This is a presentation for new students at Massey University in 2015. It focuses on some basic issues in Academic English and writing

1. ACADEMIC ENGLISH
Martin McMorrow
Learning Advisor, Centre for Teaching and Learning, Albany
Campus Library, Level 3
This presentation can be viewed at:
http://tinyurl.com/academicenglish2015

2. Part 1
CTL Services
Academic Style
Citations and References
Academic Vocabulary
Using sources
Structuring paragraphs
Grammar mistakes to avoid
Part 2
Evaluating paragraphs

3. QUIZ
1. Name four differences between ordinary and academic
English style
2. What does an APA citation consist of?
3. How many parts does an APA reference for a book
have?
4. What should you do when you come across an
unknown word in your reading?
5. When should you include a quotation in your
academic writing?
7. Which words should you repeat a lot in your
academic writing?
6. What is plagiarism and how can you avoid it?

4. CENTRE FOR TEACHING AND
LEARNING SERVICES
http://tinyurl.com/6xy9hy Academic English podcast
http://owll.massey.ac.nz online writing and learning link
Selected online resources
Weds 12 pm (starting in Week 2) in QB5
See: http://tinyurl.com/albanyworkshops2015
Workshops
There are also Postgraduate workshops in QB2

5. Book on 09 441 8143 or slc-alb@massey.ac.nz
OR in person at the library (LEVEL 3)
ONE-TO-ONE OR SMALL GROUP CONSULTATIONS
ASSIGNMENT PRE-READING FOR SELECTED FIRST-YEAR PAPERS
Select one or two first-year assignments and use the link
in ‘Academic Writing and Learning Support’ in Stream to
send them for online feedback

6. PART 1: ACADEMIC ENGLISH
STYLE
Ordinary English
Ageism happens when someone is treated badly just because
they’re young or old and it’s a lot more common than people
think. What matters most isn’t whether or not someone’s treated
differently but whether it’s unfair to treat them differently in the
circumstances. You couldn’t call a bar ageist if they didn’t take on a
16 year-old for the job because that’s fair enough as their hands
are tied. But it’s obvious that a bar that wouldn’t give a job to a 50
year old to serve drinks is being ageist if that person was able to do
everything he or she was supposed to do, except for the fact that
he or she was older. This sort of thing is incredibly common, even
in New Zealand.

7. Ageism may be defined as “unfair discrimination towards someone
on account of their age” (Smith & Davidov, 2003, p. 104). The
crucial aspect in ageism is not discrimination in itself, but its
unfairness. A bar cannot be considered ageist for refusing to
employ a 16 year-old, since this is perfectly fair (and in fact, legally
required). However, a bar which refused to employ a 50 year old
to serve drinks could be considered ageist, if that person met the
other employment requirements. Recent research has found
evidence of ageist employment practices, in over half of New
Zealand organisations (Brown, 2012).
Academic English

8. Ageism happens when ….
unfair discrimination
precise
Ageism may be defined as ….
when someone is treated badly
concise
Academic English is:
Recent research has found …
(Brown, 2012).
based on theory and evidence
This sort of thing is incredibly
common, even in New Zealand.

9. Recent research has found evidence of such
practices, where age is used as an unjustified barrier
to employment or promotion, in over half of New
Zealand employers (Brown, 2012).
Citations are a short way of indicating the source of your
theories, models, concepts, examples or facts
In APA style, all you need to do is to put the author and date of
publication of the book, article or website you used
The most common way to do this is to put these in brackets
AFTER you’ve used the information
CITATIONS AND REFERENCES

10. As an alternative you can use ‘according to’ and
include the author(s) in your sentence
Or make the author(s) the subject of your sentence,
choosing an appropriate reporting verb, for example:
claim argue explain point out find / foundsuggest
According to Brown (2012), older employees provide
three main benefits for organisations. The first of
these is ….
Brown (2012) found that age is used as an unjustified
barrier to employment or promotion in over half of
New Zealand employers.

11. Brooks, R. M. (2010). Financial management: Core concepts. Boston, MA: Pearson
Brown, P. (2012). Equal opportunities in New Zealand: Myth or reality? Australasian Journal
of Human Resources, 41(3), 46-68.
Davidson, C., & Tolich, M. (2001). Social science research in New Zealand. Auckland, New
Zealand: Pearson Education.
Khan, I., & Chen, T. (2010). Tackling ageism: A cross-institutional approach. In J. Johnson & T.
Peterson (Eds.), An equal opportunities handbook (pp. 102-131). San Francisco, CA:
Pilot Press.
Atkinson, D. (2013, January 24). Too old to work: Too young to die? Retrieved from
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/1004532.htm
Smith, P., & Davidoff, R. (2003). Equal opportunities: From policy to practice. Central Islip, NY:
Progressive Press.
Statistics New Zealand. (2008). Demographic Trends – 2001-2006. Retrieved from
http://stats.govt.nz/demotrends-2012.pdf
Your citations need to match up with complete
references to sources in a list at the end
References

12. Smith, P., & Davidoff, R. (2003). Equal opportunities: From policy to
practice. Central Islip, NY: Progressive Press.
(year) title of book
city publisher
In academic writing, most references are to
books and journal articles
surname,
initial
Brown, P. (2012). Equal opportunities in New Zealand: Myth or
reality? Australasian Journal of Human Resources, 41(3), 46-68.
(year) title of article
surname,
initial
volume / issue number page numbersname of journal

13. ACADEMIC ENGLISH
VOCABULARY
1) It’s difficult to define the con_ _ _ _ of beauty.
2) The internet gives you instant acc_ _ _ to information.
3) Evolution explains how simple animals developed into more
com_ _ _ _ ones over a long period of time.
4) Come to the meeting if you feel you have anything
to con_ _ _ _ _ _ _ to the discussion.
5) We are not really in competition with them, but there
are a few ove_ _ _ _ _ between our products.
concept
access
complex
contribute
overlaps

14. 6) She asked me to check the first dra_ _ of her presentation.
7) The final cost of the project should not exc_ _ _ $10 000.
8) It’s impossible to eli_ _ _ _ _ _ crime completely, but this government
aims to reduce it substantially.
9) Financial experts have det_ _ _ _ _ some signs that the economy
may be improving.
10) No agreement has been reached but negotiations are still ong_ _ _ _.
draft
exceed
eliminate
detected
ongoing

15. 11) One reason that increasing numbers of goods are manufactured in South-East Asian
is the lower lab_ _ _ costs there.
12) We have to inf_ _ from his silence on the matter that he has comment to make.
13) A recent sur_ _ _ found that more than 60 % of workers were
dissatisfied with their managers.
14) We had to make several calls to the tec_ _ _ _ _ _ support line before
anyone came to repair out computer.
15) We all ass_ _ _ _ _ _ in the meeting room to hear the takeover news.
labour
infer
survey
technical
assembled

16. 16) The company publishes its ann_ _ _ accounts every September.
17) At the moment we don’t ant_ _ _ _ _ _ _ any problems with the new system.
18) The internet has become an important med_ _ _ of communication for companies.
19) Her work has been a cru_ _ _ _ part of the company’s success.
20) Unemployment will be one of the most important iss_ _ _ in the next election.
annual
anticipate
medium
crucial
issues

17. SOME MORE ADVANCED ACADEMIC VOCABULARY (featured in the
Academic English Podcast)
The mattress contains over 50 internal supports to provide
rigi _ _ _ _, while the luxurious foam filling provides comfort.
Given the uncertain financial situation in Europe, this may not be an
ausp _ _ _ _ _ _ time to be opening a new retail business there
Having grown up during a period of aust _ _ _ _ _, in later years
he found it hard to tolerate any waste.
The President used the full range of her rhet _ _ _ _ _ _ skills to
persuade reluctant senators to back her economic recovery plan
As criminals become more resourceful, knowledgeable or
desperate, security firms and the police need increasingly
inge _ _ _ _ _ means of preventing and detecting crime.
rigidity
rhetorical
auspicious
austerity
ingenious

18. HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
Massey papers
192.101 English for Academic Purposes
192.102 Academic Writing
Massey Academic English Podcast
http://tinyurl.com/6xy9hy
Resources from other universities
University of Manchester: http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk
University of Hertfordshire: http://www.uefap.com

19. Strategies for dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary in
your academic reading
high
low
ignore
work out meaning and move on
look it up to confirm and move on
Look it up, file it in your system
with an example sentence. Review it
at the end of the day and week
future
relevance

20. An application of this strategy to vocabulary
from Chapter 1 of a Business Law book.
Important concepts for
this subject (business law)
Important concepts for
all academic research,
analysis, argument etc
presumption
disseminate
flora and fauna
validity
nomenclature
solecisms
arbitrary
disclose
derived
adherents

21. Practice in working out meaning of unfamiliar
vocabulary
“adequate research of overseas markets is … one of
several prerequisites for international marketing success”
things that will make a profit
things that must be done
things that will surprise you

22. “If you watch a Yoplait advertisement that shows other
people enjoying a new yoghurt flavour, you might
conclude that you would like it too. For services, such
vicarious learning is essential, as consumers can rarely
assess the benefit directly and have to rely on the
experience of others…”
second-hand
enjoyable
conclusive

23. SUMMARY OF PART 1
• Aim to develop a precise, concise, objective
and evidence-based writing style
• Review and practice your basic academic
vocabulary
• Work out meaning of new vocabulary
from context whenever possible
• Ignore new vocabulary that is not important in
your subject
• Use Massey resources and workshops to get
your referencing right

24. PART 2
• Using sources
• Structuring paragraphs
• Evaluating paragraphs
• Grammar mistakes to avoid

25. As Mundell (2002, p. 4) argued, “If it’s right for Europe to scrap its national
currencies, why is it wrong for other countries to do the same thing?”
1) Only quote definitions:
Quotations
And, as in the above examples, copy as few words as possible and put
these inside “ “ after your own introductory phrase.
2) ..... or really memorable phrases:
The concept of comparative advantage states that “everyone does best when
each concentrates on the activity for which he or she is relatively most
productive” (Frank & Bernanke, 2001, p. 23).
USING SOURCES

26. Complete the following sentence, using the source
below, including the correct punctuation and citation.
Such is the realm of corporate governance, an area that deals
with how a company conducts its business and implements
controls to ensure proper procedures and ethical behaviour.
(from page 18 of a book entitled “Financial Management: Core
concepts”, written by Raymond Brooks and published in 2010,
by Pearson – a publisher based in Boston in the American state
of Massachusetts)
Corporate governance refers to “how a company conducts its business
and implements controls to ensure proper procedures and ethical
behaviour” (Brooks, 2010, p. 18).
Corporate governance refers to ________

27. Brooks, R. M. (2010). Financial management: Core concepts. Boston, MA: Pearson
Brown, P. (2012). Equal opportunities in New Zealand: Myth or reality? Australasian Journal
of Human Resources, 41(3), 46-68.
Davidson, C., & Tolich, M. (2001). Social science research in New Zealand. Auckland, New
Zealand: Pearson Education.
Khan, I., & Chen, T. (2010). Tackling ageism: A cross-institutional approach. In J. Johnson & T.
Peterson (Eds.), An equal opportunities handbook (pp. 102-131). San Francisco, CA:
Pilot Press.
Atkinson, D. (2013, January 24). Too old to work: Too young to die? Retrieved from
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/1004532.htm
Smith, P., & Davidoff, R. (2003). Equal opportunities: From policy to practice. Central Islip, NY:
Progressive Press.
Statistics New Zealand. (2008). Demographic Trends – 2001-2006. Retrieved from
http://stats.govt.nz/demotrends-2012.pdf
The citation matches up with the full reference
in the list at the end of the essay.
References

28. “A person who wishes to follow Confucian moral philosophy will have the goal of
becoming a junzi. The term junzi literally means the ‘‘son of the ruler’’ and has
been translated into English as a ‘‘person of virtue,’’ a gentleman, a ‘‘superior
man’’ or a ‘‘princely man.’’ The term appears 107 times in the Analects (Wang,
2000). According to Anh (2008, p. 103) a junzi is a ‘‘noble person who attempts
to actualize Confucian cardinal virtues in concrete human relationships at any
cost.’’ The junzi is a person who is an involved agent with others, rather than
someone who is a detached intellectual or ivory tower philosopher (Wang,
2000). Business leaders still nominate the ideal of being a junzi as the
standard of personal integrity in China today”.
How could you summarise in ONE sentence the key ideas from
this text (from an article by Chen & Lee, 2008) for a paragraph on
Confucian ideas about leadership?
Summarising
90% of your use of sources will be in the form of summaries of
ideas in your own words. To do this effectively, you need to:
a) highlight the relevant information
b) turn this into brief notes
c) close the original text
d) expand your notes into one or more linked sentences

29. “A person who wishes to follow Confucian moral philosophy will have the goal of
becoming a junzi. The term junzi literally means the ‘‘son of the ruler’’ and has
been translated into English as a ‘‘person of virtue,’’ a gentleman, a ‘‘superior
man’’ or a ‘‘princely man.’’ The term appears 107 times in the Analects (Wang,
2000). According to Anh (2008, p. 103) a junzi is a ‘‘noble person who attempts
to actualize Confucian cardinal virtues in concrete human relationships at any
cost.’’ The junzi is a person who is an involved agent with others, rather than
someone who is a detached intellectual or ivory tower philosopher (Wang,
2000). Business leaders still nominate the ideal of being a junzi as the standard
of personal integrity in China today” (Chen and Lee, 2008).
Confucian goal is to become a junzi – a person of outstanding practical moral standard
Business leaders in China see junzi as an ideal (Chen & Lee , 2008).
STEP 1: Highlight relevant information
STEP 2: Take the information out and put into brief notes

30. Research has shown that modern Chinese business leaders wish to achieve the Confucian
ideal of the junzi. This is a person who has very high moral standards and social skills
(Chen & Lee , 2008).
STEP 3: Close the original book or screen – so all you
have in front of you is your notes
STEP 4: Expand your notes into one or more linked sentences
Confucian goal is to become a junzi – a person of outstanding moral standards, which
they use in social relationships
Business leaders in China see junzi as an ideal (Chen & Lee , 2008).
If you follow these FOUR steps
• You won’t need to worry about plagiarism
• You’ll write more critically
• Your writing will flow much better
• You’ll be more credible

31. STRUCTURING PARAGRAPHS
Sample Assignment Question
Discrimination in the workplace has two victims: in
the short term, those discriminated against suffer;
but in the longer term, organisations themselves
suffer from their own discriminatory practices.
Discuss in relation to the New Zealand business
environment.

32. Although, as we have seen, sexism and racism continue to exist in
New Zealand organisations, there is a clear legal framework for
identifying and dealing with both practices. This is not the case
with ageism, which can be defined as “unfair discrimination on the
basis of age” (Smith & Davidov, 2003, p. 23). Because its legal
status is less clearly marked, ageism may be even more serious,
since organisations may not recognise it as a problem. One reason
for this lack of recognition is that there can be reasons to take age
into account in recruitment. For instance, it could not be claimed
that a bar was being ageist because they refused to employ a 16
year-old. Discrimination it may be, but it is not unfair.

33. On the other hand, a bar which refused to employ a well-
qualified 46 year-old to serve drinks clearly has an ageist policy,
even if they try to justify this policy as what their customers and
other staff expect. Such discrimination appears to be common in
New Zealand (Morrison, 2000, p. 18), which indicates a failure to
respond to the changing demographics of our society (Executive
Taskforce Group, 2004). Its negative impacts on organisations
are likely to worsen over the coming decades in which older
workers will be our main talent pool (Statistics New Zealand,
2006, ch. 8). Therefore, ageist policies may indicate that an
organisational culture is not ready for the challenges and
opportunities that lie ahead.

34. A WELL-STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
• Starts by referring back to main topic of
previous paragraph(s)
• Focuses on the essay question
• Makes ONE clear basic point
• Supports this point with argument,
references to research & examples
• Is made up of sentences which refer
back to earlier sentences
• Comes to a conclusion

35. Start paragraphs by referring back to the main
point you’ve made in the paragraph before
Although, as we have seen, sexism and racism continue to be
prevalent in New Zealand organisations, there is a clear legal
framework for identifying and dealing with both practices. This is
not the case with ageism
Make sure you use the key topic words to keep your writing
relevant
Although, as we have seen, sexism and racism continue to exist in New Zealand organisations, there is a clear legal framework for
identifying and dealing with both practices. This is not the case with ageism, which can be defined as “unfair discrimination on
the basis of age” (Smith & Davidov, 2003, p. 23). Because its legal status is less clearly marked, ageism may be even more common,
since organisations may not recognise it as a problem. One obvious reason for this lack of recognition is that there may be reasons to
take age into account in recruitment. For instance, it could not be claimed that a bar was being ageist because they refused to
employ a 16 year-old. Discrimination it may be, but it is not unfair. On the other hand, a bar which refused to employ a well-
qualified 46 year-old to serve drinks clearly has an ageist policy, even if they try to justify this policy as what their customers and other
staff expect. Such discrimination appears to be common in New Zealand (Morrison, 2000, p. 18) which indicates a failure to
respond to the changing demographics of our society (Executive Taskforce Group, 2004). Its negative impacts on organisations are likely
to worsen over the coming decades in which older workers will be our main talent pool (Statistics New Zealand, 2006, ch. 8). Therefore,
ageistpolicies may indicate that an organisational culture is not ready for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

36. Make the main point of your paragraph clearly
in a topic sentence at or near the beginning
Because its legal status is less clearly marked, ageism is potentially
even more serious, since organisations may not recognise it as a
problem.
Include references to one or more books, academic journal
articles and high quality websites to provide evidence for
the facts, examples and concepts you include
Such discrimination appears to be common in New Zealand (Morrison, 2000, p. 18), which
indicates a failure to respond to the changing demographics of our society (Executive
Taskforce Group, 2004). Its negative impacts on organisations are likely to worsen over the
coming decades in which older workers will be our main talent pool (Statistics New
Zealand, 2006, ch. 8). Therefore, ageist policies may indicate that an organisational culture
is not ready for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

37. To make your writing flow, start each new
sentence by referring BACK to an earlier idea
__________. This is not the case with ageism _______. Because its legal status is less clearly marked,
_____ organisations may not recognise it as a problem. One obvious reason for this lack of
recognitionis _____ . For instance, _______. Such discrimination _________
Aim to conclude your paragraphs with an evaluation of the
topic you’ve discussed
Therefore, ageist policies may indicate that an organisational culture is not ready
for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

38. EVALUATING PARAGRAPHS
BAND 1: The paragraph develops a coherent and convincing
argument. It is well-structured, with an opening, a set of
three or more linked sentences, and a concluding comment.
Most sentences are correct, with no basic grammar or
vocabulary errors. There is evidence of a reasonable range of
sentence types and some non-basic vocabulary.
Currently, a large number of students chose to study aboard. New
Zealand is one of the popular countries. There are 3 main reasons
that international students go to study in New Zealand. First of all,
New Zealand is quite a safe country as there is not much serious
crime. And for parents, children’s safety is the most important.
Secondly, there are a lot of beautiful scenery in NZ such as Long Bay
Regional Park and Mission Bay. Good enviorment contributes to
motivate students to study. The last but not least is the quality of
education in NZ. All students are looking forward to having a good
job or something else. So NZ is such a great choice!

39. BAND 2: The paragraph communicates an adequate, though
rather simple, argument. It has a simple structure, with basic
connections between sentences (and, but, firstly, secondly). At
least half of the sentences are correct – i.e. without basic
grammar or vocabulary errors. The range of sentence types and
vocabulary is limited with only one or two examples of non-basic
vocabulary or syntax.
There are many reasons for students study at universities in NZ, but I
think there are three main resons, firstly we can learn about the
world, it is a good way for us to expand our knowledge. Secondly,
study at universities in NZ is not too expensive. Last but not least, NZ
is a safer place in the world, because there is not much serious
crime. All in all, NZ is a good place for studying.

40. BAND 3: The paragraph as a whole does not communicate a
convincing argument at tertiary level. At points it is hard to
follow. It has a simple structure and connections between
sentences are rather awkward and/or inconsistent. Most
sentences contain at least one basic grammar or vocabulary
error. The range of sentence types and vocabulary is limited to
basic forms.
Living in New Zealand is very safety. There are not much serious
crime, at the same time students can work hard on their relevant
course without worry. When we come New Zealand, we must
become more independence. There is nobody take care of us.
Studying is the significant. To improve our English and study hard,
make sure we will graduate from university.

41. BAND 4: The paragraph does not communicate a convincing
argument as a whole, or at the level of individual sentences,
which are mostly unclear. The overall structure is minimal
and/or not coherent. Most sentences contain more than one
basic grammar or vocabulary error. The range of vocabulary
and sentence types is limited to basic forms.
Gerenally speaking, an oversea student would become more
independent than the student who study in home country. Student
need to find homestay or do the others. This can improved a student
confident. Moreover, the company realised that the international
students would more effect or improved the company. They need
some new ideas from other countries. This is why we need to study
overseas.

42. TOP TEN GRAMMAR MISTAKES
MADE BY MASSEY STUDENTS
10) Spelling and Punctuation
• english
• a students life
• studing
• reknowned
• future carrier
• people are quiet friendly

43. 9) Grammar of comparison
• the environment is more clean ..
• NZ is not that expensive than ...
• fees are quite cheaper than ..
8) Wrong tense or verb form
• My parents send me to New Zealand ...
• I choose to study in NZ ..

44. 7) Wrong words
• New Zealand has very beautiful views
• nations which are upcoming with ideas
• a low number of crime
6) Wrong collocation
• Among the vital reasons
• the fees are cheaper

45. 5) Wrong or unnecessary preposition
• The reason of coming to New Zealand was for improve my
English
• included at the top 200 universities
• I would like to discuss about why …
• contact to students from Europe
• important in these days
• both of environment and social background
• an interesting opportunity to me
• In my point of view ..
• I’ve been dreaming for it

46. 4) Wrong form of word (adjective instead of noun etc)
• New Zealand is inexpensive comparing to
• a political neutral place
3) missing ‘a’ and ‘the’
• New Zealand is very safe country
• an important step for future
• environment is beautiful
• NZ universities have good reputation

47. 2) agreement – especially where the noun doesn’t agree with
verb
• Research have shown …
• NZ universities offers
1) singular instead of plural
• parent are reassured that their child are ...
• one of the major reason is ..
• many beautiful place ..

48. QUIZ
1. Name four differences between ordinary and academic
English style
2. What does an APA citation consist of?
3. How many parts does an APA reference for a book
have?
4. What should you do when you come across an
unknown word in your reading?
5. When should you include a quotation in your
academic writing?
7. Which words should you repeat a lot in your
academic writing?
6. What is plagiarism and how can you avoid it?

49. THANKS … and see you at the
Centre for Teaching and Learning
... for one-to-one consultations
slc-alb@massey.ac.nz 09 441 8143
... at our writing workshops
First one (Paragraph Writing) on Weds Week 2
Postgrad workshops start in Week 1
... listen to my Academic English podcast
http://tinyurl.com/6xy9hy
... use our videos and online tools
http://owll.massey.ac.nz
You can view this presentation at:
http://tinyurl.com/academicenglish2015