Language

Use in
Academic
Writing
Learning Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, the learners are expected to:

a.determine language style in academic writing;

b.differentiate language style used in academic texts
from various disciplines; and
c.construct paragraphs using academic language.

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 WHAT IS ACADEMIC WRITING?

▪ Academic Writing is just like a written form of

communication which demands reading and serious
thinking.
▪ Academic Writing is thinking.
▪ It is a process of presenting ideas in a rational,
organized, systematic, reasonable and logical way.

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 WHAT IS ACADEMIC WRITING?

▪ Academic Writing is a process

that starts with posing a
question, problematizing a
concept, evaluating an opinion,
and ends in answering the
question or questions posed,
clarifying the problem, and/or
arguing for a stand.
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 WHAT IS ACADEMIC WRITING?

▪ SPECIFIC PURPOSE/S:
▪ To inform
▪ To argue a specific point
▪ To persuade

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CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC WRITING

 PLANNING
▪ OUTLINE
▪ TONE
▪ APPROACH
▪ LANGUAGE
▪ POINT OF VIEW

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 EXAMPLES OF ACADEMIC WRITING

 Academic Journal
 Books and book reports
 Conference paper
 Dissertation and Thesis
 Essays
 Translations
 Research papers and research articles
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 WHAT IS NON-ACADEMIC WRITING?

 Non–academic writing is writing

that is not intended for academic
audience. This type of writing
may be personal, impressionistic,
emotional or subjective in nature.
 The language used may be
informal and may contain
slang.
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 EXAMPLES OF NON-ACADEMIC WRITING

 Personal Blog writing

 Facebook post
 Personal journal writing
 Writing for newspapers

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Difference between Academic and Non-Academic
Writing
Academic Writing Non-Academic Writing

READER Academics Family, friends

CONTENT Serious thoughts Conversational

STYLE Complex sentences showing Most simple and compound

considerable variety in sentences joined by conjunctions
construction such as, and or but

ORGANIZATION Clear and well-planned Less likely to be as clear and as

organized
VOCABULARY Technical and academic Use of short forms, idioms and
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ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

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 ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

 Academic language represents the language demands

of school (academics). It includes language used in
textbooks, in classrooms, on tests, and in each
discipline
 It includes discipline-specific vocabulary, grammar,
punctuation and applications of rhetorical conventions
and devices (e.g., essays, lab reports, discussions of a
controversial issue.)
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 ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

 Academic Language is:

1) the language used in the classroom and workplace,
2) the language of text,
3) the language of assessments,
4) the language of academic success and
5) the language of power.

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 ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
 Students may write a lab report in Science Class
 Students may orally explain their reasoning in Math.
 Students may listen to and compare two famous
speeches in history class
 Students may compare a scene from a novel and a
movie in an English Language art class.

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 ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

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LANGUAGE USE IN ACADEMIC WRITING

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LANGUAGE USE IN ACADEMIC WRITING

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LANGUAGE USE IN ACADEMIC WRITING

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 WRITING TIPS

 A wide range of vocabulary is of course important, but you must

use the right word, and shorter ones are often better than the
longer ones.
 Avoid informal language, especially colloquial expressions and
slang.
 Avoid spoken language that is naturally full of hesitations,
repetitions, grammatical errors and unfinished ideas.
 Sentences should be complete and ideas arranged into paragraphs
or sections.
 Aim for perfection in your grammar and spelling.
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 AVOID SOME INFORMAL ENGLISH
 Don’t (do not) use contractions
 Don’t use colloquial language or slang (eg.kid, a lot/lot of)
 Always write concisely as you can, with no irrelevant materials
 Generally avoid “phrasal verbs” (e.g. get off, get away, with, put in,
etc.) instead use one word equivalents
 Avoid common but vague words and phrase such as get, nice, thing.
Your writing needs to be more precise.
 Avoid overuse of bracket; avoid direct questions; don’t use “etc.”
 Always use capital letters appropriately and never use the type of
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 STRUCTURE YOUR WRITING

 Make sure you write in complete sentences.

 Divide your writing up into paragraphs
 Use connecting words and phrases to make your
writing explicit and easy to follow
 Check your grammar and spelling carefully.

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