Discourse Analysis - Point Example Comment

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There are many common patterns that follow the end-weight principle.  One is sentences with “it” as a dummy subject. It is unfortunate that taxis are hard to find in Toronto is a good example of this. For learners, identifying the pattern it + linking verb + adj + that is extremely helpful. 

While the Noun Phrase + Verb Phrase sentence structure is well-known, expecting more words after the verb than before it may be a new idea to many learners. Cultural norms have changed drastically since I was a child illustrates this idea.

There are many common patterns that follow the end-weight principle.  One is sentences with “it” as a dummy subject. It is unfortunate that taxis are hard to find in Toronto is a good example of this. For learners, identifying the pattern it + linking verb + adj + that is extremely helpful. 

While the Noun Phrase + Verb Phrase sentence structure is well-known, expecting more words after the verb than before it may be a new idea to many learners. Cultural norms have changed drastically since I was a child illustrates this idea.

This handout is designed to help learners write more cohesively. Cohesion and coherence is a common problem in academic writing. Series of sentences often do not link together, and this handout aims to address that. Using the end-weight principle, this handout guides learners through the topic-comment, example, and explanation phase of an academic paragraph. Complex, compound, compound-complex, and conditional sentences are commonly used to explain examples, and learners both analyze and practice their usages here. The handout is designed as a prelude to students applying these strategies in their own academic writing.