University of languages & international

studies - Vnu, Hanoi

Post - graduate department

Discourse analysis

By: Do Thi Thom

Date of birth: 19-11-1969.
Place of birth: Tuyen Quang.
Group: PG7.
Tel: 0982145269
E- mail: Thomtq2007
For: Assoc. Prof. Dr.Vo Dai Quang.

Ha noi, June 2008.

INTRODUCTION
 Discourse analysis is concerned with the study of the relationship

between language and the contexts which is used so it covers the study of

spoken and written interaction. When one studies a language, he will learn that

vocabulary is important but grammar is also just as important as vocabulary.

As one sees it, grammar is an essential part of learning a language. However

how to learn and use grammar in the most advantageous way is not easy at all.

The traditional way of teaching grammar that I have been using, in my

opinion, is not quite effective in terms of production. Although students learn

the grammar points well, these do not help them to write or speak a language

effectively and communicatively.

The functional grammar I have just known, on the other hand, gives rise

to a way of learning language which focuses on the purpose rather than on a

set of rules. In other words, Functional Grammar focuses on “how the

language is being used in discourse, rather than simply the labeling of their

form”. Grammar is not a means in itself but a means to an end.

In this assignment, I am going to analyze a student’s short essay using

functional grammar. Then basing on the strengths and weaknesses of the

student’s writing, I will know what I should do to help better his writing as

well as other students’ writing skills.

 development
The essay was written by a Vietnamese student at an intermediate level
of proficiency. He was to write an essay “arguing against giving students
assignments to do during their holidays.”

Many teachers think that by offering their students a lot of assignments

to do during their holidays, they will consolidate and use their time
beneficially. This practice is now open to criticism.
Holidays should be a time for relaxation and recuperation. Holidays
are meant to give students a well-deserved rest and an opportunity for
exercise. Burdened with more school work, they are likely to suffer a
breakdown of their health. “All work no play makes Jack a dull boy” so goes
an English proverb.
Holidays help bring more variety into a student’s life. Learning
activities can take place outside the classroom. These activities can teach
them more than books.
In the end, I think the practice of giving students homework to do
during their holidays should be discouraged. It is a sharp mind, not a stuffed
head that is the key to success in life. It would be better to have shorter
holidays – 3 or 4 days at most.

TEXT ANALYSIS
1. Many teachers think that by offering their students a lot of assignments
to do during their holidays, they will consolidate and use their time
beneficially.

Experiential:

Many think (that) by offering students a lot of assignments to do

teachers during their holidays
Nominal Process : Pp phrase
group Mental

they will consolidate and their time beneficially

use
Nominal Process : Material Nominal group Adverbial group
group

Interpersonal:
Declarative Mood
Many by offering students a lot of homework to do
think (that)
teachers during their holidays
Subject Finite / Dependent non-finite clause
predicator
Mood Block

they will consolidate and use their time beneficially

Subject Finite Pre- - dicator Complement Adjunct
Mood Block Re- -sidue

Textual:

Many teachers think (that) by offering students a lot of homework to do

during their holidays
Topical Rheme Rheme
Theme

they will consolidate and use their time beneficially

Topical Theme Rheme

2. This practice is now open to criticism.

Experiential:

This practice is now open to criticism

Nominal Process : Relational Adverbial group Modifier Pp phrase
group

Interpersonal:
Declarative Mood
This practice is now open to criticism
Subject Finite / Adjunct Complement
Predicator
Mood Block Residue

Textual:

This practice is now open to criticism.

Topical Theme Rheme
3. Holidays should be a time for relaxation and recuperation.
 Experiential:

Holidays should be a time for relaxation and

recuperation.
Nominal Process : Relational Nominal Pp phrase
group group

Interpersonal:

Declarative Mood
Holidays should be a time for relaxation and recuperation.
Subject Finite Predicator Complement
Mood Block Residue

Textual:

Holidays should be a time for relaxation and recuperation.

Topical Theme Rheme

4. Holidays are meant to give students a well-deserved rest and an

opportunity for exercise.

Experiential:

Holidays are meant to give students a well-deserved rest

Nominal Process : Material Nominal group Nominal Group
group

and an opportunity for exercise.

Conjunctive Nominal group Pp phrase
Adjunct

Interpersonal:

Declarative Mood
Holidays are meant to give students a well deserved rest and an
opportunity for exercise.
Subject Finite Predicator Complement
Mood Block Residue
 Textual:
Holidays are meant to give students a well-deserved rest and an opportunity
for exercise.
Topical Theme Rheme

5. Burdened with more school work, they are likely to suffer a breakdown
of their health.

Experiential:

Burdened with more they are likely to suffer a breakdown of their

school work, health.

Non-finite clause Nominal Process: Nominal Group

group Behavioural

Interpersonal:
Declarative Mood
Burdened with more they are likely to suffer a breakdown of their
school work, health.
Non-finite clause Subject Finite Adj Predicator Complement
Mood Block Residue

Textual:

Burdened with more they are likely to suffer a breakdown

school work, of their health.
Rheme Topical Rheme
Theme

6. “All work no play makes Jack a dull boy” so goes an English proverb.

Experiential:

“All work no play makes Jack a dull so goes an English proverb.

boy”
Embedded clause Adjunct Process: Nominal Group
Material

Interpersonal:
Declarative Mood
“All work no play makes Jack a dull so goes an English proverb
boy”
Subject Finite Complement
/Predicator
Mood Block Residue

Textual:

“All work no play makes Jack a dull boy” so goes an English proverb.
Topical Theme Rheme

7. Holidays help bring more variety into a student’s life.

Experiential:

Holidays help bring more variety into a student’s life

Nominal Process: Modifier Nominal Group Pp phrase
group Material

Interpersonal:

Declarative Mood
Holidays help bring more variety into a student’s life.
Subject Finite Predicator Complement
Mood Bloc Residue
k

Textual:

Holidays help bring more variety into a student’s life.

Topical Rheme
Theme

8. Learning activities can take place outside the classroom.

Experiential:

Learning activities can take place outside the classroom.

Nominal group Process: Material Pp phrase
Interpersonal:
Declarative Mood
Learning activities can take place outside the classroom.
Subject Finite Predicator Complement
Mood Block Residue

Textual:

Learning activities can take place outside the classroom.

Topical Theme Rheme

9. These activities can teach them more than books.

Experiential:

These activities can teach them more than books.

Nominal group Process: Material Nominal Modifier Nominal group
group

Interpersonal:
Declarative Mood
These activities can teach them more than books.
Subject Finite Predicator Complement
Mood Block Residue

Textual:

These activities can teach them more than books.

Topical Theme Rheme

10.In the end, I think the practice of giving students homework to do

during their holidays should be discouraged.

Experiential:

In the end I think (that)

Adjunct Nominal group Process : Mental

the practice of giving students homework to do during their should be discouraged.

holidays
Nominal group Process: Material

Interpersonal:
Declarative Mood
In the end I think (that) the practice of giving students
homework to do during their
holidays
Conjunctiv Subjec Finite / predicator Subject
e adjunct t
Mood Block Residue Mood

should be discouraged
Finite Predicator
Block Residue

Textual:

In the end I think (that)

Textual Topical Rheme
Theme Theme

the practice of giving students homework to do during their should be discouraged.

holidays
Topical Theme Rheme

11.It is a sharp mind, not a stuffed head, which is the key to success in life.
Experiential:

It is a sharp mind, not a stuffed head

Nominal Process : Nominal Adj Nominal Group
group Relational Group

that is the key to success

Adj Process : Nominal Pp phrase
Relational Group

Interpersonal:
Declarative Mood
It is a sharp mind, not a stuffed head,
Subject Finite / Complement Adj Complement
Predicator
Mood Block Residue
that is the key to success in life.
Finite / Complement
Predicator
Mood Block Residue

Textual:

It is a sharp mind, not a stuffed that is the key to success in life.

head,
Topical Rheme Rheme
Theme

12.It would be better to have shorter holidays – 3 or 4 days at most.

Experiential:
It would be better to have shorter holidays – 3 or 4 days at
most.
Nominal Process : Modifier Non-finite clause
group Relational

Interpersonal:
Declarative Mood
It would be better to have shorter holidays – 3 or 4 days at most.
Subject Finite Predicator Complement
Mood Block Residue

Textual:
It would be better to have shorter holidays – 3 or 4 days at most.
Topical Theme Rheme

Evaluation of the text

Strengths
On the whole, this text is good enough, considering he is a Vietnamese
student at intermediate level. His essay has an introduction, two supporting
paragraphs in which he gives ideas, opinions and examples to elaborate his
main topic, and a conclusion. He also gives a suggestion to the problems. To
some extent, he has achieved his goal: to write an essay against giving
students assignment during holidays.
Weaknesses
 The main weakness of the text is that there are almost no conjunctions
to connect one idea to others. Besides, as seen from the analysis, there is an
unbalance between the arguments. The second argument is shorter than the
first. Consequently, the ideas are unevenly organized. There are also some
mistakes in the choice of vocabulary and grammar.

Suggestions for improvement

In my opinion, the second argument in the third paragraph could be
made stronger if the student gives some examples of the activities taking place
outside the classroom. The examples could be going on a picnic with their
friends, climbing the mountain, or taking a ride in the countryside. They will
elaborate the topical sentence much more clearly, for the readers know what
“these activities” are.

As for the coherence and cohesion of the text, I also suggest before the
second and the third paragraph there should be conjunctive adjuncts such as
first, second. And the conjunctive adjunct in the last paragraph should change
from “In the end” into “To sum up” or “In a word”.
“offering their students a lot of assignments to do” could be changed as
“giving / setting their students …”
Some changes with the theme:
 The second “holidays” in “Holidays are meant …” should change into
“they”
 “they” in “they are likely…”should change to “students”.

Implication for teaching

From the analysis of the student’s writing, as a teacher I see that the
student’s problems lie in the organization of the text and some correct use
of words and expressions.
The following steps are what I can do in class to improve students in
writing a good expository essay. After that the students will write the
expository essay again.
First I will provide students with some conjunctions, transition words or
signal words that may be useful in an expository essay such as first, then,
finally, to sum up, etc. and a text model of a good expository essay.
Then I will give students some exercises on the coherence and cohesion of
the text.
 Exercise 1 is for students to practice transitions words and phrases.
Students are given some paragraphs and work in pairs to add conjunctions
to link ideas together, using the conjunctions of their own or those given by
the teacher.
 Exercise 2 is to practice the theme-rheme. Students are also given some
paragraphs in which the subjects are the same from the beginning till the
end or which there is a misunderstanding in using reference. Again,
students work in pairs to figure out and make any necessary changes.
 Students are asked to build up the arguments that can be included in the
essay as well as the supporting ideas to elaborate these arguments.
 Teacher gives students a checklist in order to know the development of
their text.
What is the purpose of the text?
1. What are your arguments?
2. Do you have enough supporting sentences for your arguments (such as
your ideas or some examples)?
3. Do you have a check of the punctuation, spelling or grammar used in
your text?
4. Students then review their own text again and make any
possible correction and changes.
 Students will work in pairs and do “peer editing”. They are
encouraged to give their opinions and comments on their
partner’s writing.
 Students will collect their peers’ suggestions and finish
their paper as homework.
 Students will hand in their papers in the next lesson.
 Conclusion

Course analysis is very essential in teaching and learning language because

with a more accurate picture of natural discourse, we are in a better position to

evaluate the description upon which we base our teaching, students’

learning, the teaching materials, what goes on in the classroom

and the end products of our teaching, whether in the form of

spoken or written output…

With the hope that these steps: Text anlysics, evaluation of the

text,strength, weaknesses, suggestions for improvement, implication for

teaching… in this assignment can help better students in their writing. I have

analyzed a student’s short essay using functional grammar. Then basing on the

strengths and weaknesses of the student’s writing, I have already known what

I should do to help better his writing as well as other students’ writing

skills.through the aboved steps.

 REFERENCES

- Introducing applied linguistics. ( Assoc,Prof. Vo Dai

Quang )
- Discourse analysis.( Vo Dai quang,Ph.D 2004)
- Lectures on principles of phonetics and phonology.
(Pro. Dr Vo Dai Quang)
- Lectures on English grammar.( Assoc.Pro.Dr Vo Dai
Quang )
- Useful hints for writing practice. ( Vo Dai Quang, Ph.D,
Vu Thuy Quynh, M.A)