Vocabulary Klausuren im Fach English

VOCABULARY concerning TEXT ANALYSIS
When writing a KLAUSUR, you should use the appropriate vocabulary concerning the 3 areas of:
1. comprehension/reproduction
2. analysis - applying knowledge
3. evaluation/comment writing

The following list offers suggestions:

1. Comprehension/reproduction
Proper word
Definition
Example



to describe
to give a detailed account of sth.
to describe the protagonist's outward appearance
to outline
to give the essential features, structure, general principles of a topic
to outline the author's views on friendship, honour and morals
to state
to specify clearly
State in your own words the development of the main character's views on love
to present
to structure, to write down
to present the situation of the president
to point out
to find and explain certain aspects
to point out the author's views on..
to summarize,write a summary
to give a concise account of the main ideas
Summarize all the information concerning the dangers of nuclear plants


2. Analysis - Applying knowledge
Proper word
Definition
Example



to analyse, to examine
to describe and explain in detail aspects or features of the text
Analyse the opposing views on genetic engeneering. Examine the author's view of the language
to characterize
to describe and examine the way in which the characters are presented
Characterize/ write a characterization of the main figures in the play.
to explain
to describe and define in detail
Explain the protagonist's attitude towards money.
to illustrate
to use examples to explain or make clear
Illustrate the author's use of figurative language.
to interpret
to make clear the meaning of sth.
Interpret the message the author wants to convey to the reader.
to compare
to point out similarities and differences
Compare the attitude of the two politicians towards globalisation


3. Evaluation/comment writing
Proper word
Definition
Example



to comment
to state clearly your opinion on the topic in question and support your views with evidence
Comment on the suggestion made in the text that a 'lack of women in the military demonstrates a weakness in the role of women in society'.
to discuss
to investigate or examine by argument; give reasons for and against
Discuss the implications of globalisation as presented in the text.
to justify
to show adequate grounds for decisions or conclusions
You are a headmaster of a school. Justify the decision to leave school premises during breaks.
to evaluate
to form an opinion after carefully considering and presenting advantages and disadvantages
Evaluate the author's view of the impact of television on young people
to contrast
to emphasise the differences between two or more ideas
Contrast the author's idea of human aggression with the theories of aggression you have read about.
to assess
to consider in a balanced way the points for and against sth.
Assess the importance of common values in society.




Useful phrases for discussion and composition


1. Introducing a point
- First of all I’d like to point out... - The main problem is ...
- To start with, (we haven’t enough ) money ... - The question of ...

2. Stating something as a fact
- As everyone knows ... - It is generally accepted that ...
- There can be no doubt that ... - It is a fact that ...
- It is common knowledge that ... - Nobody will deny that ...

3. Expressing a personal opinion
- In my opinion ... - In my view ...
- It seems to me that ... - I’m of the opinion that ...
- As far as I’m concerned ... - to me
- I think/ assume/ feel/ fear that ... - I personally believe
- I certainly think ... - I am quite sure ...
- I go along with the idea ... - From my point of view ...
- As far as I can see ... - As I see it, ...
- to have/ take/ adopt/ defend the point of view of .../ the viewpoint of ...
- to support/ back/ side with/ sympathize with someone - to hold a view
- to reprove/ blame/ reproach/ criticize someone for
- to be sympathetic/ compassionate/ lenient/ humane/ friendly towards somebody
- to be annoyed/ indignant/ angry/ furious with somebody/ at something
- to feel sympathy for/ against/ antipathy towards/ hostility against/ dislike for/ distaste for/
indignation at/ anger at/ exasperation at (“Erbitterung”)

4. Expressing pros and cons
- There are two sides to the question ... - An argument against ... is ...
- On the one hand ..., on the other hand ... - An argument for ... is ...
- Some people think ..., others say ... - An argument in favour of ... is ...
- but/ however/ yet/ still/ on the contrary/ nevertheless/ (al)though/ whereas

5. Expressing doubt
- I’m not sure if ... - I’m not convinced that ...
- I doubt that very much. - ... , however, ...
- in spite of the fact - It is not very likely ...

6. Expressing disagreement

- I don’t quite agree there. - You have to admit that ...
- That argument just doesn’t stand up/hold. - I can’t accept the view that ...
- If you believe that, you’ll believe anything. - I object to the thought ...
- As far as I can see it is not right ... - I disagree with ...
7. Expressing support

- That’s a very good point. - That’s how I feel (about it), too.
- I’m of the same opinion as ... - I agree entirely.
- probably/ possibly/ perhaps/ maybe

8. Giving reasons

- The reason for this is ... - This is due to ...
- I base my argument on ... - as/ since/ because
- One reason for this ... - This is why
- This is caused by ...

9. Drawing conclusions

- It follows from this that ... - The obvious conclusion is ...
- Last but not least ... - The only alternative left is ...
- The only possible solution is ...
- Thus/ And so/ In that case we are justified in saying that ...
- There is only one conclusion to be drawn from this.
- To conclude/ In conclusion (=”abschließend”) we may say that ...
- All in all/ In short/ In a/one word/ Briefly we may say that ...
- Taking everything into consideration/ account we may say that ...
- so/ therefore/ thus/ as a result/ consequently

10. Giving a summary

- Finally, I would like to say ... - Summing up ...
- The gist (“Kernpunkt”) of my argument is ... - To cut a long story short, ...
- To put the whole matter in a nutshell, ... - To sum up, ...
- Briefly/ in brief/ in short/ in other words - in the end
- last of all - my final point
- all in all - lastly

11. Enumeration

- First(ly)/ In the first place ... - Secondly/ In the second place ...
- And thirdly ... - Finally/ Lastly ...
- To begin with, ... - For a start/ To start with ...
- One point I want to make is ... - besides/ likewise/ similarly
- also/ again/ too - furthermore
- Then/ Moreover/ In addition to that/ Another point/aspect is ...

12. Examples

- Here are some examples of ... - One instance is ...
- This can be clarified/ specified/ demonstrated by an example.
- for instance - such as
13. Particularization

- As to/ As for .../ With regard to ..., ... / Talking of ..., it must be stated that ...
- Technically speaking (“genau genommen”), ... / Generally speaking

14. Structural summary

- The text deals with the problems of ... - The theme of the text is ...
- A is the topic/ the theme/ the subject/ the subject-matter of the text/article.
- The theme of ... runs through the text.
- The author is concerned with/ deals with/ speaks about/ discusses A.
- The gist of the text is .../ its main ideas are .../ A is important to him/her.
- The passage is about .../ The general theme of the passage is ...
- The text falls into/ can be divided into three main sections/ parts.
- In line 10 the fourth part/ section of the story is introduced.
- A new aspect is introduced in lines 10 to 20. / ... is described in lines 10-20.
- The conclusion is drawn in line .../ begins in line 10 and ends in line 20.
- The second section (ll. 10-20) deals with ... - Lines 20-30 represent the third section.
- Section two, i.e. ll. 10-20, ... - Section two - that is lines 10-20 - ...
- The next section, which is from line 10 to line 20, ...
- The text opens/ continues/ concludes with ...
- The first/ second/ third/ following/ next paragraph is about ...
- quotation/ example/ comparison/ contrast/ digression/ distinction/ conclusion
- The author passes from A to B by a subtle/ an abrupt transition.
- In the paragraph the author takes up B/ changes the subject/ returns to A.
- He goes into details/ particulars.
- The author wanders away from the main topic/ subject/ theme.
- He then supports his argument by a quotation/ an example/ a comparison/ a contrast.
- The text can be divided into/ is composed of/ contains/ consists of/
is divided into four parts/ four paragraphs/ four sections.
- The author presents/ delivers/ conveys/ points out/ comments on ... / the facts about/
the current situation of/ the different aspects of/ the general ideas on ...
- The author attaches/ attributes importance to sth
- to give/ provide a description of/ an example of sth
- to fill in (the) details/ to go into detail/ to treat a topic in minute detail
- The text concerns/ treats of/ deals with/ is about ... the principal ideas/ the different aspects
of/ the topical problem of/ a political subject/ the condition of ...
- The story/ the action/ the third section/ the next part/ paragraph ...
- comprises the months from early spring to July 4th
- focuses on three separate days in the life of s.o.
- compresses the events of approximately one month
- relates the events that occur some months later - depicts the final days of ...
- covers one month - condenses the events of four months
- starts with a detailed description of ... - opens with the arrival of ...
- stresses s.o.’s age and his problems - dramatizes s.o.’s inner struggle
- traces the conflict in the hearts of s.o. - highlights sth
- consists of flashbacks and retrospective passages - introduces us to ...
15. Language and style

- The text is mainly descriptive/ narrative/ expository (“erklärend”)/ argumentative.
- The text is written in colloquial/ formal/ neutral English.
- The text contains a number of slang/ dialect/ technical/ literary/ poetic/ legal/
scientific/ religious ... expressions.
- The style is simple and clear/ abstract.
- The text contains mainly short sentences/ complicated sentences.
- The author makes use of repetitions/ parallelisms/ chiasms.
- It is not clear whether this sentence is meant literally or ironically.
- The writer makes frequent use of metaphors/ symbols/ images/ similes
- “Eros” is a personification of/ personifies/ embodies/ represents love.
- The author gives examples/ illustrations/comparisons/ quotations/ citations/ evidence
- There is a pun (“Wortspiel”)/ an allusion to (“Anspielung auf”) in line ...
- This is a paradox/ an exaggeration/ a hyperbole / an understatement.
- The text contains ironical remarks. - The author resorts to euphemisms.
- The author employs flashbacks/ anticipation.
- The author digresses / wanders away from the main topic.
- The author provides a lengthy digression about ...
- A is a symbol of ... / a metaphor for ... - This is a rhetorical question.
- The sentence is elliptical. - The author uses ellipsis. (pl. = ellipses)
- The paragraph climaxes in ... / leads to a climax.
- A and B form a contrast/ an antithesis (pl. = antiseses).
- Mr A’s answer is ambiguous/ equivocal (“doppelsinnig”).
- There is an ambiguity/ equivocation in ...
- styles: plain (“einfach”)/ simple/ sober (“nüchtern”)/ natural / clear/ unaffected
(“ungekünstelt”)
lucid (“klar,deutlich”)/ to the point/ incisive (“prägnant”), matter-of-fact (“sachlich”)/
precise/ concise (“prägnant”)/ vigorous (“kraftvoll”)/ crisp (“treffend”)
vehement (“leidenschaftlich”)/ lively / passionate (“leidenschaftlich”)/ fluent (“flüssig”)/
polished (“glänzend”)/ elegant/ artificial (“künstlich”)/ stilted (“geschraubt”)/
ponderous (“schwerfällig”)/ wordy (“langatmig”)/ long-winded (“umständlich”)/ olourless/
trite (“abgedroschen”)/ cliché-ridden (“klischeehaft”)/ banal/ administrative/ ornate
- to use/ employ/ vary a style - to write/ speak in a ... style
- tone: humorous/ playful (“spaßig)/ colloquial/ conciliatory (“versöhnlich”)/
depressive/ detached (“kühl”)/ serious/ earnest/ solemn (“feierlich”)
ironical=ironic/ satirical/ sarcastic/ colloquial/ informal/ spoken/ jargon/ slang
- The style is characterized by direct speech/ reported speech/ subordinate clauses/
extensive use of figures of speech
- The text abounds in technical/ latinized/ political/ biblical/ abstract/ concrete ...
words/ terms/ expressions/ phrases/ images/ pictures
- The expression ... indicates/ refers to/ suggests the idea that/ emphasizes/ illustrates/
takes up the idea of ...
- This word means/ denotes/ describes/ depicts (“darstellen”)/ implies/ suggests/ stands for
sth.
- A word suggests/ implies/ hints that ...
- A word conveys an idea/ evokes/ calls forth/ conjures up images/ impressions.
16. Influence

- The author appeals to the reader’s feelings/ emotions.
- He draws/ directs/ focuses the reader’s attention to ...
- He arouses the reader’s interest. - The reader gains insight into ...
- The text affects/ stirs/ catches the reader’s imagination.
- The author tries to change/ shift the reader’s attitude to/ towards ...
- He tries to destroy the reader’s illusions about ...
- He intends to fight the reader’s prejudices against/ in favour of ...
- He drives home a moral. - He teaches us a lesson.
- The reader feels a/ the sting/ prick/ twinge of conscience/ remorse ...
- The article troubles/ alarms his conscience.
- He has a guilty conscience when reading that ...
- The author wants to convince the reader of .../ to inform the reader of .../of .../
to make the reader think - The reader identifies with sth./s.o.
- The text stirs/ arouses/ excites the reader’s interest/ concern/ compassion/ sympathy/
anxiety/ suspicion/ scorn/ disgust/ anger

17. Point of view

- The author is not identical with the narrator.
- The author makes use of an outsider’s/ insider’s/ a first-person (peripheral/ central)/
a third person (omniscient/ limited) point of view.
- ... opts for editorial/ neutral/ selective omniscience/ ... for a limited point of view.
- ... employs a shifting point of view/ shifts the angle of vision from time to time
- ... uses an impersonal approach/ adopts an impersonal point of view
- ... pretends not to be there at all/ lets the story tell itself
- ... effaces (“sich zurückhalten”) himself completely
- The subjective author comments on whatever he likes.
- The objective author avoids describing even the characters’ ideas and emotions.
- ... lets the reader infer everything from the facts alone.
- The narrator tells the story from a remote standpoint.
- ... has access to the characters’ thoughts, feelings and motives.
- ... confines himself to what is experienced, thought and felt by a single character
- The narrator presents the story as summary or as scene or as a combination of the two.
- ... uses the dramatic/ panoramic method (mode)/ the stream-of-consciousness technique
- ... relies mainly on the presentation of panorama/scene. - ... presents a summary
- ... shifts the focus from panorama to scene

Vocabulary TRUE WEST

Vocabulary – Sam Shepard, True West

a play is easy to read / easy to understand
a play is performed on stage
the play expresses ideas well/clearly
spectators watch the performance
the audience applauds

the actors act well
they did it well / nicely/ true to life
to understand sth easily

a writer writes the play / a script
he is a playwright

to turn sb´s life upside down

to make a career
to have bad luck
to suffer from a clash of cultures

there is a contrast between x and y
there is a discrepancy between x and y

to drop out of society

Prepositions
to integrate into society
to rely on sth / sb
to take care of sb
to care for sb
to be /become suspicious of sth
be superior to
have an idea / a notion of sth
in the long run
get a glimpse of sth
take a look at sth
the principle of doing sth
to like doing sth
in the wilderness
except for
this goes together with / doesn´t go together with
to live in the desert
to live close to nature
to prefer sth to sth else
wtih regard to / as regards x one can say ...
to react to sth
to get rid of sth

Phrases
to explore the world
to live one´s own life
to have a certain lifestyle
to adopt a certain lifestyle / way of life
to lead a poor / fantastic/ solitary life
to be paralysed by stagnation
all the ideas are interrelated
the two have different notions of the A.D.
to live closely together with sb
sth is realistic
sth is topical (aktuell) / up to date/ of great interest at the moment
sth is realistic
actual = adj. tatsächlich
the USA ia a world power
a crybaby
you do what you want to do / you do as you please / you do whatever you like
he lives his life the way he wants to
to accept sth
to make means „herstellen“ – make one´s bed, make love
to do means „erledigen“ you do your homework, you do sports
to live one´s dream
to make one´s dreams come true
to fulfil one´s wishes
to reach one´s aims
to take sth seriouly
to speak one´s mind
to tell the truth
to take sb´s role / place
to switch roles
to calm sb down
to soothe sb
to provoke sb
provocative (adj.)
provocation
to remind sb of sth
to envy sb sth
to be jealous of sb for sth
to be / to get drunk
a drunken man (drunken= adj. before noun)
to be sober
to have a hangover
an open / a happy ending
to love nature
to live close to nature / in the wilderness
nature untouched
to behave well / aggressively / badly / stupidly / stubbornly
to be naive
use a derogatory term
to diminish sb´s merits / achievements

La France et l'Allemagne

Guten Tag alle miteinander,
der folgende link bezieht sich auf das aktuelle Thema:

http://lbsneu.schule-bw.de/unterricht/faecher/franz/links/politik

Französisch Wortschatz u. Grammatik

http://lbsneu.schule-bw.de/unterricht/faecher/franz/umat/gr

Probeklausur Globalization

Grundkurs


1. Point out UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's view of global values. (Comprehen­sion)
2. Analyse how Annan tries to make his speech effective. Pay particular attention to the use of rhetorical devices. (Analysis)
3. You have a choice here. Choose one of the following tasks:
3.1 Comment on Kofi Annan's position that globalisation must be based on global values. Discuss the chances of the realization of such a view on the background of the current debate on globalisation, giving a few examples and referring to any relevant elements of the American Dream. (Evaluation: comment)
3.2 Your school takes part in an exchange programme with an American high-school. Your school is holding a formal debate with German and American students about whether Kofi Annan's view of globalisation and moral values is realistic. Write an introductory statement to open this debate from the point of view of a German participant. (Evaluation: re-creation of text)
Materialgrundlage

Ausgangstext: Sach- und Gebrauchstext (öffentliche Rede: politische Rede – Aus­zug)

Fundstelle des Textes: Kofi Annan, Do We Still Have Universal Values? Tübingen University, 12 December 2003 (www.weltethos.org/st_9_xx/9_151.htm)

Wortzahl: 599 Wörter

Aufgabenstellung:
1. Point out UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's view of global values. (Comprehen­sion)
2. Analyse how Annan tries to make his speech effective. Pay particular attention to the use of rhetorical devices. (Analysis)
3. You have a choice here. Choose one of the following tasks:
3.1 Comment on Kofi Annan's position that globalisation must be based on global values. Discuss the chances of the realization of such a view on the background of the current debate on globalisation, giving a few examples and referring to any relevant elements of the American Dream. (Evaluation: comment)
3.2 Your school takes part in an exchange programme with an American high-school. Your school is holding a formal debate with German and American students about whether Kofi Annan's view of globalisation and moral values is realistic. Write an introductory statement to open this debate from the point of view of a
German participant. (Evaluation: re-creation of text)

Text:
"Do We Still Have Universal Values?"
Extract from a speech given by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan for the Global Eth­ics Foundation at Tübingen University, Germany, on 12 December 2003

Today, as globalisation brings us all closer together, and our lives are affected almost instantly by things that people say and do on the far side of the world, we also feel the need to live as a global community. And we can do so only if we have global values to bind us together.
But recent events have shown that we cannot take our global values for granted. I sense a great deal of anxiety around the world that the fabric of international relations may be starting to unravel - and that globalisation itself may be in jeopardy.
Globalisation has brought great opportunities, but also many new stresses and disloca­tions. There is a backlash against it – precisely because we have not managed it in ac­cordance with the universal values we claim to believe in.
In the Universal Declaration, we proclaimed that "everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services".
Just three years ago, in the Millennium Declaration, all states reaffirmed certain fun­damental values as being "essential to international relations in the twenty-first century": freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature, and shared responsibility. They adopted practical, achievable targets – the Millennium Development Goals – for re­lieving the blight of extreme poverty and making such rights as education, basic health care and clean water a reality for all.
Many millions of people in the world today are still far from enjoying these rights in practice. That could be changed, if governments in both rich and poor countries lived up to their commitments. Yet, three years after the Millennium Declaration, our attention is
- 12 -
focused on issues of war and peace, and we are in danger of forgetting these solemn commitments to fulfil basic human rights and human needs.
Globalisation has brought us closer together in the sense that we are all affected by each other's actions, but not in the sense that we all share the benefits and the burdens. Instead, we have allowed it to drive us further apart, increasing the disparities in wealth and power both between societies and within them.
This makes a mockery of universal values. It is not surprising that, in the backlash, those values have come under attack, at the very moment when we most need them.
Whether one looks at peace and security, at trade and markets, or at social and cul­tural attitudes, we seem to be in danger of living in an age of mutual distrust, fear and protectionism – an age when people turn in on themselves, instead of turning outwards to exchange with, and learn from, each other.
Disillusioned with globalisation, many people have retreated into narrower interpreta­tions of community. This in turn leads to conflicting value systems, which encourage people to exclude some of their fellow human beings from the scope of their empathy and solidarity, because they do not share the same religious or political beliefs, or cul­tural heritage, or even skin colour.
We have seen what disastrous consequences such particularist value systems can have: ethnic cleansing, genocide, terrorism, and the spread of fear, hatred and discrimi­nation.
So this is a time to reassert our universal values.
We must firmly condemn the cold-blooded nihilism of attacks such as those that struck the United States on 11 September 2001. But we must not allow them to provoke a "clash of civilisations", in which millions of flesh-and-blood human beings fall victim to a battle between two abstractions – "Islam" and "the West" – as if Islamic and western val­ues were incompatible.
Anmerkungen:

Universal Declaration: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 10 December 1948, ap­proved by all members of the United Nations; Millennium Declaration: reaffirmation of fun­damental global rights approved by all UN member states in 2000; 11 September 2001: date of the terrorist attack on the USA, with two planes crashing into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York

The Man in the Moon

Nichts ist so schön wie der Mond von Wanne-Eickel