EXERCISE 3A

The three paragraphs below about trees are written for three different audiences. The first is written for elementary school children, the second for high school students, and the third for university students who know about forestry. In each paragraph, notice: 1. The amount of information communicated 2. The kind of information communicated 3. The vocabulary 4. The length of the sentences There are two kinds of trees. One kind is called the coniferous tree. The other kind is called the deciduous tree. The coniferous tree has narrow leaves that look like green needles. These leaves do not fall off in the winter time. They are green all year, so these trees are often called "evergreens." The deciduous tree is quite different. It has wide green leaves. In the fall, the leaves turn many different colors: red, gold, and orange. Then the leaves die and fall off the tree. The deciduous tree looks very beautiful in the fall, but the coniferous tree looks very nice all year.
Sabine Luttege (Germany)

Whether a tree is coniferous or deciduous, whether it bears fruits or not, whether it grows in the tropics or in the temperate zone, every tree has three parts: the roots, the trunk, and the crown. The roots, the part of the tree underground, hold the tree firmly against windstorms and provide the tree with food gathered from the soil. The trunk, which is the most important woody part of the tree, is the body of the tree;.it carries the food from the roots to the branches. The crown of the tree consists of the branches, the leaves' and the fruit of the tree. The leaves use the food sent from the trunk for many purposes, one of which is particularly useful to humans. In this process, called photosynthesis, the leaves absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and give oxygen to the atmosphere. This single process is essential to human life because humans breathe oxygen in order to exist.
Kamil Al-Makossi (Iraq)

The root system of the tree has three important functions. First, the root system provides mechanical support for the aerial parts of the tree and anchors the tree against windstorms. Second, the youngest rootlets in particular absorb water and dissolved minerals from the soil; these materials move through the older roots into the trunk and ultimately reach the upper region and the leaves. In the leaves the materials are used in various cellular processes, including photosynthesis, and a large proportion of the water is lost to the air by transpiration. Second, food accumulated in root cells is important during dormant periods in order to provide energy and material for the rapid flush of new growth during the spring. Finally, the roots of many trees such as the cherry, aspen, beech, and sassafras are important in vegetative reproduction. These species produce suckers, or adventitious stems, that may develop to tree size.
Yoshimine Kato (Japan)

From Reid, Joy M. and Lindstrom, Margaret (1985) The Process of Paragraph Writing, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, USA. [ISBN: 0-13-723529-1]