Exercise 4. Open the brackets using Passive Voice.

This survey (1 aim) at investigating the effectiveness of the appraisal system in our company. The survey (2 conduct) last month. The data (3 collect) by means of a questionnaire survey and three focus group interviews. In the questionnaire, respondents (4 ask) ten questions regarding the current appraisal system. It (5 find) that the respondents were generally quite satisfied with
the system, but about half of them (6 state) that it should (7 carry) out less frequently. In the focus group interviews, the respondents (8 give) the opportunity to discuss the system openly. Some respondents (9 complain) that the appraiser (10 know) too little about them to give detailed and objective comments.
The findings indicate that the rationale for conducting the appraisal exercise should (11 explain) more clearly to our staff.

Exercise 5. Rewrite the following sentences so that passive constructions are changed to active verbs. Some of these sentences do not use passive verbs or are better off left in the passive, so this exercise will also engage your attention in recognizing passive constructions and in using them when appropriate.

1. Before the semester was over, the new nursing programme had been approved by the Curriculum Committee and the Board of Trustees.

2. With five seconds left in the game, an illegal time-out was called by one of the players.

3. The major points of the lesson were quickly learned by the class, but they were also quickly forgotten by them.

4. For several years, Chauncey was raised by his elderly grandmother.

5. An unexpected tornado smashed several homes and uprooted trees in a suburb of Knoxville.

6. I was surprised by the teacher's lack of sympathy.

7. Tall buildings and mountain roads were avoided by Raoul because he had such a fear of heights.

Exercise 6. In technical and scientific presentations where processes and procedures are being described, it is common to use the passive. To sound less formal, use the active with "we" or "the". Using the words given, make these presentation extracts more informal.

1. It's a well-known fact that the Internet is the information channel of
the future. (Everybody)

2. It's been proved that direct mailing gets a less than 1 % response rate. (They)

3. It's being suggested that so-called smart drugs can actually increase intelligence. (They)

4. It's generally agreed that the number of new cases of AIDS is falling. (Almost everyone)

5. It's widely believed that Thailand and Malaysia will continue to outgrow Taiwan. (A lot / us)

6. It's not known whether a mile-high building is technically possible.
(We / not know)

7. It's a little-known fact that more people die of tuberculosis every year than were killed in both world wars. (A lot of people / not realize)

8. It's a popular misconception that Total Quality originated in Japan. (People often / mistake / thinking)

9. It's debatable whether such an ambitious objective can be achieved in two years. (We can't / sure / we)

10. It's doubtful whether a cure for the common cold will ever be found.
(We / not expect / anyone)

Exercise 7. Open the brackets using passive form of the verb.

The purpose of this report is to assess the impact of globalization on management accounting and to outline changes which need to (1 implement) as a response to globalization. The report suggests that management accounting needs to focus on a range of information apart from the financial, to make more informed decisions.

It (2 argue) that, in the past, management accounting involved supplying figures to organizations. However, in the global marketplace, management accountants (3 expect) to actively facilitate decision-making and to assist in the management of transnational corporations. It (4 further argue) that traditional management accounting techniques are no longer relevant. Rather, concentration needs to (5 give) to providing additional benefits to organizations such as timely, quality and focused information which can initiate effective management action.

With rapid market changes, constant cost control and quality improvement, as well as meeting customers' needs, are essential requirements of a management accountant's portfolio. For this to occur, it (6 recommend) that all accountants familiarize themselves with these changes and the subsequent effects on management accounting. Furthermore, consideration should also (7 give) to how these changes could (8 most efficiently implement) in accounting workplaces.

Exercise 8. Make nominalized sentences turning actions into nouns.

1. Doctors were concerned that the patient would die if she didn't stop bleeding.

2. Police reacted violently to the crowd's drunken shouting and pushing, which led to a spate of clubbing of unarmed individuals, 12 of whom were hospitalized.

3. While this might at first appear as a logistic workload nightmare, in fact staff involved in the units have noted it was better sharing lesson preparation with other colleagues.

4. The gel was set in the oven and the excess water was removed. The lathanum oxide binding gel was then taken from the moulding and stored in MQ water.

5. In dialysis, nitrogenous wastes are removed from the body and electrolyte imbalances are corrected.

6. When people catch too many fish, the coral pests increase and eventually overrun the coral colonies.

Exercise 9. Try to write the following sentences more clearly by changing nominalizations back to verbs and adjectives and by, whenever possible, putting people in the subject position.

1. There has been speculation by educators as to the role of a good family environment in the improvement of educational achievement.

2. Attempts by economists at defining full employment have generally been met with failure.

3. Complaints by editorial writers about voter apathy generally don't offer suggestions about dispelling it.

4. The loss of market share to Japan by domestic auto makers resulted in
the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of jobs.

5. There is a need for an analysis of library use to provide a reliable base for the projection of needed resources.

6. Many colleges have come to an understanding that continued tuition increases are no longer possible because of strong resistance from parents to the soaring costs of higher education.

7. Lincoln's hope was for the peaceful preservation of the Union, but
the South's attack on Fort Sumter made war an inevitability.

8. Attempts at explanations for increases in voter participation in this year's elections were offered by several candidates.

9. An agreement by the class on the reading list was based on the assumption that there would be tests on only certain selections.

10. An understanding as to the need for controls over drinking on campus was recognized by fraternities.

11. A revision of the programme will result in increases in our efficiency in
the servicing of clients.

12. There was an affirmative decision for programme expansion.

TEXT 4

Exercise 1. Read the text below and recollect as many linking words as possible.

Introduction

Linking words (discourse markers) add depth and maturity to any piece of academic text you may read and/or write. They can help to show a linguistic connection between 2 units of text and help focus a reader's attention on a particular area. In addition, they help a writer to achieve cohesion. Without them, sentences can seem unnaturally short and in some cases, unconnected. However, overuse of linking words can also lead to a text seeming unnatural and mechanical. Striking a happy medium is paramount to successful academic writing.

"Linking words" fall into several different grammatical categories and therefore follow different rules of grammar and convention.

Objectives

· To categorise linkers / markers into groups so that they can be learnt by function

· To explain some of the basic grammar connected to various linking words / discourse markers

· To provide you with opportunities to practise what you have learnt.

Exercise 2. Revise the linking words and phrases below and create a written paragraph containing at least 5–7 of them from different groups.

Exercise 3. Underline the word or phrase that suits best.

1. Flights abroad are becoming cheaper, although / however most people are aware of the damage they cause to the environment.

2. The beach is mainly pebbles, but at least / inthe same way it is fairly clean.

3. Wilson was dismissed from his job, in addition to / on account of
the seriousness of his offence.

4. Huygens' astronomical observations required an exact means of measuring time, and he was thus / nevertheless led in 1656 to invent the pendulum clock.

5. Students are often not taught to think effectively. However / As a result, they can become overwhelmed with information, as they cannot see
the wood for the trees.

6. Alcohol drinking is strongly associated with the risk of liver cancer. Moreover / None the less, there is some evidence suggesting that heavy alcohol consumption is particularly strongly associated with liver cancer among smokers.

7. Patience is not passive; on the other hand / on the contrary, it is active;
it is concentrated strength.

8. This Mary Louisa Smith's marriage certificate is dated 4 June 1867. Accordingly / In the same way, she cannot be the Mary Louisa Smith born in Liverpool on 12 November 1860.

9. Doctors concluded that the patient's erratic behaviour was probably besides / due to the mild concussion she suffered in the accident.

10. Red dwarf stars fuse hydrogen and helium, but the fusion is slow because of the low temperature at the core of the star. Consequently / In some respects, these stars give off very little light.

Exercise 4. Complete the text using the best suitable word in each space.