Модуль IV Интеграция в развитии навыков устной и письменной речи.

Приложение 4. 1.

How to write a good blog

Here are some guidelines we have created to help you write and structure your blog in a way that will make it more accessible and relevant to our readers.

Structuring your blog posting A well structured blog posting will catch the readers' attention, and make them want to read what you have to say. You can help do this if you follow these tips:

* Give the blog posting a title that will catch the reader’s eye. This is the first thing they see and will help them decide if it is of interest to them. On TeachingEnglish, you only need to write the title of the blog in the 'Title' field - you do not need to add it in the main 'Body'.

* Put the main point in the first paragraph. This is the first thing readers see and it will make them want to read on.

* Put the details in the following paragraphs of your posting.

* Finally in the last part of the posting add the background information and your name if you wish to.

Writing style

* Try to write in a friendly and informal style. Use first person ‘I’ and try to include reference to your own context and teaching experience. Remember that the honest and open views of a novice teacher can be just as interesting and informative as those of an expert. Think about your readers and what they can learn from your experience.

* Try to describe rather than tell e.g. instead of saying you thought a book was great, try to explain why you enjoyed it and what you learned from it.

* Try to question your reader and ask for their response to what you have written.

* Always be polite, respectful of other cultures and opinions, and informative.

Content topics It’s always best to write about something you know and are enthusiastic about. Perhaps you already have an idea for what you want your blog to be about. Here are some suggestions. You could choose one of these themes and extend it each week, or you could write about something different each week:

* Reflections on your week as a teacher / trainer. Write about what you have done with your students, any new ideas you have tried out, any problems you have had and how you resolved them, any insights you gained, good resources you tried out.

* Recommendations for articles, books, websites that you have read or found useful. You should be sure to include information about how you use these and how they helped with your teaching, any possible problems that occurred.

* Reflections on projects you are involved in, such as action research, school magazines, drama projects etc. You can describe the project and its aims and how it has helped your students, what you’ve learned from the project, what the next steps are etc.

* Useful tips or activities that you have used in your classroom. You can describe activities you have tried in your classroom, describe the reactions of your students, what worked well / didn’t work and what you learned from using these activities etc.

* Reports from conferences or training seminars you have been to. You can outline what you learned from the conference / seminar and what new insights you have gained, what activities or theories you heard about and how the training will influence the way you teach.

Things to avoid

* Always try to avoid being negative. If there is something you don’t like, then it’s better just to not write about it.

* It’s important to raise issues, but don’t try to impose your beliefs on others.

* Don’t include links to commercial sites or resources.

* Don’t include links to inappropriate materials.

* Never give specific names, places, addresses or contact details. Remember to check the Teaching English House Rules for general information about copyright, privacy and interacting with other users on this site.

Приложение 4. 2.

 

7 Golden Rules: Blogging in English for Non-Native Speakers Posted By Guest Blogger 13th of October 2011 Writing Content 67 This guest post is by Michael Schuermann of Easy Hiker.

English is the language of the Internet. If you are the monoglot citizen of a country like Denmark, you are – through no fault of your own – restricted to an audience the size of metropolitan San Francisco.

Even for the native speakers of a major European language such as German, English is the only available ticket to a global readership.

This is why virtually everybody nowadays blogs in English.

Writing in a foreign language, however, is not an easy skill to acquire. I am not suggesting that simply by reading this article, you will become a fluent writer. But I can show you how to get there – and point out some of the most dangerous traps along the way.

1. It can be done

Every year, English books are published by authors who have learned English as a second or third language, sometimes late in life. (I myself have managed to have one such book published) – just to prove to you that any fool can do it.)

At the top end, you have authors who have produced real works of literature: Vladimir Nabokov and Joseph Conrad, for example.

At the low end of formal ambition, writing factual, descriptive texts in English is actually quite easy – which is why English is not only the language of the Internet but also the lingua franca of academic discourse.

If you have something to say, the English language will always give you the tools to say it clearly, briefly and concisely. So, take your heart in both hands, step in front of a global audience – and just do it.

2. Get rid of your native accent

Accents are speech habits you acquired from your native tongue. They are most familiar to us in the form of sound, but they exist in writing, too.

You will want to get rid of them.

Thankfully, this is easier in written than in spoken language: Nabokov and Conrad, apparently, never quite got rid of their spoken accents, but I am still to hear anybody accuse either author of “Slavic” mannerisms in his prose.

Read and listen as much in English as you can, acquiring English rhythms and speech patterns through osmosis. (Get into the habit of reading a quality daily such as The Guardian or the New York Times and listen to BBC Radio 4. It’s all just a click away.)

Develop a feeling for the specific difficulties that writers from your own language have. Study English texts written by speakers of your own language –anything will do: announcements in airports and public transport, for example. Tourism brochures can also be highly useful.

Always ask yourself: is this good? And if it isn’t, why not? Where could I have improved upon this?

3. Do not translate

Always write your posts in English first, even the drafts. Resist the temptation of writing exposés in your native language.

Any such draft will always betray its origins, unless you are an extremely good translator. (Good technical translators do not “translate”: they take a sentence and ask themselves how a native speaker would have conveyed the same message in the target language.)

4. Do not overreach yourself

Keep it simple. Do not aim to produce literature. Do not try to impress your readers with the quality of your English.

See yourself as someone who has recently acquired a pair of ice skates and is still learning. For the time being, the objective is to get safely from one side of the rink to the other. Leave the triple Lutz for later.

5. Perfection may forever elude you

Writing good English is not something you either can do or can’t do. There is no single moment in time after which you will able to say: that’s it, now I can write.

Things just don’t work that way: learning is always a gradual process. The more you write, the better you will become, but there is no guarantee that you will ever reach a standard where, say, readers could mistake your copy for something they may read in the New York Times.

And even if you do, there may still be the occasional phrase over which your American or English readership will stumble. That’s part of the game, I am afraid. Live with it.

6. Understand how the English language operates

English is an informal, level-playing-field language. Like every language, it provides the speaker with opportunities of providing information about himself (by saying “loo” rather than “toilet”, for example: the old U vs. non-U use of speech) but its first purpose is always to communicate as clearly and concisely as possible.

If you now wonder: isn’t that the first purpose of any language, you have clearly never read anything produced by a German academic. In other words: some languages may be primarily designed to communicate the status of the speaker, but English is not one of them.

So keep it simple. Do not show off or intimidate. Make it easy for your reader. Use the most common word, the one that is most likely to be understood by the largest number of readers. In English, a convoluted style is considered affected and impolite. As a rule of thumb, use the Anglo-Saxon rather than the “French” word. Say “begin”, not “commence”.

Use a conversational writing style. Imagine you are explaining something to somebody at a table in a pub. Do not use your blog as a pulpit or as a podium in a lecture hall. Do not adopt a chest-thumping “me-speak-you-listen” style. In some countries, this may be the acceptable language of academic discourse. In Anglo-Saxon countries, people will pay as much attention to you as they do to the ranting nutter in the park.

And do not forget that little jokes are always welcome. Particularly if you invite your readers to laugh at yourself. A little self-deprecating remark here and there can work wonders.

7. A language is more than a set of vocabulary and grammar

Cultural references are important. They are a convenient way of telling your readers that you are one of their “pack” – because if you were not like your readers, in what way would your experiences matter to them?

Cultural references traditionally come from history and literature (particularly Shakespeare and Dickens), but increasingly from sports, Hollywood movies, and TV. This is where writers who have actually lived in England or the US (and who have kept in touch) have a clear advantage.

But you can play this game even if you have no such experience to draw on. Just be curious. When I was a young man, it took me years to find out the story of Paul Revere and his horse, all coming down to a line in a Bob Dylan song. Today, I Google “Paul Revere’s horse” and get 11,500 hits in 0.11 seconds. There are no excuses for ignorance.

What is Ruthian or Micawberish, and why do English people naturally assume that somebody who is “pining” must be “pining for the Fjords”? Read and listen with an open and curious mind, then do your research – it has never been easier.

Приложение 4.3.

 

How to write a formal email

Follow these five simple steps to make sure your English emails are perfectly professional.

1. Begin with a greeting

2. Thank the recipient

3. State your purpose

4. Add your closing remarks

5. End with a closing

 

1. Begin with a greeting

Always open your email with a greeting, such as “Dear Lillian”. If your relationship with the reader is formal, use their family name (eg. “Dear Mrs. Price”). If the relationship is more casual, you can simply say, “Hi Kelly”. If you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, use: “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”.

2. Thank the recipient

If you are replying to a client’s inquiry, you should begin with a line of thanks. For example, if someone has a question about your company, you can say, “Thank you for contacting ABC Company”. If someone has replied to one of your emails, be sure to say, “Thank you for your prompt reply” or “Thanks for getting back to me”. Thanking the reader puts him or her at ease, and it will make you appear more polite.

3. State your purpose

If you are starting the email communication, it may be impossible to include a line of thanks. Instead, begin by stating your purpose. For example, “I am writing to enquire about …” or “I am writing in reference to …”.

Make your purpose clear early on in the email, and then move into the main text of your email. Remember, people want to read emails quickly, so keep your sentences short and clear. You’ll also need to pay careful attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation so that you present a professional image of yourself and your company.

4. Add your closing remarks

Before you end your email, it’s polite to thank your reader one more time and add some polite closing remarks. You might start with “Thank you for your patience and cooperation” or “Thank you for your consideration” and then follow up with, “If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let me know” and “I look forward to hearing from you”.

5. End with a closing

The last step is to include an appropriate closing with your name. “Best regards”, “Sincerely”, and “Thank you” are all professional. Avoid closings such as “Best wishes” or “Cheers” unless you are good friends with the reader. Finally, before you hit the send button, review and spell check your email one more time to make sure it’s truly perfect!

Saying email addresses

When you say an email address:

remember that @ is pronounced ‘at’ and. is pronounced 'dot'. [e-mail] is ‘reservations at beach hotel bern dot com’

 sometimes there is a. in the person's name. [e-mail] is ‘jeffery dot amherst at british council dot org’

_ in an email address is called ‘underscore’. teaching_ job@english_academy.id is ‘teaching underscore job at English underscore academy dot I D’.

Note that it is not necessary to use capital J and A in Jeffery Amherst's email address. People sometimes write email addresses with capital initial letters ([e-mail]). Sometimes it is all in capitals ([e-mail]). However, most people write email addresses without capital letters ([e-mail]).

Sending and receiving emails

Read the email below and then do the tasks. Task 3 asks you questions about the email below.

Task 3: Starting an email

Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Delete

From: Samir To: Sales Team CC: Hatem Trabelsi; Patricia Bartlett Subject: RE: Meeting next week Attachments: New proposal.rtf (376KB)

Hello Sales Team,

I’ve got an idea for next week – see the attached file. I’d like to hear what you think about my suggestion. I think Hatem and Patricia may be interested, so I’ve copied them in too. Let’s talk more at the meeting next week.

Regards, Samir

Organising your emails

Read the article below and then look at the email inbox below it. You will find out what words should go in the numbered gaps in the article in Task 2 and will answer questions about the inbox in Task 3.

Organise your emails – Save time and make life easier!!! (Task 2)

Most emails that you get go straight to your (1). This is where you decide which emails to read and which to delete. But if your server doesn’t recognise the address of a sender, it will probably put the email in the (2) mail folder. This is where all those annoying adverts usually go. But sometimes good emails go there too, so remember to check from time to time.

Do you ever worry because you just deleted an email by mistake? Don’t worry – just look in the (3) folder. It’s probably still there.

Sometimes it can be difficult to find an old email. So why not put them into (4) to make them easy to find? You can do this for any emails you wrote too – you can find them in (5).

Some people keep hundreds of business cards with people’s email address and phone number. You don’t need to do this – use your (6) as an address book, and it can store all these details for you.

Have you ever found it difficult to finish writing an email? Don’t worry – just save it under (7) and finish it later!

Understanding your inbox (Task 3)

Writer purpose

When you write an email, you need to make clear why you are writing. You can do this by using the phrase 'I am writing to (+ verb)' at the start of your email. Here are some examples:

Paragraphs

Emails are easier to read if the writer uses paragraphs.

A paragraph in an email is often two or three sentences long.

Each paragraph starts on a new line.

From Subject Received

- Samir RE: Meeting next week Today 9:21 AM

- Tomoko Nakahata training course Today 9:03 AM

- Hashim Saleh Are you free for lunch tomorrow? Wednesday 7:12 PM

- Patricia Bartlett RE: Meeting next week Wednesday 4:18 PM

- Ali Al-Habsi FW: payment received Wednesday 11:45 AM

- Hatem Trabelsi Meeting next week Wednesday 9:03 AM

- Youssef Zouaoui air conditioning in meeting room 32A Tuesday 4:23 PM

- IT Helpdesk RE: Computer problem Tuesday 2:05 PM

- Tomoko Nakahata minutes from last week's meeting Tuesday 11:02 AM

- Ali Al-Habsi Sorry – here's the attachment! Monday 6:49 PM

I am writing to ask for further details about... inform you that my new address is … complain about your customer service. say thank you very much for all your hard work. apply for the job as Teacher of Maths at your school.

* When you start writing about a new topic, you can start a new paragraph.

Look at this example email to a friend.

Paragraph 1 Greeting Hello Dmitri, How is life? I haven't seen you for a long time. How are your children?

Paragraph 2

Reason for

writing I'm writing with some good news – my wife is having a baby next month. We think it's going to be a girl, and we're very excited. But I also wanted to ask you something!

Paragraph 3

Request You told me you have lots of baby clothes. Do you think I could borrow some for my baby? I've looked in the shops, and new baby clothes are so expensive … Could you let me know if this is OK?

Paragraph 4

Other news By the way, I've also started a new job. It's going really well!

Paragraph 5

'look forward to'

and ending Anyway, I look forward to hearing from you soon. Give my best wishes to your wife and family. Regards, George

 

 

Приложение 4.4..

 

Writing a Report

С помощью доклада мы описываем, анализируем, критикуем исследование или просто какие-то данные. Умение грамотно оформить информацию в таком формате очень ценно по двум причинам:

* написание доклада на английском часто включается в программу международных экзаменов;

* в англоязычном мире доклады – неотъемлемая часть не только научной, но и деловой жизни.

В этой статье речь пойдет о том, чем доклад отличается от эссе (essay), а также из каких частей он состоит.

Peculiarities of report. Особенности доклада на английском

1. Темы для докладов. Если в основе эссе лежат общие теоретические вопросы, то такой вид письменной работы, как доклад, является описанием проведенных экспериментов, опросов, иногда сравнением разных вариантов какой-либо ситуации. Примеры тем для докладов:

· Two alternative plans for improving the sports centre. – Предложите два альтернативных плана по развитию спортивного центра.

· A study you conducted to compare male and female attitudes to eating. – Ваше исследование на тему «Мужское и женское отношение к процессу приема пищи».

· An overview of recent research on the human genome. – Обзор последних исследований человеческого генома.

2. Что писать в докладе? Вся информация в докладе должна основываться только на описании и анализе реальных событий. Доклады могут предполагать рекомендации на будущее и прогнозы, однако и те, и другие должны иметь какую-то основу. Доклад – это только фактические данные, а не сочинение на вольную тему.

3. Структура доклада. Доклад должен быть четко структурирован: разделен на определенные части, каждая из которых имеет подзаголовок. В учебных заведениях и крупных компаниях готовят доклады с маркированными списками, таблицами, иллюстрациями, диаграммами. Все это только приветствуется и может быть свободно использовано в докладах.

4. Форма презентации. Если эссе – это сугубо письменная работа, которая не требует обязательной устной презентации, то доклады часто представляются аудитории устно.

5. Обращение к читателю. Доклад может быть написан как от первого, так и от третьего лица, это зависит от контекста и целевой аудитории. Обычно его пишут от третьего лица, чтобы создать впечатление независимости результатов от личных предпочтений автора. Отдавайте предпочтение простой грамматике, которая при этом помогает выразить объективное мнение: пассивный залог, безличные конструкции и т. д.

6. Простота и лаконичность. При написании доклада на английском языке необходимо помнить, что вся информация должна быть изложена просто и четко. Убедитесь, что вы знаете точное значение каждого слова. Не вносите в доклад информацию, без которой можно обойтись. Употребляйте распространенные слова и словосочетания. Следите за размером предложений: они не должны быть слишком сложными, с огромным количеством речевых оборотов и объяснений. Обязательно используйте в докладе слова-связки (linking words).

Слово Перевод

Как дополнить информацию

Again Кроме того, к тому же

Besides Кроме того, более того

Moreover

Together with Вместе с тем, наряду с

And И, а

Likewise Также, подобно

As well Также, тоже

Furthermore Кроме того, к тому же

Additionally В дополнение к этому

Along with Наряду с, вместе с

Also При этом, также

For example Например

Equally Равно как, наравне с

Further Также, к тому же

Как подвести итог

In short Одним словом

Finally В заключение

In summary Подводя итог

In conclusion В завершении

Consequently Вследствие этого

Due to В связи с

All in all В конечном итоге

As a result В результате

Accordingly Согласно

To sum up Подводя итог

Thus Таким образом

Therefore Поэтому

Как противопоставить две идеи, показать разницу

But Но

Otherwise Иным образом

Even though Несмотря на то что

Conversely В противоположность этому

Even so Все же

Yet В то же время

However Однако, тем не менее

On the other hand С другой стороны

As opposed to В отличие от, в противоположность

In the meantime В то же время, при этом

On the contrary Иначе, в противоположность

Nevertheless Тем не менее

Still Все же

Как выделить идею

Again Все же

Indeed Действительно

To repeat Повторю, что

Truly На самом деле

In fact В действительности

To emphasize Чтобы подчеркнуть

For this reason По этой причине

With this in mind Помня об этом * Более подробный и полный список вы найдете в статье «Слова-связки в английском языке».

Приложение 4.5.

 

Report writing

Report structure. Структура доклада на английском языке

Секрет успешного написания хорошего доклада – работа по плану. Report имеет свою стандартную структуру, которую нужно взять за основу. Итак, в любом докладе должно быть 5 элементов:

1. Introduction (вступление). В этой секции нужно кратко описать предмет доклада, привести причины, почему вы занимаетесь именно этим вопросом, и сделать небольшой обзор других исследований по теме. Вступление – это презентация цели и предмета. Скажите читателю, что ему ожидать от работы. Здесь должно быть короткое, но меткое summary (резюме, краткое изложение основных идей), которое подогреет интерес читателя и заставит его сконцентрироваться на основном. В начале доклада можно воспользоваться такими фразами:

The aim/purpose of this report is to examine/evaluate/describe/outline the positive and negative features of two different phenomena… – Цель этого доклада – изучить/оценить/описать/выделить положительные и отрицательные черты двух разных явлений…

This report aims to provide an overall view of the situation below. – Цель этого доклада – дать полное представление о ситуации.

It will also include/consider/suggest/recommend… – Он также будет включать/рассматривать/предлагать/рекомендовать…

The report is based on a survey conducted among college students. – Этот доклад основан на опросе, проведенном среди студентов колледжа.

It is generally accepted that… – Общепринято, что…

2. Methods (методы исследования). Дайте ответы на такие вопросы: «Как проводилось исследование?», «Какие инструменты и приемы были использованы?».

3. Results (результаты). Здесь необходимо описать, что вы обнаружили в результате исследования, и написать, насколько результаты точны и с чем это связано.

4. Discussion (обсуждение) – обсуждение основных моментов, комментарии об эффективности исследования. Язык должен быть также сдержанным и убедительным. Полезные фразы:

The vast majority of… – Подавляющее большинство…

This is probably due to the fact that… – Вероятно, это происходит потому, что…

One measure which may improve the situation would be to introduce… – Одной из мер, которые могут улучшить ситуацию, станет внедрение…

I would recommend that the company (college) should…(do…) – Я рекомендую компании (колледжу)… (сделать…)

5. Conclusions (выводы). Последняя часть – подведение итогов и предложения для последующих исследований, касающихся темы доклада. Подвести итоги можно такими словами:

In the light of the results of the survey, I strongly advise… – Ввиду результатов опроса я настоятельно советую…

It appears that… – Оказалось, что…

In conclusion / On balance / To sum up… – В заключение / В итоге…

В полноценном докладе также должен быть список использованной литературы. Могут присутствовать и другие части, это зависит от предмета и цели доклада. Соответственно, если мы имеем дело с кратким докладом, например, на международном экзамене, необходимо продемонстрировать не столько знание выбранной темы, сколько в целом понимание того, что такое доклад и из каких частей он состоит. Так, описанные выше части доклада на экзамене немного упрощаются, и выглядят так:

* Introduction – вступление.

* Reasons why you are writing (write about facts) – причины, побудившие вас писать об этом (сообщите факты).

* Suggestions to solve a problem (a kind of discussion) – предложения и способы решения проблемы (аналог обсуждения).

* Conclusion – выводы.

Приложение 6

How to Write an Exciting Interview By Guillermo Rubio

Interviewer: “Where did you grow up?”

Famous person: “Florida.”

Interviewer: “Where did you attend college?”

Famous person: “Florida State.”

Interviewer: “What was your major?”

Famous person: “Soil and water science.”

Y-a-w-n. That’s what your reader will do when you write an interview like most run-of-the-mill writers.

After all, common sense tells us the interview process should be logical and matter-of-fact. But to write an exciting interview, you have to throw common sense out the window. As copywriters, there are two major reasons why we should know how to conduct and write a great interview:

* An interview with a potential client and/or the creator of a product you’re writing about can unearth great information you can use to make your promotion a winner. Usually this is information you can’t get any other way, and often it can be the source of your “big idea.”

* You can make money by interviewing experts and selling those interviews to the appropriate publications. (Keep an eye out for an upcoming article in “The Golden Thread” about how to do this.)

To find out exactly what makes a good interview, I spent an hour with Michael Masterson at his neighborhood cigar bar. This is what I learned …

To make an interview exciting, you need to do a little risk-taking with each of the four elements that make up a great interview:

1. Picture

An average interview usually shows just a headshot of the person being interviewed – a face with little or no expression. But this is boring and safe. Instead, tell the person you’re interviewing to send in a full body photograph. Or, to make it even more interesting, tell him to have a goofy expression on his face (like sticking his tongue out). Or have him strike a funny pose. If it’s a more serious publication, have him take a picture with his family, playing in the backyard … or doing something active, like skiing, or bike riding.

Bottom line is, stay away from the norm and have him do something unusual, interesting, or provocative.

2. Questions

Avoid typical interview questions. Instead, ask questions that are intriguing, or lead the interviewee to reveal an interesting bit of information. For example, instead of asking, “How did you achieve your copywriting success?” ask, “They call you the ‘Godfather of copywriting’ … what three qualities do you think you share with Marlon Brando?”

Michael showed me an interview in a cigar magazine that does this brilliantly. The picture shows a full body shot of an older man in a white suit and straw hat, smoking a cigar. The first question the interviewer asks is, “So how many white suits do you own?” followed by questions like, “Have you considered pin stripes?” and “So, do you always wear white underwear?”

3. Answers

You will be more successful as a copywriter and interviewer, if you take the initiative to ensure you get good, interesting answers from the person you’re interviewing. As mentioned earlier, boring questions lead to lackluster answers.

But if you’re asking interesting questions and still getting mundane answers, keep prodding. Keep asking the same question a different number of ways until you get an interesting bit of information. For example, say you’re interviewing a natural-health specialist:

You: “Besides educating others about natural health, what are you passionate about?”

Interviewee: “Hmm … I don’t know. Wine, family, and jogging I guess.”

(Pretty boring … let’s try this again …)

You: “If you had all the money and time in the world, what would you be doing right now?”

Interviewee: “Riding in a Porsche 911 Turbo in Napa Valley, listening to music while on my way to a wine tasting.”

(Now we’re starting to get somewhere …)

You: “If you could have two super powers, what would they be and why?”

Interviewee: “I’d love to have super strength like The Hulk, because as a kid I always wanted to be the world’s strongest man. I’d also have incredible speed, like The Flash, because I love the adrenaline rush I get from racing.”

(Voila! You’ve gotten the interesting information you need.)

4. Structure

This is the order in which you publish the picture, questions, and answers. Most writers feel the need to do this in a logical sequence. But again, that makes for a boring interview. To have the strongest interview possible, you need to start and end strong. Pick the most provocative questions and answers to be featured at the beginning and at the end. From there, let your emotions guide you. Do you feel it would be more appealing to let the reader know your famous person wears white underwear in the middle of the interview? Maybe you want to leave it as the closing question.

You’re in complete control at this point. Just avoid making it too linear and logical. And remember, you can’t change what a person said. You’re simply “editing” and sifting through all the mundane stuff to find the gems.