X Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2018

Passage is the main component of any text. It is obvious that being aware of the function of a passage is vital to its comprehension. Therefore, one of the very first things students should be led to do is to find out whether the text aims at convincing the reader, giving him information, asking him for something, etc. In many cases, the very form of the passage, the way it is printed, laid out, or the place where it was found, are sufficient to give us clues as to its function, and students should always be encouraged to make use of these non-linguistic elements. But it may sometimes be more difficult to determine the exact function of the passages and for this reason it is worth devoting some time to activities.

Organization of the text

Given a specific function and information that has to be conveyed, there are many different ways in which this information may be presented and organized. One could compare the new car to other lesser cars for instance, thus using contrast to make the point. Or try to convince the reader by some kind of logical reasoning of the superiority of the car. Another possibility might be to use a chronological sequence of events, revealing the main characteristics of the car little by little. This shows that the organization of a passage is not always determined by its contents and by the nature of the information to be conveyed. The thematic pattern used is often a choice on the part of the writer and this choice, in its turn, alters the massage.

Another reason why it is essential for the student to grasp the method used to present the information is that once they have recognized the pattern that is being used, they can apply their reading strategies to the text and predict what is likely to follow. If for instance, we recognize the text as an argumentative one, we will look for arguments and counter-arguments, then for some kind of conclusion drawn from these arguments.

The first kind of organization dealt with is that built around a main idea, which is then developed throughout the text. It is often found in newspaper articles where the first paragraph usually sums up the main point, the rest of the text consisting of expansions of various kinds. But one often finds the organization within the paragraph in all kinds of texts. Different types of exercises can be used to train the students to recognize the organization.

The sections that follow are devoted to other kinds of organization (chronological sequence, description, analogy and contrast, classification, argumentative and logical organization). The exercises suggested try to involve the student actively. Leading them to study the way the ideas are organized through activities or problems (e.g. filling in tables, or reordering passages) that should motivated them and oblige them to think about the text. The also use visual representations such as tables, tree diagrams and other diagrams as often as possible since they help the students to draw out only what is essential and to see the development of the text more clearly. It should also encourage them to use such devises when taking notes on what they read.

It may be interesting to draw the students’ attention to the way in which the order of the elements in a sentence can alter the message.

Function – or structural – questions ask you to identify “why” the passage contains certain information or “how” the relevant passage is structured. These questions ask you to understand the author’s motives for presenting certain information in a particular manner.

Besides understanding the way a text is organized, it is of course essential to understand its contents. This part attempts to suggest different ways of doing this. It is usual to help – or check – comprehension through the use of various types of question (e.g. open questions, right or wrong multiple-choice questions). It is not my intention to dwell on the value of these question-types. (see Widdowowson, Teaching Language as Communication). However, it should be pointed out that can have the advantage of involving the students actively, i.e. if they need to think and reason in order to give an answer or make a choice (see Munby, Reaf and Think). It is therefore important to devise exercises in which there is no simple, obvious answer but which will force the students to examine the text and the different possibilities carefully in order to make up their minds. Some possibilities are suggested in "Question Types"

To understand the aim of the passage start by reading the first sentence of each paragraph. The topic of a paragraph is usually contained in the first sentence (look for the general noun). The topic sentences act as short summaries of each paragraph and introduce you to the next direction the author is taking the topic. Even just skimming for these structural phrases give us big clues into how the argument is laid out.

Remember these helpful clues as you are skimming:

The first sentence of the first paragraph usually introduces the topic.

The second paragraph could explain a viewpoint on that topic, then reveal flaws in the first theory.

The third paragraph could potentially describe a secondary viewpoint.

The final paragraph of our hypothetical passage might ultimately give evidence in support of it.

The topic sentences are all you’ll need!

Literature.

1. Developing Reading Skills: A Practical Guide to Reading Comprehension Exercises. Cambridge University Press.

2. https://www.kaptest.com/study/lsat/lsat-reading-comprehension-function-organization-questions/ (интернет-ресурс)

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