Jornal.13.08.013

Prévia do material em texto

Centro de Artes e Comunicação
Curso de Jornalismo
Língua Inglesa Instrumental
Prof. Araken G. Barbosa
Aula do dia: 13.08.013
The paragraph: unity and coherence
Now we are going to study the paragraph. It is defined as a unit of speech that develops a given topic. However, before we get into details and present some of its characteristics, it is necessary for the reader to identify the differences among the examples (Texts A and B) below:
Text A
It is estimated that there are now about 3.000 language schools in Korea and the language school business is certainly growing;
In the early 1990’s the language school business in Korea expanded rapidly to meet the increasing demand for English language instruction;
There were about 2,500 language schools nationwide;
Most franchising organizations have closed down their businesses, and many of the franchised language schools, which cost $200,000 to $500,000 to establish, closed in 1997 and 1998;
Children usually go to a language school three times a week and pay between $60 to $130 per month;
Commercial websites offer English language Programs, some for a monthly fee of $8 to $10.
 (Source: HWANG, Patrick. The Expansion of English language Education in South Korea. ESL Magazine. Vol. 3, nº 4, July/August, 2000, p. 26-28.)
Text B
“Beyond the business world, English has become an essential part of daily life for most Koreans. The population of Korea is densely packed on a small percentage of the land (over 70% of Korea is mountainous). Tightly clustered apartment buildings have become familiar scenes. Because of this population density, Korea has seen a rapid expansion of internet access throughout the country. By the end of this year, all the primary schools in Korea will be equipped with internet servers linked with high-speed Internet connections, which are usually only available to high-tech businesses.”
 (Source: HWANG, Patrick. The Expansion of English language Education in South Korea. ESL Magazine. Vol. 3, nº 4, July/August, 2000, p. 26-28.)
Now, building on what we have studied previously, read the paragraph “A” below and compare it to paragraph “B”. Then, write your opinion about them considering the aspects of cohesion and coherence:
Paragraph “A”
“It is well known that cats are more intelligent than dogs. For example, three out of every four motorists die of heart disease before they are fifty. Another example is the commonly observed ability of dolphins to understand human speech. In conclusion, I should like to emphasize that whereas girls learn mathematics quickly, boys learn mathematics equally quickly.”
Paragraph “B”
“Geography is usually classified, on the basis of its subject matter, into mathematical geography, physical geography or physiography and biological geography. Mathematical geography concerns the size, shape and movements of the earth; physical geography deals with the layers of the earth’s surface – land, sea, and air; and biological geography studies the life conditions of plants and animals, on the one hand, and of man on the other.”
Source: The Lincoln Library of Essential Information. Geography Divisions. Columbus, Ohio: The Frontier Press Company. P. 49.
What is a “topic sentence”?
So that you can answer the question above, read the paragraphs below and draw your own conclusions:
Paragraph one
“Methane, the principal ingredient of natural gas, has caused an estimated 15 percent of the warming in modern times. Generated by bacteria in rice fields, decomposing garbage, cattle, ranching, and fossil fuel production, methane persists in the atmosphere for nearly a decade and is now about 2.5 times as prevalent as it was in the 18th century. Other major greenhouse gases include nitrous oxide – produced by both agriculture and industry – and various solvents and refrigerants like chlorofluorocarbons, CFCs, which are now banned by international treaty because of their damaging effect on Earth’s protective ozone layer,”
Source: National Geographic. Unlocking the climate puzzle. Vol. 193, nº 5, May 1998. P.46.
Paragraph two.
“Commerce consists of all those processes of trade involved in the general distribution of commodities from the producer to the consumer. However, the term generally implies an exchange of large volumes of merchandise between different places or communities rather than the trade carried on between individuals. Traffic passing from one nation to another is foreign or international commerce; that moving between localities included within national boundaries is internal or domestic commerce.”
Source: The Lincoln Library of Essential Information. Geography Divisions. Columbus, Ohio: The Frontier Press Company. P. 253.