ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES 1

SECOND SEMESTER | ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-2024

LANGUAGE USED IN ACADEMIC TEXT FROM o Academic writing is all about thinking:
VARIOUS DISCIPLINES - It follows certain rules and standards.
o Writing is one of the Four Macro Skills that a student - Language to be used in writing academic text
should possess. It is one of the media of should be formal.
communication in order for us to pass information to - The audience should be first taken into
people. consideration.
o Academic Writing - is a kind of writing that can be o All the information included in this kind of text
used in academia or school. should be backed up by valid evidences.
1. Subject – pertains to the topic of the text.
FOUR FEATURES OF LANGUAGE
2. Tone – pertains to the attitude of the writer
1. Formality reflects your dignified stance in writing as
about the text. It can be distinguished through
a member of an academic community.
the words used by the author.
- This means that in your writing, you should
3. Purpose – is information that an author wants to
avoid colloquial words and expressions.
imply to the reader.
- Language use requires precision to make it a
4. Language – are the words used by the author in
legitimate piece of writing.
writing an academic text. Academic writing
- Formality can be achieved through the following
requires formal language.
ways:
5. Audience – pertains to the reader in writing.
▪ Choosing expanded modal forms over
6. Point of View – refers to how the writer tells the
contracted forms, such as using cannot
information in the reading text. An academic text
instead of can’t, do not instead of don’t.
is always in the third person point of view.
▪ Choosing one verb form over two-word
7. Style – refers to how the author arranges his or
verbs, such as damage instead of mess up.
her writing.
▪ Choosing expanded terms over their
8. Knowledge – is the amount of information that
abbreviated equivalents, such as as soon
an author knows about his/her topic. The reader
as possible instead of ASAP.
is the one who can distinguish how much
▪ Avoiding colloquial/idiomatic
knowledge an author has in the topic he/she is
expressions, such as kind of like, as a
writing.
matter of fact, sort of.
9. Explicit – means that the information should be
precise and clear. Other examples of one verb over two-word verbs:
• Calculate - James added up the number of
ACADEMIC WRITING
o Academic Writing is a kind of writing that can be attendees in his party.
used in academia or school. • Purchase (someone’s assets) - The large company
- It has a process that starts with posing a bought out the smaller ones.
question, conceptualizing a problem, evaluating • Cancel - The teacher was to call off the noisy
an opinion and ends in answering a question students immediately.
posed, clarifying a problem or arguing for a • Continue - The meeting will carry on even without
stand. your presence.
- The specific purposes of academic writing are to • Discover - The purpose of this meeting is to find out
inform, to persuade and to argue that address what would be your idea about our new project.
specific audience or the teacher.
a. To inform means supplementing a lot of 2. Objectivity means that the focus of the information
information about the topic. is on the topic rather than on the writer itself.
b. To persuade means having the credibility to - Written language should not be personal but
make your audience or readers believe in rather in general objective.
you. - It can be achieved by:
c. To argue means making your readers or a. Avoiding the use of personal pronouns such
audience respond on the information you as you, I, my, and we.
are telling them. ▪ Poor example: You need to follow
o Academic writing also requires formal language or instructions.
word that DOES NOT contain colloquial or jargon ▪ Improved version: The researchers need to
words. follow instructions.
o It usually uses layman’s term or the term that is easy b. Avoiding rhetorical questions because
to understand. academic writing should not assume that the
o It avoids the use of hifalutin words or words that readers know the answer in the statement and
have deep meaning.

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the author should express the information o Body. It develops the question, “What is the topic
strongly and clearly. about?” It may elaborate directly on the topic
▪ Poor example: How can these problems be sentence by giving definitions, classifications,
solved? explanations, contrasts, examples and evidence.
▪ Improved version: Certain procedures must - This is considered as the heart of the essay
be discovered to solve problems. because it expounds the specific ideas for the
c. Avoiding emotive language that shows biases. readers to have a better understanding of the
Giving an overly favorable opinion of someone topic.
can eliminate objectivity. o Conclusion. The conclusion is closely related to the
▪ Poor example: The police investigators were introduction and is often described as its ‘mirror
shocked to see the outcome of the tests. image’.
▪ Improved version: The police investigators - This means that if the introduction begins with
did not expect the results. general information and ends with specific
3. Explicitness in academic writing demands the use information, the conclusion moves in the
of signposts that allow readers to trace the opposite direction.
relationships in the parts of the study. - The conclusion usually begins by briefly
- If you intend to show a change in your line of summarizing the main scope or structure of the
argument, make it clear by using, however. paper, confirming the topic that was given in the
- Example: It is apparent that the school introduction, ends with a more general
institutions hope to provide quality education to statement about how this topic relates to its
the learners. However, having this COVID-19 context.
pandemic requires a lot of effort to reach out to
students. IMRaD STRUCTURE
4. Caution in academic writing requires care since o The sections of the IMRaD structure are:
knowledge is built on proven theories and concepts. - Introduction: usually depicts the background of
- Caution is needed to avoid sweeping the topic and the central focus of the study.
generalizations. - Methods: lets your readers know your data
collection methods, research instrument
STRUCTURES OF ACADEMIC TEXT employed, sample size and so on.
o Structure is an important feature of academic
- Results and Discussion: states the brief
writing. A well-structured text enables the reader to
summary of the key findings or the results of
follow the argument and navigate the text.
your study.
o In academic writing a clear structure and a logical
flow are imperative to a cohesive text. These are the TYPES OF WRITING STYLES
two common structures of academic texts: the 1. Expository
three-part essay structure and the IMRaD - This means that the author is trying to explain a
structure. concept, imparting information to the audience.
- It is not subjective but rather focuses on facts
THREE-PART ESSAY STRUCTURE that are supported by evidence.
o The three-part essay structure is a basic structure - Examples of Expository Writing:
that consists of introduction, body and ▪ textbooks
conclusion. ▪ articles
a. Introduction. Its purpose is to clearly tell the ▪ recipes
reader the topic, purpose and structure of the ▪ news stories (not editorials or op-eds)
paper. As a rough guide, an introduction might ▪ business, technical or scientific writing
be between 10 and 20 percent of the length of 2. Descriptive Writing
the whole paper and has three main parts: - Descriptive style means painting a picture of a
▪ The most general information, such as person, place, or thing through words.
background and/or definitions. - The author might employ metaphor or other
▪ The core of the introduction, where you literary devices in order to describe the author’s
show the overall topic, purpose, your point impressions using their five senses.
of view, hypotheses and/or research 3. Persuasive Writing
questions (depending on what kind of paper - It is the main style of writing you will use in
it is). academic papers.
▪ The most specific information, describing - When an author writes in a persuasive style,
the scope and structure of your paper. he/she is trying to convince the audience of a
position or belief.

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SECOND SEMESTER | ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-2024

- Persuasive writing contains the author’s SUMMARIZING

opinions and biases, as well as justifications or o Summarizing is how we take larger selections of text
reasons given by the author as evidence of the and reduce them to their bare essentials: the gist,
correctness of their position. the key ides, the main points that are worth noting
- The examples of persuasive writing include and remembering.
cover letters, op-eds and editorial newspaper o Webster’s calls a summary the “general idea in brief
articles, reviews of items, letters of complaint, form”; it’s the distillation, condensation, or
advertisements, and letters of recommendation. reduction of a larger work into its primary notions.
4. Narrative Writing
- Narrative writing is used in almost every longer BASIC RULES
piece of writing, whether fiction or non-fiction. A. Erase things that don’t matter.
- When an author writes in a narrative style, → Delete trivial material that is unnecessary to
he/she is not just trying to convey information, understanding.
rather tries to construct and communicate a B. Erase things that repeat.
story, complete with characters, conflict and → Delete redundant material.
settings. The examples of narrative writing → In note taking, time and space is precious. If a
include oral histories, novels/novellas, poetry word or phrase says basically the same thing
(specifically, epic sagas or poems), short you have already written down, then don’t write
stories, and anecdotes. it again!
C. Trade general terms for specific names.
TEXT STRUCTURES → Substitute superordinate terms for lists (e.g.
Text Structures refers to the way authors
flowers for daisies, tulips for roses). Focus on
organize information in text. the big picture.
COMMON TEXT STRUCTURES → Long, technical lists are hard to remember. If
1. Narrative
one word will give you the meaning, then less is
→ Narrates an event/story with characters, setting,
more.
conflict, point of view, and plot.
D. Use your own words to write the summary.
2. Chronological, Process, or Sequence
→ Write the summary using your own words but
→ Present ideas or events in the order in which make sure to retain the main points.
they happen.
3. Cause and Effect TECHNIQUES:
→ Provide explanations or reasons for phenomena. 1. Somebody Wanted But So Then
4. Problem/Solution → The strategy helps students generalize,
→ Identify problems and pose solutions. recognize cause and effect relationships, and
5. Compare and Contrast find main ideas.
→ Discuss two ideas, events, or phenomena o Somebody: Who is the text about?
showing how they are different and how they are o Wanted: What did the main character want?
similar. o But: What was the problem encountered?
6. Definition or Description o So: How was the problem solved?
o Then: Tell how the story ends.
→ Describes a topic by listing characteristics,
2. SAAC Method
features, attributes, and examples.
→ This method is particularly helpful in
summarizing any kind of text.
WHY IS TEXT STRUCTURE IMPORTANT? → SAAC is an acronym for “State, Assign, Action,
The readers can significantly improve their Complete”.
comprehension and retention of information when they → Each word in the acronym refers to a specific
can identify and recognize the text structure of a text. It element that should be included in the
can also help them: summary.
o State: name of the article, book, or story
1. Organize information and details they are learning in
o Assign: the name of the author
their minds while reading.
o Action: what the author is doing (example: tells,
2. Make connections between the details being
explains)
presented in a text.
o Complete: complete the sentence or summary
3. Summarize the important details shared in a text. with keywords and important details
3. 5 W’s, 1 H
TECHNIQUES IN SUMMARIZING
ACADEMIC TEXTS → This technique relies on six crucial questions:
who, what, when, where, why, and how. These

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questions make it easy to identify the main be one sentence. However, if necessary, it can also
character. important details, and main idea. be two or three sentences.
o Who is the story about?
ELEMENTS OF A THESIS STATEMENT
o What did they do?
1. Topic. The topic of your paper.
o When did the action take place?
2. Argument/Claim. This depends on the type of paper
o Where did the story happen?
o Why did the main character do what he or she you are writing. If it is an argumentative paper, then
did? this should express your opinion. If it is a research or
o How did the main character do what he or she explanatory paper, this should explain the purpose
did? of your paper.
4. First Then Finally 3. Evidence. The support of your argument/claim.
→ This technique helps students summarize
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE
events in chronological order.
THESIS STATEMENT
o First: What happened first? Include the main
1. A strong thesis statement usually contains an
character and main event/action.
o Then: What key details took place during the element of uncertainty, risk, or challenge, meaning
event/action? that it should offer a debatable claim that can be
o Finally: What were the results of the proven or disproved in the essay.
event/action? 2. An effective thesis statement is not just a
5. Give Me the Gist statement of fact or a description of a topic.
This type of technique is like giving a friend the gist of Instead, it describes for the reader what the
a story. In other words, they want a summary – not a particular position of the writer is on an issue, or
retelling of every detail. his/her interpretation of the significance of a
particular idea.
OUTLINE 3. A thesis statement should not merely announce
o An outline is a design to follow when writing a something or state a fact. Rather, it should give an
structure, a discourse, or an article. It arranges a essay tension by introducing ideas that may
material in a logical way into main ideas, supporting challenge the reader’s views.
ideas, and supporting details. 4. It is important that a thesis statement is not too
→ The main idea or topic is the main topic of the general because the writer will not have enough
outline. All main topics are indicated by Roman space to cover every possible aspect of the thesis
Numeral. statement.
→ Subtopics are noted by letters and supporting
details are indicated by Arabic Numerals. KEY TERMS
o An outline can be a sentence outline or topic o Concession - means addressing an argument from
outline. the opposing viewpoint.
→ A sentence outline is written in full sentence - You can use the phrase “ even though” and “
while a topic outline is in words or phrases. while”.
GUIDELINES IN WRITING AN OUTLINE: - This states the writer’s opinion/ main idea as
1. Place the title at the center above the outline. rebuttal.
2. Every level of the outline must have at least two - Example: Even though mobile gaming can be
items (I and II, A and B, 1 and 2). educational, parents should regulate the
3. Put a period after each numeral and letter. amount of time their children spend on mobile
4. Indent each new level of the outline. gaming.
5. All items of one kind (roman numerals, capital o Explicit – describes something as being expressed
letters, Arabic numerals) should lineup with each directly without anything being implied.
other. o Implicit – describes something that has been
6. Capitalize the first letter of each item. implied – meaning it has been suggested or hinted at
7. The terms Introductions, Body, and Conclusion do but not actually directly stated or expressed.
not have to be included in the outline. They are not PARAPHRASING
topics; they are merely organizational units in the o Paraphrasing is a restatement of a text in another
writer’s mind. form or other words, often to simplify or clarify
meaning.
THESIS STATEMENT - In the simplest terms, paraphrasing is altering
o A thesis statement is the controlling idea that you the wording used by someone else into your own
will develop in your paper. This can be found usually words.
at the end of an introduction. A thesis statement can

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USE PARAPHRASING… HISTORICAL

1. As another option to quoting.
o This approach “seeks to understand a literary
2. To rewrite someone else's ideas without changing
work by investigating the social, cultural, and
the meaning.
intellectual context that produced it—a context
3. To express someone else's ideas in your own words.
that necessarily includes the artist’s biography
4. To support claims in your writing.
and milieu.”
STEPS TO EFFECTIVE PARAPHRASING o A key goal for historical critics is to understand
1. Reread the original passage until you understand its the effect of a literary work upon its original readers.
full meaning.
2. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on READER-RESPONSE
a note card. o This approach takes as a fundamental tenet that
3. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to “literature” exists not as an artifact upon a printed
remind you later how you envision using this page but as a transaction between the physical text
material. At the top of the note card, write a key word and the mind of a reader.
or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase. o It attempts “to describe what happens in the
4. Check your rendition with the original to make sure reader’s mind while interpreting a text” and reflects
that your version accurately expresses all the that reading, like writing, is a creative process.
essential information in a new form.
5. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or MEDIA
phraseology you have borrowed exactly from o It is the act of closely examining and judging the
thesource. media.
6. Record the source (including the page) on your note o Media bias is the perception that the media is
card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to reporting the news in a partial or prejudiced manner.
incorporate the material into your paper. Media bias occurs when the media seems to push a
specific viewpoint, rather than reporting the news
CRITIQUE objectively.
o A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly
summarizes and critically evaluates a work or MARXIST
concept. o It focuses on the economic and political
APPROACHES IN CRITIQUING elements of art, often emphasizing the ideological
ACADEMIC TEXTS content of literature; because Marxist criticism often
argues that all art is political, either challenging or
FORMALISM
endorsing (by silence) the status quo, it is
o It is a critical approach in which the text under frequently evaluative and judgmental, a tendency
discussion is considered primarily in the meaning that “can lead to reductive judgment, as when
and the implications of the words. In practice, the Soviet critics rated Jack London better than William
critics have been very responsible to the meaning Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Edith Wharton, and
and themes of the work in question, rather than Henry James, because he illustrated the principles
adopting a linguistic approach. of class struggle more clearly.”
o Nonetheless, Marxist criticism “can illuminate
FEMINISM
political and economic dimensions of literature
o This approach is concerned with the ways in which other approaches overlook.”
the text reinforces or undermines the economic,
political, social, and psychological oppression of STRUCTURALISM
women. o It focused on how human behavior is determined
o This looks at how aspects of our culture are inherently by social, cultural and psychological structures.
patriarchal (male dominated) and aims to expose o It tended to offer a single unified approach to human
misogyny in writing about women, which can take life that would embrace all disciplines.
explicit and implicit forms. o The essence of structuralism is the belief that
o Feminist criticism is also concerned with less “things cannot be understood in isolation, they have
obvious forms of marginalization and its ultimate to be seen in the context of larger structures which
goal is to change the world by promoting gender contain them.
equality.

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MA. ANDREA BALOD | STEM 11 - HAWKING