Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Marouane Zakhir
University Chouaib Doukkali
Multidisciplinary Faculty of El jadida
English for Specific Purposes
Paragraph writing
1
Strategies for adequate development:
Illustrate: Paint a verbal picture that helps make or clarify your point(s). Well
illustrated pieces are easier to read and follow than those on a high level of
abstraction.
Argue: Give the reasons, justifications, and rationales for the position or view
you have taken in the topic sentence. Draw inferences for the reader and explain
the significance of assertions or claims being made.
2
Prof. Marouane Zakhir
University Chouaib Doukkali
Multidisciplinary Faculty of El jadida
English for Specific Purposes
To show addition:
again, and, also, besides, equally important, first (second, etc.), further,
furthermore, in addition, in the first place, moreover, next, too
To give examples:
for example, for instance, in fact, specifically, that is, to illustrate
To compare:
also, in the same manner, likewise, similarly
To contrast:
although, and yet, at the same time, but, despite, even though, however, in
contrast, in spite of, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, still,
though, yet
To summarize or conclude:
all in all, in conclusion, in other words, in short, in summary, on the
whole, that is, therefore, to sum up
To show time:
after, afterward, as, as long as, as soon as, at last, before, during, earlier,
finally, formerly, immediately, later, meanwhile, next, since, shortly,
subsequently, then, thereafter, until, when, while
To show place or direction:
above, below, beyond, close, elsewhere, farther on, here, nearby, opposite,
to the left (north, etc.)
To indicate logical relationship:
accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this reason, hence, if,
otherwise, since, so, then, therefore, thus.
3
Punctuation
Punctuation is used to create sense, clarity and stress in sentences. You use
punctuation marks to structure and organise your writing.
You can quickly see why punctuation is important if you try and read this
sentence which has no punctuation at all:
perhaps you dont always need to use commas periods colons etc to make
sentences clear when i am in a hurry tired cold lazy or angry i sometimes
leave out punctuation marks grammar is stupid i can write without it and
dont need it my uncle Harry once said he was not very clever and i never
understood a word he wrote to me i think ill learn some punctuation not too
much enough to write to Uncle Harry he needs some help
Three of the fourteen punctuation marks are appropriate for use as sentence
endings. They are the period, question mark, and exclamation point.
The period (.) is placed at the end of declarative sentences, statements thought to
be complete and after many abbreviations.
For example:
Use a question mark (?) to indicate a direct question when placed at the end of a
sentence. For example: When did Jane leave for the market ?
The exclamation point/mark (!) is used when a person wants to express a sudden
outcry or add emphasis.
The comma, semicolon and colon are often misused because they all can
indicate a pause in a series.
4
Prof. Marouane Zakhir
University Chouaib Doukkali
Multidisciplinary Faculty of El jadida
English for Specific Purposes
Separating elements within sentences: Suzi wanted the black , green , and blue
shoes.
Two kinds of dashes are used throughout written communications. They are the
endash and the emdash. An endash is a symbol (-) that is used in writing or
printing to connect numbers or to connect elements of a compound adjective,
such as 1880 - 1945 or Princeton - New York trains.
However, the emdash has more complicated grammatical use. The symbol of is
used to:
Use it in the following manner: We only wanted to get two birds - but the clerk
talked us into four pregnant parakeets.
A hyphen (-) is the same symbol as the endash. However, it has slightly different
usage rules. A hyphen is used between the parts of a compound word or name or
between the syllables of a word, especially when divided at the end of a line of
text.
5
Examples of this in use include:
Brackets, braces and parentheses are symbols used to contain words that are a
further explanation or are considered a group.
Brackets are the squared off notations ([]) used for technical explanations.
YourDictionary uses them when you look up word definitions. At the bottom of
each definition page, brackets surround a technical description of where the
word originated.
Braces ({}) are used to contain two or more lines of text or listed items to show
that they are considered as a unit. They are not commonplace in most writing,
but can be seen in computer programming to show what should be contained
within the same lines.
The final three punctuation forms in English grammar are the apostrophe,
quotation marks and ellipses. Unlike previously mentioned grammatical marks,
they are not related to one another in any form.
Plural for lowercase letters: Six people were told to mind their p's and q's. It
should be noted that, according to Purdue University, some teachers and editors
enlarge the scope of the use of apostrophe, and prefer their use on symbols (&'s),
6
Prof. Marouane Zakhir
University Chouaib Doukkali
Multidisciplinary Faculty of El jadida
English for Specific Purposes
numbers (7's) and capitalized letters (Q&A's), even though they are not
necessary.
Single quotation marks (') are used most frequently for quotes within quotes.
7
Business writing
Business writing requires of you what other kinds of writing call for:
understanding your audience and your purpose. When you write for the business
worldperhaps a letter asking for a job interview or a memo or report for an
employerkeep five points in mind.
The guidelines below should be followed to write a business letter and envelope.
8
Prof. Marouane Zakhir
University Chouaib Doukkali
Multidisciplinary Faculty of El jadida
English for Specific Purposes
9
Understand how to write and format a job application letter
Your address: to the right, type your address as you would on an envelope. Be
sure to give as your address a place where you can be reached by letter. Be also
sure to give your zip code.
Inside address: (1) Direct your letter to a specific person. You can phone a
company to find out the name of the personnel director or a department head, if
you know what department the job is in. (2) Be accurate. With a misspelled
name or the wrong address, your letter may never get to the destination. If it
does, inaccuracies make you seem careless.
Salutation: again, be accurate. No one likes to see his name misspelled. If you
are replying to a ad that gives only a post-office box number (no personal of
company names), omit the salutation. Start the opening paragraph right below
the inside address.
Introductory paragraph: state your purpose for writing and the source of your
information about the job.
Body paragraphs: interest the reader in the skills and talents you offer by
mentioning whatever personal experience you have that relates to the job. Say
that you have enclosed you rsum, but do not summarize it.
Closing paragraph: suggest an interview stating when you are available for one
and when you will call to make arrangements.
Notation: if you are enclosing any other materials with your letter of
application, type Enc. : and briefly list what you are enclosing.
10
Prof. Marouane Zakhir
University Chouaib Doukkali
Multidisciplinary Faculty of El jadida
English for Specific Purposes
You may choose to arrange your rsum with the most important information
first and the least important last. You may also choose to arrange information in
a chronological (time) order, a sequence that is good for showing a steady work
history or solid progress in a particular field. The following rsum is
chronological.
11
Understanding how to write and format a memo
A memo can call for action or document action; it can provide a written record
of a conversation; it can make a brief, informal report. A sample memo, its parts
labeled, is shown. You can follow it for format guidance. When you are writing
a memo, determine who should receive the information by evaluating the
audience and deciding the memos goals. At the to line, list the person or
people who need to act on the information in the memo. List for distribution
anyone else you think should be informed.
Use the subject line to define and limit the memos contents. The
subject line should also set the tone for the message, signaling to the reader your
attitude toward the subject. A subject line is like an easy title.
12