Read the annotations below, write out all the reporting verbs.

WRITING

Writing an annotation

An annotation/abstract is a brief note added to a text, a book or to a picture. This short piece of writing usually prefaces the work itself and contains comments and explanations of what has been written or shown. Like summary (See Unit 1.1) annotation provides a short rendering of the text, but does it in a maximally compressed form. Its average size is about 150-250 words. Moreover, annotations are written in accordance with a particular pattern and tend to have rather formulaic language. The skill of writing an annotation is very useful for all students who publish their first research papers, such as scientific articles.

Annotation structure

A standard annotation of a scientific article should include:

- Introductory information on the topic of the work

Ex.: This current article explores the possibility of adding aggregate (10 mm size) to sandcrete mixes in order to enhance the strength of the sandcrete blocks…

The author addresses to the subject of loopholes in the housing law.

- The purpose of the research

Ex.: The various points of views of linguists on the origin of lexeme “house” are given.

An attempt of the article is to define current housing market trends in the US.

- Theoretical and practical relevance of the research

Ex.: The study contributes to a growing body of research on engineered bamboo and presents areas in which further investigation is needed.

- The basic results and conclusions of the work

Ex.: The outcome of the survey suggests that “Image” is the key barrier against a wide acceptance of traditional earthen houses which are linked to poverty. While modern earthen construction is desired, it is expensive for low-income households.

A non-fiction book annotation should also include the information on its target audience.

 

Ex.: The book is intended mainly for intermediate students (students who have already studied the basic engineering).

 

In other words, annotation is a capsule review of the work written in an academic style with a great number of clichés.

Clichés for annotation writing

The article addresses/argues/introduces/points out/ presents/gives/describes/reveals/ contains/ deals with/is devoted to/is concerned with/ is focused on/discusses … (concept, issue, aspects, study, phenomenon, data, information, facts, evidence, etc.)

The author of the article examines/studies/presents/discusses/concentrates on/outlines/views/analyses/gives an insight into … (the issue/problem/topic, etc.)

The article contains examples of …

The study/paper shows/presents/regards/examines …

The publication deals with …

The … is under consideration

Several theories on … are examined, studied, etc.

The analysis helps to understand …

The results hereto are …

The article pertains to validity of … (claim, hypothesis, statement, etc.)

The relevance of this article is...

The research is based on …

I insist that/focus on …

… the latter is … (as reference to the previous notion).

the abovementioned/beforementioned

How to write an annotation

When you need to write an annotation to your piece of writing you should look it through one more time and ask yourself the main questions like “What the work is about?”, “What main ideas did I try to render and what conclusions did I make?” Write the answers to these questions in a short yet informative manner. Remember that your annotation should be written in the same style as the work was done. Following this plan may help you to write an annotation:

- name and specify the area or topic of your work (your answer to the 1^st question);

- indicate the reasons why the research deserves attention (its relevance, practical or theoretical value, knowledge increment, attention to new findings, etc.);

- describe briefly what you have analyzed;

- summarize the results of your study/analysis (your answer to the 2^nd question);

- make a conclusion based on the work done (your answer to the 2^nd question).

Your annotation may consist of only 2-3 extended sentences, yet should contain much of the abovementioned information and familiarize your prospect readers with everything they need to know about the essence of your work before they start reading it. A good annotation should fully reflect the issue and interest your target audience readers.

Make sure you do not repeat word by word your sentences from the article in the annotation, reformulate them.

1. Read and analyze the annotation below. What necessary constituent parts of the annotation do you see? Does this annotation give you a general idea of what the article is going to be about? Find the clichés that help to present the information in a structural and official manner. What formal and semantic means make the annotation logically coherent?

The article deals with the analysis of various shades of meaning of the lexical units “home” and “house”. The analysis of etymology, semantics and synonyms of the words “home” and “house” as well as the ways of their verbalization in the texts on architecture makes it possible to specify the vision of the basic components of the British and American linguistic world-image. The main objective of research is to reveal the differences between the lexical units “home” and “house” and disclose the specificity of their usage in the articles on architecture. Research objectives have been achieved by using the material from English language dictionaries and the articles from the Web sites on architecture. The methodological base includes the method of continuous sampling, quantitative estimation, semantic analysis and etymological analysis. The authors state that the word “home” is closely connected with the feelings and emotions evoked by the place while the word “house” is used to denote a building. The lexical unit “home” is not frequent in the texts on architecture as architects are more interested in space and forms than in emotions caused by the project. The word “house” is used to describe structures and construction methods. The lexical unit “home” is dominant in the texts of advertisements in the sphere of architecture because it is always necessary to create the feeling of comfort in this type of discourse. Thus, “home” is a sensorial and mental notion whilst the notion “house” is material. (Gradaleva E.A., Nasybullina R.A. Peculiarities of the Lexical Units “Home” and “House” in the English Language (in the Texts on Architecture) // Bulletin of the South Ural State University. Ser. Linguistics. 2016, vol.13, no.1, pp. 5–9).

WRITING

Writing an annotation

An annotation/abstract is a brief note added to a text, a book or to a picture. This short piece of writing usually prefaces the work itself and contains comments and explanations of what has been written or shown. Like summary (See Unit 1.1) annotation provides a short rendering of the text, but does it in a maximally compressed form. Its average size is about 150-250 words. Moreover, annotations are written in accordance with a particular pattern and tend to have rather formulaic language. The skill of writing an annotation is very useful for all students who publish their first research papers, such as scientific articles.

Annotation structure

A standard annotation of a scientific article should include:

- Introductory information on the topic of the work

Ex.: This current article explores the possibility of adding aggregate (10 mm size) to sandcrete mixes in order to enhance the strength of the sandcrete blocks…

The author addresses to the subject of loopholes in the housing law.

- The purpose of the research

Ex.: The various points of views of linguists on the origin of lexeme “house” are given.

An attempt of the article is to define current housing market trends in the US.

- Theoretical and practical relevance of the research

Ex.: The study contributes to a growing body of research on engineered bamboo and presents areas in which further investigation is needed.

- The basic results and conclusions of the work

Ex.: The outcome of the survey suggests that “Image” is the key barrier against a wide acceptance of traditional earthen houses which are linked to poverty. While modern earthen construction is desired, it is expensive for low-income households.

A non-fiction book annotation should also include the information on its target audience.

 

Ex.: The book is intended mainly for intermediate students (students who have already studied the basic engineering).

 

In other words, annotation is a capsule review of the work written in an academic style with a great number of clichés.

Clichés for annotation writing

The article addresses/argues/introduces/points out/ presents/gives/describes/reveals/ contains/ deals with/is devoted to/is concerned with/ is focused on/discusses … (concept, issue, aspects, study, phenomenon, data, information, facts, evidence, etc.)

The author of the article examines/studies/presents/discusses/concentrates on/outlines/views/analyses/gives an insight into … (the issue/problem/topic, etc.)

The article contains examples of …

The study/paper shows/presents/regards/examines …

The publication deals with …

The … is under consideration

Several theories on … are examined, studied, etc.

The analysis helps to understand …

The results hereto are …

The article pertains to validity of … (claim, hypothesis, statement, etc.)

The relevance of this article is...

The research is based on …

I insist that/focus on …

… the latter is … (as reference to the previous notion).

the abovementioned/beforementioned

How to write an annotation

When you need to write an annotation to your piece of writing you should look it through one more time and ask yourself the main questions like “What the work is about?”, “What main ideas did I try to render and what conclusions did I make?” Write the answers to these questions in a short yet informative manner. Remember that your annotation should be written in the same style as the work was done. Following this plan may help you to write an annotation:

- name and specify the area or topic of your work (your answer to the 1^st question);

- indicate the reasons why the research deserves attention (its relevance, practical or theoretical value, knowledge increment, attention to new findings, etc.);

- describe briefly what you have analyzed;

- summarize the results of your study/analysis (your answer to the 2^nd question);

- make a conclusion based on the work done (your answer to the 2^nd question).

Your annotation may consist of only 2-3 extended sentences, yet should contain much of the abovementioned information and familiarize your prospect readers with everything they need to know about the essence of your work before they start reading it. A good annotation should fully reflect the issue and interest your target audience readers.

Make sure you do not repeat word by word your sentences from the article in the annotation, reformulate them.

1. Read and analyze the annotation below. What necessary constituent parts of the annotation do you see? Does this annotation give you a general idea of what the article is going to be about? Find the clichés that help to present the information in a structural and official manner. What formal and semantic means make the annotation logically coherent?

The article deals with the analysis of various shades of meaning of the lexical units “home” and “house”. The analysis of etymology, semantics and synonyms of the words “home” and “house” as well as the ways of their verbalization in the texts on architecture makes it possible to specify the vision of the basic components of the British and American linguistic world-image. The main objective of research is to reveal the differences between the lexical units “home” and “house” and disclose the specificity of their usage in the articles on architecture. Research objectives have been achieved by using the material from English language dictionaries and the articles from the Web sites on architecture. The methodological base includes the method of continuous sampling, quantitative estimation, semantic analysis and etymological analysis. The authors state that the word “home” is closely connected with the feelings and emotions evoked by the place while the word “house” is used to denote a building. The lexical unit “home” is not frequent in the texts on architecture as architects are more interested in space and forms than in emotions caused by the project. The word “house” is used to describe structures and construction methods. The lexical unit “home” is dominant in the texts of advertisements in the sphere of architecture because it is always necessary to create the feeling of comfort in this type of discourse. Thus, “home” is a sensorial and mental notion whilst the notion “house” is material. (Gradaleva E.A., Nasybullina R.A. Peculiarities of the Lexical Units “Home” and “House” in the English Language (in the Texts on Architecture) // Bulletin of the South Ural State University. Ser. Linguistics. 2016, vol.13, no.1, pp. 5–9).

Read the annotations below, write out all the reporting verbs.

This paper presents a phenomenologically based study designed to reveal what home means to people through their everyday environmental experiences of home. In this exploratory study, the multiple sorting task was used as an aid to in-depth, systematic interviews which highlighted the personal, multidimensional nature of home. Findings indicate that: (1) different types of home exist; (2) different meanings of home co-exist. Relationships between the meanings of home were explored using multidimensional scaling techniques to reveal a superordinate structure which forms the first stages of a tentative model of home. This involves a tripartite division of home into three modes of experience: the personal home; the social home; the physical home. The results of the study are located within theories of place and the links between these theories and the findings are discussed. (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222074147_The_meaning_of_home_An_exploratory_study_of_environmental_experience)