ALTE DOCUMENTE
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APPROACHING THE TEXT
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► Look at the texts and answer the following questions: What typographical features of the text characterize the genre book advertisement? What are the five publishers represented? Which books are published in Which books are published in paperback? Which books are published in hardback (cloth) editions? |
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The first operation we normally perform on texts when we read in our first language is to read them rapidly and superficially to get a general idea of their contents and/ or to find specific information. You have just done the latter in order to answer the questions above. You will be given guided practice in performing these operations when you read in English. |
WORKSHEET 1 |
Skimming and scanning Scan the seven book advertisements and complete the chart below with the following information where possible: author(s) or editor(s), title, sub-title, and subject area (e.g. history, sociology, etc) |
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Author(s) or Editor(s) |
Title of Book |
Sub-title |
Subject Area |
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An Institutional Perspective | |||
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Anthropology |
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Michael C.Hudson | |||
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Television and the American Family | |||
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Roger Geary | |||
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Exploring Communication |
INTENSIVE
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One useful way of approaching a written text is through an examination of its structure or organization, especially when the reader will subsequently need to take notes on what he has read. Discerning the structure or organization of a text involves understanding not only the writer's words, but the function of those words in context: to understand, that is, not only what the writer is saying, but what he is doing, e.g. marking an example or comparison, formulating a definition or hypothesis, etc. (see the OBSERVATIONS at the end of this unit.) |
WORKSHEET 2 |
Text structure/ language functions Below, beside the advertisement for Arab Politics, there is a "flow chart", or schematic summary, of the structure of the text. Read the text and divide it using a stroke (/) to indicate the position of the function. Now underline all the adjectives in the text. Which are descriptive and which are evaluative? |
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Notice that the language of
description and evaluation in the book advertisement for Arab Politics is rather well balanced. Often, however, book
advertisements tend to be either predominantly evaluative or predominantly
descriptive, as in the remaining documents. (See Worksheet 3 below.)
WORKSHEET 3 |
Distinguishing the functions of description and evaluation ► Read the remaining book advertisements carefully and indicate on the table below whether they are predominantly descriptive of the contents of the book or predominantly evaluative of the book itself. One advertisement may be considered balanced. |
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Predominantly descriptive |
Predominantly evaluative |
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Decline of British Economy | ||
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Television and the American Family | ||
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Communication, Race and Family | ||
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Policing Industrial Disputes |
Notice that different terms may be
used to replace the word book (e.g. contribution in The Decline of the British Economy). This not only avoids
repetition, but also permits aspects of meaning to be refined and elaborated.
► Find in the text as many terms as you can which are used to substitute or elaborate on the word book.
LANGUAGE WORK |
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WORKSHEET 4 |
Discrimination of adjectives and adjectival suffixes ► Re-read the book advertisements and indicate on the table all adjectives which appear in the book titles and the texts proper (excluding quantifiers, e.g. some, many, etc). Then write the adjectival suffix, if any, in the column provided, checking with your dictionary if necessary. |
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adjectives |
suffixes |
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The Decline of the British Economy | ||
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Television and the American Family | ||
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Community, Race, and Family | ||
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Policing Industrial Disputes |
Notice, in addition to the more
common adjective+noun combination,
the following ways of qualifying nouns:
noun+noun ('shadow economy', 'police tactics') where the noun functions as adjective
noun+past participle ('pages devoted to literature', 'tactics employed'), where we may consider as deleted a relative pronoun + verb to be ('tactics which are employed')
noun+ present participle ("ground-breaking volume", trend-setting volume
WORKSHEET 5 a |
Lexical inference In the following exercise you are given practice in identifying a variety of word classes, and in inferring meaning from the context. Be sure to read the section on lexical inference in the notes on reading, Section 4.1. before completing the exercise. ► Read the first book advertisement, Cognition, Communication, and Romantic Relationships, and underline the words you do not know. Most of these will be listed in the chart below. First identify word class (noun, verb, adjective, adverb) and then infer a possible meaning by examining the immediate and general context carefully. Next, study the jumbled definitions and choose the one which fits best. An example has been given. |
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Word class |
Definitions |
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1 review _ | ||
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2 relationship _ | ||
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3 designed _ | ||
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4 supporting _ | ||
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5 analysis | ||
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6 focuses | ||
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7 developmental |
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WORKSHEET 5 b |
► Now re-read the book advertisement Television and the American Family. Follow the same strategy used above in order to infer the meaning of the words in the chart below, but this time write your guess in the appropriate column, then check with your dictionary, being careful to copy the correct definition for the function and meaning of the word as used in this text. ► Complete the chart by following the same procedure for three other words you did not know in these book advertisements. |
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Word |
Word class |
Your guess |
Dictionary definition |
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1 trend-setting | |||
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2 pervasive |
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3 charting | |||
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4 provides | |||
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5 compre-hensive | |||
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6 interaction | |||
WORKSHEET |
Practising the use of lexis common to expository/ evaluative prose. ► Decide the word class of the missing words in the text below, then complete the hypothetical book advertisement by inserting an appropriate noun, verb or adjective from those listed. Consider carefully the meaning of each of the options with reference to the context: not all the alternatives are interchangeable. Take care to use the correct form of the verb. |
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Nouns |
Verbs |
Adjectives |
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Synthesis Survey Topic Study History Concept Area Aspect Theme Overview Discussion Analysis system |
Explain Survey Discuss Study Present Describe Bring into focus Consider Explore Illuminate Introduce Analyze constitute |
Profound Logical Brilliant Important Comprehensive Invaluable Powerful Sensitive Discussed Rigorous Incisive Considered systematic |
The Interpretation of Dreams is the first _____ _______ ______ _____________ of dream psychology. In an attempt to ________________ why dreams are ___________ to the well-being of the mental processes, Sigmund Freud ___________
A wide variety of common dreams. Among the topics ____________ are the processes of dislocation and transference that occur in dreams. _____________ and ___________, the author succeeds in _____________ some of the darker workings of the mind. This ______________ work is the most __________________ of the psychology of the unconscious available. Published in paperback, The Interpretation of Dreams is ____________ for all those who are seriously interested in dream psychology.
VOCABULARY WORK AND
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► Find these words in the texts*, decide the word class, and write it and the translation of the word in the space provided. ► Then complete the table by forming other words using appropriate suffixes if necessary. Consult your dictionary. |
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VOCABULARY WORK |
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Word and Location |
Class |
Translation |
Noun |
Verb |
Adjective |
Adverb |
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Pervasive (5) | ||||||
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Interaction (5) | ||||||
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Comprehensive (5) | ||||||
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Extensively (5) | ||||||
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Evolving (5) | ||||||
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Communication (6) | ||||||
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Influences (6) | ||||||
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Argue (6) | ||||||
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Difference (6) |
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Developing (6) | ||||||
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Controversial (7) | ||||||
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Race (7) | ||||||
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Constructively (7) | ||||||
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Manage (7) | ||||||
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Assembling (7) | ||||||
* The book advertisements have been numbered as follows: 5 - Television and the American Family; 6 - Communication, Tace and Family; 7 - Communiation, and Romantic Relationships
OBSERVATIONS ON TEXT TYPE |
BOOK ADVERTISEMENTS |
Function: | |
Structure: |
This will vary according to the length and nature of the advertisement, but will usually include one or more of the following: a. general description - of the subject of the book b. author's purpose - a brief consideration of what the author attempts to explain or demonstrate in the book c. detailed description - of the contents of the book. This is often a list of the various topics discussed d. evaluation - positive evaluation as regards the worth and importance of the book e. quotations from reviewers - containing positive evaluations from other sources (usually from well-known writers in the field or academic journals) |
Aspects of language: |
In texts of this kind, it is common to find evaluative language. This is particularly apparent in the author's choice of adjectives and adverbs. It is important to keep in mind that although adjectives can be broadly categorized into the functions of evaluation (e.g. brilliant, important, and so on) and description (Arab, historical), there are many cases in which these two functions overlap, particularly considering the function of the book advertisement. |
The following activities will help you find out how the Internet can help you with your schoolwork, research and future career. Therefore, access the following addresses and summarise the information by using the guidelines
URL https://www.vts.rdn.ac.uk/tutorial/sociologist; https://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/he/tutorial/social-worker
https://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/he/tutorial/anthropologist
Title of resource: Internet Sociologist
URL: https://www.vts.rdn.ac.uk/tutorial/sociologist
Summarize:
The following addresses initiate you in evaluating web resources
https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
https://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/
Access www.Amazon.com (the largest online bookstore) and put in your Personal File three samples of book advertisements for sociology textbooks.
Grammar practice: Comparatives and Superlatives of the Adjective
► Fill in the missing words in the table. Then complete the sentences below with an appropriate form of the words in brackets.
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Adjective |
Comparative |
Superlative |
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Better | ||
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Easy | ||
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Much/many | ||
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Most interesting |
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Fastest |
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Bad | ||
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Larger | ||
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thin | ||
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Harder | ||
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More expensive | ||
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Unusual | ||
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pretty |
Learning to speak a language is often much ____________ (easy) than learning to write it.
This hotel must be ________ (expensive) than the small one next door.
An orange is ___________ (large) than a plum.
He is certainly the ______ (unusual) person I have ever met.
Bringing up children is one of the _________ (hard) jobs in the world.
His latest film was ______ interesting) than his previous ones.
What is the __________ (difficult) thing you have ever done?
When I saw her, she looked much ________ (thin) than I remembered her.
Losing your credit card is ______ (bad) than losing your money.
This is the _______ (fast) car we produce.
► As or than? Put as or than into each gap.
a. Are you as tall ____ your brother?
b. She's not as clever ____ her sister.
c. Was Joan's party better _____ Maria's?
d. I'm studying the same subject ____ Emma.
e. Liz works much harder ____ John.
f. I haven't got as many cousins ____ you.
► As. as/ not as. as.
Rewrite the following sentences with as.as or not as. as.
Ex. Bob's taller than Jack. / Jack's not as tall as Bob.
a. Jill's more intelligent than Bill. Bill's not __________________
b. The sun's much hotter than the moon. The moon isn't ________________
c. Are you and your husband the same age? Are you ___________ your husband?
d. You can read more quickly than I can. I can't _____ _______ ______ _______
e. Harry won more money than Bill. Bill didn't win _____________
f. Eva's work is better than mine. My work isn't ________________
Related Word Groups
Types of Book ► Put each of the following words in its correct place below
volume publication whodunit hardback
best-seller thriller copy edition
manuscript proofs paperback
You can see the original _____ of Hamlet in Shakespeare's own writing.
Before a book is sent to be printed, the author must check the _________ .
Where is _____ three of this set of encyclopaedias?
The new government report on agricultural statistics is a very interesting _______.
Have you got a ______ of Graham Greene's Brighton Rock?
This book costs $12, but that's the ______ price. The ______ costs only $5.50.
His first three novels didn't sell very well, but hos fourth was a _____ and made a fortune.
The book has already been selling well for five years. Now the publishers are going to bring out a new _____ with illustrations.
She likes to relax by reading a _____ about spies or crime.
I'm reading a ______ . It's fun trying to guess who the murderer is.
Ways of reading
► Put each of the following words or phrases into its correct place in the sentences below.
Skip look up browse refer to flip through
Skim dip into peruse wade through read from cover to
cover
I spend a lot of time in bookshops. I don't often buy books. I just __________ .
If I come to a boring bit in a book, I just ______ a few pages till the real story starts again.
I'll _______ his number in the phonebook.
I didn't know the word. I had to _______ a dictionary.
Of course an encyclopaedia is not a book you ________ . You just ______ it for things that interest you.
I never liked history at school. I found it very hard to _______ all that boring stuff about wars and revolutions.
We have requested our lawyers to _____ the document with the greatest care to decide whether it's legal or not.
Some people have the ability to ________ a page, which means to read it very quickly, just taking in the main points.
I sometimes ______ a magazine in a newsagent's but I don't usually buy one.
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