Academic Writing A Handbook for International Students part 17

3.11 Nouns – Umbrella cross-reference 3.2 Academic Vocabulary 1. A range of ‘umbrella’ nouns is used to express basic ideas in academic writing: Molecular biology is an interesting new field. The concept of class was first discussed in the eighteenth century. Freud developed a new approach in his second book. They are rather formal and need to be used accurately. Read the following and find a synonym for each word in italics from the box below. a) The second factor in the accident was the cold weather. b) Harvey’s concept of the circulation of the blood was first presented in 1628. c) Snow is a rare phenomenon in Rome. d) The President’s resignation gave a new aspect to the national crisis. e) A barcode scanner is a device used at supermarket checkouts. f) Her field is the history of life insurance. g) The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is a body created to assess medical drugs. h) Mendel’s work on genetics provided new perspectives for biologists. i) Their main concern is to prevent pollution in rivers and lakes. j) Their new system allows errors to be detected in 12 seconds. k) The survey identified three categories of bus user. l) The most serious issue raised at the meeting was student accommodation. process event organisation types machine theory consideration area views feature cause problem 3.11 Nouns – Umbrella 151 2. Insert a suitable umbrella noun in the following sentences. a) The Students’ Union is a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . designed to promote students’ interests. b) Rainbows are a common natural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . c) Completion of the new building was delayed by safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . d) Environmental law is an increasingly popular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . e) In 1956 he patented a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . for measuring the height of waves. f) Jung’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . of the ‘anima’ has been strongly criticised. g) His paper examined three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . of the problem of tissue rejection. h) Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . of father were identified; ‘involved’, ‘semi-detached’ and ‘disengaged’. i) The main . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . discussed was lack of support from tutors. j) One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . in the collapse of the business was the rise in oil prices. k) The discovery of DNA created fresh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . in medicine. 3. Keep a record of other umbrella nouns you meet. Umbrella noun Synonym 3.12 Prefixes and Suffixes 1. Automatically and uncontrollable are examples of words containing prefixes and suffixes. Words like these are much easier to understand if you know how prefixes and suffixes affect word meaning. Prefixes change or give the meaning. Suffixes show the meaning or the word class. The machine started automatically. The class of young boys was uncontrollable. Word class/ Prefix Meaning Suffix auto- by itself -ally un- negative -able meaning adverb ability 2. Prefixes a) Negative prefixes. un-, in-, mis- and dis- often give adjectives and verbs a negative meaning: unclear, insane, mishear, disagree b) A wide variety of prefixes define meaning, e.g. pre- usually means ‘before’, hence prefer, prehistory and, of course, prefix! 3. Common prefixes of meaning Find the meaning(s) of each prefix. (NB Some prefixes have more than one meaning.) auto autopilot co co-ordinator ex ex-girlfriend ex exclusive micro microscope multi multinational over oversleep post postpone re return The plane flew on autopilot for six hours. The co-ordinator invited them to a meeting. He met his ex-girlfriend at the station. It is difficult to join such an exclusive club. She studied the tiny animals with a microscope. Ford is a multinational motor company. After oversleeping twice she got an alarm clock. The meeting is postponed to next Monday. Return the letter to the sender. 3.12 Prefixes and Suffixes 153 sub subtitle under undergraduate under undercook Chinese films have subtitles in Britain. Most undergraduate courses last 3 years. Undercooked meat can be a health hazard. 4. Prefixes allow new words to be created. Suggest possible meanings for the recently developed words in italics. a) Criminal activity seems to be very common among the underclass. b) The passengers found the jet was overbooked and had to wait for the next flight. c) The microclimate in my garden means that I can grow early tomatoes. d) It is claimed that computers have created a post-industrial economy. e) Most film stars have ex-directory phone numbers. f) The class was underwhelmed by the quality of the lecture. 5. Suffixes a) Some suffixes like -ion, -ive or -ly help the reader find the word class, e.g. noun, verb or adjective. b) Other suffixes add to meaning, e.g. -ful or -less after an adjective have a positive or negative effect (thoughtful/ thoughtless). 6. Word class suffixes Nouns Adjectives Verbs Adverbs -er often indicates a person: teacher, gardener -ee can show the person who is the subject: employee, trainee -ism and -ist are used with belief systems and their supporters: socialism/socialist -ness converts an adjective into a noun: sad/ sadness -ion changes a verb to a noun: convert/conversion -ive: effective, constructive -al: commercial, agricultural -ous: precious, serious -ise/-ize to form verbs from adjectives: private/ privatise -ly: most (but not all) adverbs have this suffix: happily 154 Accuracy in Writing 7. Meaning suffixes A few suffixes contribute to the meaning of the word: -able has the meaning of ‘ability’: a watchable film, changeable weather -wards means ‘in the direction of’: the ship sailed northwards -ful and -less: hopeful news, a leaderless army 8. Give the word class and suggest possible meanings for: a) cancellation b) coincidental f) unpredictable g) saleable c) uncooperatively h) interviewee d) evolutionary e) protester i) surrealism j) symbolically 9. Study each sentence and find the meanings of the words in italics. a) The film is a French–Italian co-production made by a subsidiary company. b) When the car crashed she screamed involuntarily but was unharmed. c) Using rechargeable batteries has undoubted benefits for the environment. d) The unavailability of the product is due to the exceptional weather. e) There is a theoretical possibility of the cloth disintegrating. ... - tailieumienphi.vn