Longman Dictionary of

PE2379 ch07.qxd 24/1/02 16:08 Page 559
or it may be the final sentence of a paragraph (a paragraph which follows
inductive reasoning – see INDUCTION). Sometimes the topic sentence in a
paragraph may be unstated but implied. In English a topic sentence often
contains an opinion that will be proved or supported in the paragraph or
a statement which the writer will explain in more detail in the paragraph.
For example, the first sentence in the following paragraph is the topic sentence.
In order to get a summer job, there are a number of things you should
do. You should first decide on the kind of job you want. You should
check all relevant sources for jobs. You should also start looking early.
It is also useful to prepare a short résumé. Above all, be confident and
don’t be discouraged by any refusals you may get.
total communication n
a method of teaching hearing impaired children which is based on the
simultaneous use of both SIGN LANGUAGE and spoken language. This
allows the child to use both vision and residual hearing. The results
achieved may depend on the MANUAL METHOD employed and the skill of
the teacher in matching the two systems of communication. Acquisition
of spoken language is said to be limited by this approach.
Total Physical Response n
also TPR
a language teaching METHOD developed by Asher in the early 1970s in
which items are presented in the foreign language as orders, commands,
and instructions requiring a physical response from the learner (e.g. opening
a window or standing up). TPR gives greater emphasis to comprehension
than many other teaching methods. Both this and the emphasis
on teaching language through physical activity are to lead to more effective
learning.
trace n
according to trace theory, when an element is moved in the course of a
DERIVATION, it leaves behind a trace in its original position. For example,
in (i) since “who” has been moved from subject position in a lower clause,
a trace is left behind in that position:
(i) who did you say [t i left]
A trace can be treated as an EMPTY CATEGORY.
See also RESUMPTIVE PRONOUN, MOVEMENT
trace theory n
see TRACE
trace theory
559