Exercise 4.9.A
Read the following paragraphs. Check sentence structure, sentence variety, and word choice. Make any corrections that will improve the paragraphs. There may be more than one way to correct an error.
1.
I decide not to get married two years ago. I could finish my university studies. My father he wanted me to get married. My parents they allow me decide. I had married, I have to stay in my husband’s home. Because in my culture, married woman, she has a duty to her husband, it’s our tradition. I choose finishing my degree instead. I will to be a graduate student in Toronto. I will earning my master’s degree in business economics.
2.
I prefer students should have several short vacations throughout the year instead to one long vacation. Students work hardly and need a brake often. Students in my country have several short holidays while every seasons. On the contrast, American students have one long vacation in a summer. I read a paper say that American students forgetting what they learned because the long vacation. This why I belief several short vacations is good than one long vacation.
3.
There are many advantage in having friends that different to me. Such as my friend who is from Turkey learns me alot about his culture. His family is so big and my family is not big. As a result, I like to go to his house to visiting his family. I enjoy the good food. I enjoy the talking because is really cool and interesting. Other friend is an artist. My friend makes pictures and does other arts. It’s really cool. In conclusion, my artist friend is not alike me, I learn good things about art from him.
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1.
I decided not to get married two years ago so I could finish my university studies. My father wanted me to get married, but my parents allowed me to decide. If I had married, I would have had to stay in my husband’s home because in my culture, a married woman has a duty to her husband. It is our tradition. I chose to finish my degree instead. I will be a graduate student in Toronto, where I will earn my master’s degree in business economics.
2.
I think students should have several short vacations throughout the year instead of one long vacation because they work hard and need breaks often. Students in my country have several short holidays during every season. In contrast, American students have one long vacation in the summer. I read a paper saying that American students forget what they learn because of the long vacation. This is why I believe several short vacations are better than one long vacation.
3.
There are many advantages in having friends that are different from me. For example, my friend from Turkey teaches me a lot about his culture. His family is very big, and my family is not big, so I like to go to his house to visit his family. I enjoy the good food and the conversation because it is really wonderful and interesting. Another friend is an artist who paints pictures and creates other art that is very good. My artist friend is not like me, and I learn interesting things about art from him.
Exercise 4.9.B
Read the following independent writing question and a student’s essay. Check sentence structure, sentence variety, and word choice. Make any corrections that will improve the essay. There may be more than one way to correct an error.
Some people prefer occupations in which they work primarily with machines. Others prefer occupations in which they work mainly with people. Which type of occupation do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
Essay:
Occupations are mainly two kinds. Some occupations require your work primarily with machines. Other need working with other people. My job is working with machines, especial computers, so I prefer this kind.
Computers are important in the society. I am a computer programmer at a medical university. I like to solving the problems of medical record system. Computer has improved business, research, educational, and many the field of study. Many occupations require specialization in computers. People need specialization training. It’s in area of computer operations.
On the other hand, some occupations work mainly with people. It’s also neccesary for my job. Because I work a team with two other people. Therefore we must help each one. We solve the problems.
In conclusion, I prefer to working with machines. Because machines need people to operate. In addition, machines improve peoples life. Many occupations need specialization, such as computer programmer. But also need ability for communication to other people. Therefore I believe to work with both machines and people are best kind of job.
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There are mainly two kinds of occupations. Some occupations require you to work primarily with machines, while others require you to work with other people. My job is working with machines, especially computers, so I prefer this kind of occupation.
Computers are important in our society. I am a computer programmer at a medical university, and I like to solve the problems of the medical record system. Computers have improved business, research, education, and many other fields of study. Many occupations require specialization in computers, so people need specialized training in an area of computer operations.
On the other hand, in some occupations you work mainly with people. This is also necessary for my job because I work on a team with two other people. Therefore, we must help each other solve problems.
In conclusion, I prefer working with machines because machines need people to operate them, and machines improve people’s lives. Many occupations, such as computer programmer, require specialization but also the ability to communicate with other people. Therefore, I believe that working with both machines and people is the best kind of job.
Exercise 4.9.C
Your teacher will assign one of the following essay questions. Read the question carefully, and then plan and write a response. To make this practice more like the real test, allow 30 minutes to complete the essay. Use your time like this:
- 5 minutes – to brainstorm and write an outline;
- 20 minutes – to write the introduction, body, and conclusion; and
- 5 minutes – to check your essay and make corrections.
1. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
You can learn a lot about people by the clothes they wear.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
2. Some people prefer working for a very large company that has several hundred employees. Others prefer working for a small company where they know all of their co–workers. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
3. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Leaders must pay attention to the advice and opinions of other people.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
4. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Every child should be raised in a home with two parents.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
5. Some people believe that in high school, boys should be in classes with only boys, and girls should be in classes with only girls. Other people believe that high school classes should be coeducational, with students of both genders studying together. Which view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
6. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Technological progress has made us lazy.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
7. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Children should always be happy, so they should be sheltered from unhappiness.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
8. Some people think that science and technology are most important to society. Others think that art, literature, and music are most important. Which position do you favor? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
9. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
It is always important to support your friends even if they do something illegal.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
10. When governments make decisions, some people think it is most important to consider the effect of the decision on the economy. Others think the effect on the environment is more important. Which position do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
Extension
1
Review the essay you wrote for one of the essay questions in units 4.7 through 4.9. Check your sentence structure, sentence variety, and vocabulary. Ask yourself the following questions:
a. Are all of my sentences complete, with correctly formed subjects and verbs?
b. Are there any grammar errors that need correcting?
c. Does my essay have a variety of short and long sentences?
d. Does my essay use appropriate word choice and correct word forms?
e. Are there any misspelled words that need correcting?
f. What changes can I make to improve the essay?
2
Share and discuss your essay for one of the essay questions in units 4.7 through 4.9. Work in a group of three students. Make copies of your essay, and give a copy to everyone in your group. Read and discuss each student’s essay. Answer the following questions about each:
a. Is the essay easy to read and understand? Why or why not?
b. Does the essay have unity and coherence? Why or why not?
c. Are there any sentences in which the meaning is unclear? If so, what makes them unclear?
d. Does the essay have a variety of short and long sentences?
e. Does the essay use appropriate word choice and correct word forms?
f. What improvements would you make?
Make suggestions that will help each student earn a high score on the independent writing task.