Process Writing

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SBLE2102

Process Writing

Siti Jamilah Bidin Ahmad Affendi Shabdin Ahmad Mahreez Abdul Ghani Azrina Abdul Razak Hariharan Krishnasamy Kalimuthu@Kalidass Marimuthu Shahrul Niza Said

Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) Universiti Utara Malaysia Sintok 2010

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ISBN 978-967-5311-48-2 First Published, 2010 Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (PACE), Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 UUM Sintok, Kedah Darul Aman. The Self Module Series is one of the teaching and learning mode under the Off-Campus Studies of Universiti Utara Malaysia. This Self Module Series is to be improvised and revised during every teaching activity and the distribution of this Self Module is restricted within the campus of Universiti Utara Malaysia.

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CONTENTS
Preface Explanation of Icons Synopsis and Learning Outcomes How to Use This Module CHAPTER 1 ELEMENTS OF PROCESS WRITING 1 1 1 ix xi xiii xv

Learning Objectives 1.1 Introduction to Process Writing 1.2 Stages of Writing CHAPTER 2 DEVELOPING A PARAGRAPH

Learning Objectives 2.1 Paragraph Organisation 2.1.1 Topic Sentence 2.1.2 The Concluding Sentence 2.2 Unity within a Paragraph 2.3 Coherence within a Paragraph 2.3.1 Time Order 2.3.2 Space Order 2.3.3 Order of Importance 2.4 Grammar Compound Sentences 2.4.1 Identification Exercises 2.4.2 Grammar Exercises CHAPTER 3 DEVELOPING THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY

5 5 6 9 10 11 11 12 12 13 14 14

Learning Objectives 3.1 What is the Five-Paragraph Essay? 3.1.1 The Introduction 3.1.2 The Body Paragraphs 3.1.3 The Conclusion 3.1.4 Model of a Five-Paragraph Essay 3.2 Importance of Audience in Essay Writing 3.3 Outlining 3.4 Transitions 3.4.1 Transitions between Sentences 3.4.2 Transitions between Paragraphs 3.4.3 Transitional Expressions 3.5 Grammar Complex Sentences and Parallelism 3.5.1 What is a Complex Sentence? 3.5.2 Parallelism
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17 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 26 26 26 27 29 29 32

CHAPTER 4

PATTERNS OF EXPOSITORY ESSAY EXEMPLIFICATION 37 37 37 39 40 46 46 47 48

Learning Objectives 4.1 Definition and Characteristics of Exemplification 4.2 Model of Exemplification Essay 4.3 Identification of Parts of the Essay 4.4 Writing Sample of Exemplification Essay 4.5 Grammar Run-on Sentences and Sentence Fragment 4.5.1 Definition and Examples 4.5.2 Identification Exercises 4.5.3 Grammar Exercises CHAPTER 5 CLASSIFICATION AND DIVISION

Learning Objectives 5.1 Definition and Characteristics 5.1.1 Principle of Classification 5.2 Model Essay 5.2.1 Analysing the Model Essay 5.3 Process of Writing a Classification Essay 5.4 Writing Activities 5.4.1 Graphic Organiser CHAPTER 6 COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

51 51 52 52 54 57 59 59

Learning Objectives 6.1 Sample Essay of Point-to-Point Approach in Comparison and Contrast Essay 6.2 Tips on Writing the Comparison and Contrast Essay 6.3 Writing Activities for Comparison and Contrast Essays CHAPTER 7 CAUSE AND EFFECT

65 65 66 68

Learning Objectives 7.1 Definition and Characteristics 7.1.1 What is a Cause and Effect Essay? 7.1.2 Organisation and Transitional Signals in Cause and Effect Essay 7.1.3 Transition Signal/Linking Words in Cause and Effect Essay 7.2 Sample of Cause and Effect Essay and Identification of Parts 7.3 Writing a Cause and Effect Essay: The Process 7.3.1 The Introductory Paragraph
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73 73 73 74 77 78 80 80

7.4 7.5

7.3.2 The Body Paragraph 7.3.3 The Concluding Paragraph Writing Activities for Cause and Effect Essays 7.4.1 Writing a Thesis Statement and Topic Sentences 7.4.2 Writing a Cause and Effect Essay Grammar Relative Clauses 7.5.1 Definition 7.5.2 Exercise on Relative Clause 7.5.3 Exercise on Relative Clause PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

81 84 84 84 86 88 88 89 91

CHAPTER 8

Learning Objectives 8.1 Definition 8.2 Sample of a Problem-Solution Essay 8.3 Writing A Problem-Solution Essay 8.4 Stages of Writing a Problem-Solution Essay 8.5 Sample Essay 8.6 Grammar - Adverbial Clauses 8.6.1 Forming and Using Adverbial Clauses CHAPTER 9 OPINION

93 93 94 95 96 97 98 98

Learning Objectives 9.1 Definition 9.2 Characteristics of Opinion Essay 9.3 Model of Essay and Identification of Parts 9.4 Process of Writing 9.5 Writing Activity CHAPTER 10 ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

103 103 103 105 107 108

Learning Objectives 10.1 Definition 10.2 Characteristics 10.3 Organisation 10.4 A Model Argumentative Essay 10.5 Identification of the Parts of the Essay 10.6 Writing Opinion Statements 10.7 Stating Counter Arguments 10.8 Writing Activities

109 109 109 110 110 111 112 113 114

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CHAPTER 11

REFERENCING 121 121 121 122 122 124 124 124 125 125 126 131

Learning Objectives 11.1 What is Referencing? 11.2 The Purpose of Referencing 11.3 Reporting Verbs for In-Text Citation and Examples 11.4 APA System 11.5 Avoiding Plagiarism 11.5.1 What is Plagiarism? 11.5.2 Using Quotations 11.5.3 Paraphrasing 11.5.4 Summarising 11.6 Writing Summaries ANSWER KEY

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PREFACE
This module has been developed with the aim of guiding learners to different stages in writing English essays using different patterns of organization and accurate and appropriate language usage. This module caters for intermediate and high intermediate learners by exposing them to variety of essay models and essay analyses. Students are also exposed and guided to the writing activities according to different rhetorical structures. Since we believe that writing skills require good command of English language use and structures, we have allocated selected grammar items in each unit. Some explanation and exercises are also provided. The grammar section gives the learners the opportunity to refine not only their writing skills but also their language accuracy and appropriateness. It is hoped that the learners will be interested and inspired to improve their second language writing since being able to express well in writing is one of the valuable communicative skills in their future careers. Finally, we would like to extend our gratitude to PACE and the Head of Modern Languages at Humanities, UUM CAS for their support in developing this module.

Siti Jamilah Bidin Ahmad Affendi Shabdin Ahmad Mahreez Abdul Ghani Azrina Abdul Razak Hariharan Krishnasamy Kalimuthu@Kalidass Marimuthu Shahrul Niza Said

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EXPLANATION OF ICONS
You will notice that there are a number of icons used in this module. They are there to highlight specific information for you. Each icon has a purpose: Practices This icon highlights the various practices of the unit. These activities have answer keys at the back of each unit for you to check your answers.

Check Your Answers This icon indicates that the learners should check their answers before proceeding to the next section. It also serves as an indicator for answer keys.

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SYNOPSIS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

This upper intermediate level course aims at helping students with their academic goals, especially in relation to writing. The course offers a comprehensive approach to the process of writing from topic and audience considerations to planning, organizing and developing texts. The genre approach to writing will also be used in the teaching or argumentative texts. Among the writing skills students will be exposed to in the course are writing a variety of expository essays, using evidence effectively in developing arguments, using proper citations, proof reading and editing. Students in the course will be given the opportunity to orally share their views about their writing in progress and their final products. This module is divided into several parts. A. B. C. D. E. Elements of Process Writing Developing/Writing a Paragraph Patterns of Essay APA Referencing Grammar Exercises

Upon completing of the course, students will be able to: 1. Identify the characteristics of various essay patterns. 2. Distinguish between the main ideas and supporting details. 3. Write expository essays exemplifying the various organizational patterns. 4. Demonstrate the understanding of the analysis of the expository essay in oral presentation. 5. Write argumentative essays that convincingly justify their stand.

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HOW TO USE THIS MODULE

This is a distance-learning course and thus, the module is selfinstructional. Being familiar with the content of the module may help you in using the module effectively. The units are sequenced progressively according to important stages in writing. At the beginning, you will be exposed to the elements of process writing followed by some explanation and exercises on developing paragraphs and essays. At the end of each unit, you will have the opportunity to enhance your grammar skills by reading the explanation and examples and later by doing some exercises. If you have problems and require assistance, refer to the answers given in the ANSWER KEY. If you still have any problems on how to use this module, do not hesitate to ask any of the course instructors.

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CHAPTER 1 ELEMENTS OF PROCESS WRITING

The topics covered in this chapter are: 1. Introduction to Process Writing. 2. Stages of Writing.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Understand the different phases in writing. 2. Evaluate your writing in a constructive manner. 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO PROCESS WRITING

It has always been a challenge to produce a good piece of writing that serves the intended purpose. More often, the writer is more concerned with putting his or her ideas on paper with little concern on the readers reaction towards the written piece. It is important to remember that at the end of the day, what matter is how the reader will react to the writing and not what the writer has submitted. Without a good plan or map to direct your writing task, there is a danger that you might wander off topic. Thus, it is important that before you start the writing, spend time to produce a working plan or map. With all the ideas already written on a piece of paper, it also helps identify your strengths and weaknesses (knowledge) regarding the topic you wish to write about. This planning will help you achieve consistency and effectively achieve your objective. 1.2 Stages of Writing

Often, the writer has many interesting ideas to convey and these can also be quite complex. However, the writing that explains them need not be complex. To fulfil your readers understanding of your ideas, there are steps that the writer must follow. The following chart illustrates the five basic steps:

Pre-Writing

Drafting

Revising

Editing

Presenting

Step 1: Pre-Writing Getting your thoughts down on paper Who is my reader (audience)? Do they have any background knowledge of my topic? What is my purpose? Is it to inform, analyse or persuade? What do I want to say? Do I need to research information in completing the assignment? Brainstorm. Which ideas best suit the topic (usually 3 or 4 main points for the whole essay).

Step 2: Drafting Putting your thoughts together in sentences and paragraphs Are my thoughts well organised? Am I making more points than planned? Which ideas do I want to develop? Which ones do I develop further? What order should I use, namely direct (deductive) or indirect (inductive)? Step 3: Revising Rewriting sentences to make sense Are my details clear (correct terms, facts or numbers, reasons, anecdotes and examples)?
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Should I add or take out parts? Remove unrelated information. Stay on topic. Elaborate your main and supporting ideas clearly. Is the writing in sensible and logical order? Should I utilise charts, tables or diagrams to better illustrate the points?

Step 4: Editing Correcting grammar and punctuation Are the sentences complete (Subject (S) + Verb (Vb) + Object (Ob))? Are my language conventions correct? (Spelling, capitalization, punctuation) Am I using correct grammar and time zone (present tense, past and future)?

Step 5: Presenting Sharing your work Is the title catchy and interesting? Is the final print neat and meets the requirements (length, APA referencing etc.) Format text. Should I read it aloud?

CHAPTER 2 DEVELOPING A PARAGRAPH

The topics covered in this chapter are: 1. Paragraph Organisation. 2. Unity within a Paragraph. 3. Coherence within a Paragraph. 4. Grammar Compound Sentences.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Identify and write topic sentences. 2. Expand a paragraph using topic sentences. 3. Use connectives in linking the main components of a paragraph. 4. Form compound sentences using conjunctions. 2.1 PARAGRAPH ORGANISATION

What is a paragraph? It is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single idea or topic. Usually, it is best not to have more than one idea in a paragraph. If you begin to transition (discuss) into a new idea or topic, you might confuse the reader with these new sets of information and discussions. It would also make it difficult to write the conclusion for the paragraph. You should have only one idea or topic with elaborations and examples of support in one paragraph, and always only ONE idea or topic. A complete paragraph usually contains a number of sentences that complements or are related to each other. The sentences can be identified as follows: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) Topic sentence. Elaboration sentences (supporting point). Supporting sentences (supporting details). Conclusion.

Example: Communication Problems

Topic sentence (1) Supporting point (2)

International students in Malaysia face communication problems with Malaysians. (1) A. International students have poor verbal skills. (2) 1. lack vocabulary (3) 2. have poor pronunciation (3) 3. 4. 5. 6. use incomplete sentences (3) use unclear expressions (3) talk too fast (3) use slang and idioms (3)

Supporting detail (3) B. Malaysians are difficult to understand (2)

Conclusion (4)

Effective communication is important in ensuring successful learning outcomes. (4)

2.1.1

Topic Sentence

A topic sentence (also known as a focus sentence) represents the main idea and sets the tone for the entire paragraph. Although topic sentences may appear anywhere in a paragraph, in academic essays they often appear at the beginning, i.e. the very first sentence in the paragraph! It might be helpful to think of a topic sentence as working in two directions simultaneously. It relates the paragraph to the essay's thesis, and thereby acts as a signpost for the argument of the paper as a whole. It also defines the scope of the paragraph itself. For example, consider the following topic sentence: Many petrol stations make their profits from selling non-petroleum products such as daily consumer goods. If this sentence controls the paragraph that follows, then all sentences in the paragraph must relate in some way to consumer goods such as fast food, drinks, etc. and the profits generated from their sales. Topic sentences often act like tiny thesis statements. It makes a claim of some sort. When the topic sentence makes a claim, the sentences which follow must expand, describe, or prove it in some way. Topic sentences
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make a point and the following sentences in the same paragraphs give reasons or examples to support it. The topic sentence thus is the unifying force in the paragraph which ties all the sentences together. What is an effective topic sentence? The first sentence of the paragraph that: (i) Relates to the main topic. (ii) Sets up a claim, assertion, argument, evaluation, analysis. (iii) Contains controlling ideas about the topic that need to be developed in the sentences that follow. (iv) Is the most general sentence in the paragraph. (v) Orients the reader. (vi) Provides a context for understanding what follows. (vii) Explains the relationships among elements. (viii) Summarizes the rest of the paragraph. Example: An outline of a complete essay - Strict teachers Thesis: Over the years, I have learned to avoid strict teachers because they give too much homework, show no understanding when a student turns in assignments late, get impatient instead of helping when students dont understand the subject matter, and often yell at the class. Strict teachers give too much homework. Strict teachers show no understanding when a student turns in assignments late. Strict teachers get impatient instead of helping when students dont understand the subject matter. Finally, strict teachers often yell at the class.

Topic Sentence 1: Topic Sentence 2: Topic Sentence 3: Topic Sentence 4: Conclusion:

Strict teachers do more harm than good to students at school.

Exercise: Complete the essay about Strict teachers by expanding the paragraphs beginning with the above topic sentences.

Practice 1 Below you will see pairs of sentences. Each pair contains one sentence that would make a good topic sentence and another sentence that would make a good detail sentence. Write T before the sentence in each pair that would make a good topic sentence. Write D before each sentence that would make a good detail sentence. 1. __________ China has 267,000 square miles. __________ China is so big that you can find many things to do. 2. __________ Bully is a boy or girl who acts mean or hurtful to others. __________ Bullies sometimes hit, kick, or push to hurt people. 3. __________ Heavy downpours in Kuala Lumpur can drastically increase the water level at Sungai Kelang. __________ High rise buildings and extensive road networks allow rain water to flow uninterrupted into the river. Now check your answers.

Practice 2 Read the paragraphs below. Think of the main idea for the paragraphs. Then write a topic sentence that tells the main idea. 1. ________________________________________________________ Many desert animals are nocturnal. They sleep during the day in burrows below the surface of the desert or hide in shaded areas. They come out at night to eat. Some desert animals do not need to drink water. They get water from the foods they eat. Most desert animals are small.

2. ________________________________________________________ Major car manufacturers recommend the use of RON95. RON95 fuel is priced at RM1.80, five sen higher than that of RON92, which is leaded petrol and thirty sen cheaper than RON97. The fuel is available at all petrol stations. Now check your answers. 2.1.2 The Concluding Sentence

The concluding sentence, or final, sentence of a paragraph usually reminds the reader of the topic and the main ideas. Sometimes, the sentence can also be a reminder, warning, make prediction and give opinion about the topic discussed. It is a normal practice to start the sentence with the phrase In conclusion (e.g. In conclusion, learning a second language has many advantages.) Remember, since this is the final sentence in the paragraph, you must not include any new information or repeat any of the data presented earlier in the paragraph. Practice 3 Read the topic sentences below. Write SS next to the three supporting sentences and write CS next to the concluding sentence. 1. The best way to enjoy holidays in Malaysia is by driving. _______ a. When you explore Malaysia by car, you can experience all the beautiful sceneries the country has to offer. _______ b. When you drive, you experience the different smells of the restaurants, the vegetations and sometimes the ocean. _______ c. You can stop and look in the windows of shops or sit on a bench for a short while and talk to the local people. _______ d. In a car, you can stop easily if you see something interesting because you control the journey.

2.

I submitted my assignment late because something happened to my computer. _______ a. I was almost finished writing my paper and I was checking it for errors. _______ b. Suddenly, my computer screen went blank, and the power was gone. _______ c. The accident made me lose many hours of work, so I could not turn in my assignment on time. _______ d. Later, I learned that a construction worker nearby had mistakenly dug up the power line and disrupted the electricity. Now check your answers. 2.2 UNITY WITHIN A PARAGRAPH

An effective paragraph presents the main point clearly to the reader. To achieve the desired effect, the main components of the paragraph, namely the Topic sentence, Supporting sentences and Concluding sentence must all be bound together to present a complete picture of the main point. The common approach is to use the indirect approach (inductive) where the paragraph starts with the topic sentence and ends with the concluding sentence. Practice 4 Read the paragraph below. Cross out the two sentences that are not about the main idea.
RON (research octane number) measures the octane quality of fuel. It refers to the fuels ability to resist premature and uncontrolled combustion that occurs when fuel pre-ignites before ignition by the spark plug. The carbon emission into the atmosphere will increase albeit at a lower level. The newly-introduced RON95 fuel is priced at RM1.80, five sen higher than that of RON92, which is leaded petrol. Concurrently, RON97 has been upgraded as a premium product and its price has gone up to RM2.05 from RM1.80. The government is contemplating increasing the vehicle tax for next year. Although the price of RON95 was higher, the

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Government was still subsidising 33.81 sen per litre, which comes up to about RM304mil monthly. The upward revision of the prices was necessary as the global crude oil price had doubled since the announcement by former minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad in March that RON95 would be sold at RM1.75.
(Source: Adapted from The Star, 17 Jun 2008)

Now check your answers.

2.3

COHERENCE WITHIN A PARAGRAPH

The main concern for writers is to ensure that the points are clearly presented in such a way that the reader would not have difficulty following the development of ideas in the paragraph. Organization is of importance to achieve the desired effect. There are three common methods to organize the paragraph namely; Time, Space and Order of importance (priority). 2.3.1 Time Order

Usually, this order is used when you are writing a story or about an event. When narrating or describing, you will have to organize events according to time (based on events that had transpired). You start by writing what happened first at the beginning of the paragraph, followed by what happened second, third and so on. To make it easier for the reader, signal words such as first, second, third, next, before, after, as, later, finally and so on are used. For example: (Topic sentence) The U.S. petroleum industry's price was heavily regulated through production or price controls throughout much of the twentieth century. Initially, in the post World War II era U.S. oil prices at the wellhead averaged $26.64 per barrel adjusted for inflation to 2008 dollars. In the absence of price controls, the U.S. price would have tracked the world price averaging $28.68. Next, over the same post war period the median for the domestic and the adjusted world price of crude oil was $19.60 in 2008 prices. That means that only fifty percent of the time from 1947 to 2008 have oil prices exceeded $19.60 per barrel. Crude
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Oil prices ranged between $2.50 and $3.00 from 1948 through the end of the 1960s. After that, the oil price rose from $2.50 in 1948 to about $3.00 in 1957. When viewed in 2008 dollars an entirely different story emerges with crude oil prices fluctuating between $17 and $19 during most of the period. The apparent price increase in nominal prices just kept up with inflation.
[Source: Adapted from WTRG Economics. (April 2009).]

2.3.2

Space Order

Writing a paragraph describing about a place, you should use space order to clearly show the positions or locations. The easiest way is to choose a starting point and continue to describe about other aspects of the place in relation to the starting point. For example, when describing an office room, choose a starting point and move clockwise around the room. You can also move around based on left, right, top to bottom, back to front or inside out. For example: (Topic sentence) The top of my desk is very organised. My desktop computer is in the centre where it is easy for me to reach. To the left of the computer I keep a small pot with pens, pencils, erasers and paper plates. My organizer is right to the basket. There is a small clock in the right corner and a picture of my family next to it. (Conclusion) I enjoy working at my desk because everything is always in its place.
[Source: Adapted from Blanchard, K., & Root, S. (2003) Ready to write. New York: Pearson Longman.]

To make it easier for the reader, signal words such as at, in, next to, on the right, on the top, over, under, on the end, on the left, in the middle, between, beside and so on are used. 2.3.3 Order of Importance

Some writing requires you to organise your ideas or points based on merit or order of importance. You must first determine the importance of each point or details and organise them accordingly. You can start with the most important piece of information first or you can save it for last.

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For example: Surging oil prices caused several positive reactions among consumers. The change for better insulation in new homes, increased insulation in many older homes, more energy efficiency in industrial processes, and automobiles with higher efficiency are most welcomed. These factors along with a global recession caused a reduction in demand which led to falling crude prices. Unfortunately for OPEC only the global recession was temporary. Nobody rushed to remove insulation from their homes or to replace energy efficient plants and equipment -- much of the reaction to the oil price increase of the end of the decade was permanent and would never respond to lower prices with increased consumption of oil. There was no commitment to change for the good of the environment.
[Source: Adapted from WTRG Economics. (April 2009).]

To make it easier for the reader, signal words such as first, second, third, in addition, moreover, most importantly, finally and so on are used. 2.4 GRAMMAR COMPOUND SENTENCES

A compound sentence has two main clauses, separated by a comma and a conjunction, or by a semicolon. This sentence structure is common when you a writing a detail analysis on a topic or describing an event. Conjunctions such as and, so, but or and others are used to join the phrases. For example: 1. 2. 3. 4. My cat runs after the mouse and the mouse runs away. The university sets a high academic standard so the students have to work very hard. The plane has bigger passenger capacity and it is able to generate more profits. Being employable refers to having the attributes necessary to sustain employment and thrive in the work place.

Example: Many students lead stressful lives. For example, Maria wants to meet her parents high expectations for her future, so she works very hard at school. Every semester, she takes 5 courses to graduate as quickly as possible. Her parents want her to be a doctor, so they expect her to get all As in her courses. As a result, she has little free time during this period in her life.
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(Note: In the example above, you can see two phrases are combined using a conjunction so to make one long sentence.) 2.4.1 Identification Exercises

Compound Sentences Underline the subject(s) and verb(s) in each sentence. Write S or C in the blanks to identify the sentence as simple (S) or compound (C). 1. (_____) Kassim is another example of a highly motivated student. (_____)He takes 6 courses every semester, and he maintains an A- average. (_____) During the week, he works as a cleaner at one of the universitys departments, and on Saturday mornings, he works as an English tutor in the Language Learning Center at the university. (_____) Kassim plans to major in Law. (_____) In addition, he sends money home every month to help his old parents. Grammar Exercises

2.4.2

Exercise 1 Underline the subject(s) and verb(s) in each sentence. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Petronas is Malaysias answer to rival big petroleum multinational companies such as Shell and Exxon Mobil. RON 95 and RON 97 are readily available in all petrol stations around Malaysia. Drivers must keep their wits when driving around Kuala Lumpur. Lack of enforcement encourages drivers to flout the laws. Filling your fuel tank in the morning gives more mileage to the gallon.

Exercise 2 Combine the following simple sentences to form a compound sentence using And or But. 1. 2. Im in my last semester of my study. Im looking forward to work next year. I study at University Utara Malaysia. Im taking a double major degree in Law and Management.
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3. 4. 5.

My English, Statistics, and Management lectures are easy for me. Im having trouble coping with my Law lectures. I want to improve my public speaking skills. I dont have any friends who can speak fluent English. University education is important to me. Im working hard to graduate next year with a first class degree next year.

Exercise 3 Combine the following simple sentences to form compound sentences. a. b. c. d. e. Malaysia has to watch its oil production carefully. Its oil reserve will be depleted in just 10 years. Petronas has a good track record in making profits. It will continue to make profits in the coming financial years. Malaysians are used to buying subsidised fuel. The government will eventually stop the subsidy soon. Too much oil production is not healthy. Many oil producing countries are tightly regulating their productions. My car consumes a lot of petrol. The car tax is low.

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CHAPTER 3 DEVELOPING THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY

The topics covered in this chapter are: 1. Paragraph Organisation. 2. Unity within a Paragraph. 3. Coherence within a Paragraph. 4. Grammar Compound Sentences.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Learn the structure of a five-paragraph essay. 2. Write an outline of an essay. 3. Identify and write transitions between sentences and paragraphs. 4. Identify and write complex sentences. 5. Understand parallelism. 3.1 WHAT IS THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY?

The traditional five-paragraph essay consists of three main parts: the introduction, the body and the conclusion. Below is an overall structure of the five-paragraph essay. Structure of The Five-Paragraph Essay

__________________________ ______________________________ INTRODUCTION State what are you are going to write about. ______________________________ ________________________

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___________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _________________________ ____________________________ BODY Write about it. ________________________________ ________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ __________________________ ____________________________ ________________________________ CONCLUSION Restate what you have written.
3.1.1 The Introduction

________________________________ __________________________

The first paragraph of an essay is the introduction. The introduction can be further broken down into three parts. 1. The Lead In

The introduction usually begins with a general perspective of the topic. This first part of the introduction is called the lead in.

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For example: My father passed away when I was a little girl. However, for as long as I can remember, I have never felt his absence because my mother was always there for me through all the good and bad times. 2. The Transition

The transition narrows the topic. It is a more specific sentence or sentences which points out the particular aspect of the topic that will be discussed. For example: My mother, Aminah Abdullah, raised me the best that she could. She has been an inspiration to me as the pillar of my strength and the source of unconditional love. In the example above, the aspect which is highlighted by the writer is that her mother has been the pillar of her strength and the source of unconditional love. 3. The Thesis Statement

The main idea of the essay is stated in the thesis statement. The thesis statement contains three main ideas which will be developed in the body paragraphs. For example: My mother always astonishes me as she carries out the duties of both mother and father, holds a full-time job and still manages to tend to all my needs. The three main ideas which will be further developed are: carries out the duties of both mother and father; holds a full-time job; and still manages to tend to all my needs. 3.1.2 The Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs develop the idea presented in the introduction. There are three main parts of the body paragraph.

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1.

Topic Sentence

Each body paragraph has a topic sentence. The topic sentence expresses the main idea of the body paragraph. It is one of the three main supporting ideas as stated in the thesis statement. For example: First and foremost, my mother has always played the role of being both a mother and father to me ever since I could remember. 2. Supporting Details

Supporting details are specific information which clarify, explain, illustrate and develop the main idea in the topic sentence. Supporting details can be divided into two types: major support and minor support. For example: Like a father, she is the bread winner of the family, pays the bills, sets the rules and is a stern disciplinarian. Although she can be strict at times, she is always a compassionate loving mother with a heart of gold. Like all mothers, she always has time to listen to my problems, lends me a shoulder to cry on, holds me when I need to be held and givse advice when I need them. 3. Concluding Sentence

The concluding sentence brings closure to the idea of the paragraph by paraphrasing the topic sentence. The concluding sentence may also suggest the content of the next paragraph. For example: By and large, despite not having a father, I have never felt any emotional void because my mother has been doing an outstanding job in carrying out the role of both mother and father.

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Structure of Body Paragraphs Topik Sentence Supporting Details (Major Support Minor Support) Concluding Sentence 3.1.3 The Conclusion

The conclusion is the last paragraph of the essay. It contains four main components in bringing the essay to a close. It may give advice or a warning. It may make a prediction or ask a question. Sometimes it can bring new insights and discoveries which the writer has gained through writing the essay. 1. Paraphrase of the Lead-In

For example: To conclude, I credit my mother for never having to feel the pain of the absence of a father. 2. Paraphrase of the Transition

For example: My mother is a remarkably strong and loving woman. 3. Paraphrase of the Thesis Statement

For example: who, has juggled duties as both a mother and father to me, as well as being a successful career woman and a compassionate caregiver.

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4.

Statement Emphasizing and Expanding the Importance of the Topic

For example: Her generous spirit and undying dedication to both her work and family have truly inspired me. I, too, hope that one day I can be as amazing as her in instilling the same positive spirit and values in my own children. 3.1.4 Model of a Five-Paragraph Essay Emotional Intelligence The key to the path of finding true happiness can be seen by some as being surrounded by happiness in his or her life. We simply need to look at one critical factor: emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand and effectively apply the power of emotions. Emotions can be powerful in overriding thoughts and influencing behaviours. Developing the skills of emotional intelligence helps us to harness the power of our emotions in heading to success and happiness in our lives. Therefore, emotional intelligence is important in both personal and professional life as it helps us to manage stress and conflict in a constructive way. Emotional intelligence is important in ones personal life. Although emotional intelligence cannot protect us from experiencing the bitterness of life, it does help us go through hard times by recognizing reality with faith and to rebound quickly. People with low emotional intelligence tend to escape from the harshness of reality through obsessive behaviours, compulsive spending habits, drugs, alcohol, violence, strange cults and extreme religions. Most relationship problems are also due to breakdowns in the skills of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is also important from a professional perspective. Studies have shown that a person who is a top scorer is not often most successful, either in personal or professional life. This is especially true at the workplace where people come from different backgrounds and have different characters. Therefore, it is difficult to avoid disagreements. Although it is healthy to allow the existence of disagreements to encourage competency at the workplace, lacking the skills of emotional intelligence will lead to undesirable conditions. That is why nowadays, in many corporations, the culture of team spirit is heavily emphasized. An individual with high emotional intelligence is
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more likely to be more empathetic, understanding and approachable, which makes him or her to relate, to communicate, and to cooperate with others in the working environment better. Emotional intelligence enables us to manage stress and conflict in a constructive way. It is not unusual for a person to perform well under favourable circumstances. What separates top performers from weak performers in the workplace is the calmness in stressful and chaotic situations. We often hear of very capable workers underperforming in a given task due to environmental factors or personal issues. This shows that many people are easily distracted by temptations and emotions. All of us have emotions such as fear, anxiety, anger, sadness and discontent. A person with high emotional intelligence will channel these emotions as a source of energy, creativity and influence. Emotions are no longer obstacles in achieving ultimate goals but rather motivation and inspiration. Emotional intelligence is important in both personal and professional life because it helps us to manage stress and conflict constructively. Developing emotional intelligence does not mean hiding and suppressing our emotions but rather experiencing them fully. We are all born with a capacity to experience the full range of human emotions and yet many people are disconnected from their feelings. Emotions are not always negative as we usually perceive. Having emotions is normal as long as one knows how to manage them. Therefore, mastering the skills of emotional intelligence is essential to enjoy greater happiness, health and better relationships. 3.2 IMPORTANCE OF AUDIENCE IN ESSAY WRITING

Before you begin writing your first draft on paper, there is one important aspect of the process of writing which you must address: you must decide what audience you are writing for. Your audience will influence your choice of vocabulary, sentence structure, and even the kind of evidence you use to support your thesis. Once you know who you are writing for, decide what you want the audience to take out of your work. Are you trying to persuade them or inform them? What will your audience know beforehand, and how much background information will you include? Making your material appeal to your audience is a crucial aspect of your work. After your introduction, your audience will decide if they want to read your work or not. If you disregard your audience they will lose
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interest and never read past the introduction. Therefore, always remember to keep your audience in mind. 3.3 OUTLINING

Making an outline helps you to organise how you will present your information. Here is an example of an outline that uses words, phrases and sentences. Topic: Advantages of Group Study I. Introduction A. Lead-In B. Background information C. Thesis statement: The advantages of group study are students become more motivated, more organised and develop better relationships with friends. Students become more motivated. A. Topic sentence B. Supporting detail 1 C. Supporting detail 2 Students become more organised. A. Topic sentence B. Supporting detail 1 C. Supporting detail 2 Students develop better relationships with friends. A. Topic Sentence B. Supporting detail 1 C. Supporting detail 2 Conclusion A. Paraphrase of the Lead-In B. Paraphrase of the Transition C. Paraphrase of the Thesis Statement

II.

III.

IV.

V.

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Practice 1 Read the outline below and use the information in the box to complete this outline for the essay. Social activities and medication are ways in which the symptoms of depression can be reduced and controlled. Family history is one of the major causes of depression. Financial problems, break-up of a relationship or death of a loved one. There are several factors that cause depression: family history, pessimistic personality and trauma and stress. Pessimistic personality.

Topic: Depression I. Introduction A. The meaning of depression. B. Symptoms of depression. C. Thesis statement: _____________________________ Body Paragraph 1 A. _______________________________________________ B. Genetic factor. Genetic research indicates that the risk of depression results from the influence of multiple genes acting together with environmental or other factors.

II.

III. Body Paragraph 2 A. Trauma and stress also cause depression. B. ______________________________________________ IV. Body Paragraph 3 A. _______________________________________________ B. People who think negatively about themselves. People who are not confident in what they do. Conclusion A. Discuss the factors that cause depression. B. ____________________________________________ Now check your answers.

V.

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3.4

TRANSITIONS

What are Transitions? Transitions are connective words, phrases, or sentences that show the relationship between ideas. They act as cues to assist readers in interpreting ideas the way that the writer wants them understood. Transitions are important because they clarify the content of a written work by showing relationships between ideas and by maintaining a clear flow of thought throughout. Transitions show how ideas relate to each other, thus, they aid organization and prevent abrupt, confusing shifts. In both academic writing and professional writing, your goal is to convey information clearly and concisely, if not to convert the reader to your way of thinking. Transitions help you to achieve these goals by establishing logical connections between sentences, paragraphs, and sections of your papers. Because the best transitions are those that most clearly and effectively guide the reader, it is up the writer to determine which transitions will do this best. 3.4.1 Transitions between Sentences

To achieve unity between the sentences within paragraphs, transitions should be used. Transitions between two sentences in a paragraph are often only a word or a phrase, and a writers choice of transitions may be somewhat restricted. Nevertheless, using transitions is critical to show the logical relationship and cohesive link between the sentences that make up the paragraph. Example with no transition: Ashley is very tall. She does not play basketball. In this example, what kind of relationship is implied by the writer? It is unclear until the writer adjusts the sentences. There is a contrasting relationship between the two sentences. A possible way to rewrite these two statements is by using the word nevertheless/ but/ however/yet/etc. Example with transition: Ashley is very tall; nevertheless, she does not play basketball. 3.4.2 Transitions between Paragraphs

Transitions should not only link together sentences within a paragraph, but they should connect one paragraph to another. Transitions are
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crucial between paragraphs because they bridge the gaps to ensure that the reader is able to clearly follow this shift between ideas. Transitions should be used to both remind the reader of the ideas in the previous paragraph and what to look forward to in the paragraph that follows. Therefore, transitions between paragraphs can be quite complex. They often form entire sentences. There are unlimited options when transitioning between paragraphs. A successful transition must suggest how the two paragraphs are connected logically so that the content of one leads logically to the next. The transition will highlight a relationship that already exists by summarizing the previous paragraph and suggesting something of the content of the paragraph that follows. A transition between paragraphs can be a word or two (however, for example, similarly), a phrase, or a sentence. Transitions can be at the end of the first paragraph, at the beginning of the second paragraph, or in both places. Look at the example below: Effective study groups involve hashing out lesson materials together explaining concepts, arguing about them, figuring out why one persons answer is different from the other and in the process you learn more than you would have by studying by yourself. Assume that you want to emphasize more on this matter in the next paragraph. One way to organize your paragraphs is by using the logical relationship that indicates emphasis to the reader such as even, indeed, in fact, of course or truly. In fact, there are a variety of different advantages to studying in a study group. 3.4.3 Transitional Expressions

The ability to identify words or phrases that will indicate to the reader the kind of logical relationships you want to convey is key in constructing transitions. Look at the table below. Whenever you have trouble finding a word, phrase, or sentence to serve as an effective transition, refer to the information in the table for assistance. Look in the left column of the table for the kind of logical relationship you are trying to express. Then look in the right column of the table for examples of words or phrases that express this logical relationship. Take note that these words or phrases may have slightly different meanings. You should refer to a dictionary or a writer's handbook if you are unsure of the exact meaning of a word or phrase.
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Logical Relationship

Transitional Expression

Comparison/Similarity also, in the same way, just as ... so too, likewise, similarly Exception/Contrast but, however, in spite of, on the one hand ... on the other hand, despite the fact, nevertheless, nonetheless, notwithstanding, in contrast, on the contrary, still, yet first, second, third, ... next, then, finally after, afterwards, at last, before, currently, during, earlier, immediately, later, meanwhile, now, recently, simultaneously, subsequently, then for example, for instance, specifically, to illustrate namely,

Sequence/Order Time

Example Emphasis Place/Position Cause and Effect Additional Support or Evidence Conclusion/Summary

even, indeed, in fact, of course, truly above, adjacent, below, beyond, here, in front, at the back, nearby, there accordingly, consequently, therefore, thus hence, so,

additionally, again, also, and, as well, besides, equally important, further, furthermore, in addition, moreover, then finally, in a word, in brief, in conclusion, in the end, in the final analysis, on the whole, thus, to conclude, to summarize, in sum, in summary, in short, to sum up. to put it bluntly, that is to say, in other words, actually, by extension, to put it another way, ultimately.

Elaboration

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Practice 2 Read the following sentences and underline the transitions used. Also, write the logical relationship in the space provided. 1. ___________________ He passed the examination with flying colours despite the fact that he did not put in much effort. ___________________ Soccer teams need really good strikers to win championships. Similarly, football teams need really good quarterbacks. ___________________ Some British car companies made inefficient, uninspired products for decades. As a result, they are now going bankrupt. ____________________ Properly inflated tyres can help your gas mileage. In fact, it is one of the most effective ways to increase the performance of your car. ____________________ Aminah is a very strict teacher. That is to say she is often looking over your shoulders watching everything you do. _____________________ Luck is always on Cassandras side. For instance, I once saw her win RM100 on a horse race because she liked the name of the horse. _______________________ To summarize, transitions help improve the cohesiveness of ones writing. Now check your answers. 3.5 3.5.1 GRAMMAR PARALLELISM COMPLEX SENTENCES AND

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

What is a Complex Sentence?

A complex sentence combines a subordinate clause with an main clause. The main clause has a subject and a verb and can act as a complete
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sentence. When the subordinate clause is placed before the main clause, the two clauses must be divided by a comma. Example 1: If there is lack of communication, the relationship will fail. Subordinate clause Main clause

When the main clause is placed before the subordinate clause, no punctuation is needed. Example: A relationship will fail if there is lack of communication. Main clause Example 2: When Ainul passed the SPM examination with flying colours, she was offered many scholarships to study abroad. Subordinate clause or Ainul was offered many scholarships to study abroad when she passed the SPM examination with flying colours. Note that the combination of a phrase and a main clause does not technically constitute a complex sentence. However, if you identify a fragment that is a phrase, you can always combine it with a main clause to make a complete sentence. For example: On their wedding anniversary Man and Jun always watch their wedding video. or Man and Jun always watch their wedding video on their anniversary. When a complex sentence starts with a Subordinate clause e.g. Although it was cold, I took off my gloves. The sentence begins with a subordinating conjuction.
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Subordinate Clause

Main clause

Example 3: While eating the laksa, Brian tasted a hint of mint. or Brian tasted a hint of mint (while) eating the laksa. Examples of other subordinating conjuctions are: after, although, as, because, before, even, if, since, though, that, unless, until, when, whenever, where, wherever, whether, which, while, who and why. The subordinating conjuction can also be placed in the middle of the main clause e.g. The baby, tired of crawling, started to cry.

Main clause Mr. Ali, who lives next door, has four daughters.

Main clause

Practice 3 Circle the main clause and underline the subordinate clause in each sentence below.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

When the fire alarm went off, we were sitting for an exam. After the rain stopped, the boys started playing football. Although it was hot, we had fun in Langkawi. If we eat too much starch, we will gain weight. Because it was raining, Ashley put on his raincoat. Now check your answers.

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Practice 4 Rewrite the sentences in Practice 3 so that the main clause is placed before the subordinate clause. For example: Though she was sleepy, she continued to study for the exam. She continued to study for the exam though she was sleepy. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. When the fire alarm went off, we were sitting for an exam. _________________________________________________ After the rain stopped, the boys started playing football. _________________________________________________ Although it was hot, we had fun in Langkawi. _________________________________________________ If we eat too much starch, we will gain weight. _________________________________________________ Because it was raining, Ashley put on his raincoat. _________________________________________________ Now check your answers.

3.5.2

Parallelism

Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This can happen at the word, phrase, or clause level. The usual way to join parallel structures is using conjunctions such as "and" or "or." (a) Parallelism in Words and Phrases

With the ing form (gerunds) of words: Parallel: Maria loves reading, running, and bicycling.
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With infinitive phrases: Parallel: Maria loves to read, to run, and to ride a bicycle. or Maria loves to read, run, and ride a bicycle. You can use "to" before all the verbs in a sentence or only before the first one. You should not mix forms. Example 1 Not Parallel: Maria loves reading, running, and to ride a bike. Parallel: Maria loves reading, running, and riding a bicycle. Example 2 Not Parallel: The lecturer was asked to write his evaluation quickly, accurately, and in detail. Parallel: The lecturer was asked to write his evaluation quickly, accurately, and thoroughly. Example 3 Not Parallel: The professor said that she was a poor student because she waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed her reports in a careless manner, and has low motivation.
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Parallel: The professor said that she was a poor student because she waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed her reports in a careless manner, and lacked motivation. (b) Parallelism in Clauses

A parallel structure that begins with clauses must keep on with clauses. Changing to another pattern or changing the voice of the verb (from active to passive or vice versa) will break the parallelism. Example 1 Not Parallel: The teacher told the students that they should get enough rest, that they should watch their diet, and to do some exercises before the test. Parallel: The teacher told the students that they should get enough rest, that they should watch their diet, and that they should do some exercises before the test. or Parallel: The teacher told the students that they should get enough rest, watch their diet, and do some exercises before the test. Example 2 Not Parallel: The student expected that he would present his report in class, that there would be time for him to show his slide presentation, and that questions would be asked by the audience. (passive) Parallel: The student expected that he would present his report in class, that there would be time for him to show his slide presentation, and that questions would be asked by the audience.
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(c)

Parallelism in Lists after a Colon

Be sure to keep all the elements in a list in the same form. Example Not Parallel: Social networking sites can be used for these purposes: to find long lost friends, classmates, and looking for relatives. Parallel: Social networking sites can be used for these purposes: to find long lost friends, classmates, and relatives. Practice 5

Rewrite the following sentences using proper parallel construction. 1. Professor Aishah rewarded her students for their hard work on the final project and going beyond the call of duty. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ In class, Sheila learned to read poems critically and she appreciated good prose. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Mr. Chandra kept his office clean, neat, and he made it conveniently arranged. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ He wanted three things out of university: to learn a skill, to make good friends, and learning about life. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

2.

3.

4.

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5.

6.

In summary, the research done by Dr. Chen has been of high quality, has provided an important contribution to the field, and that his knowledge of the topic will be a great asset to your department. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ The subject of the first sentence must be the same as the second. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Dictated by and signed in Mr. Hamids absence. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ The kitchen was filled with dirty dishes, broken bottles, and the sink was overflowing. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ The academic affairs office approved the student's right to drop the class but not meeting with the professor. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ The professors disputed not only the journal article but also they disputed the university's official statement. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

7.

8.

9.

10.

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CHAPTER 4 PATTERNS OF EXPOSITORY ESSAY EXEMPLIFICATION

The topics covered in this chapter are: 1. Definition and Characteristics. 2. Model of Exemplification Essay. 3. Identification of Parts of Exemplification Essay. 4. Writing Sample of Exemplification Essay. 5. Grammar Run-on Sentences and Sentence Fragment.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Recognise an exemplification essay. 2. Identify the parts of an exemplification essay. 3. Write an exemplification essay.

4.1

DEFINITION AND EXEMPLICATION

CHARACTERISTICS

OF

An exemplification essay makes use of clear examples to show or explain a point. An exemplification essay puts forward an idea clearly by giving relevant, clear and specific examples. The examples should be sufficient to explain the main ideas that you are discussing. The key to writing a successful exemplification essay lies in the examples that you give. Pay particular attention to the examples as they are the most important supporting details to exemplify your thesis statement and topic sentences. 4.2 MODEL OF EXEMPLIFICATION ESSAY

Read the sample of an exemplification essay below. Title: Improving my English (1) If there is something I like to improve all the time, it is my English. (2) I am able to use it for basic communication purposes, but I want to
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understand English better. (3) I want to write and speak more effectively. (4) I keep trying to improve my English in three ways. (5) I try to talk in English, read English dailies and watch English movies. (6) Firstly, I try to communicate with my friends in English as much as possible. (7) Although I talk to my friends in English during English language classes, I feel that it is important to use it outside the class. (8) I have enough friends who are willing to talk in English to me. (9) I use it to greet my friends, provide information, ask for information, discuss assignment topics with my friends and so on. (10) When I talk in English, I am able to use it for real life purposes.(11) I use English in a meaningful way for communication purposes.(12) I am quite lucky because my circle of friends is eager to respond in English. (13) So, talking to my friends helps me to improve my English because I practice my English in a meaningful context. (14) Secondly, I consistently read newspapers. (15) In the English classes, we have opportunities to read, but the time is limited. (16) Reading the newspaper helps me to improve my vocabulary in so many areas. (17) Newspapers are divided into several sections that cover a wide range of topics. (18) This includes politics, economics, trade and industry, sports, entertainment, current events, education, religion, and so on. (19) Furthermore, we are exposed to different types of writing styles in the newspaper. (20) This is because so many people contribute the reading materials that appear in the newspapers. (21) Thus, by reading, we are able to improve our language, such as our reading and writing skills. (22) Thirdly, I watch English movies so that I can improve my English. (23)When we watch movies, we have the opportunity to listen to native speakers of English use the language. (24) We are exposed to the language and learn how words are pronounced. (26) It gives me opportunities to see and listen how verbal communication takes place in the context of the movie. (27) I am able to guess what is being said by the actions of the actors. (28) So, movies help me a lot to improve my English, especially my spoken language. (29) In conclusion, I have found that there are several ways to improve my English. (30) I always try my best to make use of English, whenever I have the opportunity. (31) For me, the most important ways to learn English are by communicating with my friends, reading English dailies and watching English movies.
(Source: Retrieved from: http://www.my-english-teacher.com. Why should I learn English.)

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4.3

IDENTIFICATION OF PARTS OF THE ESSAY

The essay Improving my English is an example of an exemplification essay. The organization and development show the characteristics of an exemplification essay. Before you begin to write the essay, take note of all the key words in the title. Try to understand what the title wants you to do. The content of your essay should relate as closely as possible to the essay title. The title here has three components, that is, improving, my and English. Thus, the focus on the essay should be on these three components; Improvement= betterment or moving from one level to a higher level. My specifically refers to your attempts to improve your English. English= you should talk primarily about English and not the other languages, unless you can connect it with the English language. (Note: The numbers in the essay denote the sentence numbers which will be used to identify the parts of the essay.) The essay starts with an introduction that gives a background to the main issue in the essay. The issue is about improving the writers English. The writer wants to be able to understand English better, as well as write and speak more effectively. This attempt is an on going process. Words such as communication, write, read and speak give an indicator to the readers that these will be the key issues that will be discussed subsequently. The thesis statement is written in sentence (5). It informs the reader that these will be the three main points that will be discussed in each of the three paragraphs. The second, third and fourth paragraphs belong to the body of the essay. Each paragraph shares the same pattern. The first sentence in each paragraph is the topic sentence (lines 6, 14 and 22). The topic sentence is followed by supporting details that elaborate the topic sentences. The last sentence in each of the paragraphs (paragraphs 2, 3 and 4) is the concluding statement. The last paragraph of this essay is the concluding paragraph. It paraphrases and summarizes the essay as a whole. The conclusion restates the ways in which the writer feels helps him to improve his English. In a nutshell, the approach the writer takes is given in line (30).The concluding sentence (line 31) restates the thesis statement in the first paragraph.

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4.4

WRITING SAMPLE OF EXEMPLIFICATION ESSAY

Below is another example of an exemplification essay. Title: The Benefits of Learning English (1). English has developed into a modern language which is spoken widely throughout the world (2) Most native speakers of English come from Britain, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Many developing countries are investing money for their students to learn English. (3) There are three major benefits for learning English. (4) English is important for communication purposes, to gain knowledge and to develop ones career. (5) Firstly, English is the chosen language of international communication. (6) English has official or special status in at least seventy five countries with a total population of over two billion. (7) Speakers of English as a second language probably outnumber those who speak it as a first language. (8) It is believed that one out of four of the world's population speaks English while the demand from the other three-quarters is increasing. (9) English is used by a large number of speakers worldwide and plays an important role in international communication. (10) Secondly, English is important to access knowledge. Many books and research articles are printed in English. (11) English is the main language of books, newspapers, airports and air-traffic control, international business and academic conferences, science, technology, diplomacy, sport, international competitions, and advertising. (12) Most scientists have to master English because they have to read as well as publish scientific articles in English. (13) Furthermore, most of the world's electronically stored information is in English. (14) A knowledge of English helps to access much information available in the printed and electronic forms. (15) Thirdly, English language proficiency is an additional advantage that helps you to develop your career. (16) There are many professional jobs that require a good level in English. (17) For example, a good command of English is an additional advantage when you work in a multi national company. (18) Business and commerce are increasingly driven by international trade and if you are going to grow in your job you need to be able to follow this trend. (19) In addition, technical skills are essential in modern industries and you need to be able to both read and write technical English if you want to maintain your technical competence. (20) Therefore, competence in English gives you an added advantage in fields that require English language proficiency.
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(21) In conclusion, the importance of English as an international language is consistently showing positive trends. (22) The number of learners of English is growing because it is a useful language to master. (23) Amongst others, it is beneficial to learn English because of its role as a lingua franca, to access knowledge and to develop ones career.
(Source: Retrieved from: http://www.my-english-teacher.com. The benefits of learning English.)

Points to consider: 1. 2. Understand the title of the essay and decide on the facts you know best that fit in into the title. This is a very wide topic and it would be helpful to focus on the points you are going to elaborate in the body (paragraphs 2, 3 and 4) of your essay. The thesis statement should accurately inform what will be discussed in the body of the essay. In this context, the reader will expect to see something on the reasons why it is beneficial to learn English. The thesis statement mentions this in line (4). Examples are the most important in the exemplary essays. The examples can be brief examples that are concrete and straightforward. Several brief examples can be given for the topic sentence in one paragraph. Examples would be sentences (5), (6) and (7). Extended examples, as the name suggests, go into greater detail. Extended examples are used to express complex ideas to elaborate on a point. For example, line (19) can be expanded to include additional details related to technical competence and reference materials on the latest technological updates in English. Some magazines and journals on technical expertise in English can be cited as examples. Provide sufficient examples to put your point across. For example, in the fourth paragraph, examples are provided in sentences 15, 16, 17 and 18 to support the statement that English language proficiency is an additional advantage that helps you to develop your career (14). The conclusion restates briefly the main points that have been discussed in the essay. The concluding sentence, that is, sentence (23) appears as the last sentence in the essay. It is a restatement of the thesis statement. The writer also indicates that there are other benefits in learning English through the words amongst others in sentence (24).
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3.

4.

5.

6.

Linkers and transitional words are important so that the paragraphs are connected. It can be seen that the first four paragraphs are linked through the use of the words Firstly (Line 5), Secondly (Line 10) and Thirdly (Line 15). The link is as follows. Firstly (Line 5) links the first paragraph with the second paragraph. Secondly (Line 10) links the second paragraph with the third paragraph. Thirdly (Line 15) links the third paragraph with the fourth paragraph. Practice 1

For each of the topic sentences below, write at least three supporting details. The supporting details can be specific instances, detailed descriptions or any examples that give relevant details about the topic sentence. Topic sentence 1: The first day at college was frustrating Supporting details: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Topic sentence 2 My grandmother is a very loving person Supporting details: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________

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Topic sentence 3: My classmates are not interested in group discussions. Supporting details: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Now check your answers.

Practice 2 Provide three topic sentences for each of the exemplary essay titles below. Title 1: Problems with my neighbors Topic sentence 1: ________________________________________________________ Topic sentence 2: ________________________________________________________ Topic sentence 3: ________________________________________________________ Title 2: The uses of the internet Topic sentence 1: ________________________________________________________

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Topic sentence 2: ________________________________________________________ Topic sentence 3: ________________________________________________________ Title 3: The benefits of travelling overseas Topic sentence 1: ________________________________________________________ Topic sentence 2: ________________________________________________________ Topic sentence 3: ________________________________________________________ Now check your answers.

Practice 3 Write an essay of approximately 350 words on any of the topics below. 1. Tips Think about the reasons who the role model is and why the person is a good role model for learning English. The person could be anyone in your family such as your mother or father. It could be someone older such as a grandparent or someone younger such as your brother or sister. You could develop on the following points: a. Reads the English dailies regularly. b. Often read books or magazines and looks up the meanings of words. c. Speaks in English regularly. For example, speaks English through the mobile phone or in casual conversation. d. Writes in English regularly. For example, sends email messages in English, or write memos in English. In conclusion, you could restate the three points that you have discussed in the body of the essay. There are many ways to make a final statement.
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A good role model for language learning in my family

You could say that you wish to emulate your role model for improving your English. 2. Points Introduction Introduce the odd character In the thesis statement, talk about the things that are odd about the character. This might include things like dressing, speaking style, hair style, walking, studying habits or any other peculiar mannerisms. Body You could expand on any three points such as dressing, speaking style, and studying habits. Each of these three points need to be expanded. For example, if you are talking about dressing, you could talk about the color combinations in his dress. He might choose odd color combinations such as pink trousers and green shirts or yellow trousers and pink shirts. You could also talk about other oddities like wearing thick clothes even though the weather is very hot. Draw attention to the fact that the person does things that is generally considered odd by most people. Conclusion You can restate about the main things that make this character odd. You could add something about how much this person draws attention to himself. 3. A book that I enjoyed reading An odd character in my college

You may begin by recalling some interesting book that you have read before. It would be helpful is you can remember some of the main points that you found interesting. You can select the three main points to write the three paragraphs in your essay. The important issue in this essay is to explain why you found the book interesting. List out the information into three subheadings, which will be the topic sentence for each paragraph. These topic sentences should be related to the main thesis statement.
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Body paragraph The topic sentences for the three paragraphs could be as follows. 1. I was able to relate to the hero in the story 2. The story line was simple but interesting 3. There were many exciting/humorous/thrilling events in the story. 4. Tips: This would be very similar to the topic about A book that I enjoyed reading. Many of the ideas used for the topic about the book can be used for the movie. However, it would be useful to keep in mind that the book relates closely to a reading experience. The movie, on the other hand is more of an audio visual experience 4.5 4.5.1 GRAMMAR- RUN-ON SENTENCE AND SENTENCE FRAGMENT Definition and Examples A movie that I enjoyed watching

Fragments and run-on sentences are grammatically incorrect. They can convey some meaning but the sentence needs to be rewritten in the correct form. Let us begin with fragments before we focus on run-on sentences. The basic rule in constructing sentences in English is that every sentence must have a subject and a verb. The ideas expressed in the sentence must be complete. The sentence is considered a fragment when the subject or the verb is missing. This is because the sentence is incomplete. Incorrect Correct

1. I want to learn English. is an I want to learn English. It is an important language. important language. (subject is missing) 2. He active in class. (verb is missing) He is active in class.

On the other hand, run-on sentences are two sentences that run together with a punctuation error between them. The major error in the run-on sentence is the incorrect use of punctuation.
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Incorrect I wrote an essay everyone praised it. (No punctuation between two sentences) I told a ghost story, they were scared. (connecting word after coma is missing). 4.5.2 A. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. B. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Identification Exercises

Correct I wrote an English essay. Everyone praised it I told a ghost story, and they were scared. (connecting word added)

Identify whether the following are complete sentences (CS) or fragments (F). Some languages are very difficult to learn. I plenty of dictionaries at home. I enjoy studying in Universiti Utara Malaysia. Is a beautiful campus. They are going to the bank to withdraw money. He a good badminton player. The principal kind towards her students. He enjoys talking about himself. Identify whether the following are complete sentences or run-on sentences. I was having my dinner, I was watching television (RO) There are several people living in that area, and all of them are friendly. (CS) My brother wants to buy a cat, he wants to bathe it everyday.(RO) I usually skipped lunch before, now I have heavy meals regularly.(RO) I like to go to go window shopping, but I do not have the time. (CS) They were joking, and we joined in the fun. (CS) There is a tiger in that jungle, people are scared to go jungle trekking there. (RO)

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4.5.3

Grammar Exercises Practice 4

Correct the following fragments by rewriting them on the blanks below. No. 0 has been done for you. 0. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Goes to the supermarket during the weekends. My friend goes to the supermarket during the weekends There several men who were injured during the commotion. ____________________________________________________ Fried chicken my favourite dish. ____________________________________________________ All the vegetables fresh. ____________________________________________________ Wastes a lot of time talking nonsense. ____________________________________________________ Is very cold during winter in London. ____________________________________________________ Now check your answers.

Practice 5 Correct the following run-on sentences by rewriting them on the blanks below. 0. 1. 2. I received an expensive gift it was from my best friend. I received an expensive gift. It was from my best friend. He danced continuously for two hours he was very tired. __________________________________________________ I am a student, I spend most of time in the library. __________________________________________________
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3.

Many of the workers were scolded by the boss, they were not angry. __________________________________________________ I walk 10 kilometers to the campus everyday, I feel it is good exercise. __________________________________________________ I think he is rich not happy. __________________________________________________ Now check your answers.

4.

5.

Practice 6 Correct the five fragments and three run-on sentences in the following paragraph. My friend, Ahmad, is a very jovial person. He has many friends, they enjoy his company. He gets up early everyday wakes up his friends. Always tries to cheer them up with his smile. Liked him very much because of his jokes. He always early for English language classes. He enjoys asking questions not answering questions. In class, is the first one to volunteer when the lecturer asks questions. Although he is popular with most of the students, some students are not amused with his behaviour. Shouted at Ahmad one day when Ahmad happened to be particularly noisy. Noun clauses (Practice 5) Fill in the blanks with suitable noun clauses. Your answer must include the word given in brackets. 0. 1. 2. The college master announced that he would travel to Kuala Lumpur soon. (travel) Please teach me _________________________________ (use). The international students realized ___________________. (pay)

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3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

The accusation _________________________________ has not been proven.(stole) _________________________________ is not acceptable to the local community. (did) Please remind the tennis players ___________________.(bring) The tourist wanted to see _________________________. (sold) The truth is ______________________________.(interested) This is _________________________________.(imposed)

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CHAPTER 5 CLASSIFICATION AND DIVISION

The topics covered in this unit are: 1. Definition and Characteristics. 2. Model of Classification and Division Essay. 3. Process of Writing a Classification Essay. LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this unit, you will be able to: 1. Recognise a Classification and Division essay. 2. Identify the parts of a Classification and Division essay. 3. Write a Classification and Division essay. 5.1 DEFINITION AND CHARACTERISTICS

People spend a great deal of time reshuffling equipments, tool, necessities, food and other things related to their life by sorting them in one way or another. For example, to decide on ones favourite music, music is separated into classical and modern. Classical music is then further classified into those of the European music and non-European music. Even foods are classified into a few categories. Some people divide food into its geographical settings such as Western food, MiddleEastern food and Southern food. Some would divide food based on its taste like sweet, bitter and sour. Classify means the act of dividing or sorting out objects, people or ideas into groups or categories. Division, in addition, refers the process of separating objects, people or ideas into smaller groups and part. Classification and division occur every day and everywhere around you. As a student, you may be classified as freshman, sophomore, junior or senior. As computer users, you may be classified into website users, academic users or entertainment users. Computer itself can be classified into laptop and desktop. As internet users, you might want to classify websites into social network and blog and so on. As someone who is exposed to modern technology, you might organize technology into nano technology and solar technology. Thus, the classification and division essay requires the writer to organized, categorize, classify and divide- sorting out a topic given into smaller categories or group.
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5.1.1

Principle of Classification

The most vital characteristic of classifying is the principle of classification. While the principle of classification requires separating one thing into smaller parts, classification systematically groups a number of things into categories to make the information easier to grasps. It is indeed very important to ensure that people, objects or ideas are categorized according to a principle. Use only one principle at a time. For example, consider the topic technology. In writing a classification essay on the title Technology, you have to state the subject you are describing (technology), the classification principle (may be modern technology) and the categories (solar technology, nano technology, nuclear technology). If you want to classify clothes, you may want to sort them into blue, red and green. Your principle of classification is colour. But if you sort them into S,M and L, your principle of classification is then size. It is very important to note that, you should use only one classification principle at a time. Practice 1 Determining the Principle of Classification To determine the classification principle, it is important that it is understood, not stated. In the Thesis Statements given, identify the classification of each by underlining it. 1. 2. 3. 4. Nano technology, solar technology, and nuclear technology can be categorized as modern technologies. Social networking websites such as Facebook, MySpace and Friendster cater for friendship seekers. Mobile phones can be divided into basic phones, feature phones and smartphones. Three types of social networking users are game-addicts, friendseekers and blog-mania. Now check your answers. 5.2 MODEL ESSAY

TYPES OF FACEBOOK USERS

Facebook has been a hit to social networking websites users regardless their age, race, geographical setting and so forth. The mushrooming existence of other social networking websites has never
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been able to compete facebook. Facebook users has always logged on to the website at any time for many purposes. Some play games while some others chat with their friends. Facebook can be a medium to connect you with your friends when you have problems, play games and answer exciting quizzes when you need entertainment or even express your opinion over something when you want to broadcast your ideas. Basically, facebook users can be categorized into three group; i.e. the friend seekers, the game addicts and the blog mania. The first category of facebook users is the friend seekers. Friend seekers are new friends initiators, old friends finders and on hand friends abettors. They are those who like to make new friends, get connected with their friends or even search for long lost friends. New friends initiators log in on the social network websites just to type a name and search for an unknown name and request to become a friend. Old friends finders are those who would search for their childhood or primary school friends to get to know about their present life. On hands friends abettors, on the other hand, try all their best to keep in touch with their friends as regularly as possible. Friend seekers make new friends, search for their old friends and get the updated news about their existing friends. All they want to know is everything that matters with friendship. These types of users, who cherish friendship, are online for hours just for the sake of their friends. The next category is the game addicts. Game addicts can be categorized into player, challenger and designer. Facebook features many entertaining games and quizzes. Farmville, for example, requires its player to plough, harvest and get rewarded. The first type of game addict- the players are usually addicted to this game making it hard for them to do other thing than playing this game. These players log in to the facebook, burning the midnight oil just to play Farmville. Other than player, game addicts could also be a challenger. Challengers invite their friends to play games on facebook and compete with them. Another type of this game addict is the designer. They are those who, not only play games, they also create their own games. These users are usually the hard-core addicts who have played all games and answered all quizzes and tired of them all. Therefore, they come up with their own new games or quizzes and invite their friends to join. The final category of facebook users are the blog-mania. Blog mania can be classified as political columnist, feeling-sharing loner and facebook promoter. Blog, which is another feature of facebook, allows its writer to share their, political views, feelings opinions or even products to be broadcasted online and commented by other users. Political columnists use facebook to express their political views. During elections, for examples, these blog users will campaign for whom they support on their
53

page in facebook. Other than those who use facebook for their political mileage, there are bloggers who use internet just to express their feeling. This type of bloggers is known as feeling-sharing loner. They log in to the site just for the sake of writing their feeling on the blog. Some of them update their blog as much as three times a day, and get many comments from the other friends This type of users share almost everything that happen in their life online so that others could share the information with them. Other than that, business can also be promoted through facebook. Bloggers who use facebook to promote their product can be categorized as facebook promoter. They promote their products like hairclips as in babypinkcraft.blogspot.com, cakes and pastries at cakensuch.blogspot.com and etc. They spend most of their time updating the latest news about their business, respond to their customers questions or purchases on facebook. In a nutshell, various types of people use the social networking website, facebook. Some seek for friends; some entertain themselves while some broadcast their ideas or opinions. For whatever reasons they use facebook, friend seekers, game addicts and blog mania have their very own reasons to do so. 5.2.1 Analyzing the Model Essay Facebook has been a hit to social networking websites users regardless their age, race, geographical setting and so forth. The mushrooming existence of other social networking websites has never been able to compete facebook. Facebook users has always logged on to the website at any time for many purposes. Some play games while some others chat with their friends. Facebook can be a medium to connect you with your friends when you have problems, play games and answer exciting quizzes when you need entertainment or even express your opinion over something when you want to broadcast your ideas.

I Introduction

THESIS STATEMENT Topic:Facebook user Category: 1.friends seekers 2.game addicts 3.blog mania

Basically, facebook users can be categorized into three group; i.e. the friend seekers, the game addicts and the blog mania.
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The first category of facebook users is the friend seekers.

II Body Paragraph I

Friend seekers are new friends initiators, old friends finders and on Category 1: hand friends abettors. They are those Friend seekers new friends who like to make new friends, get initiators connected with their friends or even old friends search for long lost friends. New finders friends initiators log in on the social on hand network websites just to type a name friends abettors and search for an unknown name and request to become a friend. Old friends finders are those who would search for their childhood or primary school friends to get to know about their present life. On hands friends abettors, on the other hand, try all their best to keep in touch with their friends as regularly as possible. Friend seekers make new friends, search for their old friends and get the updated news about their existing friends. All they want to know is everything that matters with friendship. These types of users, who cherish friendship, are online for hours just for the sake of their friends.

The next category is the game addicts. Game addicts can be

III Body Paragraph II

categorized into player, challenger and designer. Facebook features many entertaining games and quizzes. Farmville, for example, requires its player to plough, harvest and get rewarded. The first type of game addict- the players are usually addicted to this game making it hard for them to Category 2: do other thing than playing this game. Game addicts These players log in to the facebook, player burning the midnight oil just to play challenger Farmville. Other than player, game designer addicts could also be a challenger. Challengers invite their friends to play games on facebook and compete with them. Another type of this game
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addict is the designer. They are those who, not only play games, they also create their own games. These users are usually the hard-core addicts who have played all games and answered all quizzes and tired of them all. Therefore, they come up with their own new games or quizzes and invite their friends to join.

The final category of facebook users are the blog-mania. Blog mania can

IV BodyParagraph III

be classified as political columnist, feeling-sharing loner and facebook promoter. Blog, which is another feature of facebook, allows its writer to share their, political views, feelings opinions or even products to be broadcasted online and commented by other users. Political columnists use facebook to express their political Category 3: views. During elections, for examples, Blog mania these blog users will campaign for political columnist whom they support on their page in feelingfacebook. Other than those who use sharing facebook for their political mileage, loner there are bloggers who use internet just facebook promoter to express their feeling. This type of bloggers is known as feeling-sharing loner. They log in to the site just for the sake of writing their feeling on the blog. Some of them update their blog as much as three times a day, and get many comments from the other friends This type of users share almost everything that happen in their life online so that others could share the information with them. Other than that, business can also be promoted through facebook. Bloggers who use facebook to promote their product can be categorized as facebook promoter. They promote their products like hairclips as in babypinkcraft. blogspot.com, cakes and pastries at
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cakensuch.blogspot.com and etc. They spend most of their time updating the latest news about their business, respond to their customers questions or purchases on facebook. In a nutshell, various types of people use the social networking website, facebook. Some seek for friends; some entertain themselves while some broadcast their ideas or opinions. For whatever reasons they use facebook, friend seekers, game addicts and blog mania have their very own reasons to do so.

V Conclusion

5.3

PROCESS OF WRITING A CLASSIFICATION ESSAY

A classification esay is easy to develop. One body paragraph describes one category. There are three principal features of a classification paragraph. (i) Efficient organization into categories (ii) Adherence to classification principle (iii) Provision for sufficient number of supporting examples for every category. Below are 10 steps as your guide to write a good classification essay. STEPS OF WRITING CLASSIFICATION AND DIVISION ESSAY

Step 1
First, choose a topic. The, carefully consider about what you want to discuss in your classification and division essay. The topic should be something that you are familiar with and understand clearly so that it is easier for you to write.

Step 2
After that, find out your purpose. Think of the reasons why do you want to organize this group of items? Having a clear purpose is very helpful in helping you developing your thesis statement.

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Step 3
Then, you should to consider the reader or the audience. It is very important to understand your audience so that you know how to clarify the information to them.

Step 4
Develop a thesis statement. In only one meaningful sentence, the thesis should clearly state your point in writing the essay and identify what the essay will be about. Always remember that the thesis is the summary of you essay that is very important in guiding you to write the rest of your essay.

Step 5
Write an introduction that clearly tells the reader what to look ahead to and maintains the thesis.

Step 6
Make a decision on a way of setting up categories and grouping your information. This is known as the Principle of Classification. You have to make sure that your categories are consistent, exclusive (meaning that categories do not overlap) and complete.

Step 7
You must also organize your information logically, chronologically or emphatically. for instance; from least important to most important,.

Step 8
Topic sentences help to introduce each category to the readers. Use topic sentences in each body paragraph that relate directly to the thesis.

Step 9
Check that the body fully supports the thesis. Do not include any information that does not directly support the thesis.

Step 10
Take in only details and examples that explain each category.
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5.4 5.4.1

WRITING ACTIVITIES Graphic Organiser

One way to categories this topic is by putting into charts. The following chart shows how the topic as discussed above are categorized.
FACEBOOK USERS FRIEND SEEKER new friends initiator old friends finder on hand friends abettor GAME ADDICT player challenger designer BLOG MANIA Political columnist feeling-sharing loner facebook promoter

Practice 2

Look at the topics given and sort them into three different categories. Put your ideas into a chart. 1. Mobile Phones 2. Video games 3. Students 4. Facilities in your university Now check your answers.

Practice 3

Writing Classification Thesis Statements Below are a few samples on how to write a classification thesis statement:
1. 2. 3. Facebook users can be categorized into three groups; i.e. friend seekers, game addicts and blog mania. Friend seekers, game addicts and blog mania are three types of face book users. The three types of facebook users are friend seekers, game addicts and blog mania.
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Write the Thesis Statement for the charts that you have prepared in Practice B. 0.

Basically, facebook users can be categorized into three group; i.e. the friend seekers, the game addicts and the blog mania.

1. Mobile Phones ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 2. Video games ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 3. Students ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 4. Facilities in your university ________________________________________________________ Now check your answers.

Practice 4 Read the text below and answer the questions that follow. The field of modern biotechnology is thought to have largely begun on June 16, 1980, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that a genetically-modified microorganism could be patented in the case of Diamond v. Chakrabarty. Indian-born Ananda Chakrabarty, working
60

for General Electric, had developed a bacterium derived from the Pseudomonas genus capable of breaking down crude oil, which he proposed to use in treating oil spills. The development of biotechnology continues very rapidly after that. Now, biotechnology is also used to recycle, treat waste, clean up sites contaminated by industrial activities, and also to produce biological weapons. Biotechnology has become a part of our lives. It is being used in many areas be in medicine, agricultural and others. A series of derived terms have been coined to identify several branches of biotechnology, for example; bioinformatics, green biotechnology and white biotechnology. The first category of biotechnology is bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field which addresses biological problems using computational techniques, and makes the rapid organization and analysis of biological data possible. The field may also be referred to as computational biology, and can be defined as, "conceptualizing biology in terms of molecules and then applying informatics techniques to understand and organize the information associated with these molecules, on a large scale." Bioinformatics plays a key role in various areas, such as functional genomics, structural genomics, and proteomics, and forms a key component in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector. Other than that, green technology can also be grouped under biotechnology. Green biotechnology is biotechnology applied to agricultural processes. An example would be the selection and domestication of plants via micropropagation. Another example is the designing of transgenic plants to grow under specific environmental in the presence or absence of chemicals. One hope is that green biotechnology might produce more environmentally friendly solutions than traditional industrial agriculture. An example of this is the engineering of a plant to express a pesticide, thereby ending the need of external application of pesticides. An example of this would be corn. Whether or not green biotechnology products such as this are ultimately more environmentally friendly is a topic of considerable debate. The last type of biotechnology is white biotechnology. Also known as industrial biotechnology, white technology can be referred to the one that is applied to industrial processes. An example is the designing of an organism to produce a useful chemical. Another example is the using of enzymes as industrial catalysts to either produce valuable chemicals or destroy hazardous and polluting chemicals. White biotechnology tends to consume less in resources than traditional processes used to produce industrial goods. In conclusion, biotechnology can be classified into different categories based on their very own characteristics. Bioinformatics deal
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with computational biology, green technology deals with agricultural processes while white technology refers to industrial technology. All these disciplines contributes to the technology development of our would. 1. 2. 3. 4. What is the topic of this essay? __________________________________________________ What is the classification principle of this essay? __________________________________________________ Is the classification principle clearly stated? __________________________________________________ How many types of biotechnology are mentioned by the author? What are they? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Which sentence in the first paragraph shows the thesis statement of the essay? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ How many topic sentences are there in the essay? __________________________________________________ State ALL the topic sentences that you can find from the essay. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Does the author conclude his essay effectively? Why? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Now check your answers.

5.

6. 7.

8.

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Practice 5 Based on the notes given, write a classification essay in about 250 words. Use the notes given to help you. Ways of using networking websites (like MySpace or Facebook) (selfpromotion, connecting with friends, blogging) Self-promotion HOW? Reputation/image management Profile Connections Availability of profile via search Network design encouraging frequent updates Connecting with friends HOW? Formation of new relationships Maintenance and reinforcement of existing relationships, particularly those hindered by geographical or time constraints Conduct of asynchronous conversations Common interests Blogging HOW? Measurement and/or development of social/political/professional/business goals Broadcasting talent Creating resources support for specific

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CHAPTER 6 COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

The topics covered in this chapter are: 1. Approach in Comparison and Contrast Essay. 2. Process of Writing a Comparison and Contrast Essay. 3. Writing Activities for Comparison and Contrast Essay.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Recognise a comparison and contrast essay. 2. Know the characteristics and organization of a comparison and contrast essay. 3. Write a comparison and contrast essay. 6.1 SAMPLE ESSAY OF POINT-TO-POINT APPROACH IN COMPARISON AND CONTRAST ESSAY

Title: Compare and contrast Malaysia and Singapore Malaysia and Singapore are two neighboring countries which belong to the same geographical grouping, that is, ASEAN. ASEAN is the abbreviation for Association of South East Nations. Although these two countries share several similarities, they are also different in many aspects. A comparison between the two countries based on language, geography and political system make these similarities and differences evident. From a geographical perspective, both the countries are neighbors and located in South East Asia. Both share a tropical climate. However, they differ greatly in terms of physical geography. Malaysia covers a large land mass area of approximately 330,000 square kilometers. In addition, a sizeable proportion of the country consists of mountain ranges. The highest peak in Malaysia is at Mount Kinabalu, which is approximately 4,100 meters above sea level. In comparison, Singapore is a small island which covers a land area of about 330,000 square kilometers. Unlike

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Malaysia, it is mostly lowlands and the highest point is approximately 166 meters in Bukit Timah In a nutshell, it can be said that Malaysia is larger and has more highlands than Singapore. Next, a comparison between Malaysia and Singapore shows that both are multi lingual. Several languages are spoken and used in both the countries. Although Malay is the national language in both the countries, the official languages are different. Malay is the official language in Malaysia whereas Singapore recognizes Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil as official languages. The dominant languages are also different in both these countries. In Malaysia, the dominant language is Malay, but in Singapore, the dominant language is either Mandarin or English. So, although Malaysia and Singapore are multilingual, the official and dominant languages are different. Finally, the political systems in both the countries share some similarities, but are not entirely the same. Malaysia and Singapore are both democracies. Elected representatives are voted into parliament in a period not exceeding 5 years. The people have a right to vote. However, Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, whereas Singapore is a republic. Malaysia has nine sultans and a King is chosen from among these nine sultans. The position of the King is rotated between the nine sultans. In contrast, Singapore does not have a king, However, unlike Malaysia, Singapore has a president. So, although Malaysia and Singapore are democracies, their political systems are quite different. In conclusion, a comparison between Malaysia and Singapore shows that the two neighboring states have several similarities and differences. The comparison here has been limited to geography, language and politics. In all these areas, it has been shown that they have some shared characteristics but several major differences. 6.2 Tip 1 There are several ways of making comparisons between Malaysia and Singapore. For example, the emphasis could be on the similarities or the differences. In this essay, the similarities and differences are given. Tip 2 The comparison and contrast between Malaysia and Singapore in this essay is based on a point-by-point approach, In other words, the comparison between Malaysia and Singapore is given in each of the
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TIPS ON WRITING CONTRAST ESSAY

THE

COMPARISON

AND

paragraphs in the body of the essay. For example, in paragraph 2, the comparison is based o a geographical perspective. Initially, the similarities are stated. Both countries are neighbours and located in South East Asia. However, this is followed by the differences in physical geography. For example, Malaysia is bigger than Singapore. Tip 3 Paragraphs 3 and 4 adopt the sake format. The paragraphs begin with the similarities between the two countries and progress into the differences. Tip 4 One way of starting the comparison between the two countries is to draw two columns. The similarities between Malaysia and Singapore can be listed first followed by the differences. This will also help you decide whether there are more similarities or differences between Malaysia and Singapore. Areas of comparison are many and might include government, culture, languages, physical geography, historical development, and economics. Tip 5 Once you have decided on the areas o compare and contrast, you can begin to plan the essay. Decide on the background information which you wish to include in the introduction. The thesis statement should make it clear the areas you wish to compare and contrast in the body of the essay. Tip 6 When you come to the body of the paragraph, give sufficient examples. The impact of the essay will depend on specific examples. Keep referring to the thesis statement so that the comparisons do not move away from the original purpose of the essay. Tip 7 The conclusion should indicate that there are similarities and differences between the two countries. It is possible to focus more on the differences rather than the similarities, or vice-versa. This depends on you, and it would be good if you indicate this right from the beginning.

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6.3

WRITING ACTIVITIES FOR COMPARISON AND CONTRAST ESSAYS Practice 1

Read the following essay written by a student. Two parts of the essay are missing, that is, the title and the conclusion. Answer the questions that follow this comparison and contrast essay. Title: ______________________________________________ All countries are unique. When most people think of Haiti, they think of the poorest country in the western hemisphere. However, not all of the islands in the Caribbean are as poor as Haiti. While it does resemble several countries in the Caribbean Sea, there are countries which differ from Haiti. In fact, this paper will focus on Haiti and the Bahamas in view of their economy, education, and weather. The first difference between Haiti and the Bahamas can be traced through their economy. As an example, the Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. It is organized primarily on a capital model, with some government regulation in many industries. One the other hand, Haitis economy is not good. In fact, Haitis average annual income is one of the lowest in the western hemisphere. Moreover, vast disparities exist between the incomes of rich and poor countries. 85% of the people live below the absolute poverty line. As you can see, there are stark differences between the economies of Haiti and the Bahamas. Another difference between Haiti and the Bahamas is their education systems. To illustrate, in the Bahamas, they have a higher education level because they are constantly building universities and colleges. On the other hand, in Haiti there are many people who dont have any possibility about going to school because due to lack of money. The situation is very bad. Also, in Haiti more than 50% people who live there dont know how to read and write. Haiti and the Bahamas also share some great similarities. Indeed, their climate is just about the same. As an example, the climate in Haiti is tropical for the most part and semiarid where the mountain in the east cut off incoming trade winds. The terrain is fair in most part with extensive mountainous formations. Likewise, in the Bahamas, the weather is hot and humid. During the summer the temperature reaches almost 100 degrees. Another similarity is their ethnical background. Both countries have a high percentage of blacks. Altogether, Haiti and Bahamas bear some great similarities.
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Conclusion: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________

(Source: Retrieved from: http://faculty.mdc.edu. Comparison contrast essay 2.)

Answer the following questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Provide a title for this essay. How many differences are given by the writer? What are the similarities between the two countries? What is the problem with including ethnic background in the fourth paragraph of the essay? Write the concluding paragraph for this essay. Now check your answers.

Practice 2 Fill in the blanks with the words/combination of words given in italics below. 1. Although both of these countries 2. there are some noticeable differences 3. quite different 4. than 5. distinctions between the two countries are less 6. area of greatest similarity between 7. other aspects do not 8. The increasing contrast 9. While both countries have an 10. Whereas 11. they are also very distinct 12. in contrast 13. different from 14. major difference 15. One difference Title: Compare and contrast Australia and New Zealand Of all the countries in the Asia-Pacific region the two countries most culturally and historically (1) __________________all the others are Australia and New Zealand. (2) __________________share the same characteristics, particularly in the area of government, (3)
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__________________in terms of geography and people. These three areas will be looked at, along with economy, in this comparison of Australia and New Zealand. One area where (4) __________________between Australia and New Zealand is related to the people. Although Australia has over five times more people than New Zealand, New Zealand is more densely populated. (5) __________________identical proportion of people living in urban areas, Australias biggest city, Sydney with 3.5 million people, is more than ten times bigger than New Zealands, Auckland which has 320,000 people. Despite both countries having English as the main language, the ethnic mix of each is (6) __________________. In New Zealand the people of European origin, 88%, are mostly from England or Scotland, on the other hand in Australia the Caucasian population, 95%, is made up of people from a variety of areas: Britain, Ireland, Italy, Greece, the Middle East, and Northern and Eastern Europe. With 9% of the population, New Zealands indigenous people, the Maori, make up a greater proportion of the general population (7) __________________ aborigines do in Australia, 1%. Australians of Asian origin make up 4% of the population. Figures for New Zealands Asian population are not available. Another area of (8) __________________between the two countries is geography. Most significantly, Australias 7,682,450 square kilometers is far greater than New Zealands 270,535. (9) Whereas Australia is only mountainous along the east coast, New Zealand is generally mountainous or hilly, but with some fertile volcanic plains. Australia, (10) __________________, mostly consists of arid desert. While New Zealand has a temperate climate, Australia has a variety of climates: temperate, tropical, Mediterranean and desert. In the area of economy the (11) __________________obvious. Both countries depend on the export of primary goods. However, New Zealand is mainly confined to agricultural goods (wool, lamb and dairy products)in this area. Australias major exports, in contrast, consist of mining production (iron, coal, uranium, bauxite) and technology (telecommunications), as well as agricultural goods (wheat, wool and beef). More than twice the proportion of New Zealands population is employed in agriculture than is Australias, 13% to 6%, but Australia has 80% more of its workforce employed in manufacturing. At $293.5 billion, Australias Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was about six times larger than New Zealands $49.8 billion in 1992. The (12) __________________the two countries is government. Both countries share the same head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, and both are parliamentary democracies with a prime minister as head of government.
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(13) __________________, however, is that Australia has a federal system, and New Zealand does not. In conclusion, while many aspects of Australia and New Zealand coincide, especially in the area of government and to a lesser extent in the economy, (14) __________________, particularly in the areas of people and geography. The one area where the contrast between the two countries has become greatest over the past fifty years is people; immigration to Australia by non-British people has caused a divergence between the cultures of the two countries. New Zealand is basically monocultural and Australia, multicultural. (15) _____________between the two countries has helped generate greater interest between the two countries and, so, thriving tourist markets.
(Source: Retrieved from: http://www.admc.hct.ac.ae/hd1/english/ compare/austnzc ompcontrast.htm. Compare and contrast Australia and New Zealand.)

Now check your answers.

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CHAPTER 7 CAUSE AND EFFECT

The topics covered in this chapter are: 1. Definition and Characteristics. 2. Sample of Cause and Effect Essay and Identification of Parts. 3. Writing a Cause and Effect Essay: the process. 4. Writing activities for Cause and Effect Essays. 5. Grammar Relative Clauses.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Define and identify elements of a cause and effect essay. 2. Analyse characteristics of a cause and effect essay. 3. Write a cause and effect essay. 4. Use relative clauses accurately in a cause and effect essay. 7.1 7.1.1 DEFINITION AND CHARACTERISTICS What Is a Cause and Effect Essay?

Cause and effect essay is a common technique of arranging and discussing ideas. In this pattern of essay, a writer normally discusses the reason (cause) or reasons (causes) for something to happen, and later discusses the result (effect) or results (effects) of it. For example: Title: Traffic accidents in Malaysia In determining the cause, we need to ask, Why did the accident happen?. In determining the effect, we need to ask, What happened because of this accident?. There are many ways of writing the essay. * One cause can contribute to one effect

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For example: Cause - rapid growth in population Effect - increase in the number of vehicles owned * Many causes may contribute to a single effect For example: Causes increase of road network increase of vehicles specification increase of new vehicle

Effect * motorists exceeding speed limit

Single cause could contribute to many effects For example: Cause rapid growth in industrialisation

Effects 7.1.2 (a) high traffic volume increase in construction of new roads and highways increase in the number of registered vehicles

Organisation and Transitional Signals in Cause and Effect Essay Organising the essay

In writing this pattern of essay, there are at least two methods of organisation which a writer can follow. The first is called the block organisation, and the second is known as the chain organisation.
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In block organisation, writers usually discuss the cause or causes of a topic before continuing with the effects. In other words, the causes are blocked or separated from the effects. Writers are encouraged to provide supporting details for each of the cause or effect which is being discussed. The supporting details can be in the form of testimony, statistics or anecdotes. These supporting details help to justify the reasons for the issue to happen and the consequences of the issue. The pattern of this block organization can be seen in the following diagram: BLOCK ORGANISATION (1) Introduction Cause (1) Cause (2) Transition Effect (1) Conclusion In the above diagram, the causes of the topic were discussed separately from the effect. A transition which is in the form of a sentence or a paragraph can appear at the end of the cause paragraph with the aim of informing the reader about the end of the causal paragraph and the beginning of the effect paragraph. The above diagram indicates that there are at least two causes of the topic and one effect. In contrast, the diagram below has at least one cause but two effects. BLOCK ORGANISATION (2) Introduction Cause (1) Transition Effect (1) Effect (2) Conclusion
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Based on the topic, some essays will only discuss the causes of a topic as in the diagram below. BLOCK ORGANISATION (3) Introduction Cause (1) Cause (2) Cause (3) Conclusion Other topics however will only discuss the effects as shown in the diagram below. BLOCK ORGANISATION (4) Introduction Effect (1) Effect (2) Effect (3) Conclusion In chain organisation, writers usually follow the format of discussing both the cause and effect in the same paragraph. This is repeated in all the other paragraphs. The purpose of having the cause and effect together in the same paragraph is to ensure that readers will able to see the connection between the two more closely. In terms of how the ideas are arranged, writers can choose either to arrange them according to order of importance (i.e. the more important ones are mentioned first) or according to chronological order (i.e. by time).

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CHAIN ORGANISATION Introduction Cause and Effect (1) Cause and Effect (2) Cause and Effect (3) Conclusion 7.1.3 Transition Signal/Linking Words in Cause and Effect Essay

In this pattern of essay, writers usually use different kinds of transition signals to ensure that the ideas flow smoothly between one paragraph to another, between one sentence to another and between one idea to another. Furthermore, the use of transition words will allow readers to easily follow the ideas being discussed. There are several types of transition signals which a writer can use. They are as follows. Type of Transition Signals 1. To add or join ideas in a sentence Transition Signals moreover, in addition, furthermore also, too, as well (as) bothand, eitheror, neithernor firstly, secondly, lastly/finally first of all, second, then, next, finally although, though, even though, while, whereas in spite of, despite, however, on the one handon the other hand because, because of, since, as, due to, owing to

2.

To list ideas or arguments

3. To indicate contrasting ideas

4.

To introduce a cause or reason

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5. To indicate a result

therefore, as a result, for this reason, so

7.2

SAMPLE OF CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY AND IDENTIFICATION OF PARTS

Read the following passage and answer the questions. Practice 1 Road Accidents in Malaysia: Some Contributing Factors Malaysia aims to become a developed country by 2020. This aim is achievable due to its rapid development especially in its economic growth. With the current development in economy, the country continues to experience an increase in the population which has now stood to 27.7 million people (according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2009). The population expansion has eventually increased the number of people who owned vehicles, and at the same time has unfortunately experienced a permanent increase in the number of road accidents. There are at least three contributors for traffic accidents in this country and they are motorcyclists, vehicle occupants and alcohol use. The first cause of road accidents in Malaysia concerns the motorcyclists. It is recorded that the number of accidents between 1990 and 2007 involving motorcycles is the highest i.e. about 111,598 or 56% of the total number of road accidents in Malaysia in 2007 (Majlis Keselamatan Jalan Raya Malaysia, 2004-2008). In any road accidents involving motorcycles, the chances of motorcyclists and pillion riders of getting hurt like head injuries, are great. This could be avoided if the motorcyclists wear motorcycle helmets which are of certified quality such as helmets certified by SIRIM. In addition, motorcycle riders should also strap their helmets correctly to ensure that their heads are well protected in the event of a crash. Furthermore, the use of full face helmets could also avoid injuries to the face during accidents. Thus, it is important that motorcyclists follow all the safety guidelines for the purpose of protecting themselves from road accidents. The second cause of road accidents involves the vehicle occupants. This group consists of the drivers and the passengers. Between
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II

January and July 2008, the number of deaths involving car driver and passenger in Malaysia is 786. There are many reasons for the deaths among car drivers and passengers during accidents. One of them is because many drivers and passengers did not wear seat belts when they are in the car. Statistics have shown that seat belts could reduce the chance of injury if they are worn properly. Furthermore, air bags installed in a car could also save the lives of vehicle III occupants since they inflate automatically in the event of collision. Because of this, the Malaysian government has made it compulsory for new vehicles to be installed with this safety kit. Drunk driving or driving a car while the driver is drunk is the third cause of road accidents. When drivers have high blood alcohol content after taking alcoholic drinks, they normally are not capable of driving safely. The probability of drunk drivers involved in car accidents and injuring other road users is high. The Malaysian government considers drunk drivers as posing risks to other road users. Thus, the law in this country provides a stiff penalty i.e. IV serving a jail term, to those caught driving under the influence of alcohol. With this punishment and other stiffen and harsher sentences, road users will be deterred from repeating this behaviour and will help to protect the cost of someones life. In conclusion, the major contributors to road accidents in this country are the motorcyclists, vehicle occupants and drunk drivers. The government and non-governmental organizations have continuously organised many nationwide campaigns such as exhibitions and road shows to encourage road users to learn about road safety measures. Besides focusing on the adults, the campaign also aims at educating young road users i.e. school children and also their parents and teachers on road safety. By having such campaigns, it is hoped that the total number of deaths involving road users will be reduced each year.

Questions about Road Accidents in Malaysia 1. What is the thesis statement? __________________________________________________ 2. Which type of cause and effect organizational pattern does the write use? __________________________________________________
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3.

How many causes are discussed? __________________________________________________

4.

What is the topic sentence in paragraph 2? __________________________________________________

5.

State the kind of supporting details which the writer used in paragraph 2. __________________________________________________

6.

What is the topic sentence in paragraph 3? __________________________________________________

7.

Name the topic sentence in paragraph 4. __________________________________________________

8.

What are the transition signals used by the writer in discussing his/her ideas for each topic sentence? __________________________________________________ How did the writer conclude the essay? __________________________________________________

9.

10.

What was the final statement used by the writer in the concluding paragraph? __________________________________________________ Now check your answers.

7.3 7.3.1

WRITING A CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY: THE PROCESS The Introductory Paragraph

Assuming that you are given a topic that only discusses the effects, you can start writing the introduction by deciding on (i) the thesis statement,
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and (ii) the topic sentences. By having the above two important details, you can write the introductory paragraph. See the example below.

Example:
Topic Thesis Statement Topic Sentences Road Safety Campaign in Malaysia There are many effects of road safety campaign in Malaysia. 1. There have been less road accidents involving road users. 2. Improvements have been made on the road nationwide. 3. Safety measures have been made compulsory for vehicles before they are allowed to be driven on the public road. : :

Sample Introductory Paragraph

The Effects of Road Safety Campaign in Malaysia (General statement) Road accidents are slowly becoming a leading cause of death and disability among citizens in this country. The fatality rate due to road crashes and its impact on the economic toll have encouraged the government to introduce a road safety campaign. (Specific) This safety programme is aimed at reducing and preventing accidents nationwide. (More specific) To achieve this aim, an agency known as Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (MIROS) was set up. It generally carries out research and development on road safety. (Thesis statement) Some of the effects of road safety campaign which have been initiated by MIROS include the effect on road users, the effect on the roads nationwide, and the effect on vehicles. 7.3.2 The Body Paragraph

Next is to write the main body paragraph. We will use the above topic sentences to write the body paragraph. Since there are three topic sentences, each topic sentence will appear in three separate paragraphs. We also need to remember that each topic sentence needs to be supported by supporting details. These can be in the form of: (i) testimony/expert opinion, (ii) statistics, (iii) facts, or (iv) your own experience. See the example below.

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Example:
Topic Sentence 1 Supporting Details There have been less road accidents involving road users. (i) Motorcycle daytime head lights regulation was introduced. (ii) Helmet and seatbelts were made compulsory. (iii) Road Safety Education programme was also introduced.

Sample Body Paragraph 1

The first effect of road safety campaign involves the road users. In order to ensure that road accidents involving motorcyclists could be reduced, a motorcycle daytime head lights regulation (Radin Umar Radin Suhadi, 1998) was launched. This regulation will enable motorcyclists to be clearly visible by other road users. In addition, the usage of helmet is a mandatory in the Malaysian Law. As for the car owners and passengers, they are required to wear seat belts throughout the journey. If they failed to do so, they would be required to pay a compound of RM300. Furthermore, the government has also introduced a Road Safety Education programme in schools for the purpose of increasing the awareness of road safety for all primary school children, teachers and parents. By having all these campaigns, it is hoped that the number of casualties involving road users will be reduced. Topic Sentence 2 Supporting Details - Improvements have been made on the public road nationwide. (i) Motorcycle lanes were constructed. (ii) Hazardous roads were improved. (iii) Other preventive measures were also conducted.

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Sample Body Paragraph 2

The second effect of road safety campaign involves the construction and maintenance of the roads throughout the country. The three main agencies which are responsible for these activities: Highway Planning Unit, Malaysia Highway Authority and the Public Works Department (PWD). Under the road safety programme, PWD has constructed 15 motorcycle lanes in Peninsular Malaysia since 57% of road accident involves motorcyclists. In addition, the government has allocated RM78.2 million for the purpose of improving roads at locations which are considered hazardous or dangerous. In addition, other preventive measures taken include putting up new road signage, painting road line, and putting transverse bars and humps. With the improvement of the quality of the road, the government believes that there will be a drastic decrease of road accidents in this country. Topic Sentence 3 Supporting Details - Compulsory safety measures for vehicles have been introduced. - (i) PUSPAKOM is responsible for inspecting vehicles. (ii) SIRIM is responsible for ensuring safety requirements are complied. (iii) Both agencies will ensure vehicles are safe on the road.

Sample Body Paragraph 3

The third effect of road safety campaign involves the vehicles. The Malaysian government has given the responsibility to determine vehicle regulation to the Road Transport Department. One of the measures which is initiated by this department was to make it compulsory for all commercial vehicles to undergo a vehicle check for every six months. Thus, all these vehicles will be sent to a company called PUSPAKOM or a computerized vehicle test centre for inspection. Furthermore, another whollyowned company of the government i.e. Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia or SIRIM, has been given the task to ensure that safety requirements in new vehicles are complied for local cars as well as imported cars. With the above safety compliance on new and old cars, the government expects that only those vehicles which are considered safe could be allowed to be driven on the Malaysian roads.
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7.3.3

The Concluding Paragraph

Finally, we need to end the essay. In this paragraph, we should summarise the body paragraph and restate the thesis statement. Next, we could make a final comment before we end the essay

Sample Conclusion Paragraph

In conclusion, the road safety campaign initiated by the Malaysian government has brought many effects to the road users, the roads and the vehicles. By having various kinds of interventions in the form of integrated road safety programme involving different agencies and companies, the expectation for a reduction in future traffic accidents is high. More road safety programmes and measures will have to be planned, coordinated, implemented and evaluated in the future to ensure our road nationwide will be safe from accidents. 7.4 7.4.1 WRITING ACTIVITIES FOR CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAYS Writing a Thesis Statement and Topic Sentences Practice 2 Analyse the following essay titles and write a thesis statement for each of the title. Next, identify three topic sentences for each of the thesis statement. (i) Title: Discuss the reasons behind encouraging Malaysians to use public transport during festive seasons. Thesis Statement: ______________________________________ Cause 1: ____________________________________________ Cause 2: ____________________________________________ Cause 3: ____________________________________________

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(ii)

Title: Discuss the effects of checking the car condition prior to taking a long journey: Thesis Statement: ______________________________________ Effect 1: ___________________________________________ Effect 2: ___________________________________________ Effect 3: ___________________________________________

(iii)

Title: How could disciplined drivers reduce road accidents in Malaysia? Thesis Statement: ______________________________________ Effect 1: ____________________________________________ Effect 2: ____________________________________________ Effect 3: ____________________________________________

(iv)

Title: Explain the reasons for making drivers and passengers wear seat belts. Thesis Statement: ______________________________________ Cause 1: ____________________________________________ Cause 2: ____________________________________________ Cause 3: ____________________________________________

(v)

Title: What are the effects of drinking and driving? Thesis Statement: ______________________________________ Effect 1: ____________________________________________ Effect 2: ____________________________________________ Effect 3: ____________________________________________

Now check your answers.

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7.4.2

Writing a Cause and Effect Essay Practice 3

Choose any of the above title and write a five-paragraph essay. The length of the essay should be not more than 250 words. Write your essay in the space provided below. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
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________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
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________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 7.5 7.5.1 GRAMMAR RELATIVE CLAUSES Definition

Relative Clauses are used in essay writing with the purpose to provide additional or extra information about something in the same sentence. By using a Relative Clause, writers are able to join sentences and at the same time avoid repeating certain words. Relative clauses are formed by using Relative Pronouns. Relative Pronouns are words that are used to join two statements. These two statements are usually about the same person or thing. When we refer to people, we use the Relative Pronouns WHO, WHOSE and WHOM. We use WHICH and THAT to make statements about things.

For example:
The policeman knows the driver who drove recklessly on the highway yesterday. The motorist whose car was involved in the accident was injured and sent to the hospital.
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What happened to the child whom you knocked down by accident? The road that we usually use to return to our parents is slippery during rainy seasons. Relative Clause can be divided into two types: defining and non-defining. Defining or Restrictive Relative Clause is used to identify a noun. We do not separate the clause from the rest of the sentence by commas.

For example:
Police have caught the gang of thieves who have robbed several motorists along the highway. The car which was reported lost a week ago was found abandoned in a lonely street. Non-defining or non-restrictive relative clause is used to provide extra information about the noun. A comma is usually placed after the noun.

For example:
PUSPAKOM, which is responsible in inspecting all vehicles, has succeeded in ensuring only well-maintained vehicles are allowed to be driven on the public road. All driving schools, which provide training to new drivers, will be encouraged to include safety driving techniques in their syllabus. 7.5.2 Exercise on Relative Clause Practice 4

Read the following passage and underline all the relative clauses. Road Safety Campaigns to Reduce Deaths THE PENANG State Road Safety Department (JKJR) has lined up several educational programmes aimed at reducing fatal road accidents. S. Jegan, who is the JKJR director, said that even though the number of fatal accidents in Penang had dropped for the first three months of the year compared with the same period last year, it must be reduced further. He said 81 cases were reported from January to March this year compared with 90 cases during the same period last year. We want the
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figure reduced as there were 56 fatal accidents involving motorcyclists, which is still high, compared with 63 previously, he said at a road safety campaign seminar in Seberang Jaya on Saturday. He said 8,088 road accidents were reported during the period compared with 8,545 previously, and nine deaths involved pedestrians compared with 13 cases previously. The seminar which was attended by 160 people including 120 heavyvehicle drivers from the public and private sectors was held for one day. Several staff members, who represented various government agencies, also participated in the seminar. The seminar was jointly organised by JKJR, PLUS Expressways Berhad and Malaysian Highway Authority. According to Ku Jamil Zakaria, who is the PLUS Expressways Berhad section manager, 1,103 heavy vehicles were involved in accidents on PLUS highways last year compared with 1,134 in 2007.
[Source: The Star. (2009, May 11).]

Now check your answers.

Practice 5 Put a check () next to the sentences that use relative clause correctly. Correct the sentences that have errors. _____ 1. The car that I want to drive is small. _____ 2. The police found the car when the thieves had stolen. _____ 3. Drivers must know all the factors that can cause accidents in the country. _____ 4. Countries whose traffic laws are strict have few road accidents. _____ 5. The Prime Minister, which is very concerned with the number of fatalities each year, has high expectations for the National Road Safety Plan. _____ 6. My friend recommended the driving school who is located in Sintok. _____ 7. The motorcyclist was grateful to the car driver who stopped his car on time. _____ 8. The policeman who serves in the Police Force for 30 years will retire soon.
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_____ 9. Junctions which do not have proper street lighting are very dangerous to drivers at night. _____ 10. Countries who experienced rapid growth in population will have an increase in road accidents.

Now check your answers. 7.5.3 Exercise on Relative Clause Practice 6

Read the following paragraph. Complete the paragraph with the correct relative pronoun.

In todays world, the ability to drive a car has many advantages even though at the same time it has many bad consequences. For example road accidents 1. _________ (which/who) are almost inevitable during festive seasons continue to rise each year. Drivers 2.___________(when/who) are responsible and mature realise the enormous responsibility of having a license. In order to operate a car or any kind of vehicle, one must take responsibility of their vehicle, their passengers, pedestrians, and themselves. Safe driving 3. _________(whose/which) consists of obeying all traffic laws should be observed at all times. Drivers, 4._________(who/that) would like to avoid any bad experience happen to their life, should never take their eyes off the road. This is because the consequences of carelessness 5. __________(whom/which) can occur due to any kind of distraction by only a split second can turn into one of the worst experiences of ones life. Now check your answers.

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Practice 7
Read the following paragraph. Complete the paragraph with the correct relative pronoun.

The Road Transport Department has issued a warning to motorists 1. __________ are so eager talking on a cellular phone while they are on the road. Recent studies 2.________ were conducted in several countries have shown that talking on the phone while driving can be very dangerous. The main reason 3. ____________ was highlighted in the study indicated that motorists did not pay enough attention to the roads. They tend to focus more on the conversation 4. ____________ are mostly about business or personal matters than on the steering wheel. Those motorists 5. __________ are caught talking on the phone while driving will receive a heavy penalty since they endanger not only themselves but also pose dangers to other drivers. Now check your answers.

Practice 8
In the following paragraph, five of the underlined relative clauses have errors. Write your corrections above each underlined clause.

Driving is one of the biggest privileges in a persons life. Driving allows a person to travel to any place when they want to. Although driving may be a right to some people, it does not mean that everybody deserves a license. There are many grown adults who does not deserve a license because it is just abused by them. People which deserves a license should be very qualified. Besides maturity, those drivers who will be driven should also be responsible when they are on the road. They should have in their mind that they are having a license to a deadly weapon. Almost 200 people which are mostly healthy and valuable to the country die each year from road related tragedies. Since driving is so dangerous it could only be described as a privilege. Now check your answers.

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CHAPTER 8 PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

The topics covered in this chapter are: 1. Definition of Problem and Solution Essay. 2. Characteristics of a Problem and Solution Essay. 3. Model of a Problem and Solution Essay.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Define and identify elements of a problem-solution essay. 2. Analyse features of a problem-solving essay. 3. Write drafts of a problem-solution essay. 4. Use adverbial clauses appropriately and accurately in a problemsolving essay. 8.1 DEFINITION

What is a Problem-Solution Essay? To answer this question, read the following essay and answer the questions below. (a) (b) (c) (d) Problem: Drugs abuse in Malaysia has reached an alarming rate. According to PEMADAM, the number of drug addicts has increased to 50,000. Solution: Drug education, rehabilitation and drug policy Definition: A serious problem which needs a convincing solution (that it will work). Which part of the text outlines the problem? Which part proposes solutions? Which part justifies the solutions and actions? Underline all the linking words/phrases in the text.

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8.2

SAMPLE OF A PROBLEM-SOLUTION ESSAY Whos in the House? House Burglary

There has been an increased rate of house burglary in the northern states of Malaysia. Most of the cases happen during night time and also when the owners of the houses are not around. In some unfortunate cases, valuable items such as jewellery, laptops, mobile phones and other precious items have been stolen. In fact, sadly, some victims lost their lives when the burglars were aggressive and got panicked. This kind of crime creates problems for many house owners and need to be solved through preventive measures taken by the house owners, neighbourhood watch and heavy police patrol around residence areas. The first practical solution is by taking preventive measures by the house owners. This means that all doors and windows should be properly closed and locked before leaving the house. You should also inform your newspaper vendor to stop delivering any papers while you and your family are on holidays. Uncollected newspapers in your mail box indicates an empty house. It is also advisable to install security alarms or closed circuit television (CCTV) at strategic doors or windows of your house. Any overgrown hedges or bushes should be trimmed so that your house does not look secluded from the public. Most of these preventive measures may distract or avoid potential burglars from targeting your house. The second recommended solution is to organize neighbourhood watch to ensure safety of its residents. Good cooperation and commitment among the residents to take their turns in
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INTRODUCTION funnel approach

FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH

SECOND BODY PARAGRAPH

patrolling their housing areas may help reduce the number of house burglary. Any intruders or burglars will be afraid to do their criminal activities as the houses are under surveillance. Normally, the residents would form few groups to observe and watch certain areas at certain time at night. As a result, the residents could sleep soundly and peacefully. Thus, neighbourhood watch does not just encourage close relationship among the community, but it also greatly reduces house burglary. Last but not least is by having a heavy police patrol around the hot areas of house burglary. The police play an important role in enforcing the rule of law and taking care public safety. Any criminals among the society will tend to be reluctant to commit any crimes if they find that the police are active in duty. Having police patrolling the housing areas during the day or night time may also reduce the rate of house burglary. In conclusion, house burglary can be solved if house owners are being more responsible in taking some preventive measures. In addition, neighbours and police should work together to do the neighbourhood watch. House burglary may cause trauma and other psychological and physical effects. Thus, we should be more careful in taking care of our safety and house safety. 8.3

THIRD BODY PARAGRAPH

CONCLUDING PARAPGRAPH

WRITING A PROBLEM-SOLUTION ESSAY

Based on the following topics given below, choose your own topic and write a five-paragraph essay. (a) (b) (c) Poor system of rubbish collection at housing areas Destruction of rainforest Drug addiction among teenagers
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(d) (e) 8.4 (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v)

Social crimes due to drug addiction Developing 1Malaysia OF WRITING A PROBLEM-SOLUTION

STAGES ESSAY

Make notes to identify the problems Make a list of solutions You need to expand your main points with more details and examples. Write a first draft of your essay with separate paragraphs for the problem, solutions, justification for the recommended solution and actions to be taken. Review and Rewrite. Then, edit and proofread your final draft.

Prewriting stage
Choose your topic. Narrow your focus. Organize your main ideas, supporting details and examples.

Writing stage
Outline/Explain the problem clearly/present the problem. Offer reasonable and practical solutions and provide some evidence (do some homework). Actions recommended for the readers.

Revising
Improve your work by checking the problem whether it has been clearly expressed, the content of the solutions and how you connect all the ideas within paragraphs.

Editing
Proofread your accuracy and appropriateness of grammar and vocabulary.

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8.5

SAMPLE ESSAY SNATCH THEFT

One early morning, a mother and a daughter were walking to a bank. As they were walking, the daughter was telling the mother how she hoped she could get excellent results in the next school examination. Knowing that her daughter was an excellent student, the mother tried to assure her that she will continue to do well in the exams. Their conversation was suddenly disrupted by a sudden arrival of two men on a motorbike. Without giving any warning, one of the men snatched the daughters handbag which later caused both of the ladies to fall. The daughter was unfortunate since the fall had affected her brain and later died after few weeks in coma. This is just one of the many incidents which are affecting Malaysians especially the innocent people. The question that has been frequently asked is how this social crime could be curbed. In the following paragraph, I would like to propose three ways to solve this rampant crime especially in high risk areas. The first is by increasing public awareness about the crime, second is by controlling drug addicts in crime affected areas, and finally is by involving different enforcement agencies in reducing street crimes. Firstly, the public should be made aware of the snatch theft crime and how it could affect their life and also their family members. Programmes like anti-snatch theft campaign and seminars on personal security should be conducted for the purpose of educating residents on the importance of keeping safe all the time. Furthermore, women who are generally the victims of this crime should be encouraged to defend themselves. Rosmah Majid, the wife of the Prime Minister, stated that Women must be taught about personal security, especially when in public places where they are exposed to snatch thieves (New Straits Time, 2009). Pamphlets which contain tips to avoid being victims of snatch theft and list of emergency numbers to call should be distributed to the public. Since snatch thefts often result in death or injury to the victims, it is hoped that this programme would help to reduce and eventually eradicate this crime in this country. Secondly, measures to control drug addicts at crime affected areas should be carried out. According to Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin, the Federal Police CID Director Commissioner, there is a relationship between drug addicts and crime. From the police investigation, We found that 80% of such crimes are mainly committed by drug users to feed their addiction (The Malaysian Bar, 21 October 2009). Since drug addicts do not have permanent income to enable them to buy illegal drugs, they usually resort to the quickest way to earn fast cash i.e. snatch theft. They
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do not have any sympathies for their victims. The incident which happened in Johor Baharu in May 2009, involving a pregnant lady who died after being attacked by snatch thieves, proved this. Thus, reducing the number of drug addicts could eventually help to bring the crime rates down. Finally, joint effort by relevant enforcement agencies and increasing the level of security could also bring down the statistics involving snatch theft. A joint operation involving the public and other voluntary agencies such as Rela, Rukun Tetangga, Anti-Drug Agency and the Police Department should be constantly carried out. The presence of these officers however could not guarantee that the crime would not happen at all since these officers could not be everywhere at one particular time. Thus, other means of crime prevention such as installing more CCTV at crime prone areas should be implemented. In addition, the setting up of special courts for street crimes could also expedite the legal process. Thus, the above measures would help in achieving the aimed of reducing street crime by 20% at the end of 2010 as targeted in the governments National Key Result Areas (NKRA) and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) (The Malay Mail, 29 July 2009). In conclusion, reducing the crime rate especially snatch theft which has caused trauma and prolonged fear among people in this country has become one of the main priorities of the government. In order to avoid this crime from getting out of control, the three important strategies discussed above i.e. awareness raising campaign about snatch theft, arresting drug addicts in high risk areas, and combined effort by security enforcement units, should be constantly and aggressively implemented. Furthermore, support and cooperation from the public would definitely help to ensure that this street crime will be eradicated from this country once and for all. 8.6 8.6.1 (a) GRAMMAR - ADVERBIAL CLAUSES Forming and Using Adverb Clauses Function of Adverb Clauses

An adverb clause can be a single word adverb or an adverbial expression. Adverb clauses provide answers to WH-questions such as when, where and how. For example: Hanna met her parents yesterday / last week.
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Yesterday and last week are adverb clauses of time. Compare the following sentences: (a) When? Aziz will call you at Aziz will call you when the 2.00pm meeting is over. (b) Why? His dad works for her His dad works because he has to daughters university fees. earn some money. (c) How? She sang beautifully. (b) 1. She sang as if she had pure mouth.

Eight types of adverb clauses Time - After, as, as long as, as soon as, before, since, until, when, whenever, while e.g While he was talking on his mobile phone, I was surfing the Internet on my laptop.

2.

Place where, wherever e.g I prefer to work where there is a nursery near the workplace.

3.

Reason because, since, so that, in order that e.g. They postponed the match because the ground was wet after the heavy rain.

4.

Manner as, as if, as though e.g. He drank the coffee as though it were medicine.

5.

Condition as long as, if, in case, provided that, unless, whether or not e.g. I will treasure our friendship as long as I live.

6.

Result sothat, such that e.g. He walked so fast that I could not catch up with him.
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7.

Contrast although, though, even though, while, in spite of the fact that e.g. Although they were poor, they led happy lives

8.

Purpose so that, in order that e.g. He locked the cupboard so that no one could see what was inside. Practice 1

Complete the following sentences. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. You look ________________ you have seen a ghost. (Manner) Azman studied hard ________________ he might pass the exam. (Purpose) My brother had to stop schooling and work ______________ our father passed away. (Reason) My friend waited for me _____________ it was dark. (Time) All the students were told to attend all the lessons _______________ he/she is not feeling well (Condition). Everyone is expected to submit all their assignments on time ________________ many students complained that they do not have enough time to complete. (Contrast) He has been practicing with the piano _______ hard __________ he has not got time for his school homework. (Result) The doctor said I could leave the hospital ______________ the wound has healed. (Time) Please keep in touch ______________ you are. (Place)

7.

8. 9.

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10.

Dr. Mahathir Mohammad waited for silence _______________ he commenced his speech. (Time) Now check your answers.

Practice 2 Check your understanding of adverbial clauses. Put a tick () next to the sentences that are correct. _________ 1. The lecturer only starts his lecture while the students have settled down in the lecture hall. _________ 2. The students are cleverer than the lecturer thought. _________ 3. Students who arrived late must make as little as possible so as not to disturb anyone in the hall. _________ 4. The lecturer wanted all students to put their assignments on the desk as though it would be noticeable. _________ 5. When you persuaded her, she might change her mind. _________ 6. My parents came to visit me while they were spending their holiday in Langkawi. _________ 7. She was such a friendly student that everybody liked her. _________ 8. They could not find any clues though they searched everywhere. _________ 9. I will send him the invitation card now however he may have enough time to consider it. _________ 10. I shall come to your party if it does not rain. Now check your answers.
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Practice 3 Read the following essay. Complete the essay with the correct adverbial clause. Before I came to UUM, I had no idea what my life would be like in this remote campus. 1. ______________, after I arrived and registered myself as a university student, I knew that I would enjoy living and studying in this beautiful surrounding. I met my roommates 2. ___________ I was walking to the residential hall. They helped me with the luggage 3. ___________ they noticed that I was carrying lots of things. The friendship which I was really looking forward came sooner 4. ___________ I expected. From that day onwards, we became good friends. There were good times and bad times, 5. ________ we managed to get through with our friendship. We tried very hard to put every trivial things that could spoil our relationship aside 6. ___________ we could treasure the great moments in our varsity life to the fullest. Now, we do not live in the same room anymore. 7. ____________ we finished our studies, we managed to get a job in various companies. 8. ________________ we live far away from each other, we would arrange a gathering for the purpose of getting together once in a while. We would discuss about our work and sometimes talk about our old days in UUM 9. __________ we were still university students. In one of our gatherings recently, we exchanged our wedding cards 10. ____________ we knew we need to settle down after a long period of enjoying our bachelorhood. Now check your answers.

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CHAPTER 9 OPINION
The topics covered in this chapter are: 1. Definition of an Opinion Essay. 2. Characteristics of an Opinion Essay. 3. Process of Writing an Opinion Essay.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Define and identify elements of an opinion essay. 2. Write an opinion essay. 9.1 DEFINITION

Opinion essay is written to impart the authors viewpoint on a particular topic verified by reasons and examples. Sometimes, the opposing viewpoint is also suggested. It requires the authors unbiased opinion on a particular problem and his/her capability to back his points up so that the readers can easily be convinced with his/her position. Topic of opinion essay usually revolves around debatable issues. It cannot be facts but opinions. For example: 1. 2. Women are better managers than men. Usually, women would agree with this topic while men wont. Mathematics and Science should be thought in English. People living in the urban area might agree with this topic while those who live in the rural are might not. CHARACTERISTICS OF OPINION ESSAY

9.2

The most important elements of opinions essay are: An introduction where the topic and the authors opinion are stated clearly.

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A main body where viewpoints supported by reasons are presented in several paragraphs. A conclusion where the main points of the essay are summarized and the authors opinion is restated in other words.

In writing this essay, it is vital for a writer to: Decide your opinion as for the topic discussed. Decide on your stand. Write your stand (agree/disagree) in your introduction paragraph. Make a list of viewpoints and reasons supporting your point of view. Write well-developed paragraphs. Use linking words and phrases to join the sentences and the paragraphs within the text. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence. Conclude the essay by restating your stand. In order to express their viewpoint, the following expressions could be used: As far as I am concerned, I am (not) convinced that In my opinion/view My opinion is that I (firmly)believe I (definitely) feel/think that I am inclined to believe that Practice 1

Work in pairs. Complete each thesis statement by adding the opposite opinion. 1. Although a hospital is the best place for a baby to be born, I think many women still decide to give birth to their children at home. Some people feel that drug testing should be done on secondary school athletes, but ___________________________________ __________________________________________________

2.

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3.

Many people think that women are better educators than men. I feel_______________________________________________ __________________________________________________. Some people believe that the Malaysian football team should be given a higher salary to improve their performance. In my opinion, ___________________________________________ __________________________________________________. Although fuel prices have gone down, I think __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____________. Many people believe that increasing the price of cigarettes will discourage people from buying them. However,___________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________. MODEL OF ESSAY AND IDENTIFICATION OF PARTS INTERNET BANKING

4.

5.

6.

9.3

In these modern times, we use technology to do almost everything in our daily lives. Something which could take hours to do, could be done in just a matter of minutes or even seconds. For instance, we now do not need to stand in a long line to conduct banking transactions. With just a click of a button, money can be banked in and bills can be paid for in the comfort of your own home. Personally, I think that internet banking is one of our greatest achievements as the transactions are safe, fast and convenient. We read about cases of robbery in the news almost everyday making it scary for some to go to banks to deposit or withdraw money. I believe that it is safe for us to make transactions through internet banking because we do not need to physically handle any real money. For example, some people may make
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Introduction: Topic and the authors opinion are stated clearly.

Main body: Viewpoints supported by reasons are presented in several paragraphs.

transactions with retailers and will need to go to the bank to withdraw cash to pay their creditors. It is extremely dangerous to carry a large amount of cash as there might be robbers waiting for you as you step out of the bank. Also, in my opinion internet banking saves time. One does not need to wait for hours standing in line to conduct a transaction. Transactions could be made in a matter of seconds depending on the speed of your internet. Just log into the bank website and have all the particular details of the account you are transferring or withdrawing money in hand, and with just a few clicks, the transaction is complete. No standing and waiting impatiently anymore. Besides being fast, I am convinced that internet banking is convenient. One does not need to look for transportation to get to the bank. In the comfort of your own home or office, a person can make many safe and reliable transactions. You also save paper because there are no paper forms to fill in. All transactions are also recorded making it very convenient to review all the transactions made. In conclusion, as far as I am concerned, using internet banking is safe, fast and convenient. We no longer need to waste time standing in line, feel scared about carrying money and leave the house or office to conduct transactions. With the advent of technology, many things are now made simple and safe for us to use.

Conclusion: Main points of the essay are summarized and the authors opinion is restated in other words.

Practice 2 Refer to the model essay to answer the questions below. 1. Underline the sentence which states the writers opinion about internet banking.
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2. 3. 4.

By reading the thesis statement, how many body paragraphs should the reader expect? Underline the topic sentences found in each body paragraph. Underline the sentence in the concluding paragraph which restates the writers opinion about internet banking. Now check your answers.

9.4

PROCESS OF WRITING

Opinion essays should contain five paragraphs with a paragraph of introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion respectively.

Paragraph 1 INTRODUCTION
Introduce your essay with a hook. A hook is what attracts your readers to keep on reading your essay. A hook introduces controversial issues. It can be a question, a surprising statement or even a story. A good hook will make readers want to know more about your essay. After that, write background information to support your hook. This background information should contain details about the issues you are dealing with. IT will impart your stand and viewpoint to make the readers feel how the issue affects and involves them. Write your thesis statement and clearly state your main ideas.

Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 BODY

Write a topic sentence that has a controlling idea that supports the writers arguments (as mentioned in the thesis). Support the topic sentences with reasons, facts and explanations to help readers to understand the writers points. Provide examples to further pfoof your point.

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Paragraph 5
9.5 Restate your opinion by using a more persuasive language to convince the readers. Use comments to reinforce writers viewpoints. WRITING ACTIVITY

In small groups, choose one of the suggested topics in the box below and write and introduction for an opinion essay. Censorship of films Human cloning Dress codes in universities Laws against hand phone use while driving Women in the armed forces

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CHAPTER 10 ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

The topics covered in this chapter are: 1. Definition. 2. Characteristics. 3. Organisation. 4. A Model Argumentative Essay. 5. Identification of the Parts of the Essay. 6. Writing Opinion Statements. 7. Stating Counter Arguments. 8. Writing Activities.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Recognise an argumentative essay. 2. Know the characteristics and organization of an argumentative essay. 3. Write an argumentative essay. 10.1 DEFINITION

An argumentative essay tries to change the readers mind by convincing the reader to agree with the writers point of view. 10.2 CHARACTERISTICS

An argumentative essay attempts to be highly persuasive and logical. It usually assumes that the reader disagrees with the writer, but it should be noted that the reader is no less intelligent than the writer. Hence an argumentative essay should be written objectively, logically and respectfully. When planning an argumentative essay, be aware that the essay should contain the following characteristics: The argumentative essay introduces and explains the issue or case. The reader needs to know what the issue is going to be.
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The essay offers reasons, and supports these reasons. The essay should prove its point. The essay, at times, refutes (proves wrong) opposing arguments. 10.3 1. ORGANISATION Introduction

The first paragraph is the introductory paragraph. It introduces the problem and gives the background information necessary for the argument and the thesis statement. 2. Body

The body paragraphs contain the reasons. Each paragraph talks about one reason. The reason is stated in the topic sentence and is supported by supporting details or materials. These supporting materials can be either examples, statistics, personal experiences, or quotations. 3. Conclusion

The conclusion restates the main claim and presents one or two general statements which accurately summarize the arguments which support the main premise. 10.4 A MODEL ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY Aggressive Driving Should be Avoided (1)Aggressive driving is a phenomenon, which has only recently got the public worried. (2)The National Highway Traffic Safety Council (NHTSC) defines aggressive driving as the operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property. (3)Actions such as running red lights, improper passing, overtaking on the left, improper lane change, failing to yield, improper turns, running stop signs, tailgaiting, careless driving and speeding are examples of aggressive driving.. (4)Such actions are dangerous to other road users. (5)Aggressive driving should be avoided because it causes crashes, injuries and fatalities. (6)The first reason why aggressive driving should be avoided is it causes crashes. (7)According to NHTSC between 78 percent (excessive speed) and 100 percent (improper passing) of the cases of aggressive driving resulted in traffic crashes and 96 percent of the drivers cited for
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following too closely or tailgaitng caused crashes as a result of their aggressive driving. (8)Moreover, running red light, improper passing, and overtaking on the left topped other categories of aggressive driving in contributing to traffic crashes. (9)Another reason why aggressive driving should be avoided is it causes injuries.(10) NHTSC states that the percentages of the injuries caused by aggressive driving are, in almost all categories of aggressive driving, above 100 percent. (11)Furthermore, the Department of Highway Safety (DHS) reports that this is due to the fact that each motor vehicle crash accounts for one or more injuries. (12) It was found that of the ten categories of aggressive driving, running red light, failing to yield, and running stop signs are the most serious factors contributing to injuries. (13)Yet another reason why aggressive driving should be avoided is it causes fatalities. (14)Overtaking on the left appears to be the most important contributing factor in traffic fatalities as it relates to aggressive driving. (15) Improper lane change, running stop sign and running red light rank second through four in terms of their contribution to traffic fatalities (DHS, 2008). (16)The above evidence shows that aggressive driving causes crashes, injuries and fatalities. (17) Hence, aggressive driving should be avoided. (18)Since the opening of the North-South Highway, the number of kilometers of roads in the country has increased by one percent while the number of vehicle miles driven has increased by 35 percent. (19) More cars and more drivers are also on the road, leading to more aggressive drivers.
]Source: Retrieved September 2009 from: http://www.aaafoundation.org. Mizell, Louis. (2007). Aggressive driving, road & travel.]

10.5

IDENTIFICATION OF THE PARTS OF THE ESSAY

The essay Aggressive Driving Should be Avoided is an example of an argumentative essay. It is organized in the way of an argumentative essay. (The numbers in the essay denote the sentence numbers which will be used here to identify the parts of the essay). It starts with an introduction which offers a definition of aggressive driving (1), (2) and (3), and further explains the issue (4). Finally it ends with the premise/thesis statement which clearly states the stand taken by the writer (5).
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As three reasons are stated in the premise, there are three body paragraphs; each mentioning one reason. Each paragraph starts with a topic sentence which states one of the reasons [(6), (9) and (13)]. Each of these reasons is well-supported by supporting details: (7) and (8) in the second paragraph; (10), (11) and (12) in the third paragraph; and (14) and (15) in the fourth paragraph which is the final body paragraph. The last paragraph of the essay is the conclusion. It summarizes the three reasons stated in the premise (15). The conclusion restates the stand taken by the writer, that is, aggressive driving should be avoided (17). Sentences (18) and (19) are general statements which support the main premise. These are optional. It should be noted that this essay uses statistics to support the main idea. This lends credibility to the argument. 10.6 WRITING OPINION STATEMENTS

In argumentative writing, you need to convince your readers to agree with your point of view or opinion. You can achieve this goal by supporting your opinions with strong evidence. A careful study of the essay Aggressive driving should be avoided will reveal that the writer uses statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Council (NHTSC) and the Department of Highway Safety (DHS) two wellrespected organizations - to lend support to his opinions. Statistics from very reliable sources as those used in the essay provide very strong evidence which can easily sway the readers to the writers point of view. There are different sources of evidence that can be used in argumentative essays. Besides statistics published by reliable sources, research findings, examples and opinions of experts in their fields are some of the other sources of evidence. You also can use forceful words to state your opinions. These words can make readers rethink their views about the issue being discussed. There are many examples of such words in the essay. They are: raised public opinion (1); dangerous to other road users (4); should be avoided (5); causes crashes, injuries and fatalities (5); resulted in (7); accounts for (11), the most important contributing factor (14); has increased (18); and leading to more aggressive drivers (19).
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10.7

STATING COUNTER ARGUMENTS

When a topic is argumentative, it contains opposing views or opinions. There can be ideas or points for (pro) which support the issue being discussed, or ideas or points against (con/contra) which disagree with the issue. This being the case, you should make it a point to state opinions that oppose yours. By doing this you are telling the reader that you have considered the opposing views. These opposing statements that you make should be brief. They should not be as detailed as your own views. Usually this is mentioned near the end of the essay. The formats below can be used in the final examination. You can choose either one. Format A Paragraph I Paragraph II Paragraph III Paragraph IV Paragraph V Format B Paragraph I Paragraph II Paragraph III Paragraph IV Paragraph V Introduction Con (opposing view) Con (opposing view) Pro (your view) Conclusion Introduction Pro (your view) Pro (your view) Con (opposing view) Conclusion

To show the reader that the opposing views are not yours, you can introduce these ideas with the following phrases: It is believed that It is commonly thought that It is often said that Some people say that Some people think that Another argument against this is It is/has been argued that Once you have introduced the opposing view, using the above phrases, you have to disprove or rebut it. You must show why this opposing view cannot be accepted. If you do this, your argument will have more
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credibility. Some common techniques for dealing with opposing views are: provide solutions to the problems raised through the opposing views, point out the weaknesses that may exist in the counterarguments; and make concessions to the opposing views. 10.8 WRITING ACTIVITIES Practice 1 Read this argumentative essay and do the tasks that follow. Mobile Phones Should Be Banned While Driving The risk of getting into a car accident while talking on a mobile phone while driving is growing as the number of mobile phone subscribers increases. Engaging in a phone conversation on a mobile phone while driving distracts the brain and delays reaction times which are more likely to cause drivers to swerve between lanes, slow down and miss important signs. Mobile phones should be banned while driving because they are risky. An Australian study conducted in 2005, estimated that the risk of a collision when using a mobile phone was four times higher than the risk when a mobile phone was not being used. 456 drivers who owned phones, were involved in crashes. By collecting these drivers mobile phone records, scientists determined those who made telephone calls just before the time of the crash. Case crossover analysis of mobile phone habits enabled the scientists to calculate the increase in risk. Even hands-free devices were not that safer. An earlier study in 2003, integrated data from questionnaires, mobile phone companies and crash records kept by the police. It found that the overall relative risk (RR) of having an accident for mobile phone users when compared to non-mobile phone users averaged 1.38 across all groups. The RR was then adjusted for kilometers driven per year and other crash exposures. When this was done RR was 1.11 for men and 1.21 for women. The study also revealed that increased mobile phone use correlated with an increase in RR.

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However, there are some objections to the call for the ban of mobile phone use while driving. According to the Associated Press, CTIA The Wireless Association, a mobile phone trade group in America, objected to a complete ban. Its vice-president, John Walls, is reported as saying, we think that you can sensibly and safely use a mobile phone to make a brief call. Although there are objections, there is sufficient evidence to prove that using a mobile phone while driving is risky. Using a mobile phone while driving, taxes the cognitive skills of the brain at the expense of driving. The vast majority of drivers have no idea that using the mobile phone while driving is risky.
(Source: Retrieved September 13, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_ phones_and_driving). Mobile phones and driving safety.)

Answer the following questions based on the different parts of the essay. A. 1. 2. 3. B. 4. Introduction Which sentence introduces the issue being discussed? _________________________________________________ Which sentence explains the issue? _________________________________________________ What is the thesis statement of the essay? _________________________________________________ Body What is the function of the first sentence of the second paragraph? _________________________________________________ How many supporting details are there in the second paragraph? _________________________________________________ What is the topic sentence of the third paragraph? _________________________________________________ How many supporting details are there in the third paragraph? _________________________________________________

5. 6. 7.

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8. 9. C. 10. 11.

What is the topic sentence of the fourth paragraph? __________________________________________________ How many supporting details are given in the fourth paragraph? __________________________________________________ Conclusion Which sentence in the conclusion restates the main premise? __________________________________________________ What are the two general statements that accurately summarise the arguments which support the main premise? a._________________________________________________ b._________________________________________________ Now check your answers.

Practice 2 For each premise, provide two supporting statements. Example: Premise: Cigarette smoking should be banned. Supporting statement 1: Cigarette smoking is bad for health. Supporting statement 2: Cigarette smoking causes us to spend more. 1. Premise: Mobile phone use while driving should be banned. Supporting statement 1: _______________________________ Supporting statement 2: _______________________________

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2.

Premise: The age limit for obtaining driving licences should be increased. Supporting statement 1: _______________________________ Supporting statement 2: _______________________________

3.

Premise: University students should work during semester breaks. Supporting statement 1: _______________________________ Supporting statement 2: _______________________________ Now check your answers.

Practice 3 Write opposing views for the topics below. 1. School children should not be allowed to carry mobile phones to school. __________________________________________________ Computers are harmful to society. __________________________________________________ It is better to study abroad. __________________________________________________ Shorter semester breaks will enable students to graduate earlier. __________________________________________________ Now check your answers.

2. 3. 4.

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Practice 4 Write an argumentative essay of about 250 words on any topic that will interest the members of your group. Write two pro-arguments and one counter-argument to convince your readers. The following steps and tips will help you to complete your essay. Step 1 Argumentative essay topics are controversial. Choose a topic which your readers can relate to. Step 2 Your readers expect you to present both sides of the argument. So put down on paper, the arguments for both sides of the issue. A pro-con chart (see below) will be useful. Title: Should university students be allowed to choose their own residential colleges. Pro (Yes, because ) 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. Con (No, because )

Write the arguments (both pro and con) in point form. Include the supporting details as well. These will enable you to choose strong arguments to either support or counter the views to be discussed. Step 3 Based on the arguments and the supporting details that you choose from the pro-con chart, you can then decide on the format of the essay, that is, either the pro-pro-con or the con-con-pro format. Step 4 Once you have decided on the format, write a sentence to introduce the issue that is going to be discussed.
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Step 5 Write one or two sentences to explain the importance of the topic or issue. Step 6 Write the thesis statement which clearly states your main premise. The thesis statement includes a preview of the points that are going to be discussed in the essay. (Example: Aggressive driving should be avoided because it causes crashes, injuries and fatalities). Steps 4, 5 and 6 are parts of the Introduction the first paragraph of the essay. Step 7 Write the topic sentence of the second paragraph of your essay. This is the first paragraph of the body of the essay. This will be the first point of your argument. (Example: The first reason why aggressive driving should be avoided is it causes crashes). Next, support this main point with supporting materials to convince your reader. Step 8 Write the topic sentence of the third paragraph of the essay. This is the second paragraph of the body of the essay. (Example: The second reason why aggressive driving should be avoided is it causes injuries). Then support this main point with supporting materials. Step 9 Write the topic sentence of the fourth paragraph of the essay. This is the third body- paragraph. (Example: However, there are some objections to the call for the ban of mobile phones while driving). Lend support to this main point with supporting materials. Steps 7 9 are parts of the Body paragraphs 2, 3 and 4.

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Step 10 Write a sentence to restate the main ideas of the essay. (Example: Although there are objections, there is sufficient evidence to prove that using the mobile phone while driving is risky). Step 11 To finish the essay, write one or two sentences which accurately summarise the arguments which support the main premise. (Example: Using a mobile phone while driving taxes the cognitive skills of the brain at the expense of the driving. The vast majority of drivers have no idea that using the mobile phone while driving is risky).

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CHAPTER 11 REFERENCING
The topics covered in this chapter are: 1. The Purpose of Referencing. 2. Reporting Verbs for In-text Citation and Examples. 3. APA System. 4. Avoiding Plagiarism. 5. Writing Summaries.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Understand the reason for referencing. 2. Understand the APA System. 3. Avoid plagiarism. 11.1 WHAT IS REFERENCING?

Referencing or citation refers to: * * * words taken from a passage, a book, an author, etc; to quote something or somebody (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, 1999: 201); a line taken from a book, speech, etc. ( Longman, 2003: 266) the inclusion of detailed information about the source of quotes, ideas, or illustrations you insert in your term paper (www.yukoncollege.yk.ca).

In academic writing, it is necessary for a writer to refer to other peoples work (i.e. which appears in books, an article in journals, magazines etc.) to support their argument. By doing so, the writer hopes that his/her argument will become stronger. Whenever other peoples works are being referred, writers need to acknowledge the source. The following sub-sections will discuss the purpose of and the method of referencing. 11.2 THE PURPOSE OF REFERENCING

The main purpose of referencing or citation is to acknowledge or give credit to the work of other people. Since we do not have the time to
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conduct a research or do the investigation ourselves, we usually refer to the work of other researchers to enable us to support our argument. When we refer to other researchers or studies, it is proper that we recognise their work by mentioning their work in our assignment. In addition, referencing or citation has other equally important purposes and they are listed as follows. 11.3 To allow readers to trace or locate the sources that you have used in your writing. To show the depth of your reading in that particular subject or area. To avoid plagiarism or copying either in the form of ideas or words.

REPORTING VERBS FOR IN-TEXT CITATION AND EXAMPLES

When writers refer to or cite from a source, they usually use different kinds of verbs to report what the other writers have said. Below is a list of accurate description to show what someone has said. Writers need to choose the suitable reporting verbs for the purpose of: i) making the argument that you are presenting stronger, and ii) ensuring the readers understand the importance of the source.

Example:
Asmah Hj Omar (2009) defines. Schmitt (2008) argues Carter and McCarthy (2007) state Nik Safiah Karim (2006) recognises

Other useful reporting verbs:

admit/admitted analyse/analysed comment/commented compare/compared conclude/concluded describe/described discuss/discussed encourage/encouraged evaluates/evaluated explain/explained illustrate/illustrated indicate/indicated insist/insisted note/noted predict/predicted recommend/recommended remind/reminded suggest/suggested

11.4

APA SYSTEM

There are different types of reference or citation system used by writers. The famous and widely used reference systems are the APA, MLA, Chicago Manual Style and Harvard Referencing. In this course, the APA
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system of referencing will be used. The in-text citation and the organisation of the reference using APA system is shown below. In text citation: According to Asmah Hj Omar (2009), Malay and English are both equally important languages in Malaysia (p. 211). She stated, Malay and English are both equally important languages in Malaysia (Asmah Hj Omar, 2009: 211). Asmah Hj Omars (2009) study has found that the Malay and English are significant languages in the country.

Reference List Asmah Hj Omar. (2009). The Role of Malay and English in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Other Reference List: Book - Single Author Stern, H.H. 1983. Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Book Two Authors Carter, R. and McCarthy, M. 1988. Vocabulary and Language Teaching. London: Longman. Edited Book Schmitt, N. and McCarthy, M. (Eds). 1997. Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Chapter in an Edited Book Schmitt, N. 1997. Vocabulary Learning Strategies. In N. Schmitt and M. McCarthy (Eds.), Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy, (pp. 211-234), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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Article from an Online Journal Mason, B. and Krashen, S. 2004. Is form-focused vocabulary instruction worthwhile? RELC Journal, 35: 179. Retrieved from http://www.sagepublications.com. Article form an Online Newspaper Chapman, K. (2009, October 11). University Malaya back on track. The Star Online. Retrieved from http://thestar.com.my/ education/story. 11.5 AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

11.5.1 What is Plagiarism? Plagiarism or taking somebody elses ideas or words and use them as if they were ones own (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, 1995: 880), is considered an offense in academic writing. This is because we have stolen the ideas and words of other authors and not giving them due acknowledgements in our writings. With the latest development in information technology, other people could easily check whether a writer has plagiarised other peoples work or not. In this process writing course, students are advised not to copy other peoples work or ideas without giving acknowledgment. There are three ways of overcoming plagiarism and they are: (i) By using quotation. (ii) By summarizing. (iii) By paraphrasing. 11.5.2 Using Quotations By using quotations, writers copy the materials in the original text and put them in his/her assignment. To differentiate between the writers words and the imported words, quotation marks () are used. These quotations mark will be placed in between the sentences or phrases which have been borrowed exactly from other source. Writes are not allowed to make any changes to the spelling, capitalization or punctuation of the original text.

Example:
Yusoff (2009), states that The most fascinating thing about Google is in its rapid growth and expansion from being a very
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small company 12 years ago to the powerful giant that it is now (p.25). It has been debated by many computer experts that The most fascinating thing about Google is in its rapid growth and expansion from being a very small company 12 years ago to the powerful giant that it is now (Yusoff, 2009: 25).

11.5.3 Paraphrasing Paraphrasing is an act of rewriting the ideas from an original source but using your own words and sentence structures. The purpose of paraphrasing is to make the ideas clearer and which could be easily understood by other readers. Although the words are yours, you still need to include the source or a citation since the ideas belong to the original author.

Example:
Original source: The most fascinating thing about Google is in its rapid growth and expansion from being a very small company 12 years ago to the powerful giant that it is now (Yusoff, 2009: 25). Paraphrase: Google has expanded and become an important search engine company in the world (Yusoff, 2009: 25). 11.5.4 Summarising Summarising is like paraphrasing, where you include only the main ideas of a paragraph and using your own words and sentence structures. All the non-essential information such as explanation, elaboration and other not important details will be left out in your summary. Once again, a citation must be included since the ideas belong to the original author.

Example:
Original source The web is very wide but so is Googles reach where its presence is felt in many different areas. It can afford to provide many programs and services for free because of one thing it makes a lot of money from its control of advertisements, which is the most lucrative of all the services (Yusoff, 2009: 25).
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Summary Google continues to be an important and exciting search engine in the internet because of the no-fees programmes and services offered to the internet users (Yusoff, 2009: 25). 11.6 WRITING SUMMARIES

Write a summary for each of the following short selections. 1. The main rationale for business communication courses, whether they are run by language departments or business departments, is to ensure that future managers are equipped with the skills needed to communicate effectively on the job. Consequently, a great deal of research has been carried out, especially in the United States, to discover what communication activities occur in the workplace so that the content of business courses can better reflect the real needs of the business community (Nor Azni Abdullah (2001), Business Writing in the Real World: A Survey of Writing Practices in Malaysian Companies, Language Reporter, p.1). __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 2. The most serious health problems of today are largely caused by the way people live and are referred to as lifestyle diseases. The leading causes of death in the United States among all age groups are heart disease, cancer, and stroke; they account for almost two-thirds of all deaths. These are chronic diseases that are often caused by behaviors established early in life. Chronic diseases are health conditions that often begin gradually, have multiple causes, and usually persist for an indefinite time (Anspaugh, Hamrick & Rosato, 2000, Wellness: Concepts and Applications, p.7). __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 3. The concept of number has been known to human for millennia. Numbers were first used simply as a way of counting, to record amounts, but over the centuries mathematicians have found ways to manipulate them in order to gain new information. They have gone further, and invented symbols and words to define numbers and indicate how to use them. This language of mathematics has been a critical tool in changing the world. It is now vital in many areas of life, such as science, technology, and economics, as well as in music, philosophy, and entertainment (Vorderman, C. 1996. How Maths Works. p.11). __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 4. In many countries, there is an increasing number of local collection schemes for recycling paper, glass, aluminum and tin. Other schemes for recycling plastics, cardboard and garden waste are also common. If such recycling schemes are in place, all individuals will have to separate their waste by type. In the UK, there are civic amenity sites for additional household waste such as old furniture, white goods, garden waste, clothing and so on (Stewart, J. 2005. The 3 Rs for Recycling. Just English, p. 7). __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 5. Today, ice treatments are being used as a preventive medical treatment. After training, leading sportsmen stand in baths filled with ice cubes and endure ice massages. Not a particularly enjoyable experience, but as doctors point out, a drop in
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temperature sends more blood to the area, boosts circulation and encourages the healing process. Fitness experts believe that ice treatments speed up recovery, allowing the athlete to embark on more intensive training. (Allen, K. 2005. Put it one Ice. Just English, p. 10) __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 6. Today, thinking is more liberal and fair. Those who are slow in studies are not considered stupid (because no longer does high IQ mean clever and low IQ equal stupid). People are now said to have different kinds of intelligence. Is there more than one type of intelligence? Yes, educationists would have you believe. Earlier, those who didnt understand explanations were considered slow. Now we know they could have had different IQs. Those with verbal linguistics IQ do well when they read or when language is used to explain things. Logical-mathematical people like logical, scientific explanation and proof. Some people quickly catch on when you show diagrams and pictures (Visual-spatial). (Long, T. 2005. You Are Intelligent. Just English, p. 12) __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 7. Many caves are open to the public. People can enjoy guided tours through wide walkways and enter into splendid underground chambers containing strange and wonderful rock formations. However, there is a type of cave exploration or caving that requires skill, training, physical strength and determination. A growing number of people enjoy the thrill of caving. Caving enter a unique environment of small holes and passageways. These tunnels are deep, dark and dangerous. Cavers risk their lives exploring the strange and often hostile world underneath the ground. Why do people love caving so
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much? Many enthusiasts see caving as a sport that requires stamina and a high degree of endurance. Some enthusiasts go caving because they are interested in the scientific and geological aspects of caves. Cavers can study strange plants and unusual creatures that survive without sunlight deep underground. For other cavers the sight of the unique rock formation reflected in clear pools of water inspire beautiful art and photographs (Huber, M. 2005. Theres s Whole New World Down There, Just English, p. 14). __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 8. Techno rage is the name now given to the anger that causes people to lash out at technology technology that is supposed to make life easier but all too often seems to make it more difficult. From computers that crash to mobile phones with bad reception, technology can all too often cause peoples blood pressure to rise. And it is the equipment itself that is usually on the receiving end of peoples fury. According to the latest research, techno rage is responsible for around 16bn of damage every year in Britain alone damage caused by angry people destroying everything from calculators to expensive computer equipment (Fernandes, W. 2005. Techno Rage. Just English, p. 50). __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 9. Wikipedia is one of the worlds largest online encyclopedias. It is an especially popular tool for man millions of internet users across the globe. Since its inception over eight years ago, Wikipedia has enjoyed considerable international success. Featured in the top ten most visited sites across the world for the last five years, the influence it has achieved around the world
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in such a short space of time is both remarkable and astonishing (Allen, K. 2009. Wikipedia. Just English, p.37) __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 10. Man has been building robots from as long ago as the fourth century BC. One of the very first records of a robot is a machine called The Pigeon, which was build by Greek mathematician Archytas. From as far back as that, man has recognized the need to build machines that will help them in their daily lives and for their entertainment. Machines, if well maintained, can sometimes venture where man cannot, and do skilful and precise work that man may not be able to do (Joanne, R. 2009. Robots are Here to Stay. Just English Explorer, p. 9). __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

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ANSWER KEY
CHAPTER 2 Practice 1 1. 2. 3. (a) (b) (a) (b) (a) (b) D T T D T D

Practice 2 1. 2. Desert animals are difficult to find during day time. RON 95 is suitable and economical for majority of cars.

Practice 3 1. (a) (b) (c) (d) (a) (b) (c) (d) CS SS SS SS SS SS CS SS

2.

Practice 4 1. 2. The carbon emission into the atmosphere will increase albeit at a lower level. The government is contemplating increasing the vehicle tax for next year.

Identification exercises 1. Compound sentences (__S__) Kassim is another example of a highly motivated student. (__C__)He takes 6 courses every semester, and he maintains an A- average. (__C__) During the week, he works as a cleaner at one of the universitys departments, and on Saturday mornings, he works as an
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English tutor in the Language Learning Center at the university. (__S__) Kassim plans to major in Law. (__S__) In addition, he sends money home every month to help his old parents. Grammar Exercises Exercise 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Petronas is Malaysias answer to rival big petroleum multinational companies such as Shell and Exxon Mobil. RON 95 and RON 97 are readily available in all petrol stations around Malaysia. Drivers must keep their wits when driving around Kuala Lumpur. Lack of enforcement encourages drivers to flout the laws. Filling your fuel tank in the morning gives more mileage to the gallon.

Exercise 2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Im in my last semester of my study and Im looking forward to work next year. I study at University Utara Malaysia and Im taking a double major degree in Law and Management. My English, Statistics, and Management lectures are easy for me but Im having trouble coping with my Law lectures. I want to improve my public speaking skills but I dont have any friends who can speak fluent English. University education is important to me and Im working hard to graduate next year with a first class degree next year.

Exercise 3 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) Malaysia has to watch its oil production carefully or its oil reserve will be depleted in just 10 years. Petronas has a good track record in making profits and it will continue to make profits in the coming financial years. Malaysians are used to buying subsidised fuel but he government will eventually stop the subsidy soon. Too much oil production is not healthy so many oil producing countries are tightly regulating their productions. My car consumes a lot of petrol but the car tax is low.

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CHAPTER 3 Practice 1 I. II. III. IV. V. Thesis statement: There are several factors that cause depression: family history, pessimistic personality and trauma and stress. Family history is one of the major causes of depression. Financial problems, the break-up of a relationship or death of a loved one. Pessimistic personality. Social activities and medication are ways in which the symptoms of depression can be reduced and controlled.

Practice 2 1. Contrast Seeing a rock concert in the middle of the afternoon is incredible despite the fact that it is extremely hot. 2. Comparison Soccer teams need a really strikers to win championships. Similarly, football teams need a really good quarterback. 3. Cause and effect Some British car companies made inefficient, uninspired products for decades. As a result, they are now going bankrupt. 4. Additional support or evidence Properly inflated tyres can help your gas mileage. In fact, it is one of the most effective ways to increase the performance of your car. 5. Elaboration Aminah is a very strict teacher. That is to say she is often looking over your shoulder watching everything you do. 6. Example Luck is always on Cassandras side. For instance, I once saw her win RM100 on a horse race because she liked the horse's name.
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7.

Conclusion To summarize, transitions help improve the cohesiveness of ones writing.

Practice 3 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. When the fire alarm went off, we were sitting for an exam. After the rain stopped, the boys started playing football. Although it was hot, we had fun in Langkawi. If we eat too much starch, we will gain weight. Because it was raining, Ashley put on his raincoat.

Practice 4 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Were sitting for an exam when the fire alarm went off. The boys started playing football after the rain stopped. We had fun in Langkawi although it was hot. We will gain weight if we eat too much starch. Ashley put on his raincoat because it was raining,

Practice 5 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Professor Aishah rewarded her students for working hard on the final project and going beyond the call of duty. In class, Sheila learned to read poems critically and appreciate good prose. Mr. Chandra kept his office clean, neat, and conveniently arranged. He wanted three things out of university: to learn a skill, to make good friends, and to learn about life. In summary, the research done by Dr. Kamal has been of high quality, that it has provided an important contribution to the field, and that his knowledge of the topic will be a great asset to your department. or In summary, I feel that the research done by Dr. Ka mal has been of high quality and has provided an important contribution to the field and that his knowledge of the topic will be a great asset to your department. 6. The subject of the first sentence must be the same as the subject of the second.
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OR The subject of the first sentence must be the same as that of the second. Dictated by Mr. Hamid and signed in his absence. The kitchen was filled with dirty dishes, broken bottles, and overflowing sink. The academic affairs office approved the student's right to drop the class but not to meet with the professor. The professors disputed not only the journal article but also the university's official statement. CHAPTER 4 Practice 1 Topic sentence 1 Supporting details. I had to wait for more than two hours along the main road because the bus to the campus had broken down. Finally, when another bus came, it was the lunch hour. So, I had to wait until 2.15 pm before I could register for the course. Finally, I joined the long queue of students, only to discover that there were problems with the online registration. There was a problem with the networking system, and this caused a 40 minute delay. The administrators were apologetic. At that moment, though, I was not in a mood to listen to anything. I just wanted to get registered and go back to my room. Topic sentence 2 Supporting details. Points you might want to use: Grandmother invites her grand children during the school holidays. She organizes barbecue parties for the children. She prepares many dishes for the children. She gives the grandchildren small presents to take home. She welcomes her grandchildren whenever they want to stay with her. The grandchildren feel loved.

7. 8. 9. 10.

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Topic sentence 3 Supporting details: Points you might want to use: They are never punctual to attend group discussions. They always have very good excuses. They always expect their friends to contribute ideas for the group discussion. Some are irresponsible and do as little as possible. They rarely do any assigned reading to keep the group discussion interesting. If they assigned to read 5 books, they will probably read only one. Practice 2 Title 1: Topic sentence 1: Firstly, my neighbors like to throw rubbish all over the place. Topic sentence 2: Secondly, my neighbors are very noisy and the neighborhood continues to be noisy after midnight. Topic sentence 3: Thirdly, my neighbors park their cars haphazardly along the main road. Title 2: Topic sentence 1: The internet is useful for accessing information Topic sentence 2: The internet facilitates communication, for example, through emails. Topic Sentence 3: The internet helps to promote trade through advertisements. Title 3: Topic sentence 1: We are able to tour other countries.

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Topic sentence 2: We are able to understand other peoples cultures. Topic sentence 3: We are able to learn from the development in other countries. Practice 3 Answer is not provided. Identification Exercises A. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. B. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. RO CS RO RO CS CS RO CS F F CS F F CS

Practice 4 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. There were several men who were injured during the commotion. Fried chicken is my favourite dish. All the vegetables are fresh. Joe wastes a lot of time talking nonsense. It is very cold during winter in London.

Practice 5 1. 2. He danced continuously for two hours. So, he was very tired. I am a student. I spend most of time in the library.
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3. 4. 5.

Many of the workers were scolded by the boss, but they were not angry. I walk 10 kilometers to the campus everyday. I feel it is good exercise. I think he is rich, but not happy.

Practice 6 My friend, Ahmad, is a very jovial person. He has many friends, and they enjoy his company. He gets up early everyday, and wakes up his friends. He always tries to cheer them up with his smile. Most of the students like him very much because of his jokes. He is always early for English language classes. He enjoys asking questions, but not answering questions. In class, Ahmad is the first one to volunteer when the lecturer asks for volunteers. Although he is popular with most of the students, some students are not amused with his behaviour. A serious student Shouted at Ahmad one day when Ahmad happened to be particularly noisy. Noun clauses (Practice 5) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Please teach me how to use Microsoft 2007 The international students realized that they had to pay the fees. The accusation that he stole the book has not been proven. What she did is not acceptable to the local community. Please remind the tennis players that they have to bring their rackets. The tourist wanted to see what was sold in the wet market. The truth is that Jimmy is not interested in his profession. This is what happened during the curfew that was imposed yesterday. CHAPTER 5 Practice 1 1. 2. 3. 4. Nano technology, solar technology, and nuclear technology can be categorized as modern technologies. Social networking websites such as Facebook, MySpace and Friendster cater for friendship seekers. Mobile phones can be divided into basic phones, feature phones and smartphones. Three types of social networking users are game-addicts, friendseekers and blog-mania.

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Practice 2 1. Mobile Phones

Mobile phones

Basic phone

Smart phone

Camera phone

Make call Receive call Send SMS Receive SMS

Make and receive call Send and receive SMS Send and receive emails Surf internet

Make and receive call Send and receive SMS Snap and keep pictures

2.

Video Games
Video Games

Mobile

Home

Arcade

Play station Portable Game boy Brick game

Play station X game Nintendo Wii

Sports Shooter Maze

3.

Students
Students

Drop out/hang out

Last minute woman/man

Trooper

More compelled to hang out with friends Choose to party than worry his academic future

Does not prepare for classes Caught taking notes in class instead of sleeping Known for their amazing cramming abilities

Nerd Concentrate on leraning for exam

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4.

Facilities in your university

Facilities in University

Sports

Recreation

Education

Sport Centre Go-Cart Golf Course

Lake Camping Site Deer Farm

Library Reading Room Self Access Centre

Practice 3 1. 2. 3. 4. There three types of mobile phones namely basic phone, smart phone and camera phone. Video games can be divided into three types which are mobile video games, home video games and arcade video games. Drop out, last minute woman/man and trooper are three different categories of students. In my university, the facilities can be divided into three different purposes; sport, recreational and academic.

Practice 4 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Biotechnology Types of Biotechnology Yes Three: Bioinformatics, Green Biotechnology, White Biotechnology A series of derived terms have been coined to identify several branches of biotechnology, for example; bioinformatics, green biotechnology and white biotechnology. Three i) The first category of biotechnology is bioinformatics. ii) Other than that, green technology can also be grouped under biotechnology. iii) The last type of biotechnology is white biotechnology. Yes. The author summarizes his/her points and gives his/her opinion.

8.

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Practice 5 Answer is not provided. CHAPTER 6 Practice 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Similarities and Differences between Haiti and the Bahamas. The writer provides 2 differences. The weather and the ethnic background. It is not included in the thesis statement. In conclusion, although Haiti and the Bahamas share the warm weather of the Carribean Sea and populations of the same background, these two countries have take different paths to development. While the people of the Bahamas enjoy a more prosperous life, we can only hope that one day Haitians will share prosperity with them.

Practice 2 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) different from Although both of these countries they are also very distinct there are some noticeable differences While both countries have an quite different than major difference Whereas in contrast distinctions between the two countries are less area of greatest similarity between One difference other aspects do not The increasing contrast

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CHAPTER 7 Practice 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. There are at least three contributors for traffic accidents in this country: motorcyclists, vehicle occupants and alcohol use. Block organization (i.e. all causes) Three The first cause of road accidents in Malaysia concerns the motorcyclists. Statistics and facts The second cause of road accidents involves the vehicle occupants. Drunk driving or driving a car while the driver is drunk is the third cause of road accidents. Transition signals used are: The first, The second, In addition, Furthermore, Thus, and Because of this. By summarizing the thesis statement. He hopes that road accidents will be reduced through many kinds of road campaigns.

Practice 2 (i) Encouraging Malaysians to use public transport during festive reasons. Thesis Statement: There are three reasons why Malaysians should be encouraged to use public transport during festive seasons. Cause 1: To reduce the volume of traffic during festive seasons. Cause 2: To avoid fatalities among Malaysians during holiday seasons Cause 3: To make public transport as the first choice for travelling among Malaysians. (ii) The effects of checking the condition of the vehicles before going on a long journey. Thesis Statement: There are three effects of checking the vehicles before going for a long journey. Effect 1: To ensure that there will not be any breakdown of the vehicles along the journey. Effect 2: To avoid any mishaps due to the failure of the car
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Effect 3: To save time and money for the long trip. (iii) The effects of disciplined drivers on the road Thesis Statement: There are three effects of having disciplined drivers on the road.

Effect 1: There will be less road accidents Effect 2: Driving on Malaysian roads will be a pleasurable experience Effect 3: Malaysians will be famous not only for their culture but also for their driving attitude (iv) The reasons for making drivers and passengers wearing seat belts. Thesis Statement: There are three reasons for making drivers and passengers wearing seat belts

Cause 1: To protect drivers and passengers from getting hurt during emergencies Cause 2: To obey the law Cause 3: To save lives (v) The effects of drinking and driving Thesis Statement: There are three implications for drivers who drink and drive

Effect 1: Could not control the car and would end up in a fatal crash Effect 2: Could make other people (passenger or pedestrian) suffer Effect 3: Could affect individuals self-confidence since no one will trust drink drivers anyomore. Practice 3 Answer is not provided. Practice 4 Road Safety Campaigns to Reduce Deaths THE PENANG State Road Safety Department (JKJR) has lined up several educational programmes aimed at reducing fatal road accidents. S. Jegan, who is the JKJR director, said that even though the number of
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fatal accidents in Penang had dropped for the first three months of the year compared with the same period last year, it must be reduced further. He said 81 cases were reported from January to March this year compared with 90 cases during the same period last year. We want the figure reduced as there were 56 fatal accidents involving motorcyclists, which is still high, compared with 63 previously, he said at a road safety campaign seminar in Seberang Jaya on Saturday. He said 8,088 road accidents were reported during the period compared with 8,545 previously, and nine deaths involved pedestrians compared with 13 cases previously. The seminar which was attended by 160 people including 120 heavyvehicle drivers from the public and private sectors was held for one day. Several staff members, who represented various government agencies, also participated in the seminar. The seminar was jointly organised by JKJR, PLUS Expressways Berhad and Malaysian Highway Authority. According to Ku Jamil Zakaria, who is the PLUS Expressways Berhad section manager, 1,103 heavy vehicles were involved in accidents on PLUS highways last year compared with 1,134 in 2007. Practice 5 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Correct Incorrect which Correct Incorrect which Incorrect who Incorrect which Correct Correct Correct Incorrect which

Practice 6 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. which who which who which

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Practice 7 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. who which that which who

Practice 8 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. which they want to who do not deserve a license who deserve a license who will drive who are mostly healthy and valuable to the country CHAPTER 8 Practice 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. as if so that because, since until, after unless even though, although so hard that as soon as wherever before

Practice 2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Incorrect Correct incorrect incorrect correct correct correct Correct incorrect correct

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Practice 3 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. However as , while when, as soon as than Nevertheless, since , because When, after if, since as if since, as, because CHAPTER 9 Practice 1 Accept any logical opinions. Practice 2 1. 2. 3. Personally, I think that internet banking is one of our greatest achievements as the transactions are safe, fast and convenient. Three- safe, fast and convenient I believe that it is safe for us to make transactions through internet banking because we do not need to physically handle any real money. Also, in my opinion internet banking saves time. Besides being fast, I am convinced that internet banking is convenient. In conclusion, as far as I am concerned, using internet banking is safe, fast and convenient.

4.

Writing Activity In the introduction: 1. Discuss both sides of the issue. 2. State whether you are for or against the issue. 3. Write an explanation of the issue at the beginning of the introduction. 4. Write the thesis statement as the last sentence of the introduction. (Mention the opposing view)

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CHAPTER 10 Practice 1 1. 2. The risk of getting into a car accident while talking on a mobile phone while driving is growing as the number of mobile phone users increases. Engaging in a phone conversation on a mobile phone while driving distracts the brain and delays reaction times which are more likely to cause drivers to swerve between lanes, slow down and miss important signs. Mobile phones should be banned while driving because they are risky although there are objections to a complete ban. Topic sentence (introduces the main point). One. It found that the overall relative risk (RR) of having an accident for mobile phone users when compared to non-mobile phone users averaged 1.38 across all groups. Three. However, there are some objections to the call for the ban of mobile phones while driving. One. Although there are objections, there is sufficient evidence to prove that using the mobile phone while driving is risky. Using a mobile phone while driving taxes the cognitive skills of the brain at the expense of the driving. The vast majority of drivers have no idea that using the mobile phone while driving is risky.

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Practice 2 The following are suggested answers. Accept other logical answers. 1. 2. 3. SS 1 : SS 2 : SS 1 : SS 2 : SS 1 : SS2 : Drivers do not pay attention to the traffic on the road. Bad news over the phone can cause drivers to panic. The drivers will not be so reckless while driving. It will reduce aggressive driving. They get to meet different types of people. They may come across the job suitable to them.

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Practice 3 Accept other possible answers. 1. 2. 3. 4. Mobile phones are useful during emergencies. Computers help to increase our knowledge. Studying locally reduces expenditure. Students need longer breaks to relax and prepare for the next semester.

Practice 4 Answer is not provided. CHAPTER 11 Writing Summaries Suggested answers 1. Business communication courses should provide effective and necessary workplace communication skills to future managers. As a result, many studies have been conducted in the United States to investigate the current needs of business related workplaces. Anspaugh, Hamrick and Rosato (2000) claim that the major cause of serious health problem is lifestyle diseases. These long-term chronic diseases which have many causes usually start during earlier stage in life. Vorderman (1996) notes that the concept of number has been applied to not just for counting or recording data, but also creating symbols and words, and learning using them. The language of mathematics is a significant contributor in our modern living. There are several types of waste collection schemes in the world. The scheme depends on the types of waste which are plastics, household and glass. Allen (2005) describes that ice treatments for sportsmen consist of physical exposure to ice cubes and ice massages. These procedures can shorten the time to heal injuries. Long (2005) suggests that at present, many educationists believe that people have different types of intelligence or multiple
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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

intelligence. Slow learners do not indicate lack of intelligence. Different people may have verbal linguistics IQ, logical and mathematical IQ, and visual-spatial intelligence. 7. Adventurous people whose interest is at cave exploration, are expected to have good physical and mental stamina, and training. Huber (2005) notes that there are several reasons of peoples interest in caving which are scientific and geological interests, and secondly aesthetic nature of the art of rock formation. Fernandes (2005) defines techno rage as the kind of anger that relates to peoples destructive behaviour towards modern technology. The techno rage has caused a significant amount of loss or damage. One of the most popular websites internationally is Wikipedia which Allen (2009) considers as one of the biggest online encyclopedia. It is much unexpected that Wikipedia has managed to make an impact in just a short time. Robots have been designed to assist us in our life. Continuous developments in the technology have enabled robots to replace the job usually done or were not able to be carried out by men.

8.

9.

10.

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