This document provides advice on academic writing for university students. It covers various topics like essay structure, thesis statements, outlining, note-taking, research, citations, revisions, and specific types of writing assignments. The document emphasizes developing a clear argument, critical thinking, avoiding plagiarism, integrating sources, and revising for conciseness. It also includes tips for writing effectively in different disciplines and genres.
This document provides guidance on various aspects of academic essay writing such as planning and organizing, reading and researching, revising, and specific writing styles. It discusses developing a thesis statement and outlines for organizing essays. It offers tips for critical reading, taking notes, summarizing texts, and avoiding plagiarism when using sources. The document also covers writing introductions and conclusions, developing paragraphs, and revising for elements like punctuation, spelling, and language usage. Overall, the document aims to equip students with fundamental skills for successful academic writing.
The document provides advice on academic writing. It discusses the key characteristics of academic writing, including being formal, unbiased, clear, precise, well-structured, and well-sourced. It contrasts academic writing styles with high school writing. The document also outlines the steps for effective reading, research, planning, organizing, using sources, and creating bibliographies for academic writing. This includes techniques like previewing, skimming, scanning, summarizing, using topic sentences and outlines to structure paragraphs and essays, properly citing sources to avoid plagiarism, and formatting bibliographies.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as essay structure, research, and reading strategies. It recommends that essays have a clear argument, answer a question or thesis, and be logically organized to present the argument. Effective planning is important to produce a coherent paper. Strong introductions set up the topic and context while conclusions provide closure and further thought. Paragraphs should each focus on a central idea supported by topic sentences. Thorough research requires critical reading, note-taking, and evaluating sources. Previewing, skimming, and summarizing texts aid comprehension.
The document provides guidance on various aspects of academic writing such as essay writing, dealing with writer's block, organizing essays, reading and researching, taking notes, using sources, and specific writing tasks. It discusses developing a clear argument and thesis in essays. It offers tips for planning and outlining essays while avoiding overplanning. The document also covers summarizing, paraphrasing, using quotations, and documenting sources properly. Various writing challenges are addressed, along with punctuation, grammar, and style concerns.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic essay writing, including developing arguments, organizing essays, conducting research, and overcoming writer's block. It discusses transitioning from high school to university-level writing and emphasizes generating ideas, formulating thesis statements, and understanding assignments. The document also offers tips for outlining essays, integrating notes and planning, writing introductions and conclusions, developing paragraphs, critically reading sources, taking efficient notes, and summarizing texts.
This document provides guidance on various aspects of academic essay writing such as planning, organizing, researching, and revising essays. It discusses developing a thesis statement, introducing and concluding paragraphs effectively, structuring paragraphs with topic sentences, reading sources critically, taking useful notes, and dealing with unfamiliar words. The document offers specific tips and strategies for each component to help students improve their academic writing skills.
Academic essays require an argument supported by evidence from sources. They should have an introduction that provides context and a thesis, body paragraphs that develop the argument, and a conclusion. When writing, students should do research, take notes, write drafts, and revise for clarity, flow, and to address any errors. Proper formatting of citations and references is needed to avoid plagiarism.
This document provides advice on academic writing, including how to structure essays and paragraphs. It recommends that essays have a clear argument and thesis. Paragraph structure should include a topic sentence that presents the central idea. When taking notes from research, students should focus on key ideas and avoid copying large portions of text. Summarizing requires distilling the main concepts into a concise overview using your own words. Previewing a text helps orient the reader to what is most important.
This document provides guidance on various aspects of academic essay writing such as planning and organizing, reading and researching, revising, and specific writing styles. It discusses developing a thesis statement and outlines for organizing essays. It offers tips for critical reading, taking notes, summarizing texts, and avoiding plagiarism when using sources. The document also covers writing introductions and conclusions, developing paragraphs, and revising for elements like punctuation, spelling, and language usage. Overall, the document aims to equip students with fundamental skills for successful academic writing.
The document provides advice on academic writing. It discusses the key characteristics of academic writing, including being formal, unbiased, clear, precise, well-structured, and well-sourced. It contrasts academic writing styles with high school writing. The document also outlines the steps for effective reading, research, planning, organizing, using sources, and creating bibliographies for academic writing. This includes techniques like previewing, skimming, scanning, summarizing, using topic sentences and outlines to structure paragraphs and essays, properly citing sources to avoid plagiarism, and formatting bibliographies.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as essay structure, research, and reading strategies. It recommends that essays have a clear argument, answer a question or thesis, and be logically organized to present the argument. Effective planning is important to produce a coherent paper. Strong introductions set up the topic and context while conclusions provide closure and further thought. Paragraphs should each focus on a central idea supported by topic sentences. Thorough research requires critical reading, note-taking, and evaluating sources. Previewing, skimming, and summarizing texts aid comprehension.
The document provides guidance on various aspects of academic writing such as essay writing, dealing with writer's block, organizing essays, reading and researching, taking notes, using sources, and specific writing tasks. It discusses developing a clear argument and thesis in essays. It offers tips for planning and outlining essays while avoiding overplanning. The document also covers summarizing, paraphrasing, using quotations, and documenting sources properly. Various writing challenges are addressed, along with punctuation, grammar, and style concerns.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic essay writing, including developing arguments, organizing essays, conducting research, and overcoming writer's block. It discusses transitioning from high school to university-level writing and emphasizes generating ideas, formulating thesis statements, and understanding assignments. The document also offers tips for outlining essays, integrating notes and planning, writing introductions and conclusions, developing paragraphs, critically reading sources, taking efficient notes, and summarizing texts.
This document provides guidance on various aspects of academic essay writing such as planning, organizing, researching, and revising essays. It discusses developing a thesis statement, introducing and concluding paragraphs effectively, structuring paragraphs with topic sentences, reading sources critically, taking useful notes, and dealing with unfamiliar words. The document offers specific tips and strategies for each component to help students improve their academic writing skills.
Academic essays require an argument supported by evidence from sources. They should have an introduction that provides context and a thesis, body paragraphs that develop the argument, and a conclusion. When writing, students should do research, take notes, write drafts, and revise for clarity, flow, and to address any errors. Proper formatting of citations and references is needed to avoid plagiarism.
This document provides advice on academic writing, including how to structure essays and paragraphs. It recommends that essays have a clear argument and thesis. Paragraph structure should include a topic sentence that presents the central idea. When taking notes from research, students should focus on key ideas and avoid copying large portions of text. Summarizing requires distilling the main concepts into a concise overview using your own words. Previewing a text helps orient the reader to what is most important.
This document provides advice for academic writing. It recommends developing an argument with a clear thesis, doing research by reading and taking notes, and organizing the essay in an effective order. Good writing practices include starting early, using writing for exploration, revising extensively, and proofreading. When developing reasoning, students should understand key concepts and terms, ask questions about the topic, and form a tentative thesis statement. Effective research involves note-taking methods like index cards and outlining, and planning to ensure a logical argument. The introduction should engage readers and provide context for the focus, while the conclusion should broaden the discussion and convey implications beyond the scope of the essay.
This document provides guidance on various aspects of academic essay writing. It discusses determining an essay topic and developing a thesis statement. It emphasizes the importance of organization, revising extensively through multiple drafts, and paying attention to transitions between ideas. The document also offers tips for understanding essay topics, dealing with writer's block, planning and outlining essays, developing paragraphs, taking effective notes, and incorporating sources through quotations, paraphrasing, and summarizing.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing for college students. It discusses how to plan and organize an essay by formulating an argument, thesis, and topic. It also covers how to structure introductions, conclusions, and paragraphs. The document offers tips for reading critically and researching topics, as well as using and citing sources properly to avoid plagiarism. It provides guidance on writing different types of assignments such as book reviews, annotated bibliographies, literature reviews, abstracts, and comparative essays. Finally, it gives some specific advice for writing history and literature papers.
This document provides advice and guidelines for academic writing at the university level. It discusses general aspects of academic essays such as including an argument, question, or thesis to prove. It also contrasts university-level writing expectations with high school writing rules. Specifically, it notes there is no predetermined number of points or strict five paragraph structure at university. It provides tips for understanding essay topics, dealing with writer's block, planning and organizing essays, developing thesis statements, writing introductions and conclusions, constructing unified paragraphs, and performing critical reading and research.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as developing an argument, organizing an essay, incorporating sources, and revising work. It emphasizes that essays should have a clear thesis and argument. The essay's organization and structure should support the argument. When writing, students should plan their essays but not overplan to allow for discovery in the writing process. Sources should be incorporated to further the student's own argument rather than determine the essay's structure. Thorough revision is important to refine writing.
This document provides advice on academic writing. It discusses planning an essay by organizing ideas, researching efficiently through critical reading and note-taking, using sources properly by avoiding plagiarism, revising for clarity, and understanding the standard parts of an essay such as the introduction, thesis, paragraphs, and conclusion. Specific tips are given for each part, such as including a thesis at the end of the first paragraph and using topic sentences to unify paragraphs around a central idea. The document emphasizes organization, argumentation, integrating evidence, and crafting an engaging overall argument.
This document provides advice on academic writing. It discusses planning an essay by organizing ideas, researching efficiently through critical reading and note-taking, using sources properly by avoiding plagiarism, revising for clarity, and understanding the standard parts of an essay such as the introduction, thesis, paragraphs, and conclusion. Specific tips are given for each part, such as including a thesis at the end of the first paragraph and using topic sentences to unify paragraphs around a central idea. The document emphasizes organization, argumentation, and properly citing sources in academic writing.
This document provides general advice on academic writing and essay composition. It discusses key elements such as having an argument, formulating a thesis statement, organization, successful writing methods like outlining and revising. It also covers organizing an essay, developing a thesis statement, writing introductions and conclusions. Additional topics covered include paragraphs, topic sentences, critical reading skills, research methods, summarizing, using sources, quoting and paraphrasing, specific types of academic writing, and revising and editing. The overall document offers a comprehensive overview of the essay writing process and common elements of academic writing.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as essay structure, thesis statements, paragraph structure, and use of sources. It emphasizes that essays should have a clear argument supported by evidence. Good writing practices include starting early, outlining, and revising. When using sources, direct quotations should be limited and paraphrasing or summarizing is often better. The document also covers topics such as understanding essay topics, writing introductions and conclusions, comparing items in a comparative essay, and revising for clarity and organization.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing, including essay structure, thesis statements, introductions and conclusions, paragraphs, and research. Some key points include:
- Academic essays should develop a central thesis through reasoning and evidence. They should have an argument and answer a question.
- Paragraphs should each focus on one main idea or point, expressed in a topic sentence. They should be adequately supported with details.
- Outlines are an important part of writing and planning an essay. They help ensure a logical flow of ideas and thorough coverage of the topic.
- Introductions should provide context and indicate the essay's focus. Conclusions should provide a sense of closure while connecting back to
This document provides guidance on various aspects of academic writing such as understanding essay topics, organizing an essay, reading and researching, using sources, revising writing, and specific types of writing. It discusses key elements like introductions, conclusions, paragraphs, topic sentences, taking notes, paraphrasing, summarizing, and identifying and fixing sentence fragments. The document aims to offer students advice to improve their academic writing skills.
The document provides advice to students on academic writing at the university level. It discusses developing an argument with a clear thesis, structuring essays with topic sentences and well-organized paragraphs. General writing tips include starting early, extensive revision, and proofreading. When researching, the document advises taking detailed notes and using sources critically to form your own analysis. It also reviews techniques like skimming, scanning, and summarizing to aid comprehension of academic texts.
This document provides guidance on writing quality essays and referencing sources. It outlines the 10 key steps to writing an essay: research, analysis, brainstorming, thesis, outline, introduction, paragraphs, conclusion, referencing style, and language editing. Each step is described in 1-2 paragraphs. Additionally, introductions, paragraphs, conclusions and language editing are discussed in more detail with tips and examples. The document aims to guide students through the entire essay writing process.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as essay writing, research, organization, and specific writing types. It discusses developing an argument with a clear thesis, formulating questions to guide the essay, and organizing the essay logically. It also covers topics like understanding assignments, developing a thesis statement, writing introductions and conclusions, paragraph structure, critical reading, note-taking, summarizing, quoting, revising, and oral presentations. Finally, it provides guidance on writing different text types including literature reviews, proposals, admissions letters, and bibliographies.
This document provides advice on academic writing. It discusses developing an argument, proving claims with evidence and reasoning, formulating questions to answer, and considering counterarguments. It also offers tips for organizing an essay through outlining and reverse outlining. Additional sections cover using thesis statements, writing introductions and conclusions, developing paragraphs, critical reading and writing to avoid plagiarism, and revising. The document is intended to help students improve their academic writing skills.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic essay writing such as planning, organizing, developing a thesis, writing introductions and conclusions, structuring paragraphs, taking notes, reading critically, dealing with new vocabulary, and summarizing. It discusses establishing a clear argument, creating an outline, introducing context, conveying closing thoughts, using topic sentences and cohesive devices, labeling notes, evaluating evidence, and avoiding plagiarism when incorporating sources. The document also briefly outlines specific types of academic writing like abstracts, comparative essays, and annotated bibliographies.
The document provides advice on academic writing. It discusses various topics like planning and organizing an essay, reading and research, using sources, and specific types of writing like book reviews and literature reviews. Some key points include how to formulate a thesis and outline for an essay, techniques for taking effective notes from research sources, how to avoid plagiarism by properly citing sources, and the purpose of a literature review in conveying established ideas on a topic to the reader.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as developing an argument, addressing writer's block, critical reading, planning essays, and revising writing. It discusses formulating a thesis, doing research, taking notes, incorporating sources, and avoiding common grammatical errors. The document also outlines different types of academic assignments and offers additional resources for academic writing support.
Academic writing has some key differences from other types of writing. It requires following a formal structure, such as an introduction, body, and conclusion in essays. It also requires citing published authors to support opinions and show knowledge of literature. Academic writing adheres strictly to rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling for clarity. Additionally, academic writing focuses on abstract concepts, theories, and ideas rather than concrete practical topics.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic essay writing such as planning, organizing, developing a thesis, writing introductions and conclusions, structuring paragraphs, taking notes, reading critically, dealing with new vocabulary, and avoiding plagiarism. It discusses formatting different types of academic writing like abstracts, comparative essays, and annotated bibliographies. Tips are provided on revising, editing, punctuation, and proper use of the English language. Specific techniques are outlined for previewing, skimming, scanning and summarizing texts.
The document provides advice on academic writing from the University of Toronto. It discusses developing an argument in essays, the differences between high school and university writing expectations, planning and organizing essays, writing introductions and conclusions, developing paragraphs, reading and researching critically, specific types of academic writing, and editing for style. It emphasizes developing a clear thesis, considering the intended audience and discipline, and structuring essays in a logical flow of ideas supported by evidence.
This document provides advice on various aspects of writing academic essays, including planning, researching, outlining, and revising. It recommends beginning the writing process early and developing a provisional hypothesis. When planning, students should design an outline and organize their paper during the pre-writing stage. Effective research involves critical reading to understand an author's key ideas and evaluating evidence. When outlining, students can use index cards in different colors to organize their points. The document also provides tips for writing introductions, conclusions, integrating sources, and revising. It emphasizes starting early and maintaining an organized writing process.
This document provides advice for academic writing. It recommends developing an argument with a clear thesis, doing research by reading and taking notes, and organizing the essay in an effective order. Good writing practices include starting early, using writing for exploration, revising extensively, and proofreading. When developing reasoning, students should understand key concepts and terms, ask questions about the topic, and form a tentative thesis statement. Effective research involves note-taking methods like index cards and outlining, and planning to ensure a logical argument. The introduction should engage readers and provide context for the focus, while the conclusion should broaden the discussion and convey implications beyond the scope of the essay.
This document provides guidance on various aspects of academic essay writing. It discusses determining an essay topic and developing a thesis statement. It emphasizes the importance of organization, revising extensively through multiple drafts, and paying attention to transitions between ideas. The document also offers tips for understanding essay topics, dealing with writer's block, planning and outlining essays, developing paragraphs, taking effective notes, and incorporating sources through quotations, paraphrasing, and summarizing.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing for college students. It discusses how to plan and organize an essay by formulating an argument, thesis, and topic. It also covers how to structure introductions, conclusions, and paragraphs. The document offers tips for reading critically and researching topics, as well as using and citing sources properly to avoid plagiarism. It provides guidance on writing different types of assignments such as book reviews, annotated bibliographies, literature reviews, abstracts, and comparative essays. Finally, it gives some specific advice for writing history and literature papers.
This document provides advice and guidelines for academic writing at the university level. It discusses general aspects of academic essays such as including an argument, question, or thesis to prove. It also contrasts university-level writing expectations with high school writing rules. Specifically, it notes there is no predetermined number of points or strict five paragraph structure at university. It provides tips for understanding essay topics, dealing with writer's block, planning and organizing essays, developing thesis statements, writing introductions and conclusions, constructing unified paragraphs, and performing critical reading and research.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as developing an argument, organizing an essay, incorporating sources, and revising work. It emphasizes that essays should have a clear thesis and argument. The essay's organization and structure should support the argument. When writing, students should plan their essays but not overplan to allow for discovery in the writing process. Sources should be incorporated to further the student's own argument rather than determine the essay's structure. Thorough revision is important to refine writing.
This document provides advice on academic writing. It discusses planning an essay by organizing ideas, researching efficiently through critical reading and note-taking, using sources properly by avoiding plagiarism, revising for clarity, and understanding the standard parts of an essay such as the introduction, thesis, paragraphs, and conclusion. Specific tips are given for each part, such as including a thesis at the end of the first paragraph and using topic sentences to unify paragraphs around a central idea. The document emphasizes organization, argumentation, integrating evidence, and crafting an engaging overall argument.
This document provides advice on academic writing. It discusses planning an essay by organizing ideas, researching efficiently through critical reading and note-taking, using sources properly by avoiding plagiarism, revising for clarity, and understanding the standard parts of an essay such as the introduction, thesis, paragraphs, and conclusion. Specific tips are given for each part, such as including a thesis at the end of the first paragraph and using topic sentences to unify paragraphs around a central idea. The document emphasizes organization, argumentation, and properly citing sources in academic writing.
This document provides general advice on academic writing and essay composition. It discusses key elements such as having an argument, formulating a thesis statement, organization, successful writing methods like outlining and revising. It also covers organizing an essay, developing a thesis statement, writing introductions and conclusions. Additional topics covered include paragraphs, topic sentences, critical reading skills, research methods, summarizing, using sources, quoting and paraphrasing, specific types of academic writing, and revising and editing. The overall document offers a comprehensive overview of the essay writing process and common elements of academic writing.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as essay structure, thesis statements, paragraph structure, and use of sources. It emphasizes that essays should have a clear argument supported by evidence. Good writing practices include starting early, outlining, and revising. When using sources, direct quotations should be limited and paraphrasing or summarizing is often better. The document also covers topics such as understanding essay topics, writing introductions and conclusions, comparing items in a comparative essay, and revising for clarity and organization.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing, including essay structure, thesis statements, introductions and conclusions, paragraphs, and research. Some key points include:
- Academic essays should develop a central thesis through reasoning and evidence. They should have an argument and answer a question.
- Paragraphs should each focus on one main idea or point, expressed in a topic sentence. They should be adequately supported with details.
- Outlines are an important part of writing and planning an essay. They help ensure a logical flow of ideas and thorough coverage of the topic.
- Introductions should provide context and indicate the essay's focus. Conclusions should provide a sense of closure while connecting back to
This document provides guidance on various aspects of academic writing such as understanding essay topics, organizing an essay, reading and researching, using sources, revising writing, and specific types of writing. It discusses key elements like introductions, conclusions, paragraphs, topic sentences, taking notes, paraphrasing, summarizing, and identifying and fixing sentence fragments. The document aims to offer students advice to improve their academic writing skills.
The document provides advice to students on academic writing at the university level. It discusses developing an argument with a clear thesis, structuring essays with topic sentences and well-organized paragraphs. General writing tips include starting early, extensive revision, and proofreading. When researching, the document advises taking detailed notes and using sources critically to form your own analysis. It also reviews techniques like skimming, scanning, and summarizing to aid comprehension of academic texts.
This document provides guidance on writing quality essays and referencing sources. It outlines the 10 key steps to writing an essay: research, analysis, brainstorming, thesis, outline, introduction, paragraphs, conclusion, referencing style, and language editing. Each step is described in 1-2 paragraphs. Additionally, introductions, paragraphs, conclusions and language editing are discussed in more detail with tips and examples. The document aims to guide students through the entire essay writing process.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as essay writing, research, organization, and specific writing types. It discusses developing an argument with a clear thesis, formulating questions to guide the essay, and organizing the essay logically. It also covers topics like understanding assignments, developing a thesis statement, writing introductions and conclusions, paragraph structure, critical reading, note-taking, summarizing, quoting, revising, and oral presentations. Finally, it provides guidance on writing different text types including literature reviews, proposals, admissions letters, and bibliographies.
This document provides advice on academic writing. It discusses developing an argument, proving claims with evidence and reasoning, formulating questions to answer, and considering counterarguments. It also offers tips for organizing an essay through outlining and reverse outlining. Additional sections cover using thesis statements, writing introductions and conclusions, developing paragraphs, critical reading and writing to avoid plagiarism, and revising. The document is intended to help students improve their academic writing skills.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic essay writing such as planning, organizing, developing a thesis, writing introductions and conclusions, structuring paragraphs, taking notes, reading critically, dealing with new vocabulary, and summarizing. It discusses establishing a clear argument, creating an outline, introducing context, conveying closing thoughts, using topic sentences and cohesive devices, labeling notes, evaluating evidence, and avoiding plagiarism when incorporating sources. The document also briefly outlines specific types of academic writing like abstracts, comparative essays, and annotated bibliographies.
The document provides advice on academic writing. It discusses various topics like planning and organizing an essay, reading and research, using sources, and specific types of writing like book reviews and literature reviews. Some key points include how to formulate a thesis and outline for an essay, techniques for taking effective notes from research sources, how to avoid plagiarism by properly citing sources, and the purpose of a literature review in conveying established ideas on a topic to the reader.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as developing an argument, addressing writer's block, critical reading, planning essays, and revising writing. It discusses formulating a thesis, doing research, taking notes, incorporating sources, and avoiding common grammatical errors. The document also outlines different types of academic assignments and offers additional resources for academic writing support.
Academic writing has some key differences from other types of writing. It requires following a formal structure, such as an introduction, body, and conclusion in essays. It also requires citing published authors to support opinions and show knowledge of literature. Academic writing adheres strictly to rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling for clarity. Additionally, academic writing focuses on abstract concepts, theories, and ideas rather than concrete practical topics.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic essay writing such as planning, organizing, developing a thesis, writing introductions and conclusions, structuring paragraphs, taking notes, reading critically, dealing with new vocabulary, and avoiding plagiarism. It discusses formatting different types of academic writing like abstracts, comparative essays, and annotated bibliographies. Tips are provided on revising, editing, punctuation, and proper use of the English language. Specific techniques are outlined for previewing, skimming, scanning and summarizing texts.
The document provides advice on academic writing from the University of Toronto. It discusses developing an argument in essays, the differences between high school and university writing expectations, planning and organizing essays, writing introductions and conclusions, developing paragraphs, reading and researching critically, specific types of academic writing, and editing for style. It emphasizes developing a clear thesis, considering the intended audience and discipline, and structuring essays in a logical flow of ideas supported by evidence.
This document provides advice on various aspects of writing academic essays, including planning, researching, outlining, and revising. It recommends beginning the writing process early and developing a provisional hypothesis. When planning, students should design an outline and organize their paper during the pre-writing stage. Effective research involves critical reading to understand an author's key ideas and evaluating evidence. When outlining, students can use index cards in different colors to organize their points. The document also provides tips for writing introductions, conclusions, integrating sources, and revising. It emphasizes starting early and maintaining an organized writing process.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as developing an argument, organizing an essay, incorporating sources, and revising work. It emphasizes that essays should have a clear thesis and argument. The essay's organization and structure should support the argument logically. When writing, students should plan their essays but not overplan to allow for discovery in the writing process. Effective introductions engage the reader and conclusions provide closure. Proper citation and appearance are also addressed.
The document provides advice on academic writing and the transition from high school to university-level writing. It discusses general tips for writing essays such as having an argument, considering possible questions and hypotheses, and revising drafts. It also compares the differences between high school and university expectations for writing, such as essay structure, thesis statements, and use of personal experience. Finally, it addresses understanding essay topics, writer's block, organizing essays using thesis statements and topic sentences, as well as properly using and citing sources through paraphrasing and quotations.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as the pre-writing stage, introductions, conclusions, paragraphs, quotations, and punctuation. It discusses planning ideas and questions to consider in the pre-writing stage. It also offers tips for writing introductions, conclusions, and paragraphs as well as introducing and formatting quotations. Finally, it provides guidance on using punctuation like commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, and parentheses.
The document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as essay structure, outlining, research methods, grammar, and style. It recommends formulating a clear thesis and argument. For organization, it suggests dividing an outline into introduction, discussion, and conclusion sections. When conducting research, the document advises taking detailed notes, citing sources, and using paraphrasing and summarization. It also covers topics like punctuation, passive voice, spelling, and avoiding sentence fragments. The overall document offers guidance on writing effective academic essays and papers.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as structure, reading and researching, using sources, and bibliography formatting. It recommends outlining paragraphs with topic sentences, researching before writing, and developing ideas with cohesion and transition words. Sources should be cited using documentation styles like MLA or APA and direct quotes, paraphrases, and summaries need in-text citations and references. The conclusion restates the main points and places the advice in a broader context.
This document provides advice on academic writing, including understanding essay topics, organizing essays, developing paragraphs, and revising writing. It recommends formulating a clear thesis statement, using an introduction to engage readers and provide context, and concluding by reinforcing the central argument. Well-organized paragraphs are key, with a topic sentence and logical progression of supporting ideas through techniques like definition, analysis, and illustration. Thorough revision is emphasized to transform a first draft into an excellent final paper.
This document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as planning, outlining, writing introductions and conclusions, developing paragraphs, critical reading, note taking, researching online, avoiding plagiarism, revising, and formatting papers. Some key points discussed are the importance of planning before writing, writing strong introductions and conclusions, ensuring paragraph unity and flow, taking careful notes, being cautious when researching online, and thoroughly revising and editing written work.
The document provides advice on academic writing and summarizes slides on various topics related to writing essays, including planning and organizing an essay, using thesis statements, different types of essays, paragraphs, topic sentences, skimming and scanning, summarizing, paraphrasing, plagiarism, documentation, and bibliographies. The document emphasizes the importance of careful planning, outlining, and revising essays. It also discusses effective reading strategies like skimming and scanning and how to write topic sentences, paragraphs, summaries, and paraphrases while avoiding plagiarism through proper citation of sources.
This document provides strategies for effective reading, note-taking, and becoming a critical reader at the university level. It recommends skimming texts first to get an overview before reading selectively. When taking notes, use bullet points and abbreviations rather than full sentences. Be a critical reader by questioning claims and looking for biases or disagreeing viewpoints. Read introductions and conclusions first to understand the main argument and thesis. Take notes on topic sentences to grasp each paragraph's essential point.
This document provides advice for academic writing. It discusses developing an argument and hypothesis, organizing an outline, and researching a topic through critical reading and note-taking. The writing process includes planning with a thesis statement, drafting an introduction with background and a conclusion that wraps up the key points. When researching, it's important to evaluate sources and integrate them properly into the writing. Revising involves checking the fulfillment of the assignment, organization, style, and flow. Different types of writing like literature essays require focusing on analysis over plot summary and integrating quotations. The overall message is that starting early, planning thoroughly, and revising extensively are keys to strong academic writing.
Any student in a high level institution will be usually required to write a variety of dissertations, papers and essays throughout the whole period of their studies.
These writing tasks and assignments will cover a myriad of goals, objectives and purposes.
This document provides an overview of the academic writing process. It discusses the importance of writing skills, outlines the key stages in writing a paper including research, brainstorming, developing a thesis statement, creating an outline, writing drafts, and proofreading. The document also describes the main components of a paper such as the introduction, main body, and conclusion. It offers tips for each stage, such as using credible sources for research, choosing a clear and specific thesis, and restating the main ideas in the conclusion.
This document provides advice on academic writing. It covers general topics such as essay structure, thesis statements, introductions and conclusions. It also discusses planning and organization, including outlining and determining how much time to spend planning. Additionally, it addresses reading and research, such as critical reading, note taking, dealing with new words, and summarizing. The document also provides guidance on using sources, including quotations, paraphrasing and documentation formats. Finally, it covers revising, editing, common errors, and using word processing software to improve writing.
The document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as essay structure, research methods, grammar, and revision. It recommends developing a clear thesis, organizing paragraphs around topic sentences, integrating quotes and avoiding plagiarism by citing sources properly. It also discusses techniques for planning essays, taking notes, summarizing sources, and improving writing through careful editing and proofreading.
This document provides guidance on academic writing skills such as essay writing, research, organization, grammar, and avoiding plagiarism. It covers topics like developing a thesis statement, writing introductions and conclusions, organizing paragraphs, conducting research both from books and the internet, taking notes, summarizing, integrating quotations, and citing sources to avoid plagiarism using different styles like MLA and APA. The document appears to be from a university writing course and aims to equip students with essential skills for academic writing.
The document provides guidance on writing academic essays. It emphasizes that an essay should have a clear argument presented in an organized structure. It should include an introduction with a thesis statement, body paragraphs that support the thesis with evidence, and a conclusion that restates the main points. Other tips include avoiding contradictions, supporting claims, using transition words, and integrating research sources through paraphrasing and summarization rather than direct copying. The writing process involves planning with an outline, drafting, and revising for clarity and logical flow.
A Free 200-Page eBook ~ Brain and Mind Exercise.pptxOH TEIK BIN
(A Free eBook comprising 3 Sets of Presentation of a selection of Puzzles, Brain Teasers and Thinking Problems to exercise both the mind and the Right and Left Brain. To help keep the mind and brain fit and healthy. Good for both the young and old alike.
Answers are given for all the puzzles and problems.)
With Metta,
Bro. Oh Teik Bin 🙏🤓🤔🥰
Level 3 NCEA - NZ: A Nation In the Making 1872 - 1900 SML.pptHenry Hollis
The History of NZ 1870-1900.
Making of a Nation.
From the NZ Wars to Liberals,
Richard Seddon, George Grey,
Social Laboratory, New Zealand,
Confiscations, Kotahitanga, Kingitanga, Parliament, Suffrage, Repudiation, Economic Change, Agriculture, Gold Mining, Timber, Flax, Sheep, Dairying,
CapTechTalks Webinar Slides June 2024 Donovan Wright.pptxCapitolTechU
Slides from a Capitol Technology University webinar held June 20, 2024. The webinar featured Dr. Donovan Wright, presenting on the Department of Defense Digital Transformation.
Gender and Mental Health - Counselling and Family Therapy Applications and In...PsychoTech Services
A proprietary approach developed by bringing together the best of learning theories from Psychology, design principles from the world of visualization, and pedagogical methods from over a decade of training experience, that enables you to: Learn better, faster!
A Visual Guide to 1 Samuel | A Tale of Two HeartsSteve Thomason
These slides walk through the story of 1 Samuel. Samuel is the last judge of Israel. The people reject God and want a king. Saul is anointed as the first king, but he is not a good king. David, the shepherd boy is anointed and Saul is envious of him. David shows honor while Saul continues to self destruct.
2. INDEX
3- GENERAL
4- PLANNING AND ORGANIZING
8- READING AND RESEARCHING
11- USING SOURCES
13- SPECIFIC TYPES OF WRITING
16- REVISING
21- ENGLISH LANGUAGE
24- BIBLIOGRAPHY
WRITING ADVICE – UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
3. SOME GENERAL ADVICE ON
ACADEMIC ESSAY-WRITING
An essay should have an argument
An essay's organization (how it begins, develops, and ends)
should be designed to present your argument clearly and persuasively.
ESSAY STRUCTURE FROMHIGHSCHOOL TO UNIVERSITY
To meet the expectations of university writing, you will need
to unlearn rules you may have learned in high school. For example:
Discourages formulas.
Provides freedom for your own way of structuring your argument.
Offers discipline-specific guidelines for approaching written work.
Discourages repetition.
Encourages critical thinking.
Rewards you for engaging in analysis.
University…
4. UNDERSTANDING ESSAY TOPICS
Steps for beginning the reasoning early in the process. _____
WRITER’S BLOCK
Writing is never a smooth process and
some blockages may occurr due to anxiety,
stress or simply lack of understanding.
Discovering the cause will help you find a solution.
An essay is excellent
when it has strong evidence
of original thinking; good
organization; capacity to
analyze, evidence of
extensive knowledge base.
And it is inadequate
when it has little evidence
of even superficial
understanding of subject
matter; weakness in critical
and analytic skills; limited
or irrelevant use of literature.
1. Note the key terms.
2. Note which concepts and ways of thinking or
methodology the topic asks you to use.
3. Ask yourself questions to generate ideas from
which you can choose the direction of your research
or preliminary analysis and looking for controversies.
4. Formulate a tentative thesis statement at a fairly
early stage that will help focus your investigation.
5. The best time to think about how to organize your paper is during the pre-writing stage.
What type of essay am I going to be writing? Does it belong to a specific genre?
ORGANIZING AN ESSAY
TECHNIQUES FOR INTEGRATING
NOTE-TAKING AND PLANNING
- When you are researching, write down every
idea, fact or quotation on a separate index card.
- You can collect your points consecutively, just
as you would on paper but in the computer.
- Using a mindmap to connect ideas.
OUTLINES are meant to serve only you, the
point is to ensure that you are on the right track.
As a potential argument begins to take shape
in your mind, you may start to formalize your
thoughts in the form of a tentative plan.
ADVANTAGES OF PLANNING
- a logical and orderly argument
- economical paper by avoiding repetition
- a thorough paper by making it easier for
you to notice any omission
- to draft the paper is easier because you
are able to concentrate on writing issues:
grammar, word choice, and clarity
RISKS OF OVERPLANNING
- not enough time to write and revise
- papers that try to cover too much ground
at the expense of analytic depth
- a writing style that lacks spontaneity
- not enough opportunity to discover
new ideas in the process of writing
6. USING THESIS STATEMENTS
Your reader will probably expect
a clear statement of your position
INTRIGUING - It makes a definite and limited
assertion that needs to be explained and
supported by further discussion.
WORTH ATTENTION - It shows the emphasis
and indicates the methodology of the argument.
SUITABLE COMPLEX - It shows awareness
of difficulties and disagreements.
SOME MYTHS
- Every paper requires a thesis statement.
- It must come at the end of the first paragraph.
- It must be one sentence in length.
- You can’t start writing an essay
until you have a perfect one.
- A thesis statement must give
three points of support.
A GOOD INTRODUCTION A STRONG CONCLUSION
will provide a sense of closure
to the essay while again
placing your concepts in a
somewhat wider context.
It will also add a stimulus
to further thought.
should identify your topic,
provide essential context,
and indicate your particular
focus in the essay.
It needs to engage
your readers’ interest.
- Warn of the
seriousness of the issue
- Quote an expert
- Give a startling statistic
- Use a brief narrative or anecdote
How to make them interesting?
7. A paragraph is a series of related sentences developing a central idea,
called the topic. Usually, they are between one-third and two-thirds of a page double spaced
The body paragraph
demonstrates and develops
your topic sentence through an
ordered, logical progression of
ideas. There are a number of
useful techniques: examples,
details, or relevant quotations.
There are some different paragraphs,
which can also be combined
in one paragraph:
- definition paragraph,
- analysis or classification paragraph,
- comparison or a contrast paragraph,
- qualification paragraph,
- process paragraph.
Techniques to make the
ideas flow in a paragraph:
-Show connections
-Deliberate repetition
-Strategic use
of pronouns
-Specialized linking words
Topic sentences
They are similar to mini thesis statements.
They usually appear at the very beginning of paragraphs.
Use a topic sentence to show how your paragraph contributes to
the development of your argument by moving it that one extra step forward.
Relating your topic sentences to your thesis can help strengthen the coherence of your essay.
Note: Not all paragraphs need topic sentences. In particular, opening and closing paragraphs.
But if you are in doubt, it’s best to use one
8. CRITICAL WRITING
DEPENDS ON CRITICAL READING
To read critically is to make judgements about how a text is argued.
- DON’T read looking only or primarily for information
- DO read looking for ways of thinking about the subject matter PRACTICAL TIPS
-Skim research materials
-Highlight a text or take notes from it
-Pay attention to the context that
surrounds a portion of the text
-Use the quotation critically
-Critical listening skills in your
lectures to analyse ways of thinking
To I Read Looking for Ways of Thinking
- Determine the central claims or purpose of the text.
- Make some judgements about context.
Audience? Historical context?
- Distinguish the kinds of reasoning the text employs.
Concepts? Theory? Methodology?
- Examine the evidence the text employs.
Is it statistical? literary? historical? From what sources?
- Critical reading may involve evaluation. If the argument
is strong, why? Could it be better or differently supported?
Are there gaps, leaps, or inconsistencies in the argument?
Is the method of analysis problematic?
There’s no point reading and
not understanding or remembering
what you’ve seen.
A more important skill is to read
with comprehension and memory.
9. TAKING NOTES FROM RESEARCH READING
1. Know what kind of ideas you need to record
Focus your approach to the topic before you start detailed
research. Read with a purpose in mind, and sort out relevant ideas.
2. Don’t write down too much
Your essay must be an expression of your own thinking, not a
patchwork of borrowed ideas. Compress ideas in your own words.
3. Label your notes intelligently a way that allows for later use.
DEALING WITH NEW WORDS
You don’t need to interrupt your reading to look up
every hard word right away in the dictionary.
Experts say it’s actually better to make an “educated guess”
1- Sound it out
2- Examine the structure
3- Look at the contexts
4- Check the dictionary
5- Write a usable brief definition
The best way to
increase and deepen
your general vocabulary
is to spend time reading.
If new words are established
through a true understanding,
THEY BELONG TO YOU.
10. RESEARCH USING THE INTERNET
The Net is a tremendous resource, but
it must be used carefully and critically.
Here are a few basic guidelines to remember:
- Don’t rely exclusively on Net resources.
- Narrow your research topic before logging on.
- Know your subject directories and search
engines.
- Keep a detailed record of sites you visit and use.
- Double-check all URLs that you put in your paper.
Guidelines for evaluating
resources on the Net.
- Authority
- Affiliation
- Audience level
- Currency
- Content reliability/Accuracy
If you can answer
all these questions
positively when looking
at a particular site, then
you can be pretty sure
it’s a good one.
Previewing a text before
starting to read is essential.
What is important for you in this reading?
Title and chapter tiles? Subject matter?
Who wrote this text? Where and when?
By first skimming a text, you can get a
sense of its overall logical progression.
Scanning is basically skimming
to locate a particular fact or figure,
or a subject you’re researching.
Summarizing a text is
a useful study tool as well as
good writing practice.
It has two aims:
(1) to reproduce the general concepts
(2) to express them
using precise language.
11. TO PLAGIARIZE SHALL BE AN OFFENCE
So mentioning what others have said doesn’t
lessen the credit you get for your own thinking.
In fact, it adds to your credibility.
- Give the reference as soon as you’ve mentioned
the idea you’re using, not at the end of the paragraph.
- Identify the source then and there whether you quote
a passage directly in quotation marks, paraphrase it
closely in your own words, or summarize it rapidly.
- It is not necessary to ackowledge for some
ideas are “common knowledge” in the field.
It is important to document:
Quotations, paraphrases, or summaries
Specific facts used as evidence for your argument
Distinctive or authoritative ideas
STANDARDDOCUMENTATIONFORMATS
Different disciplines use their own systems
to set out information about sources.
-Traditional Endnotes or Footnotes with
Superscript Numbers (humanities)
-MLA System: Parenthetical Author-Page
References (humanities)
-APA System: Parenthetical Author-Date
References (social sciences)
-Numbered Note Systems (sciences)
-To refer to electronic sources follow your
chosen system as far as possible in
giving author, title, and date.
For further advice,
check the manuals for each system.
12. USING QUOTATIONS
The focus of your essay should be
on your understanding of the topic.
If you include too much quotation in your
essay, you will crowd out your own ideas.
Consider quoting a passage from one of your
sources if any of the following conditions holds:
- The language of the passage is particularly
elegant or powerful or memorable.
- You wish to confirm the credibility of your
argument by the support of an authority.
- The passage is worthy of further analysis.
- You wish to argue with someone
else’s position in considerable detail.
TO AVOID QUOTING, CONSIDER:
Paraphrasing the passage if you wish
to convey the points at the same level
of detail as in the original
- You must provide a reference.
- The paraphrase must be in your own words.
- You must do more than merely substitute
phrases here and there. You must also
create your own sentence structures.
Summarizing the relevant passage to capture
in your own words the most important elements
from the original passage. A summary is
necessarily shorter than a paraphrase.
Pay attention to the forms of punctuation when you quote!
And also serch for the differences between introducing short and long quotations.
13. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SPECIFICTYPES OF WRITING
An analytic or critical review of a book
or article is not primarily a summary;
rather, it comments on and evaluates
the work in the light of specific issues
and theoretical concerns in a course.
An annotated bibliography gives an
account of the research that has been
done on a given topic. It is an alphabetical
list of research sources and provides a
concise summary of each source and
some assessment of its value or relevance.
A literature review is an account of that has been
published by accredited scholars and researchers.
Comparative essays ask that you compare
and contrast at least two (possibly more) items,
which will differ depending on the assignment.
You might be asked to compare positions
on an issue, theories, figures, texts.
Abstracts are important because they give a first
impression of the document, letting readers decide
whether to continue reading and showing them
what to look for if they do. It should represent
the quantitative and qualitative information
in the document. About 100-250 words.
The goal of lab reports is to document your
findings and communicate their significance
The English paper requires critical thought and strong argumentation,
but its focus on language and close textual analysis makes it unique.
14. Writing about History. Pay attention to Primary
Sources (a document that was created at the time
of the event or subject) and Secondary Sources
(what other scholars have written about your topic).
Writing about Literature requires to avoide plot
summary, master the art of the analytical thesis,
let the structure of your argument determine the
structure of your paper, opt for analysis instead of
evaluative judgments, don’t confuse the author with the
speaker, integrate quotations fully into your argument.
Writing about Philosophy requires to organize and
argument the thesis, show your understanding, evaluate
theory, develop your own answers to philosophical questions.
Writing in the Sciences should be written in a clear
and concise style. Consider: audience, titles, headings,
jargon, passive vs. active voice, tense and references.
Oral presentations become easier
with preparation and practice.
Some advices are to sing up early,
know what is expected of you,
choose, define and organize
your topic and the talk carefully,
make use of supplementary
media, feel comfortable
and be relaxed, etc.
Writing for the Public it is
necessary to know your audience,
provide context and be concrete,
mind you language, preferably
focus on the present, and
many of the conventions you
have learned about academic
essays must be set aside.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF SPECIFICTYPES OF WRITING
15. When you write and Admission Letter,
here are some of the qualities to aim for:
-Be focused -Be coherent -Be specific
-Be interpretive -Be personal
ADVICE! Writing Style: Don’t give your
readers any excuses to eliminate your
application. Proofread carefully for
missing details as well as errors in
grammar or punctuation.
An academic proposal is the first step
in producing a thesis or major project.
Its intent is to convince a supervisor that
your topic and approach are sound, as
well as indicating your plan of action, an
academic proposal should show your
theoretical positioning and your
relationship to past work in the area.
Your application letter and résumé may be
the most important documents you write
during your time at university and also
important during your working life.
Points about the Application Letter
Write a letter for each application.
Use standard letter format. Start strong and clear.
Use paragraph structure to lead your reader
from one interpretive point to another.
End strongly by requesting an interview.
Specific Points about the Résumé
(usually, curriculum vitae or c.v.)
Have more than one on hand.
Make them easy to read by using
headings,and lots of white space.
List facts in reverse chronological order,
with the most recent ones first. aside.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF SPECIFICTYPES OF WRITING
16. REVISING AND EDITING
Good revision and editing can transform a mediocre first draft
into an excellent final paper. It involves some checking of details.
Check whether you have fulfilled the intention of
the assignment. Look again at the instruction sheet.
1- Look at overall organization.
2- Polish and edit your style: word choice, sentence
structure, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
3- Looks and appearance do count.
Using the Computer
to Improve Your Writing
The computer lets you easily
type in text, shift it around, and edit
it. Make the most of the capacities of
the computer and word processing
and know its limitations of
composing, revising and editing.
Avoid the most common errors In Grammar, Punctuation, and Style
- Faulty agreement - Wordiness - Sentences Fragments
- Overuse of Passive Voice - Comma Splices - Incorrect Comparison
- Mixed or Dead Metaphores - Misuse of Comma - Double Constructions
- Run-on [fused] sentence Semicolon and Colon - Etc.
17. WORDINESS:
DANGER SIGNALS
ANDWAYS TO REACT
To edit your writing for conciseness, AVOID:
- Doubling of Words (choose one)
- Intensifiers, Qualifiers (omit or give details)
- Catch-all Terms (can sometimes omit)
- Padded Verbs (use a one-word form)
- Unnecessary “to be” and “being” (omit)
- Passive Verbs (change to active voice)
- Formulaic Phrases
(use a one-word form or omit)
- Overuse of Relative Structures
(Who, Which, That)
ALSO CONSIDER…
Unbiased Language
When language tends to downgrade certain
groups, common sense and some specific
strategies can help you avoid suggesting
putdowns where you don’t intend them.
The “Man” Trap:
Many standard wordings seem to
assume that every individual is male.
Repeating he and she at every reference
is clumsy. Finding alternatives can be as
simple as using plural rather than singular,
or avoiding a pronoun altogether.
Confusing the Group and the Individual:
Don’t get stuck in the habit of referring to
people only as representatives of categories.
Terms that label people simply on the basis of
their sex have gathered negative overtones.
Poetess poet Chairwoman Chair
18. PUNCTUATION Avoid comma splices
in your essays
It occurs when you use a comma to join
two complete sentences without placing an
appropriate joining word between them.
The comma just isn’t strong
enough to do the job of making one
grammatical sentence out of two.
Learn to recognize what comma look like.
Dashes (like commas and dashes) are
used to set off interrupting clauses or
phrases, but a pair of dashes will tend to
call more attention to what lies in between.
Parentheses offer a third way of
introducing interrupting material. If dashes
provide a more forceful alternative to
commas, parentheses offer a tentative
and modest one.
Try to experiment with all forms of
punctuation in order to expand
your expressive range as a writer.
Using commas well is a science and an art:
though there are well-defined rules, there is
plenty of room to manouevre as well.
The semicolon has two main uses.
- The first is to combine two closely related
independent clauses into one sentence.
- The other valid use of semicolons is to
separate list elements that are long or complex.
Colons offer a way of urging your reader
forward. The words preceding the colon
create an expectation; the words following
the colon fulfill it: they can expand on
an idea or answer an implied question.
19. FAULTY PARALLELISM
The clauses or phrases joined by the
conjunctions should have similar
grammatical structures to ensure that your
reader can follow the logic of your sentence
and to avoid awkwardness.
Look out for faulty parallelism whenever
you use one of the following constructions:
a and b a, b, and c
a or b a, b, or c
not only a but also b
TOO MANY PASSIVE SENTENCES
CAN CREATE CONFUSION
Passive sentences can get you into trouble in
academic writing because they can be vague
about who is responsible for the action.
Some Tools and Rules to ImproveYour Spelling
Use a (good) dictionary and always check certain “troublesome” suffixes in it.
Be consistent about using British or American spellings in your writing.
Create your own “difficult-to-spell” lists.
Learn the standard pronunciations for frequently misspelled words.
Watch out for homophones, near-homophones, and other easily confusable words.
Use your computer spellchecker, but with caution.
Become familiar with English spelling rules.
FIXING DANGLING MODIFIERS
They refer to a word or phrase, usually at the
start of a sentence, that does not connect
properly to the rest of the sentence.
20. FIX SENTENCE FRAGMENTS
a sentence fragment doesn’t make a
statement that can stand on its own, it
lacks a main—or independent—clause.
1- It is all subject, no predicate.
2- It has a subject and a predicate, but still
can’t stand on its own. that is because it
begins with a word (a subordinating
conjunction) like although/because/when.
PLURALS
REGULAR: The plural form of most nouns is
formed by adding s to the end of the word.
IRREGULAR: Many nouns referring to
animals have the same form in the singular
and in the plural. Eg.: deer, moose, sheep.
SPECIAL CASES: 1990s, As, Bs, Cs, Jacks.
Collective nouns (of people, animals, or
things) are usually treated as singular.
SUBJECT-VERBAGREEMENT
Making sure your verbs agree with your
subjects is not just a question of grammatical
correctness; it is a question of clarity.
POSSESSIVES
A noun can be made possessive when it
could also have of a or of the preceding it.
the bag of a student = a student’s bag
SINGULAR: A singular noun is usually made
possessive by adding ’s to the end of the word.
The woman’s coat is red
PLURAL: A plural noun that ends in s can be
made possessive either by adding only ’ to
the end of the word (the preferred method),
or by adding ’s to the end of the word.
All the soldiers’ / soldiers’s uniforms
ONLY SOME possessive pronouns use ’s.
Be to everyone’s taste
21. SPECIALCASESOF
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Check any handbook for the general rules.
And pay attention to fractions, percentages
and indefinite quantifiers, the words
majority and minority, expressions of time,
money and distance, expressions using the
phrase number of.
SPECIAL CASES IN THE USE
OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE
To decide if you should use the word the,
ask yourself these three questions:
- Is the noun indefinite (unspecified)
or definite (specific)?
- Is the noun modified?
- Is the noun generic?
ARTICLES
Articles are special modifiers that appear before nouns or noun
phrases. Like other adjectives, they help clarify the meaning
of the noun in your sentence. There are only two articles in the
English language: the and a (and its variant an, used before
a word that starts with a vowel sound).
The noun countable or uncountable?
Is it singular or plural?
Is it definite or indefinite?
22. USING GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES
Some common verbs followed by a gerund
admitThey admitted falsifying the data.
adviseThe author advises undertaking further study.
considerThey will consider granting you money.
delayWe delayed reporting the results
tolerateShe can’t tolerate waiting for results.
Some verbs followed by an infinitive:
Afford - We cannot afford to hesitate.
Beg - beg to differ with you.
Care - Would you care to respond?
Swear - He swears to tell the truth.
Want - She did not want to go first.
Wish - Do you wish to participate?
Gerunds and infinitives are verb forms that can take the place of a noun in a sentence. The
following guidelines
Following a preposition (gerund only)
He was fined for driving over the speed limit.
She got the money by selling the car.
Note: Take care not to confuse the preposition
“to” with an infinitive form, or with an auxiliary
form such as have to, used to, going to
Following an indirect object (infinitive only)
Invite - We invite you to attend the ceremony.
Need - They need her to show the slides.
Tell - Did she tell him to make three copies?
Want - do not want you to have an accident.
23. VERBS FOR REFERRING TO SOURCES
Don’t just keep repeating “Smith says.”
There is a wide choice of such verbs in English.
Pattern 2: reporting verb +
somebody/something + for + noun/gerund
Applaud blame censure criticize
disparage fault praise ridicule
single out thank
Pattern 3: reporting verb +
somebody/something +as+ noun/gerund/adjecti
ve
Appraise assess class classify
characterize define depict describe
evaluate identify portray
present interpret referview
Pattern 1:
reporting verb + that + subject + verb
Acknowledge admit agree
conclude assume assert
consider allege argue
demonstrate believe claim
determine discover doubt
emphasize decide deny
explain find explain
hypothesize imply indicate
infernote object observe
reveal prove pointout
suggest show say
state think
24. • University of Toronto. Writing Advice. Advice on Academic
Writing. Last visited: May 27th, 2020. Available at
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/
BIBLIOGRAPHY