Tài liệu Developing writting skills 1 part 2 doc

The appositive phrase in this case seems to have acquired a casual meaning, rather like: Being an expert in forest fire control, the forest ranger … 3 A subordinate clause.. Now she wa

The forest ranger, an expert in forest fire control, talked to

the campers about safety in the woods – An expert in forest fire

control, the forest ranger talked to the campers about safety in the

woods (appositive phrase)

Note that the part of the sentence placed first acquires a

special stress The appositive phrase in this case seems to have

acquired a casual meaning, rather like: Being an expert in forest fire

control, the forest ranger …

3) A subordinate clause When writing in complex sentences,

variety can be achieved by putting the subordinate clause before the

main clause One should remember, however, that in this case the

idea expressed by the subordinate clause takes on a greater emphasis,

and one should therefore use this inversion with discrimination:

e.g The gardener had to plant roses when they ran out of

carnations - When they ran out of carnations, the gardener had to

plant roses

Exercise 1 Rewrite the following sentences, beginning them with the part

of the sentence mentioned in parentheses

1 Mr Boyd was angry and began to defend his reputation

with strong argument (single-word modifier) 2 The pioneer was

strong and healthy and lived to be 112 years old (single-word

modifiers) 3 Many philosophy students read Plato, the author of

Socratic dialogues (appositive phrase) 4 Shepherds are brilliant

climbers, hard-working and tireless (single-word modifiers) 5

Cousteau, a tireless researcher, began experimenting with

skin-diving in 1936 (appositive phrase) 6 The mosaics at the University

of Mexico, made by outstanding artists, are one of the most beautiful

things to see in Mexico City (participial phrase) 7 Their going was

fairly easy at first (a prepositional phrase) 8 The soft and crumbling

snow made each step a potential disaster (single-word modifiers) 9

A student may want to "map" ideas in his or her notebook to

visualize a concept or theory (infinitive phrase) 10 Eggbert ate the

eggs even though he disliked them (a subordinate clause) 11 Ending

the solemn atmosphere the children laughed in spite of the warning

(prepositional phrase) 12 Leaves are falling, coming down in

streams of gold and brown (participial phrase)

Exercise 2 Complete the following sentences, beginning them with the part

of the sentence mentioned in parentheses

1 …, the storm roared across the countryside although it

wasn’t forecast (a subordinate clause) 2 …, Mr Caine obviously

had a grave illness (participial phrase) 3 …, Jane listened to music

(infinitive phrase) 4 …, advertisers both flatter and insult women in their campaigns (a single-word modifier) 5 …, Jim sped down the

highway at 80 miles per hour (infinitive phrase) 6 …, she called her

friend (participial phrase) 7 …, the reader is insulted by the trite and shallow editorial (prepositional phrase) 8 …, Larry brought out

the industrial can of RAID ant spray (participial phrase) 9 …, Jim

hit the ball (prepositional phrase) 10 …, Dr Jones was on-call 24

hours a day (appositive phrase) 11 …, the skydiver, in free-fall realized she forgot her parachute (single-word modifiers) 12 … my

cousin Danny plays a croquet (prepositional phrase) 13 …, one

should walk in the woods rather than read a book (infinitive phrase)

14 …, I was just getting out of the shower (a subordinate clause)

15 …, the troll waited for the English professor (prepositional phrase) 16 …, the boy pleaded innocence with his mom (gerundial phrase) 17 …, the swimmer struggled to the shore as waves crashed

into him (participial phrase) 18 …, we were tired and hungry when

we arrived (a subordinate clause)

Section 3 Writing Practice Reproduction Writing

Reproduction is a traditional method of teaching foreign languages, particularly their written form Learning a language depends largely upon our ability to imitate; it is through imitation, through repeated copying of ready-made patterns of grammatical and lexical usage that we achieve success in mastering a language

However, language is in its very essence creative; thus at this stage, reproductions should form a balanced synthesis between imitation and creation They are not confined to re-telling, though the student is required to render the story in a version which remains on the whole faithful to the original In addition, the student may be

asked to give his opinion of the story, to comment upon some episode, etc

Exercise Read the passage and do the assignments given below

Miss Robinson had been taking driving lessons and trying to pass her driving test for several years, but she had failed every time because she always became too excited and did silly things when she was driving a car Now she was taking her test again, but she made

so many mistakes that she was sure that she had no chance of passing, so she was surprised when the examiner nodded at the end

of her test and said, “All right, Miss Robinson, I’m going to pass you.”

The next morning she went out in her car alone for the first time Her face was red, her hands were sweating and she was hardly able to believe that it was no longer necessary for her to have a good driver with her in the car whenever she went out in it

She came to the first traffic lights and was very glad when she managed to stop the car quite smoothly and at the right place in the street

While she was waiting for the lights to change from red to green, an old lady came to the window of her car, and when Miss Robinson opened the window and looked out, the old lady asked whether she was going into the town

“Yes,” Miss Robinson answered, “I am I am going to the Public Library.”

“Will you please take me as far as the market-place?” The old lady asked “I have an appointment at the hospital, and there isn’t a bus for another hour.”

Miss Robinson had still not really understood that at last she had passed her test, and now she surprised the old lady very much by answering, “I’m very sorry, but I can’t drive.”

(From Intermediate Comprehension Pieces by L

A Hill)

Assignment 1 Answer the following questions

1 Why did Miss Robinson think that she would fail her test again? 2 What had Miss Robinson had to do before she passed her test, which she did not have to do after she passed it? 3 Why did the old lady speak to Miss Robinson? 4 Why was the old lady very surprised when Miss Robinson said she could not drive? 5 Why did Miss Robinson say that she couldn’t drive?

Assignment 2 (a) Reproduce the story, including a detailed answer to

questions 4 and 5

(b) Compose a story for the old lady to tell her friends in the evening after

the incident Begin it in the following way: “I had a very strange experience this afternoon I was going to town and wanted a lift because … ” Let the old lady also explain why she went up to Miss Robinson’s car, how the girl

at the wheel looked, and what she thought of her behaviour

Lesson 2

Section 1 Spelling: Consonant Doubling

A 1 Words are spelled with –ll-, -ff-, -ss-, -zz-:

a) In the final position in monosyllables after short vowels represented by a single letter:

-ll-: cell, fill, pull

-ff-: stiff, stuff, Jeff

-ss-: kiss, mess, fuss

-zz-, mainly in onomatopoeic words: buzz, fizz, jazz

b) Also in some words after long vowels:

-ll- (a or o): ball, tall, roll

-ff- (a or o): chaff, staff, off

-ss- (a in five words): brass, glass, class, pass, grass

c) In unstressed final syllables: tariff, compass

2 Words are spelled with –bb-, -dd-,-tt-, -gg-, -pp-, ll-, -ff-, -zz- before the final –le when preceded by a stressed short vowel if it is represented by a single letter: babble, pebble; fiddle, meddle, brittle, settle; struggle; apple, dapple; ruffle, shuffle; dazzle, puzzle

Exercise 1 Join up the left parts of the proverbs with the right ones so that

they make sense and find their Armenian equivalents:

1 I’ll trust him no farther than a between asses but kicks

2 Buy the cheapest market b and ride out tomorrow

3 Don’t curse the crocodile’s mother c must pay the fiddler

4 He who falls today d have stiff horns

5 A rolling stone e all beer and skittles

6 No weather is ill, f before you cross the river

7 Old oxen g ‘tis folly to be wise

8 One man’s loss h makes a brittle wife

9 Nothing passes i I can throw a millstone

10 Where ignorance is bliss j gathers no moss

11 They that dance k may rise tomorrow

12 A brilliant daughter l if the wind be still

13 Life is not m is another man’s gain

14 You saddle today n and sell in the dearest

Exercise 2 Make phrases by joining together a word from the left column

with a word from the right column:

2 to shuffle b of oneself

3 pebbly c the vacancy

4 dazzling d a sudden

5 all of e oneself together

6 the apple f roll

7 to pull g of one’s eye

10 to fill j beach

11 to make k collar

12 the Niagara l from foot to foot

B A final single consonant letter (except r and l) is doubled before a

suffix beginning with a vowel (-able, -ing, -est, -er, etc.) if the last

syllable of the word is stressed, and the final consonant is preceded

by a short vowel represented by a single letter: red – redder, redden, reddish; begin – beginning; thin – thinned, thinner

It is not doubled if (a) preceded by an unstressed vowel; (b) preceded by a vowel sound represented by two letters; (c) the suffix

begins with a consonant: open – opened, opening; limit – limited, limiting; develop – developed, developing; repeat – repeated, repeating; look – looked, looking; turn – turned, turning; hot – hotly (but: hottest), forget – forgetful (but: unforgettable)

N o t e The words handicap, kidnap, outfit, worship are exceptions: handicapped – handicapping; kidnapped – kidnapping; outfitted – outfitting – outfitter; worshipped – worshipping – worshipper

Exercise 3 a) Form the Past Indefinite and the Participle 1 of the following

verbs: slap, slim, warn, stop, slam, trim, skim, work, shrug, pat, knit,

grip, pin, leap, nag, wrap, commit, look, omit, regret, slip, open, skin, fit, limit, grab, chat, trap, turn, worship, wed, shop, tip, wag, grin, plan, develop, repeat

b) Form the comparative and superlative degrees of the following

adjectives: big, hot, sweet, mean, weak, sad, thin, clear, broad, cool,

fat, deep, meek, dim, flat, slim, wet, low, bright, neat, lean, red.

C Final r is doubled before a suffix beginning with a vowel (able,

-ing, -est, -er, etc.) if preceded by a letter representing a stressed vowel, no matter if it is long or short (but not a diphthong): oc'cur – oc'currence; re'fer – re'ferred; bar – barrister; fur – furrier; stir – stirring; ab'hor – abhorrent But: 'differ – 'differed; appear – appeared; pre'fer - 'preference

N o t e: Words with the consonant r in the root of two-syllable words after a stressed short vowel are spelled with –rr-: carry, marry, merry, hurry, porridge, squirrel, quarrel, terrace Also in the word err and its derivatives erring, error

Exercise 4 Form the Past Indefinite and the Participle 1 of the following

verbs and mark the stress

Offer, confer, war, flatter, infer, blur, stir, appear, administer, occur, scar, abhor, prefer, differ, deliver, fear, bother, pour, linger,

bar, clatter, murmur, lower, alter, recover, conquer

Exercise 5 Open the brackets, doubling the final consonant of the root

where necessary Translate the sentences

1 A fool bolts the door with a boiled car(r)ot 2 A man without money is like a bow without an ar(r)ow 3 He that goes a bor(r)owing goes a sor(r)owing 4 Meat and mass never hinder(r)ed man 5 A foreign war is prefer(r)able to one at home 6 Better twice measur(r)ed than once wrong 7 Don’t cry her(r)ings till they are in the net 8 He knows which side of his bread is butter(r)ed 9 It is not work that kills but wor(r)y 10 Whose car(r)iage is greediness, his companion is beggary

D Final l is doubled (British English) before a suffix beginning with

a vowel (-able, -ing, -est, -er, etc.) irrespective of the stress if it is

preceded by a short vowel represented by a single letter It is not

doubled if preceded by a long vowel sound represented by two letters

or a diphthong: travel – travelled; expel – expelled; control – controllable; cruel – cruellest; jewel – jeweller (exception: parallel – paralleled, parallelism) But: reveal – revealed; peal – pealed

N o t e 1: l is not doubled before –ish, -ist, -ism: devilish, liberalism, naturalist

N o t e 2: Derivatives and compounds of some words in –ll (all, full, skill, will, etc.) drop one l: all – almighty, always, altogether, already; till – until; skill – skilful; full – fulfil

Exercise 6 Form the Past Indefinite and the Participle 1 of the following

verbs:

Quarrel, reveal, curl, appeal, apparel, cancel, travel, peal, heal, annul, excel, compel, conceal, deal, expel, patrol, marvel,

rebel, level, sail

Exercise 7 (revision) Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word given in

the list below, making the necessary changes:

(occu/r/ed, weep/p/ing, re/d/en, worshi/p/ed, acquit/t/ed, trave/l/ed, expe/l/ed, diffe/r/ed, murmu/r/ed, sti/r/ing, quarre/l/ed, wra/p/ed, regre/t/ed, fan/n/ed, revea/l/ed, cance/l/ed, prefe/r/ed, flog/g/ing, signa/l/ed, appea/r/ed)

1 She was so embarrassed that she began … 2 King Midas

… gold and constantly declared his great love for it 3 Their opinions on that point … 4 A hideous face suddenly … in the window 5 This event … in 1964 6 He has … a lot 7 After his death it was … that he had been a millionaire 8 The boy was … from school 9 The branches of the tree … 10 It was 3 a.m and no one was … 11 The concert has been … 12 He and his wife … constantly 13 The first snow-fall … the end of autumn 14 She said that she … to stay at home 15 He … that the incident had taken place 16 Mary … the gift attractively 17 The judge is condemned when the accused is … 18 Everyone takes his … in his own way

19 … fire and forced love never did well yet 20 The … bride makes a laughing wife

Section 2 Sentence Structure Emphasis in Writing

The simplest way to emphasize something is by such words

as just, quite, whatever, whoever, only, etc.:

e.g I saw him once – I saw him just once – I saw him only

once

What are you doing? – Whatever are you doing? – What on earth are you doing?

Morthological means of emphasis include structures with do,

will/would, and should

1 The so-called emphatic do has many uses in English

a To add emphasis to an entire sentence: "He does like spinach He really does!"

b To add emphasis to an imperative: "Do come in." (actually softens the command)

c To add emphasis to a frequency adverb: "He never did understand his father." "She always does manage to hurt her mother's feelings."

d To contradict a negative statement: "You didn't do your homework, did you?" "Oh, but I did finish it."

e To ask a clarifying question about a previous negative statement: "Ridwell didn't take the tools." "Then who did take the tools?"

f To indicate a strong concession: "Although the

Clintons denied any wrong-doing, they did return some

of the gifts."

2 Will and would/used to plus infinitive are used to emphasize a

habitual action in the present or in the past respectively:

e.g Grannies will spoil their grandchildren (also denotes a

willful action)

He would/used to go for a walk in any weather

3 Would not (wouldn’t) emphasizes unwillingness to do something (in the past):

e.g They would not agree to our proposals

She would not let him kiss her

4 To emphasize the sensations of pleasure, surprise, shock, or disapproval one may use some patterns with the mood auxiliary

should, the so-called “emotional should”, as in the following:

e.g I was pleased that she should have taken the trouble to read

my first novel

Why should you accompany her there? She is old enough to

look after herself

“Emotional should” is very often introduced by the phrases it’s odd that …, it’s strange that … and the like, as in the following:

e.g It’s strange that he should be the only one to meet me

It’s odd that you should be so forgiving

Exercise 1 Practise using emphatic connectives (whatever, whoever, etc.)

1 … has got to pay for it, it won’t be me 2 … smashed my glasses shall pay for it, … he’s hidden himself 3 Please take … one you want and bring it back … you want 4 … it is you’ve found, you must give it back to … it belongs 5 … the weather, we go biking at the weekend with … likes to join us

Exercise 2 Rewrite the sentences, beginning with it’s and using the pattern

with emotional should

e.g How odd! Both our wives have the same name – It’s odd that both our wives should have the same name

1 Quite naturally, you’re upset about what’s happened.2 It’s incredible! We’ve been living in the same street for two years and have never got to know each other 3 You missed the one talk that was worth hearing What a pity! 4 That’s curious! He asked you to come rather than me 5 It’s typical of him He expects everyone else

to do all the work 6 Isn’t it odd! They’re getting married, after all they’ve said about the marriage 7 You have to pay as much tax It’s crazy! 8 How splendid! You’ll be coming to live near us