Writing with Complex Noun Phrases 2
Mini-lesson: The importance of noun phrases in writing
Look at the following:
- This ICOSA website is modern. It is interactive. It can be accessed by Hong Kong tertiary learners. The tertiary learners are interested in English independent learning.
This piece of writing does not ‘flow’ well. This is called ‘choppy’ writing because it contains several short, simple SVO (subject + verb + object) sentences, making it uncomfortable for the reader. This is a very basic and inefficient way of writing.
Now read this:| [V] | ||
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Here are some other good examples of well-written sentences using noun phrases:
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Now complete the academic article about test anxiety in students below by re-constructing its complex noun phrases.
Re-type the bold-faced words in the correct order in the boxes below to make noun phrases that complete each sentence. The first one has been done for you.
- Anxiety is
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fear / uncertainty / human / a/ basic / emotion /consisting of / and
Hint:
a basic human emotion…that typically appears when an individual perceives an event as beingAnswer:
a basic human emotion consisting of fear and uncertainty
Example:
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to / the / or /self-esteem / a / ego / threatHint:
a threat to the…(Sarason, 1988). In some instances, such as avoiding dangerous situations, anxiety can be helpful. However when taken to extremes, it may produce unwarranted results. One ofAnswer:
a threat to the ego or self-esteem -
causes / threatening / students / anxiety / the most / today / events / that / inHint:
the most threatening events…is testing. When students developAnswer:
the most threatening events that causes anxiety in students today -
fear / poorly / an extreme / examination, /of / on / an / performingHint:
an extreme…they experience test anxiety. Test anxiety isAnswer:
an extreme fear of performing poorly on an examination, -
contributing / factor / a / major/ outcomes / to / a / of / negative / varietyHint:
a major factor contributing…including psychological distress, academic underachievement, academic failure, and insecurity (Hembree, 1988). Many students haveAnswer:
a major factor contributing to a variety of negative outcomes -
exams / to / ability / the / cognitive / do / on / wellHint:
the cognitive…but may not do so because of high levels of test anxiety. Because ofAnswer:
the cognitive ability to do well on exams -
emphasis / testing, / the / placed / on / societalHint:
the societal…this could potentially limit their educational and vocational opportunities (Zeidner, 1990).Answer:
the societal emphasis placed on testing,CHARACTERISTICS OF TEST ANXIETY
Test anxiety is composed of three major components: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. Students who experience test anxiety from the cognitive perspective are worriers lacking self confidence. They may be preoccupied with negative thoughts, doubting their academic ability and intellectual competence (Sarason & Sarason, 1990).
Furthermore, they are more likely to overemphasize the potential negative results and feel helpless when in testing situations (Zeidner, 1998). Some students may feel
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question / the /need / to / correctly. /every / on / test / answer / theHint:
the need to…When this does not occur they may think of themselves as being incompetent, thus fueling negative thoughts such as, "I knew I was not going to pass this test," "I know I am going to make a poor grade," or "Everyone knows I am not smart." In order for students to haveAnswer:
the need to answer every question on the test correctly. -
academic / opportunity / the / for / success, / bestHint:
the best…negative thinking must be minimized and controlled. From the affective perspective, test anxiety causes some students to experience physiological reactions such as increased heart rate, feeling nauseated, frequent urination, increased perspiration, cold hands, dry mouth, and muscle spasms (Zeidner, 1998). These reactions may be present before, during, and even after the test is completed. In conjunction with the physiological reactions, emotions such as worry, fear of failure, and panic may be present. When students are not able to control their emotions, they may experience higher levels of stress, thereby making it more difficult for them to concentrate.Answer:
the best opportunity for academic success,
Test-anxious students express anxiety behaviorally by
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skills. / test-taking / procrastinating / and /study /and / inefficient / havingHint:
procrastinating and…Zeidner (1998) contends that test-anxious students haveAnswer:
procrastinating and having inefficient study and test-taking skills. -
information /a /more /difficult / time / and / it / larger / patterns / of meaning. / organizing / into /interpretingHint:
a more difficult time interpreting information…In addition, some students may physically feel tired or exhausted during test administration because they do not have a healthy diet, have poor sleeping habits, and fail to routinely exercise.Answer:
a more difficult time interpreting information and organizing it into larger patterns of meaning.CONCLUSION
Test anxiety is something that impacts students from all ethnic backgrounds and grade levels. Helping students learn to effectively manage such anxiety is a challenging task that requires a genuine team effort. Students, parents, teachers, school counselors, and school administrators must all find ways to be actively involved in reducing test anxiety. We live in a test-taking society and when students are anxious during tests, they are less likely to perform up to their academic potential.
REFERENCES
Hembree, R. (1988). Correlates, causes, effects, and treatment of test anxiety. Review of Educational Research, 58, 7-77.
Sarason, I. G. (1988). Anxiety, self-preoccupation, and attention. Anxiety Research, 1, 3-7.
Sarason, I. G., & Sarason, B. R. (1990). Test anxiety. In H. Leitenberg (Eds), Handbook of social and evaluative anxiety (pp 475-496). New York: Plenum Press.
Syncamore, J. E., & Corey, A. L. (1990). Reducing test anxiety. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 24, 231-233.
U. S. Department of Education (1993). Help Your Child Improve in Test-Taking.
Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office.
Wilkinson, C. M. (1990). Techniques for overcoming test anxiety. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 24, 234-237.
Zeidner, M. (1990). Does test anxiety bias scholastic aptitude test performance by
gender and sociocultural group? Journal of Personality Assessment, 55, 145-160.
Zeidner, M. (1998). Test anxiety: The state of the art. New York: Plenum Press.
Source: http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED479355.pdf
ERIC Identifier: ED479355 Publication Date: 2003-09-00 Author: Harris, Henry L.; Coy, Doris R Source: ERIC Counseling and Student Services Clearinghouse
Copyright: http://www.ericdigests.org/about.html