7. Phrases like "get the hang of it," "to go along with," and "getting at," for example, mystify many non-native speakers.

8. 5._____in English can even be deadly.

9. An air traffic controller in Madagascar radioed, "Clipper 1736 report clear of runway."

10. The pilot 6._____ that as clearance for takeoff, rather than an order to report that he had cleared the runway, collided with an incoming airliner, and 600 people died.

11. Such linguistic mistakes have7. _____ at least 3,000 lives, an expert told the Journal.

12. Alan Firth, a British scholar who specializes in foreign 8. _____ of spoken English, told the Journal: "What happens to this language is no longer our 9._____.

13. English is no longer our possession. 14. It's not a monolith. 15. It's in an incredible state of flux."

IV. Punctuation

Task 4. Supply the text with punctuation.

the university of edinburgh unlike other scottish universities is composed of colleges there are three of them sciences and engineering humanities and social sciences and medicine and veterinary medicine each college covers both undergraduate and graduate programmes of study although students are generally admitted to one college only they may have the opportunity to study subjects of another undergraduate programmess generally last three years or four for honours there is an extensive variety of postgraduate programmes of study including a 9 month diploma a 12 month masters and doctoral research programmes lasting at least 36 months

V. Formal Style

Task 5. Choose a verb from the list that reduces the informality of each sentence. Note that you may need to add tense to the verb from the list.

assist raise reduce establish create increase investigate determine eliminate fluctuate

1. Expert Systems can help out the user in the diagnosis of problems.

2. This program was set up to improve access to medical care.

3. Research expenditures have gone up to nearly $3,500 million.

4. The use of optical character reader (OCRs) should cut down the number of problems with the U.S. mail service.

5. Researchers have found out that this drug has serious side effects.

6. Building a nuclear power plant will not get rid of the energy problem completely.

7. Researchers have been looking into this problem for 15 years now.

8. This issue was brought up during the investigation.

9. Engineers can come up with better designs using CAD.

10. The emission levels have been going up and down.

VI. Audience

Task 6. Consider the following statements. For whom were they written? What are the differences between the two?

1a. Thermal system is a very broad field involving many separate fields of engineering.

1b. Thermal system is an interdisciplinary field which involves the traditional disciplines of thermodynamics, mass transfer, and chemical kinetics.

Now consider the following. For whom were these written? What are the differences between the two?

2a. Inflation is an abnormal increase in available currency and credit, resulting in a rise in price levels.

2b. An abnormal increase in available currency and credit, resulting in a rise in price levels is called inflation.

Now write a one-sentence definition of a term in your field for two different audiences: one will be students in a totally unrelated field, while the other consists of fellow-students in your own program. Discuss in class how your definitions differ.

VII. Structure

Task 7. Match the question with a title.

VIII. Spelling

Task 8. Find the mistakes.

I have a spelling checker,

It came with my PC.

It plainly marks four my revue

Mistakes I cannot sea.

I’ve run this poem threw it,

I’m sure your please to no.

It’s letter perfect in it’s weigh,

My checker tolled me sew.

(Source unknown)

Task 9. Consider eleven pieces of advice from the list below. Place a check mark (V) before the five most important of them (in your opinion) for a writer of academic texts.