Academic writing

Academic writing is the kind of writing used in high school and

college classes. Academic writing is different from
1/ creative writing, which is the kind of writing you do when you write
stories.
2/It is also different from personal writing,
However, academic writing is formal, so you should not use slang or
contractions. Also, you should take care to write complete sentences
and to organize them in a certain way.
Question
Academic write is different from creative and personal wrtiing.
Discuss!
 Writing process
Writing is never a one-step action; it is an ongoing creative act.
When you first write something, you have already been thinking
about what to say and how to say it.
Then after you have finished writing, you read over what you have
written and make changes and corrections. You write and revise and
write and revise again until you are satisfied that your writing
expresses exactly what you want to say. ·
The process of writing has roughly four steps.
1/ In the first step, you create ideas.
2/ ln the second step, you organize the ideas.
3/ In the third step, you write a rough draft.
4/ In the final step, you polish your rough draft by editing it and
making revisions.
1/ Prewriting (to get the ideas)
The first step is called prewriting. Prewriting is a way to get ideas.
In this step, you choose a topi.c and collect ideas to explain the
topic. Listing There are several techniques you can use to get ideas.
In this chapter, you will practice the technique called listing.
Listing is a prewriting technique in which you write the topic at the
top of a piece of paper and then quickly make a list of the words or
phrases that come into your mind. Don't stop to wonder if an idea is
good or not. Write it down! Keep on writing until the flow of ideas
stops.
2/ Organizing (the ideas)
The next step in the writing process is to organize the ideas
into a simple outline. The writer of our models wrote a
sentence that named the topic (his grandfather) and told the
main idea (his grandfather helped his community). Below the
first sentence, he listed the two main ideas and any other
words and phrases from the list that gave more information
about them.
3/Writing (the rough draft)
The next step is to write a rough draft, using your outline as a guide.
Write your rough draft as quickly as you can without stopping to
think about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Just get your ideas
down on paper. You will probably see many en·ors in your rough
draft. This is perfectly usual and acceptable-after all. this is just a
rough draft. You will fix the errors later.
4/ Polishing, revising and editing: (the rough draft)
In this step, you polish what you have written. This step is also
called revising and editing. Polishing is most successful if you do
it in two steps. First, attack the big issues of content and
organization (revising). Then work on the smaller issues of
grammar, punctuation, and mechanics (editing).
This can be through exchanging papers with a classmate, or self
editing.
Writing an essay
An essay introduction stimulates the reader's interest and tells
what the essay is about. The last sentence of an introduction is the
thesis statement. Like the topic sentence of a paragraph, a thesis
statement names the specific topic of the essay. The body consists
of one or more paragraphs. Each paragraph develops a subdivision
of the topic. The conclusion, like the concluding sentence in a
paragraph, is a summary or review of the main points discussed in
the body
A paragraph
A paragraph is a group of related statements that a writer develops
about a subject. The first sentence states the specific point, or idea,
of the topic. The rest of the sentences in the paragraph support that
point.
 I. Introduction
General statements
Thesis statement
II. Body
A. Topic sentence
1. Support
2. Support
3. Support (Concluding sentence)
B Topic sentence
The three parts of an
[Link] B.
essay writing
[Link] C.
[Link] Concluding sentence
C. Topic Sentence
1. Support
2. Support
3. Support (Concluding sentence)
III. Conclusion
Restatement or summary of the main
points; final comment
Transitions between paragraphs
Just as it is imp01tant to use transition signals to show the
connection between ideas within a paragraph, it is also important to
use transition signals between paragraphs to show how one
paragraph is related to another. Transition signals can tell your
reader if the topic of the next paragraph follows the same line of
thought or reverses direction.
• In addition to costing money for special food, fad diets . . .
• On the other hand, fad diets work for some people ...
(Additional ideas) transitional signals
Sentence Connectors and Prepositions
1. Furthermore, ...
/In addition/Moreover/Besides,
2. Besides (+ noun or gerund)
In addition to (+ noun or gerund) ...

1. Furthermore/In addition/Moreover/Besides, people on fad diets

often gain even more weight than they had lost.
2. Besides/In addition to suffering from poor nutrition, people on fad
diets often don't lose weight. (The word suffering is a gerund.)
3. Besides/In addition to not losing weight, people on fad diets often
gain even more weight than they had lost.
Sentence Connectors Subordinators Prepositions
[Link] the other hand, ... 2. Although ... 3. Despite ...
However, ... Even though ... In spite of ...

1. On the other hand/However, people who want to lose weight can

succeed.
2. Although/Even though fad diets do not work, there are other diets
that do.
3. Despite/In spite of many attempts to lose weight, I am still
overweight.
4. Despite/In spite of dieting for several years, I am still overweight.
Sentence Connectors Coordinating conjunctions Others

To list ideas in time order

First, Second, First of all, Next, , such as (+ noun)

Meanwhile,
After that,
Finally,
Now
Soon
Then
To list ideas in logical division of ideas order
First, Second, A second (reason, kind,
First of all, etc. and advantage, etc.) ...
Furthermore, An additional (reason, kind,
Also, advantage, etc.) ...
In addition, The final (reason, kind,
Moreover, advantage, etc.) ...
To add a similar idea
Similarly, and
Likewise,
Also,
Furthermore,
In addition,
To add an opposite idea
On the other hand, but
However,
Sentence Connectors Coordinating conjunctions Others

To give examples

For example , such as (+ noun)

For instance,
To give a result

Therefore, so
Thus,
Consequently,
As a result,
To add a conclusion

All in all, It is clear that ...

For these reasons, You can see that ...
In brief, examples that ...
You can see from these These examples
In conclusion, show that ...
To summarize,
To sum up,
Question two: Match the titles with their paragraphs
My Favorite part of town
1. My favorite part of town example aparagraph 1
2. The character of Greenwich Village
3. The real New York
4. Places to go and places to eat
5. Its history and famous people
A. My favourite part of town I live in Manhattan, in Greenwich Village,
which is in the ‘downtown’ (southern) part of the island and includes
Washington Square Park, New York University, and a maze of picturesque
little streets. It’s my favourite part of town.
B. …………………………So why do I like it so much? It’s an artistic and
intellectual neighbourhood with people playing chess in the park, artists
selling paintings on the sidewalk, and students discussing life in coffee
shops. Life in ‘the Village’ is never dull. There’s a surprise around every
corner – maybe a brand-new restaurant that wasn’t there last week, a snoring
down-and-out sleeping in the doorway, or a celebrity being pursued by
paparazzi and fans.
C.……………………A sense of history pervades Greenwich Village. It
was first inhabited by Native Americans, then Dutch settlers, and then the
British, who in 1713 named it ‘Greenwich’ after a town in England. The
Village really was a small, rural village until the 1800s, when people
escaping outbreaks of disease began moving there. Ever since, the Village
has been a haven for artists, writers, poets and musicians. Many famous
people have lived in Greenwich Village, including the writer Jack
Kerouac, the singer Bob Dylan, and the actress Uma Thurman. The
popular sitcom Friends was set here, and busloads of tourists looking for
places mentioned in the show come here every weekend.
D.……………………………The heart of the Village is an area of pretty,
twisting streets west of Sixth Avenue, where there are endless theatres, used
bookstores, coffee shops, trendy boutiques, and of course restaurants. A
large part of the Village experience has to do with food. The Village is
packed with food shops and restaurants from every region of the world.
Mouth-watering aromas are everywhere from first thing in the morning until
late at night. The Village is a genuine part of the town. Washington Square
Park is like a magnet for young people. They flock from every corner of the
world to sit on the benches or beside the fountain, talking, playing musical
instruments, and celebrating the freedom of friendship and youth.
E.……………………………My mother, who grew up in New York City,
used to say that Times Square is for tourists, but the Village is the real New
York.
Answer keys A. EX B.2 C.5 D. 4 E. 3
 Assignment one
Write a paragraph 150 to 200 words long introducing yourself
to your teacher and classmates. Make sure your paragraph is in
the correct format.
Use the following questions as a basis for your writing. Add
other information if you wish.
What is your name? Where were you born? Tell a little bit about
your family.
What languages do you speak? Where did you go to school? What
were your favorite subjects in school? Your least favorite?
Why are you learning English? What is your goal or your dream?
Do you have any special talents? Do you have any hobbies? What
do you do in your free time?
Main reference
Oshima and Hogue (2007) Introduction to Academic Writing
Pearson Education, 10 Bank Street, White Plains, New York