Other text features. Abbreviations are often used to save space: All types of writing consist of a number of key elements. Label the items in the text.

A report on the spread of TB worldwide A case study showing how TB relates to social class A discussion of new methods of treating the disease d Nursery education is better for children than staying at home with mother – Discuss. A study of the growth of nurseries since 1995 A report on the development of children who remain at home until five A discussion comparing speaking ability in the two groups of children An outline of the increase of women in the labour market since 1960 e Compare studying in a library with using the internet. Will the former become redundant? The benefits of using books The drawbacks of internet sources Predicted IT developments in the next 15 years An outline of developments in library services since 1945

6. Underline the key terms in the following titles and decide what you are being asked to do.

Example: Relate the development of railways to the rise of nineteenth-century European nationalism. Relate means to link one thing to another. The title is asking for links to be made between the growth of railways in Europe in the nineteenth century and the political philosophy of nationalism. The writer must decide if there was a connection or not. a Identify the main causes of rural poverty in China. b Calculate the likely change in coffee consumption that would result from a 10 fall in the price of coffee beans. c Classify the desert regions of Asia and suggest possible approaches to halting their spread.

3. Evaluating a Text

Having understood the title and made an outline plan, your next step is probably to read around the subject. Although you may be given a reading list, it is still vital to be able to assess the usefulness of journal articles and books. Time spent learning these skills will be repaid by saving you from using unreliable or irrelevant materials. 1. When reading a text, it is important to ask yourself questions about the value of the text. Is this text fact or opinion? If fact, is it true? If opinion, do I agree? Can this writer be trusted? These questions can be shown in a diagram: Start here 2. Read the following sentences and decide first if they are fact or opinion. Then decide if the factual sentences are true, and if you agree with the opinions in the other sentences. Opinion Agree or True or or fact? disagree? false? a The USA has the biggest economy in the world b Shakespeare wrote textbooks c Shakespeare was a great writer d Smoking can be dangerous e Too many people 32 smoke in Britain f 95 of criminals cannot read g Poor education causes 75 of crime FACT TRUSTWORTHY AND USEFUL TRUE OR FALSE? FALSE TRUE DISAGREE AGREE OR DISAGREE? ? OPINION FACT OR OPINION? AGREE 3. It can be seen that even short sentences can contain a mixture of fact and opinion. Most longer texts, of course, consist of both. Read the following and underline facts ____ and opinions . a Britain has one of the highest crime rates in the world. b A robbery takes place every five seconds. A car is stolen every minute. Clearly, criminals are not afraid of the police. c Even if they are caught, few criminals ever appear in court. d Most of those who are found guilty are let off with a tiny fine. e To restore law and order, we need many more police and much tougher punishments.

4. The previous sentences can be evaluated as follows:

a Fact, but only partly true. Britain does not have one of the highest overall crime rates in the world. For some crimes, e.g. car crime, the rate is high, but other countries, e.g. South Africa and the USA, have much higher rates of violent crime. b These facts may or may not be true, but it is not clear from them that criminals are unafraid of the police. c Fact, but not true. A significant number of those arrested are charged and later prosecuted. d This statement is vague. A fine is not letting off. What is meant by tiny? e This is a half-truth. More police would probably help reduce crime, but it is not clear if stronger punishments would have that result. From this it can be seen that even if the facts are correct, the opinions that are expressed may not be reliable. The evaluation above would suggest that the writer of the original text could not be trusted, and it would be better to look for another source. 5. Evaluate the following passages in a similar way. First underline facts and opinion, then decide if the text as a whole is trustworthy. a Every year large numbers of students travel abroad to study at university. Most of them spend thousands of pounds on their degree courses. The cost of travel and accommodation adds significantly to their expenses. But they could save a lot of money by studying their courses online, using the internet and email. Increasing numbers of universities are offering tuition by the internet, and this has many advantages for students. In the future most students are likely to stay at home and study in front of a computer. b London is an ideal city for young students. Britain’s lively capital, with a population of two million, is the perfect place to live and study. Cheap, comfortable accommodation is always available, and transport is provided by the clean and reliable underground system. Another advantage is the friendly citizens, who are well-known for their custom of stopping to chat with strangers. Overall, London is probably the best place in the world to study English.