AIMS OF THE COURSE
You need to demonstrate that you can:
discuss a linguistic topic orally and in writing;
present research-based arguments to support your point
of view;
use sources critically and correctly;
produce coherent and well-structured texts written
in academic English;
produce an argumentative research-based linguistic
essay;
proof-read texts and have general editing skills.
WRITING EFFECTIVE PARAGRAPHS:
WHAT IS A PARAGRAPH?
My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features. First,
it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful.
On either side of this river, which is 175 feet wide, are many willow
trees which have long branches that can move gracefully in the
wind. In autumn the leaves of these trees fall and cover the
riverbanks like golden snow. Also, on the other side of the town is
Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. Even
though it is steep, climbing this hill is not dangerous, because there
are some firm rocks along the sides that can be used as stairs. There
are no trees around this hill, so it stands clearly against the sky and
can be seen from many miles away. The third amazing feature is the
Big Old Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably
about six hundred years old. These three landmarks are truly
amazing and make my hometown a famous place.
from http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/fwalters/para.html
CLARITY
In order to facilitate clarity in academic writing, it is
the author’s job to guide the reader through the
discourse.
A key way to ensure clarity is effective paragraph
structure:
Topic sentence with a controlling idea;
Supporting sentences which develop the topic
sentence (by explaining/proving it);
A concluding sentence which signals the end of the
paragraph (by summarizing the main point or
reformulating the topic sentence).
IDENTIFY THE TOPIC SENTENCE IN THE FOLLOWING
PARAGRAPH. WHAT IS THE CONTROLLING IDEA?
HOW WAS COHERENCE ACHIEVED?
My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features. First,
it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful.
On either side of this river, which is 175 feet wide, are many willow
trees which have long branches that can move gracefully in the
wind. In autumn the leaves of these trees fall and cover the
riverbanks like golden snow. Also, on the other side of the town is
Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. Even
though it is steep, climbing this hill is not dangerous, because there
are some firm rocks along the sides that can be used as stairs. There
are no trees around this hill, so it stands clearly against the sky and
can be seen from many miles away. The third amazing feature is the
Big Old Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably
about six hundred years old. These three landmarks are truly
amazing and make my hometown a famous place.
from http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/fwalters/para.html