BBI3421

1. BBI3421 EXPOSITORY WRITING

2. Objectives At the end of the course, students should be able to: use a variety of techniques to generate ideas for writing (P4) 1 2 write unified paragraphs with appropriate supporting points and details(C5) 3 compose coherent essays using different rhetorical modes (A3) 4 evaluate essays critically (A3), and

3. Synopsis • This course involves experiencing the processes of creating and criticising; content generation; organisation and rhetorical ordering; sentential skills; proof reading and editing; interaction of writer, text, and audience; and feedback in the process of revision and evaluation.

4. Required Texts: • Oshima, A and Hogue, A. (2006, 4th ed.). Writing Academic English. New York: Pearson Longman. • To get the book, you need to contact Mr Tan YunChun (012-2808241/tanyunchun@ymail.com) • Please take note that exercises for the course assignment are taken from the prescribed textbook.

5. Evaluation • Mid-Semester 40% • Assignments: -Task Portfolio 20% -Personal Reflection 10% • Final Examination 30% • Total 100%

6. Format of Evaluation • Mid-Semester Test: Structured Questions and MCQs (Topics covered from Week 1- Week 7) - Identifying topic sentences - Writing topic sentences - Writing supporting sentences - Identifying Types of sentences - Coherence devices - Outlining -Writing an extended paragraph

7. Assignments: Task Portfolio and Reflection Exercise

16. Summary of Task Portfolio Your Task Portfolio consists of three sections: Section A: The process writing of an extended paragraph and an argumentative paragraph Section B: Practices Section C: Reflection exercise *Compile your Task Portfolio according to the above sections. A contents page should precede the three sections.

17. Reflection Exercise (10 marks) In about 150 words, write your reflection on your learning experience of writing an essay. You can use the questions below to guide you in writing your reflection. • Now that you have completed writing your essay, did you face any challenges while writing it? Explain the challenges that you had faced. • While writing your essay, did you consciously follow the steps of the writing process? • Did you consciously use some of the coherent devices to make your essay coherent? If yes, what were they?

18. In writing your essay, did you consciously use varied sentence patterns? What types of sentence patterns did you use most of the time? • When editing your own work, what aspects of writing did you normally edit? Ideas? Sentence constructions? Grammar? • How do you feel about your edited piece of work? • Other comments?

19. Final Examination: MCQ and Structured Questions (All topics but pay particular attention to topics covered from Week 8-Week 13) • Identifying sentence problems • Identifying and/or writing thesis statement • Identifying and/or writing topic sentence • Write selected paragraphs (Introductory, body paragraphs or concluding paragraphs) • Cohesive devices

20. Send your Task Portfolio and Reflection Exercise to PPL. For any enquiries, contact: Pn Helen Tan JabatanBahasaInggeris FakultiBahasaModendanKomunikasi Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400 Serdang (helen@fbmk.upm.edu.my) Tel: 03-89468711

21. What is writing? • a complicated cognitive process • recursive – involves several activities; setting goals, generating ideas, organising information, selecting appropriate language, making a draft, reading and reviewing it, then revising and editing. Hedge, T. (2003) Teaching and learning in the classroom.

22. What good writers do? • “ They consider purpose and audience. They consult their own background knowledge. They let ideas incubate. They plan. As they write, they read back over what they have written. Contrary to what many textbooks advise, writers do not follow a neat sequence of planning, organising, writing and then revising. For a while a writer’s product – the finished essay, story or novel – is presented in lines, the process that produces it is not linear at all.” (Raimes 1985:229)

23. Audience Awareness “…successful writers are aware of their readers and seek to produce ‘reader-based’ prose (Flower and Hayes 1980). Successful writers think about what the reader needs to know, how to make information clear and accessible and what is an appropriate style (for example, formal, friendly, or persuasive).

24. How to begin writing? Meyer,A. (2005) – 6 stages • Explore ideas • Consider subject, purpose, audience • Prewrite • Brainstorming, clustering, freewriting • Organise • Select, Outline

25. Write a first draft • Write quickly to record your thoughts • Put notes and new ideas in the margins • Revise the draft - Read aloud • Add or omit material, and move materials around • Produce final copy • Edit • Copy over, or print a clean copy • Read carefully for errors, and then print another clean copy

26. Stage 1:Exploration of ideas • Consider subject, purpose, audience Subject • What do I know about the subject? • What do I want to say about the subject? Purpose • Why am I saying about the subject? • Is it to persuade, to inform, etc.

27. Choosing and Narrowing a Topic • Environment • Pollution • Air pollution • Effects on people’s health

28. Stage 2: Generation of ideas • Brainstorming Techniques • Listing • Clustering • Freewriting

29. Listing • Write down the general topic at the top of your paper. • Make a list of every idea that comes into your mind about the topic. Keep the ideas flowing. • If you write down information that is completely off the topic, don’t worry about it because you can cross it out later. • Use words, phrases, or sentences, and don’t worry about spelling or grammar

30. Freewriting - Write the topic at the top of your paper • Simply write about the subject without worrying about sentence structure, spelling, logic, and grammar. • Write as if you are speaking so that you can get your ideas down fast.

31. Clustering • Write your subject in the middle of the page and then circle it. • Write related ideas around the circle as they occur to you. • Circle the ideas and connect them to you subject circle.

32. Stage 3: Organize/ Outline • From your brainstorming notes: • Identify relevant point • Communication Problems • 1. Poor verbal skills 2. Americans difficult to understand • lack vocabulary use incomplete sentences • new language unclear expressions • poor pronunciation Americans talk too fast • lack confidence use slang and idioms

33. Categorize your ideas into sub categories. For example: • 1. poor verbal skills • - lack vocabulary • - poor pronunciation • 2. Americans difficult to understand • - use incomplete sentences • - use unclear expressions • - talk too fast • - use slang and idioms

34. Stage 4: Write your draft • A Paragraph : What is it? • A basic unit of organization in writing • Consists of a group of related sentences that develop one main idea

35. An Extended Paragraph: What does it contain? • Introduction -Topic sentence • Body -Main Supporting Sentences -Supporting details • Conclusion Summary Additional Elements Unity Coherence

36. What is a Topic Sentence? • Presents the main idea • Suggests how the remaining sentences will develop that idea • Gives the paragraph a direction • Is the most general statement • Makes a claim about the topic • Expresses an opinion/judgement • Position of topic sentence in a paragraph - usually but not always at or near the beginning of paragraph

37. How to write a Topic Sentence? • Topic + controlling idea Eg: Learning to outline will improve your writing for three reasons. Topic: Learning to outline Controlling idea: will improve your writing for three reasons

38. Examples of a Good Topic Sentence • 1. People can avoid burglaries by taking certain precautions.  (The precautions for…) • 2. There are several advantages to growing up in a small town.  (The advantages of…) • 3. Most US universities require a 550 point TOEFL score for a number of reasons.  (The reasons for…) • 4. Fixing a flat tire on a bicycle is easy if you follow these steps.  (The steps for…) • 5. Effective leadership requires specific qualities that anyone can develop.  (The qualities (or characteristics or traits) of…)

39. Functions of Supporting Points • Develop the topic sentence through: • giving explanations and • providing examples

40. Examples of supporting points TS: Learning to outline will improve your writing for three reasons. • It will help you organize your ideas. • It will help you write more quickly. • It will help you improve your grammar Improved organization, speed, and grammar make learning outline well worth the effort.

41. Examples of specific details TS: Learning to outline will improve your writing for three reasons. • It will help you organize your ideas. 1. you will not include irrelevant ideas. 2. You will not leave out important points. 3. Your supporting sentences will be in logical order. • It will help you write more quickly. 1. Seventy-five percent of the work is done. 2. You do not worry about what you are going to say. • It will help you improve your grammar 1.You will be able to concentrate on writing appropriately. 2. You will have time to self-correct any wrong grammar used Improved organization, speed, and grammar make learning outline well worth the effort.

42. Functions of a Concluding Sentence • It signals the end of the paragraph. • It summarizes the main points of the paragraph. • It gives a final comment on the topic and leaves the reader with the most important ideas to think about. Eg: In conclusion, improved organization, speed, and grammar make learning outline well worth the effort.

43. Coherence and Cohesion

44. “Cohere” (Latin): “hold together” • Repetition of key nouns • Use of Consistent Pronouns • Transition Signals • Logical arrangement

45. Repetition of key nouns • Gold Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewelry, coins, and ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was minted twenty-three centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications. The most recent use of gold is in astronauts’ suits. Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for protection outside spaceships. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.

46. Use of Consistent Pronouns • Help establish a clear connection between ideas. Pronouns replaces nouns and refer back to them. Eg: First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, theyare suitable for jewelry, coins, and ornamental purposes. (X) First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewelry, coins, and ornamental purposes. (/)

47. Exercise 1: Correct the pronouns used to make the use of pronouns consistent • Olympic Athletes Olympic athletes must be strong both physically and mentally. First, if you hope to compete in an Olympic sport, you must be physically strong. Furthermore, an aspiring Olympian must train rigorously for many years. For the most demanding sports, they train several hours a day, five or six days a week, for ten or more years. In addition to being physically strong, he or she must also be mentally tough. This means that you have to be totally dedicated to your sport, often giving up a normal school, family, and social life. Being mentally strong also means that he or she must be able to withstand the intense pressure of international competition with its attendant media coverage. Finally, not everyone can win a medal, so they must possess the inner strength to live with defeat.

48. Important Use of Transition Signals • Explains relationships between ideas. (See p. 297-299, Oshima & Hogue) Transition Signals and other Connecting Words • Helps to make your prose engaging to the readers

49. Compare paragraph 1 and 2Which is easier to understand? • Britain withdrew from Singapore in 1971,the tiny island nation at the tip of the Malay Peninsula had no way to support itself. Its resources was people. From the start, the Singapore government determined that the country’s survival would depend on foreign investment and expertise. The government itself would need to play an active role in guiding economic development. Singapore developed one of the most productive economies in the world.

50. Paragraph 2 • When Britain withdrew from Singapore in 1971,the tiny island nation at the tip of the Malay Peninsula had no way to support itself. Its resources was people. From the start, the Singapore government determined that the country’s survival would depend on foreign investment and expertise. Furthermore, the government itself would need to play an active role in guiding economic development. As a result of these strategies, Singapore developed one of the most productive economies in the world.