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Context
Writing is often considered as the last skill to be developed after listening, speaking, and reading Essay writing allows students to practise and develop transferable skills that are valuable to them not only while they are students but also after they graduate and have to write in a professional role
An essay is defined as a short piece of writing that expresses information as well as the writer's opinion Essays are popular at high schools and colleges People may even need to write essays in the business world (although they are usually called "reports" at that point) Students nowadays, especially those who study at high school for the gifted have an insatiable hunger for how to write an effective essay.
Reasons for choosing the topic
English-majored students of Luong The Vinh High school especially students of the elected English team (grade 12) who take National English Examination are in need of having a perfect writing skill, but the national curriculum set by the government cannot satisfy their need.
In the past few years, I have been responsible for helping gifted students practice their writing skill, and I have found that a lot of gifted students at this school show interest in writing especially academic writing However, their essays still contained mistakes These mistakes ranged from minor ones such as spellings to major ones such as sentence structures and the organization in an essay Thus, it is imperative that I should do something to help them overcome their difficulties in writing so that they can improve their writing skill and write coherently, effectively, and academically
2 The scope of the research
The research focuses on how to help gifted students find essay writing easy, how to improve high school students’ writing skill and how to help them write more effectively
The participants of the study
The English-majored students of the two English classes (grade 12) of Luong The Vinh High school were chosen to take part in the innovation The innovation was carried out in writing periods of the two semesters of the school year
The reason why the students of the two English classes (grade12) were chosen as the participants of the study were that:
- They are gifted students They usually have to write essays
- They are interested in writing
- They often have to sit exams of English around the year
- How to teach gifted students some basic academic writing skills
- How to help them write well and effectively
- How to help them find essay writing easy
- How to help them develop more confidence in their ability to write
- How to help them show their skills in organising their ideas systematically
It is significant that high school students / gifted students / college students acquire good writing skills because the most important aspect of a college education is to learn to communicate clearly and efficiently That is why general college education prerequisites include a number of compositions and reading courses that students must complete before they graduate
According to Oshima and Huge, “Writing is a form of communication that encourages students to put their feelings and ideas on paper, to organize their knowledge and beliefs into convincing arguments, and convey meaning through well-constructed text In its most advanced form, written expression can be as vivid as a work of art
Therefore, writing is never a one-step action: it is a process that has several steps.” (Oshima and Huge 1997: 2)
II./ RESEARCH CONTENTS a./ Reality of teaching writing at the school
As far as I am concerned, tasks designed in English textbooks for students are not in a systematical way, which causes difficulties for students who want to enhance their ability to write a good essay Tasks for writing in the textbooks also lack skills necessary for writing an effective essay b./ PROCEDURES
In order to write an academic essay effectively, it is a good idea to follow a number of important steps in the essay writing process
Here are some important rules /skills that I have collected and given to students so that they can show their ability in presenting a logical argument, their skills in organising their ideas systematically, their ability to select relevant ideas and information to the topic and last but not least their ability to use correct English grammar and vocabulary
The teacher gave students handouts which contain these rules
I./ The Basics of Sentence Construction
1 PHRASES a./ Noun phrases e.g : The bright blue dress was Helen’s favourite dress b./ Prepositional phrases (phrases that start with a preposition
Prepositional phrases work to modify nouns or verbs) e.g.: The man near the door is talking with Nathan
(in this sense, they work very much like adjectives and adverbs) c./ Verbal phrases (phrases that start with either : a gerund , an infinitive , or a participle Verbal phrases can work as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.) e.g.: Working in a factory had left him broken in body and spirit d./ Appositive phrases e.g : My uncle Jack, a diligent and serious man , taught me the value of hard work
Exercise 1: Read the following sentences Underline all the noun phrases and circle the prepositional phrases Then draw an arrow to the word that each prepositional phrase modifies
1 The leopard’s spots help it to hide from its prey
2 When the right foot of the player touched the foul line, the referee blew the whistle
3 Average winner temperatures in the Arctic Circle drop below zero
4 The vast majority of start-up companies fail their first three years
Read the following sentences.Underline any verbal phrases that act as nouns Circle any verbal phrases that act as modifier Then draw an arrow to the word that each phrase modifies
1 Maintaining a high grade point average is essential to any student hoping to go to college
2 Crying and upset, the witness admitted she had lied to protect her boyfriend
3 Ned came home to find his door forced open and his belongings scattered on the floor
4 Planning the trip scheduled for next week is Helen’s responsibility
Read the following sentences Underline any appositive phrases in them and put a comma at the beginning and at the end of each appositive phrase Then draw an arrow to the noun modified by the appositive
1 The Tigers the only team to go undefeated are the favorites to win the championship
2 The film about King Kong a giant ape who destroys the city was entertaining
3 The dancer a girl of both beauty and grace was the star of the show
4 The climbers decided to attempt their ascent of the mountain during the spring traditionally the safest time of year in terms of weather
(Independent clauses can stand alone as complete sentences Independent clauses can function as sentences because they express complete thought e.g.: He got out of his car b./ Dependent clauses
Dependent clauses cannot function as complete sentences because they do not express complete thoughts Dependent clauses come in three forms: coordinate clauses, subordinate clauses, and noun clauses
- Coordinate clauses are essentially independent clauses However, they cannot function as complete sentences because they begin with coordinating conjunctions, and this makes the thoughts they express incomplete e.g.: He got out of the car, but he left the car running
- Subordinate clauses always start with a subordinating conjunction
Subordinate clauses can be joined to independent clauses, coordinate clauses, or other subordinate clauses e.g.: He got out the car, but he left the car running because he was planning to return quickly
- Noun clauses: Within a sentence, noun clauses serve the same functions as nouns They can work as subjects, objects, or complement Noun clauses are introduced by one of the following words: that, which, whichever, who, whoever, whomever, what, whatever, when, whenever, how, however, and whether e.g.: Mike always buys whatever Mary wants
Whoever ate the last piece of cake is in big trouble
The big question is how we are going to fix the problem
Read the following sentences and circle the independent clause in each sentence Then underline any dependent clause in each sentence Where it is appropriate, place comas between the independent clause and any dependent clause
1 The city’s air pollution is the result of high number of cars on the road and of its outdated factories but little is being done to solve the problem
2 Although the modifications to the ship’s design were thought to be minor they had a significant impact on its performance
3 Most wild animals are afraid of humans but they can still be dangerous when they are threatened
4 While Mark usually displays excellent sportsmanship he was thrown out of the last game because of his behaviour
Read the following sentences below Find the noun clause in each sentence and underline it
1 Last semester our science teacher taught us how batteries work
2 That he had committed the crime was understood to be a proven fact
3 Although Nick is actually from New York, Miami is where his heart is
4 When Jessica found what Mark had hidden under her book, she screamed at the top of her lungs
Read the pairs of sentences below Then combine them into one sentence using the type of conjunction indicated in parentheses ( )
1 Most professional sports are seasonal in nature Athletes need time to rest and recover between seasons (subordinating conjunction)
2 The waves in Hawaii are better than in most of California Hawaii is the surfing capital of the US (coordinating conjunction )
3 CD players were released for mass marketing in the late 1980s CD players quickly replaced tape players (subordinating conjunction )
A simple sentence is made up of a single independent clause However, simple sentences are not always short and easy An almost unlimited number of phrases and modifiers can be built into a simple sentence structure, so sometimes these sentences can be quite advanced e.g : My dog loves to play fetch
RATIONALE OF THE RESEARCH
It is significant that high school students / gifted students / college students acquire good writing skills because the most important aspect of a college education is to learn to communicate clearly and efficiently That is why general college education prerequisites include a number of compositions and reading courses that students must complete before they graduate
According to Oshima and Huge, “Writing is a form of communication that encourages students to put their feelings and ideas on paper, to organize their knowledge and beliefs into convincing arguments, and convey meaning through well-constructed text In its most advanced form, written expression can be as vivid as a work of art
Therefore, writing is never a one-step action: it is a process that has several steps.” (Oshima and Huge 1997: 2)
RESEARCH CONTENTS
a./ Reality of teaching writing at the school
As far as I am concerned, tasks designed in English textbooks for students are not in a systematical way, which causes difficulties for students who want to enhance their ability to write a good essay Tasks for writing in the textbooks also lack skills necessary for writing an effective essay b./ PROCEDURES
In order to write an academic essay effectively, it is a good idea to follow a number of important steps in the essay writing process
Here are some important rules /skills that I have collected and given to students so that they can show their ability in presenting a logical argument, their skills in organising their ideas systematically, their ability to select relevant ideas and information to the topic and last but not least their ability to use correct English grammar and vocabulary
The teacher gave students handouts which contain these rules
I./ The Basics of Sentence Construction
1 PHRASES a./ Noun phrases e.g : The bright blue dress was Helen’s favourite dress b./ Prepositional phrases (phrases that start with a preposition
Prepositional phrases work to modify nouns or verbs) e.g.: The man near the door is talking with Nathan
(in this sense, they work very much like adjectives and adverbs) c./ Verbal phrases (phrases that start with either : a gerund , an infinitive , or a participle Verbal phrases can work as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.) e.g.: Working in a factory had left him broken in body and spirit d./ Appositive phrases e.g : My uncle Jack, a diligent and serious man , taught me the value of hard work
Exercise 1: Read the following sentences Underline all the noun phrases and circle the prepositional phrases Then draw an arrow to the word that each prepositional phrase modifies
1 The leopard’s spots help it to hide from its prey
2 When the right foot of the player touched the foul line, the referee blew the whistle
3 Average winner temperatures in the Arctic Circle drop below zero
4 The vast majority of start-up companies fail their first three years
Read the following sentences.Underline any verbal phrases that act as nouns Circle any verbal phrases that act as modifier Then draw an arrow to the word that each phrase modifies
1 Maintaining a high grade point average is essential to any student hoping to go to college
2 Crying and upset, the witness admitted she had lied to protect her boyfriend
3 Ned came home to find his door forced open and his belongings scattered on the floor
4 Planning the trip scheduled for next week is Helen’s responsibility
Read the following sentences Underline any appositive phrases in them and put a comma at the beginning and at the end of each appositive phrase Then draw an arrow to the noun modified by the appositive
1 The Tigers the only team to go undefeated are the favorites to win the championship
2 The film about King Kong a giant ape who destroys the city was entertaining
3 The dancer a girl of both beauty and grace was the star of the show
4 The climbers decided to attempt their ascent of the mountain during the spring traditionally the safest time of year in terms of weather
(Independent clauses can stand alone as complete sentences Independent clauses can function as sentences because they express complete thought e.g.: He got out of his car b./ Dependent clauses
Dependent clauses cannot function as complete sentences because they do not express complete thoughts Dependent clauses come in three forms: coordinate clauses, subordinate clauses, and noun clauses
- Coordinate clauses are essentially independent clauses However, they cannot function as complete sentences because they begin with coordinating conjunctions, and this makes the thoughts they express incomplete e.g.: He got out of the car, but he left the car running
- Subordinate clauses always start with a subordinating conjunction
Subordinate clauses can be joined to independent clauses, coordinate clauses, or other subordinate clauses e.g.: He got out the car, but he left the car running because he was planning to return quickly
- Noun clauses: Within a sentence, noun clauses serve the same functions as nouns They can work as subjects, objects, or complement Noun clauses are introduced by one of the following words: that, which, whichever, who, whoever, whomever, what, whatever, when, whenever, how, however, and whether e.g.: Mike always buys whatever Mary wants
Whoever ate the last piece of cake is in big trouble
The big question is how we are going to fix the problem
Read the following sentences and circle the independent clause in each sentence Then underline any dependent clause in each sentence Where it is appropriate, place comas between the independent clause and any dependent clause
1 The city’s air pollution is the result of high number of cars on the road and of its outdated factories but little is being done to solve the problem
2 Although the modifications to the ship’s design were thought to be minor they had a significant impact on its performance
3 Most wild animals are afraid of humans but they can still be dangerous when they are threatened
4 While Mark usually displays excellent sportsmanship he was thrown out of the last game because of his behaviour
Read the following sentences below Find the noun clause in each sentence and underline it
1 Last semester our science teacher taught us how batteries work
2 That he had committed the crime was understood to be a proven fact
3 Although Nick is actually from New York, Miami is where his heart is
4 When Jessica found what Mark had hidden under her book, she screamed at the top of her lungs
Read the pairs of sentences below Then combine them into one sentence using the type of conjunction indicated in parentheses ( )
1 Most professional sports are seasonal in nature Athletes need time to rest and recover between seasons (subordinating conjunction)
2 The waves in Hawaii are better than in most of California Hawaii is the surfing capital of the US (coordinating conjunction )
3 CD players were released for mass marketing in the late 1980s CD players quickly replaced tape players (subordinating conjunction )
A simple sentence is made up of a single independent clause However, simple sentences are not always short and easy An almost unlimited number of phrases and modifiers can be built into a simple sentence structure, so sometimes these sentences can be quite advanced e.g : My dog loves to play fetch
My dog, a beautiful and playful Labrador puppy, loves to play fetch on sunny afternoon in the park near my house b./ Compound sentences e.g.: My dog loves to play fetch, and I take him to the park almost every day c / Complex sentences e.g.: My dog loves to play fetch, even though he is very old now d./ Compound- complex sentences e.g.: Even though he is very old now, my dog loves to play fetch, and I take him to the park almost every day
Read each of the following sentences and indicate whether it is a simple sentence, a compound sentence , a complex sentence , or a compound- complex sentence
1 Justin apparently misplaced all his textbooks, or at least most of them, during the ride from the library to his house
2 The hurricane caused severe hardship for working class members of society, but the rich, having access to far greater resources, viewed the storm as little more than an inconvenience
3 Even though the Constitution guarantees all citizens the same essential rights, in practice, many groups have been denied the full rights and benefits of citizenship
4 The government claimed that the recent restrictions on the press were in the interests of public safety, and it promised to ease the restrictions as soon as it is deemed to be safe to do so
Combine the simple sentences below Try to combine them into a single sentence using as many different sentence structures as possible
The team began to lose any hope of victory The team realized it was thirteen points back with only minutes to go in the final quarter
1 Combine the sentences into a compound sentence
The team realized it was thirteen points back with only minutes to go in the final quarter, and it began to lose any hope of victory
2 Combine the sentences into a complex sentence
The team began to lose any hope of victory when it realized that it was thirteen points back with only minutes to go in the final quarter
3 Combine the sentences into a single, simple sentence
Realizing it was thirteen points back with only minutes to go in the final quarter, the team began to lose any hope of victory
If a pronoun is used in a sentence, there must be a noun before it of the same person and number There must be one, and only one, antecedent to which the pronoun refers
Examples of pronouns without antecedents:
Incorrect: Henry was denied admission to graduate school because they did not believe that he could handle the work load
Correct: The members of the admissions committee denied Henry admission to graduate school because they did not Exercise:
Rewrite the following sentences so that each pronoun has a clear antecedent If you have to supply a noun, use any noun that will make the sentence correct
1 The dispute between the faculty and the administration was not resolved until they got better working conditions
2 Ellen spotted her friend as her friend as she walked towards the student Union
3 Foreigners are easily impressed by the bullfighters as they march into the arena
4 In their spare time, many great books have been written about the famous Greek and Roman heroes
5 Dr Byrd’s book was accepted for publication because they thought it would be beneficial to students
6 Bob and Helen hate flying because they make too much noise
7 Casey was not admitted to the country club because they thought he was not socially acceptable
8 Mary loves touring the country by train because it is so interesting
9 The colonel was decorated for bravery, having fought them off
10 The children were frightened because they made eerie sounds
Read the following sentences Then rewrite the sentence to correct the error
1 The biggest problem facing many new companies are is the dozens of regulations that are often unfamiliar to the company management
2 Most of the talk, including the portions on political reform, financial stability , and future economic growth , are is available on tape for anyone who is interested
3 Seemingly minor breakdown in social etiquette, the failure to apologize after bumping into someone, for example, is are Michael’s complaint about life in the city
4 In the suspect’s house, underneath his mattress, was were found the murder weapon and the stolen property, which was enough to convict him of the crime
5 Not only the investors, but also the company itself are is expected to suffer severe financial losses after the world of financial analysts learns of its improprieties
Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses is called parallel structure
By convention, items in a series appear in parallel grammatical form: a noun is listed with other nouns, an -ing form with other -ing forms, and so on Failure to express such items in similar grammatical form is called faulty parallelism
Generally, when making a list of ideas, the shortest and most grammatically simple ideas should be placed at the beginning of the list Look at this example below:
Under the judge’s ruling, the company must compensate its shareholders for their losses caused by the company’s mismanagement, open its books to inspection every year, and pay a fine
In the example above, all the parts of the list are grammatically parallel; they begin with verbs However, they are ordered in a manner which makes the sentence somewhat hard to read The sentence would be simpler if the shortest and most grammatically simple ideas were at the beginning of the list Look at the example below
Under the judge’s ruling, the company must pay a fine, open its books to inspection every year, and compensate its shareholders for their losses caused by the company’s mismanagement
Read each of the sentences below and underline the section that is not parallel in structure Then revise each sentence
1 He's quite a man with the girls They say he's closed the eyes of many a man and opening the eyes of many a woman."
2 "They are laughing at me, not with me."
