SECTION 1: LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT - UNIT 2 : Communication

Good writing does not succeed or fail on the strength of its ability to persuade. It succeeds or fails on the strength of its ability to engage you, to make you think, to give you a glimpse into someone else's head. - Malcolm Gladwell 

Writing Without Teachers (1973) is a book from Peter Elbow, a well-known American educator, about Freewriting. Its overall purpose is to give instructions for better writing.

Trying to get everything just right in the beginning is a formula for failure, the author claims. Accordingly, people should exercise writing simply by writing without a break, without looking back, without crossing something out and without wondering how to spell something right. Thus, freewriting is about non-editing and that should make writing less blocked. Elbow argues most writers constantly try to correct their grammar and spelling during the writing process. This habit derives for the author from schooling since then many are “obsessed” with their mistakes. This is a problem as learners getting nervous and jumpy if they concentrate all the time on their mistakes. Nevertheless, editing itself is not the problem; the problem is that people editing at the same time as they write. On the contrary, when somebody is speaking he has no time for editing at all. For the author, speaking is easier and not so “heavy” as writing and he encourages the reader to think on an occasion where the reader gave a good speech. Elbow assumes the beginning of such a speech was seldom just right but with the ongoing speaking it ended up well.

This essay teaches the reader that freewriting is the simplest method to start writing an essay. Elbow elaborates this idea by telling the reader to continue writing without stopping for an extended amount of time and speed is not necessarily the goal. He urges “The only point is to keep writing” and the reader will produce better work than, to begin with, “The goal of freewriting is the process, not the product” and goes on to give us an example from an experienced writer in a college group. Freewriting can help through the difficulties faced in writing, it separates the editing process from the writing process, freewriting may interest you in writing and shows you how to write without thinking about it. He points out freewriting is “a useful outlet," it can help you come up with subjects and brings the author into a cognitive syntactical state of watchful writing. 

Elbow comments that freewriting can help you succeed in the “long-run” instead of the “short run," he claims added pressure can cripple the writing process and you won’t learn to control your writing. He also explains “if reading over your freewriting or giving it to someone else gets in the way of future writing” Elbow states to just trash or hide papers, Elbow tells us he trashes his work.

Elbow concludes his essay with a metaphorical idea on the “myth” of freewriting and how a piece is plaguing him, so the author finds one must overcome a “resistance” within freewriting; almost like defeating a creature without slaying it completely. He delivers two examples of a free writer, one soft and one hard and seeks to imply one must find a middle ground within writing or both are helpless. He favours the hard writer, explaining that the goal of freewriting is to find a middle ground within both writers “the clay will fight you a bit in your hands as you try to work it into a bowl. But that bowl will end up more alive and powerful”.

C. WORD FORMATION: ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

Adjectives are words that are used to describe or modify nouns or pronouns. For example, red, quick, happy, and obnoxious are adjectives because they can describe things—a red hat, the quick rabbit, a happy duck, an obnoxious person.

An adverb is a word that modifies (describes) a verb (he sings loudly), an adjective (very tall), another adverb (ended too quickly), or even a whole sentence (Fortunately, I had brought an umbrella). Adverbs often end in - ly, but some (such as fast) look exactly the same as their adjective counterparts.

• We can form adverbs by adding the suffix ‘- ly’ to an adjective.
• We can form adjective by adding the suffix ‘- y’  to a noun.

b. Write the following words in the right columns. Change the adjectives into adverbs and nouns into adjectives. (p.17)

Adjectives	Adverbs	Nouns	Adjectives
careful	carefully	rain	rainy
perfect	perfectly	bush	bushy
automatic	automatically	spice	spicy
certain	certainly	snow	snowy
fair	fairly	blood	bloody
general	generally	cloud	cloudy
heavy	heavily	bag	baggy
proud	proudly	mood	moody
rapid	rapidly	noise	noisy
proper	properly	air	airy
final	finally	snow	snowy
common	commonly	cream	creamy
beautiful	beautifully	dust	dusty
frequent	frequently	ice	icy
hungry	hungrily	ease	easy
		oil	oily
		spice	spicy
		fun	funny
		hand	handy
		greed	greedy
		health	healthy
		hill	hilly

What is a topic sentence?

A sentence that expresses the main idea of the paragraph in which it occurs is a topic sentence. The topic sentence should identify the main idea and point of the paragraph. To choose an appropriate topic sentence, read the paragraph and think about its main idea and point. The supporting details in the paragraph (the sentences other than the topic sentence) will develop or explain the topic sentence.

Because your topic sentence is likely the first sentence of the paragraph, it needs to clearly state the subject matter of your paragraph without being wordy or difficult to understand. It must include your topic and an opinion, or your controlling idea.

GRAMMAR

Position of Adverbs (p.19-20)

Type	Position	Example
manner	They usually go in the end position. They sometimes go in mid-position if the adverb is not the most important part of the clause or if the object is very long.	She ate quickly. She quickly ate her dinner and ran out.
place	They usually go in the end position. They sometimes go in front position, especially in writing.	Can you come over here? We’ll be at that table there. Here she sat. Outside, there was a small pond.
time	They usually go in the end position. They sometimes go in front position especially if we want to emphasise the adverb.	I’m flying to Edinburgh tomorrow. Today, I’m going to clean the house.
duration	They usually go in the end position.	I’m not staying long.
frequency	They usually go in mid-position. They sometimes go in the front position. They can also go in the end position. Always, ever and never do not usually go in the front position.	We often have friends to stay. I usually get up late on weekends. I could never swim fast. Sometimes she wore a woollen hat. We don’t see them very often. Not: Never I could swim fast.
degree	Really, very, quite usually go in mid-position. A lot and a bit usually go in the end position.	I really like those pink flowers. We go to Ireland a lot. I’d just like to change things a bit.
focusing	They usually go in mid-position.	He simply walked out without saying a word.
certainty or obligation	Some go in mid-position: probably, possibly, certainly. Others go in front position: maybe, perhaps or in end positions after a comma.	It’ll probably rain. Maybe Nick will know the answer. Can I get you a drink, or something to eat, perhaps?
viewpoint	They usually go outside the clause, often at the beginning. They can sometimes go in mid-position, especially in formal writing.	Personally, I’d rather not go out. This must, frankly, be the craziest idea anyone has ever had.
evaluative	They usually go outside the clause, often at the beginning. They can sometimes go in mid-position. In informal speaking, they can go in the end position.	Unfortunately, I forgot my swimming costume so I had to sit on the side and watch. We have stupidly forgotten the tickets. They missed the bus, apparently.

B. Rewrite the following sentences with the adverbs in the appropriate place.

1. I often watch television.
2. Have you ever been to Janakpur?
3. They sometimes play football on Saturdays.
4. The weather is always bad in November.
5. We seldom have fish for dinner.
6. Pritam doesn't usually get up before seven.
7. I was very tired and I was also hungry.
8. Did you both enjoy the flight?

C. Rewrite the following sentences placing the underlined words in the right position.

1. I have never understood her.
2. We are often invited to the parties.
3. We were all tired, so we fell all asleep.
4. Rajan always drives to work.
5. Pradip hardly ever watches television, but he reads newspapers a lot.
6. We enjoyed the party very much.
7. My brother speaks English fluently.