SNAPSHOT
It is taken for granted thatwriting is an important language skill to acquire in the learning of a language,besides speaking. Before someone begins to write, he or she must understandwords, phrase, clause, and sentence. Then he or she must also understand howwords into phases, and then phrases work into clauses and then how clauses wordinto sentences.
Writing is a complicatedactivity. In addition to an understanding about words, phrases, clauses andsentence, and understanding about what a written text is also very importantfor ever everyone before starting to write. Sufficient knowledge about the essenceof a written text will hopefully guarantee the effective and efficient work ofwriting itself. An effective written text means that it is not only the text tobe written in grammatically correct sentence, cohesively and coherently, butalso it is to be written in rhetorically correct organization.
When it is taken intoconsideration at a glance, a piece of written text includes the followingingredients;
(1) Theuse of words which are organized into phrases
(2) Theuse of phrases which are organized into clauses
(3) Theuse of clauses which are organized into compound and complex sentences
(4) Theuse of paragraphs as the organization of a number of related sentences.
When it is seen from the deepersubstance, a piece of written text has the following properties;
(1) Communicativepurpose
(2) Rhetorical structure (organization)
(3) LinguisticRealization
One of the most important thingsin writing to be remembered by anyone who would like to start writing is thatwriting is not merely about arranging word into phrases, phrases into clauses,and clauses into sentences then into paragraph, but writing is about how torealize a meaning, a message or information in a number of interconnectedsentence, in the appropriate rhetorical structure or a specific genre. If it isnot made according to an appropriate rhetorical structure of a specific genre,the product will not be effectively understandable, because the flow ofthoughts may not be very clear, and neither is the communicative purpose.
EXPLORATION
As to write means to realizemeanings in a numbers of interrelated sentences, students have to understandthe following things.
A. Ingredients
1. Words
Understanding the words in English means students haverecognized the class of words; (1) content words, which cover noun, verb, adverb, adjective and (2)functional words, which cover preposition,conjunctions, articles, question words, etc.
The understanding about content and functional wordswill be meaningful if student understand the elements of sentences. As it hasbeen commonly recognized, the most popular elements of a sentence are subject,which takes the words of a noun,predicate which takes the word of a verb,and object which takes the word of anoun. Therefore, a student will be able to realize a meaning simply if heor she has recognized a subject, a predicateand an object as the most importantelements of a sentence.
Example:
The following examples, the predicates are bold-typed.In the normal structure of sentence, the subject comes before the predicate,and then the object comes after the predicate.
a. I eatbreakfast
b. I reada newspaper
c. I drinkcoffee
d. I don’tsmoke cigarettes
e. I don’tdrink alcohol.
Very often apredicate takes the form of ‘be’ (is, am, are, was, were) or ‘auxiliary verb’(will, can, must, may, have to). Should the predicate take the form of ‘be’ or‘auxiliary’, it must be followed by anadjective, or an adjective phrase, an adverb or an adverb phrase. It canalso be followed by a noun or a nounphrase as the complement.
Example:
The predicateis bold-typed.
a. All students at my school are very diligent.
b. Some students are in the library now.
c. Some other students must be in the classrooms.
d. R’Lian isone of the most diligent students at my school.
The othercontent word is an adverb. An adverb can take several forms and functions. InEnglish, there are some adverbs that are used to show; time, place, manner,purpose, reason, etc. some adverbs take single word, such as;
- Yesterday,
- Tomorrow,
- Recently,
- Usually,
- Always,
- Quickly, etc.,
And someadverbs take the forms of phrases, such as;
- In the morning,
- On the corner of the room,
- On Castle Street,
- At home,
- Before evening,
- After 8:00 AM
- At night,
- In order to study
- To study, etc.,
And some otherstake the forms of clauses, which means that the adverb has at least in it a subjectand predicate, such as;
- Before I go to school,
- After I ate breakfast,
- Because I really love her, etc.
In a sentence,the function of an adverb is to enhance the clarity of the information that isconveyed in it. Adverb adds further information to the verb uses as thepredicate or to modify the whole parts of the sentence. In a sentence, the useof more than one kind of adverb is possible.
Example:
The predicatesare bold-typed.
a. I usually eat breakfast in the morning.
b. I usually eat breakfast in the morning before I go to school.
c. I usually eat breakfast with my parent early in the morning before I go toschool at 6:30 AM.
d. I just read a newspaper if I need an information about cars for sale.
e. I sometimes drink coffee at the restaurant near office.
f. I don’tusually smoke cigarettes becauseit ruins my health.
Sometimes, the information to be conveyed in asentence is a little more complicated. Therefore, it must be conveyed in two ormore clauses which are combined together into one longer sentence. This ‘longersentence’ then can be a compound sentence, and it can also be a complexsentence. To obligatory element to be always present in each clause is the predicate! Accordingly, if a sentenceconsists of two clauses, it must have two predicates; three clauses must havethree predicates, which are combined with some conjunctions. The presence of anobject or an adverb in a sentence is very optional.
There are twokinds of conjunction; (1) coordinating conjunction and (2) subordinatingconjunctions. The first is to be used in the compound sentence, such as; and, while, but, on the other hand, etc., and second is tobe used in the complex sentence, such as if,because, although, unless, before, after, etc.
Example:
The predicates are bold-typed, and the conjunctionsare between brackets (…). Some predicates take the verbs which are incombination with other verb; try tofinish, want to have, etc.
a. Compound sentence
- Some students always come on time (while) the others often come late.
- Some students always try to finish the jobs on time (and) submit them to their teachersas soon as possible.
- The class always begins at 7:00 AM (and) finishes at 1:30 PM.
- They teachers have announced the schedule of the exam (but) the students don’t want to have it today.
b. Complex sentence
- All students have to come before 7:00 (because) the classes begin at 7:00.
- All students have to come on time (although) sometimes their teachers come late.
- (Before) the teachers enter the classrooms, all students have to be ready with their books on the tables.
- (After)all students leave the school, thegate is safely closed by the schoolguardian.
Some complexsentences are structured with some adjective clauses. For this purpose,relative conjunctions such as; who, which, that, where, when, and why areemployed. The predicates are bold-typed, and the adjective clauses are betweenbrackets (…). Some predicates take the passive verbs.
- The students (who come late) will not be allowed to enter the classroom.
- The classrooms (that are still being renovated) can not be used to have the classactivity.
- The parking lot (which is located in thebackyard) is large enough.
- The library (where all students can enjoyreading books and newspaper) is verycomfortable enough.
- Friday (when students have shorter studyinghours) is the most tiring day.
- The main reason (why some students come late) is the distance. Their houses arelocated too far away and the public transports are not very good.
2. Phrase
There are a noun phrase, a verb phrase, an adjectivephrase and an adverb phrase. Of them, it is only the noun phrase which is themost complicated in the formation and most frequently used. Phrase is thecombination of two words or more, of which one become the head and the orderbecomes the modifier. Noun phrase has a noun as the head, and the modifier thatcomes before the head usually takes the ‘adjective’, while the modifier thatcomes after the head usually takes the ‘adverb’.
Example:
The heads are bold-typed. The modifiers that comebefore the head are called pre-modifiers and they are adjectives or adjectivephrases.
- Students :noun word
- Diligent students :noun phrase
- Very diligent students :noun phrase
- The most diligent student :noun phrase
- One of the most diligent students : nounphrase
The modifiersthat come after the head are called post-modifiers, and they usually take theforms of adverb phrases.
- Studentsfrom central Java :noun phrase
- Studentsin the front yard :noun phrase
- Studentsin the library :noun phrase
- Studentsin the uniforms :noun phrase
- Somebooks to study :noun phrase
- Someplaces of interest to visit :noun phrase
A noun phrasecan be a little longer as we combine pre-modifiers and post modifiersaltogether with a head.
- One of the most diligent students in the uniforms
- The cleverest student from Central Java
- Some interesting books to borrow from the library
In a sentence,the position of a noun phrase can be as the subject OR the object of thesentence. It can also be a complement after the predicate that takes the formof ‘be’ or ‘auxiliary’.
Example:
The predicatesare bold-type. The noun phrase right before the predicate is the subject andthe noun phrase right after the transitive predicate is the object of thesentence. While the phrase that comes right after the transitive predicate canbe a noun phrase, an adjective phrase or an adverbial phrase.
- One of the most diligent students in theuniforms is Diva Castella.
- One of the most diligent students in myclassroom comes from a happy family.
- The cleverest student from Central java is Keisha Empira.
- Some journalist plan to interview the cleverest students at my school next week.
- Mrs. Nanny isone of the most generous teaches at my school.
- She willgive a post test to all students next week.
- All students have to submit their observation reports on Monday next week.
In addition tonoun phrase which is considered to be the most complicated and most frequentlyused in most sentences, adjective phrase and adverbial phrase are also verycommon to be found there. The head of an adjective phrase is an adjective, andthe head of adverbial phrase is an adverb.
Example:
The heads inthe following adjective phrases are bold-type. The pre-modifiers of adjectivephrases are adverbs, and some articles such as ‘a’ or ‘the’.
- The most diligent
- One of the most generous
- Really optimistic
- Very beautiful
To be moremeaningful, some adjective phrases become the pre-modifiers of noun phrases.
Example:
The heads ofthese noun phrases are bold-typed.
- The most diligent student
- One of the most generous teacher
- The really optimistic young man
- The very beautiful girl
Example:
Adverb phrasesare usually the combination of some preposition and nouns to show place ortimes or purpose. Therefore, the heads of adverb phrases are prepositions. Theheads of the following adverb phrases are bold-type.
- Inthe classroom (place)
- In thelibrary (place)
- Before7:00 AM (time)
- Toschool (place)
- Tostudy English (purpose)
- Underthe tree (purpose)
3. Clause
There are several clause which have been popularlyrecognized; (1) noun clause, (2) adjective clause and (3) adverbial clause. Aclause is the combination of words or phrases, of which one of them has thefunction as the subject and the order one has the function as the predicate.Therefore, a clause must have a subject and a predicate. The presence of anobject in a clause is optional because it depends on whether the verb that isused as the predicate is transitive or intransitive.
Example:
The predicates are bold-typed.
a. Students (word)
b. Diligent students (phrase)
c. Some of the diligent students (phrase)
d. Some of the diligent students are in the classroom now. (clause)
e. The diligent students always come to school on time. (clause)
f. The diligent students always bring dictionaries to every English class. (clause)
Noun clause isa clause that has the function as a noun. Therefore in a sentence it can beused as the subject of as the object. The use of a question word such as; what,who, why, where, when and how is very common to show that part is a nounclause.
Example:
The predicatesare bold-type. The noun clauses that function as the subject are underlined.
- What the diligent students do during theirbreak time is to read some booksin the library.
- Why the students often come late has been reported to the studentcommittee.
- When the students have to go on vacation has been discussed by the teachers.
- Where the students eat lunch in their breaktimes should be confirmed to theschool management.
- What R’Lian really needs now is to read more about the genre-basedwriting.
Example:
The predicatesare bold-type. The noun clauses as the objects are underlined.
- The student committee really wants to know why a lot of students always come late.
- The teachers need to know what the students have done during their holiday.
- The students asked where they would go on vacation this year.
- The lectures have got what the students have made in their reports.
- The students have reported when they finished their reports.
- The students have to understand how they have to complete the test.
Adjectiveclause is a clause that has the function as an adjective. Therefore, thisclause has the role as the modifier in a noun phrase. In a sentence, anadjective clause has the function to modify the subject or the object, or anyother nouns. It always comes after the subject or the object, or the noun thatis modified. The subject or object is combined with an adjective clause as themodifier by using a relative conjunction such as; that, which, and who. It is veryoften, the question word such as; why,where, when, and how are also used as the relative conjunctions.
Example:
The predicatesare bold-typed. The adjective clauses that modify the subjects in the followingsentences are underlined.
- The university where R’Lian goes to is one of the best universities inCentral Java.
- The parking lot which is located in front ofthe building is comfortable andsafe enough.
- Vitun Zaujien who is well known a veryenergetic lecturer always comesto class on time.
- The computer lab that is placed on the thirdfloor is large enough.
- The place where the students eat lunch serves different kinds of cooks incheap prices.
- The reason why the text is delayed has been announced to students.
Example:
The predicatesare bold-typed. The objective clauses that modify the objects or any othernouns in the following sentences are underlined.
- During the break time, many students rush to the place where they canalways have cheap cooks but delicious.
- Vitum Zaujien really needs to know the main reason why many students haven’tfinished their reports.
- All student haveto understand the direction how they have to do the test.
- The students will have got the result of the test that they have done infive days.
- Some student often go to the library, which is located in the center of themain building, in their break time.
Adverb clause is a clause that has thefunction as an adverb. As an adverb, this clause has the function to giveinformation about time, purpose, reason,condition, etc. the use of a adverb clause is marked with the use of aconjunction such as; before, after, inorder that, because, if, etc.
Example:
- Many student don’t do the homework because they don’t understand how to do it.(reason)
- Some students often come late because they live far away from their university.(reason)
- Most students have come in the classroom before their lecturer comes.(time)
- After the students finish their semester test,they usually have a vacation together.(time)
- If the lecturers don’t make strict rules,students will tend to ignore theirhome task. (condition)
- In order that all students do their home tasks affectively, thelectures always motivate them andcheck the jobs regularly. (purpose)
4. Sentences
A sentenceis actually a clause. It is the combination of word, phrases of which at leastone part of them has the position as the subject, and the order one as thepredicate. It is usually opened with a capital letter and ended with a fullstop. As it is popularly taken for granted, there are three kinds of sentences;(1) simple sentence, (2) compound sentence and (3) complex sentence.
Simple sentence is a sentence of a single clause.Therefore, it has only one subject and one predicate. If the predicate takesthe form of transitive verb, it must be followed an object. On the other hand,if the predicate is intransitive verb, it must be followed by either ; (1) anoun or a noun phrases, (2) an objective or an adjective phrase, or (3) anadverb or an adverb phrases.
Example:
The predicates are bold-typed.
- The class always begins at 7:00 AM
- All students have to be in the classroom on time
- The students cannot do the homework in the classroom
- To join the English class, they have to bring their own dictionaries.
Compoundsentence is a sentence of two independent clauses or more. The clauses arecombined by using the appropriate coordinating conjunctions, such as; but, and,or, on the other hand, while, semicolon (;), etc. As it consists of more andone independent clauses, the sentence has more than one predicated.
Example:
The predicateare bold-typed. The conjunctions are underlined.
- The class always begins at 7:00 AM and it finishesbefore 2:00 PM
- All students have to be in the classroom on time or they will not be allowed to join the class.
- The student cannotdo the homework in the classroom; they haveto do it at home or outside of the classroom.
- To join the English class, they have to bring their own dictionaries, butthey can also borrow them from the library.
- Some students are very diligent and alwayscome on time; on the order hand some others often come late and neverfinish their homework on time.
Complex sentence is a sentence of twoclauses or more, of which one of them becomes the main clause or independentclause. The sub-clause or dependent clause can be an adjective clause or anadverb clause.
Example:
The predicatesare bold-typed, and the sub-clauses in the following sentences, eitheradjective clauses or adverb clause, are underlined.
- The class willnot begin before the students have safely got their own seats.
- The old English classroom, which is stillbeing renovated, cannot be used tohave a teaching and learning process.
- The library that is placed in the center ofthe main building is comfortableenough for the student to study.
- After the exam is over, the students usually plan to have a vacation to someplaces of interest.
- Although R’lian doesn’t often come to someclasses, she can always do ifthe test very well.
- All students will have better preparation if the writing test is given at theend of this month.
A text consistsof at least one sentence, because a sentence has got complete thought. It canbe a simple sentence or complex one.
Example:
The text bellowis about R’Lian’s routine. The predicates are bold-typed.
“Sunday is mybusiest day, but I always love to have it.”
The sentenceabove has got a complete thought; it is about a busy day and a mental statementthat the day is always loved. The text, however, doesn’t have a clearcommunicative purpose. What does the writer really wants to tell about with thatsentence? Therefore, In order that the communicative purpose is clear, a numberof interconnected or interwoven sentences need to be used in it. By this, theflow of thought is expected to run effectively, from one sentence into otherones that follow.
Example:
The Predicatesare bold-typed.
“Sunday is my busiest day, but I always love to have it. In that day I always get up early in the morningaround 4:30 AM. After I finish mymorning prayer, I jog around mysmall village with some friends for an hour. Then, I come home and begin to cleanthe house. I take around 30 minutesto clean the house. My mother alwayscooks late on Sunday. She alwaysasks me to take her to the marketnearby for some vegetables, rice and meat. Around 9:00 AM, I begin to wash my clothes and my motherbegins cooking. I always have a lot of clothes to wash, and this makes my really very tired. Washing is really boring for me but I always do it every Sunday. Around10:30, my mother has finishedcooking and we usually havebreakfast together, or it is a branch rather than a breakfast; late breakfastand too early lunch. As soon as I finishmy breakfast, I do the homework forthe Monday’s classes. It takesaround two hours, and then I take arest. I always do ironing my clothesin the afternoon. I really don’t likethis job actually, but I have to enjoyit because nobody does it for me. Ittakes more than an hour just to ironall my clothes. Sunday is tiring but so fun that I really love it. It is tiringfor me because I have lots to do. I reallylove it because in that day I canalways meet and talk with my nieces,nephews, and cousins and of course my parents.”
If seen fromthe writer’s mod, there are several types of sentence with different mood; (1)declarative, (2) questions, (3) imperative and (4) exclamatory. Declarative isused when we mean to given information, question is used to ask forinformation, imperative sentence is used to ask someone to do things, andexclamatory sentence is used to express an admiration or sympathy.
Example:
The predicatesare bold-typed.
a. Declarative
- R’Lian alwayscomes on time
- She neverforgets to eat breakfast before leaving the house
- She isalways faithful to her fiance
b. Question
- IsCastella also a kind of obedient girl?
- Doesshe study hard at home every day?
- What does she eat for her breakfast in the morning?
c. Imperative
- Readthe books I have told
- Don’t eattoo many eggs in a day or you will have a skin problem
- Jogfor at least 30 minutes in the morning to keep your body fit.
d. Exclamatory
- what a nice girl, Keisha is!
- What a good job you have done!
- How nice! (to live in a comfortable house)
5. Paragraph
While a sentence is a combination of word and phrasesthat expresses a complete thought, a paragraph is combination of a number ofinterrelated, interconnected or interwoven sentences that bring a specific communicativepurpose. A text may consist of a number of interconnected paragraphs, and eachparagraph brings a specific communicative purpose. If within a text there arefour paragraphs, then they should be interconnected to each other to guaranteethe effective flow of thought from one paragraph to the order that follows.Conjunctions and transition signals are very useful to help interconnectbetween sentences and paragraphs.
By using a number of interconnected sentences to runthe writer’s thoughts, a text is realized not only in the interconnectedsentences, but also it needs to be developed into a kind of text type; using aspecific rhetorical structure of a specific genre. Therefore, the sentences inthe text above can be separated into several paragraphs.
Example:
The predicates are bold-typed.
Sunday is my busiest day, but I always love to have it.
In that day I alwaysget up early in the morning around 4:30 AM. After finish my morning prayer, I jogaround my small village with some friends for an hour. Then, I come home and begin to clean the house. It takesaround 30 minutes to clean the house. My mother always cooks late onSunday. She always asks me to takeher to the market nearby for some vegetables, rice and meat.
Around 9:00AM, I begin to wash my clothes and mymother begins cooking. I always have a lot of clothes to wash,and this makes me really very tired.Washing is really boring for me but I alwaysdo it very Sunday. Around 10:30, my mother has finished cooking and we usuallyhave breakfast together, or it is a branch rather that a breakfast; latebreakfast and too early lunch.
As soon as I finishmy breakfast, I do the homework forthe Monday’s classes. It takesaround two hours, and then I take arest. I always do ironing my clothesin the afternoon. I really don’t likethis job actually, but I have to enjoy it because nobody does it for me. It takesmore than an hour just to iron all my clothes.
Sunday istiring but so fun that I really love it. It is tiring for me because I havelots to do. I really love it becausein that day I can always meet and talk with my nieces, nephews, andcousins and of course my parents.
If seen from the sight of a communicative purpose, itis a type of a description in which the writer tries to give enough informationabout why Sunday is so tiring and why the writer loves it. One of thecharacteristics of a descriptive text is that it uses some words that tellabout qualities, numbers, sizes, and adverbs or frequency.
B. Property
If seen from theappearance, a text has the so called ‘ingredients’ as it has been exposedabove, while from the sight of ‘substances’, a text has included a specific ofcommunicative purpose, of which the information is exposed in severalparagraphs under a specific rhetorical structure of a typical genre, using theappropriate language patterns or linguistic terms.
1. Communicative Purpose
A text is written because it has specificcommunicative purpose. The writer has a purpose in mind in writing, such as;(1) to describe something, (2) to explain something or phenomena, (3) to tell astory of the past event, (4) to inform about the past activities, (5) to tell abouta procedure of completing a job, (6) to expose an arguments, (7) to discuss asocial problem and then to recommend something,(8) to report the hot news ofthe day, (9) to review the quality of some books or other work of arts, etc.Therefore, the most important thing to keep in mind while preparing to write isnot about how to make sentence, but the most important one to keep in mind isabout what information to be realized in sentences. Writing is actually aboutrealizing meanings; the realization of the writer’s ideas or information insentences. It is not about composing sentences. As a text has its own purpose,each text has to be made according to a specific rhetorical structure of aspecific genre.
As popularly been known, there are several genres tobe used as a frame of references in writing texts.
- A genre of descriptivetext is to be used if we need to describe things.
- A genre of narrativetext is to be used if we need to tell about a problematic event of the past.
- A genre of recountis to be used if we need to inform the readers about the past activities.
- A genre of procedureis to be used as a frame of reference if we mean to tell about the steps to door to accomplish a job.
- A genre ofexplanation report is to be used ifwe mean to explain how a phenomenon occurs, the process of formation, etc.
- A genre of informationreport is to be used when we mean to inform the reader about an importantthing, or phenomenon in order to increase the knowledge.
- A genre of newsitem is to be used if we mean to write a report of the hot news the day. Ajournalist often uses this type of text.
- A genre of expositionis to be used if we mean to expose our arguments in response to a certainproblem or phenomenon in the society.
- A genre of discussionis to be used if we mean to discuss a social problem in order to recommend anaction.
Communicativepurpose is related to using a specific genre. Therefore, an understanding aboutgenre is really recommended to every student of university. The nation of genrerecommends that a text is to be written with a specific purpose in specificrhetorical structure and all the information is to be realized in the use ofappropriate sentences or grammatical.
2. Rhetorical Structure
As writing is about realizing meanings or informationin sentences, and it is not merely about composing words into paragraphs,paragraphs into sentences, a text must be written with a specific purpose. Asit has a communicative purpose; to be effective for the readers to receive theinformation, a text must be made in a specific rhetorical structure. For adifferent communicative purpose, the text is to be made in a differentrhetorical structure, too. Read the book entitled ‘sure! Writing Acquisition 1,2, 3’, published by Muhammadiyah University Press of Surakarta.
The notion of rhetoric is how the flow of thought orinformation is to be wrapped chronologically, which is widely accepted bypublic or the society of the related field. The rhetorical structure of a descriptivetext, of which the purpose is to describe an object, is to be made differentfrom the rhetorical structure of recount text. If we make them in the similarrhetoric, other people will laugh at us. They will think that we are ‘idiots’because we don’t care for the rules of frame of reference or genre. A type ofrhetoric is expressed in some text elements, such as:
a. Narrative, has the elements of:
- Orientation
- Description of problematic event
- Description of resolution of the problem
- coda
b. Recount, has the elements of:
- Orientation
- Description of record of activities
- Re-orientation
c. Descriptive, has the elements of:
- Identification
- description
d. Procedure, has the elements of:
- Statement of a purpose to accomplish
- The description of steps to accomplish
e. Explanation, has the elements of:
- General statement of a phenomenon
- Description of the process how the phenomenonoccurs
f. Exposition, has the elements of:
- Thesis
- Sequence of arguments
- Summing up or justification
g. Discussion, has the elements of:
- General statement of a social event
- Description of supporting arguments (argumentsfor)
- Description of declining arguments (argumentsagainst)
3. Linguistic Realization
In addition to having a specific purpose and specificrhetorical structure, all the information to be conveyed to the readers is tobe realized through the use of appropriate grammatical patterns. The choice ofverbs and the use of mood and mood type should be in line with the kind ofinformation to be conveyed.
- If we mean to inform about the activities thatwe did on the last weekend, we have to chose a recount text a frame ofreference, then we have to stick to the rhetorical structures of the recounttext, of which it has three major elements; Orientation, description of recordsof events and re-orientation, and the information about the events is to bemade through the use of appropriate verbs, tenses, adjectives, adverbs, andother functional words.
- If we mean to tell about what a city or hometownis like, then we are recommended to choose a descriptive text as a frame ofreference, instead of recount or narrative.
If seen fromthe linguistic point of view, each sentence that is made has at least two kindsof meaning; (1) ideational meaning and (2) interpersonal meaning. Ideationalmeaning is the meaning of reality; this meaning is reflected in the choice anduse of verbs in predicate. Interpersonal meaning is the meaning from the pointof the writer’s mood, which is usually very personal. This meaning is reflectedin the choice and the use of ‘the subject’, the finite, the modality and themood adjuncts to be used in the sentences.
In relation to the ideational meaning, we haveto be familiar with diction; the choice and use of the appropriate verbs. Whyis that so? Because, the most important point about a sentence is thepredicate. Therefore, the appropriate use of verb is really recommended. ‘LOVE’cannot be changed into ‘HATE’. To help you understand better, nothing moreaffective to do than to read lots more books. Ideational meaning is theobjective meaning; it is the meaning of the world.
In relation tothe interpersonal meaning, we have to be familiar with MOOD: what the writer’sreally mean in mind by saying or writing something. Therefore, this is the kindof meaning is very subjective. It is the meaning of the writer’s mind. Thismeaning is realized in the use of subject. When the writer means himself, thenhe will use ‘I’, on the other hand, when the writer means someone else, such asR’Lian, then he will use ‘R’Lian’ or ‘She’. This meaning is also realized inthe use of finite or tense. When the writer means something in the past, hewill use ‘past tense’; for something at present, he will use ‘present tense’.This meaning is also realized trough the use of modal, such as; will, must,may, should, could, can, etc. , and modal adjuncts, such as, always, usually,often, really, frankly, suddenly, etc.
Personally, seethe difference of in meaning in the following sentences.
- R’Lian stays at home on Sunday.
- R’Lianalways stays at home on Sunday.
- R’Lian sometimes stays home on Sunday.
- R’Lian cannot stay at home on Sunday.
- R’Lian will always stay at home on Sunday.
- R’Lian may stay at home on Sunday.
- R’Lian stayed at hone on Sunday 9last week).
Having betterunderstanding about the ‘ingredients’ and the ‘property’ of a text, it isexpected that student will be helped write better.
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