1

UNIT 3

ESSAY WRITING
There are four main types of essays: Narrative, Descriptive, Expository, and
Argumentative. Each has a unique purpose. Some tell a story, some are descriptive, and others
attempt to alter opinions.

In Analytical essay one can analyze, examine and interpret such things as an event,
book, poem, play or other work of art. Argumentative essay is the type of essay where you
prove that your opinion, theory or hypothesis about an issue is correct or more truthful than those
of others. In short, it is very similar to the persuasive essay, but the difference is that you are
arguing for your opinion as opposed to others, rather than directly trying to persuade someone to
adopt your point of view.

The five-paragraph essay:

A common method for writing an argumentative essay is the five-paragraph approach.

This is, however, by no means the only formula for writing such essays. If it sounds
straightforward, that is because it is; in fact, the method consists of (a) an introductory paragraph
(b) three evidentiary body paragraphs that may include discussion of opposing views and (c) a
conclusion.

DO’S:

1. Make sure to follow guidelines given in the question paper like - count of words - 250-
300.
2. Give importance to evidences or Examples related to the topic.
3. Your essay should be well-organized. You should write the assignment in such a way
that the flow of information should be right and it must not be repetitive.
4. Better to write the content in Present tense.

DONT’S:

1. Don’t use phrases to preface a statement - If a person starts a sentence with the phrases
such as “I think”, or “I believe” it shows that person is not sure about his or her
statement.
2. Don't make use of informal language.
3. Your essay conclusion must not be abruptive. It is the section where you summarize
your essay and try to convince the readers to agree with your opinion.
 2

Exercise from the Text: Argumentative Essay

Is India's rapidly growing population the most serious obstacle to its economic
development?

India’s population is increasing at an alarming rate. India is till now experiencing a

phenomenon, what is called as population explosion. Population explosion refers to a situation
when the birth rate is rising and death rate is falling, leading to a tremendous rise in the
population of the country. India’s population is nearly 17.5% of the total world population as per
2014 records and is expected to rise in future, surpassing China by 2025. This situation persists
at a time where other economies have already reached a stage of falling birth and death rates.

Many are of the view that population growth is a major barrier to the economic
development of the country. They argue that with increasing population, the problem of feeding
them becomes a serious issue. Our country possesses only a fixed amount of land and population
growth puts in a lot of pressure on the same piece of land for food and housing. Besides,
population comes along with other issues like poverty, unemployment, falling standards of living
and many more. All this leads to falling economic growth and development of the country.

But it is necessary to understand the other point of view as well. First of all, human
resource is an asset to an economy, not a liability. India’s major strength lies in its skilled and
efficient workforce which attracts many firms to invest and set up their operations in India.
Secondly, India is one the largest consumer markets in the world. Thus, Indian population offers
a huge demand in the world market. Many countries have reached great levels of development
but lack sufficient people in their economy to demand the goods and services produced in their
country. India has an advantage in this aspect. Studies have shown that developed country posses
nearly 16% of the population of the developing countries and consume nearly 5 times more than
what overpopulated countries consume. Thus, these economies face overconsumption which is
another serious problem.
 3

There are the constant problems of poverty and unemployment which comes along with
this ever-increasing population. That is the quality of the population which every economy,
whether developed or developing, needs to work upon. Secondly, regarding the food supplies
issue- Studies show that Indian agriculture has the capacity to produce 10 times the current rate if
proper technology and facilities are made available to the farmers. Thus, our lands have the
capacity to feed the population.

To sum up, economies must be seen, not on the basis of development, but on the
resources present in the countries, the quality of these resources and the government participation
in improving its quality.

*****************

Exercise from the Text: Analytical Essay

Mandatory foreign language course in higher education to promote cross-culturalism.

Cross-cultural communication and foreign language learning are inseparable. This is

because foreign language learning aims to not just impart language knowledge, but also to
cultivate students’ communicative competence and cross-cultural communication skills. In a
globalized world, learning a language is a wonderful benefit. Acquiring a foreign language
enables students' to develop various mental abilities at all ages. Learning a new language means
your brain has to cope with complexity as it makes sense of and absorbs new patterns.
 4

Effectiveness of the development of foreign-language is achieved within the socio-

cultural approach to learn a foreign language. It should be provided by socio-cultural enrichment
of foreign-language writing practice of experts in the field of English language teaching. It is
aimed at the formation of their valuable relation to language as a social phenomenon, as a means
of reflecting the national component in the culture of the targeted foreign language.

Language skills boost students' ability to do well in problem-solving tasks across the
board which is recognized through compulsory foreign language learning curriculum in schools.
Opening up to a culture allows us to be more flexible and appreciative of other people’s opinions
and actions. As a result, if students are multilingual, they have the advantage of seeing the world
from different viewpoints. It enhances students' ability to communicate in today’s globally
connected world.

Awareness of culture is fixed by knowledge of contemporary realities, the right verbal

behavior and maintenance of cultural contexts in their written speech realization. The speech
sensitively reacts to the emergence of new cultural phenomena. The study of cultural identity of
compositions and essays gives the opportunity to consider the ratio of the values of units of a
language with the concepts of universal and national cultures. A multilingual ability is definitely
a competitive edge in today’s world.

The fundamental objective of foreign language teaching is to fulfill cross-cultural

communication and communicate with people with different backgrounds. Improving efficiency
and quality of foreign language learning and largely boosting students’ foreign language
application ability are urgent tasks of higher education. To achieve this objective, everyone
needs to promote foreign language education as a part of cross-cultural education. Foreign
language learning should make constant efforts to cultivate talents with cross-cultural
communication.

**************

MODIFIERS

What are Modifiers?

A modifier is a word that changes, clarifies, qualifies, or limits a particular word in a
sentence in order to add emphasis, explanation, or detail. Modifiers tend to be descriptive words,
such as adjectives and adverbs. Modifier phrases, such as adjective clauses and adverbial
phrases, also exist and tend to describe adjectives and adverbs.

Example: I'm going to the Saturn Café for a vegetarian burger.

 The modifier vegetarian gives extra information about what kind of burger it is.

The following sections discuss the five types of modifiers in English and include
examples to illustrate use for learning about modifiers in the English language.
 5

1. Noun Phrase Modifiers:

The first type of modifier in the English language is the noun phrase modifier. A noun
phrase modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes a noun or noun phrase. The five
grammatical forms that perform the grammatical function of noun phrase modifier in English
are:
For example:
A soup pan burned my kitchen table. (noun phrases)
The burly, angry man ran over the bright red wagon. (adjective phrases)
That child in the purple jumper broke the vase on the table. (prepositional phrases)
The woman who lives next door accidentally kicked the cat that the dog chased
underfoot. (adjective clauses)

2. Adjective Phrase Modifiers

The second type of modifier in the English language is the adjective phrase modifier. An
adjective phrase modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes an adjective or adjective
phrase. The two grammatical forms that perform the grammatical function of adjective phrase
modifier in English are: Adverb phrases and Prepositional phrases

For example:
Some of the much older students are rather strange characters. (adverb phrases)
The extremely weird boy likes the very odd girl. (adverb phrases)
The floor, wet near the sink, is also moldy along the floorboard. (prepositional phrases)

Adverb phrases more frequently function as adjective phrase modifiers than prepositional
phrases.

3. Verb Phrase Modifiers

The third type of modifier in the English language is the verb phrase modifier. A verb phrase
modifier is a word or phrase that describes a verb or verb phrase. The grammatical form that
performs the grammatical function of verb phrase modifier in English is:

For example:
Students must write legibly on tests. (adverb phrase)
My cat does not like to eat fruits or vegetables. (adverb phrase)
Some maniac drove incredibly quickly on the interstate this afternoon. (adverb phrase)

4. Adverb Phrase Modifiers

The fourth type of modifier in the English language is the adverb phrase modifier. An
adverb phrase modifier is a word that describes an adverb or adverb phrase. The grammatical
form that performs the grammatical function of adverb phrase modifier in English is:

For example:
The thief snuck into the house quite quietly. (adverb phrase)
The gardener worked wonderfully slowly on his roses. (adverb phrase)
That man is yelling increasingly loudly at that child. (adverb phrase)
 6

5. Adverbials
The fifth type of modifier in the English language is the adverbial. An adverbial is a
word, phrase, or clause that modifies an entire clause by providing additional information about
time, place, manner, condition, purpose, reason, result, and concession. The five grammatical
forms that perform the grammatical function of adverbial in English are:

For example:
The jury studied the evidence carefully. (adverb phrase)
All roads are closed because the blizzard forced the snow plow drivers to stop for the
moment. (adverb clause)
After the gunfight, the cowboy rode off into the sunset. (prepositional phrase)
She flies to Paris tonight. (noun phrase)
To improve his reading skills, Espen studies every night. (verb phrase)

Exercise: Identifying Modifiers in a Paragraph:

Poor Stephen, who just wanted a quick meal to get through his three-hour biology lab,
quickly dropped his fork on the cafeteria tray, gagging with disgust as a tarantula wiggled out of
his cheese omelet, a sight requiring a year of therapy before Stephen could eat eggs again.

Adjective = poor.
Adjective clause = who just wanted a quick meal.
Adverb = quickly.
Adverb clause = as a tarantula wiggled out of his cheese omelet.
Absolute phrase = a sight requiring a year of therapy before Stephen could eat eggs again.
Infinitive phrase = to get through his three-hour biology lab.
Participle phrase = gagging with disgust.
Prepositional phrase = on the cafeteria tray

MISPLACED or DANGLED MODIFIERS

One of the most common problems is where to place them. Specifically, modifiers can
cause confusion or unintentional humor in a sentence when they are placed too far from the noun
they are modifying. For example, consider the following sentences:

Example 1: Mary's Birthday

Eagerly awaiting her birthday, Mary's presents were all picked up and admired by Mary
many times throughout the day.
Correction: Eagerly awaiting her birthday, Mary picked up and admired her presents
many times throughout the day.

Example 2: Mitch's Travel

Tired of all of the nights in hotels, delight overcame by Mitch when his boss finally said
he didn't have to travel anymore.
Correction: Tired of all of the nights in hotels, Mitch was delighted when his boss finally
said he didn't have to travel anymore.
 7

Example 3: Children's Paper Plates

She served sandwiches to the children on paper plates.
Correction: She served the children sandwiches on paper plates.

Example 4: An End to His Driving

He nearly drove the car for six hours a day.
Correction: He drove the car for nearly six hours a day.

Example 5: Puppies and Kittens

She saw a puppy and a kitten on the way to the store.
Correction: On the way to the store, she saw a puppy and a kitten.

Example 6: A Measly Five Dollars

Only Pastor Johnson gave me $5 to clean all his sidewalks.
Correction: Pastor Johnson gave me only $5 to clean all his sidewalks.

Example 7: Failed Exams

She almost failed every exam she took.
Correction: She failed almost every exam she took.

Example 8: People Who Laugh

People who laugh rarely are sad.
Correction: People who rarely laugh are sad.

Example 9: His Sister's Horse

He bought a horse for his sister called Prince.
Correction: He bought a horse called Prince for his sister.

Example 10: Robbed Offices

Three offices were reported robbed by the Atlanta police last week.
Correction: Last week, the Atlanta police reported that three offices were robbed.

********************
 8

1. Fill in the blanks with suitable modifiers from the list below. (Page: 134)

ANSWER: Celestial navigation is the use of angular measurements (sights) between celestial
bodies and the visible horizon to locate one's position in the world, on land as well as at sea. At a
given time, any celestial body is located directly over one point on the Earth's surface. celestial
navigation is becoming increasingly redundant with the advent of inexpensive and highly
accurate satellite navigation receivers (GPS), it was used extensively in aviation until the 1960s,
and marine navigation until quite recently. However; since a prudent mariner never relies on any
sole means of fixing his position, many national maritime authorities still require deck officers to
show knowledge of celestial navigation in examinations, primarily as a backup for
electronic/satellite navigation. One of the most common usages of celestial navigation aboard
large merchant vessels is for compass calibration and error checking at sea when no terrestrial
references are available.
 9

2. Correction of Modifiers. (Page: 135)

Answers:

1. Hardly anyone comes to meet the veteran actor.

2. They saw a fence made of barbered wire behind an abandoned warehouse.
3. She enjoyed the play sitting in the front row. He/She/They sat in the front row and enjoyed the
play.
4. He served a well-buttered bread roll to the child.
4. He served a bread roll that was well buttered to the child.
5. She served cake on paper plates to the children at the birthday party./ At the birthday party,
she served cake on paper plates to the children.
6. On the way to school, Rudy saw a kitten and puppy.
7. The police reported that three shops were robbed.
8. The suspects were interviewed by the investigators soon after the crime was committed.
9. Roshan could use his car that was repaired the day before.
10. The security guard opened the gate after the visitor showed his/her ID card.
 10

3. Correct the paragraph moving a misplaced modifier to its right place or correcting a
dangling modifier. (Page. 136)

1. I found the meteor shower more incredibly beautiful than I had anticipated after having read
a lot about it.
2. I saw a slight sliver of the moon shining in the darkness as I lay on my back gazing into the
night sky.
3. The clearing in the woods was just the right spot for us to see the meteor shower.
4. I relaxed enjoying the breathtaking view of the twinkling stars.
5. Shots of brilliant light accompanied by colourful streaks suddenly began cascading down,
creating a spectacular celestial show.
6. I may get a chance to see an event like this only once in a lifetime.
7. So I will always cherish the memories of that wonderful night.

**************