Applied 121A: English for Academic and Professional Purposes

1st Sem MIDTERM Reviewer

Introduction to Academic Text its Nature, Characteristics, and Language Use

ACADEMIC TEXT

 have been a part of our life since we were children who read anything we could. An academic
text is reading or written material that discusses ideas, problems, subjects, and theories
produced for the academic community.
 It is available on the web, in books, media, social media platforms, and the likes.
 In the academic text, the author's feelings and emotions are not expressed. It is well-focused,
concise, accurate, clear, and well-structured.
 They are grounded in factual data and credible evidence, free of repetition, exaggeration,
rhetorical questions, and contractions, and they are always written from the perspective of the
third person.
HOW TO WRITE AN ACADEMIC TEXT
 Introduction to the topic
 Place the topic in a context
 Background information
 Aim of the text
 Method to fulfil the aim
 The thesis statement or research question
 Findings
 Necessity and the importance of the topic
NON-ACADEMIC TEXT
 texts are writings that are informal and dedicated to a lay audience. They are emotional,
personal and subjective without any kind of research involving.
 Therefore, anyone can write a non-academic text. Newspaper articles, e-mail messages, text
messages, journal writing, and letters are some examples of non-academic text.
FEATURES OF NON-ACADEMIC TEXTS
 Less formal (may idioms, slangs, contractions)
 Casual language
 Use any point of view
 Opinion-based
 Free of rigid structures
 On general topics
 Examples of academic texts are essays, textbooks, reports, and thesis. On the other hand, non-
academic texts are subjective and emotive in nature which is why they can be written by
anyone.
 It can be composed even without any type of
research and study. Examples of non-
academic texts are magazine articles,
personal journal entries, and letters.
Other Examples of Academic Texts
●Case studies ● Literary Texts
● Research Articles ● Academic Journals
● Conference Paper ● Reports
● Reviews
Applied 121A: English for Academic and Professional Purposes
1st Sem MIDTERM Reviewer

Academic Writing
 is writing you do in a specific field of study or in school. You have a thesis statement, and the
rest of your writing is about proving or demonstrating your thesis.
 is supposed to be unbiased or objective. An academic text needs to be based on facts and
Evidence.
Elements of Academic text
1. Subject – the topic of the text
2. Purpose – the message the author aims to convey
3. Audience – the intended group of readers
4. Point of View (POV) - how the author/narrator tells the information.
 First POV- I, me, my
 Second POV - you, your
 Third POV - they, them, their, she/he, his/her
5. Writer’s Knowledge - the amount of information the author knows about the topic.
6. Style - the flow and presentation of the content.
7. Language - It can be identified by looking at word choices and phrase
 Formal - objective, technical, and the language is more proper. It emphasizes facts, objects,
and ideas avoiding conversational language such as contractions.
 Informal - subjective in nature, uses casual and emotive language, consists of short
sentences.

8. Explicitness - information is stated in a precise, clear, direct, and detailed way.

9. Citation - acknowledging the source and foundation of the information in text.
10. Academic Language Used - use of words specific to a particular field of study.

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE - this includes language used in textbooks, in classrooms, on tests, and in
each discipline. It represents the language demands of school (academics).
We use different vocabulary and structure in school and when we socialize with others.
Example: School: Academic texts Work: Paper works

LINGUISTIC REGISTER- are certain registers of language (types of language use) peculiar to specific
professionals such as medical science, engineering, and business.

 Medical Language – is used to describe components and processes of the human body, medical
procedures, diseases, disorders, and pharmacology.
 Legal Language – is the language used by the persons connected to the legal profession.
 Journalistic Language - helps understand how journalists create their stories or reports, shape
point of view, deliver expected news, and how media language is different from other languages
we encounter.
 Literary Language - used in literary writing.
Applied 121A: English for Academic and Professional Purposes
1st Sem MIDTERM Reviewer

 Jargon – are special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and
are difficult for others to understand.
 Legal Indictment – is a formal accusation of felony, issued by a grand jury based upon a
proposed charge, witnesses’ testimony and other evidence presented by the public prosecutor.
 Legal Indictment – is a formal accusation of felony, issued by a grand jury based upon a
proposed charge, witnesses’ testimony and other evidence presented by the public prosecutor.

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY – used in all academic disciplines to teach about the content of the
discipline also known as discipline-specific vocabulary.
Example: Science: Periodic Table, Literature: Sob Story - sentimental story

 Virus: ICT - malicious software that damages the data and software STEM (Science):
microorganism that infects cells and may cause disease
 Point of View (POV) Literature: Innocent Eye, Stream of Consciousness English (Writing): 1st
Person, 2nd Person, 3rd Person
 Formula
Math - mathematical relationship or rule expressed in symbols
Science - a list of ingredients for or constituents of something
 Assessment
Teaching Field - evaluating, measuring, documenting learner’s knowledge
Medicine - a process used to learn about a patient's condition.

 An Academic Text is reading materials that provides information which include concepts and
theories that are related to the specific discipline.
 Common text includes introduction, body, and conclusion.
 Students who master Academic language are more likely to be successful in academic and
professional settings.
LESSON 2: TEXT STRUCTURE
Structure
 Construction
 something arranged in a definite pattern of organization (Merriam Webster)
Text Structure
 how the author organized the information of a text/passage.
 organizational patterns of the texts.
Text Structure 1: I-B-C
Text Structure 2: IMRAD

Text Structure 1: I-B-C ‘Hourglass Structure’ Introduction – Body – Conclusion

 it provides background about the topic.

 sets and prepares the mind of the readers for what the topic is about.
 An introduction is usually the first paragraph of your academic essay. If you’re writing a long
essay, you might need 2 or 3 paragraphs to introduce your topic to your reader. A good
introduction does TWO things:
Applied 121A: English for Academic and Professional Purposes
1st Sem MIDTERM Reviewer

 GETS THE READER’S ATTENTION - You can get a reader’s attention by telling a story,
providing a statistic, pointing out something strange or interesting, providing and
discussing an interesting quote, etc.
 PROVIDES A SPECIFIC AND DEBATABLE THESIS STATEMENT - The thesis statement is
usually just one sentence long, but it might be longer—even a whole paragraph—if the
essay you’re writing is long. A good thesis statement makes a debatable point, meaning
a point someone might disagree with and argue against.
 Body - it discusses the topic elaborately. Contains the major points to explain the topic. It is
usually the longest part.
 Body paragraphs help you prove your thesis and move you along - a compelling
trajectory from your introduction to your conclusion. If your thesis is a simple one, you
might not need a lot of body paragraphs to prove it.
 If it’s more complicated, you’ll need more body paragraphs. An easy way to remember
the parts of a body paragraph is to think of them as the MEAT of your essay:
o Main Idea- The part of a topic sentence that states the main idea of the body
paragraph. All of the sentences in the paragraph connect to it.
o Evidence - The parts of a paragraph that prove the main idea. You might
include different types of evidence in different sentences. Keep in mind that
different disciplines have different ideas about what counts as evidence and
they adhere to different citation styles. Examples of evidence include…
- quotations and/or paraphrases from sources.
- facts, e.g. statistics or findings from studies you’ve conducted.
- narratives and/or descriptions, e.g. of your own experiences.
o Analysis - The parts of a paragraph that explain the evidence. Make sure you
tie the evidence you provide back to the paragraph’s main idea.
o Transition - The part of a paragraph that helps you move fluidly from the last
paragraph. Transitions appear in topic sentences along with main ideas, and
they look both backward and forward in order to help you connect your ideas
for your reader.
 Conclusion – Briefly summarizes your major points. Usually has a closing statement.
 A conclusion is the last paragraph of your essay, or, if you’re writing a really long essay, you
might need 3 or 5 sentences to conclude. A conclusion typically does one of two things—or,
of course, it can do both.
 Summarizes the argument. Some instructors expect you not to say anything new in your
conclusion. They just want you to restate your main points.
Applied 121A: English for Academic and Professional Purposes
1st Sem MIDTERM Reviewer

Text Structure 2: IMRAD ‘the complex structure’

Introduction – Methods – Results – Discussion/Conclusion

“IMRaD” format refers to a paper that is structured by four main sections: Introduction, Methods,
Results, and Discussion. This format is often used for lab reports as well as for reporting any planned,
systematic research in the social sciences, natural sciences, or engineering and computer sciences.

 Introduction
 What is the situation/problem?
 Why do you want to study the situation/problem?
 What did other researchers find about the situation/problem?
 Methods
 How did you gather data?
 What instrument did you use?
 Results
 What are your findings?
 What have you collected?
 Discussion/ Conclusion
 What are the results?
 What future action/s do you recommend?

Five (5) Text Structures Patterns

1. description –definition, function, transition words

2. order or sequence
3. comparison or contrast
4. cause and effect
5. problem and solution

1. Description
- This describes a person, place, thing, event, and other. This also resembles an outline where it
starts with the main idea and then elaboration.
Transition Words: for Example, for instance, in particular, such as, most important, specifically,
to illustrate
2. Order and Sequence
- This shows the chronological or sequential order of things, ideas, actions or events. It also
includes the process of series that occur.
Transition Words: First, next, then, after, last, second, third, additionally, finally, before,
preceding, and others
Applied 121A: English for Academic and Professional Purposes
1st Sem MIDTERM Reviewer

3. Comparison or contrast
- Texts show the similarities and differences between two or more objects, ideas, events, or
places.
Transition Words: However, unlike, like, in contrast, yet, in comparison, although, different
from, opposed to, instead of, as well as, whereas

4. Cause and Effect

- This text tells the reader both the result and reason for an event or occurrence.
Transition Words: As a result, consequently, therefore, because of, in order to, may be due to,
for these reasons
5. Problem and Solution
- This presents a problem and its possible solutions.
Transition Words: The problem is, the difficulty s, it is possible that, if-then

- Text structure can be through sentences or paragraphs.

Graphic organizers are visual representation that uses lines, shapes, arrows, and the like to show
connections, organizations, and relationships of ideas and parts of a text.
Description Cause and Effect

Problem and Solution Sequence

Compare and Contrast