LESSON 1: LANGUAGE USED IN ACADEMIC TEXTS FROM

VARIOUS DISCIPLINES
ACADEMIC WRITING
- a kind of writing used in school
SUBJECT
- the topic of the text
TONE
- the attitude of the author about the topic
PURPOSE
- the message that the author aims to convey/ the author’s goal in writing the text
LANGUAGE
- words used by the writing in discussing the topic
- expected to be formal in academic text
AUDIENCE
- readers of the text
POINT OF VIEW
- how an author tells the information
STYLE
- how an author arranges his/her writing
- strategies and techniques
KNOWLEDGE
- amount of information poured into the text
EXPLICITNESS
- information should be precise and exact
PURPOSES OF ACADEMIC TEXT
- to inform
- to persuade
- to argue

FOUR FEATURES OF LANGUAGE

- formality
- objectivity
- explicitness
- outline
FORMALITY
- your dignified stance of writing
- choosing expanded forms over contracted words
- choose one-word verbs over two-word verbs
- avoid using abbreviations
- avoid using colloquial/idiomatic expressions
OBJECTIVITY
 - the focus of information on topic rather than the writer him/herself.
- avoid using personal pronouns
- avoid rhetorical questions
- avoid emotive language
CAUTION
- the careful attention to avoid sweeping generalization
- no hasty generalization
FOUR MAIN WRITING STYLE
- Narrative
- Expository
- Descriptive
- Persuasive

LESSON 2: ACADEMIC TEXT

ACADEMIC TEXT

- it is a kind of writing used in school.

- uses formal language.
- aims to inform, persuade and argue.
- is written by experts and professionals.

STRUCTURE OF ACADEMIC TEXT

1. Introduction, Body, and Conclusion
2. Introduction Method Results and Discussions: IMRAD

IMRAD FORMAT Essay Format

Introduction - a research paper should clearly Introduction provides a background about
state the research's importance, problem, the topic
current state, gap, and its solution, if any, and
provide a hypothesis at the end.
Methods - The methods section in an IMRaD Body discusses the topic elaborately it also
report details the study's methodology, contains the major points to explain the
including population, sample, methods, and topic, and usually the longest part of the
equipment, with passive voice and past tense essay.
subheadings, making it the least read section.
Results - The Results section presents findings Conclusion closes the essay, briefly
without explanation or commentary, typically summarizes your major points, and usually
in the past tense, with separate labeling for has the closing statement.
tables and figures, and captions for figures.
Discussions - This section summarizes the
main findings, comments on them, connects
them to another research, discusses
limitations, and suggests further research.
 PARTS OF ACADEMIC TEXT

I. Title Page - provides information regarding the title, author, and type of work.
II. Abstract or Summary - provides a brief account of the main content of an academic
paper.
III. Table of Contents - gives an opportunity to gain an idea of what the academic paper is
about at an early stage.
IV. Introduction - it is a soft-start and orientation to engage and acquaint with the academic
text.
V. Background - gives the necessary background information to understand the context of
the academic text.
VI. Aim and Issue - provides the terms of reference for academic paper.
VII. Theoretical Framework - defines the key concepts, proposes relations between them,
discusses relevant theories and models based on a literature review.
VIII. Method - provides the methodological details of the paper.
IX. Results, Analysis and Discussion - involves the result of the study, its analysis and
discussion.
X. Closure - the end section of the academic paper. A summary or a concrete conclusion
about the issue and questions can be used to end the academic paper.
XI. List of References - acknowledges the contribution of other writers and researchers in
your work.
XII. Appendices - contains supplementary materials that may be helpful in providing a more
comprehensive understanding of the academic paper.

Academic Text Non-Academic Text

Stricter Format Formal but not that strict

Yields toward the academe Yields toward the personal means

It has a purpose of creating new body of It has a goal which is to communicate.
knowledge

Academic Text – Conference Paper, Articles, Reviews, and Theses/Dissertations

LESSON 3: SUMMARIZATION OF A TEXT

SUMMARIZING
- is a brief restatement of a text’s main points
- is selecting out key features of a text to create a shorter version
TWO AIMS OF SUMMARIZING
1. To reproduce a main idea and key points
of a text
2. To restate these in as few words as
possible
MAIN IDEA
- is the topic of the text
KEY POINTS
- are arguments used to explain the main idea
REMEMBER:
You cannot add any opinion in a summary
Do not quote extensively.
Avoid PLAGIARISM.
Use quotation marks (“ “) to indicate copied key
terms.

BENEFITS OF SUMMARIZING
1. It helps you learn to identify key ideas of
a text and ignore irrelevant information.
2. It improves our memory and by
extension, our comprehension.
3. It is an effective tool to self-evaluate what
is understood about the text.

SUMMARIZING TIPS
1. Read the text carefully.
2. ASK yourself these questions: “What is
the main idea?” “What are the crucial
details necessary for supporting the
ideas?”
3. Highlight, underline, or jot down what
you think is the main points of the text.
4. When summarizing an entire essay,
outline the writer’s argument.
5. Summarize in chronological order.

TECHNIQUES IN SUMMARIZING
1. Reference Citation
- Author citation in the body of the sentence
- Author citation in brackets.
2. Graphic Organizing
- are shapes, lines, figures, drawing, or sketches that are used to make a visual display of
information.

LESSON 4: THESIS STATEMENT

THESIS STATEMENT
 - is the central idea of a text
- summarizes the topic and the arguments of the writer about the topic.
EXPLICIT THESIS STATEMENT
- the thesis statement is obviously written in the text.
IMPLICIT THESIS STATEMENT
- the thesis statement is NOT written in the text.
- the readers will formulate the thesis statement based on their understanding of the text.

TYPES OF THESIS STATEMENT

1. Narrative
2. Argumentative
3. Expository
4. Analytical

PARTS OF THESIS STATEMENT

1. Topic
2. Position
3. Reason/s
4. Concession

TOPIC - subject of the text

POSITION - your stand on the text
REASON/S - explanation or justification of your
position
CONCESSION - an opposing viewpoint on the topic.

GOOD THESIS STATEMENT

- CONCISE
- DISPUTABLE
- COHERENT

QUALITIES OF A GOOD THESIS STATEMENT

1. It should be factual.
2. It should be interesting.
3. It should be limited.
4. It should be manageable.
5. It should be researchable.

HOW TO WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT

- identify the details based on the parts of a thesis statement before writing it completely.
 LESSON 5: OUTLINING READING TEXTS
OUTLINE

- a written plan that serves as a skeleton for the paragraphs that you write.
- a summary that gives the essential information that will be included in the paper, book, etc.

BENEFITS OF OUTLINING

1. It gives an overview of the topic and it enables us to see how various sub topics relate to one
another.
2. Recording the information in our own words, help us tests our understanding of what we read.
3. It is an effective way to record needed information from reference books you do not own.

TYPES OF OUTLINES

1. WRITING OUTLINE
- is what you make before writing an essay.
2. READING OUTLINE
- is what you make when you study a paper.

TWO OUTLINING SYSTEMS

1. Decimal Outline
- is a system of decimal notation that clearly shows how every level of the outline relates to the
larger whole.
2. Alphanumeric Outline
- uses numbers and letters to organize ideas.

HOW TO OUTLINE

Body

A. MAIN IDEA 1

1.Supporting detail 1

a.Additional details 1

B. MAIN IDEA 2

1.Supporting detail 1

a.Additional details 1

C.MAIN IDEA

1.Supporting detail 1

a.Additional details 1

TWO TYPES OF FORMAL OUTLINE

 1. Topic outline - uses words and phrases
2. Sentence Outline - uses full sentences

Five Key Elements of a Story

1. Setting - A story's setting refers not only to the physical location, but also the time the action
takes place. It is the where and the when of a story.
2. Character - Depending on the nature of the story, characters are most often people or animals.
Writers use characters to perform the actions and speak the dialogue of a story. They move a
story’s plot forward
a. Protagonist is the main character or principal character or group of characters in a story.
b. Antagonist is the opposer or combatant working against the protagonist’s or leading characters’
goal (“antagonizing”) and creating the main conflict.
3. Plot - The plot relates to the events that happen in a story. It is the what of the story. Plot usually
begins with a problem and ends in the story’s resolution.
- Exposition - The exposition is the beginning of the story and prepares the way for upcoming
events. In the exposition, the author introduces the major characters, establishes the setting and
reveals major conflicts in the story.
- Rising Action - The rising action occurs when the main problem or conflict is addressed with a
form of action. The rising action always leads up to the climax. During the rising action, the
protagonist often encounters some sort of crisis that creates tension
- Climax - The climax is the pivotal point in the story when the protagonist deals with the
culmination of events.
- Falling Action - The falling action occurs immediately after the climax and details the
consequences -- good or bad -- that the characters must deal with after the turning point of
events. It leads up to the resolution and sets the stage for the final chapter of the story.
- Resolution - The resolution tells us what happens to the characters after the conflict is resolved.
All the loose ends are tied up, unless the author plans to write a sequel and purposely leaves
room for further plot developments
4. Conflict - Every good story requires conflict. This conflict can be thought of as a challenge or
problem that drives the action of the story. No conflict, no story. Setting up a series of cause-
and-effect events, conflict gives these events their why.
- Internal conflict is when a character struggles with their own opposing desires or beliefs. It
happens within them, and it drives their development as a character.
- External conflict sets a character against something or someone beyond their control. External
forces stand in the way of a character’s motivations and create tension as the character tries to
reach their goals
5. Theme - A little more abstract than the previous elements, the theme refers to the underlying
insight, the moral or idea that the writer is expressing through the story. It is often thought of as
the ‘message’ of the story
a. Students identify the point of view (POV) in a story by examining the narrator's perspective,
whether they are omniscient or limited, and if their perspective shifts between characters.
b. Tone: A writing’s tone is established through word choices, use of literary devices, grammar,
rhythm, and rhyme etc. Tone is the overall ‘flavour’ of the story that is created by using all of
these techniques combined. It is the attitude the writer displays towards their subject or theme.
 c. Style: Related to tone in many regards, style is the individual author’s unique voice and it is again
evidenced in their word choices, plot patterns, sentence structures etc. The writer’s personal
style is a strong contributor to a writing’s tone.
d. Mood: This is about the effect the writer creates in the reader and how they evoke it through
their use of language.

LESSON 6: Critical Approaches in Writing a Critique

CRITIQUE PAPER - a genre of academic writing, briefly and critically summarizes and evaluates a work or
a concept.

Critiques can be used to evaluate:

1.CREATIVE WORKS - novels, exhibits, films, shows, images, poetry;
2. RESEARCHES - monographs, journal, articles, systematic reviews, theories;
3. MEDIA - news reports, feature articles.

TERMS
CRITICIZE - to judge or evaluate someone or something.
CRITIQUE - a paper or essay
CRITIC - a person doing the criticism.

CRITIQUE PAPER - uses formal academic writing style and its BODY contains the summary of the subject
and the detailed evaluation about it.

PURPOSE OF CRITIQUE
1. Gauge the usefulness or impact of a work in a field.

CRITICAL APPROACHES
1. FORMALIST CRITICISM - claims that literary works have intrinsic properties and treats each other
as a distinct work of art.
2. READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM - it is concerned with the reviewer’s reaction as an audience of a
literary work. Criticism is focused on the message of the text.
3. FIMINIST CRITICISM - focuses on how literature presents women as subjects of socio-political,
psychological and economic oppression. Tends to reveal the patriarchal aspects of a culture.
4. MARXIST CRITICISM - concerned with the differences of economic classes. Attempts to reveal the
ultimate source of people’s experiences is the socio-economic system.