WRITING SKILLS WORKSHOP

PROF. MARIANA LIMA

AULA 02

Writing Skills Workshop

Língua Inglesa
Prof. Mariana Lima
pedagogico@ideg.com.br
Aula 02
 WRITING SKILLS WORKSHOP
PROF. MARIANA LIMA
AULA 02

INTRODUCTIONS
• Last April, South Africa celebrated the 20th anniversary of its first
democratic elections, which brought to power the African National
Congress (ANC) and its leader, Nelson Mandela, who had led the
antiapartheid movement for decades. Many had long believed that
civil war was the only way that the apartheid state would fall, and
South Africa’s mostly peaceful transition from a racist authoritarian
state to a multiracial democracy stands as one of the most
surprising political developments of the twentieth century. The shift
has not been without its problems, but few would contest South
Africa’s credentials as a democracy—perhaps the most democratic
state in Africa.
 WRITING SKILLS WORKSHOP
PROF. MARIANA LIMA
AULA 02

INTRODUCTIONS
• Last April, South Africa celebrated the 20th anniversary of its first
democratic elections, which brought to power the African National
Congress (ANC) and its leader, Nelson Mandela, who had led the
antiapartheid movement for decades. Many had long believed that
civil war was the only way that the apartheid state would fall, and
South Africa’s mostly peaceful transition from a racist authoritarian
state to a multiracial democracy stands as one of the most
surprising political developments of the twentieth century. The
shift has not been without its problems, but few would contest
South Africa’s credentials as a democracy—perhaps the most
democratic state in Africa.
 WRITING SKILLS WORKSHOP
PROF. MARIANA LIMA
AULA 02

INTRODUCTIONS
• Last April, South Africa celebrated the 20th anniversary of its first
democratic elections, which brought to power the African National
Congress (ANC) and its leader, Nelson Mandela, who had led the
antiapartheid movement for decades. →§1: Still, democracy is no
guarantor of stability or prosperity.

• Many had long believed that civil war was the only way that the apartheid
state would fall, and South Africa’s mostly peaceful transition from a racist
authoritarian state to a multiracial democracy stands as one of the most
surprising political developments of the twentieth century. →§2: South
Africa will never be free of interracial animosities. + There are, however,
some reasons for optimism

• The shift has not been without its problems, but few would contest South
Africa’s credentials as a democracy—perhaps the most democratic state in
Africa. →§3: When political positions cut across racial lines rather than
reinforce them… those developments would undoubtedly aid the
consolidation of democratic change in South Africa.
 WRITING SKILLS WORKSHOP
PROF. MARIANA LIMA
AULA 02

PARAGRAPH STRUCTURES
• Paragraphs : basic units of a
text.
• Focus on a single main idea
coherently developed and
supported
• All paragraphs must be
related to the thesis and
have a specific function.
• Every paragraph in a
dissertation should be
– Unified
– Coherent
– Properly developed
 WRITING SKILLS WORKSHOP
PROF. MARIANA LIMA
AULA 02
PARAGRAPH STRUCTURES
• Paragraphs : basic units of a
text.
• Focus on a single main idea
coherently developed and
supported
• All paragraphs must be related
to the thesis and have a
specific function.
• Every paragraph in a
dissertation should be
– Unified
– Coherent
– Properly developed
• Unified: support, refute,
illustrate or otherwise develop a
single main idea, usually the
topic sentence .
• Coherent: structured in a logical
manner. It should have a definite
function in the overall plan.
Transitions between body
paragraphs should support the
argument line.
• Properly developed: Each
paragraph’s main idea should be
adequately discussed,
supported, refuted or explained
. There must be a clear logical
relation between each
paragraph and the main thesis.
 WRITING SKILLS WORKSHOP
PROF. MARIANA LIMA
AULA 02

INTRODUCTIONS
• A good introduction is a navigation guide: it should
– clearly state your thesis
– announce how you intend to discuss and develop it.

• An effective introduction should be brief, clear and

relevant and also contain all the key ideas and
argumentation lines to be developed in the text.
• Avoid unnecessary details, excessive background
information or long, complex sentences.
• State in a clear, direct manner the ideas and
discussions that will unfold in the body paragraphs.
 WRITING SKILLS WORKSHOP
PROF. MARIANA LIMA
AULA 02

INTRODUCTIONS
• A well-organized introduction paragraph
– presents the overall subject of your composition
– provides a context for the main issue
– focus on the specific questions you intend to
argue
– shows how you plan to approach and discuss the
question
– asserts your thesis
 WRITING SKILLS WORKSHOP
PROF. MARIANA LIMA
AULA 02

INTRODUCTIONS
Last April, South Africa celebrated the 20th anniversary of its first
democratic elections, which brought to power the African
National Congress (ANC) and its leader, Nelson Mandela, who
had led the antiapartheid movement for decades. →overall
subject of your composition + context for the main issue

Many had long believed that civil war was the only way that the
apartheid state would fall, and South Africa’s mostly peaceful
transition from a racist authoritarian state to a multiracial
democracy stands as one of the most surprising political
developments of the twentieth century. →Specific questions
you intend to argue; how you plan to approach and discuss the
question

The shift has not been without its problems, but few would
contest South Africa’s credentials as a democracy—perhaps
the most democratic state in Africa. →asserts your thesis
 WRITING SKILLS WORKSHOP
PROF. MARIANA LIMA
AULA 02

• It stands to reason that the Amazon region is rich in

natural resources, such as minerals, water and great
biodiversity, which become more essential every day .
The use of these resources can lead the countries of
the Amazon region, namely Peru, to achieve improved
development levels . Nevertheless, depending on how
the resources are managed, their exploitation can lead
to unmitigated disaster, both for the environment and
for local people. In this sense, Peru does not have to
maintain the Amazon region untouched, what it needs
to do is create basis for sustainable development
projects .
 WRITING SKILLS WORKSHOP
PROF. MARIANA LIMA
AULA 02
IRINA FEISTHAUER SILVEIRA, IRBr class of 2013
• It stands to reason that the Amazon region is rich in
natural resources, such as minerals, water and great
biodiversity, which become more essential every day .
The use of these resources can lead the countries of
the Amazon region, namely Peru, to achieve improved
development levels . Nevertheless, depending on how
the resources are managed, their exploitation can lead
to unmitigated disaster, both for the environment and
for local people. In this sense, Peru does not have to
maintain the Amazon region untouched, what it
needs to do is create basis for sustainable
development projects .
 WRITING SKILLS WORKSHOP
PROF. MARIANA LIMA
AULA 02

ROBERTO SZATMARI, IRBr class of 2014

• Throughout history, many thinkers have argued that
crises and conflicts have positive effects for progress
and civilization. German philosopher Hegel compared
nations to trees, which occasionally needed to be
shaken to be cleared of dead leaves. Proposed
benefits of conflicts have included everything from
technological development to increased unity and
moral edification. As our economic and political
analyses improve, however, these views seem
increasingly quixotic and untenable.