English for General Purposes (UCS 1173) – Comprehensive Course Notes

Course Overview

• Course Title & Code: ENGLISH FOR GENERAL PURPOSES (UCS $1173$)
• Credit Hour Distribution: $6$ credit hours delivered across $8$ teaching weeks
• Lecturer: Fatin Hanini binti Abu Bakar – Department of Modern Languages
• Subject Status & Level
  • University Core Subject
  • Open to Diploma & Bachelor students
• Pre-Requisite: UCS $1163$ – English for Language Awareness
• Pedagogical Aim
  • Elevate students’ day-to-day and academic English proficiency
  • Integrated focus on speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary
  • Classes feature active-learning techniques (ice-breaking, projects, presentations) to keep lessons “fun and meaningful.”

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

• CO$1$ – Remember & Identify
  • Students identify rules of English grammar & sentence structure
  • Cognitive Domain: $C1$
  • Program Learning Outcome: PLO$1$
• CO$2$ – Apply & Demonstrate
  • Demonstrate correct grammar in social conversations
  • Affective Domain: $A2$
  • PLO$5$
• CO$3$ – Apply in Real Life
  • Use correct subject–verb agreement in authentic communication
  • Cognitive Domain: $C3$
  • PLO$2$

Assessment Framework

• Minor Project (Travel Blog) – $30\%$ of final grade
  • Emphasis: descriptive writing, multimedia integration, audience engagement
• Major Project (Talk Show) – $40\%$
  • Components: script writing, on-air speaking, teamwork, presentation skills
• Test $1$ – Included within weekly activities (weight not individually specified; subsumed under continuous assessment)
• Final Examination – Occurs Week $8$ (weight implied within cumulative $100\%$)

Grading Scale

• $A$ : $80\text{--}100$
• $A-$ : $75\text{--}79$
• $B+$ : $70\text{--}74$
• $B$ : $65\text{--}69$
• $B-$ : $60\text{--}64$
• $C+$ : $55\text{--}59$
• $C$ : $50\text{--}54$
• $C-$ : $46\text{--}49$
• $D+$ : $43\text{--}45$
• $D$ : $40\text{--}42$
• Fail (F) : $0\text{--}39$

Key References

• Van Rys, J., Meyer, V., VanderMey, R., Sebranek, P. ( $2022$ ). The College Writer: A Guide to Thinking, Writing, and Researching. Cengage Learning.
• Langan, J. ( $2019$ ). College Writing Skills with Readings. McGraw-Hill.
• Additional: Hashemi, L.; Murphy, R. ( $2019$ ). English Grammar in Use – Supplementary Exercises. Cambridge University Press.

Weekly Scheme of Work & Content Details

Week $1$ ( $07/07/2025$ – $11/07/2025$ ) – Course Introduction & Subject–Verb Agreement

• Ice-breaking to build class rapport
• Agreement with indefinite pronouns (everyone, someone)
• Compound subjects (e.g., Peanut butter and jelly is popular)
• Inverted sentences (There is/are)
• Minor Project officially administered

Week $2$ ( $14/07/2025$ – $18/07/2025$ ) – Grammar Skills Expansion

• Present Perfect – have/has + past participle; actions at an unspecified past time
• Past Perfect – had + past participle; earlier-than-past sequencing
• Transition Signals
  • Contrast, Addition, Cause & Effect, Sequence
  • Linking within/between paragraphs; avoid redundancy
• Administration of Major Project

Week $3$ ( $21/07/2025$ – $25/07/2025$ )

• Minor Project Submission – Travel Blog due

Week $4$ ( $28/07/2025$ – $01/08/2025$ ) – TEST $1$ & Adjective/Adverb Mastery

• Adjectives
  • Descriptive, Quantitative, Demonstrative
  • Prescribed order: opinion → size → age → shape → colour → origin
  • Structures with “too” / “enough”
• Adverbs
  • Types: Manner, Time, Place, Frequency, Degree
  • Comparative & Superlative forms (e.g., fast → faster → fastest)
• Ongoing Major Project consultations

Week $5$ ( $04/08/2025$ – $08/08/2025$ ) – Essay Writing Introduction

• Descriptive Essay
  • Sensory details (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch)
  • Organisation: spatial or chronological
  • Figurative language (simile, metaphor)
• Continued Major Project consultations

Week $6$ ( $11/08/2025$ – $15/08/2025$ )

• Major Project Submission & In-class Presentations – Talk Show

Week $7$ ( $18/08/2025$ – $22/08/2025$ ) – Higher-Order Grammar Skills

• Making Inference
  • Using context clues, implicit meaning, and idea-linking within sentences
• Giving Opinion
  • Phrases for strong vs. mild opinions, evidence-based balance, polite disagreement

Week $8$ ( $25/08/2025$ – $30/08/2025$ ) – Final Examination

• Note: National Day falls on $31/08$, outside exam window

Week $9$ ( $02/09/2025$ – $16/09/2025$ ) – Semester Break

• Includes Maulidur Rasul public holiday on $05/09$

Essay Types in Detail (Week $5$ Focus)

• Descriptive Essay
  • Purpose: paint a vivid picture; reader “experiences” the subject
  • Techniques:
  • Sensory language (e.g., The crisp scent of pine filled the chilly air)
  • Spatial order: describe left-to-right, top-to-bottom, near-to-far
  • Chronological order: narrate unfolding of a scene
  • Figurative devices: similes (as bright as the midday sun), metaphors (time is a thief)
• Expository Essay
  • Structure: Introduction → Body Paragraphs → Conclusion
  • Each body paragraph carries a single controlling idea, backed by evidence
  • Goal: explain complex ideas in clear, logical language

Integrated Grammar Highlights & Examples

• Subject–Verb Agreement with indefinite pronouns
  • Everyone is ready, not Everyone are
• Inverted sentences
  • There are many reasons / There is a reason
• Present Perfect vs. Past Perfect
  • Present Perfect: She has visited Japan (time not stated)
  • Past Perfect: She had visited Japan before she moved to Korea
• Transition Signals
  • Contrast: however, nevertheless
  • Addition: moreover, furthermore
  • Cause & Effect: therefore, consequently
  • Sequence: firstly, subsequently
• “Too” vs. “Enough”
  • The soup is too hot to drink.
  • The room is warm enough for comfort.

Practical & Pedagogical Connections

• Active participation is embedded via projects (Travel Blog ⟶ digital literacy; Talk Show ⟶ oral fluency).
• Builds on UCS $1163$ by moving from language awareness to language production.
• Real-world utility: emailing lecturers, presenting in tutorials, creating content (blogs, podcasts).
• Ethical & cultural awareness: polite disagreement, respect for diverse opinions.

Key Dates & Timelines

• Minor Project administered: Week $1$; due Week $3$
• Major Project administered: Week $2$; due & presented Week $6$
• Test $1$: Week $4$
• Final Exam: Week $8$
• Semester Break: Week $9$

Classroom Logistics

• Weekly Contact Time: $2$ hours (lecture/tutorial blend)
• Typical Class Size Reference: “Room $2$ hours” notation indicates a standard timetable block

Study Tips Drawn from Course Design

• Review grammar points each week to align with upcoming assessments.
• Use reference texts for targeted practice (e.g., extra exercises from English Grammar in Use).
• For projects, apply transition signals and subject–verb agreement rules explicitly to secure marks aligned with CO$2$ and CO$3$.