ENGLISH III: ASPECTS OF ACADEMIC WRITING

MANECLANG, WENN JOYRENZ U.

ASPECTS OF ACADEMIC
WRITING

Determine your audience

The writer should try to answer
the following:
To whom will I be writing for?
- 1 person?
- Several people?
What do I know about my
readers professional
background?
What do I know about their
personal preference?
What will the readers be doing
with the document?
Audience will influence the way
you produce the material
Who are my target readers?
PARTICULAR
Homogenous
group with similar
background
Common and
familiar terms and
concepts for this
group
E.g. audience with
an academic
background; se of
jargons
GENERAL
Diverse audience
Different
background and
different levels of
knowledge
Simple terms
Avoidance of
jargons
Audience affects the features of
the text you se

Message
What do readers care about?

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What are they likely to act

upon?
Will they read it?

Argument
What would be convincing?
What kinds of evidence are
normally used for this type of
audience?
Statistics
Previous studies
Case studies
Shared experiences
Documentaries
Word Choices
Should you use jargons, slang,
or formal professional
language?
Sentence type/length
Can you use fragments (used in
posters/brochures)
Can you use long, complex
sentences?
How about shorter ones?
Can you use a combination of
short and long sentences?

TONE & STYLE

Tone in writing refers to the
writers attitude toward the reader and
the subject of the message. The
overall tone of a written message
affects the reader just as ones tone of
voice affects the listener in everyday
exchanges (Ober,1995)
TONE
Personal
Friendly
Distanced, etc
Avoid judgmental language

ENGLISH III: ASPECTS OF ACADEMIC WRITING

MANECLANG, WENN JOYRENZ U.

I believe
I feel
Conclude
I thinks
It seems

Redundant

Redundant: Please repeat

the sentence again
Improved: Please repeat
the sentence
Redundant: A pleasant
afternoon top each and
everyone
Improved: A pleasant
afternoon to everyone

Avoid emotional language (It should

be impersonal and objective)
Flowery
Loaded with feelings and
emotions
E.g. I first saw the light of day
(which means that I was born
in.)

Vague

STYLE

A writers way of writing

A manner of which he expresses
his thoughts and feelings
How a material is written

Avoid sentence which are

Wordy

Wordy: The patient has

difficulty of breathing
Concise: The patient has
dyspnea
Wordy: to the best of my
knowledge, the team did
all they could do for the
patient
Conscise: The team did
their best for the patient
Wordy: We received the
balance In full amount
Concise: We received the
balance in full

Unparallel

Unparallel: water skiing is

as challenging as to dive
Parallel: Water skiing is as
challenging as diving

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Vague: the patient was not

feeling well
Specific: the patient
complained of abdominal
pain. His skin was cool, pale
and moist
Fragmented (do not express a
complete thought)
Involuntary shaking
Run-on (when a comma/
semicolon is used between two
sentences instead of period)
Run-on: Chart notes are
informal or formal:
physicians take them when
they see a patient.
Improved: Chart notes are
informal and formal and
physician take them when
they see a patient.

Sentences with dangling

modifiers (beginning or end of
a sentence with no grammar)
Although bored by the
speaker the speech was
meaningful
Correct: Although the
audience were bored ny the
speaker, he find the speech
meaningful

Sentences with
misplaced modifier

ENGLISH III: ASPECTS OF ACADEMIC WRITING

MANECLANG, WENN JOYRENZ U.

Misplaced: the father is

usually a man of few words
in the Filipino family
Improved: In the Filipino
family, the father is usually a
man of few words

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THE LANGUAGE OF RESEARCH

ACTIVE VOICE

Doer of the action

Used for conciseness and
objectivity (direct)
More factual

E.g.
Passive: Instruction will be given
to you by the doctor.
Active: The doctor will give you
the instructions

PASSIVE VOICE
Useful when the user doesnt
need to name the doer of the
action in the sentence
Sensitive situations that require
tact and diplomacy may dictate
the use of passive voice

This morning at 10:00

am
At 10:00 am
Small in size
Small
Of great importance
Important
Call up on the plane
Call up
At the present time
Now
Personal friend
Friend
Attached hereto
Attached
Duties &
responsibilities
Duties
responsibilities
Destroyed by fire
burned
Rise up
rise
In this day and age
Today

Clarity
Organized clearly; no
hedging words (seems, like.
somehow, more or less)
Impartiality
Take sides
Formality

E.g. Active: The engineers created

the defective plane parts
Active: The plane parts were
created defectively.

FORMAL
Opportunity
Deficiency
Therefre

What are the significant features

of language in research?

Intermittently

Brevity
Direct to the point; not
beating around the bush;
brief/short
E.g.

Immediately
State/inform
Repeatedly
Obtained
Complete
Fortunate
Responsible

INFORMAL
Chance
Lack
So
On and off/ now
& then
At once
Tell
Again & again
Get
Whole
Lucky
In charge
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ENGLISH III: ASPECTS OF ACADEMIC WRITING

MANECLANG, WENN JOYRENZ U.

Accuracy
Correct or proper
Use of passive/ active voice
Free from colloquial words and
jargons ( in certain conditions)
Non-usage of acronyms,
abbreviations & contractions

Eliminating Informal words/

expressions

Informal: After 6 months, the

dieter is behaving according to
all twenty-six goals and she has
achieved a big reduction in
sugar intake
Formal: After 6 months, the
dieter is behaving according to
all twenty-six goals and she has
achieved a considerate
reduction in sugar consumption.

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Informal: Modern houses have

so many labor-saving things
that it is difficult for the person
at home.
Formal: Modern houses have
so many labor-saving devices
that it is difficult for the person
at home.
Informal: Adequate exercise by
doing chores, cooking and
looking after the family.
Formal: Adequate exercise by
doing routines, cooking and
taking care of the family.
Doesnt lie lies not
Looked into investigated
Carry out conduct