Unit 2 Types or genres of Academic Writing

Top 10 tips for writing in academic English

1. TOP 10 TIPS FOR WRITING IN
ACADEMIC ENGLISH

2. TOP 10 TIPS FOR WRITING IN ACADEMIC ENGLISH
1. Read often
Read as widely and as much as possible to extend your vocabulary and knowledge of written
English.
2. Write often
Write as often as possible, including blogs, emails, letters, diary entries, learning journals.
3. Get an English dictionary and thesaurus.
Get hold of and learn how to use a comprehensive, university level, English dictionary and
thesaurus.
4. Peer review
Ask someone else to read and check your writing to help you edit and proof-read your work.

3. 5. English skills workshops
Attend the English skills workshops offered by the Student Learning Centre.
6. Regularly use online resources
Make regular use (daily and weekly) of online resources for developing grammar and
English skills.
7. Know your grammar
Learn to identify basic grammar categories (such as noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective,
preposition and conjunction), and basic grammar concepts such as subject, object.
TOP 10 TIPS FOR WRITING IN ACADEMIC ENGLISH

4. 8. Know sentence structure patterns
Learn to identify basic English sentence structure patterns such as simple, compound and
complex sentences.
9. Punctuation
Learn the function of the main punctuation marks: full stop, comma, semicolon, colon and
apostrophe.
10. Use a grammar checker
Learn to identify and correct common writing errors involving grammar and punctuation by
understanding and using grammar checkers and spell checkers wisely.
TOP 10 TIPS FOR WRITING IN ACADEMIC ENGLISH

5. CHARACTERISTICS OF FORMAL ACADEMIC
WRITING

6. 1. Use Specific Language
- Use of specific terms—in place of general ones—will provide more impact and
information for the reader.
- Use physically concrete language in place of vague, abstract terms to give the
reader a clear understanding. Terms like beauty, lovely, ugly and the like are vague. Be
specific when the image matters.
Ex: The scenery was beautiful.
Revised ex: The bright green grass and the clear blue afternoon sky was
perfect for picnicking.

7. 2. Avoid Clichés
Clichés are overused and unoriginal. Leave them out of academic writing.
Ex: He took to it like a duck to water.
Revised ex: He accomplished the task with little effort.
Ex: The chances are few and far between.
Revised ex: The chances are very rare.
Ex: His grandfather was as blind as a bat.
Revised ex: His grandfather had a severe vision problem.

8. 3. Use Third Person Voice
- First person is “I,” or “we;” second person is “you,” and third person is “he,”
“she,” “one,” or “they.”
- Academic writing, unless stated otherwise by the professor, should always
be in the third person.

9. 4. Choose Active over Passive Voice
- Active voice usually uses fewer words and emphasizes the doer of
the action, thus making the writing clearer and livelier for the audience.
- A good balance of the active and passive voice helps to break the
monotony.
- In academic writing, passive voice is used to describe a process,
the results of study, or similar material which is objective in nature.
Active voice is used to describe actions.

10. 5. Choose Present Tense over Past Tense
- Present tense is easier to read, makes the information more immediate, and
brings the reader into the work much more than does past tense.
Past tense ex: The author wrote…
Present tense ex: The author writes…
6. Words to Avoid
6.1 Avoid euphemisms; be straightforward.
Euphemisms are “nice” words that are used in the place of certain realistic words.
Ex: His cousin passed away.
Revised ex: His cousin died.

11. 6. Words to Avoid
6.2 Replace neologisms with more commonly accepted words.
Neologisms are new words which have not been widely accepted in formal
language throughout society.
Ex: They’re gonna go to the shops after work.
Revised ex: They are going to go to the shops after work.
6.3 Avoid slang and colloquialisms.
Ex: He is totes smart.
Revised ex: He is very intelligent.

12. 6. Words to Avoid
6.4 Avoid unnecessary buzzwords which add no meaning to a sentence.
Ex: She was only interested in the bottom line.
Revised ex: She was only interested in the profits.
6.5 Avoid offensive words, phrases, and clauses.
Profanity, rude statements, and sexist language have no place in academic
writing.

13. 6. Words to Avoid
6.6 Replace expletives* with specific, active verbs.
Expletives are “there” or “it” when followed by a form of the verb “to be”— used to begin
a clause or sentence.
Ex: It was on Monday that she called.
Revised ex: She called on Monday.
6.7 Avoid using an informal tone.
- There should be a more formal emotional distance between the writer and the subject,
as well as appropriate emotional distance between the writer and his or her audience.
Ex: The candidate is a guy with lots of possibilities.
Revised ex: The candidate is a graduate of Harvard who has worked to bring needed
help to the homeless in Washington.

14. TYPESTYPES OF ACADEMIC OF ACADEMIC
WRITINGWRITING

15. Academic writing in English has one central point or theme with every part
contributing to the main line of argument, without digressions or repetitions. Its
objective is to inform.
Academic writing is: complex, formal, objective and explicit. It uses language
precisely and accurately.
Academic writing follows a particular ‘tone’ and adheres to traditional conventions of
punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
WRITING IS A SKILL THAT IS REQUIRED IN MANY CONTEXTS THROUGHOUT LIFE.
IN GENERAL, ACADEMIC WRITING PRODUCES OR ANALYSES KNOWLEDGE AND
IS FORMAL AND STRUCTURED. IT HAS ITS OWN SET OF RULES AND PRACTICES.

16. WHAT IS AN ESSAY?
- An essay is a sustained piece of writing in which the author tries to set down significant
ideas, convey information, analyze issues or set forth a proposition.
- An essay is a short non-fiction, non-imaginary work about a subject.
- It may be classified by tone and style as formal or informal.
- It has many purposes depending on what the writer wants to write about and how
he/she wants to affect the readers.
- A well-written essay has the main idea called a thesis, it has a direction, an adequate
development, unity and coherence.
- It may be any length.
- In an essay, the paragraph serves to move the author’s idea forward, each paragraph
relates logically to the others.

17. Essay Writing
Words become a sentence. Senten
ces become a paragraph. Paragrap
hs become an essay.
An effective paragraph needs:
Simple, compound and complex se
ntences
An effective essay needs:
Several strong paragraphs with goo
d transitions

18. เทคนิคการเขียน essay
Essay จะประกอบด้วย paragraph 3 อันขึ้นไป
1. จะต้องขึ้นต้นด้วย Thesis statement คือ ใจความหลักของเรื่องนั้น
2. ในส่วนของ Body ก็จะประกอบด้วย Paragraph + supporting details
หลักการเขียน Paragraph
Topic sentence (คือ main idea )
Supporting idea (เขียนให้รายละเอียดจาก topic sentence ให้
ละเอียดว่าเกิดเพราะอะไร ที่ไหน อย่างไร เขียนให้สอดคล้องกับเนื้อหา ใน
topic sentence)
3. Conclusion (คือ บทสรุป ให้จบอย่างสวยงาม)
- จบด้วยความคิดเห็น
- จบด้วยคติสอนใจ
- จบด้วยการซ
้ำความใน
Topic อีกที

20. AN ESSAY IS USUALLY DIVIDED INTO 3 PARTS:
THE INTRODUCTION,
THE BODY (THE MIDDLE),
THE END (THE CONCLUSION).
THE MAIN IDEA IS EXPRESSED IN A THESIS STATEMENT, WHICH
MAY APPEAR ANYWHERE IN THE ESSAY, THOUGH IT IS MOST OFTEN
FOUND IN THE BEGINNING PARAGRAPHS.

21. Traditionally, for academic writing purposes, four types of essays are used: expository,
persuasive, analytical, argumentative.
1. The expository essay is aimed to explain a short theme, idea or issue to the
audience. It could be used to give a personal response to a work.
2. The persuasive essay is used to convince the reader to adopt your position on an
issue or point of view, where your arguments are the most important.
3. The analytical essay is used to analyze, examine and interpret something (a book)
and contains: introduction and presentation of an argument, analysis of the text (the longest part
of the essay), personal response, conclusion (related to the analysis and the argument)
4. The argumentative essay is used to prove that your opinion, theory or hypothesis
about an issue is correct or more truthful than those of others. Certain facts, statistics, quotes and
examples are usually used.

22. Expository Essay
- explanation of a short theme, idea or issue
- requires that the writer of the essay gives information, explains the topic
of the essay, or defines something.
- use facts and statistical information, use cause and effect relationships, give
examples
- to present, completely and fairly, other people's views or to report about an
event or a situation
- presents a subject in detail, apart from criticism, argument,
or development

23. Persuasive/Argumentative Essay
- is a piece of academic writing where you use logic and reason to show
that your point of view is more legitimate than any other.
- to persuade the reader to the writer's point of view
- try to convince others to agree with the writer's opinion
- expose clear arguments and support them by convincing facts and
logical reasons.

24. Analytical/ Evaluative/ Critical
Essay- Analytical implies the breaking down of something into parts, or the
discussion of something in a way that it becomes a dissection of the whole.
- An analytical type of essay differs from other types of essays in that its
primary goal is to explain something bit by bit to enhance understanding.
- Most of the times, an analytical essay is written about the analysis of a text,
or a process, or an idea.
- In literature, however, it is a critical analysis of some literary text which is
done to enhance its understanding.