Composition and essay

A composition is a creative literary work, raising several issues or dealing with one problem in detail. An essay is a short composition on any subject. Before you can write on any subject it is necessary to accumulate a stock of ideas related to it.

Beginning of Compositions and Es­says. A good beginning is of great importance, for we naturally desire to hold the readers’ attention from the first. The opening paragraph should appear to be natural and it can often be direct. It is a good plan to get right into the subject to be discussed, arrest the attention of the reader with the first sentence.

There are many ways of beginning an essay or composition, among them: a) general reflection; b) a definition that immediately introduces the subject; c) a quotation or a proverb; d) a joke – if appropriate, this is a neat way of beginning.

Whatever the form of opening, it should make the reader hungry for more.

Ending of Compositions and Essays. The ending should obviously prove to the reader that the subject has been nicely rounded off; that the whole is finished and complete.

The Body of a Composition or an Essay. Before beginning to write, it is a good idea to think of an outline, “a skeleton” whose bones must later be fleshed out, and then to gradually expand each point of the outline into a paragraph.

Suppose the subject is “An Apple Orchard”. Let your mind dwell on the subject for a while, and then write down the ideas you get; put them down just as they come; do not try to make any attempt at arrangement. Here are some that may be suggested: an apple orchard in spring time – the sight of the blossom on a pleasant spring day – the appearance of the flower when you observe it closely – its delicate pink and white colouring – the general snow-like effect of all the blossom when you view it from a dis­tance. The same orchard in early autumn when the apples are ripe – the uses of the apples – home-grown fruit. Any reference to apples in literature – the Bible, William Tell, etc. From the above notes we can make the fol­lowing headings, which help us make an outline:

a. Appearance of an apple orchard in spring-time;

b. The blossom;

c. The orchard in autumn;

d. Joys of an apple orchard;

e. The uses of apples;

f. References to apples in literature.

Each of these headings should represent a paragraph, and the last paragraph should round off the whole.

The making of an outline to base your writing upon is always extremely important. Before begin­ning to write your essay, examine the outline to make sure that there is a development from the opening paragraph to the end. Observe the following stages when writing:

Collect your material.

Select the information you need.

Arrange the material in the order of presentation according to your plan.

Write down the main topics of each paragraph.

Indicate the development under each topic.

Make a rough draft.

Correct the rough draft and make your final copy.

TECHNICAL / SCIENTIFIC ESSAY

A technical or scientific essay should be written in a very precise, clear and lucid style, hardly allowing of any digressions. When writing a technical essay, keep to the following scheme: make an introduction to the theme; put forward a thesis or raise a controversial issue; present argumentation in favour of or against the thesis; cite several illustrative examples (do not give too many!) or provide relevant statistical data; make a logical and well-grounded conclusion; indicate further possible developments of the theme; if you have quoted or referred to any sources (which should not be done to excess), make a special section “References” at the end of your essay and list the sources in order of their citation in the main text.

Given below is a model technical essay on whether it is economically feasible to develop the Shtokman gas field. Study the essay carefully, pay particular attention to the style, advanced grammar patterns and technical vocabulary, and see how our scheme for essay-writing is implemented.

Important Development Projects in Russia:

their Impact on the Area and People’s Lives.

The Shtokman Gas Field – Thinking the Unthinkable

The Russian Government has adopted the concept of the long-term development for the period up to 2020, which envisages an economy based on innovation and leading-edge technologies. This can only be achieved, as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has repeatedly stressed in his addresses to the nation, through the implementation of important development projects in all branches of economy [1]. However, a number of high-profile projects have been abandoned due to the mounting economic crisis (for example, construction tycoon Sergei Polonsky has become the latest casualty of the crisis after his debt-laden company Mirax suspended financing on its activities and especially on its landmark Federation Tower in Moscow [2]). There is also a process of marking time in the implementation of other projects, the Shtokman gas field among them.

With 3.2 trillion cubic metres of gas stored deep under the icy Barents Sea, the Shtokman gas field is a cornerstone of Russia’s gas policy. Once developed, this $ 20 billion project will yield up to 70 billion cubic metres a year destined for Western Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline, thus securing Russia’s position as the chief energy supplier of the continent for decades to come [3]. However, quite in line with Edmund Burke’s words, ‘it is the nature of all greatness not to be exact’ [4], the developers do not seem to have any precise idea when the project will actually get underway.

The Shtokman Development CEO has recently explained that the planning stage is complete and that the developers have entered the investment stage, with a final investment decision involving all partners to be possibly made in 2010 and gas production to start in 2015. Many experts suggest, however, that the project might be uneconomical at today’s gas prices and because of the precarious economic situation. Besides, the perspective investors have a very vague notion as to how exactly such a difficult project will be implemented. The field is too far out in the sea. 600 km is undoubtedly too much [5]. So, do the developers and Russia’s government think the unthinkable?

The answer is apparently ‘no’. To think the unthinkable you have to be bolder than this. The ultimate benefits of the project by far outweigh the initial disadvantages, providing the case for its fast implementation. First, with the now-available technology developed to gain access to condensed gas stores 350 metres below the surface of an icy sea, Shtokman would pave the way for the development of other Arctic fields, whose gas stores are infinitely vast [5]. Second, the investment drawn from the project would be a boon for Russia’s impoverished northwest regions, providing for the creation of thousands of workplaces and for an improved infrastructure. Murmansk, for instance, would be turned into an Arctic transportation hub. And last but not least, the Shtokman project is very science-intensive. If it gets underway, it will provide a powerful incentive to the related industries to develop and implement new technologies. This conforms to the philosophy of the present-day Russia’s development, which implies that by 2014-2017 the share of the science-intensive products should equal the share of the traditional sectors of economy in GDP, exceeding the share of the oil-and-gas complex [1]. So, if the project succeeds its economic and symbolic importance will be immense.

Fine, you say, but how would we ever get from here to there? Hard to say, admittedly. Some participants of the first Murmansk Economic Forum on Arctic Development held October 15-17, 2009 conceded that there was a sense of more talk than action. For the investors hoping for a piece of the Shtokman pie, the forum was primarily a venue to get to know each other. A participant from the US said that he had got a sense that the forum, which sought to raise confidence in the Shtokman project, was mostly about asking for money. To put it in a nutshell, raise the money and the idea will be thinkable! In the cold light of day, however, it can be very problematic, as foreign investors do not place too much confidence in the ailing Russian economy.

REFERENCES

Speech by the Russian President at the Expanded Meeting of the State Council on Russia’s Development Strategy up to 2020. February 8, 2008. – http://eng.kremlin.ru/speeches/2008/02/08/1137_type82912type82913_159643.shtml

Bentley, E. Mirax Faces Asset Loss / E. Bentley // The Moscow News. – No. 39 (4391). – October 13-19, 2009.

Shtokman Gas Field / Wikipedia. – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shtokman_field

Burke, E. On American Taxation (1775) / E. Burke // quoted from Oxford Quick Reference Quotations. – Ed. by S. Ratcliffe. – Oxford University Press, 1999. – P. 45. [Edmund Burke (1729-97) was an Anglo-Irish statesmen and a famous public speaker.]

Arutunyan, A. Waiting for Shtokman / A. Arutunyan // The Moscow News. – No. 40 (4392). – October 20-26, 2009.

PART IV

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