The major academic functions, and typical language associated with each.

1. Robert Wilks, M.A.
Partly adapted from Barron’sTOEFL iBT, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

2. Reflect…
Have you written essays in your other university courses (in
any language)?
What did you write about?What were the academic
purposes of the essays that you have written?

3. Some Common Academic Purposes
Purpose: Typical Question:
• Definition What is it?
• Description and Example What are the characteristics?
• Classification What group does it belong to?
• Sequence What is the order?
• Comparison and Contrast How is it the same or different from something else?
• Cause and Effect How is something caused?What happens?
• Problem and Solution Understand the problem. What is the solution?
• Persuasion or Evaluation Why should it be supported or rejected?

4. What academic purposes did we practice
with the internal report assignment?
• Introduction
• Methodology
• Findings
• Discussion
• Recommendations

5. What academic purposes did we practice
with the report assignment?
• Introduction – DEFINITION, DESCRIPTION
• Methodology
• Findings
• Discussion
• Recommendations – PERSUASION
The report as a whole – PROBLEM / SOLUTION

6. If you saw these chapter headings in a textbook,
what academic purpose might you expect?
• “The Atmosphere”

7. If you saw these chapter headings in a textbook,
what academic purpose might you expect?
• “The Atmosphere” DEFINITION OR DESCRIPTION

8. If you saw these chapter headings in a textbook,
what academic purpose might you expect?
• “The Atmosphere” DEFINITION OR DESCRIPTION
• “Forces WithinThe Atmosphere”

9. If you saw these chapter headings in a textbook,
what academic purpose might you expect?
• “The Atmosphere” DEFINITION OR DESCRIPTION
• “Forces WithinThe Atmosphere” CLASSIFICATION

10. If you saw these chapter headings in a textbook,
what academic purpose might you expect?
• “The Atmosphere” DEFINITION OR DESCRIPTION
• “Forces WithinThe Atmosphere” CLASSIFICATION
• “Atmospheric Patterns of Motion”

11. If you saw these chapter headings in a textbook,
what academic purpose might you expect?
• “The Atmosphere” DEFINITION OR DESCRIPTION
• “Forces WithinThe Atmosphere” CLASSIFICATION
• “Atmospheric Patterns of Motion” SEQUENCE / CAUSE & EFFECT

12. If you saw these chapter headings in a textbook,
what academic purpose might you expect?
• “The Atmosphere” DEFINITION OR DESCRIPTION
• “Forces WithinThe Atmosphere” CLASSIFICATION
• “Atmospheric Patterns of Motion” SEQUENCE / CAUSE & EFFECT
• “Problems In Predicting Weather”

13. If you saw these chapter headings in a textbook,
what academic purpose might you expect?
• “The Atmosphere” DEFINITION OR DESCRIPTION
• “Forces WithinThe Atmosphere” CLASSIFICATION
• “Atmospheric Patterns of Motion” SEQUENCE / CAUSE & EFFECT
• “Problems In Predicting Weather” PROBLEM & SOLUTION

14. Typical language for each of the
academic purposes
DEFINITION
• is known as
• is called
• is
• refers to
• means

15. Typical language for each of the
academic purposes
DESCRIPTION OR EXAMPLE
• consists of
• (adjectives)
• for example
• for instance
• namely
• specifically
• that is

16. Typical language for each of the
academic purposes
CLASSIFICATION
• kinds of
• types of
• classes of
• groups of
• parts of
• properties of
• characteristics / traits of
• varieties of

17. Typical Language for the Academic
Purposes
SEQUENCE
• first, second, third, finally
• next, then, later, afterward, subsequently
• following
• before, after
• at the same time
• meanwhile
• as soon as
• step, stage, phase

18. Typical Language for the Academic
Purposes
CAUSE & EFFECT
• causes, results in
• is caused by, is the result of
• as a result, consequently, thus, therefore, so
• because, because of
• due to
• since

19. Typical Language for the Academic
Purposes
PERSUASION & EVALUATION
• should
• must
• ought to
• (comparative & superlative adjectives)
• therefore

20. Typical Language for the Academic
Purposes
COMPARISON & CONTRAST
• like, similar
• differ from
• compared with, in comparison to
• similarly, in the same way
• in contrast, on the contrary, on the other hand, conversely
• (comparative adjectives)
• although, even though, whereas, despite, in spite of, however
• instead