English Empowerment Workshop (76801)

Syllubus/Content: INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH GRAMMAR TOPIC 1: Pronunciation Sounds of English: is it possible to change your accent? This module focuses on the sounds specific to the English Language and draws attention to similarities and differences between these and the sounds of other South/African languages; Stress and Rhythm: what distinguishes languages is not the grammar or vocabulary of a language, but the music created by various stress patterns and rhythm. This module focuses on the stress patterns of English vis-￠-vis other South/African languages; What is the difference between standard and local (varieties of) English? TOPIC 2: English Grammar: All aspects of English Grammar including parts of speech, meaning of words individually and in context, modal auxiliaries or verbs, the differences between the following verb forms: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to, used to, need, had better, dare etc TOPIC 3: Introduction to tenses in English Every language has specific tenses used for describing events. In English, these tenses are the Past, the Present and the Future. In addition to analysing these tenses, the module also focuses on other important time expressions; the Future tense - can also be described or expressed using the Present tenses(shall/will). (For example, 'Shall I come to pick you up this evening/Do I come to pick you up this evening? ) INTRODUCTION TO READING AND INTERACTING WITH ENGLISH TEXTS TOPIC 4: Reading Comprehension This section covers aspects of reading skills such as skimming, scanning, intensive and extensive reading. INTRODUCTION TO WRITING IN ENGLISH TOPIC 5: Key elements of writing The section will focus on the key elements of writing, notably words, word order, sentences, sentence types, parts of speech, punctuation, topic sentences, supporting sentences, and paragraphs. TOPIC 6: Writing Effectively The section provides an overview of how to go about ensuring that your writing is effective, brilliant and interesting. Apart from differentiating between informal and formal writing, for example, emphasis is placed on the use and significance of neutral and formal language in academic writing. To that end, issues of audience and style are explored in great detail in order to highlight the importance of the two factors in academic writing. Among other things, such a link is illustrated by argumentative and expository writing. TOPIC 7: Summarising and Paraphrasing: The module covers aspects of summarising and paraphrasing. It shows how to summarise texts and reword sentences, facts, opinions while keeping the original meaning and presenting it in a new form. It shows how to rewrite sentences or paragraphs in your own words but still expressing the same original idea. Paraphrasing is a critical and important skill for all university students. TOPIC 8: Editing and Proofreading