English for Academic and Professional Purposes

Differentiating
Language Used in
Quarter 1 – Module 1
Academic Texts from
Various Disciplines
Objectives • This module encourages you to Differentiate Language Used in
Academic Text from Various Disciplines. Different activities are
provided that will help you gain knowledge and understanding of the
topic given.

At the end of the period, 100% of the students are expected to attain
at least 85% level of proficiency in the following:

1. define academic writing

2. define academic text and identify its similarities and
differences from non-academic text;
3. differentiate language in academic text from various
discipline;
4. identify the purpose, language, audience, and style of
academic text; and
5. write a specific academic text with correct usage of
language.
What I know
Directions:

Read the following questions and choose the

letter of the CORRECT answer. Write your
answers on the space before each number.
 C 1. When you write an academic paper, what point of view will you use?
____
• a. first person b. second person c. third person

b
_____2. What kind of language should be used in writing academic text?
• a. colloquial b. formal c. informal

b
_____3. What is the meaning of layman’s term?
• a. words that are hard to understand
• b. words that are easy to understand
• c. words that are having a lot of meaning
C
_____4. The following are examples of academic text except _______.
• a. Journal b. Research Paper c. Short Stories

b
_____5. Which of the following elements deals with the writer’s
goal in writing a text?
• a. audience b. purpose c. style
 c 6. What feature of language requires the writer not to include personal emotions
____
in the text?
• a. Caution b. Formality c. Objectivity

a
_____7. What feature of language requires the writer to be careful on writing?
• a. Caution b. Formality c. Objectivity

b
_____8. How do you determine your language when you write an academic paper?
• a. consider the rules in writing b. consider the audience c. consider your knowledge

b
_____9. What does “to persuade” mean in academic writing?
• a. To let the audience argue with the author
• b. To let the audience believe in the author
• c. To let the audience discredit the author

c
_____10. Which of the following deals with the way the writer
organize a text?

• a. audience b. purpose c. style

 b
_____11. It reflects your dignified stance in writing as a member of academic
community.
a. Caution b. Formality c. Objectivity

c
_____12. In this feature of language, written language should not be personal.

a. Caution b. Formality c. Objectivity

_____13
a The author in this writing style is explaining a concept.

a. Expository b. Descriptive c. Persuasive

c
_____14. The author in this kind of writing style is convincing
the reader to believe in his/her position or belief in writing.
a. Expository b. Descriptive c. Persuasive
a
_____15. What kind of description should be used in
descriptive writing style?
a. vivid b. vague c. unrealistic
Let’s Play!
FI
X

E
Directions: Unscramble the letters to form new word/s.
1. ADECACIM INGWTRI __________
ACADEMIC WRITING

2. CUBJSET __________________ SUBJECT

3. NETO ____________________ NOTE
4. RUPPEOS _________________ PURPOSE
5. GAGEUANLA ________________ LANGUAGE
6.DEIUANCE ________________ AUDIENCE
7. NIOPT FO WEIV _________ POINT OF VIEW

8.LESTY_____________________ STYLE
9. NOWLEKGED ____________ KNOWLEDGE

10. PLIEXCIT__________________ EXPLICIT

 Let us define key terms you will meet in this discussion
2. Tone – pertains to the
Academic Writing - is a attitude of the writer about 3. Purpose – is
kind of writing that can be 1. Subject – pertains to the text. It can be information that an author
used in academia or the topic of the text. distinguished through wants to imply to the
school. the words used by the reader.
author.

6. Point of View – refers

4. Language – are the
to how the writer tells the
words used by the author 7. Style – refers to how
5. Audience –pertains to information in the reading
in writing an academic the author arranges his or
the reader in writing. text. An academic text is
text. Academic writing her writing.
always in the third person
requires formal language.
point of view.

8. Knowledge – is the amount of

information that an author knows
9. Explicit – means that
about his or her topic. The reader is
the information should be
the one who can distinguish how
precise and clear.
much knowledge an author has in
the topic he or she is writing.
• Writing is one of the Four
Macro Skills that a student
should possess. It is one of the
media of communication in
order for us to pass information
to people. One of these writings
that a student should know is
Academic Writing. In this
module you as a student will
learn Academic Writing and the
language that should be used in
writing academic text.
 Academic Text/Writing

It has a process that starts

with posing a question,
Academic Text/Writing is a conceptualizing a problem,
kind of text/writing that can evaluating an opinion and
be used in academia or ends in answering a
school. question posed, clarifying a
problem or arguing for a
stand.
To inform means
supplementing a
lot of information
about the topic.
Specific
To argue means making
your readers or audience Purposes of
respond on the information
you are telling them. Academic
To persuade means having Text/ Writing
the credibility to make your
audience or readers believe
in you.
Academic writing also requires formal It follows certain rules and
language or word that does not
contain colloquial or jargon words. It standards.
usually uses layman’s term or the
term that is easy to understand. It Language to be used in writing
avoids the use of hifalutin words or academic text should be
words that have deep meaning. formal.
Academic writing is all about
thinking. Audience should be first taken
into consideration.

•Note: All the information included in this kind of text should be

backed up by valid evidences.
 INTRODUCTION

Structure of
Academic
BODY Text/Writing

CONCLUSION
PRACTICE ACTIVITY Module (page 18)

Directions: Using the Venn Diagram, differentiate academic text from non-academic text.

ACADEMIC TEXT NON - ACADEMIC TEXT

• Language is
formal and follow • Both can be • Can use informal
certain rules and used in or colloquial
standards school words
 Four Features of Language
• 1. Formality reflects your dignified stance in writing as a
member of an academic community. This means that in
your writing, you should avoid colloquial words and
expressions.
• The language use requires precision to make it a
legitimate piece of writing.
Formality can be achieved through the following ways:
• Choosing expanded modal forms over contracted forms,
such as using cannot instead of can’t, do not instead of
don’t.
• Choosing one verb form over two-word verbs, such as
damage instead of mess up.
• Choosing expanded terms over their abbreviated
equivalents, such as as soon as possible instead of ASAP.
• Avoiding colloquial/idiomatic expressions, such as
kind of like, a matter of fact, sort of.
 Four Features of Language
2. Objectivity means that the focus of the information is on the topic
rather on the writer itself. Written language should not be personal but
rather in general objective.
It can be achieved by:
a. Avoiding the use of personal pronouns such as you, I,
my, and we.
Poor example: You need to follow instructions.
Improved version: The researchers need to follow instructions.

b. Avoiding rhetorical questions because academic writing

should not assume that the readers know the answer in the statement
and the author should express the information strongly and clearly.
Poor example: How can these problems be solved?
Improved version: Certain procedures must be discovered to solve
problems.

c. Avoiding emotive language that shows biases. Giving an

overly favorable opinion of someone can eliminate objectivity.
Poor example: The police investigators were shocked to see the outcome
of the tests.
Improved version: The police investigators did not expect the results.
 Four Features of Language
3. Explicitness in academic writing demands the
use of signposts that allow readers to trace the
relationships in the parts of the study. If you intend
to show a change in your line of argument, make it
clear by using however.

Example: It is apparent that the school

institutions hope to provide quality education to
the learners. However, having this COVID-19
pandemic requires a lot of effort to reach out
students.
 Four Features of Language
4. Caution in academic writing requires care since
knowledge is built on proven theories and concepts. Caution
is needed to avoid sweeping generalizations.

Example:
Poor version: Government officials are corrupt.
The statement is not completely true and the rhetorical
impact of the statement may be misleading. The statement can be
improved through the use of devices such as modal verbs, adverbs,
or verbs.

Improved versions:
• Some government officials may be corrupt.
• Corruption is commonly linked to some key government
officials.
Types of
Writing
Styles There are four main types of writing:
expository, descriptive, persuasive
and narrative. Each of these writing
styles is used for a specific purpose.
A single text may include more than
one writing styles.
 This means that the author is trying
Expository to explain a concept or imparting
information to the audience. It is not
subjective but rather focuses on
facts that are supported by evidence.

Examples of Expository Writing:

• textbooks
• articles
• recipes
• news stories (not editorials or op-eds)
• business, technical or scientific writing
Descriptive Descriptive style means painting a picture
of a person, place, or thing through words.
It is often found in fiction, though it can
make an appearance to non-fiction as
well. Memoirs, first-hand accounts, and
events or travel guides are examples of
descriptive writing. The author might
employ metaphor or other literary devices
in order to describe the author’s
impressions using their five senses.
 It is the main style of writing you will use in
academic papers. When an author writes in a
Persuasive persuasive style, he/she is trying to convince the
audience of a position or belief. Persuasive
writing contains the author’s opinions and biases,
as well as justifications or reasons given by the
author as evidence of the correctness of their
position. Any “argumentative” essay you write in
school should be in the persuasive style of
writing. The examples of persuasive writing
include cover letters, op-eds and editorial
newspaper articles, reviews of items, letters
of complaint, advertisements, and letters of
recommendation.
 Narrative writing is used in almost every
Narrative longer piece of writing, whether fiction or
non-fiction. When an author writes in a
narrative style, he/she is not just trying to
convey information, rather tries to
construct and communicate a story,
complete with characters, conflict and
settings. The examples of narrative
writing include oral histories,
novels/novellas, poetry (specifically,
epic sagas or poems), short stories,
and anecdotes.
 DIFFERENTIATING LANGUAGE USED IN
ACADEMIC TEXT FROM VARIOUS
DISCIPLINE

• WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS

DISCIPLINES?
 Discipline Branch Examples

Accounting, economics, finance,

Business
management, marketing

Art, history, languages, literature,

Humanities
music, philosophy, religion, theater

Biology, chemistry, computer

Natural and applied sciences science, engineering, geology,
mathematics, physics, medicine

Anthropology, education,
Social sciences geography, law, political science,
psychology, sociology
 WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW THE ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE
AND THE LANGUAGE USED IN IT?
• ANSWER: Academic discipline has its own focus

• Examples:
a. the term “virus” has different meaning and focus in
STEM students and ICT students
b. the term “note” has different meaning and focus in
terms of MUSIC and WRITING

Learning the conventions of each of them will make our writing

more relevant
Now that you have already
learned about academic
text/writing, the Different
Features of Language,
Writing styles, and Language
used in Academic Texts from
Various Disciplines, let us
have activities that will
test your comprehension.
PRACTICE ACTIVITY
Directions: Using the Venn Diagram, differentiate academic text from non-academic text.

ACADEMIC TEXT NON - ACADEMIC TEXT

• Language is
formal and follow • Both can be • Can use informal
certain rules and used in or colloquial
standards school words
Directions: Match the discipline in column A according to the appropriate language to be
used in column B

a. law diagnose
b. medicine rate
c. film industry court
d. economics grade
e. music producer
f. education note
Independent Activity
Directions: Give 5 words that are being used in various discipline
Independent Activity
Directions: Read the text carefully. Fill in the matrix provided with the features of academic writing.