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UNIT 3
PROCEDURAL TEXTS
Objectives
After learning this unit, you are expected to be able to:
1. recognize procedural texts;
2. write a procedural text;
3. identify pronounce reference;
4. identify sentence patterns;
Pre reading Activities
Discuss the following questions.
1. What do you know about procedural text?
2. Can we write a procedural text randomly?
3. How do you write a procedural text?
Reading Selection
Text 1
How to make a Machine Withdrawal from City Bank
Please follow these procedures in order to make a machine withdrawal from your City Bank
checking or saving accounts:
1. Insert your card face up into the card slot on the machine teller
2. Enter your four digit identification number on the numbered buttons
3. Press the withdraw button for checking or the button for savings
4. Enter the amount of withdrawal, either fifty or one hundred dollars, on the numbered
buttons, and wait for your receipt to be printed
5. Remove your card from the slot. The drawer will open with receipt and your cash
withdrawal in fifty dollar packets
All customers are limited to two withdrawals in one twenty four hour period. If you
attempt to withdraw more than the limited number of times, your card will be retained in the
machine, and you will have to reclaim it in person at your main branch bank.
From Barrons Practice exercises for the TOEFL test, 1995
Exercise 1
Select the best answer.
1. What is the main idea of this passage?
a. How to open an account at City Bank
b. How to use the City Bank machine teller
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c. How to get a City Bank card
d. How to make deposits and withdrawals at City Bank
2. What happens when you remove your card from the machine?
a. Your identification number appears on the screen.
b. The drawer opens with your cash in it.
c. The process stops immediately.
d. Your receipt is printed.
3. All of the following steps must be performed in order to withdraw money from your accounts
EXCEPT
a. The identification number must be entered.
b. Your card must be inserted in the machine.
c. The amount of the withdrawal must be entered.
d. The card must be reclaimed in person from a bank teller.
4. In line 8 slot is closer in meaning to
a. envelope
b. drawer
c. opening
d. box
5. The word it in line 12 refers to
a. machine
b. card
c. number
d. bank
6. It may be concluded from this passage that
a. A fifty dollar withdrawal would be received in two packets.
b. A typical identification number would be 10227.
c. The maximum amount of money that may be withdrawn in one day is $200.
d. Withdrawals may be made from checking accounts only.
Text 2
Change the Classes on a Student Schedule
To drop a course on the day of open registration, obtain a drop-add petition from your
college office, complete it, and take it to your academic advisor for his or her signature. To add a
course, go to the student Union registration area, obtain a class card for a course you wish to add,
and pay the additional fee at the registrars desk.
To drop or add a course after the second day of classes, obtain a drop-add petition from
your college office, complete it, and take it to the instructor of the course in question for his or
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her signature. No drops or adds will be permitted after the first fifteen calendar days of each
quarter without permission of the dean of your college.
From Barrons Practice exercises for the TOEFL test, 1995
Questions
Select the best answer for each question.
1. In order to add a course after the second day of classes, it is necessary to obtain the
permission of
a. the dean of the college
b. the academic advisor
c. the instructor of the course
d. the registrar
2. The author mentions all of the following as requirements for dropping a course during
open registration EXCEPT
a. get a drop-add petition at the college office
b. fill out the drop-add petition
c. have the academic advisor sign the drop add petition
d. pay a fee at the registrars office
3. The word drop in line 1 most nearly means
a. enroll in
b. withdraw from
c. pay for
d. top offering
4. The word it in line 6 refers to
a. office
b. signature
c. petition
d. registration
5. It may be concluded from this passage that
a. everyone who wished to add courses must do so during the first fifteen days of class
b. the University is on a semester system
c. all students are assigned to an academic advisor
d. registration is held in the college office
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Vocabulary
Pronoun References
Subject Object Possessive Adjective Possessive Object Reflexive
I
You
We
They
He
She
It
Me
You
Us
Them
Him
Her
It
My
Your
Our
Their
His
Her
Its
Mine
Yours
Ours
Theirs
His
Hers
Its
Myself
Yourself
Ourselves
Themselves
Himself
Herself
Itself
Look at the sentences from the passages above:
If you attempt to withdraw more than the limited number of times, your card will be retained in
the machine, and you will have to reclaim it in person at your main branch bank.
(Text 1)
The using of it in the sentence above is used to substitute the previous statement; your card will
be retained in the machine. "It is an example of pronouns which is usually used to replace the
previous word, phrase, clause, or sentence. In the example above, it is used to replace a clause.
The using of pronoun is to avoid similar statement which has been stated before.
To drop or add a course after the second day of classes, obtain a drop-add petition from your
college, office, complete it, and take it to the instructor of the course in question for his or her
signature.
(Text 2, Line 6, 7)
The using of it in the sentence above is used to substitute the previous word; a drop-add
petition. Then, "his or her are also pronouns which replace the previous word; the instructor.
Read the following passage. The numbered reference in underlined words is listed after the
passage. In the space next to each reference word in the list, write the word that it refers to.
Throughout the year, chimpanzee food is quite varied, but it(1) is mainly vegetable material. At
times, however, the Gombe Park is loaded with insects termites, ants, caterpillars and the
chimpanzees will eat huge number of them(2). The chimpanzees really remarkable behavior
appears when they(3) gather termites. According to Suzuki and van Lawick Goodal, when
chimpanzees see that termites have pushed open their tunnels on the surface, they will go off to
find a suitable termiting tool. A foot long rather than, straight twig is best, and it may take a
quite a while to choose suitable sticks; then extraneous side branches and leaves must be
carefully cleared off. The ape may even select and prepare several at a time, carrying them (4)all
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back to the termiting hill firmly cupped in the closed palm of the hand while it (5) knuckle
walks. The chimpanzee will lie down on its side next to the termite hill, and with skill and care,
stick the twig into one of the open tunnels. The stick is wiggled, then slowly withdrawn; if it (6)
has termites adhering to it (7), the chimps licks them (8) off the tool, and does it (9) again. The job
may look simple, but it takes skill to maneuver the stick through the twisting termite corridors.
This is a complex learned behavior, involving the manufacture of an implement.
1. It : ____________________________________________________
2. Them : ____________________________________________________
3. They : ____________________________________________________
4. Them : ____________________________________________________
5. It : ____________________________________________________
6. It : ____________________________________________________
7. It : ____________________________________________________
8. Them : ____________________________________________________
9. It : ____________________________________________________
10. This : ____________________________________________________
Grammar Focus
Sentence Patterns
1. Subject Verb
He smiled
S V
2. Subject Verb Object
He shot a tiger
S V O
3. Subject Verb Adverb
My sister is in the garden.
S V Adv.
4. Subject Verb Indirect Object Direct Object
Father bought my brother a pair of shoes
S V Oi Od
5. Subject Verb - Direct Object to/for - Indirect Object
Father bought a pair of shoes for my brother.
S V Od Oi
6. Subject Verb Complement
My hobby is reading.
S V C
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7. Subject Verb Object Complement
We appointed him the leader of our group.
S V O C
The students made the teacher proud.
S V O C
Identify the patterns of the following sentences.
1. The job may look simple.
2. Your card will be retained in the machine.
3. All customers are limited to two withdrawals in one twenty four hour period.
4. No drops or adds will be permitted after the first fifteen calendar days.
5. The chimpanzee will lie down on its side next to the termite hill.
Writing Practice
Write a procedural text effectively. Choose one of these topics:
1. The process and procedure of saving accounts in a bank
2. How to apply a registration for a new student in university.
3. How to install and operate personal computer.
Use the correct pronouns and sentence patterns in your written text.
Summary
1. A procedural text is a text which gives instruction on how to do something.
2. A pronoun reference is the word that the pronoun is replacing and referring to, such as
her in the sentence Anggia is writing her thesis; her refers to or substitutes Anggia.
3. The English sentence should at least consist of one subject and one verb. The four basic
English sentence patterns are S V; S V O; S V C; and S V A.
Reflection
In this unit, you have learned what the procedural text is, how to recognize and to write
procedural texts and how to identify sentence patterns in English. Put a check on the column
based on your own self-assessment.
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Objectives Achieved More practice
needed
To recognize a procedural text
To write a procedural text
To identify sentence patterns
The following sites provide more practices on pronoun reference and procedural texts.
www.towson.edu
www.smartenglishcourse.com