ENG 101Lesson -38

Lesson 38 –Ways of Organizing Texts Cyclic Process & Cause - Effect

In the last lesson you learned how to write up a time – based (chronological) sequence and a linear process – a process that consists of a series of stages and which has a beginning and an end. In today’s lesson you will still be looking at processes but this time cyclic not linear. A natural process is more likely to be cyclic then linear. As the word itself tells you, in a cyclic process there is no clear beginning or end, so that the

the cycle continues. The following two diagrams illustrate clearly the

difference between the two types of processes. A cyclic process is described in very much the save way as a linear process except that it is not always clear where

the cycle begins. A Linear Process

Input a b c d output

A Cyclic Process step

step step

step

The two types of processes.A Linear Process

Input a b c d output

A Cyclic Process step

step step

step

Practice 1:The following flow diagram illustrates the carbon cycle. The diagram shows how carbon is found in the atmosphere, in animals, plants and in the soil. Below the flow diagram is a list of sentences describing the stages in the cycle. The sentences are not in an acceptable sequence. Using the flow diagram as a guide, match the sentences with the stages in the flow diagram to produce a text in acceptable sequence.

The Carbon Cycle

Volcanoes CARBON DIOXIDE Burning of IN ATMOSPHERE coal, wood oil

Plants & animals used in photo-decayed by bacteria synthesis& fungi

by respiration by respirationof animals of plants

eaten by animals

green plants

(i) Sometimes, when plants and animals die and decay, bacteria act upon the decayed body and liberate carbon dioxide as one of the products (6)

(ii)Similarly, plants respire at night and give out carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. (5)

(iii)But this never happens because when plants take in carbon dioxide during the day time, animals give out carbon dioxide as a result of respiration. (4)

(iv)Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is used by plants for photo synthesis. (2)

(v) Sometimes, coal, wood and oil are burnt and this produces carbon dioxide gas which goes to the atmosphere. (8)

vi) This is known as the carbon cycle in nature. (10)vii)So in this way carbon dioxide is returned to the

atmosphere. (7)viii)Carbon dioxide is usually found in the atmosphere,

while the compounds such as carbohydrates, carbonates and bicarbonates are found in animals, in plants and in the soil. (1)

ix) Therefore, there is always a continuous cycle – in which carbon is being removed and replaced in some way or other. (9)

x) If plants keep on removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, then very soon the atmosphere would be without any carbon dioxide. (3)

Acceptable order would be: viii, iv, x, iii, ii, i vii, v, ix, vi.

The Life Cycle of the Malaria Parasite(1) Mosquito injects salivawhen it bites. Parasitesenter blood of man

(2) Parasites then enter liver. They change and increase in number.

(3) Parasites then enter blood cells. This causes attack of malaria.

(4) Parasites change again.

(5) Mosquito sucks blood from man.

New form of parasites enters mosquito.

Parasites pass fromstomach of mosquitoto saliva.

Practice 2:Study the flow diagram and the text. Some of the

sentences should not be there: i.e. they are irrelevant. Which ones are they?

The Life-Cycle of the Malaria Parasite 1Malaria is caused by tiny one-celled animal parasites

called PLASMODIA that are injected into the blood of man by the female ANOPHELES mosquito. 2 Some diseases are transmitted by tiny water animals. 3 The anopheles mosquito sucks blood from a person with malaria. 4 Once in the stomach of the mosquito these parasites undergo some development and end up in the mosquito’s salivary glands. 5 House flies transmit microbes on their feet.

6 If this mosquito now bits a healthy person, it introduces some parasites together with the saliva, into the blood of the person. 7 The malarial parasites then enter the person’s liver, in which they change and multiply. 8 From there they pass into the blood cells, where they cause the malaria attack 9 The spread of insect-borne disease can be controlled.

Sentence No. 2: “Some diseases are transmitted by tiny water animals”, and sentence No. 5. “House flies transmit microbes on their feet” are not part of the life cycle of the malaria parasite, therefore, they do not form part of the text.

Practice 3:The following diagram shows how used water is treated

and made clean for use. Write a description of this cycle. When writing keep the following points in mind:

1. To explain the cycle consider the best point to enter it.

2. Break down the cycle into stages. Consider the basis on which the stages might be defined. Use a thesis statement for the introductory paragraph.

3. Use topic sentences for each paragraph within the text.

4. Give a title to your writing.

domestic wastesewers kitchen / bath /

washing

tanks insewage plant domestic use

Convert tofertilizer houses

collect water pipessolid waste

purificationplant clean water

Some water pumped intoDischarged into river / sea

I hope you are now in a position not only to follow a text written with a cyclical structure, but also to write a description of a cycle.

We shall now move to the third type of linear description which is the cause – effect relationship. At the heart of all scientific disciplines is the attempt to analyze cause and effect. We deal with causes and effects of things in our daily lives. We look for causes of failure in our students, we try to discover the causes of children’s erratic behavior, political and economic specialists theorize about the cause (s) of the collapse of a political system, unemployment, etc. Cause and effect is also a linear relationship. In real life causes always precede effects as the following passage shows.

1In the northern areas of Pakistan the once magnificent forests are slowly being destroyed by the effects of air pollution. 2 Pine trees dying from pollution lose their needless, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor. 3 During this process grass thrives in the increased sun light and drives out the plants native to the soil, such as moss, which helps to hold rainwater. 4 The soil thus loses its natural power to absorb water and in turn becomes hard which causes rain and snow to slide over the ground instead of being slowly absorbed into it. 5 This results in erosion of the soil. (6) After a heavy downpour, the eroded land finally falls away in huge land slides destroying villages and whatever else that comes in its way, and later causing floods in the plains.

Cause Effect1. Air pollution - forests are being

destroyed.

2. Sunlight causes - pine trees lose needles.grass to grow - native plants are driven out

- soil erosion, land slides

- villages are destroyed - floods

It is not easy to determine causes with any degree of certainty. Firstly, the existence of a clear time relationship between two events happening during the same period of time does not mean that one is the cause of the other. Secondly, it is quite easy to confuse effect with cause, and we often make assumptions. Sometimes two events are so closely related in time that we can show that relationship statistically – it could be that both events are effects of the same cause – here we must be careful not to make assumptions. Determining cause and effect is not easy in writing because you have to provide evidence. Therefore, sweeping statements should be avoided in writing. In the English language there are expressions which make it easy for writers to say things for which they may not have 100% evidence. Expressions like may be, suggest, probably, it is said that there is evidence to suggest that, the evidence is not 100% certain etc.

The following table gives some guidelines on the language available for writers to state the degree of certainty.

Degree of Certainty Verbs Adverbscertainly

Complete is (not) definitelywill (not) clearlymust ( not) undoubtedly

actuallystrong

Partial can / cannotles strong could (not) probably

should (not) presumablymay (not) possiblymight (not) perhaps

Impersonal i.e. It is said that……Not commitment x reports that…..of self - there is evidence to suggest that

…

HOW TO WRITE CAUSE AND EFFECT

Cause and effect are closely related. There are several ways of expressing cause-effect relationship in English. You may either place the cause or the effect first in the sentence. The following sentences contain the same expression, yet one focuses on cause while the other focuses on effect.

1. Because of his depression, he remained quiet.

2. He remained quiet because of his depression.

C E

E C

When you write about cause and effect you have to decide for yourself whether the cause or the effect is more important to you, and what you will focus on. There are many ways of expressing causal relatives in English. The simplest way of showing cause is: because + clause

e.g The war started because (the extremists had the upper hand in the government).

Practice 4 Read the following text and note three

expressions used by the writer to show causality. Use ( C) for cause and (E) for effect.

TUBERCULOSIS OF THE LUNGS 1Pulmonary Tuberculosis (is caused) by

infection of the lungs with the tubercle bacillus. 2Pulmonary damage ( is due almost entirely) to the human form of the tubercle bacillus, as distinct from the (type found in cattle )

c

e c

c

which is (mainly responsible) for glandular and bovine tuberculosis. 3The bacteria lodge in the lungs are set up a chronic inflammation of a specific type. 4 (They produce areas of infiltration) which have a characteristic tubercle formation; (hence the name for the organism).

-Study Writing, Lyons & Heasley. CUP

e

c

e

Practice 5: Which words in the following text show cause and effect relationship?

When rain falls on mountains it collects in depressions in the rocks. The extreme cold causes the ice to freeze and glaciers to form. The ice melts and freezes again due to / with changes in temperature. Erosion of the rock of the mountain depression occurs as a result of the continual melting and re-freezing, and is worsened by / made worse by / increased by the action of wind moving the water. Eventually, the water wears away the rock to form a small stream which carries deposits of soil and rock which cause further erosion, gradually enlarging the stream.

Practice 6: Read the following text and see if your can spot cause and effect words.

Watching violence on TV is beneficial and helps decrease violent behavior because viewers get rid of some of their own aggressive impulses through viewing and in this way reduce the chance that they will perform aggressive acts.

In today’s lesson you became familiar with (i) cause-effect structures in texts &(ii) expressions of certainty and doubt.

Now you should be able to identify and express cause and effect accurately and clearly use suitable expressions of certainty and of cause and effect.

ALLAH HAFIZ