3. FEATURES OF ACADEMIC WRITING AT FIRST
SIGHT
1. The use of sources
2. Quotations
3. vocabulary characteristic of a specific field
4. Formal language and format
a. Cautious use of Vocabulary
b. impersonal
c. Passive
d. Logical Structures / clear Layout
e. absence of features of spoken language
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4. Academic writing is:
Formal (impersonal, no slang, formal sentence structure)
Reasoned (critical thinking: how and why)
Impartial (gives a balanced point of view, more than one
point of view)
Logical (ideas flow logically from one to another:
signposts, topic sentences and linked paragraphs)
Structured (keeps to the structure of an essay, report etc)
Supported (evidence and examples, referencing)
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5. • Formality
This Piece Of Writing The Present Study (=This Study)
My essay will Make It Clear The Present Paper Will
Clarify
• Impersonality
Many Of My Friends And Colleagues Say That… It Is
Commonly Said That…
I, You, My Friend Dave The Present Study/Author,
One, Professor Robertson/Robertson (1992)
Some Elaboration Of The Matter Of Facts
Of Academic Writing:
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6. • Precision
pets like cats, dogs, etc. pets, such as cats and dogs,
around half of the group approximately 53% of the group
• Caution
Our study proves that This study shows that
I’m sure this is so. There is reason to believe that this is
so.
We really couldn’t make anything of the results. There
were difficulties in analyzing the results.
•Objectivity
I think that this idea sucks. This idea may not be
accurate.
In my opinion this is a wonderful topic. This topic is
worth investigating because….
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7. Academic Writing And Critical Thinking
• Assessment of the relationship
between claims and the
evidence given to support
them
• Exercising judgement in order
to interpret and evaluate
arguments and evidence
• Questioning taken for granted
assumptions
• Involves both openness to new
ideas and appropriate
scepticism
PRACTICAL ASPECTS:
• What is really important
here?
• How does it relate to what I
know already?
• What standpoint does the
writer have?
• Are there any weaknesses in
the argument that is being
put forward?
• What other opinions are
there on this topic?
• Do I agree or disagree with
the writer?
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8. Bad Habits to Avoid in Academic
Writing
• Second person “you”
• Inconsistent person
• Inconsistent tense
• Abbreviations
• Do not use: ya, thru, wanna, gonna
• Do not use: etc., &
• Avoid ending verbs with “en” or “in” instead
of “ing”: waitin, watchen
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9. Some writing pitfalls to avoid
1.Avoid addressing the reader directly or
using questions
• For example: “Does this mean that some strategies are
better than others?”
2. Use formal – impersonal passive voice
• When i used the solution, i see the level rising > when
the solution was used, the level was seen rising
a) Passive voice without ‘By’
b) No use of i, we, our, you
c) instruments use – no ‘by’ ; but ‘with’ (with hammer)
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10. 3. TRY NOT TO MAKE GENERALIZATIONS.
For example:
"Everyone agrees that cold calling does
not produce results".
While this may be true you can only make
such statements if supported with
evidence.
Instead:
• "According to the Mori Report (2000), cold
calling does not produce results.
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11. 4. OVERLY-LONG SENTENCES
• A sentence should express only one idea or a
clearly connected set of ideas.
• Home care has been expanding tremendously over the
past few years partly due to recent technological
advances that enable assessments and treatments to be
a part of the home setting which at one time could only
be performed within the hospital environment. - X
• Home care has expanded tremendously over the past
few years. This increase is partly due to recent
technological advances that now make more
assessments and treatments possible in the home
rather than only in the hospital. - OK
.
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12. 5. WORDINESS - use the minimum
number of words.
• Check your writing to make sure you don’t have
unnecessary words or phrases.
You may often find that there are a number of Words
contained in your writing that can be safely eliminated
without any kind of danger to your meaning whatsoever. X
You may often find that there are a number of words
contained in your writing that can be safely eliminated
without any kind of danger to your meaning whatsoever.
(Beer & McMurrey 34)
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13. MORE
• Basically, industrial productivity generally
relies on particular factors that are actually
more psychological in kind than of any given
technological type. - X
• Industrial productivity depends more on
psychological than on technological factors. -
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14. AVOID THERE IS & THERE ARE
These expressions (the existential
construction) can be rhetorically effective for
emphasis in some situations, but they are also
often unnecessary in academic contexts.
WHERE TO AVOID (NOT EVERYWHERE)
The most common kind of unnecessary
existential construction involves an existential
phrase followed by a noun and a relative clause
beginning with that, which, or who. A more
concise sentence can often be created by
eliminating the existential opening, making the
noun the subject of the sentence, and eliminating
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15. A. It is the president who signs or vetoes laws.
There are four criteria that should be considered: ...
> the president signs or vetoes bills.
Four criteria should be considered:...
B. There was uncertainty about the reasons for the
financial problems.
> The reasons for the financial problems were
uncertain
EXAMPLES.
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16. 6. Be careful not to use redundant phrases
For example:
• Alternative choices – alternatives
• Actual experience - experience
• ‘Various differences” (Various implies difference so you
do not need both words)
• The whole entire world (Same as above)
• A round circle
• Refer back
• An eyewitness present at the scene
7. Avoid starting sentences with linking words
• Such as but, and or yet.
• for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
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17. 8. Must Avoid expressions like these…
(never used in academic writing)
kind of
sort of
type of
really
basically
quite simple
very good sample
one important thing
definitely
actually
generally
individual
specific
particularly
OK / Okay
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18. More ………….
• There are no such words as: theirself,
hisself, alright. Write themselves, himself,
all right.
• Do not capitalize subjects like biology,
math, science, history.
• Use the word “finish” instead of “done”
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19. 9.Avoid colloquial for formal
(common use - selected)
COLLOQUIAL FORMAL
Ask for Request
Find out Discover
Deal with Handle
Checked out Investigated/ studied
Put up with Tolerated
Kids children
OK All right/ acceptable
A lot Many / much
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20. 10. Other Mechanical Rules
• Numbers – Never begin a sentence with
a number.(Spell it out.)
• All numbers below 100 should be
spelled out. Those above 100 are
optional but should be consistent.
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21. FINAL CAUTIONS
• Do not write the way you speak.
• Do not use slang.
• Do not expect your reader to know what you
mean.
• Do not write in fragments.
• Use complete sentences.
• Always use Standard Written English
(SWE)
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22.
23. Article Error
Omission Of Article – A/An/The
BEFORE PROPER NOUN (no - A+AN+THE)
Patna has a long history.
BEFORE MATERIAL NOUN (NO – AN/AN)
a paper was given- a piece of
BEFORE ABSTRACT NOUN (NO – AN/AN)
he gave me an advice – a piece of
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24. Usual use – omission of a/an/the
Categories
1. People’s names
2. Cities and states
3. Singular names of
countries
4. Months/days
5. Streets
6. Religious buildings
7. Mountains range
8. Parks
9. Lakes
Examples
1.John Locke
2. Bangkok, Negri Sembilan
3. Indonesia, Australia
4. May, Tuesday
5. Pickering Street, Park street
6. St. Andrew’s Cathedral
7. Mount Fuji
8. Hyde Park
9. Salt lake Park
Lake Victoriacarcs.in(Copyright Protected)
25. Categories
1. Museums and galleries
2. Buildings
3. Highways
4. Seas and oceans
5. Rivers and deserts
6. Periods and events in history
7. Bridges
8. Countries with United,
Union, Kingdom, Republic
9. Island groups ending in (e)s
Examples
1. the Asian Civilization Museum
2. the University Cultural Centre
3. the Pan-Island Expressway
4. the South China Sea
5. the Mississippi, the Gobi desert
6. the Dark Ages
7. the Manhattan Bridge
8. the United States, the People’s
Republic of China
9. the Philippines
Exceptions
The Proper Nouns BUT it Requires “The”
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26. AN /A EXCEPTIONS:
NOT always spelling But sometimes SOUND
Matters
_a unit_, __an Hour
_a use_, __an honour
_a utility_, __an heir
_a useful thing_, __an honest man
_a unique object_,
_a European_,
_a university_,
_a one-eyed dog_.
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27. PREPOSITION CARE:
Time preposition :
At – for exact time, round-about time
(By,around),
On – For Day, Date And Occasion
In – For Months, Years, Seasons,
Lets make it:
Valentines Day
Monday, 1st January
Friday
10:30
1987, 5B.C
Winter
Evening
on
At
t
in
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29. PREPOSITION OF PLACE
•ON, ONTO, OVER, ABOVE
• BELOW, UNDER, NEATH, BENEATH, UNDERNEATH
• IN, INSIDE, INTO
• BESIDE, BEFORE, IN FRONT OF, OPPOSITE, BEHIND,
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30. CONFUSING NOUN
Incorrect correct
Lecturership Lectureship
Freeship free-studentship
Boarding Boarding House
Family Member Member of the family
Physics Teacher Teacher of Physics
Cousin Brother Cousin
Our’s/ your’s/her’s Ours/yours/hers
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31. SOME NOUNS – TAKES SINGULAR VERB
1. Scenery > the scenery is beautiful
2. advice > advice is taken
3. mathematics > mathematics is tough
4. politics > politics is nasty
5. Ethics > ethic is necessary
6. fuel> fuel is costly
7. rice> Rice is ready
8. machinery > Machinery is taken
9. information > information is procured
10. furniture > furniture is ready
11. news > news is spread
12. athletics > athletics is incorporatedcarcs.in(Copyright Protected)
32. SINGULAR NOUNS – TAKES PLURAL VERB
1. People > people talk
2. Clergy > clergy pray
3. Cattle > cattle roam
4. Gentry > gentry sit
5. Company > company march
6. Police > police intervene
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33. MISSING COMMA AFTER INTRODUCTORY
CLAUSE
1. “After the devastation of the siege of Leningrad
(introductory clause) the Soviets were left with the task
of rebuilding their population as well as their city.”
Problem: A comma should be placed after
“Leningrad” to separate the clause.
2. Wordsworth spent a good deal of time in the Lake District
with his sister Dorothy and the two of them were rarely
apart.”
Problem: Comma should be placed before the "and.“
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34. WRONG OR MISSING INFLECTED ENDS
1. “different from” vs. “different than”
“different from” is considered correct
2. “toward” vs. “towards”
“towards” is correct / Toward is Old Form (Avoid)
3. Also include commas in a list: “Apples, oranges,
pears and bananas…”
4. Machines, Instrument and screen and hammer
(comma for all but last)
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37. Unnecessary Shift in Person
Don't shift from
"I" to "we" or from
"one" to "you"
unless you have a
rationale for
doing so.
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38. Tense Shifting
Be careful to stay
in a consistent
tense. Too often
students move
from past to
present tense
without good
reason. The reader
will find this
annoying.
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39. Use of Single And Double Inverted
Comma Double inverted comma
1. Name of the journal.
“The Nature” expresses the desire to publish
2. Quotation .
He said, “Corporate houses are good” (ALWAYS COMMA BEFORE START)
Single inverted comma
1. phrase of the quoted sentences/ term
Paris, ‘city of death’ remerged
2. Translation of foreign word
Spanish expression irse tado an humo means ‘to go up to the smoke’
4. To emphasize
Their friends brought the downfall
Their ‘friends’ brought the downfall
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40.
41. SEMICOLONS AND COLONS
Semicolons
1. Use semicolons between independent Clause
without conjunction
the coat is tattered; still he hopes to repair
2. Between items in a series when items contains
comma
Present at this seminar are Henry Forbes, the art
critic; Sam Brown, the mathematician; and
Collins, the CEO of Pencraft.
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42. COLONS
1. Introduce a list:
The reading list includes : Cruz, Narnia and Poke
2. Elaboration :
Plot has the description: the main character is a fraud.
3. Before start of the quotation (independent)
In the Book Of Devils, he asks to stop flirting: “stop is
not one of us”.
In the Book Of Devils, he asks, “stop is not one of us”.
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43. QUOTATION MARK AND QUESTION
AND PERIOD
1. WITHIN THE QUOTATION
if the period / question occurs within the
quotation
Whitman asked “Are you so proud?”
1. OUTSIDE THE QUOTATION
if sentence itself a question
where does Whitman speaks of “the
meaning of the poem”?
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44. ITALICS RULE:
1. NAME OF THE BOOK
In his book The Life Of Pie, he said it
2. EMPHASIS
same as single inverted comma
3. NAME OF THE DRAMA / play (Macbeth)
4. POEM (Solitary Reaper)
5. NEWSPAPER (Times)
6. FILM (The Imitation Game)
7. RADIO BROADCAST (What is there)
8. DISCS, ALBUM MEDIA RECORDING (Lonely Heart)
9. SHIPS, SPACECRAFT AND AIRCRAFT (USS Arizona)
10. PAMPHLET (Manual For You)carcs.in(Copyright Protected)
45. QUOTATION:
1. As quoted in the original with comma,
periods, (EXACTLY)
NO MANIPULATION / OMISSION IS ACCEPTED
2. If quotation runs less than 4 lines , within
the same paragraph
3. If quotation runs more than 4 lines , make
separate paragraph.
CITAION MUST IN ALL CASES
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46. ASSIGNMENTS
1. For engineering students: The Review and
analysis - The Time Machine H. G. Wells
2. For Humanities : Review of The Calcutta
Chromosome By AMITAV GHOSH
3. For Management students : THE INVISIBLE MAN
H.G. WELLS.
For Evaluation and Feedback: Email-
dramit1707@yahoo.com
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