Diba Basar

English for Academic

Writing

Characteristics

Characteristics of Academic
English
formal English (AMJ formal American
English)
Use academic vocabulary
Avoid phrasal verb use (e.g. Find out, go up,
etc.)
Use tentative language (modals: may, might)
Avoid over generalization (all, every, etc.)
Minimum used of personal pronouns (I, you,
we, they)
Polite
No short, disconnected sentences.
Use

Content

Content
All

sentences are relevant with the

topic and comprehensive
Information are analyzed critically
Ethical clearance
Structure of paper preferred by the
journal

Writing Organization

Organization
Title
Include key words of article
Brief and clear
Does not contain abbreviation
Avoid using too many of

Abstract
Use headings (Background, Methods, Results,

Conclusion)
Conscise (Eng. Max 250 words, Ind. Max. 200)
Acronyms/abbreviation are defined first used
afterwards
Key words: 3 5, alphabetical order

Organization (cont.)
Introduction
Contain background, topic, and purpose
Describe problem in general terms
Defines key words and concepts used in the article

Methods
Materials
Material preparation
Procedure
Sampling method (incl. Sample size
Statistical method /s
Use direct and precise sentences past tense

Organization (cont.)
Results
Link with the purpose of the study (research question/s)
Tables/graphs relevant with results of the study

important
Do not re-tell table contents in the narratives narratives
clarify information in the tables/graphs?
Discusssion
Explain whether the hypotheses are accepted/rejected and

the reasons why

Interpretation of findings
Agreement/disagreement with previous/other studies with
proper referencing
Reasons for disagreement (method? Etc.)

Organization (cont.)
Conclusion
Summary and a thoughtful end of article
Fit the rest of the article (purpose, result,

etc.)
Does not include completely new ideas

English Structure &

Grammar

Clause
Building blocks of a sentence
at least consist of a subject and a verb
Types of clause:
Clauses

Independent : S + Verb/to be + (complement)

Examples:
Water evaporates rapidly in warm climate zones
He ran away

Dependent: (subordinator) + S + Verb/to be+

(complement)
Examples:
.....when the patient visited the clinic
.....after the blood sample was subjected to the test

List of some
subordinators
After
Although
As, just as
As if
As soon as
Because
Before

Even though
How
If
Since
So that
That
Though

Unless
Until
What
When
Whenever
Wherever
Whether

Which
While
Who
whom

Exercise 1
During long journeys through
several time zones, the bodys inner
clock is disrupted
2. There are some ways to minimize it
3. When hospital nurses change from
a day shift to a night shift
4. Jet lag affects most long-distance
travelers
1.

Types of Sentence
grab readers attention
and add emphasize
Compound emphasize balance
and parallel ideas
Complex showing what
information depends on what other
information
Compound complex
Simple

Simple Sentence
A

simple sentence is one

independent clause. In written form,
it starts with a capital letter and
ends with period.
should consist at least one subject
and one verb (or to be +
adjective/noun)
Example:
The patient visited the clinic yesterday

Compound Sentence
A

compound sentence is two or more

independent clauses joined together using:
A coordinator:

Salt water boils at a higher temperature than

freshwater, so food cooks faster in salt water
A conjunctive adverb:
Salt water boils at a higher temperatur than
freshwater; therefore, food cooks faster in salt water.
A semicolon: only when the two independent
clauses are closely related in meaning
Salt water boils at a higher temperature than
freshwater; food cooks faster in salt water

Coordinators
Coordinator

Function

For

To add a reason

And

To add a similar, equal idea

Nor

To add a negative equal idea

But

To add an opposite idea

Or

To add an alternative possibility

Yet

To add an unexpected or surprising continuation

So

To add an expected result

Conjunctive adverbs
Function

Conjuctive adverb

To add a similar, equal iea

also, besides, furthermore, in addition,

moreover, as well, too

To add an unexpected or
surprising continuation

however, nevertheless, nonetheless,

still

To add a complete contrast

on the other hand, in contrast, on the

contrary

To give an alternative
possibility

otherwise

T0 add an expected result

accordingly, as a result, consequently,

hence, therefore, thus

To add an example

for example, for instance

Complex Sentence
A

complex sentence contains one

independent clause and one (or
more) dependent clause:
Examples:
A citizen can vote in Indonesia when
he or she is 17 years old
Men who are not married are called
bachelors
The doctor wanted to know what
illness is suffered by the patient

Compound Complex
Sentence
A

compound-complex sentence has

at least three clauses with at least
two are independent clauses
Example:
I wanted to travel after I graduated
from college, but I had to go to work
immediately because I had to
support my family.

Exercise 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Make one independent clause

Make one dependent clause
Make one simple sentence
Make one compound sentence
Make one complex sentence using a
coordinator
Make one complex sentence using a
conjunctive adverb
Make one complex sentence using a
semicolon

Phrase
Phrase

with ing : a sleeping baby, a

visiting doctor
Phrase with ed: a used car, consumed
medicine
Phrase as a reduced form of clause:
The ambulance that was summoned by a

bystander came quickly The ambulance

summoned by a bystander came quickly
When you enter a theater, you should turn off
your cell phone When entering a theater, you
should turn off your cell phone

Tenses
I study

I had studied

I am studying

I had been studying

I have studied

I will study

I have been studying

I am going to study

I studied

I will be studying

I was studying

I will have been studying

Paragraph
Development

Paragraph Development
Only

discuss one idea

Must have:
a topic sentence:
A complete sentence
Include a topic and a controlling idea
Example: The rise of the disease is due to several factors.

The most general statement in the paragraph

supporting sentences
Explain or prove the topic sentence.
Are specific and factual
Can be examples, statistics, or quotations
some has a concluding sentence
Signal the end of the paragraph
Summarize the paragraph

Logical Order
Chronological

order : by time
sequence, e.g. Laboratory
procedures
Logical division of ideas: a topic is
divided into parts and each part is
discussed separately
Comparison/contrast paragraph:
similarities and/or differences
between two or more items are
described

Paraphrase

Pharaphrasing
Important
Plagiat

to avoid plagiarism

if:

Use information from an outside source

without citing the source

Your paraphrase is too similar to the
original
Good

paraphrase:

Use our own words and sentence

structure
No change in the meaning (of the

Academic Writing Style

No

phrasal verb : discover instead of find out

No contraction
Formal English
Polite
Tentative language
Avoid over generalization
Minimum used of personal pronouns (I, you, we,
they, etc.)
No short, disconnected sentences
Names of organization/institution official

Exercise 3 and 4
Word

file

Exercise 5
In

Indonesia there is regulation about the drug

advertisements that should be followed by the
advertising company.5 The function of this
regulation is to make sure that the information
delivered to the society is true and beneficial. 5
However many of pharmaceutical company
produce the advertisements only to increase the
profit rather than give information as not all the
information written in the advertisement. 6 Thus
this misleading advertisements consist
inappropriate information regarding their
products.7

THANK YOU