Session 6

12/3/2016

Game: The big scan

Play in teams. See if you can solve the mystery!
http://
www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/game/en05skim-game-the-big
-scan

IELTS reading
Check Passage 3

Writing: academic skills

Paragraph
Topic
Flow
Connection (signaling words)

Writing: Paragraphing
A paragraph is a group of sentences that develop one
topic or idea.
A text is divided into a number of paragraphs based on
the number of ideas in the text.
Practice dividing a text:
http://www.uefap.com/writing/exercise/parag/paragex1.ht
m
Practice arranging a text:
http://www.uefap.com/writing/exercise/parag/paragex2.ht
m

Writing: Topic sentences

Topic sentences: or the main idea of each paragraph, is
usually expressed by one sentence.
It can be found at the beginning of the paragraph, but can come at
the end or even in the middle of the paragraph.
The rest of the paragraph generally expands the theme contained
in the main sentence, and each idea round the main theme is
supported by information and evidence (in the form of illustrations
and examples), and by argument.

Exercise: Match the sentences with the correct paragraphs.

http://www.uefap.com/writing/exercise/parag/paragex4.htm

 Exercise: Put the sentences in the correct order to

produce well-organised paragraphs.
http://www.uefap.com/writing/exercise/parag/paragex5.
htm

Writing: Flow of information in

paragraphs
Most sentences in English have two parts
(McCarthy, 1991, p. 55).
Atheme(ortopic) is what you are writing about - it
is shared information and it has been introduced to
your reader. It usually comes at the beginning of a
sentence.
Arheme(orcomment)is what you are saying about
thetheme- it is new information, what you want to
tell your reader.

 Example:
1. The National Route 1A goes from Langson to Ca Mau.
2. The motorway from Langson to Ca Mau is called the National
Route 1A.
.Thethemein sentence 1 is "the National Route 1A". The reader
has been introduced to the NR1A but does not know where it
goes and therefore needs to be told
.In sentence 2, thethemeis "the motorway from Langson to Ca
Mau". The reader knows there is a motorway from Langson to
Ca Mau but does not know what it is called.

 Look at the following short paragraphs:

1. I was born in Glasgow. Glasgow is the largest city in
Scotland.
2. I was born in Glasgow. The largest city in Scotland is
Glasgow.
.All the sentences are grammatically correct. However,
example 3 is preferred in English.

So how can we organise information in a text?

There are two basic choices:
1. Therhemeof one sentence becomes thethemeof the next
sentence.
2. Thethemeof one sentence is the same as thethemeof the
next sentence.

Exercise: Identify the ways of organising the information

http://www.uefap.com/writing/exercise/parag/paragex8.htm

 Exercise: In the following paragraphs, the first and last

sentences are correct. Rewrite the middle sentences of
to put thethemeat the beginning and therhemeat the
end of the sentences
http://www.uefap.com/writing/exercise/parag/paragex9.
htm