comments on your friend's draft.
26
Activity
Mr. Robert : What did they say about your last presentation? Ms. Duval : They said .... a. it gave them clear ideas
about the product b. it is nice of you to give
presentation
c. you will be invited to come d. they are free to ask questions
Taken from Ujian Nasional
Know How to
Writing a Report
If you are asked to write a report, for example, analyzing the results of some research,
summarizing articles, or interpreting statistics, your aim should be to present facts clearly so that the reader will understand the main points quickly.
Look at the
• report below and notice how the information is divided up using headings.
The style of
• report is impersonal: it is not important who the writer is or what his or her opinion is.
Notice whether you are told who the reader •
is. This will help you decide how much you need to explain.
In many reports, the important •
information involves numbers. Read the report again and ¿ nd out what these expression refer to:
50+50 two thirds eight out of ten four 75% the majority 5% a half a large majority twice three
Your style of writing will not be personal, but it need not be boring. Vary your language so that you do not overuse the same expressions. Think of other ways of saying the words and phrases that are written in dark type in the report below.
Aim
The objective of the survey was to ¿ nd out whether shopping habits have changed since the building of the new suburban mall at Lake water, and to identify trends for the future.
Method
The survey targeted four groups of people: (A) downtown residents, (B) suburban residents up to three miles from the center of town, (C) business owners in the central area of town, and (D) merchants in the new mall.
Shoppers received one questionnaire, while merchants received another. Researches visited 50 homes in the center of town and 50 in the suburbs as well as a cross section of stores in both locations.
Results
SHOPPERS
75% of all residents said that they had been to the new mall at least twice during the last month. Of these, the majority were from group B. Among the most popular reasons cited for shopping at
Lake water instead of downtown were the ample free parking there compared with the dif¿ culties of parking there compared with the dif¿ cults of parking in the center of town and the convenience of having a large number of stores in one location in the mall. Families in
particular mentioned the Lake water children's
play area as an important advantage.
In contrast, two thirds of those questioned
in group A reported that they valued the convenience of being able to walk to the stores. Eight out of ten of the order shoppers surveyed said that their daily shopping trip was their only contact with other people. Moreover, they preferred the personal attention of the smaller stores compared with the anonymous atmosphere of the larger outlets. They were, however, concerned that prices were increasing.
MERCHANTS
The merchants in town have seen business drop off by up to a half, whereas Lake water business have recorded a steady increase in sales over
57
How’s the Progress?
the year. When asked whether they viewed the future with optimism, a large majority of group D replied positively, while only 5% of group C said that they expected to see a growth in their business in the coming year.
Conclusions
The opening of Lake water mall has clearly
had a devastating effect on downtown
shopping, and this trend seems set to continue.
Parking problems down ton have been a
signi¿ cant factor in changing people's habits.
Mobile, better-off consumers are deserting the main street for the new mall, leaving downtown merchants to rely on the business of local residents, particularly the elderly and those without cars. As a result, many long-established businesses now face grave
dif¿ culties.
Taken From Oxford ESL Dictionary, 2004
Summary: Revisit This Unit
Presenting report
Introducing the subject •
- I'd like to start the subject - First of all, I'll....
Finishing one subject •
- Well, I've told you about ... - That's all I have to say about ... Starting another subject
•
- Next....
- Now I'd like to discuss....
Analyzing a point and giving recommendations •
- Let's consider this in more detail ... - What does this mean for ABC? Giving an example
•
- For example, ... - As an illustration, .... Dealing with questions •
- We'll be examining this point in more detail later on ... - I'd like to deal with this question later, if I may ... Summarizing and concluding
•
- In conclusion, ...
- Finally, let me remind you of some of the issues we've covered.... Grammar review: Reported speech
- He said he presented his paper - He said he was presenting his paper.
After doing all activities, you may answer the following questions to check whether you have comprehended the learning materials in this unit. 1. What have you learned in this unit?
2. Can you mention the steps you take in presenting a report? 3. Are you able to present a report?
If you ¿ nd some dif¿ culties while answering the questions, you can discuss them with your friends and consult your teacher.
59
How Do You Operate This Machine?