Methods & strategies: Focusing on action verbs (part 1) Lights, camera, action: Focusing on action verbs typically found in Matura instructions The instructions you are going to get at the Matura will probably have six bullet points1 – three for the individual long turn (the monologue), and three for the interaction (the dialogue). Look at the sample Matura task in this chapter (1 6.9) as an example. Each of the six tasks usually begins with a verb that tells you what to do, e.g. “analyse”, “discuss”, “justify”, “speculate” etc. During your preparation time, look at these verbs closely; and during the exam, try to do exactly what these verbs ask you to do! If the first bullet point says, “Explain why some businesses have recently been trying hard to act sustainably”, it will not be enough to mention a few companies that have introduced new eco-friendly products. You have to explain why they did it. If your instructions tell you to “speculate how the advertising industry could develop in the next decades”, do not only talk about the amount of money large companies are spending on online advertising at the moment, and about recent developments in this area. Say what might happen in the future. It is not a good idea to use the verbs and phrases from your instructions directly in your presentation, e.g. “At the beginning of my presentation, I’d like to explain why some businesses have been trying hard to act sustainably” (1 4.6). Try to rephrase the tasks instead – either by using a different verb with a similar meaning or by changing the structure of the sentence. For example, “First, I’d like to answer the question why some businesses have made great efforts to appear more sustainable”; or “I’d like to start out with a possible explanation as to why some companies …” Rephrasing Matura tasks II (synonyms / sentence structure) ■■ Look at the sample Matura task in this chapter (1 6.9) as well as the ones in other chapters (e.g. 1 3.14, 1 5.14) and think of good ways to rephrase the six bullet points, either by using synonyms or by changing the sentence structure (see explanation and highlighted examples above). ■■ At the exam, there are several opportunities to rephrase the instructions you have been given, both in the overview at the beginning of your presentation (1 4.2, 1 4.6) and in the body of your talk (when you are doing what the bullet points tell you to do). ■■ Use as many as possible of the following phrases. How-to [A] [B] [D] [H] 6.3 To do [A] [B] [D] [H] 6.4 Phrases and structures for action verbs (part 1) Compare/Contrast² ■■ Now let’s look at what these two things have in common and how they are different from each other. ■■ First of all, both the American Republicans and the British Conservatives tend to be cautious when it comes to social reforms. ■■ Another striking similarity is that neither Denmark nor Norway has shown much interest in abolishing the monarchy. ■■ On the one hand, the cell phone seems to be a much more revolutionary invention than the PC. On the other hand, however, most of what a modern phone can do is completely based on PC technology. ■■ Unlike charitable sponsorship, which doesn’t necessarily increase the sponsor’s profile and reputation, commercial sponsorship typically has exactly that end in mind. or: Whereas charitable sponsorship doesn’t necessarily increase the sponsor’s profile and reputation, commercial sponsorship typically has exactly that end in mind. or: Charitable sponsorship doesn’t necessarily increase the sponsor’s profile and reputation, whereas commercial sponsorship typically has exactly that end in mind. ■■ Ecotourism differs from mass tourism in that tour operators usually don’t try to increase customer numbers at all costs. ■■ The average paid vacation time in Europe is about six weeks a year. By contrast, Americans often receive only two weeks. Phrases & structures [A] [B] [D] [H] 6.5 1 bullet point: Aufzählungszeichen; 2 to contrast: gegenüberstellen 59 Key aspects Strategies Sample task 6 Environment & sustainability Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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