ACADEMIC WRITING
English 28
Academic Writing in American Colleges:
• See pages 540-543 in your textbook
• In academic writing, your are expected to:
• Respond to other writings on the topic
• Ask questions
• Say what you think
• Have a main focus from the start
• State your point explicitly (directly and clearly)
Academic Writing in American Colleges:
Let’s review the list of Characteristic Features on page 543
• Use standard edited English
• Use a clear pattern of organization
• Mark logical distinctions between ideas
• State claims explicitly and provide support
• Present your ideas as a response to other ideas
• Express ideas clearly and directly
• Be aware of how genres and conventions (rules) vary across
disciplines (a.k.a. fields of study, majors)
• Document sources using the appropriate citation style for your
discipline
After we discuss each of these, what questions do you still have?
What is a paragraph?
• A paragraph is a group of sentences that work together for a
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common purpose.
All of the sentences in a paragraph are about the same general
topic.
Each sentence works with the others in order to achieve the
purpose of the paragraph.
Paragraphs contain a topic sentence and two different types of
support: primary support and secondary support.
Each new paragraph is indented five spaces.
Organizing Paragraphs: The Topic Sentence
• Your topic sentence introduces the main idea of your
paragraph.
• A topic sentence has two parts: a topic an a controlling idea.
• Your topic is what the paragraph is about.
• Your controlling idea is the opinion or idea about the topic that the
paragraph will explain.
Example Topic Sentences
• Let’s say that you were assigned to write a paragraph about
the topic “Cell phones”.
• There are many different ideas or opinions about cell
phones that you could explore, so it’s important to pick just
one. You might write…
• Cell phones that can connect to the internet have changed the way
people shop.
• Cell phones and texting should be banned during class time.
Supporting Your Topic Sentence
• When you have decided what your topic and your controlling
idea will be, it is time to support your topic sentence.
• Primary support points are the major ideas that support
your topic sentence. (They are usually general rather than
specific.)
• Secondary support points are specific examples and details
that back up your primary support.
Example Paragraph Outline
Topic Sentence: Cell phones that can connect to the internet have
changed the way people shop.
• Primary support 1: Able to check reviews online.
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Primary support 2: Able to compare prices at other stores while
shopping.
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Secondary support: Checked reviews for digital camera at Best Buy.
Secondary support: Check reviews of new authors at amazon.com before
buying at a bookstore
Compared prices on the new season of Burn Notice the first day it was out.
Compared prices for new flash drive when I lost my old one.
Primary support 3: Able to use coupons without ever printing them
out.
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Used a 40% off coupon scanned off of my iPhone at World Market last
week.
Used an emailed coupon at a candle store last month.
Completed Paragraph
Cell phones that can connect to the internet have changed the way people
shop. First of all, customers can immediately check reviews online before
making a decision. When I was shopping for a digital camera at Best Buy, I
used an iPhone to see which brand had the most positive reviews. Also, when I
buy a book by a new author at the bookstore, I sometimes check reviews of his
or her books at amazon.com first. Second, customers can compare prices at
other stores while they are out shopping. When the new Sherlock Holmes
movie came out, I compared prices online and was surprised to find that
Target had a better price than some online discount stores. I also compared
prices using a cell phone when I lost my flash drive and had to buy a new one.
Finally, customers are able to use in-store coupons without ever printing them
out, which saves a lot of money, paper, and ink. Last week, I used a 40% off
coupon scanned off of my room mate’s iPhone at Borders, and last month, I
used a coupon that had been emailed to me at a candle store. In these ways,
cell phones are making it easier for customers to find the best deals and make
informed decisions.
Parallel: Structure of a Paragraph/Structure of an Essay
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Introduction: Main Thesis of the Essay
Paragraph 1:
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Topic Sentence—supporting main thesis
Support/Evidence/Examples
Paragraph 2:
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Topic Sentence—supporting main thesis
Support/Evidence/Examples
Paragraph 3:
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Topic Sentence—supporting main thesis
Support/Evidence/Examples
Paragraph 4 and more:
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Topic Sentence—supporting main thesis
Support/Evidence/Examples
• Conclusion: Reemphasize thesis and summarize contribution to
the greater conversation on the topic/call to action or further
thought.
Homework:
• Thursday, April 17
In Class:
• Topics: Introducing the Research Paper and Arguing
a Position.
• Homework Due:
• Read “The Role of Argument” p.269—274 (also
discuss in class)
• Read “Arguing a Position” p. 61—78