Title: Standard für Structuring a text
Course: PULS - Englisch Vertiefungskurs

Standardkategorie für Fragen, die im Kontext 'Structuring a text' freigegeben sind.

Q: Do you know these terms?
- brainstorming | collecting ideas before writing
- mind map | structuring brainstormed ideas before writing
- chronological order | telling a story: first, then, ...
- dialectical order | writing an argumentative text
- cause-and-effect order | explaining something
- problem-reasons-solution order | discussing a problem
- paragraph | one block of text dealing with one idea
- topic sentence | first sentence in a paragraph introducing the main idea of thhe paragraph
- supporting sentences | give reasons or arguments after the topic sentence
- additional sentences | give more details, examples or facts after the supporting sentences
- transitions | a word, phrase or sentence at the beginning of a paragraph to connect it to the paragraph before
- indirect quotation | paraphrasing a statement in your own words

If you want to write a convincing text, you must prepare it well.
After you have collected ideas, you must organize them. There are different ways of organizing your ideas. A lot depends on the kind of text you want to write.

If you want to... | you can best strcuture your ideas this way
tell a story (e.g. plot summary) or present facts | chronological order: At the beginning...Then..../First of all ...Secondly
write an argumentative text | dialectical order: reasons for > reasons against or: advantages > disadvantages
explain something | causes > effects
discuss a problem | problem > reasons > solutions

In the next section, check if you understand these structures.

Q: Read the following lists of topics. Decide which type of organization is the best one for these topics.
- A short history of co-education at German schools | chronological order
- The pros and cons of attending an all-girls school | dialectical order
- The British public school system and its aims | causes-and-effects order
- Why boys find it more difficult than girls to learn modern languages | problem-reasons-solutions order

Q: Read the following sentences and order them into a paragraph. First find the topic sentence, then the two supporting sentences with their two additional sentences each. Arrange the seven sentences in a logical order by matching the correct numbers 1-7.

- In fact, people in a clique usually have the same interests.
- In general, cliques can be seen in a very positive light.
- So you'll never get bored if you belong to a clique - you can always meet someone.
- First of all, they offer you company, help and understanding.
- If you belong to a clique, there is always someone there to phone and to ask for help.
- Secondly, cliques make sure that you know what to do in your free time.
- You can chat with friends in your clique and tell them problems and secrets.
- In fact, people in a clique usually have the same interests. | 6
- In general, cliques can be seen in a positive light. | 1
- So you'll never get bored if you belong to a clique - you can always meet someone. | 7
- First of all, they offer you company, help and understanding. | 2
- If you belong to a clique, there is always someone there to phone and ask for help. | 3
- Secondly, cliques make sure that you know what to do in your free time. | 5
- You can chat with friends in your clique and tell them problems and secrets. | 4

Q: Paragraphs must be logically connected. You got to know how to order ideas and to make transitions in workhop 1 and in this test.

Order these paragraph beginnings (1-6) to make logical transitions between ideas in an argumentative essay.

The main reason why is ...
There is no doubt about it that...
However, there is another reason which should not be ignored...
In addition, some people point out that...
A number of suggestions on how to improve the situation has been offered...
All in all it would be justified to say that ...
- The main reason why is ... | 3
- There is no doubt about it that... | 2
- However, there is another reason which should not be ignored... | 4
- In addition, some people point out that... | 5
- A number of suggestions on how to improve the situation has been offered... | 1
- All in all it would be justified to say that ... | 6

You use quotations for a text analysis, in a personal comment or in reviews/ speeches etc. to support your most important statements. However, do not use quotations in a summary or with comprehensive questions!

There are different ways to quote:

Type of quotation | Tip | Example
indirect quotation | Paraphrase the statement in your own words. Give the source in round brackets (l.6) for a line or (ll.6-9) for more lines. | "Globalisation is an ongoing process." The speaker argues that globalisation is unstoppable. (ll.2-3)
direct quotation (of a sentence) | Prepare the statement and use a colon (: ). | In lines 2 to 3 the speaker makes his opinion very clear: " Globalisation is an ongoing process."
integrated quotation | A sentence or phrase becomes part of your sentence. mark grammatical changes in these brackets [...]. The author/speaker/ poet ... warns/points out/ emphasizes/ argues/ demands/ claims that ... | The speaker describes globalisation as an "ongoing process". (ll.2-3) Although the author regards "globalisation [...] as an ongoing process" (ll. 2-3), he admits that...
general text references | In the second paragraph, ... In the course of his speech... Throughout the whole film ....

In the next section, check if you can use different types of quotation.

Q: "Make love not war!"

Quote indirectly. Paraphrase the underlines words. The speaker wants us to stop... but to .... each other instead.
A: The speaker wants us to stop fighting but to love each other instead.
Feedback ("The speaker wants us to stop fighting but to love each other instead."): The speaker wants us to stop fighting but to love each other instead.

Q: "Make love not war!" (l.3)
Quote directly. The author demands...
A: The author demands: "Make love not war!" (l.3)
Feedback ("The author demands: "Make love not war!" (l.3)"): The author demands: "Make love not war!" (l.3)

Q: "Make love not war!"
Integrate the quote and mark grammatical changes. Although the speaker asked us ... he felt slightly uncomfortable about what happened later.
A: Although the speaker asked us "[to] make love not war", he felt slightly uncomfortable about what happened later.
Feedback ("Although the speaker asked us "[to] make love not war", he felt slightly uncomfortable about what happened later."): Although the speaker asked us "[to] make love not war", he felt slightly uncomfortable about what happened later.