INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH

AND AMERICAN STUDIES

Name:

SLS: Writing
Course Pack

Produced by Keith Hollingsworth

Updates and edits by Andrea Stubenrauch
 SLS Writing - Reader
Introduction
This is the first of two writing courses in the English B.A. / LA and Master programmes. This 'basic' writing
course will be developed and refined in the 'Advanced Essay Writing' course in the Master studies. In our
courses, we are mostly concerned with argumentative essay writing, i.e. convincing the reader of strong
position on a particular topic and presenting pro and counter-arguments aas well as refuting weak arguments
to support your position. Such skills are vital, not only in academic work, but in many careers where you need
to convince colleagues of your opinions. Analysing an issue and organising your ideas is a crucial aspect of
writing: good arguments, a clear development of ideas and a convincing conclusion inevitably support fluent
and accurate writing at a high level. Consequently, this course also concentrates on the organisation of ideas
as well as the use of language. In order to practise organising one's ideas, students, in pairs, will present their
arguments and organisation of ideas in form of an essay plan to the rest of the class.

Other types of writing are dealt with in this course albeit briefly. These include email and letter writing, CVs,
and resumés.

The exam
The assessment in this course is based on the final exam. The exam is to produce a 500-word essay on a
previously chosen current affairs topic. The evaluation criteria is based on accuracy (25%), fluency (25%), range
of expression (25%) and content (25%). Students who fail any of these categories, fail the exam.

Reference books
Check your reference book situation- ifit's not very healthy, this would be an excellent moment to arm yourself
with a good stock! Students should have, as an absolute minimum, a good grammar reference book and a
good monolingual dictionary, and we strongly recommend a second grammar book, a thesaurus and a good
bilingual dictionary. Ifsome aspects ofyour English are weak, consider buying (and using!!) practice books.

Dictionaries:
1. A monolingual learner's (not native-speaker type!) dictionary, e.g.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners (both British and American English versions)
Oxford Advanced Learner 's Dictionary
Merriam-Webster (AmE)
2. Thesaurus: e.g. Oxford Learner's Thesaurus, or a monolingual dictionary with thesaurus, or
Roget 's Thesaurus of Synonyms and Antonyms Any edition
3. A good bilingual dictionary, e.g. Collins German Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged

Grammar reference books:

A Concise English Grammar, G. Parkes. Englang Books.
Practical English Usage, M. Swan Oxford University Press/Cornelsen
Advanced Grammar in Use, Martin Hewings. Exploring English
Grammar, Geoff Sammon. Cornelsen.

Improve your grammar:

Hewings, Martin: Advanced Grammar in Use.
Murphy: English Grammar in Use.

Improve your vocabulary:

1) English Vocabulary in Use- Upper-Intermediate and Advanced, McCarthy/O'Dell.
2) English Vocabulary in Use-Advanced, McCarthy/O'Dell.
3) What 's The Difference? A Guide to Tricky Vocabulary Areas in English. Englang Books.
4) False Friends Books 1, 2 and 3. Parkes/Comell, Englang Books

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 lmproving your use of formal English
Essay writing at university is almost always a question of using formal style. Many students tend to write in too
informal a way as their experience of English is often influenced more by the informal style or colloquial
English. In order to improve your competence in using more formal English, you need regular practice in
reading (and, perhaps to a lesser degree, listening to) formal texts such as in serious newspapers and journals
(and possibly serious radio broadcasts). Many students spend a year in an English-speaking country, return with
excellent pronunciation and fluency, but they often use the language on a relatively basic level as the input they
experienced was mostly limited to conversational encounters. lmproving your use of formal English by reading
and listening to formal English material is certainly possible while living in Germany: the essential condition
here is your motivation to improve. You need to find regular practice in reading and listening to formal English.
Our advice is to listen to good radio stations, podcasts and news channels.
_
Suggested listening sources:
1. BBC Radio 4 (UK: news, documentaries, discussions, plays, intelligent quizzes and comedy etc)
2. NPR (USA: national and affiliated local stations producing news and cultural programmes)
Suggested reading sources:
1. The Economist (UK weekly magazine: news and international affairs)
2. The Guardian, The Times, The Independent (UK dailies); New York Times, Herald Tribune (USA dailies)
3. Time Magazine, Newsweek (USA weeklies)

Essay Evaluation

Since this course is a language seminar that is part of your practical language training during your studies,
the assessment criteria that apply in this course are the following:

Accuracy:
This refers to the accuracy of general grammar, punctuation and spelling. We do not count the number of
errors but the following is intended as a guide:
Grade 1,0 would be given if there were no or maybe one or two very minor errors. Several (e.g. 5-6) serious
grammar errors would automatically mean a low grade (3 or 4), and a large number (e.g. 10) of serious errors
would mean grade 5. Moreover, a large number of spelling errors and/or punctuation errors would reduce
the grade significantly. Examples of serious grammar errors are:
- the wrong from of a common verb (e.g. 'the interviewees weared smart clothes')
- the wrong use of tense in a basic situation (e.g. 'Last week she has found a new job')
- wrong use of articles (e.g. 'the student received an advice from the counsellor')
- basic word order mistakes (e.g. 'teachers find the marking ofextra tests hard work also')

Fluency:
In this case, fluency refers to the flow ofthe sentence structures. Here we are aiming at a mixture of
complex, compound and simple sentence structures which sound natural to the native speaker. Moreover,
devices such as the use of transitions help to develop a fluent symbiotic relationship between sentence
structure and content.

Range of lexis and expression:

As our students have been learning English for at least 8 years at school and university, we can expect a high
level of lexical knowledge. In university work, formal written style is most important: the excellent informal
speaking skills of many students must not be transferred to the written form in university work, except for
particular exceptions, e.g. creative writing or writing scenes in the Theatre Workshop. Contractions such as
'don't', 'they're' and 'can't' should be avoided at all times!

Content and organisation:

Although content and ideas are not linguistic criteria, they greatly influence the use of language: if the ideas
lack cohesion, the text itself usually suffers. Moreover, a well-organised essay with convincing content
reads much better. This course, therefore, also trains you to analyse topics, evaluate solutions and come up
with convincing arguments. This course aims to equip students with the basic academic writing skills
appropriate for academic contexts.
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 Presentation of an essay plan
In pairs, students will present a potential outline of an argumentative essay to the class as this provides
excellent practice in organising ideas and practising the lay-out of an essay as well as sharing and
discussing these with the class. Tue outline should follow the general format of an argumentative essay
common in Anglo-American writing.

Requirements
Students must give a 2-5 minute presentation of an essay plan to the class. The class will give feedback on
the content and structure provided. A one-page handout providing the presented essay plan has to be
submitted.

Sample handout
Renewable Energy
Introduction
Hook Did Germany miss the necessary transition to renewable energy?

Thesis statement This essay will prove that renewable energy should replace non-renewable
resources considering climate factors, energy independence from other
countries, and economic growth.

Main part
Pro arguments 1. Green energy represents a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil
fuels.
 Reduction of climate change effects

2. Renewable sources guarantee energy independence from other countries.

 The war in Ukraine brought about energy instability in the EU

3. The renewable energy sector can strengthen the economy.

 In Germany, the number of employees in this sector tripled between 2000 and
2021 (from 104,900 to 344,100)

Counterargument Renewable energy presents cost inefficiency

and Refutation • Nonetheless, the costs for green energy infrastructure decreased (see the price of
solar panels in agument 3)
• In addition, renewable energy has saved over €1 billion in fossil fuel imports in the
past five years

Conclusion
Link to thesis Green energy should replace fossil fuels.
statement and This has been proven based on their reduced environmental impact, increased
summary energy independence, and economic growth.
Final comment Germany must work toward renewable energy as quickly and efficiently as it
can.

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 The Art of Good Argumentation
For each of the following statements, find one argument, one counter-argument and a refutation of
the counter-argument. They should be formulated in each case as one short, precise sentence. If you
have enough time, think of an example illustrating the respective point.

1) lt is important to look good.

Argument:

Counter-argument:

Refutation:

2) The internet is the most efficient way of receiving news information.

Argument:

Counter-argument:

Refutation:

3) Some of the churches in western Europe should be used for housing the homeless.
Argument:

Counter-argument:

Refutation:

4) Everybody should be free to take the drug of their choice.

Argument:

Counter-argument:

Refutation:

5) German universities are out of touch with reality.

Argument:

Counter-argument:

Refutation:
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Thesis statements
In argumentative essays you are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. In your introduction,
you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis
statement, and it serves as a unifying force in your essay; it summarises your main response to the question
posed in the essay title. A thesis statement tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the
subject matter under discussion. lt is a road map for the paper for it tells the reader what to expect from the
rest of the paper. lt answers the essay question directly. lt is usually a single sentence somewhere in your
introduction that presents your position and arguments to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the
essay, gathers and organises evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation. When
an assignment asks you to take a stand on an issue, you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it
persuasively. Example:

Essay title: "Compare and contrast the reasons why the North and South fought the Civil War."
Poor thesis statement: "The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were
the same and some different."
This weak thesis restates the question without providing any additional information. You will expand on this new
information in the body of the essay, but it is important that the reader know where you are heading.

A good thesis statement: "While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and
oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners
_ defended their own right to self-govemment."
This thesis presents a way of interpreting evidence that illuminates the significance of the question. Keep in mind
that this is one of many possible interpretations of the Civil War-it is not the one and only right answer to the
question. There isn't one right answer; there are only strong and weak thesis statements and strong and weak uses
of evidence.

Topic sentences
Topic sentences act like tiny thesis statements. Just as the thesis statement is the unifying force in the essay,
so the topic sentence must be the unifying force in the paragraph. Further, as is the case with the thesis
statement, when the topic sentence makes a claim, the paragraph which follows must expand, describe, or
prove it in some way. Topic sentences make a point and give reasons or examples to support it. A topic
sentence (also known as a focus sentence) encapsulates or organises an entire paragraph, and you should be
careful to include one in your major paragraphs. Although topic sentences may appear anywhere in a
paragraph, in academic essays they often appear at the beginning. Think of a topic sentence as working in two
directions simultaneously:
- it relates the paragraph to the essay's thesis, acting as a signpost for the paper's argument as a whole
- it defines the scope ofthe paragraph itself
For example, consider the following topic sentence:
"Many fast-food chains make their profits from adding a special ingredient called "Yum" to their
foods (1). Made largely from edible oil products, this condiment is never listed on the menu (2).
In addition, this well-kept industry secret is the reason why ingredients are never listed on the
packaging of victuals sold by these restaurants (3). "Yum" has a chemical property which causes
temporary amnesia in consumers (4). After spending too much money on barely edible food
bereft of any nutritional value, most consumers swear they will never repeat such a
disagreeable experience (5). Within a short period, however, the chemical in
"Yum" takes effect, and they can be depended upon to return and spend, older but no wiser (6).
By surreptitiously adding "Yum" to their dishes, a large number of fast-food chains clearly put
profit before the well-being oftheir customers."

Sentence 1 is the topic sentence - it controls the paragraph that follows, and all the sentences in the
paragraph must relate in some way to fast food, profit, and "Yum". Sentence 2 elaborates on the topic
sentence by describing the composition of"Yum". The transitional phrase "In addition" in sentence 3 relates
the composition of"Yum" to secret fast-food industry practices. Paragraph 4 moves on to the short-term
effect on consumers, whereas sentence 6 describes its longer-term effects. Finally, sentence 7 finishes the
paragraph by "proving" the claim contained in the topic sentence.

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Organisation patterns of argumentative essay writing
As we have seen in the guidelines of the presentation of an essay outline, an argumentative essay should have
3 main parts: i) Introduction ii) Main body iii) Conclusion
The introduction may well have two paragraphs: the first will refer to the essay title, and indicate the direction
of your essay. A second paragraph may be added which gives some background information. In these
introductory paragraphs, you need to make your own standpoint clear in a thesis statement, and find a way to
grab your readers' attention.
The main body might have several paragraphs, each covering a main point highlighted by a topic sentence.
There are different ways of presenting the ideas ot he main body, which are set out below. In the main body
you need to present the pro and con arguments. A very effective method is the use of refutation. If you can
refute the arguments you disagree with, i.e. show them to have weaknesses, then the arguments in favour of
your standpoint will seem all the stronger.
The conclusion normally consists of only one paragraph. Here it is not a case of length - a brief summary of the
important arguments for your standpoint and the feeling of conclusion are most important. Often a shorter,
punchy conclusion is more effective than a drawn-out, detailed one.
Below, you find some different suggestions of how you can organise your essay. The introductions and the
conclusions are the same - the differences are in the organisation of the main body. Analyse these and decide
which kind suits you best.

Organisation A
Develop the pro arguments before you refute the counter-arguments. This format is suggested if your pro/con
chart focuses on different types of arguments or if your arguments are unbalanced (you have more arguments
either for or against the issue).

Introductory Stimulate your readers' interest, provide briefbackground information, and

Paragraph include a thesis statement. Your thesis statement should list your pro
arguments in the order they appear in your paper. In other words, your thesis
statement should be parallel to the development ofyour ideas.
Background Paragraph Ifthe information is necessary for readers to understand your paper and/or
how you collected your data, include a paragraph with more detailed
background information about your topic.
Pro argument 1 Paragraph Develop your strongest argument in support ofyour topic. Include facts,
references to experts, survey results, personal experiences, and so forth.
Pro argument 2 Paragraph Develop a second strong argument in support ofyour topic. Include facts,
references to experts, survey results, personal experiences, and so forth.
Pro argument 3 Paragraph Ifyou have one, develop a third strong argument in support ofyour topic.
Include facts, references to experts, survey results, personal experiences,
and so forth.
Counterargument(s) + your Include the strongest argument(s) against your topic: Instead of fully
refutation paragraph developing the con argument(s), mention them and explain why they are not
strong or not valid.
Concluding paragraph Restate your main points, relate the conclusion to remarks in the introduction,
and provide the readers with final comments on the topic.

Organisation B
Mention the counter-arguments and refute them. Then, develop your pro arguments. Similar to
Organisation A, this format is suggested if your pro/con chart focuses on different types of arguments, or if
your arguments are unbalanced (you have more arguments either for or against the issue).

Introductory Stimulate your readers' interest, provide briefbackground information, and

Paragraph include a thesis statement. Your thesis statement should list your pro
arguments in the order they appear in your paper. In other words, your thesis
statement should be arallel to the develo ment of our ideas.
Background Paragraph Ifthe information is necessary for readers to understand your paper and/or
how you collected your data, include a paragraph with more detailed
background information about our to ic.

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 refutation paragraph developing the con argument(s), mention them and explain why they are not
strong or not valid.
Pro argument 1 Paragraph Develop your strongest argument in support ofyour topic. Include facts,
references to experts, survey results, personal experiences, and so forth.
Pro argument 2 Paragraph Develop a second strong argument in support ofyour topic. Include facts,
references to experts, survey results, personal experiences, and so forth.
Pro argument 3 Paragraph If you have one, develop a third strong argument in support ofyour topic.
Include facts, references to experts, survey results, personal experiences,
and so forth.
Concluding paragraph Restate your main points, relate the conclusion to remarks in the introduction,
and provide the readers with final comments on the topic.

Organisation C
State a counter-argument (con argument) and then refute it with the appropriate pro argument. Repeat this
for each pro/con argument. This format is suggested if most or all of your pro and con arguments are
parallel. That is, each pro argument seems to have the same or a similar con argument.

Introductory Stimulate your readers' interest, provide briefbackground information, and

Paragraph include a thesis statement. Your thesis statement should list your pro
arguments in the order they appear in your paper. In other words, your thesis
statement should be parallel to the development ofyour ideas.
Background Paragraph Ifthe information is necessary for readers to understand your paper and/or
how you collected your data, include a paragraph with more detailed
background information about your topic.
Counterargument 1 + pro Include a counterargument (con argument), and explain why it is not strong or
argument 1 paragraph not valid. Use pro argument 1 to refute the con argument, providing facts,
references to experts, survey results, personal experiences, and so forth in
support.
Counterargument 2 + pro Include a second counterargument (con), and explain why it is not strong or
argument 2 paragraph not valid. Use pro argument 2 to refute the con argument, providing facts,
references to experts, survey results, personal experiences, and so forth in
support.
Counterargument 3 + pro Include your final counterargument (con), pro argument 3 and explain why it
argument 3 paragraph is not strong or not valid. Use pro argument 3 to refute the con argument,
providing facts, references to experts, survey results, personal experiences,
and so forth in support.
Concluding paragraph Restate your main points, relate the conclusion to remarks in the introduction,
and provide the readers with final comments on the topic.

Task: Essay evaluation

On the following pages, you will find three sample essays which have been written by students at your level.
They were asked to write an academic essay of 500 words. Please read these essays and evaluate them
according to the criteria used in this course to assess academic writing: accuracy, fluency, range of
expression, content. In your evaluation, would these essays pass at C1 level?

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Sample essay 1 :
Are the fears generated by the media in proportion to the real danger?
During the last decade, ifin the USA or in Germany, there has been an immense increase ofnews reports on
negative issues, enclosing war, deseases like the avian flu, high unemployment rates or murderers. This
argument goes for all kinds ofmedia, enclosing television, radio or newspapers. Evidently, there is an overkill
with infürmation, in particular negative reports, provided by the media. lt is questionable ifthese negative
reports and their mediated fears are generated by the media in proportion to the real <langer. Certainly, most of
the news reports are bad news. But is it possible für the audience to distinguish ifthese bad news and fears are
generated in proportion to the <langer?
For example, the Iraq war and its effects are in the news every day. Ifit is via television, newspaper or radio,
the <langer according to Iraq is mediated by reports on car bomb blasts, detainees in allegedly secret US prisons
in Iraq and around the world, and destroyed social, political and economic infrastructures. The means for
reporting are images, sound and language. However, there seems no end ofthe Iraq war für the audience near
future. As a result, we perceive the situation in Iraq as dangerous and hence, it seems as ifthe media has been
doing a goodjob in mediating the <langer ofthe lraq war.
But does this mean that the audience receives a füll coverage about the Iraq war and it's effects? Obviously, the
media does not report in an equally important way about President Bush's failure with regard to the Iraq war.
Hardly can be read or heard about President Bush's cronyism and opportunism which keeps him and bis yes­
men from withdrawing the US troops from Iraq. Likewise, the media does not represent in an equally important
way how President Bush misled an entire nation according to why the US went into the lraq war, how they
went into this war and why it is not accomplished yet.
Additionally it has not been represented in an equally important way how the disapproval rate ofpresident Bush
and his Foreign Policy has increased to a great extent lately. Most Americans find their President dishonest and
his approval rate sunk from more than 80 procent to less than 36 percent. This is according to Newsweek
magazme.
Moreover, the disapprovement ofPresident Bush and bis policy is not demonstrated only in US but also
worldwide. When President Bush attented the peak meeting in Argentine this year, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's
populist president, rallied more than 25000 people in a soccer stadium nearby against the Bush administration.
Another example is the anti-Bush demonstration which took placejust recently in South Korea when President
Bush attented the APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting.
Taking all the above mentioned into consideration, it becomes evident that the media understates. With regard
to the initially asked questions, if<langer and fears are generated by the media in preparation to the real <langer
and ifthe audience is able to distinguish accordingly, it has become clearer that the media blows some news out
ofproportion, or mediates news in a very understated way or does not report some facts at all. And it is a
mainstream opinion that this is done on purpose because "bad news seil." Nevertheless, it is the reader's or
listener's responsibility to use all available media to form their opinion and not to leave their opinion up
to the media. (578 words)
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 Criteria Your comments Your 2rade
Accuracy

Fluency

Range oflexis and

expression
Content and
Organisation
Your final 2rade:

Sample essay 2:
Do you believe today's western society is getting ever more noncommittal? What are the
advantages of such attitudes? On-the other band, in what ways. can taking on responsibility
for others also be regarded as egoistic and beneficial to oneselr!

When my great-grandmother was still alive, I often visited her, and I remember that she often talked about how
life used to be when she was young. One thing I remember very clearly is the fact that almost everything she
mentioned was in one way or another related to her family. I often had the impression that back then people
hardly thought ofthemselves as individuals living their own lives and going their own ways, but rather as a
member ofa community. When I told her that I would not have feit comfortable within such rigid structures,
she looked at me for a few seconds and finally said: "But you could always be sure that there is somebody who
takes care ofyou."
Today I am convinced that there is a lot oftruth in the words she said. lt is exactly this quote which
provides the best argument in favour ofa committal society or committal social awareness. How many people
in our world today do not have anybody who cares for them or at least thinks ofthem! Almost every time I take
the tram, I see people who are no longer able to cope with everyday life and who are not interested in
themselves anymore, and very often they are addicted to alcohol. In my opinion, in most ofthe cases this
results from the fact that they do not have any beloved person with whom life would be more enjoyable and
who shows them the love and interest they need. Many ofour social problems would not arise in the first place
ifpeople were more committal and showed greater solicitude for one another.
What is more, commitment is not only ofadvantage for the "recipients" themselves, but also for the
person who takes over the responsibility. When asked about their motives for doing their work, nurses or social
workers often state that caring for other people render sense to their own lives. I think the same may be true for
people who quit their jobs in order to be able to devote themselves entirely to someone they want to care for.
The happiness and gratefulness ofthe ill or disabled person will weigh much more that material things because
these reactions create the feeling ofbeing useful in this world.
Nevertheless, although commitment has many positive aspects, it also has drawbacks in my eyes ifit is
made obligatory. I am a person who likes to be independent, and I enjoy living my own life. This has nothing to
do with neglecting my family or friends, but living in societal structures which would oblige me to take care of
someone eise and orienting my whole life towards this task would mean an unbearable burden to me.
Everybody may be as committal as he or she wants to be, but under no circumstances should they be allowed to
judge the degree ofcommitment ofothers. Taking responsibility for another person must not result in
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destroying one's own life because this would only make things worse. Someone who does not have the chance
to live their own life will not be able to help others.
A further drawback oftoo much commitment, which goes along with what I have just said, is the fact that
there are cases in which the person committing to something does not receive anything in return for what they
are doing or have done for someone eise. I am not saying that this lack ofpositive feedback makes all their
work and sacrifices worthless, but it can cause bittemess or even despair, and the person in question might ask,
"Why have I done all this ifI get nothing back in the end?" Let us consider the example ofa mother whose son
has had a severe accident. He has been in a coma for two years now, living on nothing but what machines
supply him with. The mother quit her job to be by his bedside night and day, talking to him, holding bis band
and hoping all the time that he will awake and become healthy again. But finally, he dies. To my mind, it will
be very hard for the mother to cope with the sad fact that her sacrifice of doing nothing but living for her son
for the past two years has changed nothing in the end. She did not even receive a "thank you" from anybody.
As I tried to show, the question ofhow much commitment is necessary or ifpeople should be more
committal is not an easy one to answer. I hold the view that sooner or later everyone has to face the question of
taking responsibility for someone eise. lt is important to be aware ofthe positive as weil as the negative aspects
that such a responsibility can bring. In the end, everybody has to make the decision based on his or her personal
circumstances and abilities, and I do not think that a general answer to the question exists. What, from my point
ofview, no one must forget is that helping someone eise is only possible ifwe take enough responsibility for
ourselves. (867 words)

Criteria Your comments Your 2rade

Accuracy

Fluency

Range oflexis and

expression
Content and
Organisation
Your final 2rade:

Sample essay 3:
Should gay partnerships be treated equal to heterosexual relationships?
Since more and more famous people make their homosexuality public, one can assume that it is becoming
a normal pattem ofWestern society. In fact, it is rather the other way round. Famous people like Angelina Jolie
and Brad Pitt stand up for the rights ofgays and will not marry until everyone is free to marry the person of
their choice.
The Roman Catholic Church declares homosexual relationships immoral. As stated in their Catechism §
492, acts ofhomosexuality are sins as weil as masturbation, pomography, prostitution and rape. All ofthem do
not go along with celibacy, which is demanded of all humans.
According to the moral concept of the Roman Catholic Church, a marriage is only valuable if it produces
offspring. Since a homosexual partnership is biologically unable to produce such, it does not meet this premise,
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and therefore is not reconcilable with the church's concept. Furthermore, the church fears that these
relationships undermine and disintegrate traditional values represented by the Roman Catholic Church.
Leaving the Church's perspective behind, we now come to the governmental view. Nonparous marriages
and homosexual relationships should be the same when it comes to taxes, both ofthem should have to pay
equal amounts ifliving together. Since both forms ofrelationship do not produce tax-paying members ofthe
society, they are to be regarded as equal. Gay couples get discriminated, because they are financially equal to
others, but their social acceptance is subverted. The govemment demoralises ifthey financially benefit.
Therefore tax reliefshould be bound to the existence ofchildren in a relationship and not (as it practiced today)
to the mere existence ofa marriage contract.
Another reason in favour ofgay marriage is that the German government exploits homosexual
partnerships but when it comes to accept the social status of these partnerships, the govemment refuses to grant
them equality. In case economical problems occur, homosexual partners are supposed to care for each other. If
for instance one partner becomes unemployed, the other partner is expected to care for him financially.
On the other band, the Gennan government is not willing to give the partners equality for example in
terms of bequest. According to the law ofinheritance, homosexual partners are strangers and therefore not
conceded the statutory minimum portion ofinheritance.
Above all, love and quality of relationships cannot be measured. Neither an individual not a govemment
has the ability or even right to rate a feeling such as love because ofthe gender or sexual identity oftwo
partners. Since feelings are subjective and cannot be evaluated, the idea ofassigning a partnership a certain
status related to the gender or sexual identity ofthe members must therefore be wrong.
In brief, this is why I think westem govemments need to revise their opinion with respect to proclaim
being a moral and modern society at the same time. The Roman Catholic Church's conception of a relationship
is narrow-minded and archaic. Love is the only thing that counts in relationships as weil as in religion. In other
words, how can it be wrong to love another person iflove is the highest feeling on can have? (527 words)

Criteria Your comments Your 2:rade

Accuracy

Fluency

Range oflexis and

expression
Content and
Organisation
Your final grade:

11
Composing good paragraphs
Prose writing may take almost any form, and the ideas may be simple or complex. However, no matter what
form or subject we choose, we will probably write in paragraphs, self-contained units of thought that
contribute to the whole. Paragraphs enable us to break down complex ideas into manageable parts, to deal
with each separately and completely, and then to relate the parts back to the central idea.
A paragraph is like a mini-essay. lt is unified, it is coherent, and it is developed. A paragraph can be perceived
as residing in a frame - freestanding; understandable by itself; having a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Text 1:
Regarded from the receiving end, it seems that the principal failing of latter-day scientists is
inaccuracy of aim rather than insufficiency of endeavour. Researchers still insist on
applying all their best efforts - and most of our money - to providing us with new things that
we don't want. They give us the Concorde when we would much prefer a cure for the
common cold. They provide us with intimate pictures of Mars, although we would sooner
have an everlasting shoelace. They present us with transistor radios when all we really
want is a little public peace and quiet.
(Patrick Ryan, "lt Ticks and lt Talks")
Though we would like to know what else this writer has to say, we have no doubt about this paragraph's
central idea (sentences 1 and 2), how the author supports that idea (sentences 3, 4, and 5), how all the
thoughts are related to each other (for example, by the parallel sentence structures of sentences 3 to 5), and
what the author's attitude is toward us, his readers (we are his allies). The paragraph is about one idea: it has
unity. All its parts relate clearly to each other: it is coherent, and its assertions are well supported by details
and examples: it is well developed. These are the goals of paragraph writing.

Maintaining paragraph unity

Paragraph unity - Iike the unity of an essay - depends, first, on identifying a clear topic and an approach to it,
and then on sticking to that topic to the end. In an essay, the thesis sentence contains the main idea. In a
paragraph, the topic sentence alerts readers to the main point ofthe paragraph by stating the central idea and
expressing the writer's attitude toward it.
In the paragraph above by Patrick Ryan, the topic sentence is sentence 1. The author makes a general
statement about scientists. The next sentence in the paragraph clarifies that statement and makes lt more
specific. And the three sentences following give specific examples of the author's point.
In an essay of 500 to 600 words, each paragraph is Iikely to be about one aspect of the thesis sentence. In this
case the topic sentences may be restatements and elaborations of parts of the thesis. A topic sentence will
not, of course, guarantee a unified paragraph any more than a thesis sentence guarantees a unified essay.
The next several sections deal with how to write unified paragraphs around strong topic sentences.

Focusing on the central idea

The paragraph by Patrick Ryan works because it remains attentive to its topic sentence. The sentences that
follow the first do not stray off to other subjects, such as the methods or cost of scientific research. The
details in the paragraph do not introduce new ideas, except to illustrate the paragraph's central point.
The following paragraph, in contrast, begins to lose its way at sentence 6.
Text 2:
One of the best-run races was the relay. The four teams' runners were evenly matched for
the first two laps. They were never more than a foot or two apart. Then, just after the third
runner on each team took the baton, the runner in lane 2 took a ten-foot lead. The people in
the stadium became hushed for a moment and then began cheering wildly. Some
spectators almost hurt others in their efforts to get a clear view of the track. All afternoon,
the people in the crowd alternated between quiet watching and noisy, active cheering. Their
behavior matched the varied pace of the track meet itself.

By the end of this paragraph, the author seems to have forgotten that her purpose (stated in sentence 1) was
to describe a well-run race. In sentence 6 she becomes distracted herself by the excitement in the stands,
and she never returns to the runners.
This writer might have avoided such disunity if she had thought out beforehand what she wanted the
paragraph to accomplish and had used a sentence of clarification after her topic sentence, explaining
exactly what she meant by 'best-run'. For instance:
One of the best-run races was the relay. lt showed teams of athletes working together
as well as one especially great individual performance.

.
12
This sentence focuses on the topic more narrowly, for reader and writer alike. When her thoughts come to
the excitement in the stands, the writer is less likely to let that excitement distract from her main purpose.
Experienced writers often use sentences of clarification to amplify their main topic before going on to support
it. Sentence 2 in text 1 is a sentence of clarification. lt explains further what the author means in sentence 1
by inaccuracy of aim rather than insufficiency of endeavour.
Writers also pair topic sentences with sentences of limitation so their topic will not be too unwieldy or the
opportunities for wandering too many. Sentences of limitation draw tight borders around a topic, making it
more specific. In the next example the author used his second sentence to limit the broad topic that he
stated in the first.
Text 3:
Children also attend closely to what surprises them, to a novel image or event that violates
their expectations about the order of their world. Since adults often spend considerable
time in the effort to convince children of adult infallibility, one of the most remarkable and
pleasing novelties for children is to observe adults making errors that children easily
identify as such. One series of segments on Sesame Street was designed to exploit the
interest for children of adults making obvious mistakes while trying to solve a simple
problem. "Buddy and Jim" are two adults who confront a series of such simple problems,
but can never seem to get the obvious solutions quite right. They attempt to place a picture
on a wall by hammering the blunt end of the nail into the wall, fail to observe that the nail
should be turned around, and then conclude that they must walk to the wall on the
opposite side of the room in order to point the nail head into the wall.
(Gerald S. Lesser, "Growing Up on Sesame Street")

Choosing a paragraph "shape"

Within its imaginary frame a paragraph's central idea and details may be arranged differently to correspond
to different ways of developing the central idea. In the most common format - the one used in the
paragraphs examined so far - a topic sentence comes first, then sometimes a clarifying or limiting sentence,
then illustrations and details that support the topic sentence. This, however, is only one paragraph format.
Thinking of the topic sentence as the point of a paragraph and the supporting sentences as its body, we can
imagine several paragraph "shapes" that are useful for different writing purposes.

Central idea at the beginning

The paragraph in which the central idea comes first is the model we have been studying so far: topic
sentence, optional sentence of limitation or clarification, and supporting sentences. This model is the most
useful for inexperienced writers because announcing the topic clearly at the outset helps to direct the
writer's thoughts to the choice of appropriate details.
The following two-sentence paragraph shows how this model works.
Text 4:
We have come to expect incompetence as a necessary feature of civilization. We may be
irked, but we are no longer amazed when our bosses make idiotic decisions, when
automobile makers take back thousands of new cars for repairs, when store clerks are
insolent, when law reforms fail to check crime, when moon rockets can't get off the
ground, when widely used medicines are found to be poisons, when universities must
teach freshmen to read, or when a hundred-ton airliner is brought down by a duck.
(Raymond Hull, "The Peter Principle," Esquire)

Task: Analyse the following text. Underline the thesis statement, conclusion and good examples of topic
sentences.
Is action on climate change justified?

Climate-change legislation, dormant for six months, discussion ever turns into legislation, it will be a pale
is showing signs of life again in Washington, DC. This shadow of what was once hoped for. Action on
week senators and industrial groups have been climate is justified, not because the science is certain,
discussing a compromise bill to introduce mandatory but precisely because it is not.
controls on carbon. Yet although green activists The mess at Copenhagen is one reason. So much
around the world have been waiting for 20 years for effort went into the event, with so little result. The
American action, nobody is cheering. Even if recession is another. However much bosses may
13
care about the planet, they usually mind more the University of East Anglia somehow found its
about their bottom line, and when times are hard way onto the web. They revealed an unwillingness
they are unwilling to incur new costs. The bilious to share data which broke the spirit, if not the letter,
argument over American health care has not of Britain's Freedom of Information Act, an
helped: this is not a good time for any bill that aggressive attitude to the peer review of papers by
needs bipartisan support. Even the northern opponents and an apparent willingness to hedge
hemisphere's cold winter has hurt. When two feet science in the face of politics. Around the same time
of snow lies on the ground, the threat from it emerged that the most recent IPCC report had
warming seems far off. But climate science is also claimed that the Himalayan glaciers were going to
responsible. A series of controversies over the past disappear by 2035, instead of 2350. The panel's
year have provided heavy ammunition to those who initial unwillingness to address this mistake, and
doubt the seriousness of the problem. the discovery of further problems with its work,
Three questions arise from this. How bad is the raised troubling questions about its procedures.
science? Should policy be changed? And what can How bad is this? Sceptics point out that each
be done to ensure such confusion does not happen mistake has tended to exaggerate the extent of
again? Behind all three lies a common story. The climate change. The notion that the scientific
problem lies not with the science itself, but with the establishment has suppressed evidence to the
way the science has been used by politicians to contrary has provided plenty of non-expert
imply certainty when, as often with science, no politicians with an excuse not to spend money
certainty exists. reducing carbon. So the scientists' shameful
When governments started thinking seriously mistakes have certainly changed perceptions. They
about climate change, they took the sensible step of have not, however, changed the science itself.
establishing, in 1989, the Intergovernmental Panel Most research supports the idea that warming is
on Climate Change. lt was designed to get scientists man-made. Sources of doubt that have seemed
to work out what was happening to the climate, and plausible in the past, such as a mismatch between
to get governments to sign off on the scientists' temperatures measured by satellites and
conclusions. lt has done the job of basic science temperatures measured at the surface, and doubts
pretty well. There have been occasional complaints about the additional warming that can be put down
both that it has overstated the extent of the to water vapour, have been in large part resolved,
problem, and that it has understated it. Its reports though more work is needed. If records of
trawl through all recent climate science. The wide temperature across the past 1,000 years are not
range of the outcomes it predicts - from a reliable, it matters little to the overall story. If there
mildly warming global temperature increase of 1.1 are problems with the warming as measured by
°C by the end of the century to a hellish 6.4°C- weather stations on land, there are also more
illustrate the uncertainties it is dealing with. reliable data from ships and satellites.
But the ambiguities of science sit uncomfortably Plenty of uncertainty remains; but that argues
with the demands of politics. Politicians, and the for, not against, action. If it were known that global
voters who elect them, are more comfortable with warming would be limited to2°C, the world might
certainty. So "six months to save the planet" is more decide to live with that. But the range of possible
likely to gamer support than "there is a high outcomes is huge, with catastrophe one possibility,
probability-though not by any means a certainty­ and the costs of averting climate change are
that serious climate change could damage the comparatively small. Just as a householder pays a
biosphere, depending on levels of economic growth, small premium to protect himself against disaster,
population growth and innovation." Politics, like the world should do the same.
journalism, tends to simplify and exaggerate. Hence This newspaper sees no reason to alter its views
the advertisements that the British government has on that. Where there is plainly an urgent need for
been running, using nursery rhymes: "Jack and Jill change is the way in which governments
went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. use science to make their case. The IPCC has
Such an approach may, in the short term, have suffered from the perception that it is a tool of
encouraged some voters to support measures to politicians. The greater the distance that can
combat climate change. But implying that Britain's be created between it and them, the better. And
children face some sort of Saharan future is wrong, rather than feeding voters infantile
and dangerous. This week, Britain' s Advertising advertisements peddling childish certainties,
Standards Authority slapped the government for its politicians should treat voters like grown-ups.
infantile advertisements. And there has been worse. With climate change you do not need to invent
In November, shortly before the Copenhagen things; the truth, even with all those uncertainties
climate summit, a stash of emails from and to and caveats, is scary enough.
various researchers at the Climatic Research Unit of The Economist, Mar 18th 2010 14
Effective refutations
Refutation refers to an attempt to 'prove that someone is mistaken or something is incorrect'. In essay
writing this is an effective way of weakening counter-arguments.
There are 3 main ways to refute counter-arguments:
1. Show that the facts of the counter-argument are not accurate. The argument is incorrect.
2. Show that the counter-argument is unimportant or not directly related to the issue. The argument is
irrelevant.
3. Show that although the counter-argument is true, and relevant, it is not strong enough to overcome your
argument. The counter-argument is insufficient or inadequate.
The strongest counter-arguments are not usually incorrect or irrelevant. Of the three refutation approaches,
showing that the argument is insufficient is most widely used. That is, the writer accepts the fact that the
counter-argument exists. However, the writer states and then proves that the strength of the counter-
argument is inadequate and that the argument on the writer's side of the controversy is stronger, more
logical and more persuasive.

Language for refuting counter-arguments

The following are guidelines for reporting counter-arguments and refuting them.

1. One argument against X is that ...... Introduce each counter-argument with a phrase that
Opponents ofthis stance argue that... identifies the idea as an opponent's opinion.
According to the opposition, You do not want to confuse readers, so be clear about
Critics ofthis position point out that ... the opposition's major argument(s)
lt may be objected that....
Another argument against X is that...

2. Opponents ofthis position suggest that... Many ofthese phrases use reporting verbs(e.g. argue,
lt has been argued that ..., state, contend and suggest) to report counter-arguments
Critics ofthis controversy contend that ...

3. However, the argument that solar energy Refute the counter-argument, i.e. write your strongest
is not efficient when compared to fossil argument against the counter-argument and indicate
.fuels is no /onger correct. [incorrect] why the counter-argument is not strong or valid

In truth, however, senior drivers cannot In the examples of3, the refutation (the argument
be compared to drunk drivers because against the counter-argument) is identified in ita/ics.
being elderly is not against the /aw like
driving under the influence is. [irrelevant]

Even though smokers in restaurants may The refutation sentence functions as the actual
result in slightly bigger tips for waiters, topic sentence ofthe paragraph. That is, the main
the damage of second-hand smoke far idea ofthe paragraph is stated in this sentence.
outweighs those few dollars. [insufficient]

4. Although opponents ofhome schooling Indicate your disagreement the opposition by using
argue that it has negative consequences a transitional device ofconcession, such as however,
for children and society as a whole, this a/though, even though or despite. Some transitional
argument seems inadequate when one devices must come immediately before the
considers the increasing violence counter-argument is introduced; others must come
experienced by students in the pub/ic immediately after.
school systems.

Opponents ofhome schooling argue that In the examples of4, the counter-argument is underlined
it has negative conseguences for children and the [Link] statement italicized. Notice the
and society as a whole. However, this placement ofeach logical organizer (although, however).
argument seems inadequate when one
considers the increasing violence experienced
by students in the public school systems.
15
Task 1: Read the following refutation paragraphs, and analyse how the counter-arguments are
organized:

Should students be encouraged to take online courses because those courses provide equal, if
not superior, education in comparison with traditional classrooms?
Critics of distance education argue that students in online classes are more prone to
cheating than those in the traditional classroom. Since there is no one to watch over them
during a test, critics state that students can search for answers from previous lectures and
notes. In addition, they can even communicate online with classmates to share answers to
test questions.
Nevertheless, the possibility of cheating should not deter schools from offering online
classes. According to one recent study, the exchange of ideas that occurs when students
communicate with each other about possible test answers fosters learning (Jefferson, 2004).
The study also indicated that the same is true when students scan notes for answers. In this
act of "cheating;" students are actually learning something.

Task 2: Read the refutation sentences 1-3 and then, with a partner, follow the instructions below:

1. Supporters of online education state that such instruction tends to be more complete and clearer for
students because it is primarily presented in the written form. However, research has demonstrated that
course material presented electronically is more complicated and, therefore, more difficult for students to
understand than course material delivered in a "live" lecture.

2. Even though some people resent surveillance cameras, many citizens favor their use because the presence
of cameras makes people feel safer.

3. Despite the fact that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration believes that genetically engineered food
presents no hazards to humans, many activist groups, including Greenpeace and the Sierra Club, have
rightfully stated that the dangers to human health are yet to be seen.

Analyse each of the 3 sentences above as in the example below:

a. Underline the argument that is refuted.
b. Place an arrow at the reporting verb in the counte-rargument (not all counter-arguments contain a
reporting verb).
c. Put brackets around the transitional device (logical organizer) of concession that signals the writer's
disagreement with the counter-argument.
d. Place an asterisk (*) at the beginning of the refutation.
e. Identify the kind of evidence given for each refutation (e.g. expert opinion, results of a survey). Write this
type of support after the sentence/paragraph, preceded with = .

Example: l
(Although) a day-care center on campus would help students who have children, *college administrators
state that it would present a huge liability to the college. = expert opinion

Which refutation sentence do you think is the strongest

Which might you rewrite to make it stronger? Why?

16
 Writing Emails

Email is generally considered less formal than a letter, but that’s not to say that you can descend into over-
familiarity or slang when you’re writing to someone important or in a formal or business context. You must
remain respectful and professional at all times, even in this more informal medium.

Salutation: Email greetings are generally more relaxed than letters, though if you want to be formal, then
it’s still fine to start your email with
- Dear Sir or Madam (if you’re emailing a generic email address such as admission@[Link])
- Dear Mr / Ms Trevor (if you’re emailing a named individual) or
- Dear Chris
- Good morning Leanna
If you’ve met the person before, or they’ve emailed you before, first names are acceptable if this is how they
have signed their emails to you previously. In such a situation, it is also acceptable to use a slightly less
formal greeting, such as “Hello” or even “Hi”. However, go by how they address you; if their emails to you
start “Dear”, you reply with “Dear”; if they start “Hi”, you can reply with “Hi”. An alternative email greeting that
lies somewhere between formal and informal is “Good morning” or “Good afternoon”. This is perhaps a
little friendlier and more personal than “Dear”, so if your style is not naturally very formal then this is an
acceptable form of email greeting.

Signing off: Again, with email being more informal than a letter, a very formal sign-off such as “Yours
sincerely” can sound a little odd in an email. If you have started your email in the formal style of a letter,
then it makes sense to finish it in this way, but if you’ve adopted one of the less formal salutations, you
have a few different options for how you could sign off. These common conventions include:
– Best wishes,
– Kind regards,
– Best regards,
– All the best,
– Thanks,
– Thanks in advance,
– Many thanks, Source: Oxford Royale Academy (2023): [Link]
written-english/

Oxford Style:

Source: Oxford Advanced

Learner’s Dictionary, 7th Edition,
p. R56.
17
Task 1: Find and correct the mistakes in spelling.

Task 2: Find and correct the mistakes in grammar.

18
List of differences between British and American emails

British emails American emails

Opening greeting

Dear Alex Dear Alex: / Dear Alex,

Dear Mr Case/Dear Ms Case Dear Dr Case Dear Mr. Case, / Dear Ms. Case, Dear Dr. Case,

Dear Sir or Madam Dear Sir or Madam,

Dear Sir/ Madam Dear Sir/Madam,

To the department/institute of ... To the department/institute of ... ,

Opening line

Thanks for your email about… Thanks for your mail about…

Thank you for your email of 29 January. Thank you for your email of January 29.

How’s it going?*/ How are things?/ How’s life? How are you doing?/ What’s up?/ Wassup?

Closing line

Thanks (in advance).

Cheers.
Please phone me on my cell (phone) if you get lost.
Please phone my mobile (phone) if you get lost.
Please send me an SMS if you have any problems
Please text me if you have any problems getting there.
getting there.

Closing greeting very formal

Yours sincerely, Sincerely/ Sincerely yours/ Best regards,

Yours faithfully, Sincerely/ Sincerely yours/ Best regards,

Requests

Can you…? Could you…?

Could I possibly…? May I….?

Could you fill in the attached form? Could you fill out the attached form?

Making arrangements

Monday to Friday Monday thru Friday

at the weekend on the weekend

Monday 29 November Monday November 29

Source: Alex Case (2016): [Link]

19
Source: Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 7th edition, p. R52
20
 ,

Source: Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 7th edition, p. R53

21
Vocabulary- Letter Writing
What would be the most suitable formal translation into English of the listed German phrases and sentences?

1. Danke für Ihren Brief vom 3. Oktober, in dem Sie...

2. Ich schreibe Ihnen wegen Ihres Angebotes über..

3. Bezugnehmend auf unser Meeting möchte ich Sie gern über. .. informieren.

4. Bezugnehmend auf unsere Besprechung würde ich gern...

5. Ich möchte Sie wissen lassen, dass...

6. Mit Bezug auf Ihr Schreiben vom...

7. Wie in Ihrem Schreiben vom ... gewünscht...

8. Meinem Schreiben werden Sie entnehmen, dass...

9. Ich würde gern nachfragen, ob Sie...möchten.

10. Ich möchte mich erkundigen, ob Sie Zeit gehabt haben, sich über meinen Brief vom 3. Oktober Gedanken
zu machen. Vielleicht könnten Sie mir bald eine Antwort zukommen lassen.

11. Wir bedauern Ihnen mitteilen zu müssen,

dass...

12. Wir möchten...bestätigen...

13. Ich kann bestätigen, dass...

14. Wir freuen uns...bestätigen zu können.

15. Könnten Sie uns bitte...senden?

16. Es wäre freundlich, wenn Sie uns....senden könnten.

17. Wir würden es zu schätzen wissen, wenn...

22
18. Ich schreibe Ihnen, um mich über ... zu beschweren.

19. Bitte stellen Sie sicher, dass sich das nicht wiederholt.

20. Bitte akzeptieren Sie unsere Entschuldigung für...

21. Wir entschuldigen uns für die Ihnen entstandenen Unannehmlichkeiten.

22. Ich bitte vielmals um Entschuldigung.

23. Vielen herzlichen Dank für Ihre Einladung zum...

24. Leider habe ich an dem Tag schon eine Verabredung und kann deshalb nicht kommen.

25. Ich würde sehr gern kommen.

26. Anbei finden Sei...

27. Ich füge ... bei.

28. Wie Sie beiliegendem... entnehmen...

29. beiliegend finden Sie...

30. Bitte lassen Sie mich wissen, ob es Ihnen am Donnerstag passt.

31. Wir würden uns freuen, von Ihnen zu hören.

32. Wir freuen uns auf das bevorstehende Treffen.

33. Vielen Dank im Voraus.

34. Bei weiteren Fragen stehen wir gern zur Verfügung.

35. Bitte kontaktieren Sie uns, wenn...

36. Es würde mich freuen, bald von Ihnen zu hören.

23
 Improving Language: Fluency

'on the contrary' vs. 'in contrast'

Both expressions are used as adverbs in initial position in order to express contrast, but their functions are
different. 'On the contrary' is used to reject a previous (often negative) opinion, i.e. referring to the same topic/
idea (comparable to German ganz im Gegenteil).
'In contrast', however, introduces a new topic/idea (comparable to German im Gegensatz dazu) and makes a
comparison with the previous topic/idea.

Examples:
Mum: "I'm surprised you are moving to New York - I thought you hated big cities"
Daughter: "On the contrary, l've always wanted to live in a big urban area. In contrast to Hamlet-in-the-Sticks,
there is so much culture in New York to choose from!"

Here's a simple test: if you could write "That's wrong", the phrase you want is "On the contrary" or ''to the
contrary." If not, then use "In contrast."

Max "That Maths exam was so difficult!"

Susi: "On the contrary, I thought it was quite easy."

Gary: "The new opera house doesn't seem ugly to me; on the contrary, I think it's rather beautiful."

Task: Which is the correct contrasting device?

(1) Washington's writings display no need to denigrate black ability. _________________________ ,
compared to most of his contemporaries, Washington readily recognized and applauded the talents
among the enslaved. ([Link]

(2) The research on adolescents' sexual behavior shows that comprehensive sexuality education programs
that discuss the appropriate use of condoms do not accelerate sexual experiences. __________________,
evidence suggests that such programs actually increase the number of adolescents who abstain from sex
and also delay the onset of first sexual intercourse. ([Link]

(3) Jurists also noted that to prevent the sale of separate members of a family would lower the sale price,
and this was to tamper with a man's property. Therefore, property rights had to be placed above marriage
rights. _________________ , in South America the Church insisted that slave unions be brought within
the sacrament of marriage. ([Link]

(4) Chinese authorities summarily tried and executed the many workers they arrested in Beijing. ________
___________ the students, many of whom came from relatively affluent backgrounds and were well
connected, received much lighter sentences. ([Link] Square protests of
1989)

(5) They never succeeded in establishing a unified tribal state inhabited by all the people speaking one
language, sharing a common way oflife under one ruler; ____________________, the states continued
to fight each other. (http:/[Link]/[Link])
Contrary to
Contrary to popular belief, bottled water is not always better than tap water.
Contrary to expectations, the Copenhagen Accord on climate change was not passed
unanimously. This is contrary to the whole idea ofthe EU.
To the contrary
In my experience, politicians are rarely flexible, whatever they may say to the contrary.
Despite claims to the contrary, the government has done little to help the destitute.
Unless you have specific information to the contrary, it is obvious that she is lying.
24
Transitional Devices
Transitional devices, sometimes known as connectives, are words and expressions that create cohesion in a
text, link ideas and help the syntax to flow. There are two types of transitions, conjunctive adverbs and
conjunctions. For example, in order to express contrast, we might use:
- conjunctive adverbs: The conference failed to produce a binding agreement. However, some progress was made.
- conjunction: Although the conference failed to produce a binding agreement, some progress was made.

Task 1: Here are some transitional devices arranged by the functions they perform. Check that you know
their meaning and how they are used. Which might be considered too informal in academic texts?
To add or show sequence
again, also, and, and then, besides, equally important, finally, further, furthermore, in addition, in the first
place, last, moreover, next, second

To compare
likewise, similarly, in comparison

To contrast
although, and yet, but, but at the same time, despite, even so, though, for all that, however, in contrast, in
spite of, nevertheless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, regardless, still, though, yet

To give examples or intensify

after all, an illustration of, for example, for instance, typical ofthis, indeed, in fact, it is true, of course,
specifically, that is, to illustrate, truly, in such cases

To indicate place
above, adjacent to, below, elsewhere, farther on, here, near, nearby, on the other side, opposite to, there, to
the east, to the 1eft

To indicate time
after a while, afterward, as long as, as soon as, at last, at length, at that time, before, earlier, formerly,
immediately, in the meantime, in the past, lately, later, meanwhile, now, presently, shortly, simultaneously,
since, so far, soon, subsequently, then, thereafter, until, until now, when

To repeat, summarize or conclude

all in all, altogether, as has been said, in brief, in conclusion, in other words, in particular, in short, in simpler
terms, in summary, that is, to put it differently, to summarize

To show cause and effect

accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this purpose, hence, otherwise, since, then, therefore,
thereupon, thus, to this end, with this objective in mind

Other devices which help a text to flow

Apart from transitional devices, writers also make their texts flow by the use of (1) relative pronouns, (2)
nouns in apposition and (3) participles (present and past) to make sentences flow better, e.g.:
(1) The conference, which failed to produce a binding agreement, did, however, allow progress to be made.
(2) Progress was made at the conference, a meeting which otherwise failed to produce a binding agreement.
(3) Having failed to produce a binding agreement, the conference did, nevertheless, manage to make progress.

Task 2: Underline the transitional devices in the following text.

Realizing that the fight is lost, the losing animal saves itself from destruction by an act of
submission, an act usually recognized and accepted by the winner. In such cases, the loser presents
to its rival a vulnerable part of its body like the top of the head or the fleshy part of the neck.
Consequently, the instinct to kill is inhibited as the central nervous system of the winner
recognizes the "meaning" of the presentation. Typical of this natural pattern is the behavior of two
wolves in combat. As soon as one of the animals realizes it cannot win, it offers its vulnerable
throat to the stronger wolf, which, instead of taking advantage of the opportunity, relents, even
though an instant earlier it had appeared frantic to reach the now proffered jugular vein. 25
Task 3: Revise the following paragraph using transitional devices to enhance coherence and fluency. You
may change the sequence of the sentences.

(1) The ancient Egyptians were masters ofpreserving dead people's bodies by making
mummies ofthem. (2) Mummies several thousand years old have been discovered nearly
intact. (3) The skin, hair, teeth, fingernails and toenails, and facial features ofthe mummies
were evident. (4) lt is possible to diagnose the disease they suffered in life, such as smallpox,
arthritis, and nutritional deficiencies. (5) The process was remarkably effective. (6) Sometimes
apparent were the fatal afflictions ofthe dead people: a middle-aged king died from a blow on
the head, and polio killed a child king. (7) Mummification consisted of removing the intemal
organs, applying natural preservatives inside and out, and then wrapping the body in layers of
bandages.

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26
 Improving Language: Style and Expression

Task 1: Try to find formal synonyms for the following expressions.

a) but -

b) and -

c) so -

d) because / because of -

e) I think that -

f) a lot of/lots of -

g) to like sth. -

h) a good idea -

i) to get -

j) huge -

k) kind of -

Task 2: Now reformulate the following sentences, making them more appropriate for a formal context.
a) For some jobs it's really hard to find people.

b) I think that a lot of students would get a better idea of what it means to be a teacher with more
practice in schools.

c) I came across a lot of situations that showed that such a test would be a good idea.

d) Some people find working with kids a lot of fun.

e) Because pupils are often kind of bored with lessons, they get lazy and distracted.

f) Lots of people like to use social media to keep in touch.

g) Some students don't like tuition fees. But the universities can't get by without more cash.

27
 Summary Writing
A summary:
- includes the 'gist' or 'heart' of a text or passage
- omits repetitions and details like examples, illustrations, comparisons, reported speech, adjectives etc.
- is written in the words of the summary writer, not the original. Avoid copying from the text
- is written from the point of view of the original author. Do not write "The author says ... "

The process of summary writing

- read through the text to understand it as a whole; then read the text again, this time underlining the main points
- put the text aside: write, using your own words:
• one general sentence which expresses what the author wants to say in this text
• the main points which support this general sentence
- comparing your notes with the underlined parts of the original, add any very important points
- arrange your points in a logical order
- write the summary, which should not read like a list of points but flow naturally through the use of connectives
- read your summary and check the number of words, grammatical and lexical accuracy, syntax

Task: Try to summarise this review of "East is East" in 50 words only. The maximum should be 100 words.

George Khan is a Pakistani immigrant who has lived in England since 1937 and has been married to Ella, a British
woman with an Irish-Catholic background, for 25 years, and has seven children with her: Nazir, Abdul, Tariq, Saleem,
Maneer, Meenah and Sajid. The couple runs a popular Fish and Chip shop. George also has a first wife in Pakistan. The
film starts with an arranged marriage of the eldest son to a Pakistani girl. The son, Nazir, finds himself unable to go
through with the marriage. He runs out at the start of the ceremony in front of all the family and guests much to the
chagrin of his father and distress of his mother. In retaliation, George disowns Nazir and tells anyone who asks about him
that he is dead.
a
The next crisis to fall on George is the discovery that the youngest son Sajid was accidentally not circumcised
which is preferred in Islam. Sajid is promptly taken to hospital to get circumcised. When Ella sees the pain her son has
suffered from being circumcised we get the first insight into the conflict between her clear love of her husband and her
inability to stand up to him. Left alone, the other children eat bacon and sausages, which is forbidden by Islam since they
contain pork. When Meenah sees that her parents are coming back with Sajid she warns the others and they try to hide the
evidence. Ella comes into the kitchen and smells it and keeps George away just long enough for them to get rid of
everything.
Meanwhile, marriage is still on George's mind, and he accepts an introduction to Mr Shah, who is looking for good
Pakistani bridegrooms for his two ugly and overweight daughters, Nigget and Nushaaba. Despite having seen the
daughters' photographs (and shown obvious but discreet disgust), George still promises Mr Shah that Abdul and Tariq
will marry them. George tells Ella his plans, and she openly disagrees, reminding George of what happened to Nazir, but
George takes no notice, again insisting that Nazir is dead and the children have no right whatsoever to disagree with him.
Sajid accidentally overhears the conversation, and during a skirmish with Tariq, Saleem and Meenah, he blurts it out.
The arranged marriages infuriate Tariq, who is already in a relationship with a local English girl, Stella Moorhouse, kept
secret from both George and Stella's racist grandfather. He destroys the clothes and watches that his father traditionally
buys for all his sons' weddings, despite the others' attempts to stop him. When George later sees the desecrated items, he
assaults Maneer, ironically the only one who follows George's strict rules, for refusing to tel1 him the culprit. Ella stands
in between the two, greatly angering and confusing George, who expected her to instinctively agree with him like a
"proper Muslim wife". She tells him that his pig ignorance has caused the alienation of his children, the reason that they
are so much "trouble" to him. George, however, does not understand this clearly and only hears it as Ella calling him a
pig, a terrible insult to a Muslim. His uncontrollable rage turns on her and he beats her badly. In response, the children
attempt to flee to Nazir in Eccles who, as it turns out, is gay, and living with a male partner. Nazir drives back to
Manchester to confront George but leaves after his mother begs him to go as George will go mad. Nazir, desperate not to
see his mother hurt, only leaves after she begs him saying that she can always come to him if she needs to. George briefly
sees Nazir as he drives away, but appears remorseful rather than angry. 28
George sees his world around him collapsing and resorts to draconian measures. He is losing the control and respect of
his family whom he is trying, with his best intentions, to bring up in an Islamic way, a tradition he sees as the only
choice, where all are equal, a "special community" which he expects his children to continue. They see themselves as
British, not Pakistani and they get increasingly frustrated with their father's attempt to mould them in his image.
Eventually, Abdul and Tariq agree to marry Mr Shah's daughters, but Tariq swears that he will truly follow in his father's
footsteps by divorcing his wife immediately and marrying an English girl. The final showdown between George and his
family occurs during the meeting where both families discuss the arranged
marriages. Ella knows she has brought up her children well, but the snobby and rude Mrs Shah makes constant subtle
attacks on Ella and her non-Islamic her way of life. The final straw occurs when Saleem accidentally drops his sculpture
of a vagina on Mrs Shah's lap. Mrs Shah directly insults Ella and her sons, calling them "halfbreeds". Ella does not take
this abuse lightly and angrily ejects the Shahs and their "inbred monstrosities" from the house. George attacks Ella once
again for this insult on his dignity and to his name but the children come to the defence of their mother and stop him.
Now seeing that his tyrannical position has driven his family, even Maneer, away from him, George becomes a broken
man, realising that his perceived best intentions have backfired dreadfully and he is no longer the man of the house.
George quietly leaves the household and finds solace in the Fish and Chip shop.
Despite this, Ella still sees George as her husband, someone she will remain faithful and loyal to until the end. The film
ends on George and Ella having a cup of tea together, a British form of reconciliation, Tariq attempting to reconcile with
an upset Stella, and the children playing together in the street.

Summary:
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Improving Language: Register

Task: Rewrite the following paragraph using more formal register, including transitional devices,
appropriate terminology and formal expressions.

This essay shows that an increase in tuition fees at German universities wouldn’t have any positive effects. The
students couldn’t afford studying anymore, and the teachers wouldn’t see any of the money. Universities would
turn into businesses. The only outcome would be that those institutes that already get a lot of funding would get
even more, and the uninteresting and less lucrative university departments would suffer from losing students.

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29
 Accuracy: Error Analysis 1
Task: Find and correct the mistakes.
1. A lot of changes have taken place in the last years.
2. I agree on the view that the Olympic spirit is no longer what it once was.
3. All the athletes should be given access to the same technology which was not the case.
4. If the organisers only focussed their attention on generating money, than they have lost the Olympic spirit.
5. lt is not as fair as it used to and should be.
6. As well as movies are created, the books are always better than their film adaptations.
7. If you read the book and then watch the film adaptation, you always will have the feeling that ...
8. If the adaptation does not fit in with the own pictures, it can be rather disappointing.
9. He did not want to be unpolite, so he started reading the book and found that he really enjoyed it.
10. Your imagination of the book could be crushed by seeing the movie.
11. Holding a book and leafing through the pages is what makes reading worth it.
12. I admit, I had issues when fitting back into German culture, but those faded eventually.
13. Moreover, in order to not to extend a film in its length, directors have to set their priorities.
14. When I first came to Australia, I found the accent baffling.
15. After watching the Harry Potter films, I forgot all the actors and settings I created in my mind.
16. Now I cannot imagine the protagonists to look different.
17. Especially my hosts parents and peers helped me to improve my English.
18. The film is about the Pakistani immigrant George Khan who lives in England.
19. Most people are used to drive at high speeds and would find it difficult to drive slower.
20. Next to this, I also extended my knowledge of vocabulary.

Avoiding Bias: Using Neutral Language

Task: Why might the following statements be problematic? Which lexis should be replaced? How
can you express the statements below using more neutral language.
1. I think this is a great experience.
________________________________________________________________________________________
2. It is not fair to exclude some children from field trips because they cannot afford them.
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3. It is never a good idea to speed inside towns.
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4. Sure, one can acquire American goods in Germany, but they are very expensive.
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5. It is, of course, advisable to check your engine before driving long distances.
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6. The best option is for people to bike instead of using cars.
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7. Young people waste too much time on social media.
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8. Sadly, parking tickets are too expensive in Germany.
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9. Unfortunately, the administration implemented that regulation badly.
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 Comma Placement – The Essentials
Unfortunately, English grammarians and publishing houses across the Anglophone world do not agree
on all comma placement rules. The rules adopted at our department are those that are most common
and widespread across the university presses of the UK and US. They are the rules that should be
adhered to in formal or academic contexts.

Task: Can you name the rule? How should the comma be placed in the cases listed here? Can you match the
examples with each rule?

Rule 1: Commas in compound sentences. _____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Example:

Rule 2: Commas in complex sentences. ______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Example:

Rule 3: Commas with relative clauses. _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Example:

Rule 4: Commas for enumeration. ___________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Example:

Rule 5: Commas with ‘that’. _______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Example:

Rule 6: Commas with adverbials. ___________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Example:

Rule 7: Commas with transitional adverbs. ____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Example:

Rule 8: Commas in numbers. _______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Example:

List of examples:
1. They came via bus, and they were on time. 5. This, however, was not true.
2. I never knew that this was your favourite song. 6. You must bring paper, pens, and your ID.
3. In October 2023, she moved into her new house. 7. If you leave, I will be sad.
4. The house which needs renovating is on High Street. 8. I have 100,000 things to do.
31
 Punctuation: Comma Placement
Compound Sentences
Independent (main) clause , coordinating conjunction + independent clause.

e.g. You may have found the essay convincing, but I consider it to be lacking in clarity.

In general, we use a comma to divide the two independent clauses. However, when both clauses are very
short, the comma can be omitted.

The most common coordinating conjunctions are: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS).

Complex sentences
The commas in complex sentences depend on the order of the clauses. If the subordinate clause with a
subordinating conjunction starts the sentence, a comma is (usually*) used before the main clause.
e.g. Although the essay has quite a few errors, it is convincing.

If the sentence starts with the independent clause, then the comma is (usually*) left out.

e.g. Tue essay is convincing although it has quite a few errors.

* This is, in fact, a convention that not all native speakers adhere to all the time, so be prepared for
exceptions! As students of English, however, you should keep to the prescribed, standard form as
indicated above.

WRONG: Many students protest, because they fear the prospect of tuition fees.

Commas before ‘that’

In English, a comma is hardly ever put before 'that'
WRONG: The student said, that she had spent all weekend writing her essay.

NB: Tue sequence of "comma that" only exists as a result of different comma rules, e.g.
- with a sentence adverb: Tue student told me, however, that she bad spent all weekend writing her
essay.
- with an appositive: lt has been proven, not only an a national but also on an international level, that
vaccination prolongs life.
- in a list: This is one of the questions that were raised by the committee, that have been discussed
repeatedly ever since and that are not easy to answer.

Comma with relative clauses

Explain the differences in meaning between these two sentences:

- All the students who were caught cheating were exmatriculated.

- All the students, who were caught cheating, were exmatriculated.

Defining (restrictive, identifying) relative clauses: some relative clauses provide information that is
necessary to identify a noun. As the information given is vital for comprehension, the relative clause is NOT
separated by commas:

e.g. A letter of completion may be issued to those students who have completed all degree requirements.

32
Non-defining (non-restrictive, non-identifying) relative clause: in other cases, the information given in
the relative clause is only additional and not necessary. As it contains extra information, the relative
clause is separated by commas from the rest of the sentence:

e.g. My father, who is very tall, played tennis in college.

The sentence would also be understood without the relative clause.

NB: Often, it is only the commas that decide about the difference in meaning. Compare:
My brother who lives in Chicago got married yesterday.
My brother, who lives in Chicago, got married yesterday.

Important: The relative pronoun 'that' can only be used in defining relative clauses:
Chicago, which is situated in the state of Illinois, is the third largest city in the United States.
WRONG: *Chicago, that is situated in the state of Illinois, is the third largest city in the United States.

Relative clauses modifying other clauses: a relative clause can also modify an entire clause or sentence, in
which case it is by definition a non-defining relative clause and introduced by which:
Example: The little girl brought her pet frog to class, which surprised the teacher.

NB: 'what' is NOT a relative pronoun:

WRONG: * Tue little girl brought her pet frog to class, what surprised the teacher.
(interference from German: " ... , WAS die Lehrerin überraschte. ')

Exercise
For the following sentences, decide if the commas have been used correctly. If not, correct the sentence.
On the line below each sentence, indicate which of the comma rules is violated or applies.

1. Daryl and Jake Chapman deny that their work is intended to shock or provoke but they are aware of
the fact that their work is not easy to interpret.

Rule: _______________________________________________________________________________

2. Would this judge say the same, if the crime had been committed by someone else?

Rule: _______________________________________________________________________________

3. If the crime had been committed by someone else, would the judge say the same?

Rule: _______________________________________________________________________________

4. This leads to the assumption, that the author's intention was to criticize existing moral values.
Rule: _______________________________________________________________________________

5. When Stephanie finally sits down a new song will start.

Rule: _______________________________________________________________________________

6. As the author shows the audience is rather heterogeneous.

Rule: ___________________________________________________________________________________

33
7. lt is a challenge to balance work and family life and there is the danger that children do not receive
sufficient attention.

Rule: _______________________________________________________________________________

8. The contractor testified that the house was completed and that the work had been done properly.

Rule: ________________________________________________________________________________

9. Some people refuse to go to the zoo, because they feel pity for creatures, that must live in small cages.

Rule: ________________________________________________________________________________

10. After he had survived the ordeal, the trapper felt relieved.

Rule: ________________________________________________________________________________

11. My friend said, that without this course she wouldn't know what to do.

Rule: ________________________________________________________________________________

12. lt is understandable that people, who never had a child before, feel insecure at first with the newborn.

Rule: ________________________________________________________________________________

13. Many couples who will soon be parents will profit from these parenting courses.

Rule: _________________________________________________________________________________

14. The health care act will be important for the poor, since they will not be left alone with their problems.

Rule: ________________________________________________________________________________

15. My host child tended to start crying easily which frightened me.

Rule: ________________________________________________________________________________

16. The professor confronted us with problems that might occur when a child, whose parents are from a

non-English-speaking country starts to learn English in school.

Rule: _________________________________________________________________________________

17. 1 am skilled at writing short, meaningful texts, what I consider essential for effective communication.

Rule: _________________________________________________________________________________

18. When poured into water, oil which is lighter than water rises to the surface.

Rule: _________________________________________________________________________________

19. We talked about it, but he didn't seem to understand.

Rule: _________________________________________________________________________________

20. All boys who sit in the front row, got an A.

Rule: _________________________________________________________________________________

21. He looked confused and I didn't understand what was going on either.

Rule: _________________________________________________________________________________
34
 Defining and non-defining relative clauses

Task: Read the sentences about Elvis Presley. Each sentence contains a defining or a non-defining
relative clause. Circle the explanation that best describes each sentence.

1. Elvis Presley, wbhose records made him a millionaire, was a legendary singer.
a. There was only one, Elvis Presley.
b. There was more than one Elvis Presley.

2. His fans, who still have wonderful memories of his performances, continue to buy his records.
a. All of his fans have wonderful memories of his performances.
b. Only some fans have wonderful memories of his performances.

3. His fans who still have wonderful memories of his performances continue to buy his records.
a. All of his fans have wonderful memories of his performances.
b. Only some of his fans have wonderful memories of his performances.

4. Elvis Presley was like many other popular singers, who began their careers singing in church choirs.
a. Popular singers in general began their careers singing in church choirs.
b. Only some popular singers began their careers singing in church choirs.

5. Elvis Presley was like many other popular singers wbo began their careers singing in church choirs.
a. Popular singers in general began their careers singing in church choirs.
b. Only some popular singers began their careers singing in church choirs.

6. Elvis Presley also made many movies whose success was tremendous.
a. All of his movies bad tremendous success.
Some of his movies bad tremendous success.

7. Elvis Presley also made many movies, wbose success was tremendous.
a. All of his movies had tremendous success.
b. Some of his movies had tremendous success.

8. At the beginning of his acting career, movie critics who gave his movies poor reviews said be didn't bave
any talent.
a. All movie critics gave his movies poor reviews.
b. Some movie critics gave his movies poor reviews.

9. At the beginning of his acting career, movie critics, who gave bis movies poor reviews, said he didn't have
any talent.
a. All movie critics gave his movies poor reviews.
b. Some movie critics gave his movies poor reviews.

10. After Elvis Presley died, his fans who suffered tremendous grief over his death visited the Presley
mansion in Nashville, Tennessee.
a. All of his fans suffered tremendous grief over his death.
b. Some of his fans suffered tremendous grief over his death.

11. After Elvis Presley died, his fans, who suffered tremendous grief over his death, visited the Presley
mansion in Nasbville, Tennessee.
a. All of his fans suffered tremendous grief over bis death.
b. Some of his fans suffered tremendous grief over his death.

12. His career, which was magical and successful, was cut short.
a. All of his career was magical and successful.
b. Some of his career was magical and successful.
35
Dangling Modifiers

Consider this sentence: Having finished the assignment, the TV was turned on by Jill.
What is illogical about the meaning?

In English, such "subjectless" constructions are usually interpreted in such a way that the subject of the main
clause that follows is understood to be the 'doer' of the action described by the participle. In this sentence, the
subject ofthe main clause is TV but TVs do not nonnally finish assignments! Such illogical participial clauses
are known as 'dangling modifiers'.

Task: Decide ifthe sentence contains a dangling modifier. Revise where necessary.

1. Living in Los Angeles and working in London, the actress spends most of her time on planes.

2. Living in Spain, many people thought she was Swedish.

3. Not having studied the lab manual carefully, the experiment was a complete failure.

4. Marked by old age, the little girl visited her grandfather.

5. Driving on Greenwood Avenue yesterday aftemoon, he saw that his favorite restaurant had been shut down.

6. Smashed flat by a passing truck, the dog sniffed at what was left of a half-eaten hamburger.

7. Devastated by his failure, he withdrew completely from the financial world.

8. To improve company morale, three things were recommended by the consultant.

9. Having been thrown in the air, the dog caught the stick.

[Link] down my favorite shopping road, the elegant diamond earrings immediately caught my attention.

36
Error Analysis 2

1. l'm just to lazy.

2. As far as I have a certain structure that I can follow, writing can make fun.

3. lf you take a peace of paper and a pen, ...

4. When the teacher asked me to describe how my house looked like, ...

5. We need to pay attention at grammar mistakes.

6. Becoming the chief of staff for the school newspaper, things changed a lot.

7. Writing is not that easy as it looks like when reading the final version.

8. For me, writing in English is difficult because I always feel like having too less vocabulary.

9. I wish they would be darker.

10. I am used to wear very comfortable clothes.

11. One of the scars is on my nose directly between my eyes, which I acquired in kindergarten.

12. lt is not long, nor it is very short.

13. My eyes are very big. On the contrary, my mouth is very small.

14) Since several weeks there is only one topic in the media

15. Future parents attending such a course might indeed make less mistakes.

16. Everyone wants to give you the best advices.

17. Especially bilingual schooling is a theory that is very appealing to me.

18. Hardly ever we spoke about countries other than Germany.

19. I did many researches on the topic.

37
Task: Error correction. Check this essay for mistakes in accuracy and lack of formal register.

Should German universities make learning English as a foreign language a

compulsory element of all undergraduate degrees?

Most students in Germany first come into contact with English as a second Language, when they
are in 3rd grade and continue to learn it for at least 6 years. Nevertheless, most of them have no
desire to further deepen their knowledge after they graduate. In order to prevent a large amount of
the population forgetting what they have learned in school, there are considerations to have
university students take obligatory English courses during the time of studies.

This essay wants to emphasize the importance of English as a compulsory element of all
undergraduate degrees, based on increasing chances regarding future employment, lower risk of
forgetting the language alltogether as well as a possible incline in potential english teachers.

The first aspect to consider is that a high knowledge of the English language will provide better
chances in the job market. Nowadays more and more companies consist of multilingual
departments which offer more job opportunities. In addition, being fluently to some degree in this
second language can lead to the possibility of working abroad, as well as in international
companies.

A second advantage to consider is the fact that English will not be forgotten as a second language.
Even though it is taught in school for many since childhood, people do not use it after school and
are thus not prepared enough for later encounters with the English language even when it comes
to simple occasions such as a vacation abroad.

Lastly, a constant use of the English language might lead to an increasing interest in teaching
careers. In university students only study what they have an interest in and due to a minimized
amount of different subjects, they might discover a newfound fascination with the language.
Realizing that English is not as irrelevant as they might have thought during high school, many of
them could consider becoming English teachers, which will also prove to be beneficial to the lack
of teachers in Germany.

Critiques of this proposal are under the impression that some students see learning another
language as a waste of time and unnecessary if it has no connection to their actual field of studies.
But nowadays the English language can be used in every field of work and prove to be helpful for
every student. Engineers might have to deal with international clients, teachers can communicate
with international students, doctors work with patients from all over the world and researchers
might come across collaborations with English speaking colleagues.

English has been a world language for years and will be integrated into our daily lives for many
more. It is important that we possess a good knowledge of it in order to adapt to the changes
around us. Based on better chances in the work field, the constant ability to use the language in
everyday-life as well as a possible increase in English teachers, this essay has proven that English
should be taught as a compulsory subject in all German universities.

Word count: 493

38
 Improving Language - Review Tasks

Task 1: In the following sentences, find the errors in the prepositional phrases and correct them.

. a) A comparison of less massive and more massive stars reveals significant differences.

. b) Red giants and red supergiants are similar with their chemical development.

. c) In contrast between less massive stars, more massive ones eventually explode.

. d) The two types of stars also show differences to their final evolution.

. e) As opposed of a white dwarf or a neutron star, a black hole allows no matter or information to leave its interior.

Task 2: Comma placement. Decide if the commas are used accurately. Why or why not?
1. After we had made a decision, we felt relieved.
2. A new song will start, when the audience sits down.
3. As the study shows remote teaching methods can be very effective.
4. My friend said, that without this course she wouldn't know what to do.
5. Many students who attend our university benefit from this course.
6. My teacher sometimes shouted in class, which frightened me.
7. When poured into water, oil which is lighter than water rises to the surface.
8. All boys who sit in the front row got an A.
9. He looked confused, and I didn't know what was going on, either.
10. Would you do the same, if circumstances were different?

Task 3: Keeping the criteria for "proper" thesis statements in �ind, decide if the following sentences can
be considered such statements.

. a) Los Angeles is the largest city in California.

. b) The current economic crisis will have particular long-lasting effects on developing countries.

. c) Nuclear waste will continue to radiate for hundreds of years.

. d) Future uses of combustion engines.

. e) Colonoscopy surveillance should become mandatory to prevent the spreading of colorectal cancer.

Task 4: Put the following sentence components In the right order and expand them to form useful and
grammatically correct topic sentences for paragraphs in an essay stressing the advantages of bilingual
educatlon.
. a) particularly creative / children / tendency / raised bilingually / particularly imaginative

. b) further foreign languages / more easily / two native languages / children / growing up / acquire

. d) labor market / different languages / important a�vantage / fluency

39
 Adding Emphasis

Cleft sentence structures

When we were trave/ing through India, 1 really valued John 's ability to keep calm in [Link] situations.
What I really valued about John was his ability to keep calm in difficult situations.
What I really valued was the fact that John kept calm in difficult situations.
What I really valued was the way John kept calm in difficult situations.
lt was John's ability to keep calm in difficult situations that I really valued.
John's ability to keep calm in difficult situations is what I really valued.
John was the person I really valued in difficult situations when we were travelling through India.

Exercise 1 : Restructure the following statements by using cleft sentences to make the meanings more emphatic:

1. We doubted his sincerity.

2. I admire the efficiency ofthe Swiss.

3. She hates having to get up at 6'o clock every moming.

4. This govemment has starved schools ofthe funds they need to improve. This annoys the voters.

5. A lot ofpeople are heeding the warnings about smoking. I find this surprising.

Exercise 2. How could you express your own reactions to the following, using a cleft structure?
e.g. "people who hold mobile phones when driving "
What many people don't realize is how dangerous it is to hold mobile phones when driving.
What really annoys me is the fact that many people hold mobile phones when driving.

1. teachers who give masses ofhomework

2. throwing litter on the ground

3. people wearing für coats

4. exams at the same time

5. clrivers who ignore the speed limits

Use ofparallelism
Spending one evening a month helping to collect money for "Save the children" is one thing: going off to work
as a volunteer in a Nigerian refugee camp is guite another! Are you sure you have thought this through?

Exercise 3. Restructure the following statements using the same device:

1. Working until midnight occasionally is fine but working till midnight every night is not.

2. Being woken by a pneumatic drill is worse than being woken by birdsong.

3. I like living in a caravan when I am on holiday but I wouldn't like to live in one permanently.

4. I can accept the cramped space on short low-cost flights but I would hate to have little leg room on a long.­
haul flight.

5. I enjoy having a pet dog but I would not want to have two dogs and three cats and a budgie in my house.
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 Learning Objective
On this page, you can see an example of an excellent essay produced for this course. Our aim is for
all students to gain the necessary skills to produce an essay of similar quality.

Essay question: Should English as a foreign language remain a compulsory subject in German
secondary education?
In German schools, English as a foreign language is a compulsory subject for students at secondary
level. However, given the increasing multitude of languages and cultures that coexist in society, one
might question the dominance of English as foreign language in schools. Based on the increase of
intercultural communicative competences, enhanced opportunities for employment, and broader access
to international media, this essay will argue that English as a foreign language should remain a
compulsory subject in German secondary school curricula.
In our globalized world, developing intercultural communicative competence has become an integral
part of life. By learning English at school, students gain insight not only to another language but also to
a variety of other cultures. Since English is spoken worldwide, it allows its learners to find out about
traditions and customs across the Anglophone world. In doing so, students train their reflexivity and
sensitivity in interaction with people from their own culture as well as in international encounters.
Hence, well-developed intercultural competence broadens one’s horizon and strengthens the ability of
peaceful and sensitive encounters in general and intercultural encounters in particular.
Adding to that, a further argument that speaks for English as a compulsory element of secondary
education is the increased opportunity for employment that results from it. On the German labor
market, hard skills are sometimes insufficient to rely on. Companies and institutions favor applicants
with good English language skills because of their ability to communicate with peers, clients or
potential business partners across the world. Thus, learning English at school enhances people’s
likeliness to pursue successful careers within Germany as well as internationally.
Furthermore, acquiring English language proficiency at secondary level offers access to international
media and communication. Students who are equipped with good English language skills have far-
reaching access to literature, arts and media around the world. Not only will they be able to understand
media presented in English, but they will also be able to take part in global discussions and share their
own contributions internationally.
On the other hand, critics may argue that foreign language learning at secondary school is not in
everybody’s interest. Some students might not wish to pursue a professional career which requires any
command of the English language. They might regard having to learn the language as a waste of their
time and a potential threat to their final grades. Nevertheless, in our globalized world, the need for
English language competence is not limited to our professional careers. The omnipresence of English
as lingua franca creates a need for English language skills in all aspects of our lives. The benefits of
learning English as a foreign language are, therefore, not restricted to a professional context only.
The purpose of this essay was to prove that English as a foreign language should remain a compulsory
element of secondary education in Germany. As the analysis presented here suggests, English language
proficiency acquired in school can offer access to increased intercultural understanding, improved
career opportunities and international media. Given the current tendencies of global politics, the status
of English language learning in German schools should not be diminished but enhanced.
Word count: 515

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