Copying

Since most writers work very hard to get each word exactly right and in exactly the right order, there are no better words to use in discussing what the work is about than those of the literary work itself. Then, you could just rewrite the text word for word.

Copying texts was a common practice in medieval monasteries, but nowadays, when we have printing and photocopying, it would not seem to be very useful. Still, it’s a good exercise for teaching yourself accuracy and attention to detail, and you will probably discover things about the text you are copying that you would be unlikely to notice otherwise. Early in a course, particularly, copying could serve as a useful step in the direction of learning how to read and later to quote a passage, to illustrate or prove a point you are making. But copying is not, in itself, writing about literature.

2.1. Copy the following text. Be very attentive while writing. After you have rewritten the text count all the mistakes you it contains.

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the EU rather than German which was the other possibility. As part the negotiations, Her Majesty’s Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would be known as “Euro-English”.

In the first, “s” will replace the soft “c”. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard “c” will be dropped in favour of the “k”. this should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan have 1 less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the second year, when the troublesome “ph” will be replaced with “f”. This will make words like “fotograf” 20% shorter.

In the 3^rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be eksekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al will agre that the horrible mes of the silent “e”s in the language is disgraceful, and they should go away. By the fourth year, people wil be resentiv to steps such as replasing “th” with “z” and “w” with “v”. during ze fifz year, ze unesesary “o” kan be dropd from vords kontaining “ou” and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of letters.

After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi to understand ech ozer. Ze drem vil finali kum tru! And zen ve vil tak over ze world!