University of Hargeisa

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
english@hargeisauniversity.com

ADVANCED
WRITING

STUDENT BOOK

SPRING 2012
ADVANCED WRITING I

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction and course outline 3

Lesson 1: Organizing your writing 6

Lesson 2: Finding your research area 8
Lesson 3: Pre-research and hypothesis 12
Lesson 4: Structuring an essay 14
Lesson 5: Data collection and referencing 16
Lesson 6: Arguing a case 20
Lesson 7: Writing about empirical data writing 22
Lesson 8: Structuring the main body of your essay 26
Lesson 9: Common mistakes in academic writing 28
Lesson 10: Public speaking 30
Lesson 11: Revising and rewriting 32
Lesson 12: Curricula vitae and resumes 34
Lesson 13: Cover letters 38

Exercises 41

Appendix 1: Participles 61
Appendix 2: Punctuation Guidelines 64
Appendix 3: Surveys 69
Appendix 4: APA Reference Guide 72
Appendix 5: Translations 75
Appendix 6: Sample Essay 79

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

Introduction and Course Outline

Advanced Writing Part I (AW1) is designed as an advanced technical writing, academic
English and translation program for students previously in the Upper Intermediate level or
superior students in the Intermediate level. In this course the majority of material will not
come from the Headway series. This course book is the only required text. Students must
bring it to class with them every week. Attendance will not be kept, but students are
expected to attend every class unless they have an approved excuse from the teacher.

The first half of the semester consists of a program which takes students though the
techniques, styles and methodology of academic writing. Students are asked to think about
this type of writing and formulate a report question which they will take through the first
half of the semester and build on. The students will go through the steps of planning and
structuring an academic-style report (i.e. they will put together a properly formatted title
page, abstract, introduction, section headings and bibliography, and also complete
homework exercises which practice ideas taught in class). Assignments which make up this
project should be word-processed to give students practice with standardized formatting
and page layout.

By the end of the seven stages of the technical writing part of the course students should
have developed knowledge of their chosen subject and the ways they should format and
structure an essay. Throughout these stages students will be writing a short essay on their
topic (around 2000 words) containing all of the elements of structure and formatting
discussed previously. Lessons learned through classwork and homework will help students
write this essay. The rough draft of this assignment will be due in week 9 of the course and
will be worth 10% of the course mark. The teacher will mark the essays and give students
feedback to improve their essays. Students should use the teacher s feedback to revise and
rewrite their essays. A final draft of the essays will be due in week 14 of the course. The
final draft will be worth 40% of the course mark.

After the rough drafts are submitted, two or three class periods will be reserved for student
presentations on their essay. Many people have a fear of public speaking, but it is an
essential skill that many employers desire in their employees. Students will give a two
minute presentation of their essay topic to their English class. Students should talk about
their research methodology, the problems they encountered and their conclusion. The
teacher will then ask the student several questions about his or her essay topic. Students
will be marked on their initial presentation and their responses to the teacher s questions.

The last part of the course will focus on revising and rewriting the essays, preparing for the
final exam and a lesson on writing CVs and resumes.

Students who successfully complete AWI may have the opportunity to continue on to
Advanced Writing II or English Literature. If students have this opportunity they are
encouraged to participate.

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The final mark for the course will be calculated using the following rubric:

Academic essay
Rough draft 10%
Final draft 40%
Presentation 5%
Homework 20%
Final Exam 25%

The course will begin on March 20 2 and end on July 20 2. Students marks will be
reported to their faculties as soon as possible after the end of the course.

The schedule for the course will be the following:

Week 1 17 March – 23 March Lesson 1

Week 2 24 March – 30 March Lesson 2
Week 3 31 March – 6 April Lesson 3
Week 4 7 April – 13 April Lesson 4
Week 5 14 April – 20 April Lesson 5
Week 6 21 April – 27 April Lesson 5
Week 7 28 April – 4 May Lesson 6
Week 8 5 May – 11 May Lesson 7
Week 9 12 May – 18 May Lessons 8 & 9
Week 10 19 May -25 May Independence Day Holiday
Week 11 26 May – 1 June Lesson 10 Rough draft due
Week 12 2 June – 8 June Presentations
Week 13 9 June – 15 June Lesson 11 Rough draft returned
Week 14 16 June – 22 June Lesson 12
Week 15 23 June – 29 June Lesson 13
Week 16 30 June – 6 July Exam Preparation Final draft due
Week 17 7 July – 13 July Final Exam Period

Class will be canceled on public and religious holidays. The teacher will notify students of
these cancellations and adjust the schedule appropriately. These holidays include Labor
Day (1 May), Re-Independence Day (18 May), Lailatul )sra Wal Mi raj June) and
Independence Day (26 June).

Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. Any student who is found to have
plagiarized will be granted one amnesty and his or her dean will be notified. Denial of
proven plagiarism or a second offense will lead to the student being dismissed from the
course immediately and permanently. Plagiarism: qish (soo guurin qof fikradiis, oo
laysku magacaabo)

If students have any questions about the course or their language learning they should
approach their teacher first. If their teacher cannot assist then students may approach the
director of the English Department for assistance.
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PLAGIARISM CONTRACT
I, ____________________________________________, acknowledge the importance of producing my
own work in this course and recognize that plagiarism is a serious academic infraction. I
hereby commit myself to producing my own original work and avoiding plagiarism with all
due diligence. I understand that if I commit an act of plagiarism I will be given one warning
and my dean will be notified. I further understand that if I commit a second act of
plagiarism I will be removed from the course immediately and permanently. I will neither
attempt to plagiarize nor tolerate others who plagiarize.

NAME:___________________________________________________

SIGNATURE: ____________________________________________

DATE: ___________________________________________________

APA Checklist for Paper Writing

1. Are the abstract and introduction clearly and concisely written?
2. Have the objectives, hypotheses, and research questions been adequately addressed?
3. Are the findings, conclusions, and recommendations clearly stated and do they match the objectives, hypotheses, and
research questions?
4. Where necessary, are significant or potentially controversial statements supported by the research?
5. Are there weaknesses in logic or mistakes in spelling, punctuation, capitalization or grammar?
6. Are concepts and technical terms adequately explained?
7. Could a major point be better presented by a table or graph?
8. Is the report objective in tone?
9. Does the title adequately describe the contents?
10. Is the use of formatting, headings and subheadings consistent throughout the paper?
11. Is each paragraph essential? Does one paragraph flow naturally into the next?
12. Are pages, tables, and charts numbered correctly?
13. Are all the references necessary?
14. Are quotations correct?
15. Have you included a title page, abstract and bibliography/works cited page?

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Lesson 1: Organizing your writing

What is a paragraph?

In upper-intermediate students practiced writing longer compositions than they were used to in previous
levels. The amount of writing will again increase in this course and it is necessary to learn to structure
different thoughts and ideas to keep your meaning clear. While a single sentence is defined by its grammatical
content a complete idea is organized into a paragraph. A paragraph is a group of with one topic only. In a good
paragraph ideas are developed logically and put into sentences that are connected by connectives (e.g. while,
in other words, furthermore, etc.) so that the reader will be able to follow the presentation of the writer's
ideas step by step.

Some expressions can be used to:

add ideas moreover, furthermore, and, similarly, in addition to this ...

give reasons therefore, so, that is why. ..

refer to something referring to, as to, as for, with regard to, according to, it has been
reported that .. .

want to say something that means, in other words, that is to say. ..

in other words

show order first, firstly, secondly, next, finally (note - if you write 'firstly' you
must continue with the list of facts you are referencing)

show consequence it follows that, thus, consequently, as a result, therefore ....

say something against on the other hand, but, however, in spite of this fact, on the
a statement contrary ...

Practice writing paragraphs in class using connectives.

Fill in the blanks( remember: several different phrases may be possible to use):

1. Qaat has a negative effects on society _______ it is an important part of the local economy.

2. We know that smoking is harmful to a smoker's health ________ it also affects those who are around the
smoker.

3. The economy, Somaliland has developed several prosperous and successful industries. Somaliland has a
thriving private sector and business community.

4. Climate change may alter overall average temperatures in the Horn of Africa, ________ it may also change
patterns of annual rainfall.

5. We should remember that a good education system requires good teachers and _______ ,good teachers
require adequate professional training and support.

6. The government is worried that many healthcare workers are moving into the private sector. the minister
of health has recently announced plans to increase pay for public healthcare workers in an effort to reduce
this flow.

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Homework Assignment
Write 20 sentences (approximately 3 or 4 paragraphs) about: Why have you chosen to study inyour
particular department? What do you want to achieve with your education?

Think about:
Why did you first become interested in the subject you study?
What do you hope to achieve in the future?
Where do you think your skills are required (i.e. in what types of jobs)?
How does that relate to the development of Somaliland?

Punctuation Guidelines
Review the comprehensive punctuation guide found in Appendix 2 at the back of the course
pack.

Class Exercise - Error analysis and punctuation

Rewrite the 2 pieces, correct the grammatical mistakes and include punctuation marks.

1. i want to tell you about oscar he my cousin he comes here four years agobefore he came here he study
statistics in chile when he leaves chile to come herehe came with four friends they were studying english in
ohio then he went tonew york stayed there for three years he graduated from new york universitynow he
study at this school he said to me after i finish my masters degree I want toreturn to chile

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2. long ago a faraway place a lonely man move into a new neighborhood hisfirst project is his new garden he
begun to work on it right away he wanting tomake a perfect garden one day some friendly neighbors and
their children visitedthe man in his garden and helped him with the work they planting flowers andbuild a
small bridge across a little stream all of them were very happy duringthey were building the bridge and work
on the garden the man was especiallyhappy because he's no longer lonely while the adults working some of
theirchildren plaied with a ball in the garden while they pley one of them step on aflower suddenly the man
was getting angry and tell everyone to leave all theneighbors leaved and go back to their own homes after
that the man builded awall around his garden and lock the gate for the rest of his life the man sat alonein his
garden every evening and crying
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Lesson 2: Finding your research area

The purpose of this lesson is to start thinking about what make good research topics and how writing a
research essay is different from the forms of writing that you have practiced in your previous English courses.

Finding your research area:

Your research area should be:

1) related to a subject that interests you;
2) in an area that you are knowledgeable about;
3) on a subject that you know people have more than one opinion about.

Good research topics can be addressed from more than one perspective. Just because you have an opinion
about something does not mean that you cannot understand other opinions. As we saw in the previous
section this is the difference between fact and opinion. Facts are usually impossible or very difficult to
disagree over. In the articles above, facts about the Libyan uprising were all written in a way that reserves the
opinion of the author. The author would always say who was reporting something and what exactly they
were saying, rather than a) saying that the report was definitively true (it is difficult to gather information
everyone knows to be true) or b)assuming it is true and then expressing her/his own perspective on it.
Opinion pieces on the other hand attempt to organize facts in a way that presents the author's own view and
tries to get the reader to agree with it. Good researchers try to use as many facts and as few opinions as
possible in their writing .Because of that, they need to be aware that more opinions exist than only their own.

To practice thinking about different perspectives, try and think of various reasons that Somaliland should
NOT be recognized. Try and come up with multiple reasons and find answers that are as strong as possible.
Try and think up reasons that someone writing an article about why it shouldn't be recognized would use.

Finding a Research Question:

What is technical writing/report writing and research? Technical writing involves providing an answer to a
question stated at the beginning of a paper. An academic question must be:

1) Specific
2) Relevant
3) Answerable
4) Ideally a question that has not been fully addressed before
5) Objective

Your question must be specific. The more general the question the less interesting it is to answer and the
greater the probability that someone has dealt with it before in detail. Try and think about your own interests
(generally) and then come up with subjects within those interests that are two times as specific.

Sample flow charts of research questions that become more and more specific:

Politics in Somaliland – International recognition – It's effect on the economy.

Environment – Green Energy –Chances of Green Energy in Somaliland- Pros and Cons

Coca-Cola – Coca-Cola in Somaliland – What effect do they have? –economy/health/employment

Remittances – good or bad for the economy? – supporting communities or ruining work ethic

Culture and Islam – why do Islamic countries have different interpretations of Islam? – Somaliland compared to Saudi
Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, etc.

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Class Exercise: Look at these examples of research questions. Evaluate these questions based on the criteria
that your teacher has explained (see above) .Think about which questions would be good or bad to use for a
report and give reasons for your answer.

Q1: How does Qaat-use damage the economy in Somali/and?

Q2: What is the situation of healthcare in Somali/and?

Q3: Will South Sudanese recognition affect the possible recognition of Somali/and?

Q4: What will Hargeisa be like in 2050?

Q5: How many nurses are there in Somali/and?

Q6: How does the remittance economy affect development in Hargeisa?

Q7: How can we stop global hunger?

QB: How do imports benefit the Somali economy?

Extra Practice: Academic English – Common Mistakes

There are certain phrases or conjunctions which many students use in their writing in incorrect places. This
section will look at the most common mistakes and give examples and exercises for students to practice with.

See the five categories of phrases below:

1) Therefore, because of this, so ...

2) In regards to, when talking about, as for, on the topic of. ...
3) However, but, nonetheless, on the other hand ...
4) Although, while...
5) To conclude, in summary, all in all ...

What do these phrases mean? Choose which category (1-5) could go in which blank in the examples given
below:

____________________ the economy, Europe is facing many problems at the moment.

The governing party won the election ___________________ the opposition gained many seats in the Upper House
of the Parliament.

The livestock industry is growing quickly _____________________ it will provide many more jobs in the future.

_____________________ her family was very poor they were still able to send her to school.

It's Friday ___________________ I'm not going to university.

___________________________higher education, Hargeisa is home to many different universities.

__________________________ the advantages of Somaliland s sovereignty far outweigh the disadvantages and
Somaliland should be recognized.

The United States has always been reluctant to yield any measure of sovereignty in international affairs to a
supranational apparatus. __________________, this isolating position was taken to new heights during the George
Bush presidency, which opposed multilateral agreements on climate change and military intervention.

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Lesson 2 (continued): More conjunction practice

1. Look at the use of the conjunctions for the sentences below:

Although she's rich, she's not happy.

She’s rich, but she's not happy.
She's rich. However, she is not happy.

Use the conjunctions although, but and however to link these two sentences.
He has studied English for ten years. He cannot speak English well.
Although he has studied English for ten years, he cannot speak English well.

From New Headway Upper-Intermediate Student Book, pg. 114

2. Write ten sentences about your city. Use the conjunctions and linking words above.

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Translation 1
Sweden oo ku dhawaaqday inay qaxoontiga Soomaalida kadaadguraynayaan Liibiya
Xubno ka socda laanta socdaalka dalka Sweden ayaa Ia sheegay inay dhawaan gaadhayaan dalka Liibiya,si ay
halkaa uga daadgureeyaan qaxoontiga Soomaalida ah oo si wayn ugu tabaalaysan .Sida lagu faafiyay
warbaahinta dalka Sweden, ayaa lagu sheegay inay dadka Soomaalida iyoErretariyaanku si gaar ah ugu
baahan yihiin gargaaro degdeg ah oo lala gaahdo.Dalka Sweden ayaa noqonaya kii ugu horeeyay ee
talaabaddaas u qaada dhanka dadka Soomaalida ah eeku dhibaataysan dagaallada ka socda dalka Liibiya.Hase
yeeshee, dawladda Sweden talaabadoodan bani'aadaminimo kumay sheegin intay noqonayso tirade dadka Ia
rajaynayo in dalka Liibiya laga samata-bixinayo, hase ahaatee, wararka qaarkood ayaa muujinayainay tirada
dadkassi gaadhi karayso ilaa 1500 qof oo Soomaali ah.

Translation into English, First Draft

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Translation into English, Second Draft
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Lesson 3: Pre-research and hypotheses

What is a hypothesis? Answer: A possible answer to a question based on known facts.

Examples of Hypotheses:

Question: 'How will the international recognition of South Sudan affect possible recognition of Somaliland?'

Possible hypotheses:

H1 - Recognition of South Sudan may increase the chances of Somaliland recognition as it sets a new precedent
for the African Union in regard to recognizing new state boundaries.

H2 - Recognition of South Sudan may increase the chances of Somali/and recognition because in many ways
Somali/and is more developed as an independent state than South Sudan (in terms of political process,
government and the economy). This will give Somaliland advocates more leverage in the International
community

H3 - Recognition may have little impact on the Somali/and case because the reasons for non recognition are
specific to the Somali case and have no relationship with the situation in South Sudan.

H4 - Recognition of South Sudan may reduce the chances of recognition for Somaliland as the African Union may
wish to limit state secession/formation and prevent an unstoppable trend of secessionism in Africa.

N.B. All of the above hypotheses are different but all are based on some known facts (i.e. they all could be
true) .

Class Exercise: Write three hypotheses for each of these sample research questions.

1. What will be the effect of the boom in higher education on Somaliland's economy?
2. How will climate change affect Somali land in the next 10 years?
3. How effective is private sector healthcare in Hargeisa?
4. How do remittances affect Somaliland's economy?

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Class discussion on research sources

In this session we will discuss the ways in which we can complete preliminary research – i.e. reading around
a topic and collecting background data. Context (temporal and geographical – time and place) is important
and needs to be illustrated in academic writing.

Where are the best places to find data? - The library? Yes, but we recognize the limited/outdated resources
available at the library. Despite this there is a good chance that you will be able to find books which are
relevant to your topic and may be able to give useful background information.

The Internet? Certainly, but be careful - the internet is a limitless source of data – quantity certainly does not
equal quality!

How do we find data on the internet?

'Googling' data – firstly, Google is a powerful search engine and not a resource in its own right – never
reference Google! Is the quickest, easiest way of finding the most commonly accessed data on a subject.

Google Books, on the other hand, is a sizeable online library which can be accessed for free. Books found in
this library are originally published in hard copies before being put into the online library and thus are the
same standard you would find in a conventional library. www.books.google.com

Wikipedia.org is a huge, free online encyclopedia. It is very useful for finding data on specific subjects
quickly and good for getting an overview of broad topics. It should not be used as an academic reference
though – use the references at the bottom of Wikipedia entries (links) to find material which can be used for
references (academic articles, news articles, online reports, books, etc.).

In general it can be useful to look for sources of information from the websites of recognized academic
institutions – look for .ac.uk or .edu sites.

Websites of major international organizations (United Nations, World Bank, World Health Organization etc.)
often have freely downloadable and up to data, often focusing on particular regions or countries . These can
be very good sources of statistics which can be used to set the context or background for your academic
writing.

News stories from major (BBC, Reuters, Associated Press, etc.) and local (Republican, Geeska Afrika) news
services can be used as source material, especially for contemporary issues. If these stories are in Somali and
you are writing in English then try to provide an English language translation of the article headline.

Depending on the topic, students may also use original research methods such as surveys or interviews. This
will be covered more in Lesson 5.

Discuss and write down some sources that you have used or might use to research:
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Lesson 4: Structuring an essay

Remember: There are 6 main parts of a report structure:

1. Title Page - There is a running header at the top of the page which gives the research question as well as
page numbers in the corner (top or bottom). Information is formatted in the middle of the page and includes
Research question/title, name of student and educational institution.

2. Abstract- This is on a new page, including running header and page numbers (as above).Text in middle of
the page (one or two paragraphs maximum) gives an outline of the question and informs the reader of what it
is the student intends to do in order to answer it.

3. Introduction - This is the first part of the main body of the essay. Here the student should introduce the
question by explaining or defining the terms of the question, illustrate why this question is relevant and
interesting, give some brief background information about the context of the question and outline the broad
structure of the answer.

TIPS FOR YOUR INTRODUCTION (from James Lester):

Avoid a purpose statement, such as The purpose of this study is…
Avoid repetition of the title or the abstract.
Avoid complex or difficult questions that may puzzle the reader.
Avoid simple dictionary definitions, such as Webster defines monogamy as marriage to only one person.
Avoid humor.
Avoid artwork or unusual formatting.
Avoid informal language.

4. Main body of the essay - Here you structure the majority of your evidence in a way that continually looks back
at the main question. There are different ways to structure the main body of a paper but one simple way
involves thinking in terms of a main question and sub-questions. The main question has already been given so
think of sub-questions which define the terms of your main question, starting with broad and general
questions and gradually moving onto more specific information.

5. Conclusion - Here you conclude with a concrete answer to their question and summarize their findings.

TIPS FOR YOUR CONCLUSION (from James Lester):

Avoid afterthoughts or additional ideas; now is the time to end the paper.
Avoid the use of thus, in conclusion or finally in your last paragraph.
Avoid ending the paper without a sense of closure.
Avoid trailing off into meaningless or irrelevant information.
Avoid questions that raise new issues.
Avoid fancy artwork.
Avoid informal language.

6. Works Cited/Bibliography –Here the writer lists the references which they have used in alphabetical order
and in a particular format:

Gibaldi, J. (2003). MLA handbook for writers of research papers (6th ed .). New York, NY: The Modern
Language Association.

= Writer's second name, first initial. (year of publication). Title of book in italics. Place of publication,
Publisher.

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This format comes from the commonly used APA style sheet (American Psychological Association) which we will
use for a standard format for this class. Appendix 3 in this book is an APA reference guide for you to use.

Read the sample essay contained in the appendix

Questions about the sample essay in Appendix 4:
1. What features do all of the pages in the essay contain? (Think about the formatting)
2. On which page do you find the abstract?
3. In the bibliography look at the reference for 'Becoming Somaliland'. What does 'James Currey' refer to?
4. In the bibliography, what does the phrase 'retrieved from' mean?

Translation 2
Jaamacadda Hargeysa oo heshiis Ia gashay Jaamacad ku taala dalka Australia
Jaamacaddda Hargeysa oo ugu weyn Jaamacaddaha Somaliland, ayaa shalay heshiis Ia gashay Jaamacad ku
taala dalka Australia. Munaasibad lao sameeyay saxeexa heshiiskaas laba geesoodka ah oo shalay lagu qabtay
xarunta Jaamacadda Hargeysa, waxa ka qaybgalay maamulka Jaamacadda Hargeysa iyo wefti ka socday
Jaamacadda ay heshiiska Ia galeen oo lagu magacaabo University of Western Australia, kuwaasoo si rasmi ah
u kala saxeexday heshiiskaas oo ku saabsan in labadooda kulliyadood ee Caafimaadku ay si taos isugu
xidhmaan ,isla markaana ay iskaashi ka yeeshaan waxbarashada iyo arrimaha cilmibaadhista. Ugu horayn
guddoomiye ku xigeenka Jaamacadda Hargeysa Mubaarak Ibrahim Aar oo hadal ka jeediyay munaasibaddaas,
waxa uu faahfaahin ka bixiyay heshiiskaas. "Maanta waxa si rasmi ah heshiis wadashaqayneed u kala
saxeexanaya Jaamacadda Hargeysa iyo Jaamacadda University of Western Australia oo uu ka socdo Prof.
David Halbrook oo muddo dheer ku sao dhexjiray hawlan waxbarashada , Jaamacadda Hargeysa muddo
dheer kala shaqaynayay arrimaha."

Translation into English

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Lesson 5: Data collection and referencing

All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it.
- H.L. Mencken
In this section of the course we will look at the different types of data which can be found to answer a
research question and the different methods which can be used to gather this data.

We can divide research data firstly into two broad categories: primary and secondary data.

Primary data is information gathered by a researcher directly from sources - this is information which has
not been published (presented in this way) before. Primary data can be collected indifferent ways, for
example through surveys or interviews. See Appendix

Secondary data is data or opinion taken from the work of other scholars and is used to relate to the question
the researcher is looking to answer. It is vitally important that secondary data is referenced in the body of the
paper AND in the reference/bibliography section. It is acceptable to paraphrase another writer (accurately, of
course) or quote him/her directly using quotation marks.

For example, see this (fictitious - NOT REAL) extract:

Quotation:

'South Sudanese independence may well help pave the way for the international community to recognize the
legitimacy of Somali/and's secession from Somalia' (Ahmed, 2010, p.65).

Paraphrase:

Some experts argue that the process of South Sudanese international recognition will benefit Somaliland's
search for similar recognition (Ahmed, 2010, p.65)

Both citations in the text (Ahmed, 2010, p. 65) will then correspond with the full reference of where
Ahmed's opinion (article/book/other publication) can be found. This will be in the bibliography at the
back of the paper. The reference would look like this:

Ahmed, M. (2010). 'South Sudan and its effect on border disputes in Africa' in The Journal of
African Border Disputes 35 (2) p.65

If a student does not reference data properly or presents someone else's data as their own then they may be
accused of plagiarism. This is a serious accusation and can have serious consequences - think about the case
of the German defence minister recently forced to resign over his plagiarized PhD thesis! (see article).

We can also divide data into another three broad categories (which can be primary or secondary in nature):

Empirical data/evidence: this is data which is numerical or statistical - population figures, economic figures
are examples of empirical data which has been found by researchers.

Anecdotal evidence: this is data gathered (usually through interview) from other people who have
experiences which are related to the topic being explored in research. People may recount stories or opinions
based on these experiences.

Academic evidence: this is almost always 'secondary' as it involves the use of 'expert' opinion or
information. A researcher can use the data or opinions of other researchers who have previously studied the
topic and have published their findings.

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

Tips on referencing
From Lester, J. (1993). Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide. New York: HarperCollins
Publishers. Pg 129-130.

Fundamentally, plagiarism is the offering of the words or ideas of another person s as one s own. The worst
violation is the use of another student s work. Also flagrantly dishonest are writers who knowingly use
sources without citations and without remorse. These two instances of plagiarism are cause enough for
failure in the course and even dismissal from the university. Students who purposely cheat have no place in
the university.

A grey area in plagiarism is a student s carelessness that results in an error. For example, the writer fails to
enclose quoted material within quotation marks, yet provides an in-text citation; or the writer s paraphrase
never quite becomes paraphrase—too much of the original is left intact. Although these cases are not flagrant
instances of plagiarism, these students face the wrath of instructors. Academic writers must document
original ideas borrowed from source materials. Each scholar builds on previous scholarship. Your research in
any area perpetuates a chain reaction. You begin where others leave off by borrowing from others and by
advancing your findings and theory. Then, someone else, perhaps, continues the research and carries it to
another level. Without proper documentation at your station, the research grinds to a halt.

A few rules to help you:

1. Acknowledge borrowed material by introducing the quotation or paraphrase with the name of the
author. This practice serves to indicate where the borrowed materials begin.
2. Enclose within quotation marks all quoted material.
3. Make certain that paraphrased material is rewritten into your own style and language. The simple
rearrangement of sentence patterns is unacceptable. Do not alter the essential idea of the source.
4. Provide specific in-text documentation for each borrowed item. For example, MLA style requires
name and page for all in-text references.
5. Provide an entry on the Works Cited or Bibliography page for every source cited in the paper.
6. Omit sources consulted but not used. This is important. You do not want your instructor searching
through your paper to find your use of a source that was not cited.

Example:

Original:
Despite the growth of these new technologies and importance of the mass media in our lives, our schools
have failed to do anything in the way of developing a systematic curriculum aimed at helping students to
understand the form, content, ownership, and organization of the mass media. –David M. Considine, Visual
Literacy and the Curriculum: More to )t Than Meets the Eye, Language Arts 64 (1987): 635.

Unacceptable Paraphrase:
Despite new technology that makes the mass media important in our lives, the schools have failed to develop
a systematic curriculum aimed at helping students to understand television. In fact, schools operate as though
print were the main means of communication in our culture. But young people have a high-tech, visual sense
of communication (Considine 635).

Acceptable Paraphrase:
Modern communication technology is here to stay and cannot be ignored. We live in the information age,
bombarded by television and radio in our homes and automobiles, annoyed by ringing telephones, and
infatuated by computers and their modems for networking across the nation. David Considine sees the
conflict as chalkboards and talking by teachers versus an environment of electronic marvels (635).

Homework Assignment: Write an acceptable paraphrase for at least four of your research sources.

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ADVANCED WRITING I

German defence minister resigns in PhD plagiarism row

Guardian Newspaper, March 1, 2011

He was voted Germany's most popular politician, a chisel-jawed, gelled-haired aristocrat who held rock-star
status in German politics. But Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has resigned as defence minister after being
engulfed by a plagiarism scandal, leaving the ruling coalition with a serious charisma vacuum. His departure
is a huge blow for Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Christian Democratic Union party (CDU). Already
weakened after defeats in recent regional elections, she is facing the prospect of implosion at six other local
polls this year.
The 39-year-old baron, often tipped to be a future chancellor, has handed in his notice to Merkel after
almost two weeks of front page stories about the authenticity of his PhD thesis. He is now expected to retreat
to his castle in Bavaria to plot his next move. "It is the most painful step I've ever had to take," Guttenberg
said at a press conference in Berlin. "I was always prepared to fight but I have reached the limits of my
powers."
Last week the University of Bayreuth stripped Guttenberg of his doctorate after he admitted
substantially copying (inadvertently, he said) from other sources. He blamed the errors on his busy schedule:
when he finished his thesis in 2006, he was juggling his duties as an MP and raising two daughters with his TV
presenter wife, Stephanie von Bismarck. The admission led to him being dubbed the minister for cut-and-
paste, or Baron zu Googleberg.
Merkel admitted she was caught off guard by the resignation, saying she was "surprised" when she
received a request from Guttenberg to talk to her over the phone. She said she accepted his resignation "with
a heavy heart" and praised Guttenberg as someone with an "exceptional political talent" .It was too early to
name a successor, she added, but a decision would be made shortly. Before the scandal broke last month
,Guttenberg was often described as the "shooting star" of conservatism in Germany. He built a reputation as a
plainspeaking man of action in a brief stint as economy minister and then, after the 2009 election, as defence
minister.
Good-looking and apparently fearless, he would swoop in to visit German troops in Afghanistan
looking like an extra from Top Gun in aviator shades, flight suit and desert boots. These visits received
breathless write-ups in Germany's multimillion-selling tabloid Bild, and pictures were splashed over gossip
magazines.
A new biography of Guttenberg, published on Tuesday, recalls how the dashing minister even had his
own theme tune, Hell's Bells by the Australian rock band AC/DC, which would herald his arrival at events
hosted by the CDU or its Bavarian sister party, the CSU.
The book, Guttenberg Biographie, describes its subject as "Germany's number one celeb" and recalls
how he had such presence that when he walked through a crowd he was like "Moses parting the Red Sea.
In less than two years as defence minister, Guttenberg pushed through the most drastic reform of
Germany's armed forces since the Second World War. Most notably, he successfully fought for a plan to end
conscription, part of an effort to slim down the German military and make it better adapted to an era in which
it faces growing demands to deploy overseas.
In his resignation speech, he insisted the reforms would continue. It was wrong that he had become
the story, overshadowing the deaths and woundings of 13 Bundeswehr soldiers last week, he said. "I will
gladly concede to my opponents that I was appointed minister for defence, not self-defence," he said.
But however much praise he received for his bold decision-making in office, Guttenberg's crisis
management after the plagiarism allegations emerged two weeks ago was less impressive. He issued a
statement describing them as "absurd", then said he would stop using his title as a doctor only temporarily
while Bayreuth University looked into the accusations. He told jeering lawmakers last week that he "did not
deliberately cheat, but made serious errors. Merkel stood by Guttenberg, saying a week ago that she
appointed him as defence minister, not as an academic assistant.
But the scandal wouldn't go away, raising the possibility that Guttenberg would be a liability rather
than an asset in forthcoming state elections. "I think that, if this had carried on longer ... it could have done
more damage than would making a clean cut now and looking forward," said Oskar Niedermayer, a political
science professor at Berlin's Free University. Many commentators believe Guttenberg will rise again. Merkel
herself refused to rule out a comeback, telling reporters she was confident that she would have the
opportunity to work with Guttenberg again in the future. Referring to his resignation phone call, she said:
"That certainly won't be the last time he and I have a personal conversation."

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

Questions:

1. Why did the German defence minister resign?

2. What excuse did he give for his plagiarism?
3. Do you believe this excuse?

UK Increases Aid to Somalia Nairobi - British Secretary of State for International Development,
Andrew Mitchell MP, today announced increased support from the UK for Somalia, which will go towards
improving security and living conditions for people on the ground.
The UK will triple development support to Somalia over the next three years, to create employment
and other opportunities to give Somalis hope of a place where they can make a living in peace.
Announcing the conclusion of a global review of the bilateral development programme in the House
of Commons, Andrew Mitchell said: "We will focus our effort where the need is greatest, not only saving but
transforming millions of lives by providing access to food, clean drinking water, basic healthcare and
education." "We are increasing our efforts to tackle poverty in a number of conflict and fragile states. We
know that no conflict or fragile state will achieve the Millennium Development Goals without significant extra
help."
The UK's new bilateral programme for Somalia will promote long-term stability in order to transform
the lives of the Somali people, by:
(i) responding promptly to the humanitarian needs of the people of Somalia;
(ii) working with communities in areas of relative stability such as Somaliland to strengthen peace and
governance;
(iii) creating jobs long-term jobs;
(iv) improving access to better healthcare, especially for women and children.
The Head of DFID's Kenya and Somalia office in Nairobi, Alistair Fernie said : "The aims of DFID's
programme in Somalia are to address the humanitarian effects of the conflict, consolidate local areas of
stability and promote more legitimate government to build longer term peace. Our increased aid will deliver
results to the people of Somalia in spite of the difficult conflict circumstances. "
UKaid in Somalia will provide at least 500,000 people a year with emergency humanitarian
assistance. This will be used to treat severe malnutrition, increase child immunization, and provide water and
basic health care for communities in need.
UKaid will help create long-term jobs for 45,000 people. It will also improve health facilities, and
train more doctors across the country so that Somalis get better access to healthcare, avoiding preventable
deaths particularly among women and children. To achieve these results, the UK government will continue to
work through a range of trusted UN and non-governmental implementing partners, who are able to operate
on the ground across most of Somalia, and whose work is subject to rigorous scrutiny.

Class exercise: Summarize this piece in one paragraph. Remember: you need to choose only what you think
is the most important information.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________

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ADVANCED WRITING I

Lesson 6: Arguing a case

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. – Daniel Patrick Moynihan
In your academic writing you should always try to be objective when presenting the evidence you have found
relating to your question. Inevitably, however, our own opinions are shaped by the evidence we find and our
personal experiences. The following exercise will help us practice looking at the 'pros' (good things) and
'cons' (bad things) and facts (neutral things) related to a topic. We will look at the language used to argue a
case and the ways in which we can summarize information and give our own opinion as a conclusion.

Let s look at an example of pros and cons:

If you saw a classmate cheating, would you tell your teacher?

YES
Turn the cheater in! Cheating is totally unfair. Why should some students work hard just so other students
can steal their answers? If students want good grades, they should just earn them, just like everyone else.
Besides, cheaters need to be stopped for their own good. It may seem like nothing now, but eventually
cheaters will wish they learned more in school.

NO
Cheating is not right, but students should learn to solve their own problems rather than always telling a
teacher. )t s much better to talk to your classmate yourself. )f you see someone looking at your work during a
test, let the person know you noticed and want it to stop. )f it doesn t, then think about telling the teacher. But
until then, you should handle the problem on your own rather than being a tattletale.

Which argument is pro? Which is con?

Which argument do you agree with?
Are there any facts in these arguments?

Let s add some facts:

According to a survey conducted by the English Department, 42% of sophomore English students admitted
cheating on quizzes, exams or homework at least once last semester. On average these students earned higher
marks than their peers who didn t cheat. Despite so much cheating, 94% of sophomore students said that
cheating is wrong. Only 10% of cheating students were caught by their teachers.

How do these facts change the way you see the pro and con arguments?

In your own writing you will come across sources that present a pro opinion, a con opinion and simple facts.
It is important for you to understand which sources are which when you cite them. If there are differing
opinions on your topic it is important to include information that acknowledges both the pros and cons. If you
are arguing for something (pro), you should explain why being against that thing (con) is wrong, and vice
versa. You should always use objective facts to strengthen your argument.

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

Read the following sources and decide which are pro, con and facts. Decide which side you are on and
then do the writing exercise.

Why penguins are bad – Martin Lehmann (Puffin 2006)

Penguins are absolutely awful creatures. Their effect on the environment is particularly galling. Some reports
suggest that fish are being eaten at the rate of six per penguin per day. This simply isn t sustainable given the
low number of predators which penguins face in the wild. It is my opinion that we can expect to see fish
disappear and penguins take over the earth within twelve to thirteen years.

Penguins are just super – J. H. Randalls (Softpress 1945)

Since the dawn of time, penguins have been man s closest friend and companion. Who could imagine a world
without penguins? I myself remember the first time I came across a penguin. These funny little waddling
birds can do more for the future of our planet, given the horrific events that have just passed. Looking at the
current global political climate, I cannot see a way that penguins will not play a vastly important role in the
decolonization and integration of our planet. They are just super.

Penguins – National Geographic Animal Factbook (2011)

Penguins are the only birds endemic to Antarctica. Like ostriches and emus, they cannot fly; however, they
are very capable swimmers and can consume six fish per day. Penguins generally travel in large groups
regardless of species to share warmth during harsh Antarctic winters, when temperatures can drop below
-50° Celsius. This model of cooperation across species has been cited as a good model for sustaining peace
and may be applied to humans in the future.

Exercise: Use the space below to write your own paragraph about penguins. You should combine your
opinion and paraphrase or directly cite at least two of the three sources above.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
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ADVANCED WRITING I

Lesson 7: Writing about empirical data

In this section of the course we will look at basic statistical analysis and presentation of data in a report.
While it is possible to present data in a report in diagrams and pictures (e.g. tables, graphs and pie charts) it is
common to discuss data (empirical evidence) in the main body of the report. Here we will practice reading,
interpreting and summarizing data. You can use Microsoft Word to easily make charts and tables for your
essay (Insert>Chart/Table). Make sure that your data is correct!

Classroom exercise: Look at the data given below for Somaliland. (From Somaliland in Figures 2011)

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

The table and graph on page 22 both present the same information in two different ways: Growth of
Secondary Education (Public and Private) during 1996/97 – 2008/2009.

Which presentation is easier to understand?

Which presentation is more detailed?
Which presentation is more visually appealing?

When you use graphs and tables it is important to understand what you want the reader to think. If you want
the reader to think about the details it can be better to use a table, so that the reader can see the exact
number of students enrolled in secondary school. If you only want the reader to know that there has been a
large increase in enrollment in Somaliland s secondary schools, the graph can be a better option because it is
visually obvious to the reader that enrollment has been increasing.

Answer the following questions about the table and graph:

How many students were enrolled in secondary schools in 1996/1997?
How many students were enrolled in secondary schools in 2008/2009?
Has enrollment been increasing over the last 15 years?
How many more students were enrolled in 2008/2009 than in 1996/1997?
What percentage increase is this?
What was the student-teacher ratio in 2008/2009?
What percentage of students was female in 2008/2009?
Have there always been more male students than female students?

Look at this chart of commercial air passengers to Somaliland in 2008. PAX IN is an abbreviation that means people
coming to Somaliland. PAX OUT means people leaving Somaliland.

What does this graph present to the reader?

Can you explain why more people come in some months and more people leave in other months?

What information would we need if we wanted to know if more people came to Somaliland or left Somaliland
during 2008? Is this graph better or worse than a table? Why?

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ADVANCED WRITING I

Number of students enrolled in Amoud University during 2007

24
 ADVANCED WRITING I

Look at the three sets of tables and pie charts then answer the questions:

Which university is the largest? Which is the smallest?

What is the total enrollment of all the universities combined?
Which has the highest percentage of female students?
Which faculties at which universities started in 2007?
Which university has the most medicine students? The most ICT students?
Estimate how many lawyers graduated in 2007.
What was the most popular faculty at Admas in 2007?
What was the most popular faculty at UOH in 2007?
What was the most popular faculty at Amoud in 2007?
Why do you think business was so popular among UOH freshmen in 2007?
Why are there more freshmen than sophomores, more sophomores than juniors, more juniors than
seniors at each university?
Estimate the graduation rate at each university.
How can graduation rates be improved?

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ADVANCED WRITING I

Lesson 8: Structuring the main body of your report

In this section of the course we will look at how we can systematically and logically set out data and an
argument in a piece of academic writing. One method of doing this is thinking about a main question and a
series of 'sub-questions ' which can explore and answer it.

Sub-questions should initially define the terms of the main question and start off very broad. They then
narrow down the terms of the question and introduce more specific data.

For example: Our main question could be:

How does qaat affect the local economy in Hargeisa?

A string of sub-questions could look something like this:

What is qaat?
How can we characterize the economy in Hargeisa?
Who consumes qaat?
Why do they consume it?
Who sells qaat?
How much does it cost?
Where does it come from?
Where do the profits go?
What are the effects of qaat on individuals?
What are the effects of qaat on society?
What are the effects of qaat on the economy? ... ..... .. ... ....... etc. etc.

These types of sub-questions can be used as section headings and follow on from each other in a logical
sequence. Remember: Your audience (those that will read your research) will not necessary fully understand
the basic terms of their question - i.e. whilst it is more than obvious to you, a reader in another country may
have no idea what qaat actually is. Defining terms is always an important part of technical writing.

Exercise: Your teacher will give you ten minutes to think of ten questions relevant
to your topic.

1.________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2._______________________________________________________________________________________________________

3._______________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5._______________________________________________________________________________________________________

6._______________________________________________________________________________________________________

7._______________________________________________________________________________________________________

8._________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9._______________________________________________________________________________________________________

10._______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read the following extract from an article about climate change in Somaliland. Give appropriate sub-
headings to each paragraph.

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

Class Reading: "Climate Change Stole Our Mist"

A case study on the impact of climate change on Gacan Libaax Mist Forest and Livelihoods, Somaliland July,
2007, Prepared by Ahmed Ibrahim Awale, Deputy Director Candlelight for Health, Education and
Environment Adapted extract pp. 4-7:

*
The mountain is dotted with a number of water points, most notably Cuna Madow, Guri, Calaaculle and Kab-
cun, which are supply sources for the inhabitants in the area, their animals as well as wildlife. The water
levels of these wells and their recharge capacity has been decreasing to a level that causes friction among
pastoralists during the dry season. Because of their scarcity and decrease in well water recharge, fetching this
precious fluid for human consumption and watering animals has become time consuming. In the dry season,
when water is scarce, the mist descending and accumulating in rock holes and crevasses provided some
water for thirsty humans, livestock and wild life.

*
Gacan Libaax Mountain is an important watershed area. It is equally important for the communities living in
the lowlands to the north (coastal areas) and the south, where vast dry land farming is made possible by the
perennial water courses originating from Gacan Libaax. Some of the stream flow is used for food and fodder
crop production in fertile low rainfall areas through water-spreading and water harvesting using dykes and
conveyance structures. The adverse climatic conditions, particularly the decrease in the precipitation levels
will cause the reduction of headwaters of those seasonal water courses originating from the mountain. This
will result in water scarcity in a number of villages and settlements downstream.

*
The decrease in precipitation levels has not only affected the mountain ecosystem but also the livelihoods of
the communities in the area. For example, the occurrence of the mist during the dry season kept the
vegetation of the mountain green, ultimately supporting the stockowners and their animals to pass the dry
season with less hardship.

*
Qaat farming families are also experiencing a decline in the quality and vigour of their plants due to the
scarcity of mist which nourished the shrubs during the dry season; thus affecting the marketability of their
produce.

*
Because of the declining quantity and quality of animal products (ghee, milk, meat etc) · although it affects the
nutritional requirement of the pastoral household as a whole- women are the ones to suffer most. These
products which were consumed in the past by the family are now sold in the market in order to meet the
shortfall in the family's income. Thus, women are left to eat less as there is this preferential treatment based
on tradition and gender lines, when it comes to food habits. A health centre in Go'da Weyn, supported by
CLHE, recorded an increase of anaemic cases among pregnant women.

*
The depletion of forest resources will necessitate allocation of more time for firewood collection, acquisition
of building materials for the Somali hut (aqal) and more traveling distance to water points.

*
Because of its exceptional natural attraction, the existence of pre-historic caves and its geographical
proximity with the three major urban centres in Somaliland, there is a good potential for eco-tourism. The
mountain has been an important tourist point in the past. However, the effects of climate change will
considerably downgrade the region's potential for eco-tourism.

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ADVANCED WRITING I

Lesson 9: Common mistakes in academic writing

Before thinking about mistakes in academic writing it is important to look at general mistakes in writing.
Take a look at your work so far and ask yourself the following questions:
1. Have I used punctuation correctly?
2. Have I organized my work into paragraphs?
3. Have I used capitals and punctuation correctly? (see Appendix 2)
If you have spotted any of these mistakes circle them now so that you can correct them in the drafting
process. If you are uncertain then ask your teacher to clarify for you.

Now consider your citations. All work which is not your own should be properly cited in accordance with the
rules which were discussed in Lesson 5. Look at your citations and ask yourself the following questions:
1. Place quotes in quotation marks or paraphrase where necessary.
2. Cite your sources at the end of your essay on a Bibliography page.
3. Refer to every source you have used and reference them in the text.

Remember that the aim of this course is to complete an academic essay. The essay should not use informal
English. Look at the following paragraphs and recognize the different usage of formal and informal language.
Decide which one you think is more formal.

I greet you my dear teacher and thank you for teaching this class. My essay is going to be about qat and its
effect on The society in Sland. I think qat is bad for the economy coz people are doing it more and more, even
my friends who used to think it was a bad idea. I asked a few people what they thought about it and one said
qat is bad. ) mean, the money is all going to Ethiopia anyway so it is leaving the country and ) think that is
bad. But let me ask you this question: What is the qat? You don t know? Well ) will tell you.

The following work looks at how qat affects the economy of Somaliland. Before the salient issue addressed in
the question can be answered an understanding of both the history and nature of qat must be explored. Qat is
a narcotic green leaf which is grown in the fertile plains of Ethiopia. It is flown daily from Ethiopia to Hargeisa
where it is quickly sold in order to avoid a rapid reduction in its quality.

Look again at the first paragraph. How many mistakes can you find? Circle them.

Some conventions of academic writing are:

In academic writing it is common to avoid using the pronouns I and My. It is more common to write from an
objective stance as in the second paragraph. The person reading your paper knows it is written by you and
contains your ideas but to remain formal these pronouns should be omitted.
Voicing your personal opinion should be avoided in the main body of the essay. The time for your opinion—
based on your research and what has already been explored in the main body—is during the conclusion.
Contractions and slang must be avoided. The most common mistakes are:
Somaliland is not Sland.
Because is not coz or b/c.
Want to is not wanna.
Between is not b/w.
And should not be written with the abbreviation &.
Want is not the past simple form of go. The past simple form of go is went.

Avoid asking too many questions in your work. If you do ask a question then make sure you answer it.
Example: Where have all the good people gone? Some experts think that greed has driven them to extinction,
while others posit that a small number continue to thrive by serving on South Pacific leper colonies.

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

As well as looking for formal writing your examiner will mark your projects based on how concise they are.
Try to avoid the following things in your writing:
1. Being vague. (aan caddayn)
2. Being dramatic. (Exclamation points (!) are seldom, if ever, used.)
3. Repeating yourself over and over again.

Now look at the example below.

Somaliland education since 1991.

Since 1991 education in Sland has been improving. I asked at the ministryof education last week and was told
that Things are definitely getting better. Since then, you know, girls have actually been going to school a lot
more. Not just the primary school but the secondary school and the universities too!!! I think this is a good
thing for hargeisa and so do all of my friends. Also since 2002 lots and lots of girls have been going to the
primary school, the secondary school and the university. Can you believe it? I decided to do some more
research so I went to the primary schools, secondary schools and the universities and I asked the people
there. Many people said the same thing as before, things are better than before 1991. Not just for girls either!
More and more boys are going to the primary school, the secondary school and the university too. So you can
see that everything is getting better for somalilanders in the education since 1991.

Re-write this paragraph bearing in mind everything you have learned in this lesson:
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Now consider your own work so far, how does it conform to what you’ve
learned today?
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ADVANCED WRITING I

Lesson 10: Public speaking

Public speaking in English is an important part of advanced language training and there are many places in
which public speaking skills would be useful. In continuing higher education you may well be involved in
academic discussions and debates and participation in seminars or tutorials often gives opportunities for
students to give their views and opinions. In careers outside of University whether you work for a
local/international organization or company you may well be required to give presentations on topics or
questions that you have looked at or been involved with in your work. For those looking to get into careers
such as teaching or politics public speaking is a vitally important skill to be used in communicating with
people and getting your message across.

In the advanced English course this semester all students have been asked to research and write an academic
report on a topic you have chosen. At this stage all students should have finished this assignment. You should
have researched your topic in depth and developed your own opinions based on your research. As such you
should now be familiar and confident with a topic so that you can speak about it to an audience. At this stage
in the course we will practice giving presentations based on the reports that you have written and think
about the best ways to give information to an audience.

Before we start we should think about 5 'golden rules' of public speaking which apply to almost any situation:

1. DO NOT READ – Public speakers speak, they do not read their material in front of the class. Listening to
someone who is simply reading a passage which they have written is boring and the audience will get bored.
If an audience is bored then they will not be listening. It is important to use notes to guide your presentation
but limit these to titles/sub-headings and specific facts or statistics.

2. LOOK AT YOUR AUDIENCE – When you have a conversation with someone in everyday life you look at the
person you are speaking to and make eye contact. If you don't do this then the conversation will feel strange.
Public speaking is exactly the same. Look at the audience you are talking to and make eye contact with as
many people as you can in the room. Look at all sides of the room, the front, the back, the middle and the sides
– this will engage people in your presentation and make them pay attention.

3. SPEAK LOUDLY, SLOWLY AND CLEARLY – If your audience cannot hear or understand you then they will
stop listening to you. You need to make sure that your words are spoken clearly – do not be afraid to repeat
yourself if you think that you were not understood the first time. You can tell from looking at the audience if
they are following you and if they are understanding/listening to what you are saying. A good technique for
making sure you are speaking loudly enough is to look at the person sitting at the back of the audience and
imagine that you are trying to speak to him/her; if that person can hear you then you know that everyone else
in the room can also hear you.

4. STRUCTURE YOUR PRESENTATION LIKE YOUR ESSAY –If you are giving a presentation then you need to
structure it in a similar way to a written report. You will need to tell the audience what you will be talking
about at the beginning of the presentation. You will need to give an introduction to your topic and then give
information about it. Don't forget to give 'references': tell the audience where you got your information from.
At the end of the presentation you should summarize your arguments and give a conclusion.

5. ENCOURAGE AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION –This means that you allow the audience to interact with you
and ask questions. Sometimes speakers allow the audience to ask questions during the presentation – this is
helpful in developing a sense of engagement and interaction with the audience but it can disturb the flow of
the speaker's presentation and draw them 'off topic' (discussing things that are not relevant to the
presentation). On the other hand, speakers will take questions from the audience at the end of their
presentation –this gives the audience time to prepare questions and can start a discussion after the
presentation is over. Whichever you decide, it is important to tell your audience what you want them to do:
either 'please feel free to ask questions during the presentation' or 'please save your questions for the end of
the presentation where there will be time for you to ask them' .

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

CLASSROOM PUBLIC SPEAKING PRACTICE

In order to practice some techniques of public speaking we will first take a familiar topic and use this as the
basis of a simple presentation. Everyone in the class will give a short presentation on the topic they have been
researching and writing their essay on.

1. Students should prepare a set of notes (like bullet points) to help them when they talk about their essay
topic. Remember – you are trying to encourage people to listen to your presentation so make it interesting!
THE PRESENTATION SHOULD NOT BE READ STRAIGHT FROM THE NOTES.

2. Look at the examples of phrases used below - these are all expressions which we could use in public spoken
English. Think about how you can use these phrases in your presentation:

a. Good morning/afternoon/evening, ladies and gentlemen. Today I would like to talk to you about the
topic of. ..

b. Firstly I would like to talk about ...

c. Secondly I would like to introduce the question of. ..

d. What do I mean when I talk about .... ? Let me tell you .... .

e. I would like to conclude my presentation by talking about ... .

f. Thank you very much for your attention; if you have any questions then I would be happy to take them
now.

Remember: a lot of the phrases we commonly use in our written English can be used in the same way
when we are presenting a topic.

Obviously …
As we know ..,.
It is clear that …
On the topic of …
In regards to ...
Although …

+ many, many more examples …

3. At this point we will practice giving our presentations. Use the notes that you have prepared to give a three
minute presentation and try to use the type of vocabulary mentioned above. Your teacher will be standing at
the back of the class – make sure he/she can hear you, as well as the other students in the class. After the
presentation students will be invited to ask questions of the presenter. The teacher may also ask questions of
the presenter.

Students will be marked on the following criteria:

Pronunciation and Flow: The presenter should deliver the speech naturally without strange pronunciation
or awkward stops.
Content: The presenter should adequately address the topic and not talk about irrelevant things.
Presence: The presenter should connect with the audience through eye contact and not read from notes.
Timing: The presentation should be three minutes. The teacher will signal when 30 seconds remain and
when time is finished; the presenter is responsible for giving an appropriate conclusion when time is finished.

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ADVANCED WRITING I

Lesson 11: Revising and Rewriting

Now that you have your corrected rough draft it is time to revise and rewrite your draft to make it better.
Your teacher has circled all of the grammatical, punctuation, spelling and capitalization errors that you have
made. Your teacher has not explained these errors. It is your responsibility to figure out what the errors are
and correct them. Your teacher has also given you some notes describing the formatting, content and
referencing errors that you have made. You should use your teacher s comments to improve your essay
during the next three weeks.

Look at the example below and decide what the errors are and what the good things are:

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

Translation 3
Jaban: Haweenay iyo ilme yar oo 10 maalmood ka dib laga soo badbaadiyay burburka
hoostiisa
Ka dib toban maalmood oo laga joogo dhul-gariirkii iyo qaranqankii ka dhacay dalka Jabaan, ayaa shalay laga
soo saaray burburka dhismayaasha hoostooda haweenay 88 jir ah iyo ilme yar oo labaduba nool. Khasaaraha
ka dhashay masiibaddaas oo nooceedu aanay weligeed soo marin Jabaanka marka laga reebo duqayntii
bamamka Niyuukleerka ee lala beegsaday dagaalkii labaad ee dunida ayaa kooxaha baadhitaanada iyo
badbaadada noole ka noolaada wixii dhacay ay qabeen rajooyin yar, waxaanay ku tilmaameen mucjiso
dumarkaas iyo ilmahaa yari ay burburka ku hoos aasnaayeen iyo siday uga noolaadeen.

Translation into English, First Draft

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Translation into English, Second Draft
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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ADVANCED WRITING I

Lesson 12: Curricula Vitae and Resumes

When you apply for a job or for graduate study at university you often need to submit a curriculum vitae (CV)
or a resume. Both a CV and a resume summarize your work and volunteer experiences, education and skills. A
CV is often more extensive than a resume and used for academic purposes—applying to university, or for jobs
as a teacher. In this section we will practice writing resumes, which should only be one page for university
students.

RULES FOR RESUMES:

1. Formatting is very important. Your resume should be easy to read. You want the reader to focus on the
information and not be distracted by the styles or fonts, which should be consistent throughout the page.
2. When you write about responsibilities or activities in the past, use past simple tense; when you write
about responsibilities or activities that are current, use present continuous.
3. You should use a serif font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Palatino or Cambria). Use different font sizes
and bold, italics and underling to distinguish different headings.
4. Half the page should be text and half the page should be white space.
5. If you are sending your resume electronically, always send it as a PDF file so your formatting does not
become distorted.
6. Avoid using words and phrases like dedicated, hard-working, good decision-making, communication skills,
interpersonal skills, initiative, well-rounded, problem-solving, detail-oriented, organized, incredibly, self-
motivated, effective, efficient, ambitious, determined, team player, or anything else that sounds nice but is
vague and is better expressed through describing your experience.
7. You can be liberal with standard punctuation rules; however, your spelling, grammar and capitalization
must be perfect! (see Appendix 2) List all experience in reverse chronological order.
8. The top of the page should include your biographical and contact information: your name, your address
and telephone number, nationality and birth date. You do not need to include your place of birth, religion,
marital status or sex, or a photo.
9. As university students, the first thing you should list is your Education. This includes your university,
years attended, and the name of the degree program i.e. bachelor s degree in business
administration and any honors you have earned i.e. dean s list . You may also list relevant coursework
to the job for which you are applying. You can also put your secondary school if there is space on the page
and you think this information is relevant.
10. Below education you should place your Work Experience. This includes any paid jobs that you have had.
Remember to include the name of your employer, the place of your employer, your job title, the dates of
employment and a list of your responsibilities or what you did.
11. You can also include any Volunteer Activities that you have done. These are activities that you have
done to help people without being paid. Like your work experience, you should include the name of the
person or organization that you helped, the dates that you volunteered and what you did.
12. The last section of your resume should be your Skills. In this section you will list skills that you have that
are not obvious from your education, work experience of volunteer activities. This includes language and
computer skills. Other examples: coaching sports, customer service, teaching, debating, public speaking,
accounting, logistics, child care, cooking). Remember to only include skills that are relevant to the job you
are seeking. This is also where you can include any relevant Certifications that you have.
13. You do not need to include and Objective Statement or contact information for references. Object
Statements are a waste of valuable space and employers already know your objective when you apply.
Contact information for references is private information, unless you are specifically asked to include it
don t. Nor do you need to write References available upon request —the employer assumes this. Don t
waste space on it.
14. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL: DO NOT LIE ABOUT ANYTHING ON YOUR RESUME. THIS IS CAUSE FOR
IMMEDIATE DISMISSAL.

Compare the three resumes on the following pages. What is right and wrong about each one?

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

resume

name: ifrah ahmed mohamed

somalilander woman, muslim
15/3/89
speaks Somali, english, arabic
mobile : 0025225554324
lives in hargiesa born in hargeisa

OBJECTIVE: I want a job with the university of hargiesa to be a teacher of english

language.

Skills: proficient in computers, teaching, mentoring students

education backgroup:
bachelor degree in engineering at international university of pakisatan 2005-
2006
—earned scholarship from government

diploma sheikh secondary school, sheikh Somaliland

2002-2004
Work Experience:
Institutions employed years responsibilities

Hees school 2006-2007 teaching english

Hees school 2007-2008 freshman Edeucation supervisor

Aden university 2007-2009 English instructors

berbera college 2009-now teacher

volunteering:

I go to the Hargeisa orphanage center to help with teaching childrens about the english
language and helping them in school.

REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST best regards, Ifrah

35
ADVANCED WRITING I

Suleikha Jama Ahmed

Hero Awr, Hargeisa, Somaliland ◦ +25225556789 ◦ suleikha.ahmed@gmail.com

EDUCATION
Master of Arts, International Peace Studies May 2012
University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
MA Thesis: “Stranded for Life: A Study of Somali-Yemeni Refugee Exchange in the
1990s” advised by Dr Ahmed Ismail Rooble
Bachelor of Arts, Economics and Political Science June 2009
University of Hargeisa, Hargeisa, Somaliland
GPA: 3.76/4.00

SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED
Notre Dame Peace Studies Fellowship 2010-2012
Somcable Senior Scholarship 2009-2010

WORK EXPERIENCE
English Lecturer, English Department
University of Hargeisa,Hargeisa, Somaliland October 2009-July 2010
Instructed students in the proper points of English grammar and writing
Research Assistant, Conflict Mapping Project
Academy for Peace and Development, Hargeisa, Somaliland Fall 2008
Worked with senior researchers to complete conflict mapping project in Somaliland
Shop Assistant, Ileeye Shop, Hargeisa December 2007-September 2008
Waited on customers and restocked the ship

SKILLS

Native speaker of Somali

Fluent in English (TOEFL: 135)

Familiar with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook

Lifeguard Certification from the Somaliland Coast Guard (2009)

Chainsaw/Tree Felling Certification from the US Forest Service (2011)

36
 ADVANCED WRITING I

Hibo Mohamed Issa

Tanat Sixteen Road, Half London, Hargeisa, Somaliland Cell: +25224325467
hiboissa@live.com

EDUCATION
• Advanced Certificate in International Law, 2010, University of Cairo, Egypt

• Bachelor of Law (LLB), with Focus in International Law, 2004, University of Hargeisa

• Secondary Diploma, 2000, Sunshine School, Hargeisa

WORK EXPERIENCE
• Program Director, Legal Aid Clinic, University of Hargeisa, 2008-present

• Attorney, Reddy Biscuit Law Firm, Hargeisa, 2004-2008

• Paralegal Assistant, Reddy Biscuit Law Firm, Hargeisa, 2002-2004

PUBLISHED WORK
• Issa, (. M. Race and Religion in the Formation of Law at the African Union. Journal of
African Law, 2006, VOL 43; pages 99-110.

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
• Part-time Girls Football Coach, Orphanage Center, Hargeisa, 2002-present

OTHER SKILLS AND ACTIVITIES

• Proficient in web design (Dreamweaver, Flash, Illustrator)
• Professional fluency in Somali, English and Swahili
• Experience drafting legal memos and reports
• Excellent piano player
• Winner of University of Hargeisa Debate Contest, 2004

37
ADVANCED WRITING I

Lesson 13: Cover Letters

Cover letters accompany your resume in your application for a job. A cover letter is a one page letter with
your information, the employer s information and a few paragraphs explaining why you are a good candidate
for the job. The cover letter should cite specific experience and education that you have that fulfill the
requirements of the job. A good cover letter will work in tandem with a good resume to help you get a job
interview.

RULES FOR COVER LETTERS:

1. Formatting is very important. Your cover letter should be easy to read. You want the reader to focus
on the information and not be distracted by the styles or fonts, which should be consistent
throughout the page.
3. You should use a serif font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Palatino or Cambria).
4. Your paragraphs should be justified. (the text goes across the entire page, like in this book)
5. You should use single spacing between lines, and 12 point spacing between paragraphs.
6. Use a mix of tenses (present simple/continuous, past simple, present perfect simple/continuous) to
describe yourself in a smooth, narrative flow.
7. If you are sending your cover letter electronically, always send it as a PDF file so your formatting does
not become distorted.
8. Avoid using words and phrases like dedicated, hard-working, good decision-making, communication
skills, interpersonal skills, initiative, well-rounded, problem-solving, detail-oriented, organized,
incredibly, self-motivated, effective, efficient, ambitious, determined, team player, or anything else that
sounds nice but is vague and is better expressed through describing your experience.
9. In the top right corner of the page you should write your name, your contact information and the
date. Below this, on the left of the page you should write the name of the employer and the employer s
contact information.
10. For the salutation you should use Dear (iring Manager, unless you know the name of the hiring
manager.
11. For the closing you should use Sincerely : Sincerely,
Type your name and then sign the letter:

Brandon Payne

11. You do not need to put a subject line. The hiring manager knows what the subject is.
12. In the first paragraph you should write the name of the job and how you learned about it.
13. In the last paragraph you should state your availability for interviews or starting the job and express
your appreciation for being considered and receiving information about the job.
14. In the middle paragraphs write about how you are qualified for the position. Reference your resume
so that hiring managers will look at it closely and give you credit for your education and experience.

Write down some of your key skills and experiences that you would include in a cover letter. Think
about how these skills and experiences apply to the job.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

38
 ADVANCED WRITING I

Compare the two cover letters on the following pages. Which one is good, which one is bad? Why?

Ahmed Jirde Yusuf

221 E. 71st Street
New York, NY, USA
1-670-555-3456
ahmed.jirde.yusuf@hotmail.com

3 January 2012

English Department
University of Hargeisa
Hargeisa, Somaliland

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing in reference to the posting on Idealist.org for an English Instructor. I am an

excellent candidate for this position due to my professional experiences, education, work ethic,
commitment to excellence, and my desire to help those in need; I believe all of these qualities will
be evident should you interview me.

I was particularly interested in your job posting as I have always been enamored with Africa
and its citizens. East Africa in particular has captured my interest and imagination due to the trials
and tribulations of its recent history and the resiliency its people have shown in the face of heart-
breaking adversity. I have long searched for an opportunity to assist in this region and felt
compelled to apply when I saw the posting; I feel your organization and I would be a perfect fit.

My professional experiences have led to the development of excellent written and verbal
communication skills, strong time-management skills, extensive experience working with
computers, a tireless work ethic, and a lust for life that is infectious! I also work very well with
others and have tremendous experience coordinating the efforts of multiple parties simultaneously.
) ve lived in a developing country and loved the experience; ) feel it was life-changing. I also have
entrepreneurial experience and drive. I love to experience new cultures and have traveled the
world over meeting new people and immersing myself in local customs, traditions and ways of life. I
am a very passionate and caring person that laughs easily and works well in both a team
environment and independently. I would be an excellent addition to any team for these and many
other reasons.

I appreciate your time and consideration for the position of English Instructor. I will follow
up with your office regarding my application next week.

Sincerely,

Ahmed Jirde Yusuf

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ADVANCED WRITING I

Ahmed jirde yusuf

New York, USA

date………..

Dear sir/ madam

RE: Application for English lecturer

Following the advert , I herby submit my humble application for the post of English lecturer.

I am aAmericanSomali citizen who has both the required skills and experience for this post.

I have been working with Lutheran world federation for the last two years.

I have BA Education degree and is currently doing an MBA in New York university.

Any consideration made is highly appreciated.

Yours faithfully

Sign……………

Ahmed jirde yusuf

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

EXCERCISES
EXERCISE 1
Match the beginnings of the sentences to the correct endings.

1. I was looking forward to that a. …we were quite shocked.

film, but it was a load of

…it's absolutely disgusting.

rubbish…
2. I hate the food at that b.

…I find it really confusing.

restaurant…
3. He talked and talked about the c.

…I was really disappointed.

same topic for hours…
4. He drove much too quickly, and d.
he wasn't really looking where he
was going…
5. They had only known each other e. …it was the most embarrassing
for a few days when they experience of my life.
announced their engagement…
6. I fell over in front of everybody in f. ..I was amazed!

…I was really bored.

the restaurant…
7. My best friend won first prize in a g.
talent competition, even though

…it was quite frightening.

she can't sing
8. I can't add up and I can't h.
remember numbers. I hate
mathematics…

EXERCISE 2
Using Conjunctions

Australia is very hot in January, ___________ cold in July. ____________ the country
is ___________, there aren t many people living there. Australia has a lot of
interesting ____________. The koala is cute, ____________ the crocodile is ____________.
Australia has a lot of open spaces, ____________ the weather is good, ____________
sport is very ____________. Australian people ___________ eat barbecued food.

but animals often popular big and Although

dangerous but so

41
ADVANCED WRITING I

EXERCISE 3

Read the following passage and fill in the gaps in the following exercises using
the prepositions given.

Back in the 19th century, an English gentleman called Phileas Fogg makes a bet with his friends. He says he
can travel round the world in just 80 days. His journey will start and finish at his club in London. His friends
laugh and call him a fool.
He travels by land and sea because these are the days before aeroplanes. His servant, Passepartout, goes with
him.
Their route goes via Egypt, India, Hong Kong, China and the United States.
They are chased all the way by a policeman called Mr Fix. He mistakenly thinks Phileas is a thief and he wants
to arrest him. He causes many problems for them on their adventure.

from to(4) by(6) via on by means of(2)

across in to(2)
Phileas and Passepartout travel(a)......from...........London....to...................Bombay

(b)...........................train and(c)...........................steamer. They get(d)...........................

Bombay...........................Hong Kong(e)...........................Calcutta(f)...........................train

and(g)........................... elephant and(h)...........................the Rangoon steamer. They

get(i)...........................Hong Kong...........................Shanghai........................... the Tankadere

sailing boat and continue(k)……………….. Shanghai...........................San Franscisco

(I}...........................the General Grant steamer, a fastship. They cross the United

States(m)...........................New York(n)...........................train and(o)...........................sledge.

They take a steamer(p)...........................the Atlantic Ocean and

arrive(q)...........................Liverpool. The final part of their journey

is(r)...........................train(s)...........................London.

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

EXERCISE 4
Rewrite each sentence in two different ways using the conjunctions and linking words.

The bank robber wore a mask. No one recognized him. so that so as not to
The bank robber wore a mask so that no one recognized him.
The bank robber wore a mask so as not to be recognized.

I saw the film. Then I read the book. having after

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

Look after this carefully. It will last a lifetime. as long as provided

_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

The curry was hot. We couldn t eat it. so such too

_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

)t doesn t matter what you do, but don t touch this switch. no matter whatever
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Do ) like her or not? ) m not sure. whether

_________________________________________________________________________________________

) m on a strict diet. ) still haven t lost any weight. even though however even so
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

I took an umbrella. I thought it might rain. in case as

_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

(e was penniless and starving, but her still shouldn t have stolen the food. nevertheless despite
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

I went to the party. I met Jenny. We got married and had three children. supposing ) hadn t…
_________________________________________________________________________________________

His mother died. He became depressed. after when even before

_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

The little girl cried so much. She got what she wanted. until that because
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

43
ADVANCED WRITING I

EXERCISE 5

Look at the health problems on the pictures and give advice using one of the following 3 forms of giving advice:

a) YOU SHOULD…
b) DON’T…
c) YOU SHOULDN’T …

1. I have a headache.
You should have a rest.
2. I have a toothache.

3. I have a stomach ache.

4. I have a cough.

5. I have a cold.

6. I have a fever.

44
 ADVANCED WRITING I

EXERCISE 6

First Conditionals
1. Johana is such a hard-working student. If she studies hard, she
a. will to pass all her school exams.
b. will passed all her school exams.
c. will pass all her school exams.
2. If Jane passes her exams, her mother...
a. won't be happy.
b. will be happy.
c. will to be happy.
3. If Johana becomes lazy at school, her mother...
a. will be happy.
b. may be happy.
c. will to be happy.
d. won't be happy.

4. If it rains tomorrow morning, we...

a. will to take our umbrellas.
b. won't take our umbrellas.
c. will take our umbrellas.
5. If you eat too much junk food, you…
a. will become thinner.
b. will become fatter.
c. will to become fatter.
6. If you don't finish your homework, your teacher...
a. won't be happy.
b. will be happy.
c. will to be angry.
7. I'll come to the cinema,..
a. after I finish my homework.
b. when I'm finishing my homework.
c. after I don't finish my homework.

8. Kevin won't come to the party,...

a. if you invite him.
b. if you don't invite him.
c. if you to invite him.

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ADVANCED WRITING I

EXERCISE 7

Discuss and write down some classroom rules for students and teachers.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

46
 ADVANCED WRITING I

EXERCISE 8
World Knowledge

1. What are the largest countries in the world, by size and population?

2. Name three of the richest and three of the poorest countries in the world.

3. In which countries are you likely to live longest?

4. Which is the longest river in the world?

5. How far is it from London to Nairobi?

6. What are the capitals of Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Angola, South Africa?

7. What are the names of all the continents?

8. Which countries use these currencies: dollar, euro, yen, pound, rupee, rand?

9. In Africa, what are the best and worst places to live?

10. Would you prefer Somaliland to be bigger or smaller?

11. Would you prefer Somaliland to have hotter summers or colder winters?

12. Would you prefer Somaliland to have more rain?

13. Would you prefer Somaliland to have different neighboring countries?

14. Would you prefer Somaliland to have a different language?

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ADVANCED WRITING I

EXERCISE 9

Second Conditionals
1.If I were a bird, I...
a. will fly and seem any places.
b. would fly and seem any places.
c. can fly and seem any places.

2. If I were a computer,...
a. I will be very stupid.
b. I am very stupid.
c. I would be very stupid.

3. If there were no police officers,...

a. there would be so much crime in the streets.
b. there will be so much crime in the streets.
c. there won't be so much crime in the streets.

4. People would spend more time at home, if

a. there were no restaurants.
b. there are no restaurants.
c. there will be no restaurants.

5. If I could speak Japanese,...

a. I will go to Japan.
b. I would go to Japan.
c. I am going to Japan.

6. If you saw a thief stealing,...

a. what would you do?
b. what are you do?
c. what are you doing?

7. If you were a colour,...

a. what colour will you be?
b. what colour would you be?
c. what colour are you be?

8. If you were given 1 million dollars,...

a. what will you do?
b. what are you doing?
c. what would you do?

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 ADVANCED WRITING I

EXERCISE 10

M O L L C T G T T I K G P S H L Y L M V S N D A W
D G W L H Z T W E Q N O K M J N I X Z N E U I X Z
S T R O V S G A Q B T A E D Z I O M Q T P N U R Z
G N O Q R L O V E L I E S T J J R O D L L K M Q G
R F T O F O E K Q L T I G H T E R R C O A M Y Q P
W S W C B K L R V T M F T Z N W K E T O I S T X P
N B B E E D R S S P Y A B G I K B Z E S N C A Z O
L F X Y T J I E X F B N I V G X Z Z W E E M I M Q
T M V R T Y P F W A N U F A M M Z A E R R L I L N
K Y Q F E D G M N N F H V Q O Z G S C U P Y T B N
S W D M R U M A S C Y S B Z S B C Q I Z N M V I A
S V X F L E T R A I M G D Q T D A H M G C K Q G F
O W M O X I G Q J E Y L C V H F S U E J C P J G H
U T B S U N N I E R F G O N H I I U N A H V U E I
A J C L Z L O W P E G E A E A G D S G S P N W S P
D T Y Y J R D P X X F F Z J S Q T P S M X E R T E
I J L K F M N Q K S B H B F J U H U T M P Z R U U

1. big, bigger, the ______________

2. bad, worse , the ______________
3. expensive, more expensive, the ________________expensive
4. fancy, ______________, the fanciest
5. plain, _______________, the plainest
6. loose, _______________ , the loosest
7. tight, ________________ the tightest
8. colourful, ______________ colourful, the most colourful
9. sunny, _______________ , the sunniest
10. lovely, lovelier, the _______________
11. good, _______________ , the best
12. cheap, _________________, the cheapest

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EXERCISE 11 Match the phrasal verb with its meaning.

blowup 1)choose

throwaway 2)omit

look like 3) resemble

Leave out 4) postpone

Pass away 5) recollect

Pick out 6) cancel

workout 7) recover

make up 8) die

pick on 9) find

get over 10) create

put off 11) explode

call off 12) continue

hold on 13) happen

come across 14)wait

look back on 15) discard

carry on 16) admire

take place 17) exercise

___

18)bully
________ look up to

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EXERCISE 12

Fill the past participles of the given verbs into the spaces.
ACROSS
2.Bring 3.Cut 6.Hear 8.Begin 9.Meet 10.Hold
11.Misunderstand 12.Pay 13.Spend

DOWN
1.Write 4. Forget 5. See 7. Drive 8. Build 10. Have
11. Mean

EXERCISE 13
1. You see an old lady struggling to cross the street with some heavy bags.
a. You ignore her.
b. You help her cross the street.
c. You help her cross and then offer to carry her bags home for her, even though she
lives in the opposite direction.
2. At a party there s one more sambusa left on the plate.
a. You take it and eat it when no one s looking.
b. You offer it to the others first.
c. You insist that someone else have it, though your mouth is watering.
3. You run over a goat in your car.
a. You continue driving.
b. You stop and find the owner.
c. You stop and offer to replace the goat.

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4. Someone is knocking at your neighbor s gate in the middle of the night.

a. You close the window and put in ear plugs.
b. You ring your neighbor.
c. You go outside to investigate.
5. You are driving outside the city at night and a bedraggled person tries to flag you down.
a. )t s probably just a confused nomad.
b. You drive past and feel guilty that you didn t stop.
c. You stop and give whatever assistance you can.

EXERCISE 14

What Would You Do If?

1. Your house is on fire. You ve got three minutes to save a few things.

2. You have a hereditary disease and you re thinking of having children.

3. You borrow someone s computer and accidentally break it.

4. You inherit one million dollars from an unknown uncle.

5. Your best friend gets engaged, but his/her fiancé is very obnoxious.

6. You are shipwrecked on a desert island. The only way to survive is by eating another
person.

7. Your teacher doesn t like you for no reason.

8. You lend someone $20 and he never pays you back.

9. You dream that your best friend is going to have a terrible accident.

10. You are going to eat dinner but there is no place to wash your hands.

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EXERCISE 15
1. Someone asks you to lend them $ . Do you…
a. Refuse?
b. Lend them the $5?
c. Lend them $50, as they are more likely to remember to pay you back?
2. After one week, they haven t returned your $ . Do you…
a. Bring the matter up casually in conversation?
b. Demand your money back?
c. Forget it?
3. You inherit one million dollars? Do you…
a. Invest it in a business?
b. Give most of it to charity?
c. Spend it all at once?
4. You find a wad of cash worth $ 000. Do you…
a. Hand it in to the police?
b. Try to find the owner?
c. Keep the money?
5. You haven t had a raise in salary for a long time. Do you…
a. Confront your boss?
b. Make gentle hints?
c. Wait for your boss to bring the subject up?

EXERCISE 16

Match the words on the left with their definition.

1 Gift A Generous treatment of guests.

2 Reward B Benefit arranged with your employer.
3 Bribe C Something given willingly and without payment.
4 Perk D A helpful act.
5 Tip E Ability to obtain favourable treatment.
6 Hospitality F Something given or received for doing a job well.
7 Favour G A small sum of money given for services.
8 Influence H. Something offered for dishonest help.

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EXERCISE 17

Teachers
What do you learn from your parents that you don t learn from your teacher? Who do you
learn more from?

Do you prefer being taught by a man or woman teacher? Is there a difference?

What is the difference between having a young teacher and an older teacher?

Should teachers express their personal views in class?

Is the teacher always right? Should you question what the teacher says?

Which is more important: teaching facts, methods and ideas or getting students to learn
how to learn?

Why is it important for teachers to have a sense of humor?

Should teachers call you by your first name? How should you call them?

Do you prefer difficult teachers or easy teachers?

What kind of students do you think teachers like?

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EXERCISE 18
Martin Luther King Jr

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EXERCISE 19

Match the types of family with their descriptions.

EXERCISE 20

Somaliland has relatively few homeless people. Why is that?

Complete the exercise below with words ending in –less

1. No money = _________________________________________________
2. Ignorant = ___________________________________________________
3. Many = _______________________________________________________
4. Unable to defend yourself = ________________________________
5. No care or feeling for others = _____________________________
6. Anonymous, unknown = ____________________________________
7. Without purpose = __________________________________________
8. Without value = _____________________________________________
9. )t doesn t hurt = _____________________________________________

EXERCISE 21

Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs

sue get appeal award win settle take

If you have an accident at work because the workplace is not safe, you can _______________ for
negligence on the part of your employer. One woman recently ________________ nearly
$60,000 after falling down a badly-lit staircase. She knew she could ___________________
compensation and ____________________ the company to court. The company tried to
________________ out of court, but the woman wasn t interested. She _________________ her case,
but the company are going to __________________ against the decision.

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EXERCISE 22

Discussion
In your experience, are the following statements true or not?

1. Men are more interested in their appearance than women.

2. Women talk to their friends about how they look. Men don t.
3. Women like to go shopping with other women.
4. Men prefer to go clothes shopping alone. They are afraid to ask a
woman for help.
5. Men spend more on cosmetics now than ten years ago.

EXERCISE 23 Idioms
1. A narrow-minded person with old-fashioned ideas can be called____________________.
a. an old hand b. the old man c. an old fogey
2. A male person of authority can be called ____________________.
a. the old school b. the old man c. a chip off the old block
3. A person with a lot of experience, skill or practice can be called ____________________.
a. an old hand b. the old school c. an old flame
4. A son or daughter very much like his or her father in character is called ______________.
a. old hat b. an old fogey c. a chip off the old block
5. A person one was attracted to in the past is called ___________________.
a. an old hand b. an old flame c. the old school

EXERCISE 24 Idioms
1. Arrangements that are decided or final are said to be __________________.
a. safe and sound b. home and dry c. cut and dried
2. A person in a cheerful mood may be described as being _____________________.
a. hale and hearty b. alive and kicking c. bright and breezy
3. A place that looks clean and tidy is said to be ____________________.
a. fair and square b. spick and span c. home and dry
4. A casual, relaxed person may be described as being __________________.
a. free and easy b. meek and mild c. slow but sure
5. A person who is no longer young but who is physically fit may be described as being
____________________.
a. alive and kicking b. safe and sound c. hale and hearty

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EXERCISE 25

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

EXERCISE 26

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

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Appendix 1: Participles Replacing Adverbial Clauses

Present and Past participles can replace adverbial clauses. Note that these structures are
mainly used in written English, and will often sound very formal.

Examples:
After we had found our hotel we looked for somewhere to have dinner.
Having found our hotel we looked for somewhere to have dinner.
After finding our hotel we looked for somewhere to have dinner.

There was an interesting play at the theatre.

But because we had already seen the play twice, we did not go to the theatre.
Having seen the play twice, we did not go to the theatre.

Because we felt tired we went to bed early.

Feeling tired we went to bed early.

Exercise 1: Make on sentence out of two. Begin with "Having ... "

1. We finished our work. Then we went home.

2. We had dinner. Then we left for the theatre.
3. We bought our tickets. Then we went into the theatre.
4. We saw a play. Then we had some tea in a cafe.

Now begin with " ... -ing ... "

5. He felt ill. So he took some pills.

6. He felt tired. So he went to bed.
7. He had a terrible headache. He stayed in bed the next day.
8. He was well again after some days. So he went back to work.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the following paragraph in a more formal style.

Henry Jackson's emigration

Because Henry Jackson had lost his job in England, he emigrated to the United States. After
he had moved to America, he started working on a farm. But after some years he was sick
of working on a farm, he moved to a nearby town. When he had thought everything over, he
decided to work in a restaurant. He did this job for some time, then he moved to Keene
Valley. Because he was very intelligent and liked to be on time, he decided to study
medicine. He became a doctor.
Exercise 3: Write a story describing the course of some events. Try to replace some
adverbial clauses with participles.

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The Gerund

Gerunds are formed by adding "-ing" to the infinitive. Gerunds are used
-after certain verbs (e.g. hate writing, enjoy swimming)
-after prepositions (e.g. looking forward to hearing, fed up with studying)

Exercises 1: Make up sentences using the verbs, prepositions and gerunds.

e.g. He's fed up with learning foreign languages.

He's not interested about learning…

He's not very good at going…
He's fed up in studying…
He's excited of doing…
He did not think with helping…
He's very fond seeing…

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lots of people don't enjoy watching…

never finish writing…
always avoid doing…
cleaning…
.
To revise the gerund, please look at the verb patterns on the last page of the Headway
Intermediate Student Book.

Reported Speech

Direct Speech:
Fred: "I don't want to have an operation because my headaches have stopped."

Reported Speech:
Fred said that he didn't want an operation because his headaches had stopped.

When the introductory verb is. in the Past Tense (e.g. said), there is a change in the tense of
the reported speech. This change is called backshift.

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Direct speech present tense past tense present perfect future

(are) (was) (has been) (will be)

Indirect speech past tense past perfect past perfect future

(were) (had been) (had been) conditional
(would be)

Exercise 1: Write down what the doctor said to Ms Greene and what she said after the
operation.

Doctor: "You need an operation. It's very simple. An operation is really necessary."
"It won't be painful. The operation will help your eyes. Your eyes will be much better."

Ms Greene: "The operation was not painful. The headaches stopped immediately. And the
pills helped too."

Exercise 2: Fill in the gaps.

Last week Ms Greene asked her boss for a holiday. She did not tell him that she... (have)
problems with her eyes and that she ... (have) to have an operation. Her boss said that he ...
(be) sorry, but it ... (not be) possible. Ms Greene told her family that she ... (cannot) have
time off and that she ... (not have) the operation. Her son then said that he ... (go and talk) to
his mother's boss and that he ... (explain) about the operation.

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Appendix 2: Punctuation Guidelines

WHAT IS PUNCTUATION?

+Punctuation refers to the system of inserting standardized marks in written material to

accomplish such things as marking the length of phrases and sentences, differentiating
spoken words from other material, guiding voice inflections, indicating possession and
generally to make written English more readable and understandable.

+ Essentially, the purpose of punctuation is to clarify the meaning of word groupings

when we are reading, writing or listening to English.

+ Even when language is in spoken form, punctuation is implicit in pauses (periods,

commas, semicolons and colons) and in voice inflections (question marks, periods,
exclamation points, etc.)

(Demonstrate for the students how one's voice pauses increasingly longer for
commas, semicolons, colons and full stops, and rises or falls for full stops, question
marks and exclamation marks when reading to them)

TEN BASIC PUNCTUATION MARKS

+ We will cover ten basic punctuation marks, plus capital letters. They are:

- full stops("periods" in American English)

- question marks
- exclamation points
- commas
- semi-colons
- colons
- hyphens
- dashes
- apostrophes
- quotation marks
- capital letters

+ There are three different punctuation marks used to end sentences:

Periods (full stops)(.), question marks (?) and exclamation points (!)

Period: ends a statement: "Hello. My name is Jamal. "

Question mark: ends a question: "What is your name?"
Exclamation point: ends a sentence which shows strong emotion, such as surprise, shock,
wonder, horror, disbelief, pain or pleasure.
"Wow! That is a beautiful name! "

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(Demonstrate how a speaker's voice pauses/changes inflection depending on sentence-

ending punctuation

When ending a sentence with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark, we do not put
a space before the mark, but usually follow it with two spaces beginning the next sentence.

+ Comma: A mark that sets off (separates) words, phrases and clauses. Commas point out
brief pauses in a complex sentences or separate items in long lists.

They are useful in breaking up long sentences, but only to show a natural break. You do not
put a space before a comma, but you do need a space after one.

-There were parents, students and teachers in the room.

-The students were sitting, the parents were standing and the teachers were drinking tea.

+Semi-colon: A mark used to separate two main clauses (each could be a separate
sentence) that could otherwise be joined by a coordinating conjunction such as 'but', 'and',
'because', 'since', 'unless' or 'while'. You do not put a space before a semi-colon, but you do
need a space after one.

Good football players practice a lot; poor players do not.

"I'm looking forward to our next lesson; I'm sure it will be a lot of fun."

Some students think cheating is ok; however, those who don't cheat learn more and are
better people. (some would use a comma instead of a semicolon in this sentence)

+ Colon: A mark used to set off a summary, series, list, example or explanation after a main
clause. You do not put a space before a colon ,but you do need a space after one.

There are many cities in Somaliland: Hargeisa, Boroma, Burco and Berbera.

+ Hyphens: Hyphens are used to connect words or syllables, or to divide words into two
parts. You don't use a space on either side of a hyphen.

There were ninety-nine red balloons.

+ Dashes: dashes look like hyphens, but are used differently. Dashes are increasingly used
in less formal English in place of semi-colons and colons, or commas. In these cases, they
may sometimes be used:

++ to set off a short summary after a main clause

At the bottom of the gift box lay the best gift – anew football.
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++ in place of a comma to set off words, phrases or clauses that interrupt a sentence with
additional – but not essential – information.

The great football teams – Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid –
always have one player who is especially good.

+ Apostrophes have two main functions:

++ To signify possession or belonging:

+++to show possessiveness with singular nouns, use's - even if the noun already
ends with s

Where is Jamal's pencil?

What is your boss's name?

+++ to show possessiveness with plural nouns:

(A) add an 's if the plural noun does not end with an s

The children's toys are behind the chair.

(B) add an ' only, if the plural noun already ends with an s

What are our bosses' names?

The students' debate class meets at 9 pm.

++ But, don't use apostrophes with possessive pronouns: (his, yours, ours, theirs, hers)

Distinguish "it's" for it is, from "its" indicating possessiveness

++To show the omission of letters in a contraction:

I'm he's she's you're we're they're who's aren't can't don't won't didn't couldn't
wouldn't, etc.

No space is needed before or after an apostrophe.

+ Quotation Marks (single or double) set off a quotation from someone else's writing or a
piece of dialogue, i.e., to show words actually spoken (direct speech) or that are taken
directly from another writing. Only the words actually being quoted are enclosed by the
quotation marks. You need a space before the opening quotation mark, but no space after
it, and a space after the closing one, but no space before it.
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++Use double quotation marks to enclose a direct quotation.

"Could everyone sit down, please," said the teacher.

Article I of the Somaliland Constitution reads as follows: " ....."

Jamal said, "I did my homework."

Compare reported language: Jamal said that he had done his homework.
This statement describes what Jamal said, but these were not his exact words. (quotation
marks not used in reported speech)

Also note, a comma is typically used after the introduction to the quoted speech or writing.

++ Sometimes when writing direct speech, the spoken words are separated into two parts
in a sentence. The quotation marks must then be placed on both sides of the separate
spoken phrases within the sentence. Commas are used to separate parts from the rest of
the sentence.

"I wonder," she said quietly, "whether people will ever truly understand each other."

++ Quotes within quotes: use single quotation or speech marks to enclose a quote within
another quote.

"Grandpa," said the boy, "Father's exact words to me were, 'Ask you grandfather to
take you to the football game."'

++ Notice how the commas, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks are used in
connection with quoted language in sentences:

"I don't understand," said Nathan.

Nathan said, "I don't understand."

"Do you understand?" asked Nathan.

Nathan asked, "Do you understand?"

"I don't understand!" shouted Nathan.

Nathan shouted, "I don't understand!"

Quotation marks are also used to enclose titles of songs, short stories, essays, poems and
articles, but not for titles of books, newspapers or magazines (italicize and underline books,
newspapers and magazines).
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+ Use Capital Letters:

(a) at the beginning of each sentence;

(b) when using the personal pronoun I;

(c) for proper names:

-names and titles (Ahmed Jama Abdi, Sheikh)

-cities, regions and countries (Hargeisa, Maroodi Jeex, Somaliland)

-nationalities and languages (Somalilander, Somali)

-companies, products and brands (Coca-Cola, Dahabshiil, Nike)

-institutions (the University of Hargeisa, the African Union)

-religions and religious festivals (Ramadan, Islam)

-acronyms (BBC, UN, KSA)

(d) books, magazines, newspapers, TV shows (Somaliland Times, Al Jazeera);

(e) ships (Titanic, Maersk Alabama)

(f) days of the week, months of the year (Monday, June);

(g) holidays (Independence Day, Labor Day);

(h) historical events or periods (the Industrial Revolution, World War II) ;

(i) rivers, mountains, lakes and geographic regions (the Horn of Africa, Daallo
Mountain, Juba River);

(j) in addresses (ex., Flat 16, Abbey Road, London, England)

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Appendix 3: Surveys
Sometimes it is useful to use surveys to get more information about your research topic. Surveys can be used
to find facts and opinions. A fact-based survey might ask people how much money they earn, how many
children they have, or which region they are from. An opinion-based survey might ask people if they agree
with certain statements or what they think about certain political parties. You can even combine fact and
opinion questions in a survey to get more detailed information about what kinds of people think or do certain
things. When you take a survey, you should clearly describe to participants why you are conducting the
survey and ask their permission before you begin. You should collect basic demographic information about
participants but do not collect their personal information. Survey participants should be anonymous.

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Appendix 4: APA Reference Guide (from www.apa.org)

In Text Citations
You should use in text citations whenever you use an idea or statistic from a source. Some examples:

Single author: Use the author's last name, year.

(Morse, 1996) OR Morse (1996) showed that...

Two authors: Use both authors' last names, separated by an ampersand if in parentheses.
(Ringsven & Bond, 1996) OR In their study, Ringsven and Bond (1996)

Three to five authors: Use all authors' names and year, the first time the reference occurs; in subsequent citations, include only
the first author followed by "et al." and the year.
First citation: (Johnson, Brunn, & Platt, 2002) OR Johnson, Brunn and Platt (2002)
Subsequent citations: (Johnson et al., 2002). Omit the year if the subsequent citation is in the same paragraph.

Six or more authors: Use only the first author followed by et al. and the year.
(Arpin et al., 2001) OR Arpin et al. (2001)
If two references with the same year shorten to the same form, cite the name of the first authors and as many of the subsequent
authors as necessary to distinguish the two references, followed by a comma and et al.

Groups as authors: Corporation, association, and government names are given in full in the first citation, and may be
abbreviated thereafter if the name is long.
(The Michener Institute, 2002) OR The Michener Institute (2002) reported that...

Personal communication used as a citation should be avoided, unless it provides essential information not available from a
public source. Do not include it in the reference list; instead cite the last name and initials of the person and date of
communication in parentheses in the text.
(T. K. Lutes, personal communication, September 28, 1998) OR
T.K. Lutes (personal communication, September 28, 1998)

Internet sources may, in time, be deleted, changed, or moved, so it is a good idea to keep a hard copy for your records. Also, take
care to critically evaluate the reliability and scholarly relevance of the information.

Direct quotes are to be used very sparingly. Incorporate short quotes of fewer than 40 words into the text and place quotation
marks around the quote. Quote 40 or more words in a double-spaced block of text indented 5 spaces from the left margin,
without quotation marks. Give specific page numbers.
"quote" (Miele, 1993, p. 276) OR Miele (1993) found that "quote" (p. 276).

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On the References Page

The last page of your paper is entitled References, Bibliography or Works Cited.
Order of entries: List all references in alphabetical order. Each reference is listed only once.
Authors: List the author's last name, followed by a comma and initials separated by periods and spaces. When listing two to six
authors, place commas between them and use an ampersand (&) before the last author's name. If the number of authors exceeds
six, list the first six followed by "et al." (see the Senden example). For edited books with chapters written by individual authors,
list the authors of the chapter first, then the year, and the chapter title, followed by "In", the editors' names, then (Eds.), and the
book title (see the Phillips example).
Date: The year goes after the authors, in parentheses and followed by a period, for example (2003). If no year is identified, use
(n.d.).
Title: Capitalize the first letter of the first word in the title, and the first word in the subtitle. The rest of the title is in lower-case,
with the exception of proper names. The title is italicized or underlined.
Book references: Give the title, edition, city of publication, and publisher. If there is an edition it appears after the title,
abbreviated, in parentheses, and followed by a period, for example (3rd ed.).
Journal references: Give the journal title written in full, a comma, volume number [all italicized or underlined], issue number in
parentheses if available, comma, and the page range, followed by a period. For example: Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 38(10),
1327-33.
Pages: For journal articles, give the entire page range of an article, not the specific page on which the information was found. For
books, no page numbers are given, with two exceptions: the page number of a dictionary entry is included (see the Dorland's
example), as well as the page range of a chapter with its own author in an edited book (see the Phillips example).
REFERENCE PAGE EXAMPLES:

Journal article, personal author(s):

Senden, T. J., Moock, K. H., Gerald, J. F., Burch, W. M., Bowitt, R. J., Ling, C. D., et al. (1997). The physical and chemical nature of

technigas. Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 38(10), 1327-33.

Journal article, organization as author:

The Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. (1986). Clinical exercise testing. Safety and performance guidelines. Medical

Journal of Australia, 164, 282-4.

Book, personal author(s):

Ringsven, M. K., & Bond, D. (1996). Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses. (2nd ed.). Albany (NY): Delmar.

Book or pamphlet, organization as author and publisher:

College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario. (1995). The registration process. Toronto: Author.

Book, editor(s):

Berkow, R., & Fletcher, A. J. (Ed.). (1992). The Merck manual of diagnosis and therapy. (16th ed.). Rahway (NJ): Merck Research

Laboratories.

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Book, editor(s); chapter has own author:

Phillips, S. J., Whisnant, J. (1995). Hypertension and stroke. In J. H. Laragh, & B. Brenner (Eds.), Hypertension: pathophysiology,

diagnosis, and management (pp. 465-78). New York: Raven Press.

Dictionary entry:

Saunders. (1997). Dorland's illustrated medical dictionary. (28th ed.). Philadelphia.

Newspaper article:

Lee, G. (1996, June 21). Hospitalizations tied to ozone pollution: Study estimates 50,000 admissions annually. The Washington

Post; Sect. A:3 (col. 5).

Legal material:

Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, Stat. Of Ontario, 1991 Ch.18, as amended by 1993, Ch.37: office consolidation. (Queen's

Printer for Ontario 1994).

Electronic journal article:

Borman, W. C., Hanson, M. A., Oppler, S. H., Pulakos, E. D., & White, L. A. (1993). Role of early supervisory experience in supervisor

performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 443-449. Retrieved October 23, 2000, from PsycARTICLES database.

Document available on a web page:

Chou, L., McClintock, R., Moretti, F., Nix, D. H. (1993). Technology and education: New wine in new bottles: Choosing pasts and

imagining educational futures. Retrieved August 24, 2000, from Columbia University, Institute for Learning Technologies Web

site: http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/publications/papers/newwine1.html

Monograph in electronic format:

Reeves, J. R. T., & Maibach, H. (1995). CDI, clinical dermatology illustrated. (2nd ed.) [CD-ROM]. San Diego: CMEA Multimedia

Group.

74
 ADVANCED WRITING I

Avoiding Plagiarism: Why Use References?

Plagiarism is taking, using, and submitting the thoughts, writings, etc., of another person as one's own. Often students are
uncertain when to acknowledge sources, or when to assume that a concept or theory belongs to the domain of general
knowledge. If in doubt, include a reference. Types of concepts that require a reference include: discoveries, theories,
controversies and opinions. Don't forget to acknowledge the source of illustrations, charts, and tables of data. For more
information and specific examples, consult "How Not to Plagiarize" http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/plagsep.html.

There are several reasons for including a reference:

it is ethical to credit others for their contributions to your writing;

it may be a legal obligation in the case of copyright;
to protect you in the case of questionable allegations;
to reflect your prior reading effort;
to show the sequence of events involved in the resolution of a scientific problem, as part of your argument.

Paraphrases: It is often necessary to reduce a concept or theory into a few sentences. While the words may be your own, the
concepts or theories are not; and you must give credit to your sources. The use of paraphrasing, rather than direct quotes, is
often preferred because it helps with creating flow in building logical arguments.

Quotations: Direct quotations are to be used very sparingly. The chief drawback is that the text becomes choppy and difficult
to read. Using the author's own words in a direct quote is usually justified for only the following reasons:

credibility, an argument gains credibility by quoting a known authority;

power, an argument gains power by the skillful weaving-in of knowledge into the text;
eloquence, an argument gains eloquence by using a direct quote that illuminates the concept.

Checklist for Paper Writing

16. Are the abstract and introduction clearly and concisely written?
17. Have the objectives, hypotheses, and research questions been adequately addressed?
18. Are the findings, conclusions, and recommendations clearly stated and do they match the objectives, hypotheses, and
research questions?
19. Where necessary, are significant or potentially controversial statements supported by the research?
20. Are there weaknesses in logic or mistakes in spelling, punctuation, capitalization or grammar?
21. Are concepts and technical terms adequately explained?
22. Could a major point be better presented by a table or graph?
23. Is the report objective in tone?
24. Does the title adequately describe the contents?
25. Is the use of formatting, headings and subheadings consistent throughout the paper?
26. Is each paragraph essential? Does one paragraph flow naturally into the next?
27. Are pages, tables, and charts numbered correctly?
28. Are all the references necessary?
29. Are quotations correct?
30. Have you included a title page, abstract and bibliography/works cited page?

75
ADVANCED WRITING I

Appendix 5: Notes on the translations

Both of the translations are given in Somali only in the front section of the pack and then both in English and
Somali in the appendix. Translations are designed to be done individually in class (either write the Somali on
the board or get the students to use the course pack) and then gone through and corrected together. The
translations are set out in a way that non-Somali speaking teachers should be able to utilize; students are
generally capable of communicating the ideas of the piece and what is usually needed is to tidy up the
grammar and sentence structure. The English translations given are not literal but convey the meaning of the
piece in the most appropriate and understandable way for an English-speaking reader. Important vocabulary
or notes on grammatical translations is given below the text. Most of the translations given are from
newspaper articles as this represents the kind of material students would need to translate for their writing
assignments in the advanced course. When translating draw students attention to grammatical constructions
such as perfect tenses (not found in Somali but very common in English news articles) and the passive voice.

Translation 1
Sweden oo ku dhawaaqday inay qaxoontiga Soomaalida ka daadguraynayaan1 Liibiya2
(Sweden announces evacuation of Somali refugees from Libya)

Xubno ka socda laanta socdaalka dalka Sweden ayaa la sheegay 3inay dhawaan gaadhayaan dalka Liibiya, si ay
halkaa uga daadgureeyaan qaxoontiga Soomaalida ah oo si wayn ugu tabaalaysan.4
.
It has been reported that members of a Swedish delegation are shortly arriving in Libya in order to evacuate the
Somali refugees who are suffering greatly there.

Sida lagu faafiyay warbaahinta dalka Sweden, ayaa lagu sheegay inay dadka Soomaalida iyo Erretariyaanku si
gaar ah ugu baahan yihiin gargaaro degdeg ah oo lala gaahdo.

According to the Swedish media Somalis and Eritreans in particular are need of emergency assistance.

Hase yeeshee, dawladda Sweden talaabadoodan bani'aadaminimo5kumay sheegin intay noqonayso tirada
dadka Ia rajaynayo in dalka Liibiya laga samata-bixinayo, hase ahaatee, wararka qaarkood ayaa muujinaya
inay tirada dadkassi gaadhi karayso ilaa 1500 qof oo Soomaali ah.

However, in regards to Sweden's humanitarian efforts, the number of those people expected to be evacuated
from Libya has not been reported, although some news sources indicate that it could be up to 1500 Somalis.

Dalka Sweden ayaa noqonaya kii ugu horeeyay ee talaabaddaas u qaada dhanka dadka Soomaalida ah ee ku
dhibaataysan dagaallada ka socda dalka Liibiya.

Sweden has become the first country to take these kind of steps for the Somalis who are being affected by the
ongoing conflict in Libya.

1 Hear 'evacuate' is used as a verb. In the English translation it is easier to use the noun 'evacuation'. This is a
common occurrence in many translations.
2 The Somali headline uses past tenses – in English most newspaper headlines are written in the simple present.
3 'ayaa la sheegay' literally translates to 'it is told'. In an English news context this should be translated as 'It has
been reported'. This is a very common phrase and students should remember that this is the correct translation for
this context.
4 'Tabaalaysan' = suffering
5 'Talaabadoodan bani'aadaminimo' =humanitarian action/steps

76
 ADVANCED WRITING I

Translation 2
Jaamacadda Hargeysa oo heshiis Ia gashay Jaamacad ku taala dalka Australia
(The University of Hargeisa enters agreement with Australian university)

Jaamacaddda Hargeysa oo ugu weyn Jaamacaddaha Somaliland, ayaa shalay heshiis Ia gashay Jaamacad ku
taala dalka Australia.

The University of Hargeisa, the biggest university in Somaliland, yesterday entered into an agreement with an
Australian university.

Munaasibad lao sameeyay saxeexa heshiiskaas laba geesoodka ah oo shalay lagu qabtay xarunta Jaamacadda
Hargeysa, waxa ka qaybgalay maamulka Jaamacadda Hargeysa iyo wefti ka socday Jaamacadda ay heshiiska
Ia galeen oo lagu magacaabo University of Western Australia, kuwaasoo si rasmi ah u kala saxeexday
heshiiskaas oo ku saabsan in labadooda kulliyadood ee Caafimaadku ay si taos isugu xidhmaan ,isla markaana
ay iskaashi ka yeeshaan waxbarashada iyo arrimaha cilmibaadhista.1

An event was held yesterday for the signing of the agreement between the two parties at the University of
Hargeisa and was attended by the University management and delegates from the University of Western
Australia, the university which is entering the agreement. They officially signed the agreement which concerns
directly linking the two medicine faculties in education and research areas.

Ugu horayn2 guddoomiye ku xigeenka Jaamacadda Hargeysa Mubaarak Ibrahim Aar oo hadal ka jeediyay
munaasibaddaas, waxa uu faahfaahin ka bixiyay heshiiskaas. "Maanta waxa si rasmi ah heshiis
wadashaqayneed3 u kala saxeexanaya Jaamacadda Hargeysa iyo Jaamacadda University of Western Australia
oo uu ka socdo Prof. David Halbrook oo muddo dheer ku sao dhexjiray hawlan waxbarashada , Jaamacadda
Hargeysa muddo dheer kala shaqaynayay arrimaha."

The vice president of the University of Hargeisa, Mubarak Ibrahim Aar, spoke at the beginning of the ceremony
and gave information about the agreement. "Today an official agreement of cooperation has been signed
between the University of Hargeisa and the University of Western Australia. It has been attended by Professor
David Halbrook who has been involved in education work for a long time and has been working with the
University of Hargeisa for a long time."

Translation 3
Jabaan: Haweenay iyo ilme yar oo 10 maalmood ka dib laga soo badbaadiyay burbuka4
hoostiisa
(Japan: Woman and small baby rescued from beneath rubble after 10 days)

Ka dib toban maalmood oo laga joogo dhul-gariirkii iyo qaranqankii ka dhacay dalka Jabaan, ayaa shalay laga
soo saaray burburka dhismayaasha hoostooda haweenay 88 jir ah iyo ilme yar oo labaduba nool.

Ten days after the earthquake disaster hit Japan, yesterday an 88 year old woman and small boy were pulled
alive from the rubble of buildings.

Khasaaraha ka dhashay masiibaddaas oo nooceedu aanay weligeed soo marin Jabaanka marka laga reebo
duqayntii bamamka Niyuukleerka ee lala beegsaday dagaalkii labaad ee dunida ayaa kooxaha baadhitaanada

1 This is a long sentence (as is commonly found in Somali journalistic writing). It is often easier for students to
break this down into smaller sentences- see the translation given above.
2 Here 'ugu horeyn' means 'firstly' but this meaning of 'opening' the ceremony is included later in the sentence.
3 'Wadashaqayneed' =collaboration
4 burburka = the destruction/rubble

77
 ADVANCED WRITING I

iyo badbaadada noole ka noolaada wixii dhacay ay qabeen rajooyin yar, waxaanay ku tilmaameen mucjiso
dumarkaas iyo ilmahaa yari ay burburka ku hoos aasnaayeen iyo siday uga noolaadeen.

The type of destruction cause by the disaster has not been seen in Japan since the detonation of the nuclear
bombs there in World War II. Search and rescue teams had little hope of finding anyone alive and described their
amazement that the woman and the small baby were alive trapped beneath the rubble.

120% ?

That s
impossible!
How to Earn a High Mark
120%

100%

80%
Course Mark

60%

40%

20%

0%
0% 10% 15% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Attendance Percentage

78
 ADVANCED WRITING I

Appendix 6: Notes on the sample essay

Notice the following things when reading the sample essay (see below):

- Every page is numbered. To do this in Microsoft Word, go to 'Insert' and click 'Page
Numbers'. Select 'Bottom of the Page (Footer)', Alignment 'Right'.
- Every page has a running header which contains the title of the report. To insert this
select 'View' then 'Header and Footer'. A box will come up on the top of the page. Fill
this in with the title of your paper. This will then be included on every page.
- In the main body of the paper the font used is Cambria, size 12. You should use
Times New Roman or Cambria, size 12.
- The margins are normal or inch on all sides.
- Every line is double spaced. To double space lines go to the line spacing bar and
select '2' from the drop down menu.
- All lines are 'justified' this means they are spaced evenly across the page. The
justification box is next to the line spacing box.
- Every reference in the main body of the text has the (author, year and page number)
given next to it.
- These references correspond to the bibliography at the end of the paper. This is on a
separate page and the references are listed alphabetically (by the author's
surname).

79
What are the possible justifications for the
recognition of the Republic of Somaliland?

Student name: Ahmed Ahmed Ahmed

Institution: University of Hargeisa
Course: Advanced Writing I, 2012
What are the possible justifications for the recognition of the Republic of Somaliland?

Abstract

This paper looks at the reasons most commonly given for the international recognition of
the de facto independent Republic of Somaliland. The paper looks at the different aspects of
recognition claims, for example it discusses the norms of the international community of
states, as well as political, economic and social reasons for the recognition of Somaliland.

2
What are the possible justifications for the recognition of the Republic of Somaliland?

Introduction

Somaliland declared its independence in 1991 after a civil war that left much of the country
destroyed. Since then the international community has been hesitant to recognize the small
breakaway republic for a variety of reasons. Since 1991 Somaliland has developed one of
the largest military forces in the Somali region, held three presidential elections largely
recognized as fair and democratic, as well as developing its economy and its own currency.
This essay will argue that recognition of Somaliland would improve the security, economy,
and democratic development of not only Somaliland, but also promote stability across the
region more generally. The government of Somaliland is not only one of the more
democratic in the region, but has also embarked on several projects including fighting
piracy and terrorism in the region. Because of the government's commitment to such peace
initiatives, the international community ought to provide it with the support it needs to
continue its robust development.

International Politics and Statehood

The first and most important reason that recognition of Somaliland could only enhance
internal and regional security is that it already has many of the attributes of a fully
functioning state. According to William Reno "Somaliland possesses the first three
attributes [of statehood, i.e. permanent population, defined territory, functioning
government] in abundance and has done so for quite some time now. The authorities in
Somaliland have exhibited these attributes simply through their own everyday
administration…The obstacle to recognition of sovereignty lies in the fourth principle; that
a state can be fully sovereign only if officials in other states say that it is such." (Reno, 2006)
Since Somaliland already functions, and has functioned for over 20 years, as a de-facto
state, international recognition would not undermine an existing and functional sovereign
institution that claims to administer the region of Somaliland. Given that the same cannot
be said of the state of Somalia, there is no functioning Sovereign body that would have its
integrity disrupted as a result of the recognition of Somaliland. Furthermore, given that
Somaliland declared its independence in the wake of the collapsed Mogadishu government
rather than during the war to overthrown the Siad Barre regime, it would be difficult to

3
What are the possible justifications for the recognition of the Republic of Somaliland?

argue that recognition of Somaliland would give hope to militant rebel groups that seek to
establish independent regions at the expense of functioning sovereign governments. The
common argument that recognition of breakaway regions would foster instability across
the continent therefore does not apply to Somaliland, and we have only to show the
benefits of recognition to make our case.

Somaliland’s Democracy

The fact that Somaliland's government has effective administrative control over the area is
further enhanced by the democratic institutions that are the basis for that administrative
control. The democratic credentials of Somaliland have become increasingly recognized by
the international community. Somalilanders have developed their own democratic
institutions and have embraced democracy as a means to develop economically, settle
political disputes within their own territories, and hopefully as a means to achieve
international recognition. "The enthusiasm with which all Somalilanders embraced
campaigning and elections [in 2003 and 2005] was amazing. It is particularly gratifying to
see that, after two decades of dictatorship, Somalilanders are equally, if not more so,
enthusiastic about the electoral process and the participation in the recent voter
registration exercise surpassed all expectations." (Hashi, 2009, p.6) Recognition of
Somaliland's democratic accomplishments would encourage regimes in the area to
introduce reforms to their own political practices. In addition to this it would strengthen a
government that has managed to not only gain administrative control over its territory, but
base that control in the checks and balances of its people through a combination of
democratic institutions and clan mediated dispute resolution mechanisms. The sense of
political enfranchisement has been the basis for much of the stability that Somaliland has
enjoyed over the last 14 years (in stark contrast to Somalia) and served as the basis for
reconstruction and development after the near total destruction during the civil war with
the south.

4
What are the possible justifications for the recognition of the Republic of Somaliland?

Somaliland’s Economy

The economy of Somaliland, while still in a slow developmental stage, has demonstrated
profound resilience during the period of reconstruction. Nomadic pastoralists, while
harmed by the war, were able to relocate and protect their herds from the level of
destruction inflicted on sedentary farmers (Bradbury, 2008, p.141). Remittances generated
from family members that moved to the gulf states, as well as refugees who fled to the West
during the war, have helped to provide capital and supplement household income.
However, as Mark Bradbury comments, "...non-recognition of Somaliland does place some
constraints on business development. Lack of full diplomatic relations with Ethiopia makes
it difficult to set up transit agreements between the two countries, for example. Foreign
vessels wanting to use Berbera have to pay higher insurance premiums, and Somaliland is
unable to offer any financial facilities in-country, or issue letters of credit." (Ibid, p.154)
Recognition of Somaliland would allow it to further
capitalize on the port of Berbera as an entry port, provide confidence and encourage
investment, and allow it to negotiate and improve trading relations with its regional
neighbors (such as Saudi Arabia who have regularly banned livestock imports due to
concerns about disease).

Regional Security

Finally, the recognition of Somaliland would bolster security throughout the area, not just
in Somaliland itself. Unlike the failed TFG in Mogadishu, the Somaliland government is a
local solution that (as we have seen) has already managed to construct a stable, democratic
state. Because the people of Somaliland are so committed to a common vision of what they
want their society to become they have managed to mitigate, and in some areas eliminate,
the threat of terrorism and warlordism - something that does not look like it will ever take
place in Somalia. The fact that it has been able to establish such a secure state with no
external aid (in contrast to the south, where aid has been plentiful and security lacking) the
Senlis Council, an international security and development think tank, stated that "The
recognition of Somaliland is a political necessity in the fight against extremism." (BBC,
2008) If the international community continue to drag their feet on recognition, Somaliland

5
What are the possible justifications for the recognition of the Republic of Somaliland?

will be exposed to threats from extremist groups to the south that police training and
development aid could have helped to prevent.

Conclusion

Somaliland's many impressive accomplishments have taken place in a region that is more
famous for conflict and anarchy than stability. Despite the many obstacles it has faced it has
managed to develop a central government, maintain security, and begun rebuilding the
economy after a brutal civil war. All of these accomplishments have taken place without
international recognition and significant aid coming only from their diaspora population. If
the world wants to continue to see peace and stability thrive in the region, and help the
area overcome problems relating to extremism, Somaliland should be recognized as soon
as possible. Recognition would bolster the people's faith in their government, continue to
promote economic development, and provide Somalis with a functioning government that
is more than simply a front for international military intervention.

6
What are the possible justifications for the recognition of the Republic of Somaliland?

Bibliography

Bradbury, M. (2008), Becoming Somaliland, Oxford: James Currey.

Hashi, J. I. (2009) Somaliland Electoral Laws Handbook, Hargeisa.

Reno, W. (2006, August) Self-determination in International Law . Presentation at the

Somaliland Policy & Reconstruction Institute annual meeting. Washington, DC, USA.

Reynolds, P. 2008, April , Somaliland s path to recognition . BBC News. Retrieved from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7365002.stm.

Shinn, D.H. (2002, November). Somaliland: The little country that could. The Somaliland
Times. Retrieved from http://www.somalilandtimes.net/Archive/44/4407.htm.