Writing by Numbers:

becoming an active reader

Hilary Glasman-Deal 2015

Good prose is like a window pane. (George Orwell)

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OVERVIEW
THE TEMPLATE-BASED APPROACH:
IMRaD
HOW TO WRITE AN INTRODUCTION
LANGUAGE AND WRITING ISSUES:
INFORMAL LANGUAGE AND BABY LANGUAGE
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
ORGANISING INFORMATION
GRAMMAR
GENERAL WRITING TIPS

KEY MESSAGES
Analyse target texts to create template models.
Use their structure, grammar and vocabulary as your
writing input.
Good organisation helps to compensate for language
errors.
Informal English cannot convey precise meaning.
You dont need to learn much English .
Do not plagiarise.
Writing is much easier than it looks!
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THE TEMPLATE-BASED APPROACH: A

RECOGNISABLE FACSIMILE

THE TEMPLATE-BASED APPROACH

painting by numbers guarantees immediate success

and gratification, encouraging the painter to try until
feeling secure and confident enough to discard the
training wheels of Paint by Numbers and (go) "solo"
for the first time.
http://www.hofcraft.com/paintbynumbersets.htm

IMRaD
Abstract

Introduction

Method

Results

Discussion

IMRaD Adoption
Text organization of published articles in the British Medical Journal
from 1935 to 1985

WRITING AN INTRODUCTION
How do I start the Introduction? What
should I include? How do I finish it?
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ESTABLISH THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TOPIC

PROVIDE BACKGROUND FACTS AND INFORMATION
PRESENT THE GENERAL PROBLEM AREA

EXISTING RESEARCH : THE RESEARCH MAP

LOCATE A GAP IN THE RESEARCH and/or DESCRIBE THE

PROBLEM YOU WILL ADDRESS and/or PRESENT A
PREDICTION/HYPOTHESIS
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DESCRIBE YOUR PAPER/STUDY

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EXTEND YOUR RANGE OF LITERATURE

REVIEW VERBS.
achieve
address
adopt
analyse
apply
argue [that]
assume
attempt [to]
carry out
challenge
choose
claim [that]
classify
collect
compare

confirm
consider
contradict
deal with
debate
define
demonstrate
describe
design
detect
determine
develop
discover
discuss
enhance

establish
estimate
evaluate
examine
explore
extend
find
focus on
generate
identify
imply
improve
indicate [that]
interpret
introduce
investigate

maintain [that]
modify
note
observe
offer
overcome
perform
point out
predict
present
produce
propose
prove
provide
put forward
realise

recognise
recommend
record
report
reveal
revise
review
show
solve
state [that]
study
support
suggest
test
use
verify

INTRODUCTION AND DISCUSSION

Importance of the
field/topic

Introduction

Existing research
Locate a gap
Describe your work

Revisit your work

Discussion

Response to the gap

Map to existing research
Contribution to the field
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INFORMAL LANGUAGE AND BABY

LANGUAGE
AVOID SIMPLE VERBS
make/go/get/put/thing/interesting/proper/big/special/lots/spread/pick
get = obtain, achieve, reach
pick = select, choose
keep = retain, maintain
AVOID EMPTY PHRASES
many people in the world/most people in the world . where else?
special, interesting.. in what way?
AVOID SPOKEN ENGLISH IT SUGGESTS A BROKEN LINK TO YOUR READING
Loads of information can be found on the internet. (A great deal of information)
AVOID EMOTIONAL/DRAMATIC LANGUAGE AND JOURNALESE
there is still a spark of faith
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ACADEMIC VOCABULARY ISSUES

THESAURUS USE: the thesaurus is NOT YOUR FRIEND!
noticeable is not the same as conspicuous and
notorious is not the same as well-known.
KEEP TERMINOLOGY CONSISTENT. A tool should not
become a strategy and then a device and then an
approach and then a technique.
WATCH OUT FOR L1 TRANSFER.
ERROR: extorting the meaning
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ORGANISING INFORMATION
The way you start a sentence helps the reader
to process the content.
CONNECTING SIGNALS
Connect sentences using overlapping repeats, pro-forms or signalling connectors BUT
if you begin a sentence or clause with a connector like therefore, is it really a
consequence or result of the previous sentence?
If you begin a sentence or clause with in other words, is it really the same thing in
other words?
STRONG SENTENCE STARTUP
Try to avoid beginning sentences or clauses with -ing forms or prepositional adverb
phrases (especially for and with).
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ORGANISING INFORMATION
PARAGRAPHING
Avoid clusters of single-sentence paragraphs and whole-page
paragraphs.

ORDER OF INFORMATION
Dont put the background needed to understand a statement
AFTER the statement.

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GRAMMAR
DETERMINERS (articles)
Check for singular countable nouns: I am English teacher
Check for so-called uncountable nouns that you are using countably, e.g., food,
environment, technology
Watch out for invisible errors : This effect may hide a/the connection between X
and Y.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT, grammatical and logical.
Check singular/plural agreement
Check whether the subject can actually perform the action of the verb.
PARTS OF SPEECH
Check whether the word you are using is an adjective, adverb or noun: due to the
bore curriculum [in Spanish schools].
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GRAMMAR
REFERENCE
Add a noun to This/These (e.g. This model/theory), especially if
more than one noun is possible.
Check that the referent of This at the start of a sentence is
clear. This result was significant and is in line with results in
previous studies. This suggests that swearing has a beneficial
effect on pain tolerance.
VERB TENSE
Verb tense identifies the function of the information:
We found that x occurred.
We found that x occurs.
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GRAMMAR
PREPOSITIONS
Wrong preposition may = wrong meaning: evidence
of vs. evidence for
Consider replacing the preposition with real words
With has a range of meanings; consider replacing it
with using, having, in combination with, together
with, as a result of

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YOU/WE/ONE or a PASSIVE?
The referent of you/one/we is not always clear:
This technique gives you/us the possibility to improve
the design of the app.

Agentless passives (was done, was studied) may

cause confusion about who did the verb, so identify
the agent. Here/in that study/in our model/in their
approach/in the method proposed here.
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GENERAL TIPS
IDENTIFY IMPORTANT INFORMATION/THE VALUE OF YOUR CONTRIBUTION
Clearly identify information that is highly relevant or important: It is
important to remember that/It should be emphasized that
PUNCTUATION
Dont use a comma before adding a new thought
Dont overuse parentheses
SENTENCE LENGTH AND DENSITY
STRENGTH OF CLAIM
Make sure that your statements are an accurate reflection of their truth.
Do they prove/provide evidence of/demonstrate/confirm/ indicate/
suggest/corroborate/support or show something?
Do you need a citation reference?
Watch out for hyperbole (the most dangerous problem for human beings
in the world nowadays is.)
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THE TEMPLATE-BASED APPROACH

MAP THE ORGANISATIONAL PATTERNS OF THE REPORTS/RESEARCH
PAPERS/TEXTS YOU ARE READING AND USE THEM AS MODELS.
IDENTIFY THE PARAGRAPH FUNCTIONS OF THE REPORTS/RESEARCH
PAPERS/TEXTS YOU ARE READING AND USE THEM AS MODELS.
LOOK AT THE VOCABULARY IN THE REPORTS/RESEARCH
PAPERS/TEXTS YOU ARE READING AND USE THAT VOCABULARY.
LOOK AT THE SENTENCE STRUCTURES IN THE REPORTS/RESEARCH
PAPERS/TEXTS YOU ARE READING AND USE THEM AS MODELS.

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THE TEMPLATE-BASED APPROACH

uses authentic academic input rather than relying on creative
writing madness
increases writing speed
means that conventional patterns can compensate for
language errors
reduces the effect of the gap between language ability and
intellectual ability
results in better reading as well as better writing
is reliable and has high face validity because it is descriptive
rather than prescriptive
creates a bridge between reading and writing that actively
feeds writing
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