Writing Practice

Writing Practice 

Учебное пособие по развитию навыков 

письменной речи 

Москва
Издательство «ФЛИНТА» 
2019 

Е.И. Казарова

3-е издание, стереотипное

Научный редактор
Н.А. Дударева

 Рецензент 
О.Б.Саакян (РАН) 

Казарова Е.И. 
Writing Practice. Учебное 
пособие по развитию 
навыков письменной речи [Электронный ресурс] / Е.И. 
Казарова. — 3-е изд., стер. — М.: ФЛИНТА, 2019. — 
102 с.

ISBN 978-5-9765-2004-2

Пособие по развитию навыков письменной речи предназначено 

для студентов гуманитарных специальностей, а также для тех, кто 
желает получить образование за рубежом. Оно имеет целью ознакомить 
студентов с основными требованиями, предъявляемыми учебными 
заведениями США и Западной Европы, к письменным работам любого 
типа, например, сочинениям, изложениям, эссе, резюме, деловым 
документам, письмам и т.д. 

Раздел «Formal Organization» обучает четкому структурированию 

письменной работы, т.е. подразделению ее на параграфы разных видов, 
использованию связи между ними, формированию общей темы работы 
и главной мысли каждого параграфа. 

Раздел «Logical Organization» написан в соответствии с посылкой, 

что письменная речь - это активный мыслительный процесс, учит 
правильно использовать логические методы организации: оперировать 
фактами, мнениями; делать выводы, заключения; пользоваться приемами 
обобщения, спецификации, классификации, сравнения; выделять 
причину и следствие и др. Каждый из этих логических приемов снабжен 
лексическим минимумом. 

Разделы III и IV дают представление об основных формах 

письменных творческих работ, предлагают материалы для чтения, их 
дальнейшего обсуждения и письменного анализа. Здесь также 
представлены особые письменные задания, характерные для учебного 
процесса в зарубежных учебных заведениях. 

Издание содержит ряд образцов сочинений, большое число 

тренировочных упражнений для развития навыков формального и 
логического построения письменной работы, а также творческие задания 
для написания сочинений, изложений, эссе, писем. 

«Reference Unit» предоставляет материалы для грамотного 

оформления письменной работы.

УДК 811.111(075)

ББК 81.2Англ

 Е.И. Казарова, 2003  

УДК 811.111(075)
ББК 81.2Англ
         К14

К14

ISBN 978-5-9765-2004-2

© Издательство «ФЛИНТА», 2014 

Introduction 

Composition is based on the assumption that 
writing is a form of communication and that the 
process of writing is an active thinking process. 
It 
demands 
a 
high 
degree 
of 
intellectual 
involvement. 

A distinction should be made between Content 
(that is to say, subject matter) and Logical 
Organization 
(that 
is 
to 
say, 
method 
of 
organization). You are asked to concentrate on two 
things: what you are saying and how you are 
organizing what you're saying. 

Throughout the book you will learn general 
rules (requirements) for formal organization as 
well as basic methods of logical organization that 
are common in English writing. When you are 
thoroughly familiar with all these methods you will 
be able to study at an English-speaking University 
or use English in business or professional life. 
The skills developed will be helpful for producing 
any 
kind 
of 
written 
paper 
like 
composition, 
reproduction, essay, summary, business document and 
so on. 

 
3 

Part I 
Formal organization 
 
Any essay or composition should meet definite 
requirements typical for English writing. Let us 
start with formal methods of organization. Your 
composition 
must 
be 
clearly 
structured 
in 

paragraphs. Three kinds of paragraphs make up every 
formal 
composition. 
An 
introductory 
paragraph 

(introduction) begins the paper, stating what the 
paper is going to be about in the form of the 
thesis statement. Body paragraphs develop the 
thesis 
statement. 
A 
concluding 
paragraph 

(conclusion) 
restates 
the 
thesis, 
usually 
in 

different 
words, 
and 
shows 
briefly 
how 
the 
development 
relates 
to 
it. 
Many 
writers 
use 
transitional 
phrases 
(transitions) 
between 
paragraphs to achieve logical relations. 

The topic sentence of a paragraph tells what 

the paragraph is about and how the idea is 
developed. A topic sentence can be put any place in 
the paragraph. 

Now let us consider formal methods of writing 
organization in detail. 

Model composition 

 
I Have Three Days To Hear 
 
/ have frankly lived my entire life with very 
little appreciation for the essential senses, such 
as 
seeing, 
tasting, 
listening, 
feeling, 
and 
smelling. However, if l didn't have one of these, I 
am sure that I would be heartbroken. In fact, if 
someone tells me today that I have only three days 
to hear, I will immediately organize a plan to hear 
some things which I really want to hear and to keep 
in my mind before I fall into silence. Here is the 
plan I will follow during my last three days to 
hear. 
In that situation, on the first day, I will 
try to hear the sounds which are made by nature. 

 
4 

Walking into the mountains and forest, I can hear 
and feel the sounds of land from the wind, plants, 
and animals. Also, going out to the sea and river, 
I can hear and feel the sounds of water made by the 
waves and flowing water. The sounds of the first 
day will bring the most basic sounds, and it is 
useful to make out the sounds of God. 
On the second day, I will go to the city and 
hear the sounds which are made by people. First, I 
will go to an instrument store and hear the sounds 
of the instruments, one by one. Then, I will attend 
a concert hall, listen to the music being played by 
a lot of instruments , and feel the harmony which 
is created by people with musical instruments. 
Next, I will walk around the city all day, and I 
will hear every sound of human society, such as 
cars honking, machines grinding, dogs scratching, 
and babies crying. The experiences on this second 
day will make it possible for me to remember human 
society. 
When the last day comes, I want to stay home, 
for I want to hear the sounds in my house and the 
voices of my family and friends. Thus, staying 
home, I will hear every sound which is made there 
so that I can remember the sounds after becoming 
deaf. Also, during this last day, I will listen to 
the voices of my family and friends saying, "I love 
you so much." Then I will try to remember all of 
the voices of the loving people as they describe 
their affection for me. 
After I hear and experience the sounds of 
nature, humans and society, and my home and family, 
I will willingly accept my situation not to hear 
more. After the three days of concentrating on the 
sounds around me, I will try to be satisfied with 
my really good experiences to hear a lot of sounds. 
I will never forget these sounds; they will remain 
in my heart forever. 

 
5 

 
 
Exercise 1. Answer the following discussion 
questions. 
1. What is the general topic of this essay? 
What is the thesis  statement? Where is it 
located? 
2. Find the topic sentences in the second, 
third, and fourth paragraphs. Does the author 
adequately support these ideas? How? 
3. Underline the transitions used in this 
essay. Would you change any of them? Would you 
add transitions anywhere? 
4. How does the author conclude the essay? 
Does he summarize the main ideas? Does he make 
a recommendation or prediction? Do you think 
it is well written? 
5. What are some good points about this 
essay? What changes would you make? 
 
Beginning the writing process 

KEY CONCEPT: TOPIC 

The topic of an essay or a paper is the 

subject. It is usually a noun or a short noun 
phrase. The topic must be limited so that it 
can be discussed adequately. Beginning writers 
often make the mistake of not limiting their 
topics

 
6 

 
Here is  an example of a topic that is too 
general: 
 
My Country 
 
To 
narrow 
our 
topic, 
we 
ask 
ourselves 
questions. Which country? What can we say about 
this country that can be covered in one essay? We 
might come up with new topics like: 
 
Marriage Customs in My Country 

Characteristics of a Good Wife in My Country 

Exercise 2. Narrow the following topics: 
 
A. Automobiles__________________________________

______ 

B. Exercise_____________________________________

______ 

C. Happiness____________________________________

_____ 

 

 

 

In order to write a thesis statement, we have to 
address three questions: 

I. Why are we writing? 

KEY CONCEPT: THESIS 

After we have narrowed our topic, we need 

a thesis statement. A thesis is one sentence 
that states the main idea of an essay  

 
7 

II. 
Who is our audience? 

III. 
What is the main point we want 
our readers to know? 

The first question is usually answered by an 
infinitive, such as to show, to explain, to prove, 
to inform, or to persuade. When we answer the 
second question, we decide if our audience knows 
much about the topic. If they know very little 
about it, more details will have to be given. It 
also tells us how formal or informal our writing 
should be. If we are writing a paper for a 
professor, the tone will be more formal than if we 
are writing to entertain our peers. 
 
The following is an example of good thesis 
statement. 
 
 Meeting a girlfriend is not difficult to do 
if you follow these three steps. 
 
 
A good THESIS statement has several 
characteristics:  
1. states a narrowed subject. 
2. has a controlling idea, which expresses the 
writer's attitude or belief about the 
topic. 
3. often suggests a method of organization. 
4. may include a modal such as should, could, 

would, or might. 

5. is always a sentence - NOT a question. 
6. is not a simple statement of fact. 
7. does not "announce" the writer's intention. 
8. begins with a real subject. 

In the thesis sentences below, the controlling 
ideas are underlined. 
1. To find an apartment, follow these three 
steps. 
2. The serious economic situation can be seen 
as a result of three primary factors. 

 
8 

3. Registration day is a confusing experience
for most university students. 

 
Now circle the words that can be used as 
controlling ideas. 

environment 
ways 
causes because 
problems 
friends 
kinds 
differences 

Exercise 3. Thesis: Go back to Exercise 2 and 
write a thesis sentence for each of the three 
topics you narrowed there. 
Exercise 4. Look at the thesis statement for 
the model composition. Does it meet each of the 8 
characteristics listed? 
Exercise 
5. 
Below 
are 
proposed 
thesis 
statements. Using the guidelines above, decide if 
each one is a good thesis, a weak thesis, or not a 
thesis. Then explain the reason for your answer. 
 
1. What unique problems do married students 
face? 
2. Two interesting new movies have been 
released this year. 
3. The two most popular science fiction movies 
this year offer two very different views of 
the future. 
4. Studying in another country is becoming a 
common experience for students all around the 
world. 
5. Living in a foreign country provides many 
unique opportunities, for example, the chance 
to become independent, learn about other 
cultures, and see one's own culture from a new 
perspective. 
6. The purpose of this essay is to show three 
important examples of Eastern influence on the 
West. 
7. 
Although 
people 
often 
speak 
of 
the 
"westernization" of the East, there are three 

 
9 

important 
examples 
of 
how 
the 
East 
has 
Influenced the West. 
8. Although we often talk about the West's 
Influence on the East, the East has influenced 
the West. 
9. In this paper I will explain the importance 
of choosing the right major. 
 
KEY EXPRESSIONS: Certain nouns often appear in the 
thesis statement in an example essay. The following 
nouns are commonly used as controlling ideas. 
 
characteristics 
 
examples  
 
illustrations  
traits 
 
 
Look at the list of possible thesis statements 
above and choose those that would be appropriate 
for example compositions. 
 

KEY CONCEPT: PARAGRAPH  

A paragraph is a unit of thought that has 

several or many sentences in it

 
The length of a paragraph varies according to 
the purpose of the writing. Academic writing, 
business writing, journalism, technical writing 
have different purposes. They may, therefore, 
require paragraphs of different lengths. 
A well-written paragraph usually consists of 
(l) a topic sentence which expresses the main idea, 
(2) supporting sentences which relate directly to 
the central idea, and (3) a concluding sentence. 
 
Example: 

1. Topic sentence: 
Ford developed the 
assembly line. 

 
10