Sabtu, 17 November 2012

Discussion Text

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Discussion is a text which presents a problematic discourse. This problem will be discussed from different points of view. It presents pro and contra opinion on certain issue. The purpose of a discussion text is to present arguments and information from differing viewpoints.

Discussion texts are usually written in the present tense.
Points to check:
ü  Have you been fair to both sides?
ü  Have you supported your views with reasons ande vidence?
ü  In your conclusion, have you given a reason for what you have decided?
Structure of a discussion are:
Issue : contains of statement and preview about something.
Arguments for/Supporting arguments : after stating the issue, it is necessary to present the argument to support that one point is agreeing.
Arguments against : beside the supporting argument, discussion text need the arguments which disagree to the stated issue.
Recommendation/conclusion : It is used to tell how to solve issue by concerning the arguements for and against.
Language Features of Discussion Text
·         Introducing category or generic participant
·          Relating verb/to be: is, am, are, etc
·         Using thinking verb: feel, hope, believe, etc
·         Using additive, contrastive, and causal connection: similarly, on the hand, however, etc
·         Using modalities: must, should, could, may, etc
·         Using adverbial of manner: deliberately, hopefully, etc
·         Conjunction/transition: although, even, if, etc

Bringing Mobile Phone To School


[Issue] Students are not allowed to bring mobile phone to school. The reasons why they shouldn't bring mobile phone are: avoiding losing mobile phone and disturbing the lesson time.
[Argument against] This policy causes parents to react. Some of them disagrees. They think students need to bring mobile phone in order to be easy checked and controlled. Some parents say that they may call their children every break time to check whether they are in the school or not. Other parents state that they don't want their children to come home late. By bringing mobile phone they are able to call their children after school off.
[Argument against] Students also have some objections. They need mobile phone to tell their family to pick them up after school. Beside that, they need mobile phone to access the internet to search some information they need during the lesson.
[Argument for] But, some other parents think differently. The parents agrees if the school prohibits students to bring mobile phone. They say that bringing mobile phone to school is useless. They are afraid their students are busy with their mobile phone. They are only calling, sending text, chatting and receiving inappropriate file during the school time. They are also worried if the mobile phone is missing.
[Recommendation] By hearing to those arguments, the school decide some policies. The policies state that students may bring mobile phone but they should leave their mobile phone in the teachers' room. They may take their mobile phone after school time.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Home Office (Title)
Everybody like home sweet home however making office at home is possible and recommend. Of course home office will has both advantage and disadvantage. Therefore it is wise to consider the strengths and weaknesses to have a home office. (Issue)

Some people will agree that having office at home will make benefit. It saves time. We need no commuting which occasionally takes a long time. Besides we are free to set the work schedule. Having home office will save money as we need not to purchase or lease of office space from rent companies. What make it more flexible is that we can set part or all parts of our home just as a real office. What we need is only a wireless router to cover all parts of our house with Internet. We can run our business wherever part of house we want, from living room, bed room, veranda, etc even we can make sell or purchase by online shopping for things we need. Furthermore Working at home might reduce stress, effort and time and divert it to other more productive things because while working, we are close to our families. 

However making home as office also has some disadvantages. For some people, keeping the schedule is hard in flexible time. Such people type will harder if they are working just from home. There will no clear border between working and breaking. Working just from home also reduces the possibility to meet new people. It is true that computer and Internet connection possibly relate people every time and everywhere but we will interact with them in a dimension which is not real face. (Arguments)

So considering carefully what we actually need in running our business is very recommended before choosing to have office at home or not. (Conclusion)

The Ban on Smoking in Public Places

Smoking ban in public places has been a hot issue these last months not only in Malta but also in various countries who are discussing the effects a ban would have. There have been several debates on smoking ban. Even though the harmful effects of smoking, both active and passive, are well known and undeniable smoking is far from being in decline; it is spreading among young people in particular quickly.

Most controversial debate is going on public smoking ban. The reason is simple, smoking ban affects directly all people rapidly and we can see its effects in a short-term period. There have been a lot of arguments brought up both in favour and against a public smoking ban. Some of the arguments in favour are the following. Smoking ban is one of the controversial ways for reducing smoking and recognizing non-smokers’ right to health protection. The health risks of smoking are clear. Passive smoking does carry risks. Many leading medical and scientific organizations recognize second hand smoke as a cause of a range of life-threatening conditions. The health situation could be drastically improved if one of the risk factors - tobacco - was eliminated. People have a right to protect themselves from smoke inhalation. People shouldn’t have to inhale the ill-effects of other people’s smoking. The creation of smoke-free public places also improves air quality.

Those opposing a smoking ban say that freedom of choice would be affected by such legislation. Some people against a ban say that smoking bans damage business. A smoking ban could lead to a significant fall in earnings from bars, restaurants and casinos. Another argument is that the smoker has a basic human right to smoke in public places, and the ban is a limitation for smokers’ rights. Businesses, smokers, publicans, tobacco industries, stars, and some of the non-smokers oppose public smoking ban. Smokers light a cigarette because they need to smoke, not because they want it, because nicotine is physically addictive. Therefore, some smokers think that the public smoking ban is oppressiveness. They see the ban as a treatment to smokers as second-class citizens. Smokers agree that the smoking ban benefits the world, but cannot support the ban, because effects of nicotine obstruct them.

Public smoking ban needs to be measured and understood better. Smokers should not be made to look like outcasts, but smokers should respect non-smokers when sharing places. I agree that completely smoke-free places are the ideal, and some businesses have taken the decision to go completely smoke-free. However, everyone agrees that, it is a matter of rights - the right of smokers to smoke versus non-smokers to protect from passive smoking and to breathe clean air.
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Narrative Text

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NARRATIVE TEXT

Narrative text is a text which contains about story (fiction/non fiction/tales/folktales/fables/myths/epic) and its plot consists of climax of the story (complication) then followed by the resolution.

The narrative text short story is telling of a story or an account of a sequence of events. One of the four traditional forms of composition (along with description, exposition, and persuasion). Narration differs from exposition, which can also relate a sequence of events, in that narration need not be factual and may be written from the perspective of a character in the text.



The purpose of the Narrative Text is to amuse, entertain and deal with actual or vicarious experience in different ways. Narrative deal with problematic events which lead to a crisis or turning point of some kind, which in turn finds a resolution.

The generic structure of a narrative text:
1. Orientation: Sets the scene and introduces the participants.
2. Complication: A crisis arises
3. Resolution: The crisis is resolved, for the better or for worse.
4. Re-orientation: Optinal
5. Evaluation: A stepping back to evaluate the plight



Narrative text Grammatical features:
1.                    Use specific nouns such as the name of person, place and building etc.
2.                  Use adjectives which form noun phrases
3.                 Use time connectives and conjunctions such as then, before that, soon.
4.                 Use adverbs and Adverbial Phrases
5.                 Use action Verbs
6.                 Use saying words such as said, told, promised.

Kind of Narrative Text
Relating to kinds of text, which student has to complete studying in high school, narrative is a text which retells the story or previous experiences. The purpose of the text is to entertain or amuse readers or listeners about the story.
Narrative is basically story and within this, story telling, there are many kinds of narrative - comedy, mystery, romance, horror are some of the commoner types. A poem can also be a narrative if it tells a story rather than just describing something.
According to L. Spencer, in A Step-by-Step Guide to Narrative Writing. Rosen, 2005, In writing a narrative, an author has a chance to make his or her mark on the world by relating a story that only he or she can tell. Whether it comes from a personal experience or is one that the writer has imagined, the point of a narrative is to bring one's subject to life. By using sensory details, the five Ws and H (who, what, where, when, why, and how), and basic story structure, any subject can be made exciting

Common forms of narrative text which are studied in high school are:
 Legend
What is legend? A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history. Typically, a legend is a short, traditional and historicized narrative performed in a conversational mode. Some define legend as folktale. The example of legend in narrative text are
·         Sangkuriang
·         Malin Kundang
·         The legend of Tangkuban Perahu
·         The story of Toba lake

Fable
What is fabel? A fabel is a short allegorical narrative making a moral point, traditionally by means of animal characters who speak and act like human beings. The example of fable in narrative text are:

·         Mousedeer and crocodile.
·         The Ants and the Grasshopper
·         The smartest parrot

Fairy tale
What is fairy tale? According to Wikipedia, fairy tale is an English language term for a type of short narrative corresponding to the French phrase "conte de fée". A fairy tale typically features such folkloric characters as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. The example of fairy tale in narrative text are:

·         Cinderella
·         Snow white
·         Pinocchio
·         Beauty and the beast
·         The story of Rapunzel

Science fiction
What is science fiction? According to Basil Davenport. 1955, Science fiction is fiction based upon some imagined development of science, or upon the extrapolation of a tendency in society. Science fiction is that class of prose narrative treating of a situation that could not arise in the world we know. Some examples of science fiction are:

·         To the Moon from the Earth by Jules Verne
·         Starship Trooper by Robert Heinlein
·         A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

Example of Narrative Text:
CINDERELLA

Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Cinderella. She lived with her step mother and two step sisters.

The step mother and sisters were conceited and bad tempered. They treated Cinderella very badly. Her step mother made Cinderella do the hardest works in the house; such as scrubbing the floor, cleaning the pot and pan and preparing the food for the family. The two step sisters, on the other hand, did not work about the house. Their mother gave them many handsome dresses to wear.

One day, the two step sister received an invitation to the ball that the king’s son was going to give at the palace. They were excited about this and spent so much time choosing the dresses they would wear. At last, the day of the ball came, and away went the sisters to it. Cinderella could not help crying after they had left.
“Why are crying, Cinderella?” a voice asked. She looked up and saw her fairy godmother standing beside her, “because I want so much to go to the ball” said Cinderella. “Well” said the godmother,”you’ve been such a cheerful, hardworking, uncomplaining girl that I am going to see that you do go to the ball”.
Magically, the fairy godmother changed a pumpkin into a fine coach and mice into a coachman and two footmen. Her godmother tapped Cinderella’s raged dress with her wand, and it became a beautiful ball gown. Then she gave her a pair of pretty glass slippers. “Now, Cinderella”, she said; “You must leave before midnight”. Then away she drove in her beautiful coach.
Cinderella was having a wonderfully good time. She danced again and again with the king’s son. Suddenly the clock began to strike twelve, she ran toward the door as quickly as she could. In her hurry, one of her glass slipper was left behind.

A few days later, the king’ son proclaimed that he would marry the girl whose feet fitted the glass slipper. Her step sisters tried on the slipper but it was too small for them, no matter how hard they squeezed their toes into it. In the end, the king’s page let Cinderella try on the slipper. She stuck out her foot and the page slipped the slipper on. It fitted perfectly.
Finally, she was driven to the palace. The king’s son was overjoyed to see her again. They were married and live happily ever after.

Generic Structure of Cinderella's Story

Orientation: it means to introduce the participants or the characters of the story with the time and place set. Orientation actually exists in every text type though it has different term. In this story, the first paragraph is clearly seen to introduce the participants of the Cinderella Story. They were Cinderella her self as the main character of the story, her step mother which treated Cinderella badly, and her steps sister which supported her mother to make Cinderella was treated very badly. Cinderella was introduced as a hero in this story. She struggled against the bad treatment from her step mother and sisters.
Complication: it is such the crisis of the story. If there is not the crisis, the story is not a narrative text. In a long story, the complication appears in several situations. It means that some time there is more then one complication. In this Cinderella story, we can see clearly that there are Major Complication and Minor Complication.
The second paragraph is the major complication of this Cinderella story. Cinderella got bad treatment from her stepmother. It is the bad crisis which drives into several minor complications which Cinderella has to overcome.
Resolution: it is the final series of the events which happen in the story. The resolution can be good or bad. The point is that it has been accomplished by the characters. Like complication, there are Major Resolution and Minor Resolution.
In the last paragraph, it is said that finally Cinderella lived happily. It is the happy resolution of the bad treatment.

Another example of Narrative Text: 

The Legend of Rawa Pening
 
Once upon a time, there was a little poor boy came into a little village. He was very hungry and weak. He knocked at every door and asked for some food, but nobody cared about him. Nobody wanted to help the little boy.

Finally, a generous woman helped him. She gave him shelter and a meal. When the boy wanted to leave, this old woman gave him a “lesung”, a big wooden mortar for pounding rice. She reminded him, “please remember, if there is a flood you must save yourself. Use this “lesung” as a boat”. The “lesung” was happy and thanked the old woman.The little boy continued his journey. While he was passing through the village, he saw many people gathering on the field. The boy came closer and saw a stick stuck in the ground. People challenged each other to pull out that stick. Everybody tried, but nobody succeeded. “Can I try?” asked the little boy. The crowd laughed mockingly. The boy wanted to try his luck so he stepped forward and pulled out the stick. He could do it very easily. Everybody was dumbfounded.

Suddenly, from the hole left by stick, water spouted out. It did not stop until it flooded the village. And no one was saved from the water except the little boy and the generous old woman who gave him shelter and meal. As she told him, he used the “lesung” as a boat and picked up the old woman. The whole village became a huge lake. It is now known as Rawa Pening Lake in Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia.

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Persuading and Encouraging, Preventing Someone from Doing Something

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 Look at Olif's expression. She looks so sad. She failed the English test yesterday. But I am trying to encourage her by saying, "No, you don't. Don't give up, Lif". Do you know what is encouraging ? If you don't, check this material. There are materials about Persuading and Encouraging, Preventing Someone from Doing Something. Please enjoy.

Persuading
Persuading is an expression to persuade someone. So, someone want to do something as like as persuader’s request. 

Expressions of Persuading :
§   Are you really sure you can’t/couldn’t...?
§   Don’t be so silly!
§   I really think it would be a pity if we didn’t...
§   Are you quite sure you won’t consider...?
§   Buy me this one, Mom, please ?
§   I really think you’d do well to...
§   Oh, come on!
§   Can’t I persuade you to...
§   Let’s join... You won’t regret it.
§   I’m begging you. Will you...?
§   Just this once!
§   How I can persuade you to…?
§   Won't you… Please?
§   Why don't you…?
§   You're not going to let me down, are you?
§   Not even for me/for my sake?

Encouraging
Encouraging is an expressions to give someone support or motivation to do something so he/she can achieve the goals.

How to Encourage Someone ???
If your goal is to learn how to encourage someone, follow the quick below guide:
1. Praise
2. Show people their strength
3. Show appreciation
4. Believe in them
5. Be a positive role model
 
Expressions of Encouraging :
§  Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll do better the next time.
§  You have my support.
§  You’re doing very well.
§  You like it? Go for it!
§  It wouldn’t hurt.
§  Keep at it!
§  Stick to it!
§  Give it a shot.
§  Come on. This is not the end of the    world.
§  We feel you should go ahead.
§  I’m sure you’ll win !
§  Go on, you can do it!
§  Don’t give up!
§  Keep it up!
§  No pain, no gain.
§  This is for your best ..
§  I'm sure you will pass ...

Preventing Someone from Doing Something
Preventing is an expressions to prohibit someone to  do  something that he/she don’t want.

Expression of Preventing :
§  You mustn’t ...!
§  You shouldn’t (really) ...
§  You’d better not ...
§  (For godness sake) Don’t look!
§  You can’t ...!
§  You’re not (really) supposed to ...
§  I don’t really think you should ...
§  Stop! Wait! (Or other imperatives)

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