PROVIDING SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS

Essays providing solutions to problems are pieces of writing in which you discuss a problem and its causes as well as the expected results or consequences of your suggestions.

An essay providing solutions to problems should consist of:

1. an introduction in which you state the problem and/or what has caused it;

2. a main body which consists of two or more paragraphs presenting suggestions and their results/consequences. You should start a new paragraph for each suggestion and its results/consequences; and

3. a conclusion in which you summarise your opinion.

Essays providing solutions to problems are normally written in a formalor semi-formal style, depending on who is going to read them and where they are published. They are usually found in newspapers and magazines.

Note! The number of main body paragraphs depends on the number of suggestions you want to make.

Useful expressions and linking words/phrases

To make suggestions:A useful suggestion would be to..., Another solution..., ... could be solved by..., Steps/Measures should be taken in order to solve/deal with..., Another way to... is/would be to..., The situation could be improved if/by., It would be a good idea if/to..., It would help if you/we/etc...,

To present results and consequences: This would.,. Then..., By doing this, you/we/etc would..., If... ....,the result would be..., The effect/consequence/result of ... would be, In this way,..., thus, therefore, as a result, consequently, so, as a consequence

To express cause:because of/owing to/ due to the fact that, for this reason

To express reality:in fact, as a matter of fact, actually, in practice

To emphasise what you say:obviously, clearly, needles to say, in particular

To conclude:All in all, To sum up, All things considered

DISCURSIVE ESSAYS

Discursive essays are formal in style. In this type of essay, the writer focuses on various aspects of the topic in turn. Some possible aspects to be considered are set out in the "discussion clock" on this page (moral, political, social, etc.). Each viewpoint is supported by examples. Opposing viewpoints should be mentioned as well. These essays do not aim to persuade the reader that the writer's opinion is the only valid one, but to make him/her consider a current issue from various angles, allowing him/her to form his/her own opinion or expand on the viewpoints already mentioned.

A good «Discursive essay» should consist of:

an introduction in which you state the topic, explaining the current or past
situation;

a main body consisting of two or more paragraphs, in each of which a viewpoint
is discussed along with the opposing viewpoint; and

2. aconclusionin which you summarise the topic by making a general comment
about it. Your opinion can also be included.

Note! The main body can consist of more than two paragraphs depending on the number of viewpoints you want to talk about.

When considering a topic, bear in mind the "discussion clock". This will help you decide on what viewpoints to mention in the essay. Each topic can be seen from various viewpoints. Before writing your discursive essay, decide on the viewpoints you will mention. Keep in mind that you cannot approach a topic through all the aspects presented in the discussion clock. The various aspects illustrated are there to help you plan your essay. Remember that for each viewpoint you have thought of, there is an opposing argument. Think of the opposing arguments while planning your essay. Join the opposing viewpoints with appropriate linking words such as however, on the other hand, on the contrary, and contrary to.Avoid using simplistic words. Instead, use more sophisticated vocabulary.

Useful expressions and linking words/phrases

To bring up other points or aspects;as far as, regarding, as for, with regard to

To make contrasting points:yet, however, nevertheless, although, in spite of, despite, while, on the other hand, it is argued that, opponents of this view say there are people who oppose, contrary to what people believe

To conclude:all in all, to sum up, in my opinion, in my view, to my mind

To express reality:in fact, as a matter of fact, in practice, the fact is

RART II. TEXTS

TEXT 1

A LEMON LAW FOR SOTFWARE?

1. If Microsoft made cars instead of computer programs, product-liability suits might by now have driven it out of business. Should software makers be made more accountable for damage caused by faulty programs?

2. Events of the past six months have shown just how fragile the industrial world's technological infrastructure can be. No question that terrorism can bring business districts, power grids, computer networks or air-traffic-control systems to their knees. But so, too, can stupidity, carelessness and haste. Indeed, from Titanik to Chernobyl-and in nine out of ten accidents in the air and on the road - human error has accounted for vastly more fatalities than malfunctioning parts or sabotage. Unfortunately, that is about to get even worse.

3. There is no escaping the trend towards replacing slow, cumbersome yet ultimately reliable bits of machinery with cheap, quick and compact "fly-by-wire" controls that are managed entirely by software. All well and good - except that there is no such thing as a bug-free piece of software. Even experienced programmers make on average one error for every ten lines of code. And all it takes is three or four defects per 1,000 lines of code for a program to start doing unpredictable things. With commercial software containing not thousands but increasingly millions of lines of code, the potential for disaster is all too clear.

4. Software defects would be bad enough if all they did was require the hardware to be reset. But defects invariably provide security holes for malicious hackers to exploit. Making matters worse, instead of working to close security holes in their existing products, software firms tend to cram more and more features into their programs to entice customers to buy the latest upgrades.

5. Yet software does not have to be so vulnerable. Techniques such as "extreme programming" or the "five-step capability maturity model" which require programmers either to work in pairs or to follow rigid sets of rules, can produce remarkably clean code first time round.

6. But the disciplined approach is alien to the software industry's quick-and-dirty culture. Software firms prefer to bash out code and then try to catch as many bugs as possible while racing to ship the product. Unfortunately, that means that customers end up doing much of the quality-assurance work—as they track down and report errors, install security patches and buy upgrades. According to the Standish Group, a market-research firm, faulty software cost American firms $100 billion last year.

7. After a sequence of embarrassing flaws that have made many of Microsoft's flagship products crash or become vulnerable to attack, the company's chairman, Bill Gates, recently instructed his firm's software developers to put security and privacy above all else. Fine words. But Microsoft has a record of being slow to correct gaping holes in its software andbeing quick to criticise security experts for publicising them. However, whistle-blowers have a greater responsibility to users, who need to know immediately if the software they depend on to run their businesses, banks or hospitals is compromised in any way. After all, users are on their own, with little in the way of legal redress for any damage caused by faulty software.

Ship and forget

8. Unlike makers of cars, cookers, medical devices or anything else, software companies in America and elsewhere are in effect exempt from product-liability and "lemon" laws. They evade responsibility for the quality and safety of their goods by selling licences to use them, not to own them, with a long list of disclaimers if customers open the packet.

9. A panel of experts at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, wants legislation introduced to end the software industry's special exemption from product-liability suits. But, if anything, American lawmakers seem bent on giving the software industry even more protection. The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act, already enacted by Maryland and Virginia, allows software producers to escape liability for damages caused by defects that they knew existed when the software was shipped, and to prevent customers from openly criticising the product.

10. Many believe this is going to have a chilling effect on innovation and competition—to say nothing of accountability— within the software industry.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 1913