ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC

AND PROFESSIONAL
PURPOSES
Prepared by: Mrs. Perlin Gayem-Ebalan
 LESSON OBJECTIVES
• Determines the structure of a specific
academic text
• Differentiates language used in academic
texts from various disciplines
• Explains the specific ideas contained in
various texts
• Uses knowledge of text structure to glean
the information he/she needs
 EAPP
•Focuses instruction on skills
required to perform in an
English-speaking academic
context across core subject
areas generally
encountered in a University
Setting.
“[Students] believed essays
were 'creative writing' and
research papers were a
different beast altogether”
(quoted by Ballenger in
Langan, Nadell and
Comodromos 2005).
 ACADEMIC WRITING
• Posing a question
• Problematizing a concept
• Evaluating an opinion
• Answering the question/questions posed or
• Clarifying the problem
• Arguing for a stand
 ACADEMIC WRITING

• the process of breaking down

ideas and using deductive
reasoning, formal voice and third
person point-of-view. It is about
what you think and what
evidence has contributed to that
thinking.
An academic text is reading
material that provides
information which include
concepts and theories that are
related to the specific
discipline.
 PURPOSES
• To inform
• To argue a specific point
• To persuade
 STRUCTURE OF
ACADEMIC TEXTS
• Three-part essay structure
• the reader is introduced to the topic that will be
discussed and to the argument that will be presented.
• The discussion/analysis is carried out and the results are
presented.
• The arguments is summed up and conclusions are
drawn.
 INTRODUCTION
• To provide the reader with a clear idea of the focus and
aim of the text.
• The topic of the essay/article will be presented in the
introduction.
• Often accompanied by a thesis statement.
 BODY
• Where the essay’s (or article’s) argument, ideas and
results are developed and discussed.
 CONCLUSION
• Should not contain any new facts or ideas, but rather
function as a brief restatement of the main arguments
and facts that have been treated in the essay.
FEATURES OF
ACADEMIC TEXTS
• Complex
• Formal
• Objective
• Precise
• Explicit
• Accurate
• Hedging
• Responsible
 COMPLEX

• Written language has no longer words,

it is lexically more dense and it has a
more varied vocabulary.
 FORMAL

•Should avoid colloquial

words and expressions
 PRECISE
•Facts are given
accurately and precisely
 OBJECTIVE

• Language should be objective

• Main emphasis should be on
the information that you want
to give and the arguments you
want to make, rather than you.
 EXPLICIT

• It is the responsibility of the

writer in English to make it clear
to the reader how the various
parts of the text are related.
 ACCURATE

• Uses vocabulary accurately

• most subjects have words with
narrow specific meanings.
 HEDGING

• It is necessary to make
decisions about your stance
on a particular subject, or the
strength of the claims you are
making
 RESPONSIBLE

• You must be responsible for, and must

be able to provide evidence and
justification for, any claims you make.
• You are also responsible for
demonstrating an understanding of
any source texts you use.
 EXAMPLE OF ACADEMIC
TEXTS
• Conference Papers
• Articles
• Reviews
• Thesis/Dissertations
WHAT IS AN
ACADEMIC TEXTS?
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING