FPF:UCJAP028 Výstavba textu


ASSIGNMENT 1 (Thornbury CH1-4)

Deadline: 2 April 2020, submission online in a single file (Odevzdávárna at is.slu.cz)

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Choose a continuous text, approximately one page long. (Please include it in your assignment). Do
not choose a text that you know someone else is working on.


This is an analytical assignment (rather than “correct” vs. “incorrect”), by means of which you
demonstrate your ability to see how texts are made on the micro and macro levels.


I will be looking forward to your submissions; they will a part of the continual assessment at the
end.


Task 1 (CH2)

Choose a brief text (half a page) and analyse it in terms of the different kinds of (a) cohesive
devices (p. 23) and (b) reference in the text.


You can identify the phenomena in the text (e.g. by highlighting in different colours, underlining,
etc.; this can be done in hand and scanned, photographed and inserted in the text); also provide an
explanatory account, listing the different types of devices and explaining how they work in the
text.


Task 2 (CH3)

In the same text, discuss how coherence is achieved.

Give examples of ordering, micro-level coherence, theme-rheme and logical relations.


Task 3 (CH3)

Are there any instances of the principle of end weight and cleft sentences in the text? What
purpose do they serve (in the text or in general)?


Task 4 (CH3)

How is macro-level coherence realized in the text? Give specific examples.


Task 5 (CH4)

Identify two co-referential chains in the text: list all of their members throughout the text
segment. How and why are the lexical items transformed?


Task 6 (CH4)

Is there any schema or script present or invoked (explicitly or implicitly) in the text? Does the
reader make any assumptions about what the reader knows to be a script or a schema? How and why?


Task 7 (CH4)

The chapter concludes by mentioning some possible classroom applications. Prepare an exercise to
teach any of the phenomena covered in CH1-4 to your group of students/pupils. I.e. how would you
teach these aspects of textual grammar (maybe without teaching the theory of textual grammar,
depending on the level of your students). Do not just rework an exercise from Thornbury: Your
creativity is appreciated!