Generalization Read each of the following statements and decide how many levels of generality they contain Paragraph

1 Most airline pilots require a knowledge of English. Although few need English to deal with emergencies,a knowledge of English for these situations is a good safety measure. Paragraph 2 Many parents find it hard to accept the idea of their children getting married. Some parents become so close to them that they do not like the idea of saying goodbye to them. Paragraph 3 Most companies always need statistics. They usually need to calculate the average wage of their employees. In addition, companies sometimes need to determine statistically if consumers like a new product. Paragraph 4 It is unlikely that a personal assistant will be successful in his career without knowing how to work with Pcs. He may need it for typing different documents or he will probably require to arrange

appointments or save important documents.

Probability surely probably possible/likely may unlikely

Frequency always usually often sometimes rarely never

Quantity All most many Some few No

Degree 100

0%

Probability activity: A teacher at a university made a suvey to find out whether his students needed English and what they needed for. Study the table and fill in the paragraph of the teacher's report.
PURPOSE Reading textbooks Reading journals Reading legal documents Reading business letters Writing reports Writing letters Economics 80 6 5 40 25 5 Engineering 90 70 1 20 10 7 10 40 10 8 0

Filling in application 6 forms Attending lectures Attending seminars Talking to visitors Giving lectures 60 5 6 0

Fill in a paragraph from the teacher's report, based on the above list: Students in this university need______________ for_______ purposes. Most______________________________________________________ Some______________________________________________________ None______________________________________________________ Many______________________________________________________ Few_______________________________________________________ Differences between Specific and general statements 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Most UNEXPO students do not use libraries. In the months of February and March, only 14% of Systems Engineering Students used the library In the months of february and march 20% of the students used the University library. Most Systems Engineering students do not use the University library. The majority of students do not use libraries for research.

Answer the following questions about the above statements 1. Which statements do not refer to a specific period of time?. 2. Which statements do not refer to a specific group of students? 3. Which statements do not refer to a specific library? 4. Which statement is the most specific?

5.

Which statement is the most general?

Study the following group of sentences. In each group, one sentence is a generalization(G) and the other three are examples(E) which support it. Identify them all.

Group 1 Mass media are often badly used. Newspapers only give sensational news. Radio programs are usually superficial. Television has bad effects on most people.

Group 2 Most crime films encourage violence Television has bad effects on people Some documentaries stop people from thinking independently

Group 3 Commercial ads distort the truth about products Toothpaste does not make teeth white Many pain-killers are not effective Some electrical appliances are not easy to use

Language tips for expressing:

Frequency: always,often, sometimes,from time to time, rarely, never.

Quantity:

All, much, many,some,little, few, none, no.

Probability: Likely,Unlikely, probable, may or may not be.