Vocabulary Expressing stance In Academic English texts there are a number of key nouns that can be used to describe a range of academic concepts, eg. theory and approach, These often appear in frequent word combinations known as collocations. Authors often indicate their stance an cancepts by collocating them with a modifying adjective, The adjective-noun collocations highlight stance by showing the position authors take, and the strength of their opinion. TASK 1 Identifying common academic nouns 1 Match academic nouns 1-8 to meanings a-h. 1 strategy a_ am idea or a principle that is connected with something abstract 2 approach —_banopinion on or an attitude towards a particular subject 3 concept _c aplan thatis intended to achieve a particular purpose 4 solution the general way in which a person or thing develops 5 position © away ofsolving a problem or dealing with a dificult situation 6 policy {a formal set of ideas that is intended to explain why something happens or exists 7 direction _g away of thinking about a problem or task 8 theory hh aplan of action agreed or chosen by a political party, a business, ete. TASK 2 Understanding stance 1 Look at the collocations in italics and decide what stance the author is taking. 1 Reducing interest rates became a central strategy in stabilizing the economy. a. The strategy is important ‘he strategy is unimportant 2 The government was accused of lacking transparent policies on immigration. ‘The policies were easily understood _b ‘The policies were not easily understood 3 Iti considered one of the major theories in the development ofthe field. a Thetheoryisthe mostimportant —_b The theory s the least important 4 The likely approach to success is a mixture of both a planned and controlled economy. The approach is probable bb ‘The approach is improbable 5 Itisa basic concept, but plays a key role in the understanding of the subject. @ Itisasimple idea b Itisa complexidea 6 Practical solutions averted catastrophe in the recent recession, ‘The solutions are sensible, and easily manageable bb ‘The solutions are risky, and hard to implement 7 ‘Their influential position within the organization gave them significant control. Their position was weak 1b Their position was powerful {8 The leadership took the organization in an unsuitable direction that diminished its power. The direction was tight The direction was not right 2 Complete the paragraph with the collocations in the list. central strategy practical solutions basic concept influential position, ‘transparent policies unlikely approach suitable direction While government controlis a» in stabilizing economics, political parties have to accept that big business now has an? hen it comes to guiding economic growth in a* “ such as ‘the minimum wage, have been supported by companies wanting to give workers a fairer deal. This, and? to reducing working hours, have had major impacts ‘on the way we work and spend, However, recent market turmoil has shown that following business completely is an® to economic success. Pethaps a better solution is for governments to align the best of business ideas with ? for growth. 3. Use collocations from 2 to write three sentences about key concepts in your own area of study. 034 UNIT Z€ VacaauLaRy