LPE2501 ACADEMIC WRITING

LECTURE NOTES 1 (ANSWER KEY)

EXERCISE 1

1. Urbanisation has caused many problems to the environment and to the human
population.
Error: Grammatical error
Use present perfect tense to describe the process of urbanisation that happened
in the past and the effect it has in the present.

2. Urbanisation allows people to move to cities and towns because they view rural
areas as places with hardship and primitive lifestyle.
Error 1: Spelling – use British spelling for urbanization (American) – urbanisation
(British)
Error 2: Punctuation – missing full stop at the end of the sentence

3. Air pollution often plagues industrialised cities, particularly during their early
development.
Error: Subject-Verb Agreement (SVA)
Air pollution is a singular subject, the verb (plague) should be singular too

4. In the year 1800 only about 2 percent of the world's population lived in urban areas
(Johnson & Hague, 2019).
Error 1: Grammatical error
Use simple past tense as the action took place in the past in the year 1800.
Error 2: Punctuation – full stop should be placed after the parenthesis

5. According to The Department of Economic and Social Affairs, two-thirds of the

world's people are expected to live in urban areas by the year 2050.
Error: Subject-Verb Agreement (SVA)
Use plural verb (are) for plural subject (people).

EXERCISE 2

Informal words Formal words

1 Enough Sufficient

2 Start Commence

3 Get Acquire / Accomplish / Obtain / Receive

4 Chance Opportunity

5 Come across Discover

6 Going up Increasing

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7 Cut out Delete / remove

8 Beyond a shadow of doubt Definitely

9 Cut to the chase Direct / straightforward

10 Check it out Examine

EXERCISE 3

Informal words / expressions Formal words

1 doesn’t does not

2 good crucial / vital / important

3 look out (for) identify

4 sickness disease / ailment / illness

5 over tired fatigue

6 sick and tired frustrated

7 big important / crucial / significant / vital

8 So much Excessive

9 Out of the blue Unexpected / Unforeseen /

Unanticipated

10 done completed / accomplished / finished

EXERCISES 4 & 5
Answers may vary.

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EXERCISE 6

1. Not a good thesis statement. Too general.

Revised thesis statement:

The benefits of using technology in the classroom are technology improves classroom
collaboration, incorporates different learning styles, and prepares students for the
future.

2. Acceptable thesis statement

3. Good thesis statement

4. Acceptable thesis statement

5. Not a good thesis statement. Too specific with examples.

*Refer to the thesis statement in no. 1 for sample answer.

EXERCISE 7

1. Topic Sentence 1:
Answer: Not an appropriate topic sentence
Reason: Does not have a transition signal, does not introduce the main idea
as written in the thesis statement, too general

Example of an appropriate topic sentence:

Exposure to violence is the first reason why children should not play video games.

Topic Sentence 2:
Answer: An appropriate topic sentence

Topic Sentence 3:
Answer: Not an appropriate topic sentence
Reason: Does not state topic

Example of an appropriate topic sentence:

Too little parental supervision is the third reason children should avoid playing video
games.

2. Topic Sentence 1:
Answer: Not an appropriate topic sentence
Reason: Does not have a transition signal

Example of an appropriate topic sentence:

Firstly, social media allows people to stay connected.
Topic Sentence 2:
Answer: Not an appropriate topic sentence
Reason: Does not state topic

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 Example of an appropriate topic sentence:
The second advantage of social media is people are able to keep abreast with the
latest news around the world.

Topic Sentence 3:
Answer: Not an appropriate topic sentence
Reason: Fragment, missing topic, does not have a transition signal, does not
introduce the main idea as written in the thesis statement

Example of an appropriate topic sentence:

Finally, social media enables people to communicate across borders.

EXERCISE 8

1. Assistive technology is beneficial to students with disabilities.

2. Studying abroad offers many advantages for students.

3. The community through various projects can help to eradicate teen gang
violence.

EXERCISE 9

Answers may vary.

EXERCISE 10

1. … For example, animals in the Northern Territory in high visitation areas have
become accustomed to human presence, and visitors may enjoy passive interactions
with these animals through wildlife watching and photography (Gross, 2012)…

Supporting detail type: example

2. … Research indicates that although most online students successfully complete

their degree programme, about forty percent of them fail in their studies (Bates,
2010)…

Supporting detail type: statistics

3. …"Language is subject to change and is not caused by unnecessary sloppiness,

laziness or ignorance" (Aitchison, 1981, p.67)...

Supporting detail type: quotation

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4. … Paper bags are biodegradable and make a good option to reduce the use of
plastic bags (Society for the Environment, 2013)...

Supporting detail type: fact

EXERCISE 11

1. Hence, university education has changed the role of nurses and their image in
society.

2. Therefore, if people make an effort to continuously re-evaluate their habits, they

can help stop climate change.

3. Thus, choosing a suitable college or university is a challenging task for high school
students.

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