EAPP1ST QUARTER

ACADEMIC TEXT AND STRUCTURE

Academic writing - is clear, concise, focused, structured,
and backed up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader’s
understanding.
EXAMPLES OF ACADEMIC WRITING:
 Academic Texts
 Essays
 Concept Papers
 Reaction Papers
 Position Papers
 Reports (Educational)
 Research Papers
EXAMPLES OF NON-ACADEMIC WRITING:
 Non-academic Texts (professional writing)
 Resolutions
 Contracts
 Application Papers
 Business Documents
 Oath/Pledges
 Journalistic Articles
 Editorials/Cartoons
 Science Feature
Non-Academic Text - Uses casual and informal language.
This text might also use slang words.
Academic Text - This kind of text usually includes a list
of references on which authors based their information.
Text structure - is the way in which all the information in
text is organized. In other words, authors use text structure
to convey their main intent and ideas in text. It is important
that language learners acknowledge different text structures
to comprehend different texts in English. Further on, the main
text structures are mentioned and explained in details.
1. sequence or process structure
 2. time order or chronology structure
3. cause and effect structure
4. compare and contrast structure
5. definition structure
6. inductive and deductive structure
7. problem and solution structure.
Academic language refers to the oral, written, auditory, and
visual language proficiency required to learn effectively in
schools and academic programs—i.e., it's the language used
in classroom lessons, books, tests, and assignments, and it’s
the language that students are expected to learn and achieve
fluency in.
How does the language used in academic texts differ from
other disciplines?
− Academic language includes language used in
textbooks, classrooms, tests, and each discipline. It is
different in vocabulary and structure from the
everyday spoken English of social interactions. Each
type of communication (both academic and social) has
its purpose, and neither is superior to the other.
What is the 4 features of language used in academic texts?
− The characteristics of academic texts are simple,
concise, objective, and logical. The four characteristics
of the text, linguistically, are able to reveal to the
reader the level of scholarly and academic text.
HOW DO YOU SUMMARIZE?
Quotations
- Quotations must be identical to the original, using a
narrow segment of the source. They must match the
source document word for word and must be attributed
to the original author.
Paraphrasing
- Paraphrasing involves expressing a passage from the
source material into your own words. A paraphrase
must also attributed to the original source.
Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the
 original passage, taking a somewhat broad a
somewhat of the source and condensing it slightly.
Summarizing
- Summarizing involves expressing the main ideas(s) in
your own words, including only the main points. Once
again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to
the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter
than a paraphrase because they consider a broader
overview of the source material.
Therefore, paraphrasing and summarizing consider broader
segments of the main text, while quotations are brief
segments of a source. Further, paraphrasing involves
expressing the ideas presented from a particular part of a
source (mostly a passage) in a condensed manner, while
summarizing involves selecting a broader part of a source
(for example, a chapter in a book or an entire play) and
stating the key points. In spite of subtle variations in
representation, all three devices when employed must be
attributed to the source to avoid plagiarism.
Why is it Important to Quote, Paraphrase, and Summarize?
− It adds credibility to your writing It helps in tracking
the original source of your research Delivers several
perspectives on your research subject.
Quotations/Quoting
Quotations - are exact representations of a source, which
can either be a written one or spoken words. Quotes imbue
writing with an authoritative tone and can provide reliable
and strong evidence. However, quoting should be employed
sparingly to support and not replace one’s writing.

How Do You Quote?

− Ensure that direct quotes are provided within quotation
marks and properly cited A Long quote of three or
more lines can be set-off as a blockquote (this often
 has more impact) Short quotes usually flow better
when integrated within a sentence.
Paraphrasing - is the manner of presenting a text by altering
certain words and phrases of a source while ensuring that the
paraphrase reflects a proper understanding of the source. It
can be useful for personal understanding of complex
concepts and explaining information presented in charts,
figures, and tables.
How Do You Paraphrase?
− While aligning the representation with your own style
(that is, using synonyms of certain words and phrases),
ensure that the author’s intention is not changed as
this may express an incorrect interpretation of the
source ideas
− Use quotation marks if you intend to retain key
concepts or phrases to effectively paraphrase
− Use paraphrasing as an alternative to the abundant
usage of direct quotes in your writing
Summarizing involves presenting an overview of a source by
omitting superfluous details and retaining only the key
essence of the ideas conveyed.
How Do You Summarize?
 Note key points while going through a source text
 Provide a consolidated view without digressions for a
concrete and comprehensive summary of a source
 Provide relevant examples from a source to
substantiate the argument being presented

Writing a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement - is a sentence in a paper or essay (in the
opening paragraph) that introduces the main topic to the
reader. It helps your reader understand the greater context
and scope of your topic, plus it lets your readers know what
to expect from the rest of the work.
A secondary benefit of a thesis statement is that it makes it
easier to search for papers on a particular topic, especially in
the realm of academic writing like research papers and thesis
papers.
The thesis statement is located at the beginning of a paper,
in the opening paragraph, making it an essential way to start
an essay. A thesis statement isn’t necessarily the first
sentence in an essay; typically you’ll want to hook the reader
in an engaging way in the opening sentence before inserting
your central idea or argument later in the first paragraph.
A thesis statement is often confused with a topic sentence,
the first sentence in a paragraph, because they both
introduce the central idea of what follows. You can think of
thesis statements as the topic sentence of your entire paper.
How to write a thesis statement in 3 steps
1. Brainstorm the best topic for your essay
 Pick a topic that you’re passionate about. Even if you
don’t know much about it, it’ll be easier to learn about
it while writing if you’re genuinely interested.
 Narrow down your topic to something specific;
otherwise, your paper will be too broad and perhaps
too long. Just make sure it’s not too specific, or you
won’t have enough to write about. Try to find a happy
medium.
 Check beforehand that there are enough strong,
credible sources to use for research. You don’t want to
run out of referential material halfway through.

2. Phrase your topic as a question and then answer

 First, phrase your topic as a question. For example, if

you want to write about Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, ask
yourself, “What influences did Gandhi have on society
after his death?”
  If you already know the answer, write it down—that’s a
good start for your thesis statement. If you don’t know
the answer, do some preliminary research to find out;
you can certainly use what you discover as evidence
and sources in your essay’s body paragraphs.

3. Add some polish

 Chances are, your first attempt at a thesis statement
won’t be perfect. To get it to its best, try revising,
editing, and adding what’s missing. Remember the
core traits for thesis statements we mentioned above:
decisive language, a happy medium of specific but not
too specific details, and the mention of subtopics. If
you’re struggling to contain everything in a single
sentence, feel free to move the secondary information
to the following sentence. The thesis statement itself
should only have what’s most necessary.
HOW TO WRITE AN OUTLINE?
An outline - is a map of your essay. It shows what information
each section or paragraph will contain, and in what order.
Most outlines use numbers and/or bullet points to arrange
information and convey points.
Why create an outline?
Outlining is a tool we use in the writing process to help
organize our ideas, visualize our paper’s potential structure,
and to further flesh out and develop points. It allows the
writer to understand how he or she will connect the
information to support the thesis statement and the claims of
the paper. An outline provides the writer with a space to
consider ideas easily without needing to write complete
paragraphs or sentences.

Creating your outline:

Before beginning an outline, it is useful to have a clear thesis
statement or clear purpose or argument, as everything else
in the outline is going to work to support the thesis.
Note: the outline might help inform the thesis, and therefore
your thesis might change or develop within the outlining
process.
Organize your outline in whatever format fits into the
structure needed for the type of paper you are writing. One
common outline format uses Roman numerals, letters, and
numbers. Other outlines can use bullet points or other
symbols. You can use whatever organizational patterns work
best for you and your paper, as long as you understand your
own organizational tools. Outlines can be written using
complete sentences or fragments or a mix of the two.
4 Ways to Organize Your Thoughts
1. Do some reconnaissance reading. Reconnaissance-
preliminary surveying or research.
2. Write down your objective.
3. Create a list of all the main points you want to make.
4. Organize, revise, and eliminate.