Toscon_2015 original texts

#TOSCON_2015 “Text-Based Teaching: Doing More With Less” Leo Gomez: [email protected]

The Original TextsText 1A Dream So RealStaying overnight with friends, his sleep was disturbed by a vivid dream: a thief broke in, stole everything in the flat – then carefully replaced every single item with an exact replica.

‘It felt so real’, he told his friends in the morning.

Horrified, uncomprehending, they replied, ‘But who are you?’

By Patrick Forsyth, in Mini-Sagas from the Daily Telegraph Competition, 2001 (Enitharmon Press)

Text 2 – Email

What do you understand by grammar? Here’s a way to find out.Put the grammar back in this email using the vocabulary given.

Hi Jane,

Thank/email. Be/good/hear/everything/go/well. I wish/I/can/say same!

You/may/remember/I/start/fantastic/new/job/last/year/but so/far/I/not/be/enjoy/at all. One/men/in/office/be/extremely rude/aggressive/I/feel/very/isolate. My/boss/be/really/nice/she spend/lot/time/away,/not be/aware /what/go/on. Peter/say/I should/tell/what/go on,/if/I/,/might/only/make/worse. Still,/I must/do/,as/guy/behaviour/get/worse/recently. /dream/job/become more/like/nightmare/every/day.

What/you/think? Should/I/stick out/leave?/ ideas/be/welcome.

Love,Sadie

Now check with the answer text to see if your ideas were the same.

What do we mean by grammar? (Answers)

Hi Jane,

Thanks for your email. It's good to hear everything’s going well. I wish I could say the same!

You may remember that I started a fantastic new job last year, but so far I’m not enjoying it at all. One of the men in the office is being extremely rude and aggressive and I feel very isolated. My boss is really nice but she spends a lot of time away, so isn’t aware of what’s going on. Peter says I should tell someone what is going on, but if I did, that might only make things worse. Still, I must do something, as this guy’s behaviour has been getting worse recently. My dream job is becoming more like a nightmare every day.

What do you think? Should I stick it out or leave? Any ideas would be welcome.

Love,Sadie

mailto:[email protected]


Murder inquiry after shot boy is discovered in Scarborough houseBy: Diana Hall – Staff Reporter, Published Tue Oct 11 2014

MURDER squad detectives today launched an inquiry after a teenager was found dead at a house in east Scarborough.

The 17-year-old boy’s body was discovered after neighbours heard a gunshot and phoned police, who raced to the scene with medics.

The victim, who was pronounced dead, is believed to have died from a single wound. Forensic experts were still examining the Victoria Park’s house this morning.

Five people there at the time were arrested - two women aged 36 and 46, another boy of 17 and two men aged 20 and 27.

All are believed to be friends or associates of the victim and were being interviewed by detectives today.

Toronto Police said it was not yet treating the death as a murder and one possibility being examined is that the white teenager may have died accidentally while handling a gun.

Officers are examining his relationship with the five other people, who did not appear to make any effort to leave the scene.

Police refused to say whether officers had recovered a weapon at the property in a cul-de-sac near Ellesmere subway station.

A local resident, too frightened to be named, said: "Someone told me they saw two black men running away from the street early this morning. Its scary to think this is happening on our doorstep."

A Toronto Police spokesman said: "We await formal identification. Officers are attempting to contact next of kin and a post-mortem examination will be held."

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2014/10/11/murder_inquiry_after_shot_boy_is_discovered_in_scarborough_house/standard.html





Murder inquiry after shot boy is discovered in Scarborough houseBy: Diana Hall – Staff Reporter, Published Tue Oct 11 2014

MURDER squad detectives today launched an inquiry after a teenager was found dead at a house in east Scarborough.

The 17-year-old boy’s body was discovered after neighbours heard a gunshot and phoned police, who raced to the scene with medics.

The victim, who was pronounced dead, is believed to have died from a single wound. Forensic experts were still examining the Victoria Park’s house this morning.

Five people there at the time were arrested - two women aged 36 and 46, another boy of 17 and two men aged 20 and 27.

All are believed to be friends or associates of the victim and were being interviewed by detectives today.

Toronto Police said it was not yet treating the death as a murder and one possibility being examined is that the white teenager may have died accidentally while handling a gun.

Officers are examining his relationship with the five other people, who did not appear to make any effort to leave the scene.

Police refused to say whether officers had recovered a weapon at the property in a cul-de-sac near Ellesmere subway station.

A local resident, too frightened to be named, said: "Someone told me they saw two black men running away from the street early this morning. Its scary to think this is happening on our doorstep."

A Toronto Police spokesman said: "We await formal identification. Officers are attempting to contact next of kin and a post-mortem examination will be held."



Can you categorize the uses ‘to’ into these structures?

Structure Examples

Expression with ‘to’ as a preposition

(be) + adjective + ‘to’ + infinitive

(be) + past participle + to + infinitive

Expression + ‘to’ + infinitive

Verb + ‘to’ + infinitive

Can you think of any more examples which fit these categories? Look through other texts we have studied and try to find any further examples.

Key

Structure Examples

Expression with ‘to’ as a preposition Raced to the scene

(be) + adjective + ‘to’ + infinitive It’s scary to think Frightened to be named

(be) + past participle + to + infinitive Is believed to have diedAre believed to be friends

Expression + ‘to’ + infinitive Make any effort to leave

Verb + ‘to’ + infinitive Did not appear to makeRefused to say Are attempting to contact



Murder inquiry after shot boy is discovered in Greenwich houseTEXTUALIZING. Each group of facts have been put in chronological order and each fact is in its simplest grammatical form. Rewrite the text so that each group of simple sentences is one complex sentence. They have been started for you. The first is an example.

1. MURDER squad detectives today...Police and medics found a teenager dead.The dead teenager was at a house.The house was in Scarborough.MURDER squad detectives today launched an inquiry.Example: MURDER squad detectives today launched an inquiry after a teenager was found dead at a house in South London.

2. The 17 year-old boy's body...Neighbours heard a gunshot.They phoned the police.The police raced to the scene.The police took medics.They discovered the 17-year-old boy's body

3. The victim...Medics pronounced the victim dead.Medics/police believe the victim died from a single wound.

4. Five people...Five people were there at the time. The police arrested five people.The people were two women, a boy and two menThe two women were aged 36 and 46. The boy was aged 17.The two men were aged 20 and 27.

5. All...Detectives believe the five people are all friends or associates of the victim.Detectives were interviewing the five people today.

6. Toronto Police said...Toronto Police said it was not yet treating the death as a murder.Toronto Police said they were examining one possibility. One possibility is the white teenager was handling a gun. He may have died accidentally.

7. Officers...Officers are examining his relationship with the five other people.The five other people did not appear to make any effort to leave the scene.

8. Police...Police refused to say whether officers had recovered a weapon at the property.The property is in a cul-de-sac.The cul-de-sac is near Ellesmere subway station.

9. A local resident...A local resident was too frightened to be named.The local resident said: "Someone told me they saw two black men.They were running away from the street.It was early this morning.

Now compare yours to the original.

Cotton


#TOSCON_2015 “Text-Based Teaching: Doing More With Less” Leo Gomez: [email protected] Cotton is a very useful plant. Inside its round fruits, called bolls, are masses of white fibres. When the fruits ripen, they split and the fibres are blown away. But in the cotton fields, the bolls are picked before this can happen. Cotton grows best in warm, wet lands, including Asia, the southern United States, India, China, Egypt, and Brazil.

TaskPut the following jumbled text in the correct order. Note: There is an extra sentence that does not belong.

a) Inside its round fruits, called bolls, are masses of white fibres.b) But in the cotton fields, the bolls are picked before this can happen.c) Pure copper is very soft.d) Cotton grows best in warm, wet lands, including Asia, the southern United States, India, China, Egypt, and Brazil.e) Cotton is a very useful plant.f) When the fruits ripen, they split and the fibres are blown away.

What clues do you use to help you unjumble the text?

Task 2What binds each sentence together as a text? Can you find examples of:

a) Lexical Cohesion- repetition of words- chains of words belonging to the same lexical set- substitution with one/ones

b) Grammatical Cohesion- Tense agreement- References (pronouns, articles, etc.) - Ellipsis of clause elements - Substitution of clause elements using so, not, do/does/did, etc.- Conjuncts (linkers)

Task 3. Cotton

1. Cotton is a very useful plant. 2. Inside its round fruits, called bolls, are masses of white fibres. 3. When the fruits ripen, they split and the fibres are blown away. 4. But in the cotton fields, the bolls are picked before this can happen. 5. Cotton grows best in warm, wet lands, including Asia, the southern United States, India, China, Egypt, and Brazil.

Task 3Can you put the cohesive devices back in the text?

CottonCotton is a very useful plant. Inside ……. round fruits, called bolls, are masses of white fibres. When …… fruits ripen, …… split and …… fibres are blown away. But in …… cotton fields, ….. bolls are picked before …… can happen. Cotton grows best in warm, wet lands, including Asia, the southern United States, India, China, Egypt, and Brazil.


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Toscon_2015 original texts