandable. Many of the labels thrown around are not only overlapping but also open to individual interpretation.
What Is an Infographic?
Well, let’s start with the word itself. “Infographic” is a portmanteau of the words “information” and “graphic.” In essence, an infographic is a form of visual communication meant to capture attention and enhance comprehension. In this era, “infographic” has become the broadest descriptor of a specific type of visual communication that includes graphics showing data, copy, or both. You’ve probably come across infographics in magazines, online, or on the wall at your doctor’s office.
Example: This educational infographic for the American Heart Association is an overview of atrial fibrillation.
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The word “infographic” has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity over the last decade, largely due to the use of this medium for both branded and editorial content on the web. But as the buzz surrounding this word has grown, so have the arguments about the real answer to the question, “What is an infographic?” There are many schools of thought, but we believe the term should remain open and inclusive as the medium evolves.
What Types of Infographics Are There?
While there are many different presentations of infographics, there are three general categories that infographics can fall into:
1. Data visualization
2. Information design
3. Editorial infographics
Each serves its own purpose and can be a powerful storytelling tool—when applied properly. Let’s explore the difference between them.
Data Visualization Infographics
Data visualization is, simply, a visual representation of data. We consider it an artistic science, as it uses design aesthetics to increase data comprehension, synthesis, and ultimately recall. Whether you’re looking at meta patterns or single data points, data visualization translates that data into a visual language you can easily and instantly understand.
In the age of big data, this is especially important. We need to both make sense of numbers and be able to easily share the story they tell. To see how and why data visualization is so powerful, take a look at this video (7.3. What_is_infographics). If you note, we did indeed create a video that visualizes the power of data visualization—case in point.
Now, want to see the power of data visualization at work? Take a look at the data visualization below.
Example: You probably don’t speak Italian, but you can likely decipher the information presented in this graphic by Francesco Franchi. This illustrates why data visualization is the most interesting and universal way to make information accessible and understandable to a wide audience.
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In application, the practice of data visualization is the most numbers-heavy—and typically is what a purist would describe as a “true” infographic. But, as with all infographic design, the display method is rooted in the context and desired message.
You may be familiar with data visualization in the form of basic charts and graphs.
Example: This GOOD infographic features classic data visualization in the form of bar charts, pie charts, and graphs.
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Traditional data visualizations tend to be more complex, as they often are attempting to display a great number of data points. In some cases, though, data visualization graphics functionally serve only as art pieces, if no specific message can be extracted.
Example: Reddit user andrew_elliott created this stunning data visualization of his baby daughter’s sleep habits.
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When properly executed, however, they should be both beautiful and meaningful, allowing the viewer to decipher data and recognize trends while admiring its aesthetic appeal. To dive deeper, learn more about why you should embrace the power of data storytelling.
Further Activity:)
2) Information Design Infographics
Information design is a subset of graphic design that focuses on the display of information efficiently and effectively. It’s a broad category, encompassing many functional design disciplines.
It differs from data visualization because it is not made from specific data points but rather concepts or other information, such as process, anatomy, chronology, or hierarchy.
Example: This piece of information design by GOOD compares prison food to school lunches.
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In your day-to-day life, you may encounter information design in the form of flowcharts, organizational diagrams, or timelines, clarifying structure and order in a way not possible solely using text. Instructional diagrams, anatomical illustration, and some applications of cartography would also fall under this label.
Example: This map by Applied Trust uses geographic information design.
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For information design, the goal is to use design to communicate a message that is both clear and universal.
3) Editorial Infographics
Although major publications have been featuring infographics for decades, there is a shift in the style and type of visual content they are producing. This trend has also been spurred by the rise of social. Infographics have become highly shareable content, so publications are embracing the medium to better engage readers.
Previously, editorial infographics were limited to simple bars, lines, and pie charts, using illustration solely in more complex features to map an area or show the anatomy of an object.
Example: A classic editorial infographic from USA Today.
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But there has been a dramatic increase in the number of publications utilizing graphic content to replace more traditional editorial features.
This adoption has also spread into the commercial sector, with many start-ups and larger corporate blogs using graphic content or “charticles” to display thought-leadership within an industry and bring attention to their site.
While some of these infographics can cross the fine line over to advertorial, the good ones do not. The value of editorial content is best realized when providing interesting insight from uniquely informed sources.
This doesn’t mean that infographics aren’t an incredibly valuable tool in marketing. They are, but they are most powerful and effective when they present an editorial narrative vs. a branded message. For more on that, explore how infographics can benefit brands.
Further Activity:)
Infographic Design Styles
Regardless of the content or data depicted—editorial or branded—infographics are more flexible than ever in terms of their design format. There are more ways to tell your story through infographics than ever before, but the most common formats are:
1. Static infographics
2. Animated infographics
3. Interactive infographics
Again, each has their own unique benefit. The story you’re telling, as well as the platform you’re using to tell that story, should influence what format you choose.
1) Static Infographics
These are the simple infographics you’re probably most used to seeing. These can include line art, illustration, photography, papercraft, and more. These are often best used to accompany blogs, articles, brochures, print, etc. Even though static infographics don’t “move,” there are ways to mix up your design style. Here are 7 infographic design styles to try if you’re looking to experiment.
Further Activity:)
2) Animated Infographics
Animated infographics are, as their name implies, animated. You may recognize these as GIFs of info GIFs. They are particularly engaging if you want to grab attention, making them ideal for use on social (where you want to stand out in someone’s content stream). They can also be used to enhance online articles, tutorials, etc. If you want to experiment with this format, here are 3 ways to turn your static infographics into animated infographics. Further Activity:
3) Interactive Infographics
Interactive infographics are infographics that require some sort of action or input from the viewer. These are best utilized for large data sets, where a simple static infographic wouldn’t be able to tell the story sufficiently. With interactive infographics, the viewer can either explore data at will, or be guided through a contained narrative. For more, find out how interactive infographics can tell your story.
Further Activity:
Find out how to choose the right format for your data story.
Further Activity:
How to Start Creating Infographics
When talking about infographics, we need to acknowledge the room for change and growth. Design is inherently about using innovation and imagination to provide clarity, and so infographics will continue to evolve over time. We just hope that as they do, creators will maintain a commitment to quality and integrity in the medium.
In the interest of accomplishing this, we always want to provide useful resources to help you create effective infographics. If you’re inspired to start a new project, here are a few things that might help:
• Try these 16 methods for coming up with great infographic ideas. Further Activity:
• Learn how to craft an effective infographic narrative. Further Activity:
• Use these 104 data sources and follow these 5 tips to source them correctly. Further Activity:
• Avoid these 8 design mistakes when designing your infographic. Further Activity:
•
[pic] PRACTICE
4. Read the texts in Further Activity and make presentations to share the most interesting and useful ideas.
[pic]INTERNET USE
5. Search the Internet and find examples of infographics for every category:
1. Data visualization
2. Information design
3. Editorial infographics.
Describe them, explain the reasons to use them.
6. Search the Internet and find examples of infographics in the following formats
1. Static infographics
2. Animated infographics
3. Interactive infographics
Describe them, explain the reasons to use them.
[pic] LISTENING
7. Watch the video 7.7 and answer the questions.
1. What is data in infographics?
2. What makes good data visualization?
3. What for are the different colours used?
4. What for are the different sizes used?
5. What for is the orientation used?
6. What is the power of design in the context of infographics?
7. What are the examples data communication?
[pic] SPEAKING/DISCUSSION
8. Make different infographics for your essays/projects. Make presentations. Discuss the relevancy of categories and formats of data visualization used in your presentations in groups.
[pic] INSIGHT INTO THE TOPIC
9. Read the text on describing charts, graphs and diagrams in the presentation and make key notes.
Do you have to give a presentation? But do you know how to make it attractive to your listeners? Charts, graphs, and diagrams can help you cope with this task.
This kind of visual content helps your audience see what you are talking about. That’s why it’s so important to understand the way it works and know how to describe, charts, tables, and graphs correctly.
Graphs, Charts & Diagrams
Data can be represented in many ways. The 4 main types of graphs are a bar graph or bar chart, line graph, pie chart, and diagram.
Bar graphs are used to show relationships between different data series that are independent of each other. In this case, the height or length of the bar indicates the measured value or frequency. Below, you can see the example of a bar graph which is the most widespread visual for presenting statistical data.
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Line graphs represent how data has changed over time. This type of charts is especially useful when you want to demonstrate trends or numbers that are connected. For example, how sales vary within one year. In this case, financial vocabulary will come in handy. Besides, line graphs can show dependencies between two objects during a particular period.
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Pie charts are designed to visualize how a whole is divided into various parts. Each segment of the pie is a particular category within the total data set. In this way, it represents a percentage distribution.
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Diagram is a plan, drawing, or outline created to illustrate how separate parts work and overlap at the connecting points.
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How to begin a description
Once you create a fascinating graph for your presentation, it is time to know how to describe graphs, charts, and diagrams. To catch your audience’s attention from the very beginning, you can use the following phrases for introduction:
• Let me show you this bar graph…
• Let’s turn to this diagram…
• I’d like you to look at this map…
• If you look at this graph, you will notice…
• Let’s have a look at this pie chart…
• If you look at this line chart, you will understand…
• To illustrate my point, let’s look at some charts…
How to describe diagrams and other visuals: naming the parts
To describe diagrams or any other type of graphs as clearly as possible, you should name each visual element. For example:
• The vertical axis shows…
• The horizontal axis represents…
• This curve illustrates…
• The solid line shows…
• The shaded area describes…
• This colored segment is for…
• The red bar…
How to describe bar graphs
Bar graphs transform the data into separate bars or columns. Generally, this type of visuals have categories on the x-axis and the numbers on the y-axis. So, you can compare statistical data between different groups.
The bar graphs show which category is the largest and which is the smallest one. Each group should be independent so that the changes in one do not influence others. The bars or columns can be drawn either vertically or horizontally, as it doesn’t make any difference.
The words used to describe bar chart are pretty similar to ones used for the line charts. Let’s have a look at the exam question to IELTS writing test, as it’s one of the major English-language tests for non-native English speakers in the world:
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And here is an excellent example of writing about bar graphs prepared by the British Council as an answer to this exam question. You can also use the following vocabulary to talk about bar charts used in your presentation:
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How to describe line graphs
Now, when you know how to describe bar charts, what about line graphs? This type of charts converts information into points on a grid that is connected with a line to represent trends, changes, or relationship between objects, numbers, dates, etc. These lines show movement over time affected by the increase or decrease in the key factors.
To express the movement of the line, you should use appropriate verbs, adjectives, and adverbs depending on the kind of action you need to show. For this, you should use the following vocabulary:
Verbs: rise, increase, grow, go up to, climb, boom, peak, fall, decline, decrease, drop, dip, go down, reduce, level up, remain stable, no change, remain steady, stay constant, stay, maintain the same level, crash, collapse, plunge, plummet.
Adjectives: sharp, rapid, huge, dramatic, substantial, considerable, significant, slight, small, minimal, massive.
Adverbs: dramatically, rapidly, hugely, massive, sharply, steeply, considerably, substantially, significantly, slightly, minimally, markedly.
There is also a list of adverbs to describe the speed of a change: rapidly, quickly, swiftly, suddenly, steadily, gradually, slowly.
To help you understand how you can use these words in your presentation speech, pay attention to the sample of a line chart with the exam question for IELTS:
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The appropriate vocabulary below will help you understand how to describe such charts:
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How to describe pie charts
The pie chart is primarily used to illustrate how different parts make up a whole. The best way to present your data in a pie chart is to compare the categories with each other. The following comparison words can be used interchangeably:
• to compare
• compared to
• as opposed to
• versus
• more than
• the majority of
• only a small monitory
• greater than
• less than
Here we have an example of a pie chart that represents how internet users aged 16+ prefer to browse the web:
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This example demonstrates the best way to summarize data by selecting and reporting the main features:
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Final words
Before creating charts for your presentations, determine what data you’re going to show and design the visuals tailored to your audience. Keep them as simple as possible. Charts, graphs, and diagrams should explain themselves. Use the words and their multiple synonyms mentioned in this article to describe your graphs and help your listeners understand the importance of your data. And don’t forget to add an inspiring quote to make your speech even more impressive.
[pic] PRACTICE
10. Look at the line graph and complete the text with the correct prepositions.
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The graph shows the changes and a decline overall in the share price of Outokumpu 1 … a five-year period 2 … January 2006 … December 2010.
At the beginning of this period the share price was 3 … pounds 13 per share. There wereseveral fluctuations 4 … late 2006 when there was a sudden increase from pounds 21 to pounds 31. This higher price did not last long, however, and it fellbefore rising strongly again in 2008. From mid-2008 there was a sharp downward trend 5 … the end of the year when it fell to the lowest point in this period at just over pounds 7 per share. After that the share price recovered and, despite some fluctuations, continued to rise 6 … it reached a peak of pounds 17 in early 2010. Until late 2010 the trend was downward again, ending the year at just over pounds 12. Outokumpu made significant gains and losses 7 … this period but overall lost around pound 1 per share.
11. Look at the line graph and complete the text with the appropriate adverbs.
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Highly slight inconsiderably fairly significant far
The line graph compares the number of car thefts, measured in thousands, in four countries from 1990 to 1999. Overall, it can be seen that car thefts were 1 … higher in Great Britain than in the other three counties throughout the whole time frame.
To begin, car thefts in Sweden, France and Canada followed a 2 … similar pattern over the first five years, all remaining at between 5 and 10 per thousand. The general trend though for France and Canada was a 3 … decline in the number of vehicles stolen over the period, with both at around 6 in 1999. In contrast, Sweden experienced a 4 … upward trend, starting the period at approximately 8, and finishing at just under 15.
Interestingly, car thefts in Great Britain started at 18 per thousand, which 5 … exceeded that of the other countries. It then fluctuated over the next nine years, reaching a peak of 20 thefts per 1000 in 1996, and ending the period 6 … lower than where it began, at almost 17 per thousand.
12. Find 7 mistakes in the description of the bar graph.
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The bar chart compares the number of visits made by people in six age categories to hospital emergency wards in Northern Ireland in the November of 2016 and 2071.
It is clear that only elderly people were the most frequent visitors to A&E (accident and emergency) departments. Also, there was a dramatic increase in the rate of emergency care attendances among all six age groups from November 2016 to November 2017.
Looking first at the older age groups, roughly 65 out of every 1000 people aged 75 and over attended A&E wards in November 2016, and this rose to almost 90 attendances per 1000-population one year later. Interestingly, those aged under 5 were less than half as likely to require emergency treatment, with around 30 attendances per 1000-population in both months.
At the other end of the age scale, the figures for A&E visits by under-5s rose marginally from around 50 to approximately 52 per 1000-population over the three-year period. Children aged 5 to 15 made the fewest visits, at just over 20 per 1000-population in both months. Finally, there was almost total difference in the figures for emergency care attendances among people aged 16 to 44, 45 to 64 and 65 to 74.
13. Read the description of pie charts and put the words/phrases in bold into the column with a suitable meaning.
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The two pie charts illustrate the proportion of five types of energy production in Italy in 1995 and 2005.
Overall, in both years, the most significant sources of energy were gas and coal, which together accounted for over half the production of energy, while nuclear and other kinds of energy sources generated the least amount of energy in Italy. In all types of energy production there was only minimal change over the 10-year period.
Energy produced by coal comprised of 29.80% in the first year and this showed only a very slight increase of about a mere 1 % to 30.9% in 2005. Likewise, in 1995, gas generated 29.63% which rose marginally to 30.2% 10 years later.
With regards to the remaining methods of producing energy, there was an approximate 5% growth in production from both nuclear power and other sources to 10.10% and 9,10% respectively. Petrol, on the other hand, was the only source of energy which decreased in production from 29.27% in 1995 to around a fifth (19.55%) in 2005.
|A low change |A high change |
| | |
14. Read the text about the proportion of national expenditure in different countries, analyze figures and match them with an appropriate meaning.
|Country |Food/Drinks/ |Clothing/ Footwear |Leisure/ Education |
| |Tobacco | | |
|Ireland |28.91% |6.43% |2.21% |
|Italy |16.36% |9.00% |3.20% |
|Spain |18.80% |6.51% |1.98% |
|Sweden |15.77% |5.40% |3.22% |
|Turkey |32.14% |6.63% |4.35% |
The table illustrates the proportion of national expenditure in Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Turkey on three categories of items in 2007.
Overall, all countries spent most on food, drinks and tobacco, which was almost three times that of the other items. The lowest expenditure was on leisure and education in the five countries. The expenditure of Turkey overall was higher than the other countries.
In terms of food, drinks and tobacco, Turkey spent the most at 32.14%. The expenditure of Ireland was also high (28.91%) compared to Sweden which spent the least (15.77%). Spain and Italy spent 18.80% and 16.36% respectively.
Italy spent more than the other countries on clothing and footwear (9%) as opposed to the lowest expenditure which could be seen in Sweden at 5.40%. The other three countries spent on average around 6.5%.
The lowest expenditure was on leisure and education which accounted for under 5% in all countries. Turkey spent most on these items at just 4.35% of their national expenditure which is around double that of Spain which spent the least at just 1.98%.
|2% |approximately three quarter |
|4% |almost a quarter |
|24% |around a half |
|25% |exactly a half |
|26% |exactly a quarter |
|32% |insignificant minority |
|49% |just over a half |
|50% |nearly one third |
|51% |nearly three quarters |
|73% |roughly one quarter |
|77% |tiny fraction |
|79% |very large proportion |
|89% |well over three quarter |
15. Look at the graph. Match pairs 1-10 with the verbs a-j.
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|1 |a-b |a hit a low |
|2 |b-c |b fell and then levelled off |
|3 |b-d |c remained flat/stable |
|4 |d-f |d plummeted |
|5 |f |e rose gradually |
|6 |f-h |f declined steadily |
|7 |g |g soared |
|8 |i-j |h dipped |
|9 |j-k |i fluctuated |
|10 |l-m |j hit a peak |
16. Watch the video 7.16 and answer the questions.
1. What verbs are used to characterize the decrease?
2. What propositions are used with verbs fall, decline and reduce?
3. What propositions are used with nouns fall, decline and reduction?
4. What verbs are used to characterize the increase?
5. What propositions are used with verbs to rise, to double, to improve, to grow?
6. What propositions are used with nouns rise, improvement, increase?
7. What prepositions are used in the expression the additional growth … April and sales rose …; to reach a peak at …?
[pic] ADVANCEMENTQUESTIONS
1. What is infographics?
2. What types of infographics are there? What are their purposes?
3. What infographic design styles can you name? What unique benefits does each format have?
4. What are commom design mistakes when designing your infographic?
5. What are 4 main types of graphs and what are the differences between them?
6. What are the tips for creating charts for your presentations?
[pic] RELIABLE INFORMATION SOURCES
1. Site of ex-IELTS examiner with the information on visual descriptions
2. Site with the necessary vocabulary for the description of visuals
3. Description of graphs
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