Note to recorder:
HELLO SIR, I WILL HAVE TO PRACTICE SPOKEN ENGLISH. JUST RECORD FOR PROFFESORS DAILOGUES AND BE SILENT FOR THE STUDENTS PART .THANKYOU
Note to recorder:
HELLO SIR, I WILL HAVE TO PRACTICE SPOKEN ENGLISH. JUST RECORD FOR PROFFESORS DAILOGUES AND BE SILENT FOR THE STUDENTS PART .THANKYOU
P: Hello, Michelle. Can I help you?
S: SILENCE FOR 5 SECONDS
P: Sure. Sit down.
S: SILENCE FOR 15 SECONDS
P: Well, you're not alone, Michelle. I'm afraid most of the class is doing poorly this term. Now, I've tried to explain what I want you all to do several times now, but nobody seems to get it. I guess I'm a failure as a teacher.
S: SILENCE FOR 20 SECONDS
P: Have you got your paper with you?
S: SILENCE FOR 5 SECONDS
P: Let me have a look.
S: SILENCE FOR2 SECONDS
P: Mmm...yes...I remember now. Actually, Michelle, you have a very good thesis here. I like it. I just wish you could've presented it more effectively.
S: SILENCE FOR 5SECONDS
P: Well...just look at your opening sentence. This is the first sentence that the reader meets. "Most authorities consider the zygote the initiation of a new existence." Now tell me, Michelle, if the average person picked this up and started reading it, would they understand that?
S: SILENCE FOR10 SECONDS
P: Of course. It seems short and direct. But you must remember that when you wrote this, you had been reading and researching your topic beforehand- I hope- but the reader is coming to this cold. How many people know what a zygote is? How self-evident is the meaning of "a new existence"? That's a very abstract phrase.
S: SILENCE FOR5 SECONDS
P: Michelle, the writer's first duty is to his readership and his second duty is to his thesis. Think of all the articles you've read that've been built on flimsy arguments, misconceptions or untruths, and yet have become widely popular, have enjoyed wide acceptance because of the writer's talent at communicating.
S: SILENCE FOR10 SECONDS
P: (laughs) Well, I certainly don't want you to be promulgating untruths- that's what I hope I'm helping my students avoid- but it would be worth your while to notice how some of those writers do it. The key to effective writing is "Know thy readership"- assess your reader accurately.
S: SILENCE FOR 5SECONDS
P: Exactly! What they know... and what they don't know. If you talk down to them, they feel insulted. They say to themselves, "Does he think I'm stupid or something?" And they walk away.
S: SILENCE FOR 5SECONDS
P: Maybe not, but your opening sentence borders on the other extreme- if you expect too much of your readers, you'll also put them off. They'll say to themselves, "Who does he think I am, Einstein?" And again, they'll walk away.
S: SILENCE FOR10 SECONDS
P: No, but you can certainly tone down the vocabulary. Either that or define difficult or arcane words when you use them. But that usually slows things down. Anyway, you have to bring yourself and the reader to the same level somehow- that's what you should always be shooting for.
S: SILENCE FOR 10 SECONDS
P: That's the idea...but keep it short, or you'll lose the effectiveness of your opening. Why not just go ahead and use 'egg'? Then you can introduce the more, uh, precise scientific term later in the paragraph.
S: SILENCE FOR5 SECONDS
P: Sure. It's strong and clear, which is just what you want in order to interest your reader. You have a whole essay to be more precise in, to get down to the details.
S: SILENCE FOR10 SECONDS
P: Too abstract. OK, just tell me this: what do you mean by that phrase?
S: SILENCE FOR10 SECONDS
P: Good! Well, why didn't you say that in the first place? That's much more direct and attention-getting. It's expressed in a way that anyone can understand. "An egg is the start- or the beginning- of a new life".
S: SILENCE FOR5 SECONDS
P: Don't confuse formality with obfuscation, Michelle. You don't have to write densely to be formal- and lord knows you don't have to use big words! You just need to avoid slang and, uh, casual language. And be sure that the grammar is standard. Write clearly, simply, directly- that's what makes a good essay.
S: SILENCE FOR10 SECONDS
P: Good. And I'll be looking forward to how well you succeed. I'm not averse to giving A grades if they're deserved, you know.
S: SILENCE FOR 10SECONDS
P: Not at all, Michelle. That's what I'm hear for. See you in class.
