Unit 1
It is the life history of an individual, written by someone else.
Biography
A short story that illustrates a point the speaker/writer is trying to make.
Anecdote
It is genre of writing that asks you to investigate a topic, to gather, read, and evaluate evidence.
Discursive Writing
It is the art of conveying information to an audience through oral presentation. The purpose or intention of public speaking varies and can include informing, motivating, celebrating, entertaining, and persuading.
Public Speaking
What should you include when writing a biography, especially in the introduction?
Open it with the basic information of the subject or a strong hook to grab the reader’s attention.
What skills are needed when writing an anecdote?
Narrative and Descriptive Writing Skills
What's the difference between persuasive and argumentative writing?
Persuasive writing aims to convince the reader about something using emotions and personal opinions.
Argumentative writing uses logic, evidence, and reasoning, and presents both sides of an issue before proving why one side is stronger.
What are the elements of public speaking
Speaker, Message, Audience, and Channel
It is a very common figure of speech which are use as expressions that “neutralise” or “soften” topics often considered offensive, embarrassing, or taboo.
Euphemism
It is the informal use of language by people in everyday speech. It is used within a certain region, regardless of age, race, or culture.
Colloquial Language
Give a topic or statement that can be used for argumentative writing.
[Answers Vary]
People can be happy if they are treated fairly. Do you agree?
The world would be a very dull place without music. What are your views?
It is the type of speaking most people engage in, and it is effective when the audience agrees with what the speaker says.
Persuasive Speech
What’s the difference between biographies, autobiographies and memoirs?
Give one example each of colloquial language, slang, and jargon.
[Answers Vary]
Example:
Colloquial language: loo – a casual term for the bathroom used in British English.
Slang: flex – to show off or brag, often used informally among peers.
Jargon: think-pair-share – an instructional strategy commonly used in educational settings.
Using a numerical ratio, how can you differentiate discursive, argumentative, and persuasive writing based on how they present different sides of an issue?
Discursive - 50:50
Argumentative - 60:40 or 70:30
Persuasive - 99:1
Provide four things you have to remember when crafting a persuasive speech.
Know your audience.
State a clear position.
Use strong evidence and examples.
Appeal to emotions and logic (ethos, pathos, logos).
In the sentence, "The company had to fire several employees due to budget cuts," change the phrase "fire several employees" into a euphemism or more politically correct language.
Possible euphemisms include "let go," "laid off," or "downsized."
"The company had to let go several employees due to budget cuts."
What's the difference between spoken and written language in terms of grammatical intricacy and level of nominalisation?
Spoken language tends to use shorter, simpler structures, with the clause as the basic unit, and generally features low nominalisation. In contrast, written language is more structurally complex, often using the sentence as the basic unit, with clauses embedded within one another, and exhibits high nominalisation.
Why is having a persuasive skill important? Give a reason and justify your answer.
[Answers Vary]
Having persuasive skills is important because it helps you convince others to understand and support your ideas. For example, when you want to convince your friends to help with a project or persuade your parents to let you go to an event, being persuasive allows you to explain your reasons clearly and gain their agreement.
What's the difference between impromptu and extemporaneous speaking?
Extemporaneous speaking is given time to research, prepare, and practise in advance. While impromptu speaking is done with little to no preparation (few seconds or minutes given).