The Course of English for University Students (Step 4). Учебное пособие

МИНИСТЕРСТВО НАУКИ И ВЫСШЕГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

Федеральное государственное автономное образовательное учреждение высшего образования

«ЮЖНЫЙ ФЕДЕРАЛЬНЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ»

Е. Ю. Стратийчук

The Course of English for University Students

(Step 4)

Учебное пособие

Ростов-на-Дону – Таганрог Издательство Южного федерального университета

2025

MODULE 1. Writing Issues

How to Write an Outline

When you start thinking over a subject of your writing, first it can be helpful to make a brief and simple outline, where you just list your ideas and write about them later in the same order. If you prepare this step of your work thoughtfully and thoroughly, it will economize a lot of your time later.

A simple outline has a topic sentence at the top, with A, B, C, etc. for supporting sentence to follow, and finally a concluding sentence.

A Detailed Outline

A more detailed outline might follow this form:

Topic sentence

A.Supporting sentence

1.Supporting detail

2.Supporting detail

3.Supporting detail

B.Supporting sentence

1.Supporting detail

2.Supporting detail

3.Supporting detail

C.Supporting sentence

1.Supporting detail

2.Supporting detail

3.Supporting detail

D.Etc.

Concluding sentence

In the detailed outline shown above, supporting sentences A, B and C are the main points of the paragraph. Each of them supports the topic sentence. Supporting details 1, 2 and 3 are the supporting details for each supporting sentence. Of course, outlines generally don’t follow this format exactly. Outlines often have a different number of supporting sentences and a different number of supporting details.

This is how a detailed outline for the earlier example about snow skiing might look:

Snow Skiing

Snow skiers must take extreme precautions on the slopes. A. They must consider the weather conditions.

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1.Temperature

2.Wind

3.Storm or clear weather

B.They must consider the slope conditions.

1.Icy surfaces

2.Rocks and trees

3.Visibility

4.Crowds

C.They must consider their own ability.

1.Beginner

2.Intermediate

3.Expert

D.They must obey the warning signs

1.Out-of-bounds markers

2.Closed trails and runs

3.Avalanche danger

4.Other hazards

Snow skiing is a safe and enjoyable winter sports if skiers take a few precautions.

The following rules should be observed when making an outline:

1.Place the title of the paragraph or essay above the outline.

2.Use Roman numerals for the main topics. Subtopics are given letters and numbers as follows: capital letters, Arabic numerals, small letters, Arabic numerals in parentheses, small letters in parentheses.

CORRECT ARRANGEMENT OF NUMBERS AND LETTERS

I.

A.

B.

1.

2.

a.

b.

(1)

(2)

(a)

(b)

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II.

3.Indent subtopics so that all letters or numerals of the same kind will come directly under one another in a vertical line.

4.Begin each topic with a capital letter. Do not capitalize words other than the first unless they are proper nouns or proper adjectives.

5.Do not place a period after the items in an outline.

6.There must never be, under any topic, a single subtopic. There must be either two or more subtopics or none at all. Subtopics are divisions of the topic above them. A topic cannot be divided into less than two parts.

7.Ideally, topics should be parallel in form, and subtopics under the same topic should be parallel in form. If in a list of topics, the first is a noun, the others should be nouns. If it is an adjective, the others should be adjectives, etc. Topics in the form of phrases should not be mixed with topics in the form of nouns or a noun and its modifiers.

The following outline of a topic concerning an ideal American secondary school illustrates parallelism of topics and subtopics.

An Ideal American High School

I.The spirit of the school

A.Friendly

B.Democratic

C.Loyal

II.The government of the school

A.Democratic

B.Respected

III. The teachers of the school

A.Competent

B.Friendly

C.Understanding

IV. The program of the school

A.Courses which address every student’s need

B.Activities for every student

1.Clubs

2.Sports

Note that the four main topics are parallel—each contains a noun and a modifier.

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The first three subtopics consist of adjectives. Items A and B in Roman numeral IV contain nouns and modifiers, while the supporting details under Item B in Roman numeral IV are nouns.

8. For each number or letter in an outline there must be a topic. Never place an “a”, for instance, next to 1 like this: la

Exercise

Arrange the items in the following list into a correct outline. Begin by placing the title, which can be found in the list, above your outline, Then select the topics and list them using Roman numerals. Finally, list each subtopic under the appropriate topic, using capital letters. After finishing, compare your outline with your neighbor's, and discuss any differences between the two.

Using an Outline

After you have prepared a careful outline, the next step, writing a rough draft, should be easy. Since you have already organized your ideas, you can concentrate on writing smooth and grammatically correct sentences. Start with the topic sentence and follow the points in your outline.

Use the outline as a guide. If you want to change something, do so. An outline is intended to help you. You should not feel that you cannot add, delete, or change its contents during this stage in the writing process.

Questions and Activities

Choose any one of the following topics. Engage in a brief brainstorming activity with a partner in which you contribute ideas about your partner's topic and your partner contributes ideas about yours. Use the ideas that you and your partner produced to prepare an outline with a format similar to that shown in a detailed outline.

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Self-editing

For decades, the process-oriented writing pedagogy has refined language 1 (L1) and language 2 (L2) composition. However, grammatical and lexical errors persist in student work, potentially undermining their ideas and leading to negative evaluations. Therefore, ESL instructors must prioritize the cultivation of selfediting skills alongside idea generation.

In contemporary composition classrooms, editing involves preemptive detection and correction of linguistic and mechanical errors before submission. Studies suggest that grammatical inaccuracies can hinder ESL students' academic progress, as the academic community demands high standards of written accuracy. To succeed beyond ESL programs, students must learn to minimize errors through effective self-editing.

Reflecting this need, ESL resources increasingly emphasize selfediting skills. A semester-long editing process has been developed to foster self-sufficiency in advanced ESL writers, based on specific philosophical assumptions and a structured editing process.

This approach is underpinned by key principles:

••Focus on recurring error patterns over individual mistakes.

••Tailor instruction for personalized learning.

••Prioritize frequent, globally disruptive, and stigmatizing errors.

To facilitate independent editing, a three-stage discovery approach is implemented.

Stage 1: Focus on Form

Contrary to assumptions, ESL students may lack interest in or feel overwhelmed by editing. This stage emphasizes the necessity of editing through activities analyzing error-ridden texts. Students discuss how errors impede comprehension, recognizing that even seemingly minor inaccuracies can disrupt understanding.

For instance, sentences like My parent always gave me a lot of love, School is the place where I learn things such as reading and writing, and I like coffee; on the other hand, I also like tea contain

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subtle errors impacting clarity. By identifying these issues, students recognize the importance of editing.

Another strategy involves a diagnostic essay assignment with feedback on content, editing problems, and potential final grades. This immediate feedback motivates students without intimidation, as these grades remain informational and do not affect the final course evaluation.

Stage 2: Recognizing Major Error Types

Research validates focusing on patterns over individual errors, making this phase essential. Train students to classify errors based on criteria like frequency and impact. Familiarize students with targeted categories, have them practice identifying errors in sample essays, and then conduct error-focused peer reviews (see Activities 1 and 2). Discovering errors in the writing of others is easier than in one’s own writing. Exercises in recognizing error patterns in other works help students become more aware of similar problems in their own writing. They also serve to dissuade students from the frustrating and even counterproductive notion that they can or should attempt to correct every single error in a given essay draft.

During this stage, concise instruction may address prevalent error patterns. For example, clarify the distinction between simple past and present perfect tenses. Address specific difficulties directly, rather than providing an exhaustive grammar overview. For individualized instruction, editing handbooks offer targeted support. These handbooks differ from comprehensive ESL texts by focusing on specific writing problems. Furthermore, ESL writing textbooks often include editing sections. Use these handbooks by giving students homework tasks that address their areas of need as seen in their essay drafts.

Stage 3: Editing Your Own Work

In the final phase, students are required to find and correct errors in their own essay drafts (see Activity 2). Also, throughout the semester, students keep a log of their error frequencies in the different categories so they can observe their progress. As the semester progresses and the students get more and more editing practice, the amount of editing feedback provided is gradually decreased and the editing task turned over first to peer editors and then to the writers themselves.

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