Logical Academic Writing
Tonight
1. Why is writing important?
2. Where are we going?
3. How are we going to achieve that?
4. Let’s make a start ...
With your partner quickly decide why writing is important.
Why did it develop? What was the need for writing?
In the modern world why is writing important?
------------------------------------------------------------------As an ESL student why should you and your students learn writing?
1.
2.
3.
Paragraphing ..
Topic
sentence
Body
sentences
ESL students should be
encouraged to write more in English.
Point 1 + support
Firstly, ... ............... + for example +
.................
Point 2 + support
Point 3 + support
Conclusion
Therefore writing in English is
important for ESL students.
A journey of a thousand miles starts
with one step
We are going from here to ...
Typical Paragraph Broken Down
Topic Sentence:
- first sentence of the paragraph
- states the subject of the paragraph
Supporting Sentences:
- there should be at least three main supporting
ideas.
- all supporting sentences should refer back to the
topic sentence; if it does not connect to the
topic sentence, it belongs in a separate paragraph
-These three main supporting sentences should
have supporting evidence or examples.
"A dog is man's best friend." Despite
what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent
house pets. In the first place, people enjoy the
companionship of cats. Many cats are
affectionate. In the second place, cats are civilized
members of the household. Lastly, one of the
most attractive features of cats as house pets is
their ease of care. In many ways, cats are the ideal
house pet.
Concluding Sentence:
- last sentence in the paragraph
- It signals the end of the paragraph, gives a logical
conclusion or in larger essays provides a thesis
statement.
NB* This is still not perfect … Can you tell why?
Here ....
How are we going to achieve that?
Back to Paragraphs.
As an Essay
We are going to break it down...
• Into its composite pieces.
• So, over the next few weeks we will look at
introductory, body and concluding paragraphs.
• We’ll discover evidence and argument
techniques.
• We’ll understand the principles of citing and
referencing.
• We’ll do mini-skeleton-essays to achieve these
ends.
Back to Paragraphing.
What should a paragraph do?
Keep one idea to a paragraph.
• Clarity -> clear, unambiguous.
• Unity -> same goal, aim or focus.
• Coherence -> sticks together.
• Transitions and sign posts.
• Adequate development.
• Structured (T.S, Body, Conclusion)
Order
NB ** You can have fantastic ideas, but if those ideas
aren't presented in an organized fashion, you will lose
your readers (and fail to achieve your goals in writing
An ordinary paragraph.
• Needs a topic sentence
• A body (2-3 supporting sentences with details
and examples)
• A conclusion.
The easiest way to illustrate this quickly is to
talk about your weekend / chuseok plans.
On the weekend, firstly I will .... Then I will ...
After that I will ... So, my weekend should be ...
Topic Sentences
• Is the most general sentence about the P.
• Contains a topic and a controlling idea.
Driving on freeways requires skill and alertness.
Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important
characteristics.
• Subject, verb and usually a complement.
• Usually the first sentence of a paragraph.
• Does not give specific details. But is not too
general either.
Topic Sentences – Topic and
Controlling Idea
• Convenience foods are easy to prepare.
• The native foods of America’s immigrant
population are reflected in American Cooking.
• The average American teenager consumes
enormous quantities of junk food.
Exercise
Answers
Body
• Usually made up of 3 supporting points and
details.
• Use transitions to slide (link) from one point to
the next.
Transitional chains, to use in separating sections of
a paragraph which is arranged chronologically:
• first... second... third...
generally... furthermore... finally
in the first place... also... lastly
in the first place... pursuing this further... finally
to be sure... additionally... lastly
in the first place... just in the same way... finally
basically... similarly... as well
Body
• There are three reasons why Australia is one of
the best countries in the world. First, Australia
has an excellent health care system. All
Australian’s have access to medical services at a
reasonable price. Second, Australia has a high
standard of education. Students are taught by
well-trained teachers and are encouraged to
continue studying at university. Finally,
Australian cities are clean and efficiently
managed. Australian cities have many parks and
lots of space for people to live. As a result,
Australia is a desirable place to live.
Write topic sentences for these
A paragraph about:• The possible reasons why people are wanting to own
buildings rather than have a good job.
• The decline in morals (or manners) of the younger
generation.
• Why people travel.
• Why chuseok is dis/liked
Discuss using transitional chains...
Conclusions
• A concluding sentence serves 2 main purposes:
1. It signals the end of the paragraph.
2. Logical conclusion by:
a. It summarises the main points of the paragraph
or restating the main idea.
b. Offering a suggestion, opinion or prediction.
End of paragraph signals:
Comma
No comma
Finally, As a result, In conclusion,
We can see that ...
Indeed, In summary, In brief, Therefore, It is clear that ...
In short, Thus,
These examples show that ...
There can be no doubt that ...
The evidence suggests that ...
The Writing Process...
Brainstorming and narrowing the
topic. (write topic sentence)
Develop an outline.
Rough draft.
Editing (Peer review)
Second draft.
Final Copy.
Easy
to
peel
Process (B’storm)– someone or
something you love ...
Feel
good V
other
convenient
Oranges
Delicious
Sweet
snack
No
mess
Vit C
nutritious
nutrient
Oranges
I love oranges (as they are convenient, nutritious &
delicious) OR (for a number of reasons). One reason I love
oranges is because they are so convenient. They are quick
to peel and you don’t need a bowl or a spoon so there is no
mess to clean up. I also like oranges because they are
nutritious. Oranges are high in vitamin C, which can keep
you from being sick. They are also a good source of
nutrients shown to prevent skin cancer and even wrinkles.
But the best reason for eating oranges is because they are
so delicious. The sweet, fresh taste of ripe orange makes it
a perfect snack. And unlike a candy bar or potato chips, an
orange makes you feel good when you eat it. I think that
oranges are quite possibly the perfect food.
Assignment time.
Due next class, but if you need my help you can
email me a rough draft next week.
Topics:
Remember ... Don’t make it like this ;-)
•
•
•
•
Ref.
Sentence Construction
http://www.towson.edu/ows/sentelmt.htm
http://faculty.washington.edu/ezent/imsc.htm
http://mahara.ln.edu.hk/artefact/file/download.
php?file=2793&view=1035
• http://www.writingcentre.uottawa.ca/hypergram
mar/sntstrct.html
• http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/careers/ld/resource
s/writing/grammar/grammar-guides/sentence
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/606
/01/