PRINCIPLES of COMPOSITION

Section #3
TA: Nguyen Vinh Khuong
Graduate Student
2016 Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF) Fellow
Department of Electrical Engineering
University of Arkansas, USA

Contact me at:
vinhkhuong@engineer.com
(+84) 935. 50. 57. 53
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What we will study today
• Recall from TA Section #2
– How engineer should write?
– Thinking and Planning for your writings
• Write and Express your ideas, your works by
words
• Revise what you had written to sharpening it

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 How engineer should write?
• Basic requirements in scientific and technical
writing:

Explanation Order
Clarity Accuracy
Completeness Objectivity
Impartiality Simplicity

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 How engineer should write?
• The writing of considerate authors also has the
following characteristics:

Appropriateness Persuasiveness
Brevity Precision
Consistency Sincerity
Control Unity
Interest

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 Steps to do
Thinking and planning
• Be aware of the Deadline and the time
available.
• Collecting information and ideas (5W-1H).
• Preparing a topic outline.
• Putting your paragraphs in order.

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 Steps to do
MARKING CRITERIA
• Dictations and Grammatical Range
Accuracy
• Structure
• Cohesion & Coherence (Logical)
• Task Achievement (Persuasive)
• Lexical Resource

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 Steps to do
Writing
• Try to write the whole of any short
composition at one sitting, using the words
that first come to mind.
• Your topic outline contributes to order and
to the organization that is essential in
writing.
• In scientific and technical writing,
information and ideas should be presented
in an interesting and objective way.

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 Steps to do
• Begin well;
• Avoid repetition by dealing with each
topic fully in one paragraph;
• Make proper connections to help
readers follow your train of thought;
• Emphasize your main points;
• Write quickly, maintaining the
momentum
• Ensure relevance;
• That makes a composition hold together
• Arrive at an effective conclusion.
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 Steps to do
Revising
• Scan for:
– Repeated words in short paragraph
– Dictation errors
– Inappropriate linking words
– Inappropriate sentences
• Read again as a not-ever-known-about-
this-problem person: make sure that you
can understand what you had written.

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 Summarize
Think
1. Consider the title or your terms of reference.
2. Define the purpose and scope of your composition,
if these are not clearly stated in the title.
3. Decide what your readers need to know.
4. If possible, identify your readers and prepare a
distribution list.
5. Consider the time available and allocate
this to thinking, planning, writing and
revising.
6. Make notes of relevant information and
ideas. 10
 Summarize
Plan
1. Prepare a topic outline.
2. Underline the points you will emphasize.
3. Decide on an effective beginning.
4. Number the topics in an appropriate order.
5. Decide how to end.
6. Decide what help you will need with
the preparation of diagrams and
photographs, editing, copying and
binding, or other tasks, and liaise with
the people concerned.
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 Summarize
Write
1. If your first draft is hand-written, write one paragraph
on each sheet and write on one side only, so that –
as with a word processor – you can revise
paragraphs or change their order easily.
2. If possible, put other tasks on one side and write
where you will be free from interruption.
3. Use your topic outline as a guide.
4. Use effective headings, and keep to the point.
5. Start writing and try to complete your first
draft, or one section of a long document,
at one sitting, using the first words that
come to mind. 12
 Summarize
Check
1. Does your first draft read well; is it well balanced?
2. Are the main points sufficiently emphasized?
3. Is anything essential missing?
4. Is the meaning of each sentence clear and correct?
5. Does the writing match the needs of your readers, in
vocabulary, sentence length and style?
6. If necessary, revise your composition.
Then put it on one side for a while to give
yourself time for reflection.
7. Read it again to see if you are still
satisfied that it is the best you can do in
the time available. 13
Essential Linking Words

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Essential Linking Words

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Essential Linking Words

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Essential Linking Words

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Essential Linking Words

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Essential Linking Words

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Essential Linking Words

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Essential Linking Words

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Critical Writing – Useful Phrases
Relating to theories/arguments etc:
• There are a number of strengths/weaknesses etc
with this theory/argument. Firstly ---.
• Secondly ---. More/most importantly/significantly ---.
• A (particular/important) strength of this is ---
• One/a further (major/key) criticism of Smith’s work is
that ---
• A (serious) weakness/problem with this
• theory/argument/viewpoint/explanation/proposal/in
terpretation is that ---
• However, this fails to/does not appear to take
account of ---

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Critical Writing – Useful Phrases
Relating to theories/arguments etc:
• What Smith fails to do is ---
• Smith fails to fully acknowledge the importance
of/need for ---etc
• Smith offers no explanation for/omits to
explain/mention ---
• This could be challenged on the basis that ---
• This relies too heavily on/places too much emphasis
on ---
• A counter argument might be that ---
• It might be argued, however, that ---
• An alternative explanation might be that ---

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Critical Writing – Useful Phrases
Relating to theories/arguments etc:
• One question that might need to be asked is ---
• It is questionable whether ---
• There is an inconsistency in this argument: ---
• An apparent inconsistency/omission is that ---
• Smith contradicts himself in this when he states that -
--
• This argument/theory etc does not/fails to stand up
to scrutiny when considering ---
• This is/would not be appropriate in situations /cases
where ---

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Critical Writing – Useful Phrases
Relating to theories/arguments etc:
• There are/could be difficulties/limitations with
applying this in practice, however.
• This could present difficulties in practice. For
example ---
• The practical implications of this need to be carefully
considered.

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Critical Writing – Useful Phrases
Relating to practices/methods/models:
• This has/had the benefit/positive effect/advantage of -
--
• A positive outcome of this was ---
• This appears to have been successful largely because –
• This method/approach is particularly/mainly
appropriate/useful in cases/circumstances
• where ---
• One/another problem/disadvantage/drawback with
this method/approach is/was that ---
• This model/method/approach does/did not
address/take account of ---

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Critical Writing – Useful Phrases
Relating to practices/methods/models:
• Perhaps the most serious disadvantage/limitation of
this method is ---
• There are a number of limitations when following this
approach/using this
• method/model.
• This method/model has a number of
limitations/disadvantages
• This method/approach does not lend itself to
cases/situations where ---

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Critical Writing – Useful Phrases
Introducing other people’s criticisms:
• This has been criticized/challenged by –
• Critics (Smith, 2008; Jones, 2009) have argued
that ---
• Many/some have challenged this on the
grounds that ---

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Critical Writing – Useful Phrases
Constructive suggestions:
• A better/more systematic study would ---
• It would be/would have been better/more
beneficial/appropriate/useful/effective to ---
• A better/more helpful etc approach/method etc would
be/have been to---
• The X approach/model would be/have been more
appropriate/beneficial in this
• case/these circumstances.
• This situation/these circumstances would lend
itself/themselves better to the X
• model/approach.
• Further explanation/clarification/research is
required/recommended. 29
 Quiz #3
• Write a full paper of POWER LINE COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY
• Ranging from 1 to 2 pages only
• Plagiarism will be counted
• Dictation errors will be counted
• Grammar errors will be counted
• Trying not to use dictation checking tool in Microsoft Office
• Citation follows APA or IEEE rule.
• Trying not to use dictation checking tool
• Email title must be: POC3-CT13TIEN1-Your Name-ID
Example: POC3-CT13TIEN1-Dang Vo Thua Phong-ILI13138
• Quiz must be submitted electronically to
vinhkhuong@engineer.com.
• Deadline of submission: 2:45 - 3:05 pm, May 26, 2016.
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