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iNFRODUCTION

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day you probably do many kinds of informal writing, For example, you may
make lists of things to buy at the supermarket or send text messages to your friends.
Informal writing may contain slang, abbreviations, and incomplete sentences. In
contrast, academic writing—the type of writing you have to do in school—is formal
and has many rules. It is different from everyday English, and it may be different from
the academic writing that you have done in your native language.

This book will help you learn and practice the format, sentence structure, and
organization appropriate for academic writing. Chapter 1 presents the basic format
and features of an academic paragraph. At the end of this chapter, you will write an
academic paragraph of your own.

ANALYZING THE MODEL

eet ee SE

The writing model is about a well-known person who has made a difference.

Read the model. Then answer the questions.

# Writing Model

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A Person Who Has Made a Difference: George Lucas

1 Filmmaker George Lucas has changed the film industry in many ways. 2He has written,

directed, and produced some of the best-loved movies of our time. 3 He has also made
major

contributions to modern film technology. 4 At first, Lucas did not plan to become a
filmmaker.

His dream was to become a racecar driver. 6 After a bad accident, however, he had to
modify
his plans, and he decided to get an education. 7 In college, Lucas studied moviemaking and

made a number of student films. 6 Lucas's third feature film, Star Wars, changed everything.

9A seemingly simple story of good versus evil, Star Wars became a huge international hit.
10 The

movie used new technologies that revolutionized the film industry. 11 One of these
technologies

was a special computer-assisted camera crane (a tall machine with a long metal arm for
lifting

heavy things). 12 Camera operators filmed most of the space fight scenes from the crane, 13
Lucas

is also responsible for the modern THX audio system, which improves the way a movie
sounds

in theaters. 14 In addition, Lucas was one of the first people to use computer-generated
images

(CGI) in filmmaking. 15 In fact, Lucas's company Industrial Light and Magic has created
special

effects for hundreds of movies including Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Star
Trek

films. 16 To sum up, George Lucas’s love of storytelling and his technological innovations
have

‘completely changed moviemaking forever.

Academic Paragraphs 3

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Questions about the Model
1. Whois this paragraph about?
2. What is the writer’s main point about this person?

3, What kinds of words are capitalized in the paragraph? Circle three examples of
capitalization: a person’s name, the title of a movie, and an abbreviation formed
from the first letter of words.

4. In Sentence 1, filmmaker George Lucas is the subject. What is the verb?

# Noticing Vocabulary: Word Families

Good writers make sure that the words they use have the right meaning and are in the
correct form. They know that the members of a word family are related to each other
and have a shared meaning. Learning more about word families will help you choose
words carefully and improve your writing.

The chart has examples of the noun and verb members of some common word
families. Notice the spelling patterns at the ends of the words, highlighted in yellow.
Word endings (suffixes) can sometimes help you figure out whether a word is a noun
ora verb.

Identifying Nouns and Verbs in Word Families

Work with a partner. Complete the chart with nouns and verbs from
the writing model on page 3.

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FEPRRTEEM Forming Nouns

Work with a partner. Complete the chart with nouns. Use one of these
noun endings: -or/-er, -tion/-sion/-ication, -ance/-ence, -ism, -ment, -ness.
‘Check form and spelling in a dictionary.

Vers

ORGANIZATION

In this section, you will learn how to format and organize a paragraph. From the
writing model on page 3, you can see that a paragraph is a group of related sentences.
A paragraph focuses on and develops one topic. The first sentence states the specific
point, or controlling idea, about the topic. The rest of the sentences in the paragraph
support the controlling idea.

In the writing model on page 3, the first sentence states the topic (George Lucas) and
the controlling idea about the topic (George Lucas changed the film industry). The rest
of the sentences in the paragraph support the controlling idea. The model also shows
the format of an academic paragraph.

Academic Paragraphs 5

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FORMATTING THE PAGE

When you prepare assignments for this class, pay attention to the page format.
There are instructions to follow for both handwritten and computer-written work.

Page Format for Handwritten Work

Paper

Use 8 12-inch-by-11-inch lined, three-hole paper. The three holes should be on the left
side as you write. Write on one side of the paper only.

Ink
Use black or dark-blue ink only.
Heading

Write your full name in the upper right or upper left corner. On the next line, write the
course number. On the third line of the heading, write the date when the assignment is
due in the order month-day-year with a comma after the day.

Assignment Title
Center the title of your paragraph on the first line.
Margins

Leave a 1-inch margin on the left and right sides of the paper. Also leave a 1-inch
margin at the bottom of the page.

Body

Skip one line and start your writing on the third line. Indent (move to the right) the
first sentence 1/2 inch from the left margin.

Spacing
Leave a blank line between each line of writing.

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cli |
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cod Marciela Perez

wen > English OOF HeaoInc

our ose ——> April 2,20___|

(2)

| | Stiwe zoe une > _ Introducing Myself

anion

+
TWOENT THE RST

ee ey —> Hello! 1 would like to introduce myself to you. My name is

Marciela Perez. | am a student from the country of El Salvador. | was
ee nes ie in a little town near San Salvador, the capital of our country.
1 graduated from high school there. | came to the United States two
| yearsago with my mother and my two sisters. We went to New York,

Oo | where my Aunt Rosa lives. We lived with her in her apartment in

| Brooklyn for si months. She helen iz sisters and me get jobs. 1 work

eave tency |
‘MARGINS ON THE |

tenor, wo fora home health care agency. | help elderly people with their basic

“needs. | work near City College: where my sisters and | take classes to
learn English. Now we have our own apartment near the college. My

sisters and ! work during the day and go to school at night. 1 want to quit

my job and go to school full-time. | hope to go to college and become

Oo |_a nurse practitioner. | speak Spanish fluently. 1 don't think | have any
other special talents. My hobbies are making jewelry and going

to movies.

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Page Format for Work Done on a Computer
Paper

Use 8 V2-inch-by-1l-inch white paper.

Font

Use a standard font, such as Times New Roman. Do not use underlining, italics,
or bold type to emphasize words. It is not correct to do so in academic writing.
Use underlining or italics only when required for titles of books and some
other publications.

Heading

‘Type your full name in the upper left or upper right corner 1/2 inch from the top of
the page. On the next line, type the course number. On the third line of the heading,
type the date the assignment is due in the order month-day-year with a comma after
the day.

Assignment Title

Skip one line, and then center your title. Use the centering icon on your word
processing program.

Body

Skip one line and start typing on the third line. Use the TAB key to indent (move to the
right) the first line of the paragraph. (The TAB key automatically indents five spaces.)

Margins

Leave a 1-inch margin on the left, right, and bottom.

Spacing

Double-space the body.

Saving Files

Remember to save your work. Ask your teacher how to name files.

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‘Your name —> Marciela Perez
counst __ English 001 HEADING mane
ue ore —> April 2, 2014

‘90 A UNE AND THEN .

ae
conten THe MLE Introducing Myself.

Souter tve, —> Hello! I would like to introduce myself to you. My name is
a Marciela Perez. I am a student from the country of E] Salvador.
I was born in a little town near San Salvador, the capital of our
oni <= __Sountry I graduated from high school there. I came to the United
States two years ago with my mother and my two sisters. We went
to New York, where my Aunt Rosa lives. We lived with her in her
apartment in Brooklyn for six months. She helped my sisters and

me get jobs. I work for a home health care agency. I help elderly

ewe taney PeOPle with their basic needs. I work near City College, where my

MARGINS ON THREE '

‘sive. sisters and I take classes to learn English. Now we have our own

apartment near the college. My sisters and I work during the day
and go to school at night. I want to quit my job and go to school
full-time. I hope to go to college and become a nurse practitioner.
I speak Spanish fluently, I don’t think I have any other special

talents, My hobbies are making jewelry and going to movies.

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Ona separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph introducing yourself to your
teacher and classmates. Use the models on pages 7 and 9 as guides. Write the
paragraph by hand, or use a computer. Format correctly.

Ask yourself these questions. Use your answers as a basis for your writing.
Add other information if you wish.

What is your name, and where were you born?

What do you want to say about your family?

What languages do you speak?

Where did you go to school? What were (or are) your favorite subjects?

What jobs have you had in the past? What job do you have now?
Why are you learning English?
What is your goal or your dream?

Do you have any special talents or hobbies?

yen aye ep

What do you do in your free time?

Give titles to the paragraphs Ree to Bese

Soe Dah tle

MECHANICS

In English there are many rules for using capital letters. You probably know a lot of
them already.

1. The first word in a sentence “My best friend is my bird.

2, The pronoun I He and I never argue.

3, Abbreviations and acronyms formed fromthe USA IBM AIDS.

first letters of words UN vw CBS
4, All proper nouns. Proper nouns include God Allah

a. Names of deities ~ ‘Mr. and Mrs, John Smith

b. Names of people and their titles

+ President George Washington

aur Nor a title without a name my math professor, the former prime minister
Nore: Some writers capitalize titles such as. The president (OR President) will speak to the
president and prime minister when they nation on television tonight.

clearly refer to one person.

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james of specific groups of people
(nationalities, races, and ethnic groups),
languages, and religions

d. Names of specific places on a map

e. Names of specific geographic areas

BUT Nor the names of compass directions

Names of days, months, and special days

BUT Nor the names of the seasons

g- Names of specific structures such as

buildings, bridges, dams, monuments

h. Names of specific organizations

(government agencies, businesses, schools,
clubs, teams)

i, Names of school subjects with course

numbers
BUT NOT names of classes without
numbers, except languages

j. First, last, and all important words (nouns,

pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs) in the
titles of books, magazines, newspapers,
plays, films, stories, songs, paintings,
statues, television programs
BUT Nor articles, conjunctions, and
prepositions
Nore: Italicize (or underline) titles of books,

magazines, newspapers, plays, and

films. Use quotation marks for short
stories and song titles.

New York Ci North Pole

Indian Ocean ‘Main Street

the Middle East Eastern Europe

Drive east for two blocks, and then turn south

Monday Independence Day

January Ramadan

spring, summer, fall (autumn), winter

Golden Gate Bridge

‘State Department

‘Bank of Canada

Harvard University

New York Yankees

French Students Club

United Nations

Business Administration 312

‘Chemistry 101

chemistry

French literature

War and Peace

“The Three Little Pigs”

Toronto Star

‘Paris Match

“Jingle Bells”

‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

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ELGG Applying Capitalization Rules

Look at the mode! on page 9 again. Copy nine more words or groups of words
that begin with a capital letter. Add the capitalization rule next to each entry.
(Note: Don't copy the first words of sentences or names that are repeated.)

1, Marciela Perez—name of a person

3.

soe

10.

Correcting Capitalization Errors in Sentences

Find the errors in capitalization. Make corrections.

1. Jaema is a student fromJdia, She es Hed, ana Hind

2. her major is business.

3. thanksgiving is a holiday in both canada and the united states, but it is celebrated
on different days in the two countries.

4. it is celebrated on the fourth thursday in november in the united states and on the
second monday in october in canada.

5. istanbul is a seaport city in turkey.

6. greenhills college is located in boston, massachusetts.

7. iam taking four classes this semester: american history, sociology 32, economics
40, and a digital product design course.

8. i just read a good book by ernest hemingway called the old man and the sea.

9. my roommate is from the south, so she speaks english with a southern accent.

10. the two main religions in japan are buddhism and shintoism.

42 CHAPTER 1