大学英语应用写作(四川师范大学)Chapter 1 Choice of Words

Chapter 1: Choice of WordsI.Objective of This Chapter1.Teaching Purpose:teach students basic rules for choosing words in essay writing2.Focus:1)One of the prewriting skill: inquiring2)Basic rules for choosing words: Appropriateness; Exactness and Conciseness3)Grammar and mechanics: Capitalization and Punctuation4)Case analysis: Lacking Conciseness; Error with Wrong Part of Speech5)Write about a personII.Teaching Arrangement.1.Total Class Time for This Lesson:180 minutes2.Teaching Arrangement:1)Prewriting: 30 minutes2)Basic Writing Skill: 50 minutes3)Grammar and Mechanics: 40 minutes4)Case Analysis: 30 minutes5)Writing Process: 30 minutesIII.Teaching Process1.Prewriting: Inquiring1)Introduce prewriting skill: inquiring2)Assign two consolidating exercises for students to practice this skill3)Analyze the following model essay for students as lead-in to the next topic: basic writing skillMy Cousin PatriciaMy Cousin Patricia is a teacher and works for Santa Maria de Fatima High school, inPeru. She has been teaching there for the last six years. She is 32, but looks much younger. Patty is a very nice person to get along with and has some very good qualities.Patricia believes all people are equal. She likes to show people that women as well as men can do anything and be successful. When she talks about current events, she likes to mention the achievements of men and women of all races and nations. She often asks her students to do research on organizations in which people work together to make the world a better place.My cousin is a good leader. If you ever had a chance to join any of her group meetings, you would notice right away how she enjoys leading others while encouraging them to participate in what is going on. When there are decisions to be made, she listens to everyone opinions and respects everyones suggestions. People who know that aspect of her like her very much. People like to be with her, and she has many friends. The only thing bad I can say about her is that I dont see her often enough.In conclusion, my cousin patty is very nice in many ways, is a very good teacher, and is the best company a person could have. I wish she didnt live so far away, but someday maybe she will come to live near my family. That will be a wonderful day.2.Basic Writing Skill: choice of words1)Appropriateness: definitionA.Introduce the rule of appropriateness for choosing wordsPrinciple for achieving appropriateness:The principle is to use common standard words rather than non-standard words or slang or jargon.Inappropriate: Could you please alternate your eating habits?Revised:Could you please change your eating habits?Inappropriate: He didnt ought to have spent the money.Revised: He shouldnt have spent the money.Compare the following words in group A and in group B, have students conclude principle for achieving appropriatenessGroup AGroup Baccomplishfinishaffectionlovealternatechanceappropriateproperassisthelpblue-printplancross-sectionsamplefabricatemakeinformtellproceedgopunctualon timeresidelivesufficientenoughterminateendutilizeusevisualizeimagineB.Assign exercises for students to practice2)Exactness: definitionA.Introduce the rule of exactness for choosing wordsPrinciple for achieving exactness:a.To distinguish synonyms.English is rich insynonyms(group of words that have similar meaning). Almost all synonyms differ in their connotation. Exact writers choose carefully among them, observe their precise shade of meaning and use the most exact one. Wrong use of synonyms not only makes your writing inexact, but also confuses your readers. Compare the followings:Improper:He is a renowned gangster. (“Renowned” has a positive or favorable connotation)Right:He is a notorious gangster. (“Notorious” has a negative connotation)Improper:We are going to commerce our long vacation on the following Monday. (“Commerce” connotes to something very formal.)Right:We are going to start our long vacation on the following Monday. (“Start” is a common word.)b.To distinguish homonyms.Homonymsare group of words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings and different spellings. For example, “idol” and “idle” have same pronunciation but have totally different meanings and different spellings. While you choose words, do not confuse these words.e.g.She is like anangelthat everybody likes her.She drew a straight line across theangle.Following is a list of some homonyms. Check how much you understand.adapt，adept，adoptalley，ally angel，anglearraign，arrange bean，beenblock，bloc borne，borncannon，canon carton，cartooncostume，custom flea，fleemarital，martial proscribe，proscribereceipt，recipe steal，steelstatue，statute sea，seewaive，wave c.To use fixed idioms or set phrasesAnidiomis a group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words. Since it does not follow the standard pattern of a language, you cant infer the total meaning simply by adding the meanings of its individual words. For example, “Let the cat out of the bag”, it means to tell a secret by mistake. You cant write it like this: “Let the dog out of the bag”.The most troublesome set phrases are those that require a suitable preposition after a given verb or an adjective. The following is a list quoted from LeggettsPrentice-Hall Handbook for Writers.(307)Set PhrasesExamplesabsolved by, from:I was absolved by the dean from all blame.accede toHe acceded to his fathers demands.accompany by, withI was accompanied by George.The terms were accompanied with a plea for immediate peace.acquitted ofHe was acquitted of the crime.adapted to, fromThis machine can be adapted to farm work.The design was adapted from a previous invention.admit to, ofHe admitted to the error.The plan will admit of no alternatives.agree to, with, inThey agreed to the plan but disagreed with us.They agreed only in principle.angry with, atShe was angry with me and angry at the treatment she had received.capable ofHe is capable if very vice of the pare to, withHe compared the roundness f the baseball to that of the earth.He compared the economy of the Ford with that of thePlymouth.concur with, inI concur with you in your desire to use the revised edition.confide in, toHe confided in me.He confided to me that he had stolen the car.conform to, withThe specifications conformed to (or with) his original plans.You must act in conformity with our demands.connect by, withThe room are connected by a corridor.He is officially connected with this university.differ about, from, withWe differ about our tastes in clothes.My clothes differ from yours.We differ with one another.different from Our grading system is different from yours.enter into, on, uponHe entered into a new agreement and thereby entered on (or upon) a new career.free from, ofHe was freed from his mothers domination and now he is free of her.identical withYour reasons are identical with his.join in, with, toHe joined in the fun with the others.He joined the wire cables to each other.live at, in, onHe lives at14 Neil Avenuein a Colonial house.He lives onNeil Avenue.necessity for, ofThere was no necessity (need) for you to lose ourtemper.There was no necessity (need) of your losing your temper.object toI object to the statement in the third paragraph.oblivious ofWhen he held her hand he was oblivious of the passing of time.overcome by, withI was overcome by the heart.I was overcome with grief.parallel between, to, withThere is a parallel between your attitude and his.This line is parallel to (or with) that one.preferable toA leisure walk is preferable to violent exercise. B.Assign exercises for students to practice3)Conciseness: definitionA.Introduce the rule of exactness for choosing wordsPrinciple for achieving conciseness:a.To eliminate empty expressions (words or phrases that do not add to your meaning).b.To eliminate the unnecessary words and phrases.Wordy:Maria is attractive in appearance, so everybody likes her.Concise:Maria is attractive, so everybody likes her.Wordy:Another aspect of the situation that needs to be examined is the matter of advertising.Concise: We should also examine advertising.c.To reduce clauses to phrases and phrases to simple words.Wordy: SmithCollege, which was founded in 1871, is the premier all-womens college in theUnited States.Concise: Founded in 1871,SmithCollegeis the premier all-womens college in theUnited States.Wordy:The shirt, made of wool, is a gift from my aunt.Concise: The woolen shirt is a gift from my aunt.d.To use one exact word rather than two or more approximate words.Wordy: At this point in time, more and more people realize the importance of protecting environment.Concise: Now more and more people realize the importance of protecting environment.Wordy: All the documents in the office were destroyed by the fire.Concise: The fire burnt all the documents in the office. (Active voice is better than passive voice)e.To avoid redundancy (say the same thing twice).Wordy: In our opinion, we think we need to do the experiment first.Concise: We think we need to do the experiment first.Wordy: Soon after the plain took off from the ground, it disappeared from view in the sky.Concise:Soon after the plain took off, it disappeared in the sky.B. Assign exercises for students to practice3.Grammar and Mechanics: capitalization and punctuation1)Have students do exercises on the slideshow2)Help students summarize rules for using capitalizationRulesExamples1. The first words if a sentence.All over the world, people do many of the same things that are necessary in order to live, yet they do them in a different ways.2. The pronounIAnna andIwent shopping on Sunday.3. In titles, the first, last and all important words,but notarticles, prepositions and coordination conjunctions.ManyWays ofLife4. Names of specific persons, places and geographical locations.TheAmazonRiver,SoutheastAsiaConeDwellers5. Names of family relations when used as substitutes for names.I went to visit myUncle Sam andAunt Linda.7. Names of the days of the week, months and holidays,but noton the names of season.ValentinesDay, which is always onFebruary 14th, falls onMonday in 2005.g. Historical events.TheGettysburgBattle is a turning point in the AmericanCivilWar.8. Names of nations, nationalities, languages and words based on such words.Indians,Eskimo,Turkey,English muffin,Chinese9. Brand names and the names of a course used as a title.ComputerSince 101,Xerox copier10. Titles when they precede names.Dean Smith introducesPresident John to theSecretary Susan.11. Abbreviation and acronyms.U.S.A, P.R.C, FBI, HP, UPS, UN12. Names of deities.God,13. Names of specific structures such as building and bridgesGoldenGateBridge,CrownPlazaHotel, theWhiteHouse14. Names of specific organizations.WellsFargoBank,RedCross3)Have students do exercises on the slideshow4)Help students summarize rules for using punctuationNameRulesExamplePeriodIs used at the end of a sentence.She went shopping at Macy.ExclamationIs used to show strong feeling.What a good deal she got at Robinson May!Question markIs used at the end of a question sentence.Where did she go shopping?Comma1. Is used to separate items.She bought catfish, cabbages, grapes and salad dressing at Ranch 99.2.Is used to separate the parts of an address in a sentence.Her address is345 Atlantic Avenue,Pittsburgh,PA66711.3.Is used to separate the day of the month from the year and after the year.The day she went toChicagois on February 1, 2005.4. Is used before a coordination conjunction in a compound sentence.I dont want to go out, for it is snowing.5.Is used after a sentence connector in a compound sentence.The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival symbolizes the unique meanings of Chinese history; furthermore, it is a way of drawing family members together.6. Is used before and after a non-restrictive clause.Jackson, who is honest, will succeed.7. Is used after a dependent adverbial clause followed by an independent clause in a complex sentence.Because he doesnt like horror films, he stays at home for reading magazines.8. Is used after most transitional words at the beginning of a sentence.Finally, the plane took off.9. Is used before and after non-restrictive appositives.Three men, Bill, Jack, and Jim, were watching the football games.Quotation MarkIs used in a direct speech.“Ill call you tonight,” she said in a loud voice.SemicolonIs used between independent clauses that are not connected by a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.My mother lost her key; we had to wait for my fathers coming back from work.HyphenIs used to form a compound word or indicate that a word is continued from one line to the next.He is a well-known speaker.ApostropheIs used to show the possessive case.The childrens books are on the right section in the library.3)Assign more exercises for students to practice on capitalization and punctuation4.Case Analysis: analyze two cases for students1)Case one:Lacking Conciseness2)Case two:Errors with Wrong Part Speech3)Draw conclusion5.Writing Process:1)In class practice: Have students practice writing by follo