EAPP_Quarter 3_Week 1_Lesson 1

READING ACADEMIC TEXTS: Language Used and Structure of Academic Texts

WHAT IS ACADEMIC WRITING?

- 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.
WHAT IS AN ACADEMIC TEXT?
- a written language that provides information, which contain ideas and concepts that are related to a particular discipline
Examples: Essay, Research Paper, Research Article, Dissertation, Thesis, Technical Report

Purposes in Reading an Academic Text Factors to Consider in Writing Academic Text

1. To locate a main idea;
2. To scan for information;
3. To identify gaps in existing studies;
4. To connect new ideas to existing ones;
5. To gain more pieces of information;
6. To support a particular writing assignment;
7. To deeply understand an existing idea.
1. State critical questions and issues;
2. Provide facts and evidence from credible sources;
3. Use precise and accurate words while avoiding jargon;
4. Take an objective point of view;
5. List references; and,
6. Use cautious language.

A. LANGUAGE USED IN ACADEMIC TEXTS

FEATURES OF LANGUAGE
1. FORMALITY- It reflects your dignified stance in your writing as a member of the academic community.
a. Choosing expanded modal forms over contracted forms, such as using cannot instead of can’t, do not instead of don’t.
b. Choosing one verb form over two-word verbs, such as damage instead of mess up.
c. Choosing expanded terms over their abbreviated equivalents, such as as soon as possible instead of ASAP.
d. Avoiding colloquial/trite/idiomatic expressions, such as kind of like, as a matter of fact, I need to go to the John.
2. Objectivity- It means that writing must be impersonal and maintain a certain level of social distance.
a. Avoiding the use of personal pronouns such as you, I, and we.
Poor example: You need to conduct the experiment.
Improved version: The researchers need to conduct the experiment.
b. 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: Certain measures must be discovered to solve the problems.
c. Avoiding emotive language that shows biases and lessens objectivity.
Poor example: The investigators were very shocked to see the outcome of the tests.
Improved version: The investigators did not expect the results.
3. EXPLICITNESS- Academic writing demands the use of signposts that allow readers to trace the relationships in the parts of study.
Example: With the Supreme Court ordering MERALCO to return overcharges to the end users, government offices have been trapped
to operate as a claim center. This resulted in a number of MERALCO consumers trooping to the City Hall to claim the P500 cash
incentive.
4. CAUTION- Academic writing requires care since knowledge is built from proven theories and concepts. Caution is needed to
avoid sweeping generalization.
Example: “Government officials are corrupt.”
a. Modal Verb (may, can, might, could)
Some government officials may be corrupt.
b. Adverb (often, usually, sometimes, commonly)
Corruption is commonly linked to some government officials.
c. Verb (tends, suggests, appears to be, think, believe, doubt, indicate)
A number of government officials tend to be linked with cases of corruption.

OTHER FEATURES:
1. PRECISION- In academic writing, you need to be precise when you use information, dates, or figures. Do not use “a lot of people”
when you can say “50 million people.”
2. COMPLEXITY- Written language is relatively more complex than spoken language.
Written texts are lexically dense compared to spoken language - they have proportionately more lexical words than grammatical
words.
Spoken
The people in the colony rejoiced when it was promised that things would change in this way.
Written
People in the colony greeted the promised change with enthusiasm.

3. ACCURACY- Academic writing uses vocabulary accurately.

-“phonetics” and “phonology” or “grammar” with “syntax.”
Example: -“meeting,” “assembly,” “gathering,” or “conference.”
4. HEDGING- An important feature of academic writing is the concept of cautious language, often called “hedging” or “vague
language.”
Hedging language refers to how a writer expresses certainty or uncertainty.

5. RESPONSIBILITY- Provide evidence and justification for any claims you make. You are also responsible for demonstrating an
understanding of any source texts you use.
-This is done by paraphrasing, summarizing what you have read, and acknowledging the source of this information or ideas by a
system of citations.

B. STRUCTURE OF ACADEMIC TEXTS

1. COMBINING IDEAS- Avoid redundancy and at the same time, make sure the ideas are packed effectively.
Example 1: The earthquake caused loss of life. The earthquake caused massive property damage. That earthquake changed the
landscape of the village.
Improved Version: The earthquake caused loss of life, property damage, and permanent changes in the landscape.
Example 2: Workers who don’t get enough nutrients face lifelong health problems. Children who don’t get enough nutrients have
more difficulty learning in school. Couples who don’t get enough nutrients have more difficulty bearing and raising healthy children.
Improved Version: People who do not get enough nutrients face lifelong health problems, have more difficulty learning in school and
have more difficulty bearing and raising healthy children.
Example 3: According to the US Census figures from 2016, poverty excludes the people living in military quarters. Poverty leaves out
the people living in college dormitories. Poverty rules out individuals under the age of fifteen.
Improved Version: According to the United States Census figures from 2016, poverty excludes the people living in military quarters ,
college dormitories, and people under the age of fifteen.
2. NOMINALIZATION- Verbs are made the central doer as they denote action. Transforming verbs into nouns help readers focus on
the action and not on the doer of the action.
Example 1: The company created software to manage the transactions successfully.
Improved Version: The creation of software to manage transactions was a success.
Example 2: The president announced a three-day holiday this September.
Improved Version: The president’s announcement of a three-day holiday for September was released.
3. PASSIVIZATION- The results of action are highlighted.
Example 1: The researchers conducted experiments to validate the hypothesis.
Improved Version: Experiments were conducted to validate the hypothesis.
Example 2: An engineer built a saltwater lamp to help communities with no electricity.
Improved Version: A saltwater lamp was built to help communities with no electricity.

A.F.Manuel