Bab Ix Discussion: Bahasa Inggris
Bab Ix Discussion: Bahasa Inggris
Bab Ix Discussion: Bahasa Inggris
BAB IX
DISCUSSION
Points to check
Have you been fair to both sides?
Have you supported your views with reasons and evidence?
In your conclusion, have you given a reason for what you have decided?
. Generic Structure
Issue: contains of statement and preview about something.
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Arguments for/Supporting arguments: after stating the issue, it is necessary to
present the argument to support that one point is agreeing.
Arguments against: beside the supporting argument, discussion text needs the
arguments which disagree to the stated issue.
Recommendation/conclusion: It is used to tell how to solve issue by concerning the
arguments for and against
Language Features
Introducing category or generic participant.
Relating verb/to be: is, am, are, etc.
Using thinking verb: feel, hope, believe, etc.
Using additive, contrastive, and causal connection: similarly, on the hand, however,
etc.
Using modalities: must, should, could, may, etc.
Using adverbial of manner: deliberately, hopefully, etc.
Conjunction/transition: although, even, if, etc
Issue:
Nuclear energy is commonly offered as an alternative to overcome the crisis of
energy. The debate of whether the use of nuclear energy is an appropriate choice has not
come to an end. Some people agree with the utilization of it because of its benefits. Some
others, however, disagree because of its risks to the environment.
Argument pro:
Those who agree with the operation of nuclear reactors usually argue that nuclear
energy is the only feasible choice to answer the ever-increasing energy needs. In their
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opinion, the other sources of energy: oil, coal, and liquid natural gas are not renewable
and safe, while nuclear energy can be sustainable when produced in a safe way.
Argument "contra":
However, people who disagree with the use of nuclear energy point out that the
waste of nuclear products can completely destroy the environment and human lives. A
meltdown in a reactor, for example, usually results in the contamination of the
surrounding soil and water. Take for example, the blow up of the nuclear reactor at the
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in Russia twenty years ago. The serious contamination
imperiled people and the environment severely.
Conclusion:
It is obvious that nuclear energy should be avoided because it really endangers the
environment but what about a less polluted energy instead of nuclear energy? Is there
any alternative energy to overcome the crisis of energy?
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television has provided people with entertainment in their own homes. People in isolated
areas can still feel part of the world because of television. For these reasons I feel that
television could be considered the best invention of the twentieth century. On the other
hand, there are other inventions that could be considered to be better than television.
Some might argue that the computer should be awarded the distinction of being the best
invention because computers have made life easier. Others might argue that medical
inventions such as heart peacemakers are the best inventions because they help to save
lives. It can be seen that there are reasons for and against television being considered the
best invention of the twentieth century. After looking at both sides I still believe it is the
best invention. (Taken from: www.englishdirection.com.)
A discussion text has the social function is to present points of view about an issue
at least from two sides (P AND A). Meanwhile, the generic structures of discussion are
Lake Toba is one of the worlds most beautiful lakes. Millions of people have
come to enjoy beautiful landscapes and sceneries offered by the lake. Visitors have
stayed in towns or places along the sides of the lake. Parapat, one of small towns at the
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bank of the lake with modern facilities, has been visited by people of various cultural and
professional backgrounds. Different persons have different perspectives or opinions on
the lake.
Scientists believe that lake Toba has formed as the result of volcanic eruption. The
eruption has formed a large pond, which was filled by water from rainfalls. This process
went on for years before it formed the present lake Toba.
Sociologists, on seeing the contacts between the native people and the visitors,
particularly those of European tourists, hold that the lake sceneries have caused contacts
between or among persons of different cultural backgrounds. The contacts may result in
positive consequences where west cultures have enriched the host culture. On the
other hand, the contacts may result in serious social frictions or confrontations. Such a
social conflict was shown by the bomb blast in Bali.
Why would we ever need to imply a main idea when it's so easy to say it outright?
People use implied main ideas for all sorts of reasons - from disguising their real
intentions, to keeping us on our toes. In fact, you've probably even used an implied main
idea or two in the form of what we might call 'dropping hints.' Take for example this
seemingly rambling account from a theoretical 13-year-old.
Did you know snowboarding started from surfing? They even have snowboarding in the
Olympics now! I wonder how long it takes to build a snowboard? I saw one the other day,
though, down at the mall
Although it might look like these sentences are only thinly connected, their
implied main idea actually keeps them all tightly linked. And here's how we can tell
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Read the passage entirely first. All the details might not make sense immediately, but you
should start to see patterns. For instance, the young teenager appears to be jumping
from one idea to the next; but if we look closely, we can see that snowboards feature
prominently throughout the passage.
Examine individual details to see how they relate to the common thread. The first
sentence relates snowboarding to surfing (maybe the parents are surfers?); the second
hypes its place in the Olympic Games; while the third and last imply the difficulties of
building a board, and the efficiency of finding one at the mall.
Put the details together to find out what the main idea is. We can look at the details
together to see that the implied main idea of this teenager's hint-dropping is that he or
she wants a snowboard: each detail attempts to add some sort of value to the sport so
that the parents will finally be convinced to buy the snowboard at the mall. Re-reading
the passage or summarizing it can also be helpful at this stage in the process.
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9.5 Koherensi dan Kohesif Teks Discussion Teks Tertulis Berbentuk Discussion
KI: Menguasai materi, struktur, konsep, dan pola pikir keilmuan yang mendukung mata
pelajaran yang diampu.
KD: Menguasai bahasa Inggris lisan dan tulisan, reseptif dan produktif dalam segala aspek
komunikatifnya (linguistik,wacana,sosiolinguistik dan strategis)
Coherence
Coherence means the connection of ideas at the idea level, and cohesion means
the connection of ideas at the sentence level. Basically, coherence refers to the
rhetorical aspects of your writing, which include developing and supporting your
argument (e.g. thesis statement development), synthesizing and integrating readings,
organizing and clarifying ideas. The cohesion of writing focuses on the grammatical
aspects of writing.
One of the practical tools that can help improve the coherence of your writing is
to use a concept map. The concept map is also known as reverse outline since you
make an outline of your paper after you have finished the main ideas of your paper. Write
down the main idea of each paragraphwhich is called a topic sentenceon a blank
piece of paper. Check to see if the topic sentences are connected to the thesis statement
of your paper or if you have strayed from your main argument. As you repeat this
process, it will help you become more aware of how to develop your argument
coherently and how to organize your ideas effectively. Here is a concept map template
you can use.
Cohesion is also a very important aspect of academic writing, because it
immediately affects the tone of your writing. Although some instructors may say that you
will not lose points because of grammatical errors in your paper, you may lose points if
the tone of your writing is sloppy or too casual (a diary-type of writing or choppy
sentences will make the tone of your writing too casual for academic writing). But
cohesive writing does not mean just grammatically correct sentences; cohesive writing
refers to the connection of your ideas both at the sentence level and at the paragraph
level.
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Here are some examples that illustrate the importance of connecting your ideas
more effectively in writing.
The hotel is famous. It is one of the most well-known hotels in the country. The
latest international dancing competition was held at the hotel. The hotel spent a lot of
money to advertise the event because the hotel wanted to gain international reputation.
But not many people attended the event. (The connection of ideas is not very good.)
The hotel, which is one of the most well-known hotels in this region, wanted to
promote its image around the world by hosting the latest international dancing
competition. Although the event was widely advertised, not many people participated in
the competition. (The connection of ideas is better than in the first example.)
The latest international dancing competition was held at the hotel, which is one of
the most well-known hotels in this region. The hotel spent a lot of money on advertising
the event since it wanted to enhance its international reputation; however, it failed to
attract many people. (The connection of ideas is better than in the first example.)
Created by Young-Kyung Min, PhD ykmin@uwb.edu
"My favourite colour is blue. I like it because it is calming and it relaxes me. I often
go outside in the summer and lie on the grass and look into the clear sky when I am
stressed. For this reason, I'd have to say my favourite colour is blue."
This sentence is both coherent and cohesive, but let's focus on the cohesion first.
I've highlighted the ways that each sentence is connected to the sentence before.
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Cohesion with NO Coherence
"My favourite colour is blue. Blue sports cars go very fast. Driving in this way is
dangerous and can cause many car crashes. I had a car accident once and broke my leg.
I was very sad because I had to miss a holiday in Europe because of the injury."
As you can see, there is plenty of cohesion here. The sentences connect clearly
together but if you read the paragraph, it really makes no sense - I start talking about blue
and I finish talking about a holiday in Europe. There is no coherence in this sentence.
Now, let's take a look at a sentence that is coherent but not cohesive.
"My favourite colour is blue. I'm calm and relaxed. In the summer I lie on the grass and
look up."