Developing Writing Skills in Arabic

Book excerpt: Developing Writing Skills in Arabic is specifically designed for upper-intermediate to advanced students who need to write Arabic for personal, professional and academic purposes. Making use of reading comprehension, analysis of stylistic devices, a functional approach to grammar and well-graded exercises, the book exposes the student to a wide variety of styles and registers. Each chapter starts with a passive approach by letting the students analyze and discuss a sample text in the genre. It then moves on to a productive approach by expanding vocabulary, practicing using stylistic devices, studying grammar points pertinent to the main linguistic function of the chapter, and concludes with writing short and long compositions, both guided and free. The following writing styles and genres are covered: Personal writing – greetings, congratulating, condolences, social and family contact Professional writing – advertising, applying to a school, writing a résumé Giving instructions – notes, directions, recipes, technical instructions Description and comparison – objects and places, people and characters Narration – events and stories, autobiographies, biographies and diaries Academic writing – stating an idea, explaining a hypothesis, providing examples, facts and data. Written by an experienced teacher of Arabic and trialled with non-native students of Arabic, Developing Writing Skills in Arabic is the ideal resource to help students write clearly, coherently and appropriately in a variety of contexts.