Aspect of Professional and Academic Language

ASPECT OF PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC
LANGUAGE
FOUR FEATURES OF LANGUAGE
 Formality
 Objectivity
 Explicitness
 Caution
FORMALITY
 reflects your dignified stance in your writing as
a member of academic community
Formality can be achieved through the following ways:
1. Choosing expanded forms over contracted forms.
Example : use “do not” instead of “don’t”
Contracted: If the plant can’t live according to
its nature, it dies.
Expanded:
Expanded:
Expanded: If the plant cannot live according to

2. Choosing one verb form over two-word verbs.
Example: use “damage” instead of “mess up”

use “surrender” instead of “give up”’
Two word verb:
The purpose of the literature review is find out what has
been said on the topic.
One word verb:

Two word verb:
One word verb:

Two word verb:
One word verb:

The purpose of the literature review is discover what has
3. Choosing their expanded terms over their abbreviated
equivalents.
Example: use “as soon as possible” instead of “ASAP”

Informal: He telephoned the Parkside Police
dept. but they had no news.
Formal:
Informal: He telephoned the Parkside Police
dept. but they had no news.
Formal: He telephoned the Parkside Police

department but they had no news.
4. Avoid colloquial/trite/idiomatic expressions.
Example: kind of like

as a matter of fact
I need to go to the John
They pigged out last night.
They ate too much last night.

OBJECTIVITY
 Academic writing requires special knowledge and
use of more complex language and objectivity.
 This means that writing must be impersonal and
maintain a certain level of social distance
Objectivity can be achieved by:
1. Avoiding the use of personal pronouns such as
“you”, “I”, and “we”.
Poor example: You need to conduct the experiment.
Improved version:
Poor example: You need to conduct the experiment.
Improved version: The researchers need to conduct the
experiment.
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:
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 test.
Improved version:
Poor example: The investigators were very shocked to

see the outcome of the test.
Improved version: The investigators did not expect the

results.
Explicitness
Academic writing demands the use of sign post that

allow readers to trace the relationships in the parts of a
study.
What is a signpost?
 are words and phrases that make connections and

transitions between the ideas in your writing. They
help to make your argument clear to the reader by
pointing out the relationship between your ideas, and
where your line of thought is going.
What is a signpost?
 are words and phrases that make connections and

transitions between the ideas in your writing. They
help to make your argument clear to the reader by
pointing out the relationship between your ideas, and
where your line of thought is going.
Example Signpost
To introduce a sequence of points in your argument

 Firstly, secondly etc
 To begin with
 Lastly
 Finally
Example Signpost
To add an idea, or more detail

 In addition
 Additionally
 Furthermore
 Similarly
Example Signpost
To give an example
 For example
 For instance
 To demonstrate
 As an illustration/example
Example Signpost
To generalize
 As a rule
 For the most part
 Generally
 In general
Example Signpost
To introduce a contrast or alternative point or section

 In contrast
 However
 Although
 On the other hand
If you intended to show a change in your line of
argument, make it clear by using however.
Using “However”
Example:
It is apparent that the government hopes to provide

assistance to the poor. However, giving dole outs to the
“poorest of the poor” does not work in the long term.
1.This is due to the …
A number of MERALCO consumers trooped to the City

Hall to claim a PHP 500 cash incentive. This is due to
the Supreme Court ruling that overcharges must be
returned to the users whose electric consumption for the
April-May period was below 100kw/hr.
2. This resulted in . . .
With the Supreme Court ordering MERALCO to return

overcharges to the end users, government offices have
been tapped to operate as a claim centers. This resulted
in a number of MERALCO consumers trooping to the
City Hall to claim the PHP 500.00 cash incentive.
When two ideas seem the same, express each clearly.
The study showed that eighty percent of the 200

participants involved in the study were satisfied with the
operations of MERALCO. Similarly, the data revealed
that majority of the participants were not aware of the
charges imposed on them by MERALCO.
If you intend to give extra information in your sentence,
make it clear by writing “In addition…”
MERALCO has been operating as a business

conglomerate involving foreign stakeholders and
independent power producers or IPP. In addition,
MERALCO owns major IPPs operating in the region.
If you are giving examples, do so explicitly by writing
“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.

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ASPECT OF PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC

Expanded: If the plant cannot live according to

Example: use “damage” instead of “mess up”

One word verb:

One word verb:

One word verb:

Example: use “as soon as possible” instead of “ASAP”

Formal: He telephoned the Parkside Police

Example: kind of like

They ate too much last night.

Poor example: How can these problems be solved?

Poor example: How can these problems be solved?

Improved version: Certain measures must be discovered

Poor example: The investigators were very shocked to

Poor example: The investigators were very shocked to

Improved version: The investigators did not expect the

Academic writing demands the use of sign post that

 are words and phrases that make connections and

 are words and phrases that make connections and

To introduce a sequence of points in your argument

To add an idea, or more detail

To introduce a contrast or alternative point or section

It is apparent that the government hopes to provide

A number of MERALCO consumers trooped to the City

With the Supreme Court ordering MERALCO to return

The study showed that eighty percent of the 200

MERALCO has been operating as a business

The MERALCO issue has led to disputes between

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