Reading Academic Text

2. READING ACADEMIC
TEXTS

3. What is reading?
•It is one of the most valuable
activities of an individual.
•It is a complex cognitive process
of decoding symbols in order to
construct or derive meaning.

4. What is reading?
• It is a means of language acquisition, of
communication, and of sharing
information of ideas.
• It is a complex interaction between the
text and the reader which is shaped by the
reader’s prior knowledge, experiences,
attitude, and language community which
is culturally and socially situated.

5. What is reading?
•Reading process requires
continuous process, development,
and refinement.
•Reading cannot be controlled or
restricted to one or two
interpretations.

6. Example of the complexity of reading
I saw a man on a hill with a telescope.
• There’s a man on a hill, and I’m watching him with my telescope.
• There’s a man on a hill, who I’m seeing, and he has a telescope.
• There’s a man, and he’s on a hill that also has a telescope on it.
• I’m on a hill, and I saw a man using a telescope.
• There’s a man on a hill, and I’m sawing him with a telescope.

7. Example of the complexity of reading
We saw her duck.
•We looked at a duck that belonged to her.
•We looked at her quickly squat down to avoid
something.
•We use a saw to cut her duck.

8. Example of the complexity of reading
He fed her cat food.
•He fed a woman’s cat some food.
•He fed a woman some food that was intended for
cats.
•He somehow encouraged some cat food to eat
something.

9. READING ACADEMIC TEXTS
•It differs in many ways from reading
varied reading materials.
•Two important differences are:
•WHAT WE READ – content and style of
academic texts
•HOW WE READ – what readers of
academic texts are expected to do

10. CONTENT AND STYLE OF ACADEMIC TEXTS
•Academic texts deal with
concepts and ideas related
to subjects that are studies
at college or university.

11. CONTENT AND STYLE OF ACADEMIC TEXTS
Authors of academic texts:
-raise abstract questions and issues;
-presents facts and evidence to support
their claims;
-use logic to build their arguments and
defend their positions;
-conform to a clearly-defined structure;
-choose their words carefully;
-try to convince us to accept their positions.

12. WHAT ARE READERS OF ACADEMIC
TEXTS EXPECTED TO DO?
• Recognize the author’s purpose and possible bias
• Differentiate between facts and author’s opinions
• Challenge questionable assumptions and unsupported
claims
• Think about possible consequences of the author’s claims
• Integrate information across multiple sources
• Identify rival hypotheses, possible contradictions, and
competing views
• Evaluate evidence and draw their own conclusions

13. ENGLISH DICTION
•DICTION or choice of words separates
good writing from bad writing.
•First, the word has to be right and
accurate.
•Second, words should be appropriate to
the context in which they are used.
•Lastly, it should be understood easily.

14. ENGLISH DICTION
Differentiate the diction of the following in
terms of their context.
• Hey, what's up, man? Lookin' cool in those shades
you're wearin'!
• The patient has experienced acute trauma to the
right femur, and must have surgery stat.
• Aren't you a cute little fella? I bet your mommy is in
love with you-that's right. I see that smile!

15. TYPES OF DICTION
EXACT DICTION
•Straight to the point
•No unnecessary words
•Writing and thinking clearly and carefully
•Using exact words which fit to the meaning
•Depends on the command of one’s
vocabulary

16. TYPES OF DICTION
VIVID DICTION
•Communication is alive.
•It contains element that arouses reader or
listener’s interest.
•Colorful words are used.
•It avoids trite, worn-out expressions, or
clichés.

17. TYPES OF DICTION
SPECIFIC DICTION
• Use of specific instead of general words.
• ABSTRACT/GENERAL vs CONCRETE/SPECIFIC

18. ABSTRACT WORDS
These are words
expressing ideas
naming the qualities
of physical things.

19. ABSTRACT WORDS
Examples:
virtue, honor,
sweetness, color

20. GENERAL WORDS
These are words
naming the classes to
which objects belong.

21. GENERAL WORDS
Examples:
vegetation, people,
animal

22. CONCRETE WORDS
These are image-
making words,
sensory words.

23. CONCRETE WORDS
Examples:
acacia – tree
Pedro – man

24. Let’s have an exercise.
Give possible specific
and concrete words for
the following general
and abstract words.

25. GENERAL WORD:
AMMUNITION
POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
Gun
Rifle
Grenade
Machine gun
Cannon
Bomb

26. GENERAL WORD:
ATTIRE
POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
Coat and tie
Barong tagalog
Cocktail dress

27. GENERAL WORD:
building materials
POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
Cement
Wood
Hollow blocks
Tiles
Metal sheets

28. GENERAL WORD:
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
Stove
Refrigerator
Electric fan
Washing machine
Air conditioning unit

29. ABSTRACT WORD:
VIRTUE
POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
Humility
Fortitude
Obedience
Temperance

30. ABSTRACT WORD:
VICES
POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
Gambling
Sloth
Drinking
Gluttony
Fornication

31. ABSTRACT WORD:
condition
POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
State
Quality
Disposition
Rank
Manner
Situation

32. ABSTRACT WORD:
COMMUNICATED ORALLY
POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
Yelled
Whispered
Shouted
Cried
Drawled
Sighed

33. GENERAL VS SPECIFIC
GENERAL: He is an accomplished golfer.
SPECIFIC: He is a top-flight golfer.
GENERAL: Enrique drives an old car.
SPECIFIC: Enrique drives a 1960 Buick.
GENERAL: We are interested in seeing the revival
of our ancient art forms.
SPECIFIC: We want to see the revival of the
corrido, awit, duplo, and pasyon.

34. QUESTIONS?

35. Let’s test your learning!