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English · Study lab created 2026-11-02
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Read an argument with two sides: find the structure, the key vocabulary and the cause → effect language, then use them in your own writing
Source: Technology Today and Tomorrow, 3rd ed., Eric Thompson, McGraw-Hill, 1997, pp. 327–330, slightly abridged (course pages 9–10). The full text is in your Homework 01-I5.pdf; this page summarises it in new words and does not copy it.
The text is from 1997 and written from an American point of view (“Americans have come to rely upon the automobile”). Some examples are dated (VCRs), but the argument still works, and it fits Phnom Penh very well (traffic, motorbikes, new roads, pollution).
Read the introduction and conclusion first. Both say transport has positive and negative impacts.
Why: they tell you the plan of the whole text before the details.
Find the turn. Locate the contrast signal where the text moves from benefits to problems.
Why: the contrast word splits the body into two groups: 5 positive, 4 negative points.
One point per paragraph. For each body paragraph write its main point in your own words and note one key word or example (table above).
Why: writing it in your own words proves you understood, and avoids copying.
Write the main idea in one sentence that covers both sides.
Why: a main idea that names only the benefits would miss half of the text.
| Part | Main point (in my words) | Key words / example in the text |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Transportation has both good and bad effects. | “positive and negative impacts” |
| Positive 1 · history | Better transport helped countries grow and people explore and settle far regions; today we explore oceans and space. | canals, railroads, highways |
| Positive 2 · business growth | Moving products lets producers reach bigger markets → sales rise → demand rises → more people start businesses. | business growth |
| Positive 3 · choice and price | Products reach more people, so customers can choose and producers compete on price. | competitive pricing |
| Positive 4 · world trade | Countries can trade with each other. | timber from Southeast Asia to Japan; electronics back |
| Positive 5 · travel | People travel farther in less time, meet customers and other cultures. | Cambodian students visiting the Eiffel Tower |
| Negative 1 · value | Too much of the same product in one place lowers its value. | supply and value |
| Negative 2 · traffic | Heavy reliance on cars causes daily traffic jams, sometimes gridlock. | gridlock = no vehicle can move |
| Negative 3 · costs | Taxes for building and maintaining roads; homes and land lost to new roads; lives lost in accidents. | costs “not measured in dollars” |
| Negative 4 · pollution | Abandoned vehicles (land/visual pollution) and exhaust (air pollution); technology helps but people must act too. | exhaust smoke |
| Conclusion | Both sides exist; understanding transport systems helps us improve them and reduce the harm. | “As can be seen …” |
Main idea: transportation brings big economic and social benefits, but also real costs, so we should understand it in order to improve it.
| Word | Meaning here | Your own example |
|---|---|---|
| tremendous (adj.) | very large, very strong | The internet had a tremendous impact on education. |
| settle (v.) | go to live in a new place permanently | Many families settled near the new highway. |
| expand (v.) | make bigger | The café expanded its market by delivering online. |
| demand (n.) | how much people want to buy something | Demand for iced coffee rises in the hot season. |
| business growth | more businesses start because demand rises | Delivery apps led to business growth in Phnom Penh. |
| competitive pricing | sellers lower prices to win customers | Competitive pricing keeps phone prices low. |
| cargo (n.) | goods carried by ship, plane or truck | The ship carried cargo to Sihanoukville. |
| countless (adj.) | too many to count | I have watched countless tutorials. |
| facilities (n.) | buildings or services for a purpose (stations, airports) | The new airport has modern facilities. |
| rely (up)on (v.) | depend on | Students rely on motorbikes to get to class. |
| gridlock (n.) | traffic so bad that nothing can move | The rain caused gridlock near the market. |
| maintenance (n.) | keeping something in good condition | Road maintenance is paid for by taxes. |
| discarded / abandoned (adj.) | thrown away / left with no owner | An abandoned car blocked the street. |
| exhaust (n.) | gas and smoke that come out of an engine | Exhaust from old trucks pollutes the air. |
| abridged (adj.) | made shorter | The text is slightly abridged from a textbook. |
The writer links ideas with signals. Reuse them in your own writing:
| Signal | Function | Pattern | New example |
|---|---|---|---|
| By + -ing | method → result | By doing X, subject does Y. | By selling online, small shops reach more customers. |
| …, which (generally) causes … | result | clause, which causes noun to verb | Roads were improved, which caused travel time to fall. |
| As X increases, Y … | things change together | As + subject + verb, … | As demand increases, prices often rise. |
| Because of + noun | cause | Because of transportation, … | Because of the new bridge, trade became easier. |
| …, allowing … to … | result | clause, allowing someone to do | Buses run every 10 minutes, allowing students to arrive on time. |
| However / Even though | contrast | However, … / Even though X, Y. | Even though cars are convenient, they cause traffic jams. |
| Just as X, Y also … | parallel contrast (turns to the other side) | Just as X can …, it can also … | Just as phones connect us, they can also distract us. |
| As can be seen, … | conclusion | As can be seen, + summary | As can be seen, the plan has both costs and benefits. |
Transportation helps countries develop, businesses grow, prices fall, trade happen and people travel. It also lowers the value of oversupplied goods, causes traffic and gridlock, costs taxes, land and lives, and pollutes. Understanding the system helps us keep the benefits and reduce the harm.
Transportation has both positive and negative impacts, and understanding how it works helps us improve it and reduce the negative ones.
Transporting products → larger markets → more sales → more demand → more people start similar businesses.
If too much of the same product is brought to one place, supply is greater than demand, so its value goes down.
Homes and land given up for new roads and airports, and lives lost in accidents.
People must also do their part to protect the environment.
Topic sentence naming both sides: “Motorbikes are the main way to travel in Phnom Penh, and they bring clear advantages as well as serious disadvantages.”
Why: the reader knows at once that both sides will come.
Two advantages with examples: speed in narrow streets (By moving …), low cost (allowing … to).
Why: each advantage gets a concrete reason, not just a label.
Turn: “However, the same popularity creates problems.”
Why: one short sentence marks the change of direction clearly.
Two disadvantages with examples: rush-hour traffic jams; accidents without helmets; plus exhaust pollution.
Why: examples from daily life make the paragraph convincing.
Concluding sentence: start with “As can be seen,” and give a balanced final thought.
Why: the conclusion repeats the idea, not the words, and adds a short suggestion.
Check the length: 138 words (target 120–150).
Task: write one paragraph (120–150 words): “What are the advantages and disadvantages of motorbikes as the main transport in Phnom Penh?”
Plan it with the five steps on W01 · The Essay Writing Process.
Summaries, vocabulary examples, the language table and questions are new study material written for this page.
Five steps from first ideas to a polished essay, shown on your own essay “My Daily Routine”
| Step | Goal | How | Don't worry about |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Explore & generate ideas | Get many ideas on paper | Brainstorm list, mind map / clustering, freewriting, journaling | Mistakes, order, quality |
| 2 · Plan & organise (outline) | Choose the best ideas and put them in a logical order | Introduction (general statements + thesis), 2–3 body paragraphs (topic sentence + details), conclusion | Full sentences |
| 3 · Draft | Turn the outline into paragraphs | Write quickly, follow the outline | Spelling and grammar (yet) |
| 4 · Revise | Improve content and structure | Add, remove, move sentences; check thesis, topic sentences, details, transitions, conclusion | Small language errors |
| 5 · Edit & proofread | Make the language correct | Grammar (subject–verb agreement, tenses), spelling, punctuation, capitals, word choice | — |
Revise = rethink what you say. Edit = correct how you say it. Do revising first: there is no point polishing a sentence you will delete.
Brainstorm: list ideas freely; you already asked whether the weekend fits the topic.
Why: questioning ideas early protects unity: every sentence must support the thesis.
Outline: thesis with three parts (morning, afternoon, evening), one body paragraph each.
Why: a parallel plan makes the essay easy to follow.
Draft: write quickly in time order; errors are expected.
Why: drafting and correcting at the same time slows both down.
Revise: 7 changes — new introduction and thesis, topic sentences, time order, weekend sentence removed, details, transitions, new conclusion.
Why: revision changes meaning and organisation, not just words.
Edit: fix grammar (subject–verb agreement, one tense, comma splices, plurals, capitals, contractions) — see the table above.
Why: editing comes last because revised sentences would need editing again.
Kong Sattha · I5 · dated 30 Oct 2026 · PDF / Word. All five steps are complete.
| Step | What you did | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Brainstorm | Brainstorm list: weekday timeline and weekend ideas, with a note “maybe not for this topic?” | Good: you already questioned whether the weekend fits. That is unity thinking at step 1. |
| 2 · Outline | Thesis with three parts (morning, afternoon, evening) and one body paragraph for each | Clear and parallel. Each topic sentence matches one part of the thesis. |
| 3 · Draft | Short draft following time order | Normal first draft: weak intro (“I will tell about my day”), weekend sentence inside Body 2, many grammar errors (see below). |
| 4 · Revise | 7 changes: new intro and thesis, topic sentences, time order, removed weekend sentence, more details, transitions, new conclusion | Excellent list. Every change is a revision (content/structure), not an edit. |
| 5 · Edit | Final essay: 5 paragraphs, about 380 words | Grammar is correct throughout. Strong thesis–conclusion link and a nice final thought (why weekends feel good). |
| Draft | Correct | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone have a different routine. | Everyone has … | everyone is singular → verb + s |
| I wakes up at 6 and prepared for class. | I wake up at 6:00 a.m. and get ready … | no -s after I; keep one tense (present for routines) |
| My class start at 7 and finish at 11. | My class starts … finishes | subject–verb agreement |
| … with no sugar, it help me wake up. | … with no sugar because it helps me wake up. | comma splice: two sentences joined by a comma; + agreement |
| lunch break for two hour | a two-hour lunch break / two hours | plural after numbers; compound adjective has no s |
| play Mobile Legend some match | play a few matches of Mobile Legends | word order: quantity → noun; proper name |
| with my classmate | with my classmates | more than one |
| sometime go thrifting | sometimes | sometimes = adverb of frequency |
| americano | Americano | capital letter (from a proper noun) |
| At 1 / at 11 | At 1:00 p.m. / at 11:00 p.m. | clear, consistent time format |
| Thats my weekday. Its long … | That's … It's … (or avoid contractions) | apostrophe; formal essays avoid contractions |
| I will tell about my day. | (removed: thesis instead) | announcing is not a thesis; tell you about |
Brainstorm freely, outline (thesis + topic sentences), draft quickly, revise ideas and structure, then edit language. Your essay shows the whole process working: the draft had the right ideas, revision gave it structure, and editing made it correct.
Step 5, editing (subject–verb agreement).
Revising: it changes order and structure, not grammar.
Example: I spend a typical weekend in three ways: resting in the morning, doing housework in the afternoon, and meeting friends in the evening.
The traffic is bad, so I leave early. / Because the traffic is bad, I leave early.
A restatement of the thesis / main points, and a final thought.