Academic Writing

5 Practice C
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Read the paragraph below and replace the words in bold with reference words.
Velcro
Velcro is a fabric fastener used with clothes and shoes. Velcro was invented
by a Swiss engineer called George de Mestral. Mestral’s idea was derived
from studying the tiny hooks found on some plant seeds. The tiny hooks
cling to animals and help disperse the seeds. Velcro has two sides, one of
which is covered in small hooks and the other in loops. When the hooks and
loops are pressed together, they form a strong bond.
Mestral spent eight years perfecting Mestral’s invention, which Mestral
called ‘Velcro’ from the French words ‘velour’ and ‘crochet’. The invention
was patented in 1955 and today over 60 million metres of Velcro are sold
annually.

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6 Practice D
䊏
Use the following information to write a paragraph about the invention of nylon,
paying careful attention to the use of reference words.
Nylon
Inventor: Wallace
Carothers
Company:
DuPont Corporation (USA)
Carothers’ position:
Director of research centre
Carothers’ background:
Chemistry student, specialising in polymers (molecules
composed of long chains of atoms)
Properties:
Strong but fine synthetic fibre
Patented: 1935
Mass produced:
1939
Applications:
Stockings, toothbrushes, parachutes, fishing lines,
surgical thread
2.3: Cohesion
99

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1 Comparison structures
(a) Some studies are based on a comparison:
The purpose of this study is to compare Chinese and American consumers on their
propensity to use self-service technology in a retail setting.
In other cases, a comparison provides useful context:
The first attempt to decode the human genome took 10 years; now, it can be done in less
than a week.
(b) The two basic comparative forms are:
(i) France is larger than Switzerland.
The students were happier after the exam.
(-er is added to one-syllable adjectives and two-syllable adjectives ending in –y, which
changes into an ‘i’)
(ii) Learning Chinese is more difficult than learning English.
(more . . . is used with other adjectives of two or more syllables)