Grammar: 🔄 Review & Consolidation (C1) - Advanced Writing Workshops: Stylistic Choices, Cohesion, and Register

🔄 C1 Workshop: Stylistic Choices, Cohesion, & Register

Congratulations on reaching this final C1 consolidation workshop¹! You have moved beyond learning individual grammar rules and are now ready to practice the art of writing. This activity is about synthesis²—combining your knowledge of stylistic choices, cohesion³, and register⁴ to produce sophisticated and effective English.

Your C1 Writing Toolkit (A Final Review)

When you write at a C1 level, you are not just conveying information; you are shaping it. Remember to use these tools:

• Emphasis Structures: Use inversion (Rarely have I seen...) and cleft sentences (What matters is...) to highlight key ideas.
• Advanced Cohesion: Connect sentences logically with participle clauses (Having finished...) and formal linking words (consequently, nevertheless).
• Appropriate Register: Use formal vocabulary, an objective tone (passive voice), and control your level of certainty with hedging (might suggest) and boosting (clearly demonstrates).

Workshop Task 1: Tone Transformation

Let's practice code-switching. Your task is to rewrite the following informal paragraph into a more formal, academic paragraph suitable for a report on tourism in Siem Reap.

Informal Paragraph:
"I think the traffic in Siem Reap is a big problem. There are just too many cars and tuk-tuks now. It's bad because it makes it hard to get around and it probably hurts the old temples. We've got to do something about it fast."

Think about how you could use nominalization, the passive voice, and more formal vocabulary. See a possible answer in the "Practice & Analysis" section below.

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Workshop Task 2: Building a Sophisticated Argument

Now, let's build an argument from scratch. Your task is to write a short paragraph (4-6 sentences) arguing for or against the following topic:

Topic: "A large international hotel chain wants to build a 15-story luxury hotel very close to the Angkor Wat temple complex. Is this a good idea?"

In your paragraph, you must include at least one example of inversion or a cleft sentence, one participle clause, and one advanced linking word.

🧠 Practice & Analysis

Here is one possible transformation for Workshop Task 1, and a model answer and analysis for Workshop Task 2.

Task 1 Formal Transformation:

"The increasing traffic congestion in Siem Reap presents a significant challenge. Not only does it impede transportation within the city, but it also may have a detrimental impact on the ancient temples. Consequently, it is imperative that a sustainable solution be implemented by the authorities."

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Task 2 Model Answer:

Under no circumstances should such a development be permitted. It is the preservation of the site's unique cultural atmosphere, not short-term profit, that must be our priority. Admittedly, the project would create jobs; however, the potential damage to the area's fragile ecosystem is a significant concern. Having considered the risks, it is clear that such a construction would be a terrible mistake.

Analysis of the Model Answer:

• Inversion: "Under no circumstances should..." (adds strong, formal emphasis).
• Cleft Sentence: "It is the preservation... that must be..." (highlights the most important factor).
• Cohesive Device & Concession: "Admittedly,...; however,..." (acknowledges and refutes a counter-argument).
• Participle Clause: "Having considered the risks,..." (connects a previous thought to the final conclusion concisely).

📝 Final Task: Your Sophisticated Argument

Now it's your turn to complete the main workshop task. Write your own paragraph (4-6 sentences) on the hotel topic from Workshop Task 2. Use the checklist and model answer to guide you. Focus on integrating several C1 structures to create a powerful, coherent, and sophisticated argument.

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Vocabulary Glossary

1. Workshop: (Noun) - សិក្ខាសាលា (sĕk'kha'sa'la) - A meeting at which a group of people engage in intensive discussion and activity on a particular subject. ↩
2. Synthesis: (Noun) - សំយោគ (sâm'yok) - The combination of components or elements to form a connected whole. ↩
3. Cohesion: (Noun) - ភាពស្អិតរមួត (phéap s'ăt'rŭm'muət) - The action or fact of forming a united whole; the quality of being logical and consistent. ↩
4. Register: (Noun) - កម្រិតភាសា (kâm'rĭt phéa'saa) - The level of formality in language. ↩
5. Stylistic Choice: (Noun Phrase) - ជម្រើសបែបបទ (chûm'rəəh baep'bât) - A specific grammatical or vocabulary choice made by a writer to create a particular effect. ↩