Joy English · Level C2 · Universityjoy-english.com
Office hours about a thesis
Name:Date:
Follow a campus conversation with advice and hesitation.
Listen to each sentence and write what you hear.
Audio and answer checking: https://joy-english.com/listening-lessons/office-hours-about-a-thesis
Words to know
- thesis
- A long piece of academic writing.
- tangled
- Twisted together in a confusing way.
- take away
- To remember as the main message.
- plainly
- In a simple and clear way.
Answer key
- Thank you for seeing me, Professor; I am afraid my thesis argument has become more tangled than I intended.“I am afraid” is a polite way to give bad news. “Thesis” starts with a soft th.
- That is hardly unusual at this stage, but tell me, what do you want the reader to take away?“Hardly unusual” means quite common. “Take away” here is a phrasal verb: remember as the main message.
- Honestly, I am no longer sure, because every chapter seems to pull in a slightly different direction.“No longer” means not any more. “Slightly” softens “different”.
- Then perhaps the chapters are not the problem; try writing a single paragraph that states your claim as plainly as possible.“Try writing” means experiment with writing. “As plainly as possible” is a fixed pattern.
- I will give that a go, and if it works, I may need to cut a chapter altogether.“Give that a go” is informal for try it. “Altogether” means completely, not “all together”.