Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Dictation: NATIVE SPEAKERS
The mark of writers or speakers fluent in English is the way they effortlessly do away with words that, although mandated by formal grammar, only slow down the delivery of their ideas. Foreign users of English, on the other hand, often stick to grammar rules, leaving no grammatical gaps in their sentences that might betray their less than perfect proficiency in the language. As might be expected, of course, this desire to treat syntax and semantics with mathematical precision achieves the exact opposite. It results in stiff, unidiomatic English that clearly identifies the users as non-native ones trying very hard not to be perceived as such.
Translation: The Written Word
La scrittura di ogni persona è diversa, personale e solo sua. I testi scritti con la biro o con la penna stanno attraversando una grave crisi. La firma elettronica al posto di quella vera e l’e-mail invece delle lettere scritte a mano, fanno abbandonare un po’ alla volta la scrittura. La calligrafia è invece uno strumento importantissimo perché descrive anche il carattere di chi scrive. Un tempo nella scuola italiana la bella scrittura era una vera materia scolastica e bisognava esercitarsi molto. Gli alunni dovevano riempire pagine e pagine dei loro quaderni con le lettere dell’alfabeto. In alcuni paese europei le maestre frequentano di nuovo corsi di bella scrittura. Per fortuna anche in Italia si ricomincia a insegnare ai bambini a scrivere bene. Scrivere bene significa, secondo gli esperti, imparare anche leggere più velocemente. Pur essendo nell’era del computer, di Internet e dei CD-Rom, almeno a scuola la scrittura a mano non rischia di sparire. Prima di usare il computer gli alunni devono ancora oggi lavorare molto con penne e matite.
Paraphrasing
The original passage:
Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.
A legitimate paraphrase:
In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).
An acceptable summary:
Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).
A plagiarized version:
Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.
Paraphrasing Exercise
Directions: On a separate piece of paper, write a paraphrase of the following passage. Try not to look back at the original passage.
1. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.
Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.
A legitimate paraphrase:
In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).
An acceptable summary:
Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).
A plagiarized version:
Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.
Paraphrasing Exercise
Directions: On a separate piece of paper, write a paraphrase of the following passage. Try not to look back at the original passage.
1. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.
Phrasal verbs
When something slips your mind, you forget.
To bound down e.g. the stairs = to half run, half jump
He opened them in a frenzy = He tore them open very quickly, almost frantically.
Open (something) up – to open a locked door, container or building
Scrunch (something) up – to press or squeeze into a smaller shape.
Fall upon – to move quickly downwards
(something) Dawn on (somebody) – you realise for the first time
To bound down e.g. the stairs = to half run, half jump
He opened them in a frenzy = He tore them open very quickly, almost frantically.
Open (something) up – to open a locked door, container or building
Scrunch (something) up – to press or squeeze into a smaller shape.
Fall upon – to move quickly downwards
(something) Dawn on (somebody) – you realise for the first time
Causative Passives
1.I had my house painted in spring
She has her hair cut in that hairdressers
He gets his dry cleaning done in that shop (informal)
2.She had her shop broken into
He got his bicycle stolen
(for unpleasant events)
3.The electricity bill needs paying/needs to be paid
Need + gerund/passive infinitive
4.It is thought to be . . .
They were discovered to have . . .
(to distance the speaker/writer from what is said)
Followed by:
Present infinitive (to do, to be doing, to be done)
Or,
Present perfect infinitive (to have done, to have been
doing, to have been done)
She has her hair cut in that hairdressers
He gets his dry cleaning done in that shop (informal)
2.She had her shop broken into
He got his bicycle stolen
(for unpleasant events)
3.The electricity bill needs paying/needs to be paid
Need + gerund/passive infinitive
4.It is thought to be . . .
They were discovered to have . . .
(to distance the speaker/writer from what is said)
Followed by:
Present infinitive (to do, to be doing, to be done)
Or,
Present perfect infinitive (to have done, to have been
doing, to have been done)
Modals: deduction & possibility
They must be brothers. They look so similar. = a deduction, we are sure it is true.
She can’t be on a diet. She’s eaten all the cake.= a deduction, we are sure it is untrue.
May, might, could = we are unsure. It’s a possibility.
e.g. He might be his brother, but they are not alike.
She could be French or Spanish, but she’s not Italian.
You could have warned me! = I am annoyed – stress the modal.
I must have been a good mother. All the children turned out OK. = deductions about past situations
It can’t have been easy living without a washing machine!
Why isn’t he at the party? He might have been tired.
She might be a good boss, but she doesn’t know how to manage people.= contrasting ideas
=
Although she’s a good boss, she doesn’t know how to manage people.
I might as well go to the park. There’s nothing else to do.= there is nothing to lose by this action.
She can’t be on a diet. She’s eaten all the cake.= a deduction, we are sure it is untrue.
May, might, could = we are unsure. It’s a possibility.
e.g. He might be his brother, but they are not alike.
She could be French or Spanish, but she’s not Italian.
You could have warned me! = I am annoyed – stress the modal.
I must have been a good mother. All the children turned out OK. = deductions about past situations
It can’t have been easy living without a washing machine!
Why isn’t he at the party? He might have been tired.
She might be a good boss, but she doesn’t know how to manage people.= contrasting ideas
=
Although she’s a good boss, she doesn’t know how to manage people.
I might as well go to the park. There’s nothing else to do.= there is nothing to lose by this action.
Fronting
(a)It was an amazing holiday
(b)What an amazing holiday it was
Fronting = placing an object, complement or clause at the start of the sentence to give emphasis.
Examples:
It was really cold
Really cold it was.
It’s a horrible place
What a horrible place it is. (what for nouns)
You are tall
How tall you are! (how for adjectives)
I have no idea how she manages to work at night
How she manages to work at night I have no idea.
We sometimes front to make things:
1) sound more interesting e.g. beautiful it was.
2) show annoyance or surprise e.g. why he’s always late, I’ve no idea, or, why on earth he’s always late, I’ve no idea.
Some types of fronting involve inversion of the subject and verb:
Paul’s wife was waiting at the airport
Waiting at the airport was Paul’s wife.
The invoice for November is attached
Attached is the invoice for November.
Although she was upset, she did the presentation
Upset as/though she was, she did the presentation.
How she puts up with him I just don’t know
Why they decided to buy me a walking stick I couldn’t tell you.
(b)What an amazing holiday it was
Fronting = placing an object, complement or clause at the start of the sentence to give emphasis.
Examples:
It was really cold
Really cold it was.
It’s a horrible place
What a horrible place it is. (what for nouns)
You are tall
How tall you are! (how for adjectives)
I have no idea how she manages to work at night
How she manages to work at night I have no idea.
We sometimes front to make things:
1) sound more interesting e.g. beautiful it was.
2) show annoyance or surprise e.g. why he’s always late, I’ve no idea, or, why on earth he’s always late, I’ve no idea.
Some types of fronting involve inversion of the subject and verb:
Paul’s wife was waiting at the airport
Waiting at the airport was Paul’s wife.
The invoice for November is attached
Attached is the invoice for November.
Although she was upset, she did the presentation
Upset as/though she was, she did the presentation.
How she puts up with him I just don’t know
Why they decided to buy me a walking stick I couldn’t tell you.
Cleft Sentences
David ate the last piece of cake.
It was David who ate the last piece of cake.
Cleft Sentences = add emphasis to a noun, person, time phrase or clause
1) A thing: It is/was … that …
e.g. It was the candle that caused the fire.
2) A person: It is/was … who …
e.g. It was Martin who sang the best.
3) Reasons: It is/was because …
e.g. It is because of the strike that the lessons are cancelled.
4) Time: (only) when, while, not until + verb clause
e.g. It was only when I had to pay for the coffee that I realised that I had left my wallet at home.
It was while I was paying that the thief snatched my bag.
It is not until you do the test that you realise you need to study more.
What … is/was ….. (= frequent in conversation)
1) nouns, noun phrases, gerunds
e.g. What I can’t stand about the flat is the tiny kitchen.
What we liked most on holiday was not having to get up early.
2) Actions
e.g. what happened was (that) I missed my train and was late for the appointment.
3) embedded questions
e.g. what I’d like to know is how you can go out every night and not be tired the next day.
Stress the piece of information being emphasized.
It was David who ate the last piece of cake.
Cleft Sentences = add emphasis to a noun, person, time phrase or clause
1) A thing: It is/was … that …
e.g. It was the candle that caused the fire.
2) A person: It is/was … who …
e.g. It was Martin who sang the best.
3) Reasons: It is/was because …
e.g. It is because of the strike that the lessons are cancelled.
4) Time: (only) when, while, not until + verb clause
e.g. It was only when I had to pay for the coffee that I realised that I had left my wallet at home.
It was while I was paying that the thief snatched my bag.
It is not until you do the test that you realise you need to study more.
What … is/was ….. (= frequent in conversation)
1) nouns, noun phrases, gerunds
e.g. What I can’t stand about the flat is the tiny kitchen.
What we liked most on holiday was not having to get up early.
2) Actions
e.g. what happened was (that) I missed my train and was late for the appointment.
3) embedded questions
e.g. what I’d like to know is how you can go out every night and not be tired the next day.
Stress the piece of information being emphasized.
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