Faculty of Architecture, Computing and Humanities

Copy and paste the header sheet for this assignment into the space below, so that is constitutes the first page of the Word document:

Faculty of Architecture, Computing and Humanities

English Language Support

Postgraduates (PG)

• ENGL 1118 – SCIENCE
• ENGL 1119 –PHARMACY
• ENGL 1122 – ENGINEERING
• ENGL 1120 – CMS
• ENGL 1121 –HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE
• ENGL 1123 – ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
• ENGL 1109 – BUSINESS
• ENGL 1105 – HUMANITIES

PORTFOLIO

The Portfolio is the sole item of assessment for this course. It contains a range of activities which will help you consolidate the areas of language and related skills that are covered in your classes. All the tasks in the portfolio must be completed and submitted to your teacher on a regular basis (see deadline per task).

The final mark that you are awarded (either a pass or fail) will be based on your overall performance on the tasks contained in the portfolio) as well as your attendance.

Please make sure that all exercises and answers are typed in the appropriate space and that any work that is added to the portfolio, such as your written work for task 3, is clearly labelled.

Instructions:

It is important to follow the instructions given for each task:

• Read the instructions for each task very carefully.
• Do the exercises in the spaces provided. You must complete all the tasks.

IMPORTANT: Please read the instructions for task 7. YOU MUST SUBMIT A DRAFT ESSAY BY THE WEEK 3 DEADLINE.

SECTION 1:  Tasks 1 – 3

 All tasks in this section (Section 1) of the portfolio must be submitted (with all exercises completed and word-processed) in week 8.

TASK 1 – Topic Sentences and Supporting Sentences (25 marks)

A good topic sentence needs to include reference to both the topic and to have a controlling idea. If the controlling idea is supported by a brief example of examples, then this can be helpful to the reader.

For example, in the following sentence, the topic is in bold face and the controlling idea is underlined:

Example: (Students’) use of mobile technology in the classroom has numerous benefits, such as giving them access to a wide variety of Internet resources.

1. Write a topic sentence expressing a view you might have with regard to each of the following. Underline your controlling idea and highlight the topic in boldface. Illustrate your answer with an example (this may be introduced by a phrase such as: ‘for example’; ‘for instance’; ‘such as’ and so on.

• The influence of reality TV on children

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• Censorship of the Internet

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• Corruption in Business.

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2. Now write one or two sentences that provide concrete support for each of the three sentences that you wrote above.

• The influence of reality TV on children

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• Censorship of the Internet

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• Corruption in Business. 

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3. Write a topic sentence for each of the following paragraphs:

Example: (Students’) use of mobile technology in the classroom has numerous benefits, such as giving them access to a wide variety of Internet resources. > When a student is working on an assignment, it may be necessary to check the meaning of a low frequency word in her own language. Using a smart phone or iPad to access an online dictionary makes this a quick and relatively straightforward process.

Paragraph 1

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Americans relaxing at home, for example, may put on ‘kimonos’, which is a Japanese word. Americans who live in a warm climate may take an afternoon ‘siesta’ on an outdoor ‘patio’ without even realising that these are Spanish words. In their gardens, they may enjoy the fragrance of ‘jasmine’ flowers, a word that came into English from Persian. They may even relax on a ‘chaise longue’ while sipping a drink made from ‘vodka’, words of French and Russian origin respectively.

Paragraph 2

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In European universities, students are not required to attend classes. In fact, professors in Germany generally do not know the names of the students enrolled in their courses. In the United States, however, students are required to attend all classes and may be penalised if they don’t. Furthermore, in the European system, there is usually just one comprehensive examination at the end of the students’ entire four or five years of study. In the American system, on the other hand, there are usually numerous quizzes, tests, and homework assignments, and there is almost always a final examination in each course at the end of the semester.

Paragraph 3

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For example, the Eskimos, living in a treeless region of snow and ice, sometimes build temporary homes out of thick blocks of ice. People who live in deserts, on the other hand, use the most available material, mud or clay, which provides good insulation from the heat. In Northern Europe, Russia and other areas of the world where forests are plentiful, people usually construct their homes out of wood. In the islands of the South Pacific, where there is a plentiful supply of bamboo and palm, people use these tough, fibrous plants to build their homes.

(Oshima and Hogue (2006: 10)

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TASK 2 – Introductions and Conclusions (25 marks)

Writing Introductions, Conclusions and Summaries

You may find the following links helpful:

http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/conclude.htm

http://www.wordnik.com/ (this site provides example sentences of how the words below may be used in context)

1. Read the extracts below from ‘An investigation into politeness, small talk and gender’ by Rebecca Bayles.

These extracts, which are taken from the introduction to and conclusion of an academic journal article about differences in the language used by women, contain a number of features that are commonly found in academic writing. Answer the questions that follow:

1.1. In the introduction, what tense is used to point ahead to the main considerations of the article? (Write your answer below in the space provided).

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1.2. How many examples of the tense can you find? Copy these into your answer to as evidence.

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1.3. In the conclusion, what tense is used to reflect on the main considerations of the article?

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1.4. How many examples of the tense can you find? Copy and paste from the article these into the space below to support your answer.

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Article (extracts)

‘An investigation into politeness, small talk and gender’ by Rebecca Bayles.

Introduction

In this essay I will explore small talk as a form of linguistic politeness and question the accuracy of the stereotypical association of small talk with women’s speech. I will begin with an examination of politeness, in particular the model devised by Brown and Levinson (1987 [1978]), and then move more specifically on to examining small talk in terms of both its link to gender and its importance socially and professionally. I will consider approaches to language and gender such as the „difference‟ approach evident in the work of Deborah Tannen (1991) and Janet Holmes (1995). The bulk of my essay, however, will constitute an account and critique of the more recent theories behind gender and small talk, particularly Sara Mills‟ (2003) reaction to Holmes‟ (1995) argument, and Mills‟ (2003) own work in analysing gender in terms of performativity, and politeness in terms of Communities of Practice. I will further explore Holmes‟ recent co-authored work (2003/2004/2005) on the significance of small talk in the workplace. This essay will thus illustrate the chronological development of sociolinguistic theories on politeness, small talk and gender, showing a definite shift in the approaches over time. I will conclude that small talk is of crucial importance in maintaining relationships not only socially but also in professional situations. Furthermore, in my research reading I have observed the problems with making gender based generalisations, and have thus come to the conclusion that theoretically we cannot draw solid conclusions about the different ways men and women speak. Instead we should view gender as a performance, and small talk as a form of gendered discourse which has been stereotypically associated with women by society. Individuals can thus make their own choice whether or not to linguistically enact these gender stereotypes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I have explored small talk as a form of politeness and questioned the validity of the stereotypical assumption that small talk is more characteristic of women’s speech than men’s. In trying to determine the truth of this statement I have encountered a huge amount of difficulties that particularly relate to the complexities surrounding gender. Furthermore, in examining small talk as a form of politeness I have found settling on a definition of politeness itself to also be problematic. Nevertheless from my research I have drawn several conclusions. From my more or less outright rejection of the difference approach to gender, this prevents me from drawing any solid conclusions regarding the difference in speech styles between men and women. Instead, by aligning myself with the performativity approach, I conceptualise small talk as a gendered discourse, which is stereotypically associated with women by society. Women can thus choose to perform this female identity linguistically if they want to. This is relevant to relational practice, as women managers can choose to use this stereotypically female linguistic device to improve workplace relations, but similarly though, men can also perform this identity if they want to. Therefore I have explored small talk as a form of politeness and have concluded that it is not necessarily true that women engage in small talk more than men.

Bayles, R. (2008-9) ‘An investigation into politeness, small talk and gender.’ Innervate:  Leading Undergraduate Work in English Studies, 1, 10-17. Available at: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/documents/innervate/08-09/0809baylesaninvestigationintopoliteness.pdf (Accessed: 13 October 2012).

2. The words and phrases in the following table are used to express concluding thoughts, which may occur not only in the final paragraph of an essay, but potentially at any point within it. Read the three extracts from journal articles below and underline examples in the text where the authors have used phrases in the table to draw a conclusion. Note that not all of the words or phrases have been used.

Article 1 (extracts)

Business Ethics Journal Rankings as Perceived by Business Ethics Scholars

Author(s): Chad Albrecht, Jeffery A. Thompson, Jeffrey L. Hoopes and Pablo Rodrigo

Source: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 95, No. 2 (August 2010), pp. 227-237

Published by: Springer

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40785084

Accessed: 10-10-2015 12:13 UTC

(Extract 1) Literature review

Assessing journal quality in any discipline is challenging. It may be even more so in the field of business ethics. Business ethics researchers tend to come from a variety of backgrounds, rather than from a single discipline. Consequently, business ethics researchers may hold disparate notions about the characteristics of strong research and about outlets for publishing their work. Research suggests that business ethicists come from such diverse backgrounds as strategy, organizational behavior, philosophy, theology, human resource management, accounting, public management, and marketing (Hoopes et al., 2009). Perhaps, the most obvious gulf in research preferences lies between scholars trained in a primarily theoretical tradition (e.g., philosophy or theology) and those trained in an applied tradition (e.g., strategy or marketing). The multidisciplinary nature of business ethics (De George, 1987) makes a common understanding of high-quality business ethics journals particularly elusive. Wicks and Derry (1996) provided the most comprehensive assessment of business ethics journal quality by using opinion-based surveys (an approach similar to our current project). The authors developed a comprehensive list of business ethics journals and compared their reputation to that of the journals in the wider management literature. However, the data used in the study were based solely on the views of participants at a single Society for Business Ethics (SBE) conference and included only 34 responses – providing a somewhat narrow perspective on journal quality. Given that participants had to be physically present at the conference to participate, it is likely that this research represented a strong selection bias as well as a geographically limited view of what is a very international field. Furthermore, this research is now over a decade old. Sabrin’s (2002) work provided a ranking of school and author productivity within business ethics. This ranking was based on the total number of pages and articles published in business ethics journals as well as mainstream management journals. In the study, Sabrin identified 13 journals that focused primarily on business ethics research. However, the inclusion of these 13 journals was not based on prior research nor was the list based on input from peers. Sabrin did not differentiate between the journals in terms of quality, but rather treated all as equally worthy of consideration. As a result, we cannot accurately determine the caliber or quality of any of the business ethics journals that were used as a basis for Sabrin’s research. Finally, Paul (2004) used citations as a measure of relative influence to compare three well-known business ethics journals to the Academy of Management Journal and the Academy of Management Review. While this study provides a more focused assessment of relative journal quality than Sabrin (2002), it unfortunately considers only three of the many outlets in which business ethicists might publish their work and it uses a fairly narrow benchmark in comparing these journals to only two mainstream management publications. While these three papers add to the literature and provide some indications of journal quality, business ethics academics still do not have a comprehensive evaluation of the quality and ranking of ethics journals. Based on prior work, we do not know whether there are certain ethics journals that are regarded as best outlets to publish in or whether the views held by ethics scholars around the world are consistent when it comes to evaluating quality. We also do not know whether ethics scholars would prefer to publish their research in ethics-specific journals or in more general management journals.

The purpose of this article is to provide answers to these questions, which should be useful to ethics scholars worldwide who are trying to publish their research in the best journals. (This extract is taken from PAGES 228-229 of the article)

(Extract 2) Establishing journal quality

Typically, journal quality is established using one of three techniques. These techniques include analyzing acceptance rates, analyzing citations, and consulting the opinions of researchers within a field. Each of these methods has its own inherent strengths and weaknesses, and each of these methods has been used to evaluate journal quality in various fields. In the following paragraphs, we will illustrate some of the advantages and disadvantages to each of these approaches. Many studies use an opinion-based approach to establish journal quality, because it provides an accurate measure of perceived journal quality within a field (Axarloglou and Theoharakis, 2003). The opinion-based approach provides a quick “snapshot” of what researchers in the field currently feel and think and does not suffer from the time lag that other method such as citation analysis rely upon. While databases, impact factors, and advanced technology have increased the use of acceptance rates and citation analysis to establish journal rankings, the opinion-based approach has been considered to be the most common and widely accepted method (Gomez-Mejia and Balkin, 1992). Furthermore, opinion-based evaluation is the basis for nearly all evaluation within an academic setting. For example, academic research goes through peer-review evaluation before publication. Similarly, faculty promotion and tenure is based on peer-review input. The opinion-based approach, however, is not without criticism. Some researchers suggest that this approach is too subjective since there is no clear definition of what constitutes journal “quality.” Other researchers claim that the approach may be biased since some people may vote for journals that they personally publish in (Wicks and Derry, 1996). As a result, some scholars feel that citation analysis, which is based on empirical data, is more objective and accurate than studies based on peer evaluation. While citation analysis may seem more objective than an opinion-based approach, even citation analysis is not completely independent. Before citation analysis can be performed, researchers must determine which articles and journals to include in the study (Lo wry et al., 2004). For this reason, researchers have suggested that the generalizability of citation analysis results is limited (Chua et al., 2003). Other researchers have suggested that journal impact factors based on citations are biased (Seglen, 1997) and that journal ranking-based citations measure influence instead of quality (Beed and Beed, 1996). Further, citation analysis must somehow account for the different periodicity and ages of different publications. A journal that is published monthly which has been around for 40 years is likely to be more heavily cited than a quarterly journal that is newer, even though the quarterly journal may be of considerable higher “quality.” A final limitation to citation analysis is that some editors and journals may encourage citation within their own journal to boost the journal’s citation ranking. Research has even suggested that many researchers, on a personal level, already engage in such activity (Hyland, 2003). Finally, while acceptance rates may seem both subjective and unbiased, Extejt and Smith (1990) suggest that acceptance rates do not necessarily correspond to high quality. Some journals may receive a high volume of mediocre submissions and only publish a small fraction of them, in which case acceptance rate would not necessarily signal high quality. Similarly, acceptance rates may be skewed by journals that publish quarterly issues compared to journals that publish bi-monthly or monthly issues. Because of the inherent limitations in both citation analysis and acceptance rates and because the business ethics field is relatively new, we felt that the opinion-based approach would provide a more accurate reflection of the business ethics field as it currently stands. Indeed, we may not know the true impact and quality, from a citation-based approach, of much of the business ethics research that has been published within the field over the last 20 years for many years to come. (This extract is taken from P229 of the article)

Article 2 (extract)

Business Ethics Should Study Illicit Businesses: To Advance Respect for Human Rights

Author(s): Edmund F. Byrne

Source: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 103, No. 4 (November 2011), pp. 497-509

Published by: Springer

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41476040

Accessed: 10-10-2015 12:41 UTC

Some human rights violating businesses are unqualifiedly unethical

If future analyses can be better coordinated by creation of a suitable common ratings system that is widely applied, the ranking of some businesses might be so low as to merit labeling, in whole or in part, unqualifiedly immoral. Targeted analyses of this sort would, in turn, contribute to the process of dealing with specific illicit businesses that is already underway thanks to documents and reports promulgated by the United Nations. Under some circumstances, admittedly, personal involvement in the necessary research could entail a higher than usual degree of risk. But the fact that human rights law is beginning to be applied to corporations (Pilkington, 2009) should put egregious offenders on notice that they are being watched. If business ethicists would analyze illicit businesses more frequently, their work could have two historically important results. For, by helping define an illicit business, e.g., de facto enslavement of workers, a study would facilitate efforts to control such a business under law, not only as a free-standing but also as a subsidiary enterprise of larger, more complex business institutions. Indeed, a display of carefully delineated similarities between illicit and so-called respectable businesses would advance efforts already underway to enforce violations of human rights by either kind of organization. (This extract is taken from pages 505-506 of the article)

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TASK 3 – Paraphrasing and Citing Sources (25 marks)

1. Paraphrasing can use the following method; namely, transformation of the form of a word from (for example) a verb phrase into a noun phrase or a noun phrase into a verb:

Verb phrase to noun phrase

The Bank of England raised interest rates. This led to a significant decrease in borrowing among consumers. → The Bank of England’s raising of interest rates led to a significant decrease in borrowing among consumers.

Noun phrase to verb phrase

The closing of the M25 from junction 7 to junction 9 lead to a three mile tailback. →  The M25 was closed from junction 7 to junction 9, which lead to a three mile tailback. or Police closed the M25 from junction 7 to junction 9, which lead to a three mile tailback.

Rewrite the sentences below using the words / phrases in brackets, so that the overall meaning does not change.

Example:

The new qualifications are designed to lead to a recognised occupation, such as engineering, accounting, construction, agriculture or information technology. Change the verb phrase ‘are designed à(design (noun))

The design of the new qualifications is planned to lead to a recognised occupation, such as engineering, accounting, construction, agriculture or information technology.

1.1 It is important that students maintain high standards in their course work throughout their studies.

(maintaining (noun))

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

1.2 The committee recommended that the regulations should be tightened.

(recommendation (noun); tightening (noun))

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1.3 Crime statistics indicate that violent crime is decreasing.

(indication (noun) / decrease (noun))

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1.4 Because so many young voters have withdrawn from the electoral process, interest in politics seems likely to decline further still in the future.

(withdrawal (n) / decline (n)))

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1.5 It is important to analyse the data with caution.

(analysis (n))

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1.6 The main issues can be categorised as follows.

(subdivision (noun); made or make (verb))

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2. In the following extracts, taken from an academic journal, two points have been underlined, Paraphrase each point and provide an appropriate citation, using a reporting verb or phrase. Express the point as far as possible in your own words and in such a way as to demonstrate what you understand the point to mean. It is more important that you express your understanding of the point, than that you repeat every word used in the source text  Ensure that the authors’ names appear within the sentence. In other words, do not use the citation method where the author or authors’ name(s) appear in brackets and outside the sentence, as in the following example:

The benefits of students collaborating online using Adobe Connect were inconclusive, which would suggest that further research is needed (Smith & Jones (2014).

Article (extracts)

Agents of Change or Cogs in the Machine? Reexamining the Influence of Female Managers on

the Gender Wage Gap

Author(s): Sameer B. Srivastava and Eliot L. Sherman

Source: American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 120, No. 6 (May 2015), pp. 1778-1808

Published by: The University of Chicago Press

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/681960 .

Accessed: 10/10/2015 09:05

(Extract 1) Women in positions of authority may be especially unlikely to lend support to other women. For example, token women in male-dominated firms may be selected into leadership roles partly on their willingness to be “team players” who act to protect the status quo. (Taken from page 1783 of the article)

(Extract 2) Women in leadership may experience two distinct forms of threat from the ascension of other women: competitive threat and collective threat (Duguid 2011; Duguid, Loyd, and Tolbert 2012). A female supervisor is most likely to experience competitive threat when her own performance is weak and she is managing a high-performing subordinate. By contrast, a female supervisor is most likely to experience collective threat when her own performance is strong and she is managing a low-performing subordinate. (Taken from page page 1799 of the article)

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SECTION 2:  Portfolio Tasks 4 – 6

TASK 4 –   Academic Language (25 marks)

Transitions

1. Write the following conjunctions and sentence connectors in Box A in the correct place in the table. Use a dictionary to check your answers. Note that it may be possible for these transitions to more than one category. Give a short example sentence to show how each word or phrase may be used in the chosen context.

Place the words from BOX A in the table below:

2. Match the beginnings (1-10) to the endings (a-j) and connect them using the words in the box. Sometimes more than one answer is possible.

1. 1. (Example) The speakers were positioned in the classroom so that b

2. 2. The Industrial Revolution refers to the transformation in Britain from a

predominantly agricultural to industrial society, beginning around 1750.   …….,

3. A BSc degree takes three years in England, ……………  ………..

4. The population explosion will continue …………… ………..

5. The company paid below average wages. …………… ………..

6. Through films and television, children are exposed to violence in the forms of entertainment. …………… , ………..

7. All the subjects in the experiment had to be between the ages of 20 and 30. ……………, ………..

8. Anyone can stand for parliament, …………… ………..

9. Climbers need to acclimatise gradually. …………… , ………..

10. Many Koreans entered the United States in the later 1960s …………… ,

………..

a they grow up believing that aggression

b everyone could hear clearly

c they were excluded from the research.

d they are over 18 years of age.

e employee motivation was low.

f in Scotland it usually takes four.

g changes to the immigration laws in 1965.

h they run the risk of suffering from altitude sickness.

i other nations went through a similar change.

j death rates are significantly lower than birth rates.

Hewings (2012: 64)

3. 3. In the following article extract, underline the most appropriate linking word or phrase from those provided, as in the following example:

Example:  There was shortage of fuel. (Moreover/Consequently/Notwithstanding) queues at petrol stations lengthened considerably.

‘Too Early To Gauge Full Impact of Third Plenum’

(taken from: Asia Monitor Vol 21 Issue 01 January 2014)

BMI View: Early indications following the conclusion of the Chinese Communist Party’s Third Plenary Session chime with our view that economic reforms resulting from the meeting are likely to be evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, in nature. (So / In addition / That said), it is still far too early to fully gauge the outcome of the plenum, and we note that a renewed slowdown in total social financing could be the harbinger of a broader economic restructuring in the offing. The newly opened Shanghai Free Trade Zone has offered hope of a new wave of liberalisation in the Chinese economy, with the financial sector being the main area of focus for potential reform measures. We have long argued that the financial sector is in need of significant reform, which could help unlock much-needed productivity gains in the Chinese economy.

Early results from China’s Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee have largely failed to meet expectations, with the initial communiqué from the meeting

indicating a more cautious reform path than was hoped for. (Indeed, / Having said that, / Finally,) as we wrote recently (see ‘Third Plenary Session To Focus On Moderate Economic Reforms’, October 7), the plenum is likely to lead to evolutionary rather than revolutionary reforms given the somewhat precarious condition of the Chinese economy, as well as various political checks on the Xi Jinping-helmed Politburo standing committee. Analysis of the government’s initial report following the highly secretive, closed-door meeting reveals very little in terms of concrete action, with a strong emphasis on the term comprehensively deepening reform’, a theme that runs throughout. (Meanwhile, / In future, / afterwards,) few clues were given as to whether or not the government will look to implement the relatively aggressive reform path laid out in the ‘383 Plan’ (so named for its three key areas of reform, eight key sectors, and three targeted breakthroughs).

The Active and Passive Voice

4. 4. The passive voice is often used in academic writing for a number of reasons, including that of making a sentence more impersonal.

e.g. Research was conducted over a three week period.

The passive always contains ‘be’ + the past participle (3^rd form) of the main verb). To indicate the appropriate tense it is the form of ‘be’ that changes:

e.g. Interviews with participants are being carried out in the Students’ Union Building.

Transform the following sentences into the passive (you may need to leave out some words):

4.1 Researchers investigated links between use of mobile phones in the classroom and academic achievement.  _______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4.2 . The Prime Minister rejected the suggestion that the policy would lead to a rise in unemployment. _______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4.3 Campaigners demanded amnesty for all political prisoners.  _______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4.4 .  Three countries currently claim sovereignty over the islands. _______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4.5 .  Researchers carried out the experiment under strict laboratory conditions. _______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

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TASK 5 – Academic Vocabulary 2 (25 marks)

Building your academic vocabulary is something that you will now need to do very rapidly, as you will encounter many unfamiliar or ‘low frequency’ words in your reading of academic texts at postgraduate level. In addition, you will need to be able to use many such words in your own writing – in order to express complex concepts in a style that is appropriate at this level.

Using parts of speech correctly

1. Adjectives: re-write the words in the box according to whether they have a positive or negative meaning. Decide whether they can refer to people or things (ideas).

Replace the underlined words in the sentences below, using some of the adjectives above, thus making them sound more academic.  You may have to make other grammatical changes, but should try to keep the overall meaning the same.

Examples:

Treating homelessness as criminal behaviour is a bad misguided approach.

1. Overpopulation is a big problem.
2. Convincing people in some cultures to have fewer children is difficult.
3. Education is a good tool.
4. Respecting other people’s cultures is important too.
5. It is a mistake to ignore cultural values.
6. There were not enough data in the survey.
7. The collection of the data was not done well.
8. The conclusions did not say very much.
9. Most of the research was done a very long time ago.
10. The World Bank argues that corruption is bad.

2. Verbs and nouns

Complete the table below:

Now choose the right form – verb or noun – for the following sentences:

14. The law prohibits the …….. of children under 14. (employ)
15. Economists often argue that ……….. is good for the consumer. (compete)
16. Last year the company made a …….. to make 20% of the workforce redundant. (decide)
17. An ………of the data shows that ocean temperatures are rising. (analyse)
18. Many people are opposed to the ………. of identity cards. (introduce)
19. The ……… of new software drives the market. (develop)
20. It is important to palace greater ….. on developing new products. (emphasise)
21. The ……….. of a stable and low rate of inflation is essential for economic development. (maintain)
22. Many argue that the economy should develop independently without the ………of government.(assist)
23. Financial ……… in the banking sector are very strict.(regulate)
24. One …….. to the problem is to bring the two sides together to discuss the issues. (solve)

3. Nouns and adjectives

Complete the table, then use the adjectives in the corresponding sentences below.

1. The number of products currently ………… is limited.
2. A stronger environmental policy would be ………… for this region.
3. The ………… impact of higher taxes would be damaging.
4. The ……….. effects of greenhouse gasses have been well-documented.
5. The popularity of the programme is ………. …among young people.
6. Research shows that when employees feel …….. for their work, they tend to be more motivated.
7. Unemployment is a …………. problem, as well as economic.
8. Demand drives…..…………development.

.

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TASK 6 – Hedging Devices (25 marks)

Hedging and expressing personal opinions impersonally

You may find this link helpful:

http://www.uefap.com/writing/feature/hedge.htm

Use impersonal ‘it – clauses’ that are structured in the following way to rephrase the personal opinions in the examples sentences that follow:

• it is + adjective + (to – infinitive) + that …………… g. it is essential to note that…….

• it + modal + passive verb + that ……………. it may be seen that ………..

(C ) it is (+ other structures) ……………….. it is a matter of conjecture whether…. ; it is worth contrasting………….

1. Underline examples of where, in the following sentences, the writer has expressed his or her personal opinion and replace the underlined phrases with an appropriate impersonal construction.

Example:  In my opinion, computers may soon take over from the teacher as the main information provider in the classroom. If this happens, I think that the profession of teaching will become seriously devalued.

Possible answer: It is possible that computers may soon take over from the teacher as the main information provider in the classroom. If this happens, it is likely that the

profession of teaching will become seriously devalued.

(a) I don’t think it is surprising that so few people turned out to vote in the general election. We need to remember that this was the third general election in as many years.

(b). I wish to point out here that oil production is in decline. Consequently, in my view a further rise in petrol prices is inevitable.

(c)  We should recognise that there are few benefits in keeping animals for food. Animals cause damage to the environment, and meat is less healthy than vegetables. Consequently, it seems to me that governments need to discourage people from eating meat, and in turn I believe this will probably reduce the number of animals kept for food.

Hewings (2012: 109)

5. Copy one sentence from an essay you have written (such as for task 9) that expresses a point strongly, then rewrite the same sentence more cautiously:

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Presentation

This should be well presented. To ensure that this is the case, you should:

1. use a type-face of adequate size and legibility (such as Times New Roman 12 or Arial 12).
2. use 2.0 line spacing
3. leave adequate margins all round.
4. Print your work on A4 sized paper.
5. Ensure that your name, banner ID and the title of the essay or report (of which this may be an extract) is clearly indicated on the front cover of your submission.

­ Please note that you must submit the whole portfolio (all tasks completed) in week 8 by the submission deadline indicated in the portal.

Remember that the Portfolio is the only assessment for the course (100% of your mark). The mark (Pass or Fail) will be based on your overall Portfolio performance (regularity of your work, task completion, accuracy and improvement) and your attendance.

Mark:

Overall: PASS / FAIL

Moderated: 

[1] Look up the difference between economic and economical.  Both adjectives are possible, but have different meanings.