In Focus: English for Academic

and Professional Purposes

21 st CENTURY SKILLS
Let us do this.

cc Steve Wheeler, University of Plymouth, 2009

a man enters a field with an
unopened package and dies. Why?
cc Steve Wheeler, University of Plymouth, 2009
 what is this?

http//wordle.com
 Barack Obama’s inauguration speech …

http//wordle.com
…in Wordle
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Activity # 1

EAPP
in
SENTENCE AUCTION
1. Academic writers do not need
to refer to other people's work
because they become experts as
they read more about the topic.
 Answer: FALSE
Academic writers regularly refer to
and acknowledge other people's
research; it is an academic's
familiarity with the range of
research on a topic that makes
them an 'expert'.
2. Use of colloquial expressions
and contractions is acceptable in
moderation. For example, 'sort
of' and 'can't'.
 Answer: FALSE

Academic writing must be precise and

unambiguous. It must also withstand
the tests of distance and time. A formal
writing style is adopted to ensure
international readers, and future
readers, can understand the writer's
meaning.
3. Academic writing uses
discipline-specific terms
that a general reader may
not understand.
 Answer: TRUE
Academic writing engages with current
knowledge in a particular discipline (field
of study). Each discipline has its own
methods, approaches and technical
language. The meaning of technical terms
(such as 'literacy levels', 'correlation',
'intervention measures', 'academic
outcomes') will be familiar to those who
work in that field of study but may not be
understood by a general reader.
4. Academic writers should
avoid short simple sentences.
 Answer: FALSE

The best writing uses a range of

sentence structures to provide variety
for the reader and to ensure the form of
expression is suited to the content.
When a point is best expressed in a
short simple sentence, that is what an
academic writer will use.
5. Use of passive voice is more
common in academic writing
than in many other writing
styles.
 Answer: TRUE
Traditionally, academic writing has used the
passive voice more often than other forms of
writing. This is partly because the writer's
focus is often on processes, concepts and
consequences rather than actors. It is
becoming more common to moderate the
amount of passive voice and make use of the
active voice in academic writing.
 However, passive constructions are often
used to avoid the first person or to remove
the need to specify the actor or subject of a
verb. For example:
– I expect that... (active)
– It can be expected that... (passive)
– Scientists have established that... (active)
– It has been established that... (passive
6. Academic writing uses evidence
and reason to persuade rather than
emotive devices or appeals to
common sense. For example, 'as we
all know', 'the result is not
surprising'.
 Answer: TRUE

While academic writing is often

persuasive, an academic argument must
be supported by reasons, examples and
evidence.
 Academic Texts
TPS
Academic Texts???
Think
Pair
Share
 Academic Texts
deal with
concepts and Formal,
ideas related to objective,
subjects that impersonal and
are studied in technical in
school, at nature.
college or
university.
 Features of Academic Writing
• Formality How to achieve it?
- dignified stance 1. Use expanded modals
instead of contracted
form.
2. Choose one verb form
over two-word verbs
3. Choose expanded
form over abbreviated
equivalents
4. Avoid colloquial or
idiomatic expressions.
 IDENTIFY THE WORD/S OR EXPRESSIONS
CONSDIERED COLLOQUIAL
1. It is a bit improper to assume that the plan
does not work.
2. Experts determined that a lot of incoming
freshman students are interested in sports
activities.
3. 4. Teachers say that a lot of incoming
freshman students are interested in sports
activities.
4. Lucas got together with Castro in conducting
an experiment on effectively enhancing
muscle buildup.
Rewrite the sentence to achieve a
formal tone.
1. Writing can’t be done effectively if you
don’t burn the midnight oil.
2. Parenting is a 24/7 job.
3. Watching that romcom gave the audience
the feels.
4. The class is cooking up something big.
5. Adventure may mean doing something
epic.
Substitute the single-word verb for the two-word
verb in the following sentences.
1. __________ Senate set up the Meralco committee.
2. __________ Mothers cut down spending on rice.
3. __________ Oil price has gone up.
4. __________ Students looked into the problem.
5. __________ Students come up with solution.
6. __________ The dollar rate went up and down.
7. __________ Students brought up the uniform issue.
8. __________ The school gets rid of tuition hike.
9. __________ Parents turned down the proposal.
10. __________ The proposal turned out a positive result.
 Features of Academic Writing
How to achieve it?
• Objectivity 1. Avoiding use of personal
- writing is pronouns such as “you, I,
impersonal and we”. Choose one verb
form over two-word verbs

2. Avoiding rhetorical questions

as it marks “closeness” with the
reader, and constantly seeks
his/her attention.
Poor example: How can these problems
be solved?
Improved Version: Certain measures
must be discovered to solve the
problems.
3. Avoiding emotive language that
shows biases and lessens objectivity.

Poor example: The investigators were

very shocked to see the outcome of the
tests.
Improved Version: The investigators did
not expect the results.
Task 2- Improve the text below by rewriting it
into a more objective, impersonal version.

I believe that incidence of drug overdose has

indeed become prevalent nowadays. When
people are faced with difficult problems, I think
that they can no longer bear the problem and
that is why they get into drugs. That’s why if you
are a psychologist, you should treat your patients
in a way that helps them to understand their
problems and ways to deal with them. Yeah I
know it can be very difficult but hey, that’s what
you specialized in, right?
Features of Academic Writing

Explicitness
- use of signposts that allow
readers to trace the relationships
in the parts of a study.
 This is due to the/ This resulted in
A number of MERALCO With the supreme court
consumers trooped to the ordering MERALCO to
City Hall to claim a PHP return overcharges to the
500 cash incentive. This is end users, government
due to the Supreme Court offices have been trooped
ruling the overcharges to operate as claim
must be returned to the centres. This resulted in a
end users whose electric number of MERALCO
consumption for the April- consumers trooping to
May period was below the City Hall to claim PHP
100kw/hr. 500.00 cash incentive.
 Similarly/In Addition
The study showed that MERALCO has been
eighty percent of the 200 operating as a business
participants involved in the conglomerate involving
study were dissatisfied with foreign stakeholders and
the operations of MERALCO. independent power
Similarly, the data revealed producers or IPP. In addition,
that majority of the MERALCO owns major IPPs
participants were not aware operating in the region.
of the charges imposed on
them by MERALCO.
 For Example
The MERALCO issue has
led to disputes between
opposition and
administration senators.
For example, those who
have been labeled as
against the president
considered the issue as
the administration’s way
of avoiding the NBN-ZTE
scandal.
Task 3
Based on the examples given, write a sentence
for each of the following expressions that
would make your idea explicit.
1. However
2. This is due to the
3. Similarly
4. In addition
5. For example
Features of Academic Writing
Caution
- it is needed to avoid
sweeping generalizations.
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:

1. Some government officials may be

corrupt. (modal verb)

2. Corruption is commonly linked to some

key government officials. (adverb)

3. A number of government officials tend to

be linked with cases of corruption. (Verb)
In academic writing, caution needs to be
observed in the following parts of your paper:

1. When a hypothesis needs to be tested.

2. Drawing conclusions or predictions from your

findings that may generalize certain matters or
may not be conclusive.

3. Referencing other’s work to build on your own

paper.
 Structure
• level of complexity
• sophistication of the writer
• Consider the ff:
The earthquake caused loss life.
The earthquake caused massive property
damage.
The earthquake changed the landscape of
the village.
The earthquake was a disaster that caused
loss life, property damage, and permanent
changes in the landscape.
In nominalization, the verbs are made central as they denote
action. Transforming verbs into nouns helps readers focus on the
action and not on the reader of the action.
Examples:
1. The company created software to manage the
transactions successfully.
Nominalization:
The creation of software to manage the transactions was
a success.
2. The president announced a three-day holiday this
September.

Nominalization:
The president’s announcement of a three-day holiday for
September was released.
In passive construction, the results of
actions are highlighted. In academic
writing, since the writer of the paper is
presumed to have done the collection
and analysis of data, it is understood
that all results of the action are a
product of the writer’s work.
Examples:
The researcher conducted experiments to
validate the hypothesis.
Experiments were conducted to validate
the hypothesis.
An engineer built a saltwater lamp to help
communities with no electricity.
A saltwater was built to help the
communities with no electricity.
 Try this!
Nominalization:
The project was implemented to make sure
that services are not delayed.
The investigators established a time to
determine the chain od events relating to crime.
Passivation:
Marketers need to make a quota every month
to maintain sustainable growth.
Guitar players constantly practice to ensure
fault-free performance.
 CATEGORIES
• Writing in the humanities
• Writing in the sciences
• Writing in business

Each category has its own specific

requirements in terms of style,
content, and format.
 Writing in the Humanities
• explores questions that deal with human
values
• ultimate goal in writing in the humanities is
to explain or understand the human
experience
• includes not only literature, but also
philosophy, ethics, performing arts, fine arts,
history, and aspects of anthropology, cultural
studies, foreign languages, and linguistics
 Writing in the Sciences
• includes writing in two main categories—
natural sciences and social sciences.
• focuses on informing readers of new
discoveries and assisting them in discovering
truth through facts and firm, detailed data.
• typically uses a formal tone, employs a third-
person voice, and avoids personal references
and needless adjectives.
 Natural Sciences
• include physical sciences such as
biology, chemistry, engineering,
geology, and physics. This type of
writing is generally concise and
includes genres such as laboratory
reports and reviews of scientific
literature
 Social Sciences
• focus on human behavior and
societies. They involve
documenting actual events as they
happen. Categories of social
science include psychology,
anthropology, political science,
sociology, education, and
economics.
 Writing in Business
• often means explaining a situation, event,
or change in order to compel the reader
toward a very specific action.
• Format is key to a well-written business
document because its structure needs to
allow the reader to quickly find particular
sections and a contact person who can
answer further questions.
• Writing in business can include memos,
cover letters, resumes, project reports,
proposals, thank-you letters, emails,
and business plans. While adherence to
conventional grammar, spelling, and
punctuation is important in every
discipline, business writing places the
greatest emphasis on mechanics.
Non-academic writing may be considered that writing
which is personal, emotional, impressionistic, or
subjective in nature.
Such writing is often found in personal journal entries,
reader response writing, memoirs, any kind of
autobiographical writing, and letters, e-mails, and text
messages.
And, since this writing is of a personal nature, the level
of language used is often informal and more
conversational. Such constructions as contractions and
idiomatic expressions, colloquialisms, even slang may
be evident in non-academic writing. Usually, the first...
 Why should one recognize types of
academic texts?
• Because there is a variety of types
• They are meant for different purposes
• Are written in different ways
• Are used and referred to in different
ways
• Have various reliability
Personal Narrative Reflection
Paraphrasing and
Summarizing
 KW(H) L Chart
What I Know What I Want to How will I find it What I have
know out ? Learned
Summarizing
• involves putting the main
idea(s) into your own words,
including only the main
point(s). Once again, it is
necessary to attribute
summarized ideas to the
original source. Summaries
are significantly shorter than
the original and take a broad
overview of the source
material.
 Why should we use them
• Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing
• Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing
• Give examples of several points of view on a subject
• Call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree
with
• Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage
by quoting the original
• Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to
cue readers that the words are not your own
• Expand the breadth or depth of your writing
 Paraphrasing is...
• Your own rendition of essential information
and ideas expressed by someone else,
presented in a new form.
• One legitimate way (when accompanied by
accurate documentation) to borrow from a
source.
• A more detailed restatement than a
summary, which focuses concisely on a single
main idea.
 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing

• Read the entire text, noting the key points

and main ideas.
• Summarize in your own words what the
single main idea of the essay is.
• Paraphrase important supporting points that
come up in the essay.
• Consider any words, phrases, or brief
passages that you believe should be quoted
directly.
Workshop: Summarizing and
Paraphrasing
Presentation of Outputs
 KW(H) L Chart
What I Know What I Want to How will I find it What I have
know out ? Learned
Thesis Statements
 A thesis statement can be:

• The answer to a question that you

have posed
• The solution for a problem you
have identified
• A statement that takes a position
on a debatable topic
 General Tips about Thesis Statements
• A statement that contains the essay’s topic and
point(s)
• Gives the reader a sense of what the essay will be
about
• Usually comes at the end of the introduction
• Most thesis statements are only one sentence
• Must be a complete sentence
• Everything in the essay must support the thesis.
• Introduction paragraph should follow this format:
– Attention getter (commonly known as a “hook”)
– Introduce the topic
– State the thesis
Ways of Constructing Thesis Statements:
The Umbrella

• Contains essay’s topic, point,

and alludes to reasons why the
reader should believe you.
• Do not directly state the
supporting reasons, but instead
allude to them.
• Example: “Although thought to
be humane and necessary,
animal testing [topic] for
medical and cosmetic purposes
does not live up to it’s promises
[point and reasons].”
 Thesis Statement MUST have:

1) Topic
2) Controlling Idea
3) Predictor
 Creating a Thesis Statement
1. Determine essay’s topic (what you’re talking
about)
Example: Pixar’s film Up
2. Determine what kind of paper you are writing and
what kind of thesis statement you need to use:
analytical, persuasive, or expository.
Example: Persuasive=It’s not really a “kid” movie.
3. Determine the way you will construct your thesis:
list or umbrella?
4. Put it all together!
 Creating a Thesis Statement

Example:
Pixar’s film, Up, should not be
considered a “kid” movie because its
character conflicts and main theme of
loss are too complex for children to
understand.
 Now write the thesis statement for:

What are the effects of smoking on

our health?

*Mistakes are good for us. Please do not be afraid to make them.*
 Creating a Thesis Statement

Topic - Smoking
Controlling Idea – main negative
effects on people’s health/our
health
Predictor – cancer and high blood
pressure.
 Sample Thesis Statement

Smoking has two main negative

effects on people’s health; it causes
cancer and high blood pressure.
Now, write the thesis statement for:

What are the disadvantages of

living in a big city?
 Sample Thesis Statement

Living in a large city has two main

disadvantages; big cities have excess
of pollution and traffic congestion.
 OR

High level of pollution and traffic

congestion are the two main
disadvantages of living in a large
city.
 Write the thesis statement

Q: How can someone be a successful

businessman?
Thesis:
In order to be a successful businessman
one has to be ____________and
___________.
 Write the thesis statement

Q: What are the negative effects of

advertising on children?
Thesis:
Advertising has two major negative
effects on children: ____________and
___________.
 Write the thesis statement

Q: Why do women lack equal opportunity

in work life?
Thesis:
Women usually do not have equal
opportunity in work life because
____________and ___________.
Workshop: Writing Thesis Statements
Presentation of Outputs
Chewable Moment
( a synthesis)
 SOURCES
• Great Schools Partnership (2013), Brain
Based Learning. Retrieved from
http://edglossary.org/brain-based-learning
Hughes, L., Moore, C. (2015). Teaching
Strategies. Retrieved from
www.learner.org/workshops/tml/workshop
6/teaching3.html
Moore, K. D. (2015). Effective Instructional
Strategies From Theory to Practice.
California. Sage Publication Inc
 The Center for Teaching (2015). Teaching
Outside the Classroom. Retrieved from
www.cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/

Zorfass, J., Gray, T. (2015). Connecting Word

Meaning through Semantic Mapping.
Retrieved from
www.ldonline.org/article/61474/

• https://www.midmich.edu/student-
resources/lls/library/fin...
Thank you