General English Level 5 GELEV5 Unit 05 Topic 04.doc (1a) Although cloning is still in its very new, it has had one very public success … (1b) Cloning technology also has many medical uses … (2a) Genetic modification (GM) is another recent scientific development… (2b) On the one hand, these developments can improve food production around the world … 3. Reports sometimes finish with a conclusion, where we write a summary of the information in the body of the report, or a statement that rounds off the report in some way. Not all reports have a conclusion. These two developments in gene technology, although meant for positive purposes, open a door to negative and therefore controversial uses. Cloning and GM foods have changed and will continue to change the way we live. Impersonal language A report is formal and impersonal. We don't use I or we (the first person) We don't include personal experiences or examples, or give a personal opinion. We usually talk about people and things in general (e.g. scientists, animals, cloning, research). Examples Scientists hoped that this technique could be used to produce identical, superior farm animals. However, it has not been very successful so far, and many cloned animals have died soon after birth. The cloning of humans, while it seems technically possible, needs a lot more research … In some reports we do talk about specific people, things or events (e.g. Dolly, the sheep). Present tense A report is generally written in the present tense, and the verbs to be and to have are used a lot. Examples 1. Genes are the main unit of inheritance in all living things. 2. These developments are controversial … 3. Although cloning is still very new, it has had one very public success … 4. This is an example of reproductive cloning … 5. It has the potential to cure many diseases … 176 QUESTLANGUAGE