Writing II – moderating your voice
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This document discusses moderating assertions in academic writing. It encourages using words like "largely", "generally", "somewhat", and "arguably" to make statements more accurate when discussing topics like economic activity, populations, social issues, and opinions. Examples are provided of unmodified statements and rewriting them using moderating language. The document also discusses phrases like "is considered", "can be considered", and "to a large/some/certain extent" that can be combined with moderating words to soften assertions.
Writing II – moderating your voice
- 1. Writing II – Moderating Your Voice Dr. Ron Martinez Universidade Federal do Paraná
- 2. Today’s agenda • Focus on key words and phrases that can affect your “voice” in the text. • Practice “moderating” your assertions when you write academic texts.
- 3. Do you agree? 1. In Brazil, economic activity is concentrated in the city of São Paulo. 2. Curitibanos are not as friendly as other Brazilians. 3. Curitiba is safer than most capital cities in Brazil. 4. Curitiba has the best public transportation system in Brazil. 5. The population of Curitiba is of European descent.
- 4. Look up these words • How are these words used? • What kind of language occurs after the words? (Positive? Negative? Neutral?) • largely • generally • somewhat • arguably • mostly
- 5. Try to use a word to make these sentences more “accurate.” 1. In Brazil, economic activity is concentrated in the city of São Paulo. 2. Curitibanos are not as friendly as other Brazilians. 3. Curitiba is safer than most capital cities in Brazil. 4. Curitiba has the best public transportation system in Brazil. 5. The population of Curitiba is of European descent.
- 7. More ways to moderate • What is the difference between these sentences? • Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil. • Feijoada is considered the national dish of Brazil • Social inequality in Brazil has improved over the past decade. • Social inequality in Brazil has improved to some extent over the past decade.
- 8. Now consider these phrases • Can the words presented earlier combine with these phrases? Which ones? Any other words? • is considered • can be considered • is believed to... • to a large extent • to some extent • to a certain extent
- 9. from COCA
- 10. Now Practice Download worksheet (on website)