CHAPTER 1:

PROCESS WRITING

INDUSTRIAL PROCESS & INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS

WHAT IS A PROCESS?A process is a series of events or actions that occur over time to accomplish something. A complete process involves collecting raw materials, a series of stages / steps in which the raw materials are processed to get a finished product at the end. Each stage has an input and an output.

A process has three main items:

Input Process Output

A PROCESS WRITING APPROACH

Process writing is how something happens or how something is made. The method used to write about a process is Step-by-Step Approach. That means each step/phase/stage in a process should be discussed separately following the sequence / time order.

TYPES OF PROCESSES:

1. Natural Processes Ex: Water Cycle, Cycle of Seasons

2. Biological ProcessesEx: Photosynthesis, Process of Digestion

3. Mechanical ProcessesEx: How does a car engine work? How does a refrigerator work?

4. Social ProcessesEx: How to get a driving license? How to start a business?

5. Industrial ProcessesEx: How is olive oil made? How is paper manufactured?

There are two ways of describing processes. The process description can be informational or instructional. In this chapter, only industrial processes & instructional processes will be presented and discussed.

1. INFORMATIONAL PROCESS DESCRIPTION: INDUSTRIAL PROCESS

An Industrial Process is a systematic series of mechanical or chemical operations that produces, manufactures or recycles something. Such a process usually takes place in factories and industrial areas.The language feature associated with describing an industrial process is present simple passive voice.

The passive voice consists of two main parts shown in the table below:

Ex: Small stones are removed. The pure olive oil is obtained. The logs are delivered to the store. The payment is made online.

Forms of verb “to be” Past Participle

isare

Produced

However, the present perfect tense is also used with time clauses (after, when) in process description.Ex: After the milk has been collected, it is transported to the dairy farm. When the sweets have been wrapped, they are packed in boxes.

Present Perfect Tense = Has / Have + Been + Past ParticipleEx: milk has been collected sweets have been wrapped books have been returned

ADDING EXTRA INFORMATION: PLACE, PURPOSE, METHOD

As part of the process, it is possible to add extra information to your sentences, describing the following:

Where the process occursHow the steps / stage occursWhy the step / stage occurs

EXAMPLE OF EXTRA INFORMATION:

Place (Where)Milk is produced in dairy farms.The milk is delivered to a factory by

tanker.OR in… at… where…

Method (How)The milk is delivered to a factory by tanker.

Purpose (Why)The milk is pasteurized at a temperature of 72◦C so that all micro-organisms are killed.

The milk is pasteurized to kill all micro-organisms.

The milk is pasteurizes in order to kill all micro-organisms.

Exercise: Page 10

THE WRITING STRUCTURE OF AN INDUSTRIAL PROCESS

When you write about an industrial process, it is very important to organize your information clearly using Step-by-Step Approach. Each step/stage in a process should be discussed carefully following the sequence / time order. The next slides will show how your writing should be organized.

IntroductionDefinition of the processWhy is it importantOverview of the steps or phasesStep 1Definition or overview of the step (topic sentence)

Materials & equipment neededEvents occuring in the stepCauses & effects related to these events.

Step 2

Definition or overview of the step (topic sentence)

Materials & equipment neededEvents occuring in the stepCauses & effects related to these events

Step 3

Definition or overview of the stepMaterials & equipment neededEvents occuring in the stepCauses & effects related to these

eventsConclusion Discusses the causes & effects of

the processDescribes the end result produced

by the process

Remember:In order to write a good description of an industrial process, you should be able to use a variety of language structure. These include:

Verbs: Present simple tense (passive voice)

Present perfect tense (with some time clauses to show that one action happened before another)

Time clauses & Sequencers: Used to show the order of events, Ex: after, before, when, while, first, second, third, after, that, next, later, etc.

Cohesive Links: Used to link ideas in a text.

Pronouns: referring to nouns mentioned earlier in a text. Ex: it, they, this, these, etc. Definite Article: (the) referring to nouns already mentioned Modifiers: One clause modifies the next noun Ex: The bottles are sealed.. Next, the sealed bottles….

Adding Extra Information: To make your process more descriptive, extra information can be added.

Place: where….Method: how… by (doing)Purpose: why…so that…to

(do)..because