Explanation Text about Natural Phenomena

Objectives

Basic Competence: Responding to the meanings and rhetorical ways in an essay by using an accurate, fluent, and acceptable writing style in daily social contexts in forms of: narrative, spoof, and hortatory exposition.

Learn about it!

You will learn more about the explanation text, especially the ones related with natural phenomena in this lesson. Moreover, you will learn to comprehend the messages conveyed in the text.

EXPLANATION TEXT ABOUT NATURAL PHENOMENA

     As you have probably learned earlier, an explanation text is a kind of text that aims to describe how something happens or why it is made. An explanation text actually is almost the same as procedure text; but there are essential differences between those two. For starters, the purpose of those kinds of text: the explanation text tends to explain, while the procedure text is intended to show the way of how to make something.

Moreover, an explanation text provides you the information about some issues that are interesting or important for people to know about. In general, the aim of an explanation text is to explain how something forms or why that happens; it explains the sequence, cause, or theoretical understanding of a phenomenon or an event. Thus, the text will cover the answer of "how" or "why" relating to the topic being discussed. An explanation text is organized with the generic structure of a general statement and a sequence of explanations, alongside the closing.
There are diverse topics that an explanation text can cover. Usually, it covers the topics related to science, phenomena, and also social, for instance about why certain social phenomena happen, how to conduct an experiment, or how natural phenomena occur.

Here are some common elaborations in an explanation text:

• Sequential explanation: This describes the stages of an event such as the sequence from cocoon to butterfly.
• Causal explanation: This describes what causes the change from one stage to the next such as why earthquakes occur.
• Theoretical explanation: This describes the possible phenomena behind a natural or created process.

Keypoints

As shown above, an explanation text, particularly the ones that explain natural phenomena, is the kind of text that tells the reader about the reasons and the process of something natural happening. The generic structure is the same as other kinds of explanation text, which are general statements, sequenced explanation, and also closing.

How to Write News Texts

Objectives

• Learners are able to comprehend the information given on the text.
• Learners are able to understand the aim of the news items.
• Learners are able to make news item text.

Learn about it!

What is a news item text?

News item is a text which informs readers/listeners about particular important events of the day.

What is the purpose of news item text?

To inform the readers/listeners about current and important issues.

How to make news item text?

The following are needed to be known if you want to make news item text.

1. Generic Structure.

• Main Event(s) / Newsworthy Event(s): Recounts the event(s) in summary form.
• Elaboration / Background Events: Elaborating what happened, to whom, in what conditions/circumstances.
• Source: Comments by witnesses to/participants or authorities experts in the event(s).

2. Linguistic Features.

• Focusing on current circumstances.
• Generally using material processes/action vocabularies to retell the event(s). Example: go, move, strike, open, etc.

To enhance your knowledge, pay attention to the following news item below.

Car Accident at Setiabudhi Street Bandung

Four people were killed and 5 people got injured in a collision between a minibus and a sedan at 2.30 A.M at Setiabudhi Street near UPI campus. The people killed in the accident were all passengers in the sedan and all the people who got injured were the passengers in the minibus. The accident happened due to human error. The sedan’s driver did not give a sign when he wants to turn left, at the same time a minibus coming from behind struck the sedan. A collision could not be avoided. The driver of the minibus said that he did not see any sign from the sedan so he did not know that the sedan would turn left.

Based on the information gotten from the police, it was clear that the fault was with the sedan. It should have given signs if the sedan wanted to change its direction.

The text entitled Car Accident at Setiabudhi Street Bandung belongs to news item because this text fulfill the three generic structures of news items. The following is the explanation:

Keypoints

A news item text is a factual text to inform readers of daily events.
The structure of a news item text consists of three parts:

1. Newsworthy events: Recounts the events in summary form.
2. Background events: Elaborates of what happened, to whom, and in what circumstances.
3. Source: Comments by participants. It can be a witness or an expert.

The language feature of a news item text focuses on the circumstances. So there is no exact use of tenses in this text.
You may read a lot of passive form sentences and reported speech in a news item text.

PASSIVE VOICE

Objectives

• Identifying passive voice found in the texts
• Converting active sentences into passive
• Writing passive sentences

Learn about it!

Passive voice is used in the sentence when the focus is on the action, not the subject. The action is the essence of the sentence. In this lesson, you will practice to recognize sentences in the reading texts. During the reading, you have to identify passive voice. It contains actions that are stated.

Form of passive sentence

S + BE + PAST PARTICIPLE (V3)

There are some important concepts we have to be aware of, when writing passive sentences. Here are the notes:

• The object of an active sentence is the subject of the corresponding passive sentence. In contrast, the subject of an active sentence becomes the object of a passive sentence. Learn the following illustration:

• The tense of passive sentences are noticed by the use of ‘be’ form.

Do you understand?

Look at in the first paragraph, which sentence is using passive voice?

a.        I woke up late

2. I ran into the bathroom
3. I found a bottle of mineral water
4. It was used to wash my face
5. I took my uniform

Hint: What happened to the mineral water?
Explanation: Passive voice uses be form which is followed by past participle. Answer D is the only sentence that has be form (was) and past participle (used #V3). Moreover, the word it in answer D refers to a bottle of mineral water.

What is the first passive sentence that you could find in the second paragraph?

a.        When I arrived at the school

2. The gate was closed
3. The flag ceremony was on progress
4. I forgot it was Monday
5. I entered the school through the back door

Hint: Which sentence has both ‘be’ form and past participle?
Explanation: Answers B, C, and D has be form (was) but only answer D which is followed by past participle (closed #V3)

What is the next passive sentence you could find in the second paragraph?

a.        One of my teachers saw me

2. I was caught by Mr. Herman in the parking lot
3. He gave me a punishment
4. I had to sing our national anthem “Indonesia Raya”
5. I promised to myself

Hint: What is the V3 of catch?
Explanation: Answer B is the only one which has be form. The word catch (V1) is an irregular verb; its past participle (V3) is caught.

Keypoints

• Remember that the focus of active and passive sentences differs.
• Active sentences focuses on the do-er, or the person taking the actions.
• Passive sentences focuses on the objects experienced by the do-er.

Understanding Conversational Text: Invitation and Responses

Objectives

Learning Competency: In this lesson you are going to learn about how to invite someone and how to response someone’s invitation so that you are able to invite and give responses in correct ways.

Learn about it!

The teenager's life is full of interesting things, including the ups and downs of social life. Have you ever had a party or your friends invited you to come to their party? How did you invite your friend to your party? When you receive an invitation from others, you have two options: to come or not. If you are available to come, how do you accept the invitation? However, if you cannot come because of one and other reasons, how do you decline/refuse them? At the end of this lesson, you are expected to be able to invite someone or accept the invitation or decline the invitation in correct ways.

An invitation has a specific social function, to invite someone to come to an event. There are many ways or expressions that can be used to invite someone. Based on the situation, the expressions of invitation are divided into two. Those are formal situations and informal situations.

Formal invitations can be used to invite someone who older than us or invite someone in formal event like meeting.

Informal invitations can be used to invite our friends or invite someone in informal situation like birthday party.

There are some examples of invitation:
- Would you like to come to my graduation party next week?
- I’d very much like to you to attend the meeting next Saturday?
- Would you care to join our journey to Lombok next holiday?
- Come and join my 15th birthday party!
- You must come to the grand opening of my shoe shop.

If we are attending the invitation, we can accept the invitation by saying:

• That’s very kind of you.
• We’d very much like to come to your graduation party next week.
• What a delightful idea.
• OK!
• Alright.

If we are not attending the invitation, we can decline the invitation by saying:

• Thank you for asking me, but I should go to Bali next week.
• I’d like to. But I have another meeting next Saturday.
• Unfortunately, I can’t. I already have a plan for next holiday.
• Sorry, I can’t.
• I think, I can’t.

There are some expressions that we can use to invite someone in formal situation or in informal situation.

Formal Situation

Inviting Someone

• Would you like to ....
• I'd very much like you to ....
• We should be pleased/delighted if you could ....
• Would you care to ....

Accepting Someone Invitation

• That's very kind of you.
• We'd very much like to ....
• What a delightful idea.
• With the greatest pleasure.
• Thank you very much for inviting me.

Declining Someone’s Invitation

• I'm very sorry, I don't think I can.
• I'd like to, but ....
• I'm afraid I've already promised ....
• Thank you for asking me, but ....
• Unfortunately, I can't ....

Informal Situation/Casual ways

Inviting Someone

• Why don't you come to ....
• Like to come to ....
• Come and ....
• Shall we come to ....
• You must come to ....

Accepting Someone Invitation

• I would/will ....
• That would be very nice.
• OK!
• I'd like to love to come.
• All right (then).

Declining Someone’s Invitation

• Sorry, I can't.
• I'd love to, but ....
• I don't think I can.
• I wish I could, but ....

Keypoints

• Invitation is used to invite someone to come to an event.
• There are two kinds of invitation, those are: formal invitation and informal invitation.
• Formal invitation is used to invite someone who older than us or invite someone in formal event.
• Informal situation is used to invite our friends in informal event.
• There are two kinds of response the invitation:
• Accepting invitation, it we mean that we can attend the invitation.
• Declining invitation, it means that can’t attend the invitation.

Writing Personal Letters: Inviting Others

Objectives

Through this section, you will learn how to write an invitation letter.

Learn about it!

Have you ever been to your friend’s birthday party? Before going to the party, your friend gave you a letter or card to invite you. Well, this kind of letter is an example of an invitation letter. In this section, we will not only learn about invitation letters, but we will also learn how to write it on your own! Let’s get started!

Today, Hannah gets an invitation letter from her friend, Diana. She is not sure whether she can go or not because the party is on the same day with her drama rehearsal. The invitation letter is in the picture below.

In your opinion, what party is going to be held by Diana? When and where? If Hannah decided not to come, when does she need to tell Diana?

From the picture, we can get plenty information, we know that:

1. Diana invites Hannah to her birthday party
2. The party will be in Mountana Residence on Sunday, 18 July 2015
3. If Hannah cannot go, she should tell Diana before 10th July. Why? It is because in the invitation, we can find this information RSVP before 10th July. RSVP means that you have to confirm whether you will come or not.

So, from Diana’s invitation letter, we know that it should have the following elements:

So, in an invitation letter, there should be the name of the host, information of the event, time of the event, place to conduct the event, and confirmation date.

There are two types of confirmation date, RSVP and Regret Only. In RSVP, we have to confirm whether we will come or not. In Regret Only, we need to confirm only when we cannot come. Moreover, an invitation letter is written in the present tense.

Look at the invitation letter below. The following invitation letter is not written well. What is wrong with the letter?

Do you find the mistake? Well, there are some mistakes in the card. You will find illogical and missing information in Marsha’s Invitation.

Look at the picture below:

See, the letter is written in the past tense (were). It is inappropriate because an invitation letter should be in present tense. Moreover, the confirmation date is 5th July, while the Birthday Party will be held on 19 June 2015. The invitation letter also missed important information, i.e. the place of the party!
So, how is it? Have you understand what to write in an invitation letter? Are you ready to write your own invitation letter? Let’s check in the next section!

Do you understand?

Hannah is going to perform a drama. Now, she is going to write an invitation letter to invite people watch her Drama Show but she is confused what to write. Would you help her? She just wrote some information in her notebook. Here they are:
1. Name of the Drama Show: Sangkuriang
2. Conducted by Teater Bumi
3. Place: Adam Malik Hall, Aceh Street No. 21
4. Time: Monday, 20 August 2015, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Now, try to write an invitation letter to help Hannah. Write it in the template below.

Have you completed the letter above? Now let's compare to the right answer. Here is the complete invitation letter for Hannah.

Keypoints

In this section, you have learnt how to write invitation letters. In writing an invitation letter, you have to include some information. They are:

1. Name of the Event
2. Name of the Host
3. Time of the Event
4. Place
5. Date of confirmation

There are two kinds of confirmation. They are RSVP and Regret Only. Besides that, remember, the invitation letter should be in the present tense.

Understanding Descriptive Text

Objectives

Recognizing a descriptive text, the characteristics, composition, generic structure, and the choice of words.

Learn about it!

There are many texts you learn in English subject. One of them is a descriptive text. In this lesson, you will learn more about that kind of text.

What is a descriptive text?

Descriptive text is a text that describes the characteristics of a thing, a place, or a person. A descriptive text describes general things. It can be about food, animals, hobby, music, fashion, etc. In a descriptive text, the writer gives facts and opinions about those things. If the text describes a place, it explains why the place is special. If the text describes a person, it can explain about famous people or important people in the writer’s life.

What is the function of a descriptive text?

Descriptive text is to describe a particular person, place or thing. A descriptive text aims to show the reader what something or someone is like. By giving specific information about the object, the writers expect that the readers understand the same thing about the object being described.

What are the characteristics of a descriptive text?

A descriptive text starts with identification. It has general information about the thing of the thing that the text describes. It later gives a description, in which there are more explanations about the thing. This is what people usually mean by generic structure.

The generic structure of a descriptive text is identification and description.As long as there are those two points, a descriptive text can always be done. A descriptive text uses the mostly present tense. However, the writer may also use other tenses depends on the needs.

Do you understand?

The examples of descriptive texts

• A descriptive text about a hobby

Riding a bicycle

My hobby is riding a bicycle. I usually go cycling with my high school friend on the weekends. Cycling is very relaxing. It doesn’t hard to do this activity. It gives a lot of fun in doing a sports activity. I have a mountain bike, so I can go far to the higher place in my city. I always wear a helmet and gloves. Sometimes I use pads. But, if I just ride my bicycle around the neighborhood, I don’t use all of them. It is important to take care of the bike, so it will last long. I usually check the chains and gear, also the tires. If you drive a car, you should share the road with bicycles, and just like a car, a bicycle also needs to follow the traffic rules.

• A descriptive text about a person

image source: www.imdb.com
                                                                                                                              Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel was born in London on July 23rd, 1989. He is the only child in the family. He is the only child in his family. He has become a very famous actor after his role as the young wizard Harry Potter. He wanted to be an actor since he was five years old, and he said that he wanted to keep continue acting. He also wants to be a director one day. Daniel went to an all-boys school. It means there is no girl there. He loves to play pranks on his friend. Just like many people from England, he loves football. He is a fan of Fulham football club. He also likes to watch wrestling and formula one racing. He is a big fan of music too. He prefers punk rock.

• A descriptive text about a place

image source: www.birdpark.sg
                                                                                                                        Jurong Bird Park
Jurong Bird Park is one of the most interesting places to visit in Singapore. It is located in Jurong, an industrial area of Singapore. You have to go about twelve kilometers from the center of the city if you want to get there. You can get there by bus or taxi.
It is one of the world’s largest bird parks. There are almost all bird species there, including penguins, parrots, eagles, and ostriches. It has also fun exhibits, interactive shows, and of course, its charming residents. There is a large lake in the park. There is also a restaurant beside it. You have to take about two hours if you want to see all the birds there.

Keypoints

A descriptive text is a little bit different from the report text. In a report text, you can only write the facts about the thing, while in a descriptive text, the thing can be very specific such as your personal thing, and you can also share what you think about the thing you are describing.