An Introduction to

Academic Writing

Written by:
Setya Putri Rahayu, S.S. M.A.
Darmawan Budi Satria, S.Pd. M.Pd.
Dian Asti Anggraini, S.Pd

Center of Language Development Team

‘Aisyiyah University of Yogyakarta

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 2017
Acknowledgment
Assalamualaikum wr. wb.
Alhamdulillah, the highest praise is only addressed to Allah SWT that has given the
opportunity, health, and blessing so that Introduction to Academic Writing can be
finished. Unforgettably, shalawat and salam is given to Prophet Muhammad who
has given the guidance from the darkness to the brightness.
The writer realizes that writing is a process of production when people use
language. Somehow, it becomes a difficult thing to do for beginners especially
university students. This book is specially written for beginner students who want to
learn how to write any articles in English.
The book is divided into several chapters which can help students to be able to write
step by step. The first three chapters discuss about how to develop sentences within
particular common grammatical orders. The next chapter presents how students can
learn to make a well-arranged paragraph, and after that they are able to develop the
paragraph into a meaningful essay in the next chapter. In addition, the next chapters
of this book can also be guidance for students to write their thesis abstracts
(Chapter 6), letters (Chapter 7), and curriculum vitae (Chapter 8).
However, the writer humbly realizes that the book is far from perfect. Thus,
suggestions are openly accepted.
Waalaikumsalam wr. wb.

Best Regard

The Writer

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 Contents
Cover Page 1
Acknowledgment 2
Contents 3
Chapter I – Introducing Myself and My Classmate 4
Using Nominal Sentences
Chapter II – Describing Things and Places 17
Using Simple Present Tense
Chapter III – Remembering An Important Day 32
Using Simple Past Tense
Chapter IV – Fast Food Is Not Good for Health 41
Developing A Paragraph
Chapter V – Therefore Education Is the Most Significant Aspect 49
Developing An Essay
Chapter VI – Writing Abstract 61
Chapter VII – I’ve Got An Email
Writing Letter and Email 73
Chapter VIII – Dear Mr. Smith
Writing An Application Letter and Curriculum Vitae 92

References 103

3
Chapter 1
Introducing Myself and My Classmate

Objectives

Students are able to write and share about introducing themselves.

Let’s Start
In this unit, you are going to write a paragraph about yourself and your classmates. First,
look at the model paragraphs. The models will help us think about what we want to write.
Then, pay attention carefully on each explanation and finish the activities given in each
step.

Activity 1
Work with a partner. Read each paragraph, circle the information you find in the
paragraph.

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Azkaa Name language

Satriya. My nickname is Azkaa. I am from Hometown family
Yogyakarta. I speak Indonesian. I am single. I live
Work plans for future
Address work
with my parents, my father and my mother. I study Study
in the Medical Faculty of Gajah Mada University. I
want to be a doctor.

Name hometown
I would like o introduce myself. My name is Tamara
Work where she lives
Cynthia. I am 21 years old. I am from Ambon. I live Free-time fun
in the dormitory of University of ‘Aisyiyah Age plans for future
Yogyakarta. On Weekends, I like to go shopping in Study language
Sunday Morning Marketplace. I like watching
especially action movie.

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Dedi Name hometown

Febrianto. I am a teacher. I am teaching English Work where she lives
and Oral Communication. I am married. My wife and Free-time fun
Age plans for future
my son are in Jambi. I miss my family. I live with
Study language
my aunt.

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 Activity 2
Write six or more sentences about yourself. Look at the models in Activity 1 for help.

1. My name is ______________________.
2. I am from ______________________.
3. I speak ______________________.
4. ______________________.
5. ______________________.
6. ______________________.
7. ______________________.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Activity 3
Show your sentences to your partner. Read your partner’s sentences. Do you understand
all your partner’s sentences? Tell your partner if something is not clear.

Organization
From words to sentences to paragraphs

Words Sentences
Student I am a student.

Book I always bring my book.

Name My name is Azkaa.

We use sentences to form paragraphs. A paragraph is a group of sentences about a topic. Read the
following paragraph:

Yogyakarta is a small city but there are many places where we can visit them.
There are many temples in the province, such as Prambanan, Kalasan and Sambi
Sari. There are also two palaces that we must not miss, Hamengkubuwono and
Pakualam Palace. Yogyakarta is a tropical city. There are palm trees and other
tropical fruit trees. There are also beautiful beaches, such usParangtritis,
Krakal, KukupGlagah. It is not difficult to get around the city at the day
because taxis and buses are easily found. Unfortunately, there is no bus in
evening. The only way to see the nightlife of the city is by taxi, but it rare at
night. I like Yogyakarta because it’s a beautiful and peaceful city.

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 The topic of the paragraph is ___________________________.
A Paragraph is a group of related sentences about a single topic. The topic of a paragrapah is one,
only one. The first word in a paragraph is moved to the right about one-half inch. This is called
indenting the first word. Also, there is blank space down both the left and the right sides of the
page. These blank spaces are called margins.
Each paragrapah that you write for this class should have a title. A title tells the topic of the
paragraph in a few words. A title is short. It may even be one word.

Activity 4
Work alone or with your partner. Read the letter and answer the questions below.

1. How many paragraphs are there in Nadia’s letter? _________________

2. What is the topic of the second paragraph? _______________________

Writing Practice 1
Activity 5
Write a paragraph about yourself (like the models in activity 1). Follow these steps.
Step 1: Take a piece of paper. Write your name at the top.

Step 2: Indent and begin your paragraph with this sentence:

I would like to introduce myself.
Step 3: Look at the sentences you wrote. Change your sentences if you want.

Step 4: Complete your paragraph by copying your sentences. Skip lines.

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 Activity 6
Introducing My Classmate
Good writing is more than just using a correct grammar. It also means thinking,
planning, checking, and revising. You will be learning about the four steps of writing:
(1) Pre-writing (getting ideas and organizing them), (2) writing the first draft, (3) editing
the first draft (checking and correcting it), and (4) writing the final draft to hand in.

Steps Instruction Note

STEP 1 In this step, you gather ideas to write Write your notes here....
about.
Pre-writing
(you may use the checklist below this
Taking notes
table)
STEP 2 • Give your paragraph title Write your notes here .....
• Begin your paragraph with the
Writing the first
sentence: My classmate’s name is
draft
______. (You may begin your
paragraph with a different sentence
too.)
• Write several sentences telling
about your classmate. Use your
notes from STEP 1.
• End your paragraph with a
sentence or two that tells how you
feel about your classmate, e.g. I
am happy to have _________ as
my classmate. I think we will
become good friends.
STEP 3 These are several steps in the editing Notes .....
process:
Editing the first
draft 1. Check the meaning. Read your
paragraph silently. Make sure the
meaning of all sentences is clear.
2. Check the mechanics. Read it
silently again. At this time, you
should look for mistakes in
punctuation, grammar, and
spelling. Fix them if you find any
mistakes.
3. Have your partner check the
meaning.
4. Have your partner check the
mechanic.
STEP 4 Write a neat final paragraph to hand in
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 Writing the final to your lecturer. Be sure use correct
draft paragraph form.

Continued to the next page

Checklist to gather information about your classmate.

Information Notes

1. First name and family name 1. ___________________________

2. Age 2. ___________________________
3. City 3. ___________________________
4. Religion 4. ___________________________
5. Address in Yogyakarta and 5. ___________________________
Hometown 6. ___________________________
6. Length of time in Yogyakarta 7. ___________________________
7. Length of time studying English 8. ___________________________
8. Reasons for studying English 9. ___________________________
9. Hobbies or Sports 10. ___________________________
10. Weekend activities 11. ___________________________
11. Plans for future

Grammar and Mechanics

What is a sentence?
A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete idea. A sentence always has a
subject and a verb.

Look at the following examples:

• Azkaaplays the guitar every Monday.
• Ahmadgoes fishing every Sunday morning.
• Anitatakes an English course on the weekend.

A simple sentence is a sentence that has one subject-verb combination. The subject in a simple
sentnce may be compound (e.g. My brother and I). The verb may also be compound (e.g. They read
and write). What is important is that there is only one subject-verb combination in a simple
sentence.
Look at the following examples, these are simple sentences. Notice that no commas are used in
them:
1. My younger sister speaks English fluently. (SV – simple subject with simple verb)
2. My mother and father present their paper in ‘Aisyiyah University. ( SSV – compound subject
with simple verb)
3. My friend is a teacher and has a great job. (SVV – simple subject with compound verb)
4. My friend and I are reading the books and writing a report. (SSVV – compound subject with
compound verb)
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 The following sentences are not simple sentences because they have two subject-verb
combinations. They are compound sentences, and their formulas look like this: SV, (connecting
word), SV. Look at the following compound sentences:
1. Ahmad is doing the first part of the report, and Zaky is writing the final draft.
2. Azkaa is a manager in a company, but he is promoted to get a scholarship for MBA next
year.

Connecting Words : and, or

We often need to connect words or groups of words in a sentence. One way to do this is to
use a connecting word. Connecting words are called conjunctions. There are many conjunctions in
English. Two of the most common ones are and and or. They have different meanings.
and joins two or more similar things in positive sentences.
I like Chinese and Indonesian food.
Swimming and waterskiing are my favorite weekend activities.
We have class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
or connects two or more similar things in negative sentences.
I don’t like Chinese or Italian food.
We don’t have class on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
I can’t play tennis or skateboard.
or also connects two or more choices or alternatives.
I recommend you to take English course or Chinese course.
Ahmad or Azkaa will continue the last draft of this report.

Activity 6
Work alone, circle the subject and verb in each sentence. Write S for subject and V for
verb.

Living on Campus on the United States

Many U.S. institutions offer a variety of student housing options and services on the college
campus. On campus, students usually live in residence halls or dormitories, which are student
apartment buildings that are often called "dorms." Among the options are dorms for men- or
women-only, freshman-only, and academic-, language-, or theme-focused housing to support
diverse student interests. Students usually share rooms, and the environment can be a great place to
meet new friends quickly. Campus housing has on-site staff who are usually upperclassmen who
know the campus well and serve as an information resource for all dorm residents.
Students dine in cafeterias located on campus where they can find a number of food options
to meet cultural and dietary needs. Student health centers provider basic medical services to the
student population.
Opportunities for recreation and club involvement help enrich the campus life experience.
Academic, cultural, athletic, and special interest clubs meet to socialize and explore common

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interests. The housing, support services, and extracurricular activities on U.S. campuses help
students form a community within their campus.
Adapted from: https://educationusa.state.gov/experience-studying-usa/living-campus-united-states

What Does a Sentence Look Like?

There are different kinds of sentences. Some sentences are statements, and some
sentences are questions. Look at these examples with your class.

How are statements and questions the same? How are they different?

Statements
I am from Yogyakarta.
My English class is very dynamic.
I always check my project on Sunday afternoon.
I have to master English before I graduate
Questions
Where are you from?
How is your English class?
What do you do every Sunday afternoon?
What’s your plan before you graduate?

Sentences need capital letters and punctuation. Every sentence begins with a capital letter. Every
sentence has a punctuation mark at the end.

Rules Examples
1. Use a capital letter for the first word in a 1. Mastering English is very important for my
sentence. future.
2. Put a period (.) after a statement. 2. The students are required to finish the
3. Put a question mark (?) after a question. project on time.
3. When is the professor going to conduct the
presentation of our final project?

Activity 7
Work alone or with a partner. Put the words in order. Write statements. Look at the
examples of statements on page 13 for help. Add periods.

1. ship violently the storm rocked the

______________________________________________________________
2. masterpiece artist painstakingly the his worked at
______________________________________________________________
3. gift free a Dad offered firm by the was.
______________________________________________________________
4. I read paper in the burglar been caught had the that.
______________________________________________________________

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 5. nightfall began cricketers the at their piercing calls.
______________________________________________________________
6. wore a hat he of coconut made fiber his on head.
______________________________________________________________
7. parts many coffee popular in world the is very of.
______________________________________________________________
8. cave could explore not they torch the without a.
______________________________________________________________
9. the storm shed damaged the was during.
______________________________________________________________
10. the dog James talking sat next to himself to.
______________________________________________________________
Activity 8
Some sentences are missing capital letters on the first word. Make corrections.

my name is Mayra. I am from the Dominican Republic, my

firstlanguage is Spanish, now I live in Hartford, today is my first day in this

school. I want to learn English, it is very important for my future.

Activity 9
Make corrections to this paragraph. Add five more capital letters and seven more
periods.
kazumi is one of my classmates, she is from Japan she speaksJapanese

her parents live in Tokyo she has no brothers or sisters sheis single kazumi likes

music and fashion her clothes are beautiful

Grammar and Vocabulary

Many verbs are words for actions. They are words for things that someone or
something does, like builds, drives, or plays. These verbs describe movement or
change that you can see, for example My lecturer always rides his bicycles to
our campus.

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 Other verbs do not express actions. We cannot see any movement or change.
Examples of these verbs are is, likes, and has.

Activity 10
Building Sentences -- connecting subject, verb and noun
Work with a partner. Write six or more statements. Use words from each box. Use all
six verbs ( you may add –s or –es in the end of the verb)
Subject Verb
My classmate is a student
The professor finish a project
He have a computer
She present the bus
listen a cell phone
accomplish movies
paper
presentation
assignment
Example : The professor gives us a lot of assignments in the end of this semester.
1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________
6. __________________________________________________________
7. __________________________________________________________
8. __________________________________________________________
9. __________________________________________________________
10. __________________________________________________________

Activity 11
A noun is a word for a person, place, thing or idea. Look at the chart then identify the
bold-typed words.

Sentences What does the noun name?

No. A person A place A thing An idea
1. I really love my parents. 1.
2. The professor delivers his speech.
3. Do you know where Ahmad is? 2.
4. The professor is waiting at the hall. 3.
5. The library is open today.
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6. The keynote speaker comes from 4.
Indonesia.
7. Would you like some ice cream? 5.
8. The paper should be submitted 6.
tomorrow.
9. Xiaomi is the fastest-growing start-up. 7.
10. Education is very important for our
life. 8.
11. We are going to have fun on Sunday.
9.
12. What time is it?
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11.
12.

Activity 12
Work with your partner then write as many nouns as you can. Count your nouns, and
write the total.

1. Nouns for people in a family.

Example: mother, father,
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________ Total :________________
2. Nouns for things you can find in your campus.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________ Total :________________
3. Nouns for places to go
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________ Total :________________

Singular and Plural Nouns

Most noungs have singular and plural forms. Singular means “only one” and Plural
means “more than one”. Look at the following example for regular plural nouns:

Singular Plural
Laptop Laptops
Book Books
Laboratory Laboratories
Course Courses
Class Classes

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 Activity 13
Work with your partner. Combine two sentences in each pair to make one sentences,
use and and or.

e.g. I like chocolate ice cream. I like coffee ice crea. __I like chocolate and coffee ice cream.__

1. I can speak English. I can understand English.

______________________________________________________________________
2. I can’t speak Tagalog. I can’t speak Vietnamese.
______________________________________________________________________
3. Blue is my favorite color. Yellow is my favorite color.
______________________________________________________________________
4. Would you like soup? Would you like salad? (You can have only one.)
______________________________________________________________________
5. You can have rice with your meal. You can have potatoes with your meal.
______________________________________________________________________
6. Amien Rais, a lecturer of political study, is smart. Amien Rais, a lecturer of political study,
is the leader of a party.
______________________________________________________________________

Some plural nouns are irregular. They do not follow the rules for plural nouns.
Singular Plural
Person People
Man Men
Woman Women
Child Children
(find more example)

Activity 14
Circle the nouns and mark whether the noun is singular or plural.

Paris is the capital of France. It is a beautiful city. Millions of

people visit Paris each year. There are wonderful museums, historic

buildings, lovely parks, and excellent restaurants. A visitor can have a

great time in Paris.

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Activity 15
Building vocabulary: nouns and verbs.
Work with a partner. Complete the chart with nouns and verbs. Write two words in each
box. Each word must begin with the letter at the top. Try to make the sample of
sentences in your notebook. You may continue with the next alphabets.

A B C D E

Nouns Apple

Ahmad

Verbs Ask

answer

Activity 16
Work by yourself. Write 10 simple sentences about your family, your classmates, or
your campus. Use the patters, SV, SSV, SVV, SSVV.

e.g. My classmate is going to present his research in an international seminar on June.

1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________
6. __________________________________________________________
7. __________________________________________________________
8. __________________________________________________________
9. __________________________________________________________
10. __________________________________________________________

Writing Activities
Writing is a process. A process is a series of steps or actions. We take the steps because
we want to reach a goal. The steps in the process will help us get the result we want.

Final Project
In this activity, we are going to write about Myself and My Classmate. You are going to
work on your notebook. Don’t forget to write on your notebook, have it checked and hand in to
your lecturer.

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Vocabulary Focus in Unit 1
Learn, write in your notebook and study the following words.

process : _____________________
assignment : _____________________
continue : _____________________
capital city : _____________________
involve : _____________________
resident : _____________________
lecturer : _____________________
course : _____________________
support : _____________________
diverse : _____________________
provide : _____________________

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Chapter 2
Describing Things and Places

Objectives:
Students are able to construct a paragraph describing things, places, objects
or process.

Let’s Start
In this unit, you will write descriptions. Descriptions are word pictures. You tell how
something looks, feels, smells, tastes, and sounds. You need to become a sharp observer
and notice many small details so that you can write a good word picture.

Pre-Activity
Work with your partner then do the following activities:

1. Discuss each picture with your partner. What kind of person do you think lives or works in
each place?
2. What clues in each picture led you to your choice? Make a list of the clues next to each
picture.
Clues :
..................................................................
....................................................................
..................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
.................................................................
.....................................................................
....................................................................

Continued to the next page ....................................................................

Name of room : ..........................................
Kind of person : .........................................

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 Clues :
..................................................................
....................................................................
..................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
.................................................................
.....................................................................
....................................................................
....................................................................
Name of room : ..........................................
Kind of person : .........................................

Clues :
..................................................................
....................................................................
..................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
.................................................................
.....................................................................
....................................................................
....................................................................
Name of room : ..........................................
Kind of person : .........................................

Organization
In this unit, you are going to write good descriptions. When you write a description of
a person, you tell what he or she looks like. When you describe a place, you tell what
it looks like. If you describe a scene with people, you might first describe the place,
and then you might also tell what is happening and what the people are doing.

Writing Techniques
There are two ways to writing good descriptions. The first is to use space-order and the
second is to use specific details.

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1. Space-order Paragraphs
In using space-order, you might describe something from top to bottom or from left
to right. For example, when you describe a person, you could start with the person’s
head and end with the person’s feet.
You might describe your classroom like this: Imagin that you are standing in the
entrance door. Write about each part of the room in order, moving from the left side of
the room around the right side and ending at the entrance door again. When you describe
a certain view, you might describe far away objects first and close-up objects last. These
are all ways to use space to put sentences in a description into meaningful order.
2. Specific details
When you describe something, you paint a picture with words. Your goal is to make
the reader “see” what you are describing. The way to do this is to use a lot of specific
details.Specific means exact, precise. The opposite of specific is vague. The more
specific you can be, the better the readers can see what you are describing.
Here are some examples
Vague Specific
A lot of money IDR 500,000,000
A large house A six-bedroom, four-bathroom house
A nice car Range Rover Sport
Big library A 20,000-collection library
A big campus A four-library, 150-class building

Activity 1
Work with your partner, look at the following paragraph, and identify how the writer
described the objects.
My campus, Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Yogyakarta, is a big campus. It has two
main campuses in Yogyakarta; they are Campus 1 and the Main Campus. Campus 1
is located at Jl. Munir 267 Serangan, Ngampilan, Yogyakarta. Campus 1 is a three-
floor campus and the classes are mostly occupied for English Programs and other
tutorial courses. Actually Campus 1 had been the main campus of Universitas
‘Aisyiyah Yogyakarta before it moved to the Main Campus. During the weedays, I
usually study at the Main Campus. It is located at Jl. Ring Road Barat 63 Mlangi
Nogotirto Gamping Sleman. This campus is very big. It is two-main building
campus, Building A and B. Building A is four-floor building and it consists of
offices and classes, such as, Rector and Vice- Rectors’ office, Academic Office,
Students’ Affair Office, Office of the Departments. We can also find the library
which has more than 10,000 collections here. When we go to the fourth floor, we can
find a sophisticated hall with the red and comfortable chairs. Those are the
descriptions of the place where I study. I really enjoy studying in this campus.

Topic : _______________________________________________

19
 Descriptions :
1. _________________________________________
2. _________________________________________
3. _________________________________________
4. _________________________________________
5. _________________________________________

Activity 2
Work with your partner, look at the following paragraphs, and identify the topic
sentences. Underlined the topic sentence.

1. Text 1
Adventure Tourism
Adventure tourism is a different way for tourists to see New Zealand. This type of tourism
uses the plentiful natural resources - mountains, rivers, lakes, wilderness areas and historical
sites to provide adventure, thrills and challenges which are low risk but high in excitement. For
example, the coastal areas in New Zealand are great for canoeing and kayaking. White-water
rafting is another popular water adventure tour. However, if you would rather keep your feet on
the ground, New Zealand has over 100 developed walkways in addition to the tracks in the 12
National Parks. Because more and more tourists are interested in learning about New Zealand
by doing exciting and unusual activities, adventure tourism will continue to grow.
Adapted from: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/llc/llc_resources/academic-writing/tsent2.html
2. Text 2
Time Management
No matter how you slice it, there are only 24 hours in a day. To be successful at university,
students need to learn good time-management skills. The first skill is not taking on more than
you can handle. If you are a working part-time, have a family and are involved in a community
organisation, then taking a full course-load at university will be too much. Another time
management skill is reasonably estimating the time required to perform each of the tasks at
hand. For example, deeply reading a chapter from a course text cannot be completed in between
television programmes. Finally, actually doing what needs to be done seems obvious, but is a
very difficult skill. You may find that cleaning out your wardrobe becomes vital when you are
avoiding study. Procrastination is a time manager's enemy. By learning time management skills
your university study will be successful and most importantly enjoyable.
Adapted from: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/llc/llc_resources/academic-writing/tsent3.html

3. Text 3
Have Heart

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 The heart weighs about 11 ounces and is the size of a clenched fist. The heart of a man
performs at about 60 to 80 beats a minute. In a year it beats some 40 million times. At each beat
it takes in nearly a quarter of a pint of blood; in a single day it pumps 2,200 gallons of blood,
and in the course of a single lifetime about 56 million gallons. Is there any other engine capable
of carrying on such heavy work over such a long period of time without needing to be repaired?
Obviously the human heart is a small yet highly efficient piece of equipment.
Adapted from: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/llc/llc_resources/academic-writing/tsent4.html

Activity 3
Work with your partner. Add as many specific as you can to the vague descriptions.
Then compare your details with your friend’s.

Example: My house is big.

a. It has 6 bedrooms.
b. There is a small pond next to the living room.
c. There is also a swimming pool in the backyard.
d. etc....
1. My campus is very nice.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
2. The library in Building A is very big.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
3. Azkaa is a good student.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
4. The professor gives us many assignment.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
5. The Academic Office is very nice.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

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 Grammar and Mechanic
In this part, you will about two kinds of words that are useful in writing descriptions.
They are adjectives and prepositions.
Adjectives
Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. Adjectives tell what things (or people) look like,
what kind they are, or how many of them there are. Pay attention to the following examples:
what kind? The old books are located at the corner of the library.
which one? The second chapter of the book should be read and reviewed.
how many? Four pages of paper.
Here are some things you should know about adjectives:
1. Adjectives always come in front of nouns, not after them.
Three smart Indonesian students are presenting their research in the International
Conference in Washington DC.
2. Adjectives can also follow linking verbs
be Azkaa is smart. smell The noodle smells delicious.
seem You seem sad. taste Candy tastes sweet.
look The campus looks nice. feel Silk feels smooth.
3. Adjectives are always singular. Never add an –s to an adjective or use a plural word
as an adjective.
a six-foot wall (not a six-feet wall)
a five-dollar bill (not a five-dollars bill)
a two-year-old child (not a two-years-old child)
4. Nouns can be adjectives.
the English book a shoe store
the Indonesian students a computer store
5. Adjectives referring to nationalities and languages are capitalized.
an ancient Egyptian custom
my English class
the Indonesian Government
6. –ing and –ed words (past participles) can be adjectives.
my cooking class an operating system
the sleeping baby a used car
the boring class an organized class

Activity 4
Work with your partner. Identify all the adjectives in the following paragraph. Then
draw an arrow to the noun each adjective describes.
IIUM Library
The University library system consists of five libraries at each of the University's five
campuses: the Main Library at the Gombak campus, two Medical libraries in the Kuantan campus

22
(Indera Mahkota and Jalan Hospital branches), the ISTAC Library at Damansara, the IIBF Library
at Jalan Duta and the Centre for Foundation Studies (CENFOS) Library at Petaling Jaya and Nilai.

With a total collection of over 550,000 volumes of monographs, 1,600 serial titles on
subscription, 24,000 volumes of bound serials, 60,000 units of audio-visual media, and 29,000
microforms, the library also subscribes to a number of online databases and electronic journals and
e-books, using the Library of Congress List of Subject Headings and the Library of Congress
Classification Scheme to organize its collections.

Library operations are computerized using an integrated library automation system. The
system allows for speedy and convenient access to the library's catalogue both from within the
library and remotely through the Internet. Its 'broadcast' search facility provides direct access and
simultaneous searches to a selection of other libraries' online catalogues.

The Main Library building in Gombak provides a spacious and conducive study
environment with 40 carrel rooms, 15 research rooms, 8 discussion rooms, 4 audio-visual viewing
rooms, an auditorium, and a multi-purpose room with a seating capacity for over 2,000 users. In
addition, the Library also has 3 computer labs as well as computer and internet facilities for Library
users.

To introduce and familiarize new users to the available resources, services and facilities,
training programmes are conducted by the Library to enhance information-seeking skills to
facilitate maximum use of in-house facilities and external information resources by learning
efficient and effective methods in accessing information.

In-line with the Library's emphasis on customer oriented services, faculty and subject liaison
teams have been established to cater for the information needs of clients at the various Kulliyyahs in
the University.

Taken from: http://www.iium.edu.my/life-iium/libraries

Prepositions
Another important kind of word is the preposition. Prepositions are little word such as
of, to, from, in, at, after, during, until. Some prepositions are two words (next to,
because of, according to) or even three words (in front of). Most prepositions are one
word, here is a list of common prepositions:

23
about besides near under
above between of until
across beyond off upon
after by on with
against down out without
along during outside according to
around except over because of
at for since in addition to
before from through in back of
behind in throughout in front of
below inside till in place of
beneath into to next to
beside like toward out of

Prepositional Phrases
A preposition is usually combined with a noun or noun phrase to make prepositional
phrase such as in my campus or at nine o’clock.

1. Some prepositional phrases answer the question where.

in the classroom in front of the main hall
on my desk next to the laboratory
next to the laptop in front of the academic room
in the library between the Academic Office and the Library
along the coridor around the corner on the second floor
2. Some prepositionsl phrases answer the questions when.
after the class in the English course
in 2008 at midnight
before the final exam at the beginning of this semester
3. Prepositional phrases show possession:
(the father) of the student (the color) of the library
(the name) of the professor (the president) of the organization
4. Prepositional phrases describe or identify someone or something
(the man) with the black jacket (the man) in the dark blue suit
(the students) from Indonesia

Activity 5
24
Work with your partner. Put parentheses () around all prepositional phrases in the following
paragraph. Then underline the preposition in each phrase.
My Desk
The inside of my desk looks like a second-hand store. Each drawer is filled with junk. In the
center drawer, you can find paper clips, erasers, pencils, pens, rubber bands, and small bottles of
glue. I have a complete hardware store in my top drawer. If you want to fix something, you can find
whatever you need there. In the second drawer from the top, I keep snacks in case I get hungry at
night. Small items of clothing are in the third drawer from the top. The bottom drawer holds my
collections of toys, mostly diecasts of sport cars. I play with them during study breaks. I have such a
variety of things in my desk.

Paragraph Structure
A paragraph is a group of related sentences, which develop one main idea (the topic
sentence). The topic sentence tends to be a general rather than a specific idea. The main
idea of the topic sentence controls the rest of the paragraph. Usually it is the first
sentence in the paragraph, but not necessarily. It may come after a transition sentence; it
may even come at the end of a paragraph.
Topic sentences are not the only way to organise a paragraph, and not all
paragraphs need a topic sentence. For example, paragraphs that describe, narrate, or
detail the steps in an experiment do not usually need topic sentences. They are useful,
however, in paragraphs that analyse and argue. They are particularly useful for writers
who have difficulty developing focused, unified paragraphs. Topic sentences help these
writers develop a main idea for their paragraphs and most importantly stay focused.
Topic sentences also help guide the reader through complex arguments.
The supporting sentences in a paragraph develop the main idea expressed in the
topic sentence and provide the detail such as facts and examples. When the topic
sentence comes first, the supporting sentences answer the questions the reader will
develop in their minds after reading the topic sentence. In this case, the last sentence
(concluding sentence) can either return the reader to the topic at the beginning of the
paragraph or act as a connection to link the information with that coming up in the next
paragraph. When the topic sentence comes last, the supporting sentences build up
arguments and examples to make a case for the main idea contained at the end.
Useful Tip: No writer starts with a perfect paragraph. Well formed paragraphs are
the result of drafting and revising, aimed at giving the reader a coherent piece of
information. There is no set length to a paragraph, but in university essays it is easier to
work with paragraphs that are between four and eight sentences long.

Activity 6
Read the following paragraphs carefully. Then select the most appropriate topic
sentence for each of the paragraphs from the choices provided.

25
 USEFUL TIP: The topic sentence is general and controls the paragraph. Think about
the type of questions the reader will develop in their minds as they read the topic
sentence.
1. Thousands of new people are born on our planet every day. The number of inhabitants in the
world has already reached over six billion. If the present growth rate remains unchecked, the
world may soon face wide-spread starvation, poverty, and serious health problems.
__________________________________ (topic sentence).
A. Therefore, it is predicted that the world will face serious health problems in the near
future.
B. The rapid growth of the world's human population is the most important problem the
world needs to address.
C. One of the burning issues is the population explosion in third world countries.

2. __________________________________ (topic sentence).

Arriving in the land below the Rio Grande River, the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez
was surprised to see the local inhabitants raising crops that included avocados, corn, garlic and
nuts. Onions, tomatoes, chilli peppers and pumpkins were also grown in the rich soil. Irrigation
systems were employed in some of the drier regions. The Aztec farmers also were skilful in
creating terraced gardens to make the most of the rainfall and to minimise soil erosion. Evidence
shows that they employed crop rotation as well as natural fertilisers to enhance the production
of their farm products.
A. The Aztecs of Mexico were a nation of accomplished farmers.
B. Hernando Cortez discovered farming in Mexico.
C. Mexico is blessed with rich farmland and an abundance of food products.

Activity 7
Work with your partner and arrange the jumbled sentences into a good paragraph.

1. Text 1
1) In these rural areas 70 percent of the available agricultural land suffers from dryness and
lack of irrigation.
2) As a result, the crops are usually marginal with hardly enough production to feed the
farmer's family.
3) The first fact to consider is that over 60 percent of the population live in rural
communities.
4) In my country, one of the most urgent problems facing the government today relates to
agriculture.
5) And without irrigation, agricultural production is wholly dependent on the uncertain
rainfall.
6) To understand the nature of this problem one has to look at some of the facts.

Your answer:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
26
 __________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. Text 2
1) It may be the succession of summers with extremely high temperatures that is to blame.
2) Added to this is the costly array of cooling power drinks that New Yorkers now
consume to keep body temperatures down.
3) The result is high and unwelcome summer electricity and food bills.
4) New Yorkers have recently been complaining that the cost of keeping cool in summer
has sky rocketed.
5) The cost of running an air-conditioner non-stop in the unrelenting heat has doubled over
the last five years.
6) Electricity prices are the main reason for the chorus of complaints.
7) The refrigerator too is having to work overtime.

Your answer:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

Activity 8
Work alone, look at each sentence. Check (√) whether the sentence is complete or
incomplet. Tell what is missing from the sentence, subject or verb.

Sentence Complete Incomplete What’s the problem?

The capital of Indonesia is Jakarta. √

Jakarta a big city. √ no verb

The library 10,000 collections.

Yogyakarta has many attractions.

Many students visit the library everyday.

Finish the project on Saturday.

The library in Building A very large.

Two dictionaries on the shelf in the library.

The librarian will help the students.

The difficult assignment

27
Azkaa submitted the final project yesterday.

Complete the final project.

The Rector is delivering her closing remark.

Grammar and Vocabulary

We often use the Simple Present tense to write descriptions. Let’s review the Simple
Present Tense.

1. It states facts – things that are true

The sun rises in the east.
People need food and water.
2. It describes routines and habits – actions that happens again and again
I always eat lunch with my friend at the campus.
The library opens at 8.00 AM on the weekdays.
The form of a simple present tense verb depends on the subject. Pay attention to the following rule:
Rules Examples

1. Use the base form of the verb after I, you, The students accomplish the final project.
we, they and plural noun subjects.
Some lecturer discuss the new curriculum.

2. Verbs after he, she, it, or, singular noun
subjects end in –s, -es, or –ies.
These are third person singular subjects
and verbs.
3. The verb have is irregular. It is not like
other verb.
Azkaa presents his research findings on
Friday.
My lecturer explains this chapter clearly.
I/ you/ we/ they have the same assignment.
He/ she/ it has complete notes.

Examples of using simple present tense:

Singular Subject Plural Subject

(+) Ahmad brings his dictionary everyday. (+) The students complete the final test.
(-) Ahmad does not bring his dictionary everyday. (-) The students do not complete the test.
(?) Does Ahmad bring his dictionary everyday? (?) Do the students complete the test?

(+) Fatimah conducts research on sanitation.
(-) Fatimah does not conduct research on sanitation.
(?) Does Fatimah conduct research on sanitation?
(+) My friend and I observe the water.
(-) My friend and I do not observe the
water.
(?) Do you observe the water?

28
 Activity 9
Complete the sentencees using the correct verb forms.
1. (treat) Doctors ___________ patients.
2. (build) Carpenters___________ furniture and houses.
3. (write) A programmer___________ computer software.
4. (prepare) A cook___________ meals.
5. (clean) Window washers___________ windows.
6. (deliver) A mail carrier____________ letters a
7. (help) A salesclerk___________ customers in
8. (serve) A waiter___________ customers in a r
9. (fly) Pilots___________ airplanes.
10. (do) Students___________ homework.

Activity 11
Work individually, take a piece of paper. Write sentences with adjectives and simple
present tense. Follow the directions.
Example:
Name a food and describe it. Noodle is very delicious. I usually cook noodle twice a
week.

1. Name a move and describe it.

_______________________________________________
2. Name a friend and describe him or her.
_______________________________________________
3. Name a city and describe it.
_______________________________________________
4. Name an actor and describe him or her.
_______________________________________________
5. Name a kind of car and describe it.
_______________________________________________
6. Name a kind of animal and describe it.
_______________________________________________
7. Describe your campus.
_______________________________________________
8. Describe your parents (father or mother)
_______________________________________________
Writing Activities
Unit Project
Describing Place
Work by yourself. Then work with a partner to edit each other’s paragraphs. Write a
paragraph describing one of places you often visit, for example, your campus, library,
house, hospital, laboratory etc.

29
 Steps Instruction Note
STEP 1 Begin your paragraph with a sentence Write your notes here....
that names the place and tells what
Write the topic
kind of person lives or work there.
sentence
e.g.
This is the library of my campus.
STEP 2 Write several specific details that Write your notes here .....
describe the place.
Write specific
e.g.
details
The library has three main rooms.
STEP 3 End your paragraph with a Notes .....
sentencethat tells your feeling or
Write the ending
opinion about the place.
e.g.
I really enjoy reading book in this
library.
STEP 4 Edit your paragraph with a partner.
Edit the first draft (check the list below the table)
Step 5 Write a neat final draft to hand in to
your lecturer.
Write the Final
Draft

Paragraph Checklist
Organization
• Does the paragraph begin with a topic sentence? v
• Does the paragraph have specific details?
• Are the specific details in space order?
Grammar and Mechanics
• Check for capital letters
• Check for the spelling
• Check for the commas
• Is there a period at the end of all the sentences?
Sentence Structure
• Check the sentences. Do they have at least one subject and
one verb, and do they express a complete thought?
• Does the paragraph contain both simple and compound
sentence?

30
Try to work using a mindmap to generate your writing ideas.

specific
details

specific specific
details details
Topic

specific specific
details details

Vocabulary Focus in Unit 1

Learn, write in your notebook and study the following words.

occupy : ____________________
move : ____________________
sophisticated : ____________________
comfortable : ____________________
wilderness : ____________________
coastal areas : ____________________
become : ____________________
vague descriptions : ____________________
junk : ____________________
inhabitants : ____________________
include : ____________________
dry : ____________________
extremely : ____________________

31
 complaints : ____________________

Unit 3
Remembering An Important Day

Objectives
Students are able to create a paragraph telling about An Important Day

Let’s start
Work with your partner, read the model paragraphs and answer the questions.

An Important Day in My Life

The day of my high school graduation was a good day for me. It was a Saturday. In the

morning, I got dressed. I had a new suit and tie for that day. Then I went to a friend’s

house. Six of my friends were there. Later, we rode to the school together in my

friend’s car. At 2:00 p.m ., all the students in my class entered the hall. My parents and

grandparents were inside the hall, and they took many pictures. The principal called the

names of the honor students first. I was in that group, and I won a prize because I was

the best math student. My family was proud of me that day.

Questions:
1. What is the topic sentence? Copy it on the line below. Circle and underline the main idea.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. What details does the writer include in his description of the day?
a. the weather d. things that he did
b. places e. his clothing
c. other people f. his feelings
3. Give your reason why it was a good day for the writer.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
4. What words and phrases help to show that the writer is using time order? Write three of
them:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
5. Complete these sentences from the paragraph using the simple past form of the verb be.

32
 a. It _______ a Saturday.
b. Six of my friends __________ there.
6. Complete these sentences from the paragraph using the simple past form of regular verbs.
a. At 2.00 P.M., all the students in my class ___________ the hall.
b. The principal ______________ the names of the honor students first.
7. Complete these sentences from the paragraph using the simple past form of irregular
verbs.
a. In the morning, I ________________.
b. Then, I _____________.

Organization
The information in a paragraph needs to be organized. The writer must pus the
information in order. This makes the paragraph easier to read and understand. There
are many ways to organize a paragraph. For example, you can use time order (in the
morning, next, then, etc.).

Activity 1
Work with your partner, observe and identify the use of time order in the paragraph
below. Circle time order.

An Important Day in My Life

The day of my high school graduation was a good day for me. It was a Saturday. In the

morning, I got dressed. I had a new suit and tie for that day. Then I went to a friend’s

house. Six of my friends were there. Later, we rode to the school together in my

friend’s car. At 2:00 p.m ., all the students in my class entered the hall. My parents and

grandparents were inside the hall, and they took many pictures. The principal called the

names of the honor students first. I was in that group, and I won a prize because I was

the best math student. My family was proud of me that day.

Sentence Structure and Mechanics

Simple Versus Compound Sentences
In Unit 1, we learned about simple sentences. We studiedfour patterns for simple
sentences. Each pattern has one subject-verbcombination.
1 subject + 1 verb Emi likeswriting journals.
2 subjects + 1 verb Emi and her friendslikeswriting journal.
1 subject + 2 verbs They listen to music and watch music videos in their free
time.
2 subjects + 2 verbs She and her friendslove music and often goto concerts.

33
 A compound sentence is another kind of sentence. It has two subjectverb
combinations, as in this example:
Emi likes music, and her friends love music, too.
To make a compound sentence, connect two simple sentences. Put acomma after the
first simple sentence, and then put a coordinatingconjunction such as,and, but, or so.

And, But, and So in Compound Sentences

The coordinating conjunctions and, but, and so have different meanings.
Rules Examples
1. Use and to add information. Azkaa is a student, and he also works as
the laboratory assistant.
2. Use but when the second idea is Ahmad works in the research center in the
different or surprising. downtown, but he lives far away from his
office.
3. Use so to show a result. Azkaa and Ahmad can finish the
assignment early, so the professor gives
them a new project in Singapore.

Activity 2
Find the four compound sentences in the paragraph. In each one, mark the subjecs S and
the verbs V. Also, circle the comma and coordinating conjuction.

Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is difficult but possible. The mountain is 5,895

meters high, and snow covers the top of it. Climbers need warm clothes and

good boots but no special climbing skills. The trip is 50 to 60 miles long, and it

usually takes several days. Problems can occur, so it is important to go with a

guide. (Your guide should be a person who knows the mountain well.) It is also

important to be healthy and in good physical condition. The climb is hard work,

but the views from the top are wonderful.

Activity 3
Circle the correct coordinating conjunction.
1. It was a beautiful place, (and / but) I was happy there.
2. Ana did not study for the test, (but / so) she got a good grade.
3. I liked the movie, (and / but) I did not understand all of it.
4. First, I cleaned the kitchen, (and / so) then I cleaned the bathroom.
5. It rained all day, (but / so) they did not play baseball.
34
 6. The music was great, (and / but) there was free food.
7. Their apartment building is nice, (but / so) that part of the city is not.
8. The shoes did not fit right, (but / so) I did not buy them.

Activity 4
Combine each pair of simple sentences into a compound sentence. Usethe coordinating
conjunction in parentheses.

1. Last year, my son was six years old. My daughter was four, (and)
Last year, my son was six years old. and mydaughter was four.
2. One day, my children were at home. My friend’s little boy was there, too. (and)
__________________________________________________________________________
3. The children were in the kitchen. I was not with them, (but)
__________________________________________________________________________
4. My friend’s son picked up the phone. He called 911. (and)
__________________________________________________________________________
5. He did not talk to the operator. She knew our phone number and address, (but)
__________________________________________________________________________
6. She believed that we had an emergency. She sent the police to our house, (so)
__________________________________________________________________________
7. There was no emergency. The police officers were angry, (so)
__________________________________________________________________________
8. I was upset with the children. I had a serious talk with them, (so)
__________________________________________________________________________
9. It was just a child’s mistake. I had to pay a $50 fine, (but)
__________________________________________________________________________
10. 1 learned a lesson. The children did, too. (and)
__________________________________________________________________________

Using Commas
Here are four rules for using commas.
Rules Examples
1. Use a comma between the date and the He was born on January 1, 2015.
year.
2. Use a comma after a time expression Yesterday morning, I got up early.
or a time-order word at the beginning
of a sentence. (Exception: do not use a First, I took a shower and got dressed.
comma after then) After that, I had breakfast.
Then I brushed my teeth.
3. Use a comma between items in a series You, Ahmad, and I are in one group.
of words or phrases.
The students wrote their final drafts,
checked them, and handed them in.
4. Do not use a comma when you connect Azkaa and all his friends were in the
only two words or phrases. library.
I didn’t see the Ana or call her.

35
 Activity 5
Write on your notebook. Write answers to the questions, use commas and the words in
parentheses.

Example:
What are three things you do not own? (or)
I do not own a motorcycle, a horse, or a boat.

When were you born? (month/ day/ year)

I was born on January 1, 2015.

1. What are three foods you like? (and)

__________________________________________________________________________
2. What are three places you want to visit? (or)
__________________________________________________________________________
3. What are three places you often visit in your campus? (and)
__________________________________________________________________________
4. What are three things you do in the morning? (in the morning)
__________________________________________________________________________
5. What are two things you do on weekends? (on weekends)
__________________________________________________________________________
6. What is today’s date? (month/ day/ year)
__________________________________________________________________________
7. When was your mother born? (month/ day/ year)
__________________________________________________________________________
8. When was your father born? (month/ day/ year)
__________________________________________________________________________

Grammar and Vocabulary

The Simple Past
Verbs in the Simple Past tense describe events that began and ended in the past.
Present Past

Azkaa and Andy work on his project They worked on their project last week.
every day.
Ana is the fourth-grade student. Ana was a senior high school student in
2012.

The Simple Past: Be

Singular Subject Plural Subject

• I was in the library last night. • Azkaa and I were in the library yesterday.
• You were here yesterday. • We were there last week.
• Azkaa was here two days ago • My friends were at the concert last night.
• My friend was at the concert last night. • You were here two days ago.

36
Activity 6
Change the sentences to the past. Use was or were
1. I am here.
Last Friday, I was here.
2. The train is on time.
Yesterday,__________________
3. You are my partner.
________________________ three days ago.
4. There are six people in the car.
________________________ last night.
5. My family is on vacation.
Last August,____________________
6. I am never late for class.
__________________________ this morning.
7. You are never late for class.
_____________________________________ yesterday.
8. You and I are never partners.
Last semester,____________________________________________
9. There are not four people in our group.
______________________________________ a week ago.
10. There is never much rain here.
________________________________ last year.
11. My family is not here.
In 1998,_________________________________________________

Activity 7
Work on your notebook. Answer the questions in complete sentences. Use was or were.

1. Where were you at 6:00 p.m . yesterday?

__________________________________________________________________________
2. How was the weather yesterday?
__________________________________________________________________________
3. When you were a child, who were your best friends?
__________________________________________________________________________
4. When you were a child, what were your favorite stories or TV shows?
__________________________________________________________________________
5. What color was your first (bicycle / car)?
__________________________________________________________________________
6. Where were you in 2004?
__________________________________________________________________________
7. Where were you in 1994?
__________________________________________________________________________
8. Who were two important people in the history of your country?
__________________________________________________________________________

The Simple Past: Verb

In the simple past tense affirmative statements, regular verbs all end in –ed. Also,
regular verbs are the same for all subjects.

Singular Subject Plural Subject

37
(+) Azkaafinished his assignment last night. (+) My friends worked late last night.
(-) Azkaadid not finish his assignment last night. (-) My friends did not work late last night.
(?) Did Azkaafinish his assignment last night? (?) Did your friends work late last night?

Activity 8
Write the simple past tense form of each verb and make sentences using those verbs.

1. listen listened My friend listened to the news about volcaneerruption last night.
2. smile ______ ____________________________________________________
3. need ______ ____________________________________________________
4. stay ______ ____________________________________________________
5. cry ______ ____________________________________________________
6. plan ______ ____________________________________________________
7. carry ______ ____________________________________________________
8. decide ______ ____________________________________________________
9. ask ______ ____________________________________________________
10. fix ______ ____________________________________________________
11. book ______ ____________________________________________________

Activity 9
Complete the sentences using the words given. Use the simple past.
1. I/ take / a trip with my family
In 1998, I took a trip with my family.
2. he / go / to his grandparents’ house
Last summer, _________________ _____________________
3. my cousins / come / to visit me
________________________________last year.
4. she / make / an important decision
Two years ago,___________________________
5. they / leave / early
___________________________________ yesterday morning.
6. the children / have / fun
_________________________________last weekend.
7. I / get / home at 8:00 p.m.
________________________________ yesterday evening.
8. we / buy / new phones
Last year,____________________________________

Activity 10
Read the following story, then answer the questions. Write in complete sentences.

Marco Polo was a great traveler. He was born in Venice in 1254.At age
seventeen, he left Venice with his father and his uncle. Theybegan a 5,600-mile trip
across Asia. It took them three and a halfyears, but they finally reached Beijing. Beijing
was the capital city ofKublai Khan, the powerful ruler of Mongolia and China. He liked
MarcoPolo and gave him work to do. Polo spent seventeen years in China,and he got
rich there. He finally made the long trip back to Venice in1295. Later, he wrote the
story of his travels. His book was a greatsuccess in Europe. Polo died in 1324, but
38
 Europeans continued toread his book. In fact, for almost 600 years, they depended on
hisbook for information about China.
Adapted from: http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/marco-polo
1. Who was Marco Polo? _____________________________________
2. When was he born? _____________________________________
3. Where was he born? _____________________________________
4. Where did he go on his 5,600-mile trip? _____________________________________
5. How long did the trip take? _____________________________________
6. Who was Kublai Khan? _____________________________________
7. How long di Marco Polo stay in China? _____________________________________
8. What did Marco Polo do after his return to Europe?
_____________________________________________________________________
Activity 11
Work alone or with your partner. Find and correct 33 errors in verbsin this paragraph.
Can you find them all?
It's all in the past
I wake up yesterday morning and I get out of bed. It is a beautiful day. The sun
was shining and the wind was blowing. I decide that I would go for a walk. I start by
walking down my road. I push open my gate and close it behind me. I walk for miles and
miles along a country road. I even visit my aunt. Along the way I pass a young man
selling fruit. ‘How much are the apples?’ I ask. ‘£1 for a bag,’ he say. I pay the man and I
continue to walk. I eat all of the apples except for one, which I drop on the ground, they
are delicious.

After a while I meet another man, this man have a camel. The camel was a special
camel, it have no humps. ‘What is his name?’ I ask the man. ‘His name is Humphree,’
say the man.
I walk for a very long time, soon the sun begin to go down. It is beautiful, I love
sunsets. I get home at about 12:30. I is very tired, normally I go to bed at 10:00. I put on
my pyjamas, rub my hands together and went straight to bed. As soon as my head hit the
pillow I fall asleep. That is the best walk of my life, I love it. The next day I call my
mother and tell her all about it.
Adapted from:http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/past-simple-tense-find-all-
mistakes

39
 Writing Activities
Unit Project
You are going to write a paragraph telling about a day that your remember well (you can
look at Activity 1). Pay attention to the steps below:

Step 1: Prewrite
1) Get ready to write by doing prewriting activity. Choose one of these activities:
• Make notes in time order about what happened on that day.
• Freewrite about that day for at least five minutes. (tips: freewrite for five minutes,
next read what you wrote and choose idea from your writing.)
2) Work with your partner
Take turns describing your days. Then tell your partner three things you remember about
his or her day.
3) Look at your notes or freewriting
Decide what information is the most important to your description of the day. Circle or
underline it.
Step 2: Write
Write your first draft. Begin with a topic sentence. Make sure your supporting sentences
show why your topic sentence is true.
Step 3: Edit
1) Read your paragraph again. It may help you to read it out loud. Make changes if needed.
2) Edit your paper carefully. Check for mistakes before you show it to anyone.
3) Peer review: Exchange papers with your partner. Follow the Reviewer’s suggestion and
discuss with your lecturer.
4) Return your partner’s paper. Say something nice about his or her paragraph.
5) Look at your own paper. If you do not agree with the comments, ask another students or
your lecturer.
Step 4: Write the Final Draft
1) On your first draft, mark any changes you want to make. Then take another piece of
paper and write a new draft.
2) Edit your new draft carefully, and hand it in to your lecturer. Don’t forget to write it on
your notebook.

40
Chapter 4
Fast Food Is Not Good for Our Health

Objective

Students are able to write a paragraph stating positive or negative opinion.

Chapter Preview

Let’s Start
In this unit, you are going to write a paragraph to state your positive and negative
opinions related to a particular issue in the community. First, look at the pictures given
below, and then answer the questions following. In further, state your opinion about the
pictures within a group. The pictures and group discussion will help us think about what
we want to write. Then, pay attention carefully on each explanation and finish the
activities given in each step.

Activity 1
Work within a group. Pay attention to the pictures, answer the questions below, and
state your opinion orally.

Work with a partner or in a small group. Pay attention on the pictures. State your opinion about the
pictures.
Picture 1

41
Picture 2

Picture 3

Use these questions to help you.

Question about model Picture 1
1. What is the girl doing?
2. Is it fine if a child likes to do the activity in the picture?
3. What is probably she watching from the device?
4. Should parents watch the child when she/he is playing with the device?

Question about model Picture 2

1. What are the children doing?
2. How long in a day can they watch the television?
3. What kind of program can they watch from the television?
4. What should we concern about the issue?

Question about model Picture 3

1. What is the picture about?
2. Are the food and drinks in the picture healthy?
3. How often do you eat the food?
4. Can the food give us advantage?

42
Part 1 : Organization

Activity 2
Based on the picture, make some list of the positive and negative sides of the pictures.
Continue the example that has been done for you.
Positive Negative
Picture 1 • Children can learn about • Too long watching video from
alphabet through video in the the cell phone will damage the
cell phone. children’s eyes.
• … • …
• … • …
• … • …
• … • …

Picture 2 • Children will get much • …

amusement by watching their • …
favorite cartoon movies. • …
• … • …
• … • …
• …
• …

Picture 3 • … • …
• … • …
• … • …
• … • …
• … • …

Activity 3
Find 3 issues in your society that can have positive and negative impact
Issue Positive Negative
1.

2.

43
 3.

Vocabularies
How to state an opinion

• According to my opinion…
• Based on my best knowledge…
• In my opinion, ...
• As far as I am concerned, ...
• Speaking personally, ...
• From my point of view, ...
• My view / opinion / belief / impression / conviction is that ...
• I hold the view that ...
• I would say that ...
• It seems to me that ...
• I am under the impression that ...
• I have the feeling that ...
• I have no doubt that ...
• I am sure / I am certain that ...
• I think / consider / find / feel / believe / suppose / presume / assume that ...

How to state positive and negative opinion

Positive / Agree Negative / Disagree
I agree with you / him / the view that ... I don't agree.
I share the view that ... I disagree.
I have no objection. I don't think that ...
I approve of it. I think otherwise.
I have come to the same conclusion I don't think that's quite right.
We are of one mind / of the same mind on that I am afraid that is not quite true.
question. I take a different view.
It is true that... I don't share his/her/your view.

Grammar Focus
Using Modals
Modals are special verbs which give additional information about function of the main
verb that follows it. They have a great variety of communicative functions.
Pay attention to these examples:
44
 • We should keep our body healthy.
• I will not agree if the campus increases the school fee.
• Can we order the book from this publisher?

After you pay attention on the sentences, here are the patterns of sentences using modal verbs:
Positive (+) S + modal + Verbinfinitive
sentences

Example: The government should make a new regulation about

national education.
Negative(-) S + modal + not + Verbinfinitive
sentences

Example: People may not smoke in front of children.

Interrogative Modal + S + Verbinfinitive
(?)sentences

Example: Can we bring our own plastic bags to shop in the market?

The Writing Process

a. How is an Argumentative Essay organized?

Argumentative essay may have various forms. For example, a letter to the editor is different
from movie review. However, opinion paragraphs usually follow this pattern:

Statement of the opinion/argumentation

Evidences : a reason why the opinion is correct. Usually includes one or more of the
following:

a. Facts or statistics
b. Events
c. Anecdotes (references to personal experience)
d. Statement from experts

Concluding comment: a restatement of the opinion and (sometimes) a

recommendation for action.

Activity 1

45
Pay attention on the following paragraph. Arrange the jumbled sentences into good
paragraph.

It is clear that we must reduce the things we buy, recycle

the garbage we make and not use so many things. The
last reason for global warming is fossil fuels. 1

Fossil fuels are burned for energies. If we did not burn

the fossil fuels we will not have global warming. Smoke
2
from factories, industries and mainly nuclear plants
cause global warming is not from one country but
countries all over the world..

Smoke needs to stop and that means no ore fossil fuels. We

need to make more fuel-efficient vehicles and find other ways to
make power. If we use everything the proper way, we can
3
reduce global warming and earth will be saved.

is not from one country but countries all over the world..

To reduce the effect of global warming, people that

4
cut trees should replant new trees instead

to maintain balance.
The second reason for global warming is garbage.
Too much packages around things we buy and too 5
many plastic bags cause global warning.

Global warming is serious threat to Earth, causing

many harmful effects on the environment and the 6
ozone layer (which protect Earth from sun rays).

The first reason for global warming is deforestation.

7
Many trees get cut. They clean the air. This leads to
global warning.

Write the correct paragraph here:

-
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
46
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________
b. Writing an Argumentative Paragraph
Write an argumentative paragraph on one of the topics below. Your paragraph
should:

1. State your opinion

2. Provide evidence: give at least 2 reasons why your opinion is correct. You may use any
of the following as proof to support your opinion:
a. Facts or statistics
b. Events
c. Anecdotes (references to personal experience)
d. Statements from experts
3. End with a concluding comment and suggestion

Begin your assignment by following each step outlined below

Step One : Choose a question to write about
a. Should we ban smoking in public places?
b. Do children need to stay away from TV?
c. Do people really need vegetable for their daily diet?

Step Two: Fill out the chart below in point form.

Topic sentence
Smoking in public
Clearly state your opinion
about the chosen topic.

Evidence

List at least 2 reasons to

support your opinion. You
may use:
a. Facts or
statistics
b. Events
c. Anecdotes
(references to
47
 personal
experience)
d. Statements
from experts

Concluding Sentence

Restate your opinion, and

make a recommendation

Step Three: Write your rough draft

Step Four: Edit and Revise your rough draft
Use the following checklist to make sure your paragraph meets the requirements of opinion
writing and paragraph structure.
Does your paragraph…
a. Begin with a topic sentence that clearly states your opinion about the topic you have
chosen?
b. Have at least two pieces of evidence that supports your opinion?
c. End with a concluding sentence that restates your opinion, and makes a
recommendation?
d. Have sentences that begin with capitals?
e. Have punctuation at the end of each sentence?
f. Have all words spelled correctly?

Be sure to make correction

Sharing
48
 a. Group Proofreading

Chapter 5
THEREFORE, EDUCATION IS A SIGNIFICANT ASPECT FOR LIFE

Objective
Students are able to write an essay with complete organization i.e.
introduction, contents, and conclusion.

Let’s Start
In this unit the students are required to be able to write an essay with complete
organization. Introduction, contents, and conclusion are required to use those parts in an
essay. Follow the steps explained in the book to create a good essay.

Chapter Preview
Activity 1
Listen to the recording, and then answer the questions below!

1. What does the man want to do after he graduates?

A. He wants to become a teacher.
B. He hopes to go on to graduate school.
C. He'd like to work at a hotel.

49
2. What is the woman majoring in?
A. history
B. French
C. computer science

3. How does the woman pay for college?

A. She has a part-time job.
B. She received a scholarship.
C. Her parents are paying for it.

4. Where does the man work part-time?

A. at a bakery
B. in a library
C. at a restaurant

5. What thing did the man NOT say about his job?
A. His co-workers are friendly.
B. He works long hours.
C. The pay is okay.

Activity 2
Pay attention to the example of the article below!

The Significance of Education for the Future

Education is an essential tool for bright future for all of us. We can achieve anything good in
the life using the tool of education. Higher level of education helps people in earning social and
family respect and unique recognition. Education provides ability to solve any big social and family
and even national and international level problems. No one of us can unseen the importance of
education in the life in every aspect. It turns the minds towards positivity in the life and removes all
the mental problems and negativity.

In addition, education also changes the people’s thought by bringing positive thoughts and
removing negative thoughts. Our parent plays a great role in turning our mind towards education
from childhood. They try their best to give us good education from the popular educational
institutions. It provides us opportunity to gain technical and highly skilled knowledge as well as
enlarge people’s views all over the world. Best ways to enhance the skill and knowledge level is to
get practiced of reading news paper, seeing educational programs on TV, reading books of good
authors, etc. Education makes us more civilized and better educated. It helps us in making better
position in the society and achieves dreamed position in the job.

On the other hand, Indonesia still has low level of education. It seems that the education
provided cannot be enjoyed by all citizens evenly. Some people still find it difficult to access a
50
 proper education because of some particular reasons. High tuition for high education still becomes
the most crucial problem for them. Furthermore, distance also plays significant aspect to get the
best educational service. People who live in remote areas in Indonesia such as Aceh and Papua tend
to have lower rate of education level. Education is supposed to be the most priority of the
government to scaffold the quality of education in Indonesia.

It can be concluded that education becomes an important aspect to build people’s future. it
provides the best knowledge as it is needed for people to lift their quality of life. People can be
everything they want to be as long as they get the most suitable education for them. However,
Indonesian government still needs to increase the education service in order to provide the best
education for all citizens.

Adapted (with some addition) from: http://www.indiacelebrating.com/essay/importance-of-

education-essay/

Answer the following questions based on the text above

1. What is the main topic of the essay?

2. What is the main topic of paragraph two?
3. What is the main topic of paragraph three?
4. What is the conclusion of the essay?

Vocabularies
Conjunctions
What is a conjunction?
What are conjunctions? Sure, they're joining words, but they're much more than that. Conjunctions
are the words that decide the importance of the various other words in the sentence. Each of the
three types: coordinating, subordinating and correlative conjunctions serve a unique purpose.

• Definition: Conjunctions are words that link other words, phrases or clauses. There are three types
of conjunctions: coordinating, subordinating and correlative conjunctions.

• Coordinating
Coordinating conjunctions connect two words or groups of words with similar values. They may
connect two words, two phrases, two independent clauses or two dependent clauses.
For example, in each of the following sentences the coordinating conjunction “and" connects equal
words or groups of words:

Connects two words: John and Reggie stayed up all night practicing their guitars.
Connects two phrases: The squirrel scurried up the tree trunk and onto a low branch.
Connects two clauses: Several managers sat with their backs to us, and I could almost hear them
snickering at us lowly workers.
There are only seven coordinating conjunctions in the English language, and they are often
remembered by using the acronym “FANBOYS": for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so.

51
 Coordinating conjunction:

FOR AND NOR BUT OR YET SO

• Subordinating
Subordinating conjunctions connect two groups of words by making one into a subordinating
clause. The subordinating clause acts as one huge adverb, answering the questions “when" or “why"
about the main clause, or imposing conditions or opposition on it.

Here are some examples of subordinating conjunctions changing a clause into adverbial
subordinating clauses in different ways:

• I can go shopping after I finish studying for my exam. (when)

• Because the night was young, Gertrude decided to take a walk. (why)
• I’ll give you a dime if you give me a dollar. (condition)
• Although he never figured out why, Hanna winked on her way out the door. (opposition)
Note: The subordinating conjunction does not always come between the two clauses it connects.
Often, it comes at the beginning of the first clause.

Subordinating Conjunction:

Time Cause Condition Contrast

After Until Because If Although

As When Since Whether Even though
Before While Though
since While
Connecting paragraphs:

Adding more opinions Contrasting opinions

In addition … However …
Moreover … On the other hand …
Furthermore … In contrast …
Besides …

• Correlative
Correlative conjunctions are always used in pairs. They are similar to coordinating conjunctions
because they join sentence elements that are similar in importance.

52
The following are some examples of coordinating conjunctions:

Both, and: Both Rodney and Xing made the varsity team this year.
Neither, nor: Neither Rodney nor Xing made the varsity team this year.
Not only, but also: Not only did Rodney make the varsity team, but he also become one of the
strongest players.

Activity 4

A subordinating conjunction connects a dependent clause to an independent clause.

Complete the following sentences using appropriate subordinating conjunctions.

[when, while, where, though, although, till, before, unless, as, after, because, if, that, since]

1. We were happy ………………. we received the first prize.

2. The people were listening eagerly ……………….. the leader was speaking.

3. This is the place ………………. we were attacked.

4. ………………… he worked hard, he failed.

5. ……………………. she is beautiful, she is not intelligent.

6. You wait here ……………. I come.

7. She will not come …………….. we compel her.

8. There was a silence ……………….. the guests had gone.

9. She began to cry ………………… she had lost her golden chain.

10. …………………… you work hard, you will get the first prize.

11. She became angry …………………. I had said anything.

Activity 5
Fill the blank parts of the table below, and use the following conjunction under the table
to make a paragraph correctly.

53
 Organization

How to Write A Good Essay

Writing an essay often seems to be a dreaded task among students. Whether the essay is for a
scholarship, a class, or maybe even a contest, many students often find the task overwhelming.
While an essay is a large project, there are many steps a student can take that will help break down
the task into manageable parts. Following this process is the easiest way to draft a successful essay,
whatever its purpose might be.

1. Pick a topic.

You may have your topic assigned, or you may be given free reign to write on the subject of your
54
choice. If you are given the topic, you should think about the type of paper that you want to
produce. Should it be a general overview of the subject or a specific analysis? Narrow your focus if
necessary.

2. Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas.

In order to write a successful essay, you must organize your thoughts. By taking what’s already in
your head and putting it to paper, you are able to see connections and links between ideas more
clearly. This structure serves as a foundation for your paper. Use either an outline or a diagram to
jot down your ideas and organize them.

3. Write your thesis statement.

Now that you have chosen a topic and sorted your ideas into relevant categories, you must create a
thesis statement. Your thesis statement tells the reader the point of your essay. Look at your outline
or diagram. What are the main ideas?

Your thesis statement will have two parts. The first part states the topic, and the second part states
the point of the essay. For instance, if you were writing about Bill Clinton and his impact on the
United States, an appropriate thesis statement would be, “Bill Clinton has impacted the future of our
country through his two consecutive terms as United States President.”

4. Write the body.

The body of your essay argues, explains or describes your topic. Each main idea that you wrote in
your diagram or outline will become a separate section within the body of your essay.

Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure. Begin by writing one of your main ideas as
the introductory sentence. Next, write each of your supporting ideas in sentence format, but leave
three or four lines in between each point to come back and give detailed examples to back up your
position. Fill in these spaces with relative information that will help link smaller ideas together.

5. Write the introduction.

Now that you have developed your thesis and the overall body of your essay, you must write an
introduction. The introduction should attract the reader’s attention and show the focus of your
essay.

Begin with an attention grabber. You can use shocking information, dialogue, a story, a quote, or a
simple summary of your topic. Whichever angle you choose, make sure that it ties in with your
thesis statement, which will be included as the last sentence of your introduction.

6. Write the conclusion.

The conclusion brings closure of the topic and sums up your overall ideas while providing a final
perspective on your topic. Your conclusion should consist of three to five strong sentences. Simply
review your main points and provide reinforcement of your thesis.

7. Add the finishing touches.

After writing your conclusion, you might think that you have completed your essay. Wrong. Before
you consider this a finished work, you must pay attention to all the small details.
55
Check the order of your paragraphs. Your strongest points should be the first and last paragraphs
within the body, with the others falling in the middle. Also, make sure that your paragraph order
makes sense. If your essay is describing a process, such as how to make a great chocolate cake,
make sure that your paragraphs fall in the correct order.

Congratulations! You have just written a great essay.

Here it is the organization of an essay:

Example of the Essay:

Title The Significance of Education for the Future

Introduction Education is an essential tool for bright future for all of us. We
can achieve anything good in the life using the tool of education. Higher
level of education helps people in earning social and family respect and
unique recognition. Education provides ability to solve any big social and
family and even national and international level problems. No one of us
can unseen the importance of education in the life in every aspect. It turns
the minds towards positivity in the life and removes all the mental
problems and negativity.

Content In addition, education also changes the people’s thought by

bringing positive thoughts and removing negative thoughts. Our parent
plays a great role in turning our mind towards education from childhood.
They try their best to give us good education from the popular
educational institutions. It provides us opportunity to gain technical and
highly skilled knowledge as well as enlarge people’s views all over the
world. Best ways to enhance the skill and knowledge level is to get
practiced of reading news paper, seeing educational programs on TV,

56
 reading books of good authors, etc. Education makes us more civilized
and better educated. It helps us in making better position in the society
and achieves dreamed position in the job.

Content On the other hand, Indonesia still has low level of education. It
seems that the education provided cannot be enjoyed by all citizens
evenly. Some people still find it difficult to access a proper education
because of some particular reasons. High tuition for high education still
becomes the most crucial problem for them. Furthermore, distance also
plays significant aspect to get the best educational service. People who
live in remote areas in Indonesia such as Aceh and Papua tend to have
lower rate of education level. Education is supposed to be the most
priority of the government to scaffold the quality of education in
Indonesia.

Conclusion It can be concluded that education becomes an important aspect to

build people’s future. it provides the best knowledge as it is needed for
people to lift their quality of life. People can be everything they want to
be as long as they get the most suitable education for them. However,
Indonesian government still needs to increase the education service in
order to provide the best education for all citizens.

Student’s Activity
1. Find the topic sentence in every paragraph!
Paragraph Topic Sentence
Pr. 1

Pr. 2

Pr. 3

Pr. 4

57
 2. Find the conjunctions to connect one paragraph and another! Determine the function!
Conjunction Function

1. In addition …

2.

3.

4.

5.

The Writing Process

Step One: Choose the topic that you want to write
a. Plastic surgery becomes a beauty trend in modern era.
b. People have to graduate university to get their success.
c. University students should get English in all semesters.
d. Entrepreneurship is an important subject for university students.

Step Two:

58
Write your mind mapping here

introduction
•

contents

conclusion

Step Three
Write your sentences here:
Title

Introduction

Body 1

59
Body 2

Conclusion

Step Four: Check!!!

1. Make sure that you have Subject and Predicate in each sentence
2. Make sure that you have a topic sentence in every paragraph
3. Make sure that you use the most proper conjunctions
4. Make sure that you have the aspect of introduction, body of paragraph, and conclusion

Topics

• whether it is possible to take a vacation from your problems

• whether families today are closer than they used to be.
• whether smoking in public should be banned
• whether old people should go to nursing homes

60
Chapter 6

Writing an Abstract

Objectives: After the lesson, the students will be able to

Objective:

The students are able to write their own abstract correctly.

Part 1: Let’s get started

➢ Have you ever done a research before? Did you make a research report?
➢ Have you ever published your research result?
➢ Have you ever written an abstract before?

Part 2: An Abstract

The importance of a well-written abstract can hardly be overstated. Evaluators, editors or judges
invariably turn first to the abstract to grasp the intent and content of a presentation or paper. The abstract
should be comprehensible, apart from the presentation or text, and should be able to stand alone.

An abstract is a summarized version of a longer piece of writing that highlights the major points
covered, and briefly describes the content and scope of the writing. Abstracts give readers a chance to
quickly see what the main contents and sometimes methods of a piece of writing are. They enable readers
to decide whether the work is of interest for them. Using key words in an abstract is important because of
today’s electronic information systems. A web search will find an abstract containing certain key words.

There are 2 main types of abstract. They are

1. Descriptive

It provides a description of the report's main topic and purpose as well an overview of its contents.

2. Informative

It provides information from the body of the report— the key facts , conclusions and summarizes the key
information from every major section in the body of the report.

An abstract usually consists of

61
 • a title; identical to the title of the thesis
• the name of the author
• the date of the thesis
• where the thesis is submitted or published
• the main topic of the thesis
• the purpose of the thesis
• the methods used to research information
• further sub-sections within the thesis
• results, conclusions, or recommendations

A good abstract has the following qualities. Those qualities are

• uses one or more well developed paragraphs: these are unified, coherent, concise
• uses an introduction/body/conclusion structure which presents the purpose, results,
conclusions, and recommendations
• follows the chronology of the thesis
• provides logical connections between the information included
• adds no new information, but simply summarizes
• often uses passive verbs to downplay the author and emphasize information

Abstract and thesis titles should be kept as short and sweet as possible and be to the point. There are
simple rules for the use of capital letters in titles, headings and subheadings in English, including abstract
and thesis titles. These are:

• headings and sub-headings should not end with full stops

• do not place headings and sub-headings within quotation marks
• . first and last word should always be capitalized
• do not capitalize articles (the, a, an), prepositions (to, from, with, over, etc.), or
coordinating conjunctions (and, for, or, nor, etc.)
• do capitalize nouns, verbs (even short ones like Is), adverbs, adjectives, subordinating
conjunctions (Although, Because, Due to, etc.) and pronouns (He, Their, etc.)

Examples thesis headings:

62
 ➢ The Relationship between Teacher Attitudes of Sexual Education Towards Adolescents and
the Implementation of Sexual Education at the State Of Junior High School (SMPN) 1
Pajangan Bantul 2013
➢ The Effectiveness of Moisture Balance Wound Care Method in Healing Diabetic Ulcers at
Wound Care Clinic, Faculty of Health Sciences, UMM.

Introduction (usually in present, could also be in present perfect or simple past tense):

➢ The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of ... on ...

➢ The goals of this study are to determine …
➢ The primary purpose of this study is to determine …
➢ This study is specifically concerned with the effect of … on …
➢ This study is an initial attempt to investigate the relationship …
➢ This study has two major purposes: (1) to investigate ... (2) to demonstrate …
➢ The aim of this study is to identify the characteristics of …
➢ The major objective of this study is to …
➢ The aim/topic/goal of the present paper is to …
➢ This thesis discusses/describes/analyses/studies/focuses on/deals with …
➢ This study/experiment/research/survey was aimed at developing/improving/testing …
➢ The project was designed to …

Materials and Methods (in past tense):

➢ This study was conducted in North Karelia / at North Karelia Polytechnic.

➢ The empirical part of this study was conducted in May 2000.
➢ Data for this study/research were collected/gathered/obtained from/by/through/with the
help of/among …
➢ The subjects of this study were …
➢ The subjects were randomly selected.
➢ The sample was selected from …
➢ Twenty companies served as subjects in a study designed to investigate …
➢ Six groups, each consisting of …, were formed to …
➢ Twenty companies were selected for this investigation.
➢ Using local and national data, this study was designed to investigate.
➢ This questionnaire investigated how companies view their …

63
 ➢ A questionnaire was distributed/mailed/sent to …
➢ Respondents filled in a form/indicated their preferences/rated each item.
➢ Responses were made on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from … to …
➢ The response rate was …
➢ All 59 subjects participated in the study.
➢ Interviews were conducted by/with …
➢ The interviews were recorded on audiotape.

Conclusions (in simple present or past tense):

➢ These results suggest that …

➢ The results show that/reveal …
➢ It was concluded that …
➢ This study/survey shows/supports/questions/implies/indicates …
➢ On the basis of the results of this research, it can be concluded that …
➢ The results provide some support for …(ing)…
➢ The results did not support the expectations that …
➢ These data support the view that …

TASK 1

Work with a partner or in a small group. Read the model abstracts.Both abstracts are from
published journals, but one is poorly written and the other is well written.Answer the questions that follow.

a. First Abstract

Article Title: Elements of an Optimal Experience

Authors: John A. Marin, James E. AmstrongJr, James L. Kays

Abstract
This paper presents and assesses a framework for an engineering capstone design program. We
explain how student preparation, project selection, and instructor mentorship are the three key elements
that must be addressed before the capstone experience is ready for the students. Next, we describe a way
to administer and execute the capstone design experience including design workshops and lead engineers.
We describe the importance in assessing the capstone design experience and report recent assessment

64
results of our framework. We comment specifically on what students thought were the most important
aspects of their experience in engineering capstone design and provide quantitative insight into what parts
of the framework are most important.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2168-9830.1999.tb00405.x/abstract

b. Second Abstract

Article Title: Women Engineers in Kuwait: Perception of Gender Bias

Authors: P.A. Koushi, H.A. Al-Sanad, and A.M. Larkin of Kuwait University

Abstract
The greatest obstacle to the development of policies for the curtailment of gender bias is lack of
information on the scope and effects of the problem. This study represents an attempt to quantify
attitudes toward gender bias among profession women engineers working in the State of Kuwait. The
major findings that emerged were as follows: a) Since 1970, Kuwait has witnessed an enormous growth
rate in the participation of women in higher education. b) With respect to the job-related factors of salary
scale, professional treatment, responsibility, benefits, and vacation, a clear majority (68%) of the
professional Kuwaiti women engineers surveyed expressed a feeling of equality with or even superiority to
their male counterparts. c) The one job-related factor in which significant gender bias was found to be in
operation was that of promotion to upper management positions. In this criterion, the women engineers
surveyed felt “less than equal” to their male colleagues.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264467276_Women_Engineers_in_Kuwait_Perception_of_Gender_Bias

1. What do you think about the first abstract? Can it be categorized as a good abstract? Why?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. What do you think about the second abstract? Can it be categorized as a good abstract?
Why?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Write 3 comments for each paragraph? Which part makes it good/bad abstract?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Can you identify the components of the abstracts in both of them?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TASK 2

Answer the following questions.

1. The purpose of an abstract is which of the following?

65
 a. To provide vague information about your topic without giving away too much
b. To provide a concise overview of your topic and results, making it easy for a reader to
understand your topic
c. To introduce your topic and provide keywords for search engines and databases
d. None of these answers are correct
2. Which of these three things is not necessary in an abstract for a research paper?
a. Additional information not included in the research paper
b. Summary of info in your paper
c. Summary of your key research
d. Keywords
3. If your abstract contained a problem, participants, a study method, some basic conclusions
and findings, you would be writing an abstract for which type of paper?
a. Literature review
b. Methodology Paper
c. Case Study
d. Empirical Study
4. What is the purpose of including keywords in your abstract?
a. To help your abstract stand out in search engines and databases
b. To let your reader know what you are specifically discussing in your paper
c. Both answers are correct
d. Neither answer is correct

TASK 3

1. Look at the Components of an Abstract again and order the sentences to form an abstract.
2. Decide which keywords you would use for this abstract.
3. Decide the type of the abstract.

a) Abstract
➢ The participants were 30 volunteer students, 15 male and 15 female who have recently
graduated from the Biology Department of Red Tree University.
➢ The participants were asked what influence biology education has on their attitudes
regarding world peace and humanity.

66
 ➢ The results indicated that biology education has some positive impacts on attitudes of the
students regarding humanity and world peace.
➢ The responses of the participants indicated that, at the end of four year biology education,
they have more self- awareness and have greater capacity to love human beings and all the
living creatures.
➢ The aim of this study was to examine whether biology education has any impacts on
attitudes in terms of humanity and world peace.
➢ In addition, they reported they had the feeling that they could contribute to the world
peace. Biology has always been a beneficial discipline for the human beings.

b) Keywords: ...........................................................................................……………………
c) Type of the abstract: ...................................................................................................
Part 3: Grammar and Vocabulary
PASSIVE VOICE

Voice refers to the form of a verb that indicates when a grammatical subject performs the action or
is the receiver of the action. When a sentence is written in the active voice, the subject performs the
action; in the passive voice, the subject receives the action.An abstract is one of those places where the
passive voice can be quite useful.

67
Where will I meet the passive?

• in newspapers
• on signs and notices
• in scientific language
Use the passive when:
• You don’t know the person, e.g. Somebody stole my car.
• The person is not important, e.g. They built this church in 1815.
• It is obvious, who did the action, e.g. The police arrested the criminal
❖ TASK 4

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 Task 5

Using the passive voice, complete the following sentences with the correct tense of the verb
provided or a suitable modal verb.
1. My car won’t start. It ____________ (repair) right now.
2. Lunch ____________________ (serve) at 11.30 yesterday.
3. The money ______ already _______ (withdraw) from the ATM.
4. The newspaper ______________ (deliver) before 7.00 A.M everyday.
5. The book ___________ (publish) in 2001.
6. She __________ (examine) by the doctor tomorrow.
7. The suggestion ______________ (discuss) at our next meeting.
8. Five new teachers __________ (hire) last month.
9. There are not enough hospitl in our area. A new hospital (must,build) soon.
10. When you go through customs at the airport, your luggage ___________ (will, search).

Part 4: The Writing Process

To write an effective abstract, follow these steps:

1. write the abstract after you have finished the research report or thesis
69
 2. identify the aims, methods, scope, results, conclusions, and recommendations of your
thesis in key words
3. use your headings and table of contents as a guide to writing your abstract when you have
finished use spell check software
4. show the abstract to someone who has not read your thesis and ask him / her if the
abstract makes good sense

The length of Abstracts is 150–350 words should be enough for an abstract for a bachelor’s or master’s
thesis. A short abstract can be a single paragraph. Or you can divide your abstract into short paragraphs:

1. First paragraph: state what the thesis is about, give a simple statement of aims and
methods
2. Second paragraph: explain the structure of the thesis and say something about the content
3. Third paragraph: give a concluding statement, including a short summary of the results

TASK 6

Write one or two short sentences on each of the following key points of your
research:
1. Your aim or research question … and why your research was
needed – the context

2 How you did it Your approach and methods

3 What you found What your research shows or

suggests

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4 Conclusions why it matters (for practice,
understanding, knowledge)

Adapted from Williams K, Bethell E, Lawton J, Parfitt-Brown C, Richardson M and Rowe V (2011). Completing your PhD. Basingstoke: Palgrave
Macmillan.

Task 6

Rewrite it either as four short paragraphs or as one long paragraph. Read your paragraph again.
Make changes if needed. Edit your paragraph carefully. Check for mistakes before you showit to anyone.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................…
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................……
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................…………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………….............................……………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................…………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................……………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………...........................
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................…
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................……
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................…………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................…
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................……
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................………
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………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................…………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................……………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................…………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................……………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................…………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………….……………............................……………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………….……………...........................

LET’S
SING
Enjoying Passive Voice
It's not always rainbows and butterflies
Exercise It's compromise that moves us along, yeah
My heart is ________ and my door's always
She Will Be Loved _________ You can come anytime you want
by Maroon 5
*Repeat Chorus
Beauty queen of only 1. _____________
I know where you hide
_________ had some trouble with herself
Alone in your _________
He was always there to help _________
Know all of the things that make you who you
She always belonged to someone else
____
I know that goodbye means nothing at all
I drove for miles and miles
Comes back and begs me to catch her every
And wound up at your ________
time she falls
I've had you _______ many times but somehow
I want more
Tap on my window knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
I _______ ___________ spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
*Repeat Chorus
Look for the girl with the ______________ smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
Please don't try so hard to say goodbye
And she will be loved
Please don't try so hard to say goodbye
She will be loved

I don't mind spending everyday

Tap on my window knock on my door
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
I want to make you feel ___________
I know I tend to get _____ insecure
It doesn't matter anymore

72
Chapter 7
You've Got Mail

Objective
The students are able to write letters to communicate effectively.

Part 1: Let’s get started

a. How do you keep in touch with your family and friends?

b. Do you write letters, emails, speak on the telephone, send cards, text using a mobile
phone, or use a social networking site such as Facebook?
c. How often do you send emails? How many email accounts do you have/need?
d. What email provider do you use? (i.e. Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo etc.)
e. Have you hand-written a letter and sent it to someone? If no, why not? If yes, how
often do you send letters and to whom?

Part 2: Letters

Letters are a form of written communication, which contains information or message, send by one
party to another, to convey the message. There are two types of letters, i.e. formal letters and informal
letters. The former is used for professional purposes, while the later is used for personal purposes.

Informal letters and Postcard

INFORMAL LETTER

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 Informal or personal letters are those you write to people you know – family, sisters, brothers,
friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. Informal letters should be friendly, chatty and relaxed as you are talking
to the person. You sign an informal or personal letter using phrases like – Best Wishes, Love, Yours truly,
Lots of love etc.

Look at the example of an informal letter below and do the exercises that follow

Task 1

Circle True or False for these sentences.

1. Annisa is from Yogyakarta. True False

2. Annisa will go to Jakarta for her next holiday. True False

3. Aina has been to Bali. True False

4. Aina lives in Yogyakarta. True False

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 5. The volleyball team has won the True False
competition.

Task 2

Look at the following letter and rewrite correctly using capital letters, commas, and full stops.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Look at the following envelope and note where the address goes and the use of capital letters, commasand
full stops.

Task 3

Address the envelope below to yourself.

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 POSTCARD

Postcards are usually sent to friends and relatives letting them know how your holiday or trip is going.
There is not much space in a postcard. So you usually mention just a few things and use shortened
sentence forms.
➢ Write your message on the left side of the card.
➢ Write the address on the right side of the card.

Task 4

Imagine you went to one of the following places. Use the plan below and write a postcard to
your friend.

77
 1. Yogyakarta
2. Bali
3. Solo
4. Jakarta
5. Lombok

PLAN:

Paragraph 1 – where are you going and where are you staying?

Paragraph 2 – what’s the weather like, what are you doing, who are you with, and what are they doing?

Paragraph 3 – closing remarks

Formal letter

We write formal letters to a bank, a doctor, the local council, your landlord or a
company. We do not write in a chatty manner or use slang. Formal letters are business like and get quickly
to the point.Formal letters are usually writtento apply for a job, make a complaint, order something,send a
message to the editor of a newspaper, ask for something – a form, an appointment, ask for information,
make a booking for a holiday, invite someone to an or a celebration, etc.
In formal letters, there are several points to note:
• The sender's address (your address), is on the top right hand corner.
• The address of the company/person to whom the letter is being sent is written on the left-
hand side.
78
• When you do not know the name of the person to whom you are writing, you may start
with 'Dear Sir/Madam'.
• If you begin with 'Dear Sir/Madam', you end the letter with 'Yours faithfully', and your full
name.
• If you know the name of the person you are sending the letter to e.g. Dear Ms Smith, you
end the letter with ‘Yours sincerely’ and your full name.
• Remember to use capital letters, full stops and commas.

Task 5

Circle True or False for these sentences.

1. You should use polite expressions and formal grammatical True False
structures.
2. You can use contractions in a formal letter. True False

3. When you do not know the name of the person to whom True False
you are writing, you use dear Miss/Mr/Mrs.
4. You should use formal style for a person you don't know. True False

5. If you begin with 'Dear Sir/Madam', you end the letter with True False
'Yours faithfully', and your full name.

Look at the example of the formal letter and do the excersise

79
 Task 6

Rewrite the direct questions as indirect questions.

1. When does the course start?
Could you tell me ………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2. Do I need to do a level test?

Please let me know ………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3. How much does the course cost?

Would you mind telling me …………………………………………………………………………………….

4. Do you have native teachers?

Could you tell me …………………………………………………………………………………………………..

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5. When do your courses begin?
I would be grateful if you could tell me …………………………………………………………………

6. Is the accommodation near the school?

I would like to know if ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Task 7
Write a word to fill the gaps and complete the letter.

Emails

Electronic mail, most commonly abbreviated email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging

digital messages. Formal emails are similar to letters.An effective email letter should follow guidelines
similar to those for a letter, but should be briefer. Send copies of your letter to the appropriate people,
including other organizations.

Parts of Email

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The Header section contains details about the email.

✓ From -Displays who sent (or is sending) the email.

✓ To - Automatically filled in with the main client's email address if this email is being created
from a client or session record. The information in the field can be changed, if desired.
✓ CC - Type any additional email addresses here that you want to have carbon copied on this
email.
✓ BCC - If you want this email copied to another email address that won't be visible to the
recipient (blind carbon copy), you can add the email address here.
✓ Subject - Remember that proper "netiquette" requires you to fill in a subject line. It is even
more important for business email. Some email filters will automatically put email with a
blank subject into a junk folder or even delete it. The Subject is more important than the
email itself, it should be focused, clear and informative.

Strong Subjects: Weak Subjects:

• Invitation to the Seminar, February 14th, 20017 • [blank]

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 • Application for English teacher. • Hi, Hello, How are you?
• Agenda for the meeting on Monday, 10am
• Invoice

✓ Attachments-On a new email, any attachments will be shown here by file name. Right-click
to remove an attachment. On a saved email, the names of the attached files are just
displayed.
✓ Sent - This field is only available when recording a new completed email. Once an email has
been sent or saved, the day and date will be in the upper-right corner of the email header
section.

Home tab

File Group

▪ Save - Save the current email and leave it open for reference or additional modifications.
▪ Save & Close - Save the email and close the email window.
▪ Save & New - Save the email and open a new, blank email.
▪ Delete - Delete the open email record.

Respond Group

▪ Reply - Reply to a received email message.

▪ Reply All - When replying to a received email message, send the reply to all addressees.
▪ Forward - Forward an email to another email address.

Clipboard Group

▪ You can paste information that you copied or cut from another location or program into a single
field. You can also cut or copy text from a single field for use elsewhere.

Options Group

▪ Spell Check - Check the email for spelling and grammar mistakes.
▪ Attach File - Browse out and find a file to attach to this email.
▪ Mark Unread - Use this button to mark this email as unread.
▪ Signature - Select a signature to be used for this email.

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Format Group

▪ HTML -
▪ Plain Text -

Linkage Group

▪ Link - Link this email to a client, as well as to a specific session and/or task, if desired. Also use this
button to re-link the message to a different client.

View Group

▪ Client - Open the client associated with this email.

▪ Session - Open the session associated with this email.
▪ Task - Open the task associated with this email.

New Group

▪ Parent Task - Create a new parent task and link this email to it.

Notes Group

▪ View All - Show all notes related to the email, including session notes, invoice notes, etc.

Task 8

Complete the sentences with the right word.

delete / send / attachment / open / CC / link

1. You can _________ an email to one or more people. When you get an email, you must _________ it
before you can read it. With your email, you can include an _____________ (like a photo or document).
2. If you do not want to keep an old email, you can ___________ it.

84
3. You can include a ____________ to a website in your email. If you are sending someone an email, and
you want your manager to see it as well, you can ____________ your manager.

Task 9
Look at the following email and write a reply.

Subject:
From:
To:
Date:

_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

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_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Grammar

Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect is used to express

a. Activities that occurred or were repeated several times at some unspecified time in
the past

b. Activities (with for or since) that began in the past and continue in the present.

The form of present perfect tense

[Has/have + past participle]

Examples:

• You have seen that movie many times.

• Have you seen that movie many times?

• You have not seen that movie many times.

You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago,
last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use
the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times,
before, so far, already, yet, etc.

Task 10

86
 Select the best answer A, B, C or D.

1. Have you ever .......... to Sulawesi?

a) Flew

b) Went

c) Go

d) Been

2. No I've never .......... there.

a) Been

b) Went

c) Was

d) Existed

3. I've just .......... back from Jakarta.

a) Been

b) Gone

c) Came

d) Come

4. and I've .......... at least two weeks there.

a) Past

b) Passed

c) Spent

d) Spend

5. Have you .......... to the top of the Monas?

a) Flown

b) sat up

c) grown up

d) gone up

6. No, I .......... yet.

87
 a) haven't

b) don't

c) Not

d) won't

7. I haven't .......... the ferry to Karimunjawa Island.

a) Taken

b) Swam

c) Jumped over

d) Driven

8. I've just .......... work so hard.

a) Looked

b) Seen

c) Must

d) had to

9.I have .......... dinner at the most expensive restaurant.

a) Had

b) Taken

c) Seen

d) Served

10. I have .......... a musical show.

a) Listened

b) heard

c) seen

d) Taken

Task 11

88
Choose the letter of the underlined word or group of words that is not correct

1. ___ I have just had breakfast so I do not wanted to eat anything.

A B C D

2. ___I am so sorry, sir. I has not finished the homework yet.

A B C D
3. ___I see Tom yesterday but I haven’t seen him today.
A B C D
4. ___ Have you evereaten caviar? No, I have ever eaten caviar.
A B C D

Task 12

Instructions: Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the simple past or the present perfect
(nothing else!).

Dear Bobby,

______________________ in New York for two months now, but ______________________

(I, be) (I, not see)
the Statue of Liberty yet. Yesterday, _________________________________ to Macy's and
(I, go)
_________________________ you some beautiful shirts. ______________________________ to
(I, buy) (I, still not go)
Bloomingdale's or A&S yet.
_____________________ a lot of trouble since ____________________ here. In Times
(I, have) (I, get)
Square, one awful day, two teenagers ________________________ my purse. Since that day,
(steal)
______________________ a lot more careful than _________________ when I lived in Ohio.
(I, be) (I, be)
Last night, ______________________________________ a cab to the theater, and the
(I, take)
driver ____________________ me a real scare! ________________________ dangerously, and
(give) (He, drive)

89
__________________________ when _______________ him to. _________________________ him
(he, not slow down) (I, tell) (I, not give)
a tip, so ________________________ at me. I used to be quiet before _________________
(he, swear) (I, leave)
Ohio and _____________ here, but __________________ last night, and __________________
(come) (I, scream) (it, feel)
good! Screaming in New York helps sometimes. __________________________________ a lot
(I, change)
since ___________________________________ here last December.
(I, arrive)
__________________________ from Dad recently? _________________________ a letter
(you, hear) (I, not get)

from him for several weeks. I hope he's okay. How _____________________________ lately?
(you, be)
________________________ today's homework yet? Don't put it off!
(you, do)
Anyway, take care of yourself. As for me, _____________________________ sick for
(I, be)
a week last month, but I'm better now. _________________________ the flu one day after
(I, catch)
I went out for a walk without a hat. I hope ______________________________________ the
(you, not catch)
flu or anything so far this winter! It's awful to be sick and miss classes at school!

Love,
Katie

Part 4: Challenge

1. Write a letter or an email to language learning center asking for information about

90
languages courses that they offer. Explain what kind of course you are interested in (TOEFL, IELTS,
conversation, general English, etc.) and the cost. Also look for information on places to stay near the
campus.

2. You are the leader of your class. Your class is going to have an outing class in Yogyakarta. Based on the
discussion, they want to go to Sultan Palace, Prambanan Temple, and Merapi Mountain. Write a letter or
an email asking for information to the travel agency regarding such things as the tour,the cost and if there
are any discounts available.

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Chapter 8

COVER LETTER AND RESUME

Objective
Students are able to write their own cover letter for formal company and their own
resume

Let’s Start
In this unit students are going to write a cover letter for a formal institution by looking at
the examples that have been given as well as to create a resume based on student’s personal
information.
Activity
Pay attention on the example of job vacancy from the newspaper. Find another one from
the internet that suits to your educational background. Later on you will use the vacancy
to create your cover letter and resume.
Example:

Cover Letter

Cover letters are one page documents that you send with your resume when applying
for a job. It is meant to:

1. Introduce yourself to the hiring manager

2. Argue why you’d be a good fit for the job
3. Fill in places your resume cannot describe
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 4. Further explain other aspects of your resume

By hitting those 4 aspects, your letter can be a convincing and powerful companion to a well-
written resume.

Content Format Guide: 4 Steps

1. Contact Information

To begin, include both the employer’s and your contact information. See the example below:

While the example above demonstrates the information you need to include in the section, there are
various ways to format it. Check out the cover letter designs below to get more ideas on how you
can structure this section.

RG Tip

No spelling or grammar errors! This one really goes without saying. Spelling mistakes make an
awful first impression.

2. Introduction

Find out to whom you’re writing

Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes for a second. Would you like to be addressed as “Dear
Sir or Madame?” or “To whom it may concern?”

“Dear Sir or Madame” makes you sound like you’re from the year 1865, and “to whom it may
concern” is very irritating to hiring managers.

You can easily avoid this problem by doing your research. Look through the company’s website,
LinkedIn, or even give the company a call to ask for the hiring manager’s name. Even if you get it
wrong, it still looks like you’ve made an effort.

Introduce yourself
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In the first paragraph, begin by telling the employer the position you are applying for and how
you learned about the opportunity.

The rest of this paragraph should briefly present basic info about yourself, including: degree, area of
study/expertise, and your career goals in terms of how they align with the goals of the company.

3. Sell Yourself

The second paragraph should respond directly to the job description written by the hiring manager.
Describe how your previous job experiences, skills, and abilities will allow you to meet the
company’s needs. To make that easier, you can (and should) literally include words and phrases
from the job description in your cover letters.

RG Tip

No bombast! The rule of thumb is that you’re allowed to be as boastful as you want – so long as
you have the evidence to back it up!

To go the extra mile, do some research about the company, and try to find out what they are doing
— and why — given the current state of their industry. In a third paragraph, explain how you can fit
into that schema, and help push the company forward and achieve any goals you suspect they may
have.

4. Conclusion

The final paragraph is called the “call to action.” Inform them that you’d love to get interviewed.
Tell them that you’ll be in contact with them in a week if you don’t hear back. Thank them for
spending the time to read your letter.

Page Format Guide: 4 Steps

Aside from the content on the page, the actual look and feel of the document is also an important
aspect of the your letter. Elements such as margins, font size and style, and alignment all factor in to
the hiring manager’s overall impression of you.

Here are a few quick tips when styling your own:

1. 1” – 1.5” margins are always a safe bet. If you having trouble fitting everything on one
page there is some wiggle room, but be careful not to make the content look crammed
together
2. Don’t go below a 12-point font unless absolutely necessary. Anything below 12 can strain
the eyes.
3. Font style is really a matter of preference. Try to choose one that looks professional or
that matches what the employer uses on their website. Keep in mind that different styles will
change the size of the font.
4. Maintain a uniform alignment throughout. We suggest keeping all paragraphs left-
aligned.

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https://resumegenius.com/cover-letters-the-how-to-guide

Here are some examples of cover letter:

Yogyakarta, August 26th 2014

The Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia in Perth
Division of Information, Cultural and Social Affairs
134 Adelaide Terrace
Perth, Western Australia, 6004
Australia

Dear Mister /Madam,

I am an English Literature graduate of Yogyakarta State University with several years of

working experience gained from some of Yogyakarta’s reputable private institutions and a non-
governmental organization.

I am writing to apply for the position of Language Assistance. This position particularly
interests me because it would enable me to make full use of my professional teaching and
organizational skills. I have well-developed written and oral communication skills that can be
very useful in carrying out the duties for the above-mentioned position.

On top of these competencies, I adhere to a work ethic and can effectively interact with people
across all levels of the organizational structure. I believe I can be an asset to your organization.

My resume is enclosed with this cover letter. It shows my overall expertise and experience in
the field. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my suitability for the position and
comply with your other requirements. I can be contacted anytime at 08572751004.
Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Setya Putri Rahayu S.S., M.A.

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1. Standard, conservative style

This is ideal for sectors such as business, law, accountancy and retail. For more creative sectors, a
letter like this might be less appealing, and could work against you.

Dear Mr Black,

Please find enclosed my CV in application for the post advertised in the Guardian on 30
November.

The nature of my degree course has prepared me for this position. It involved a great deal of
independent research, requiring initiative, self-motivation and a wide range of skills. For one
course, [insert course], an understanding of the [insert sector] industry was essential. I found this
subject very stimulating.

I am a fast and accurate writer, with a keen eye for detail and I should be very grateful for the
opportunity to progress to market reporting. I am able to take on the responsibility of this position
immediately, and have the enthusiasm and determination to ensure that I make a success of it.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this application and I look forward to hearing from you
in the near future.

Yours sincerely

2. Standard speculative letter

This may vary according to the nature of the organisation and the industry you're applying to.

Dear Mr Brown,

I am writing to enquire if you have any vacancies in your company. I enclose my CV for your
information.

As you can see, I have had extensive vacation work experience in office environments, the retail
sector and service industries, giving me varied skills and the ability to work with many different
types of people. I believe I could fit easily into your team.

I am a conscientious person who works hard and pays attention to detail. I'm flexible, quick to
pick up new skills and eager to learn from others. I also have lots of ideas and enthusiasm. I'm
keen to work for a company with a great reputation and high profile like [insert company name].

I have excellent references and would be delighted to discuss any possible vacancy with you at
your convenience. In case you do not have any suitable openings at the moment, I would be
grateful if you would keep my CV on file for any future possibilities.

Yours sincerely

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3. Letter for creative jobs

We've used the example of a copywriter but you can adapt it for your profession. The aim of a
creative letter is to be original and show you have imagination, but understand what the job entails.
Balance is essential: don't be too wacky, or it will turn off the reader.

Dear Ms Green,

· Confused by commas?
· Puzzled by parenthesis?
· Stumped by spelling?
· Perturbed by punctuation?
· Annoyed at the apostrophe? (And alliteration?)

Well, you're not alone. It seems that fewer and fewer people can write. Unfortunately, there are
still a lot of people who can read. So they'll spot a gaffe from a mile off. And that means it's a
false economy, unless you're 100% sure of yourself, to write your own materials. (Or to let
clients do it for themselves.)

To have materials properly copywritten is, when one considers the whole process of publishing
materials and the impact that the client wishes to make, a minor expense. Sloppiness loses
clients, loses customers.

There is an answer. Me. Firm quotes are free. You can see some of what I do on my multilingual
website at [insert web address]. If you'd like, I can get some samples out to you within 24 hours.
And, if you use me, you'll have some sort of guarantee that you can sleep soundly as those tens
of thousands of copies are rolling off the presses.

Luck shouldn't come into it!

With kindest regards

Activity

After paying attention to the examples of cover letter above, make your own cover letter
based on the announcement of job vacancy that you have searched in the internet.
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 How to Write an Impressive Resume

A resume is a self-advertisement that, when done properly, shows how your skills,
experience, and achievements match the requirements of the job you want. This
guide provides three free samples on which you can base your resume. It will also walk you
through setting up and laying out the content to highlight your skills and grab the reader’s
attention.

1. Choose how you want to format your resume. Because you are writing a combination
resume, there is no strict format guidelines or boundaries which you need to follow.
Multiple people will have very different looking combination resume, so focus on what
you're good at. In addition to your work and education experience, you can choose to
include skills, awards and achievements, volunteer history, and special qualifications.
2. List your employment history. This can be done in one of two ways. If your work
history includes positions in more than one field, you should list your jobs under
functional sub-headings, which categorize the skills you used at each particular one. If you
can demonstrate that your evolving work history highlights the key skills you want to
promote, you may want to list your work history in chronological order, without
including any sub-headings.
• Be sure to provide the general information for each employer/position including the
name of the company, location, your title, your duties, and the dates that you worked
there.
3. Provide information about your education. The details you include about your
education will be the same as the details you’d include in other resume styles; the
difference is in where you present the information on the resume. For each college,
university, or trade school you have attended, list the name and location of the institution,
the degree or certificate you received, and the years you attended.

• If your grade point average (“GPA”) was 3.5 or higher, you may want to list it as well.

4. Supply other pertinent information. After you've made note of your education and
work history, give a list of any other information you feel like might be helpful for your
employer to have. Choose to include any of the additional sections such as special
qualifications, skills, awards and achievements, or volunteer service.
An example of a resume

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 Curriculum Vitae
Personal Details

1. Full Name : Setya Putri Rahayu

2. Nick name : Setya, Putri
3. Place/Date of Birth : Kendal/July 20th, 1986
4. Gender : Female
5. Address : Tegal Gentan 02/17 Seyegan Sleman Yogyakarta 55561
6. Nationality : Indonesia
7. Phone Number : 08562751004
8. Email address : setya_putrie20@yahoo.com
9. Marital Status : Married
10. Religious View : Islam

Education

1. Degree : Master Degree

University : Universitas Gadjah Mada
Faculty : Cultural Science
Major : American Studies
GPA : 3,74 out 4,00

2. Degree : Bachelor Degree

University : Yogyakarta State University
Faculty : Languages and Arts
Major : English Literature
GPA : 3,33 out 4,00

3. Degree : Senior High School

School : SMA N 2 Yogyakarta
Major : Science Class

Community Involvement and Seminars

1. Organization : Saka Bhakti Husada Yogyakarta
Start : December 2002
Finish : at present
Duties :
• As health troops for national scout organization
• Handling health seminar for national scout organization in senior high schools
2. International Non Government Organization : Muslim Aid Foundation
Start : January 2010, Finish : July 2010
Duties :

• Planning applicable program for street children and orphans

• Making a survey for realizing applicable program for street children
99
• Planning English material as interesting as possible for teaching learning
3. Seminar : Mastering TOEFL in Three Hours
Conducted by : Foreign Language Study and Development of UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta
Date : 9 December 2012
Position : Speaker

4. Competition : English Debate Championship

Conducted by : The Academy of Leather Technology Yogyakarta
Date : 15 October 2012
Position : Adjudicator

5. Seminar : “TV Lokal dalam Konstruksi Identitas: Kajian Penonton Jogja TV dan RBTV di
Yogyakarta.
Conducted by : Faculty of Cultural Science, UGM
Date : 7 March 2013
Position : Moderator

6. Seminar : Joint Seminar: American Culture in Transnational Context

Conducted by : UGM, Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Padjajaran, UIN Sunan GUnung
Djati
Date : 12 – 13 June 2013
Position : Committee

7. Seminar : Islam di Amerika: Hambatan dan Tantangan

Conducted by : Universitas Gadjah Mada
Date : 18 November 2013
Position : Participant

8. Seminar : Asian Community and Its Development in Globalization

Conducted by : Faculty of Cultural Science UGM and One Asia Foundation
Date : 28 January 2014
Position : Participant

9. International Conference : American Studies and Cultural Hybridity

Conducted by : American Studies Society of Indonesia and Faculty of Cultural Science
UGM
Date : 19 March 2014
Position : Participant

Professional Working Experiences

1. Jogja Hotelier Institute
Position : Professional English Instructor
Start working : July 2009
Finish Working : at present
Duties :
• Making lesson plan
• Preparing teaching materials
• Encouraging student to learn well and spiritfully
• Performing teaching and learning activity in front of the class 100
 9. Freelance Translator in Erlangga Publisher
Start working : May 2015
Finish working : at present
Duties :
• Translating articles, books, journals from English to Bahasa or from Bahasa to English
• Proofreading English journals
• Editing English journals

10. Freelance Translator

Start working : March 2012
Finish working : at present
Duties :
• Translating articles, books, journals from English to Bahasa or from Bahasa to English
• Proofreading English journals
• Editing English journals
11. Rajawali Aviation Training
Position : Professional English Instructor
Start working : March 2012
Finish working : January 2014
Duties :
• Making lesson plan
• Preparing teaching materials
• Encouraging student to learn well and spiritfully
• Performing teaching and learning activity in front of the class
• Making monthly report
12. Smile Group Yogyakarta
Position : Professional English Instructor
Start working : January 2008
Finish Working : January 2011
Duties :
• Making lesson plan
• Preparing teaching materials
• Encouraging student to learn well and spiritfully
• Performing teaching and learning activity in front of the class
• Making monthly report
13. English House
Position : CEO, Marketing Staff and Professional English Instructor
Start working : July 2005
Finish Working : at present
Reference
Duties :
• Planning business
Azar, Betty Scrampfer. 2002. Understanding and Using English Grammar 3rd Edition. New York: Longman.
management
• Developing marketing strategy
Anjarwati and Purwati, Novi.The Relationship between Teacher Attitudes of Sexual Education towards
• Making lesson plan
Adolescents and the Implementation of Sexual Education at the State Of Junior High School (Smpn) 1
• Preparing teaching materials
• Encouraging
PajanganBantul 2013.Proceeding of International
student Conference
to learn well On Research, Implementation And Education
and spiritfully
• Performing
Of Mathematics And Sciencesteaching
2014, Yogyakarta
and learning
Stateactivity
University, 18-20 May 2014. in
• Making monthly report 101
16. Kenanga Catering
Position : CEO
Start working : September 2010
Finish Working : at present
Duties :
• Planning business management
• Developing marketing strategy
• Creating good link among food makers and costumers

17. Radio PTDI Medari

Position : Radio Announcer
Start working : January 2005
Finish Working : January 2010
Duties :
• Planning radio program
• Sorting songs, news, and tips for certain programs
• Broadcasting programs material on air
• Operating mixer and radio software
• Making weekly report

Language Skill
1. Javanese (excellent both in speaking and writing)
2. Indonesian (excellent both in speaking and writing )
3. English (excellent both in speaking and writing)
With English proficiency test result : 610 (TOEFL ITP)

Computer Skill
1. Microsoft Word
2. Microsoft Power Point
3. Microsoft Excel

Personality
1. Hard working
2. Discipline
3. Adaptable

Activity
Make your own resume as complete as possible. Check with your friends, and ask
suggestion from your lecturer.

102
Reference

Azar, Betty Scrampfer. 2002. Understanding and Using English Grammar 3rd Edition. New York: Longman.

Anjarwati and Purwati, Novi.The Relationship between Teacher Attitudes of Sexual Education towards
Adolescents and the Implementation of Sexual Education at the State Of Junior High School (Smpn) 1
PajanganBantul 2013.Proceeding of International Conference On Research, Implementation And Education
Of Mathematics And Sciences 2014, Yogyakarta State University, 18-20 May 2014. in
https://ejournal.say.ac.id/ejournal/index.php/jkk/issue/archive retrieved on february 2nd, 2017 at 10.00
PM.

https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/upgrade/study-skills/abstracts/

http://busyteacher.org/

Phillips, Deborah. 2001. Longman Complete Course for the TOEFL Test. New York: Addison-Weley Longman,
Inc.

Widaryati and Marvinia, Salia. The Effectiveness of Moisture Balance Wound Care Method in Healing
Diabetic Ulcers at Wound Care Clinic, Faculty of Health Sciences, UMM.JurnalKebidanandanKeperawatan,
Vol. 9, No. 1, Juni 2013: 29-36.

https://ejournal.say.ac.id/ejournal/index.php/jkk/issue/archive retrieved on february 2nd, 2017 at 10.00

PM.

Williams K, Bethell E, Lawton J, Parfitt-Brown C, Richardson M and Rowe V (2011).Completing your PhD.
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

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