ENGLISH FOR

ACADEMIC AND
PROFESSIONAL
PURPOSES
Prepared by : Mrs. Clare T. Siplon LPT
EAPP aims to enhance your
communication skills particularly in
writing academic and professional
compositions. It is also designed to
develop your abilities to utilize
appropriate language in academic
writing from various discipline using
correct text structures.
LESSON 1:
Academic Text
Structure
 TRUE OR FALSE

1. Formality in academic writing requires precision to make a legitimate piece of

writing.
2. Writing is a form of communication that is shaped by the following factors:
topic, role, and audience.
3. The use of personal pronouns such as I, you, and we is acceptable in
academic writing.
4. “How can these problems be solved?” is an example of a critical question.
5. Because is an example of transitional device that expresses cause and effect.
6. An abstract is a summary of a novel.
7. The conclusion is the section that summarizes the main points of the essay.
8. A summary is a condensed form of a text which is usually half of the original
material.
9. To introduce a topic in an essay, the writer must be able to explain its details.
10. A research paper contains background of the study, body and
recommendations.
WHAT IS AN ACADEMIC TEXTS?

Academic text is defined as critical,

objective, specialized texts written by
experts or professionals in a given field
using formal language.
This means that academic texts are
based on facts with solid basis.
Academic writing, therefore, is generally
quite formal, objective (impersonal) and
technical.
KINDS OF JARGON

Medicalese – Language of doctors;

terms used in the field of medicine
(osteoporosis, meningo-coccemia,
vasectomy, rhinoplasty etc.)
Legalese – Language of
lawyers, terms used in the
field of law (penology,
habeas corpus, sub judice,
bona fide)
Journalese – Language of
journalists; terms used in the
field of journalism/newspapering.
(yellow journalism, blue pencil,
lead, beat, headline, banner,
byline)
Commercialese/ Mercantilese –
Language of businessmen;
terms used in the field of
commerce and industry
(collateral, debts, liabilities,
ultimate consumer)
Technicalese – Language of
technocrats; terms used in the
field of science and technology
(halogen, kinetic energy,
barometer, solar energy
acceleration, altitude)
Diplomatese – Language of
diplomats; terms used in the
field of foreign service
(ambassador of goodwill,
extradition, deportee,
immigration)
Teacherese – Language of
teachers; terms used in the
field of education (special
education, open university,
teaching strategy, assessment)
Motherese – Language of
mothers, terms used in
parenting (baby talk, breast –
feeding, baby sitter, toddlers)
Telegraphese – Language of
texters, terms used in
telegraphy or texting (ur,
txtmsg, asap, asl, emo, lipo,
demo, sop)
Computerese – Language of
computer specialists; terms
used in information technology
(kilobyte, debugging,
programming, chatting,
website)
AN ACADEMIC TEXT IS ALWAYS:
formal by avoiding casual or
conversational language, such as
contractions or informal vocabulary.
impersonal and objective by avoiding
direct reference to people or feelings, and
instead emphasizing objects, facts and
ideas.
technical by using vocabulary specific to
the discipline.
SOME EXAMPLES OF ACADEMIC
WRITING ARE AS FOLLOWS:
1.Literary Analysis: A literary analysis
essay examines, evaluates, and makes an
argument about a literary work. As its
name suggests, a literary analysis essay
goes beyond mere summarization. It
requires careful close reading of one or
multiple texts and often focuses on a
specific characteristic, theme, or motif.
2. Research Paper: A research paper uses
outside information to support a thesis or make
an argument. Research papers are written in all
disciplines and may be evaluative, analytical, or
critical in nature. Common research sources
include data, primary sources (e.g., historical
records), and secondary sources (e.g., peer-
reviewed scholarly articles). Writing a research
paper involves synthesizing this external
information with your own ideas.
3. Dissertation: A dissertation (or thesis) is a
document submitted at the conclusion of a
Ph.D. program. The dissertation is a book-
length summarization of the doctoral
candidate’s research.
Academic papers may be done as a part of a
class, in a program of study, or for publication
in an academic journal or scholarly book of
articles around a theme, by different authors.
Structure is an important feature of
academic writing. A well-structured
text enables the reader to follow the
argument and navigate the text. In
academic writing a clear structure and
a logical flow are imperative to a
cohesive text.
1. THE THREE-PART ESSAY STRUCTURE

The three-part essay structure is a basic structure that

consists of introduction, body and conclusion. The
introduction and the conclusion should be shorter than
the body of the text. For shorter essays, one or two
paragraphs for each of these sections can be
appropriate. For longer texts or theses, they may be
several pages long.
Introduction. Its purpose is to clearly tell the reader the topic,
purpose and structure of the paper. As a rough guide, an
introduction might be between 10 and 20 percent of the length of
the whole paper and has three main parts:
A. The most general information, such as background and/or
definitions.
B. The core of the introduction, where you show the overall topic,
purpose, your point of view, hypotheses and/or research questions
(depending on what kind of paper it is).
C. The most specific information, describing the scope and
structure of your paper.
You should write your introduction after you know both your
overall point of view (if it is a persuasive paper) and the whole
structure of your paper. You should then revise the introduction
when you have completed the main body.
The Body. It develops the question, “What is
the topic about?”. It may elaborate directly on
the topic sentence by giving definitions,
classifications, explanations, contrasts,
examples and evidence. This is considered as
the heart of the essay because it expounds the
specific ideas for the readers to have a better
understanding of the topic. It usually is the
largest part of the essay.
Conclusion. The conclusion is closely related
to the introduction and is often described as its
‘mirror image’. This means that if the
introduction begins with general information
and ends with specific information, the
conclusion moves in the opposite direction. The
conclusion usually begins by briefly
summarizing the main scope or structure of the
paper, confirms the topic that was given in the
introduction, ends with a more general
statement about how this topic relates to its
context. This may take the form of an
evaluation of the importance of the topic,
implications for future research or a
2. THE IMRAD STRUCTURE
The sections of the IMRaD structure are
Introduction, Methods, Results and
Discussion. The Introduction usually depicts
the background of the topic and the central
focus of the study. The Methodology lets
your readers know your data collection
methods, research instrument employed,
sample size and so on. Results and
Discussion states the brief summary of the
key findings or the results of your study.
 DIRECTIONS: CHOOSE THE LETTER THAT BEST ANSWERS THE GIVEN QUESTION.

1. Who are the target readers of an academic essay?

a. Parents, workers, teachers
b. Teachers, students, academic community
c. Students, out-of-school youth, government officials
D. None of the above
2. What are the purposes of doing an academic
writing?
a. To settle, to negotiate and to inform
b. To defend, to challenge and to question
c. To inform, to persuade and to argue a specific point
D. To guess, to hypothesize and to make conclusions
3. Writing academic papers requires deliberate, thorough
and careful thought. Therefore, what should one do to
achieve a well-crafted academic essay?
A. One must depend on his/her own opinions alone.
B. One must conduct a research on the topic at hand.
C. One must not consult the Internet for unsure sources.
D. One must depend highly on the Internet for easy information
access.
4. An academic essay must use appropriate vocabulary
words but not too pretentious, highfalutin words. Which
among these words is the simplified version of the term,
"supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"?
A. beautiful; pretty
B. exquisite; one-of-a-kind
C. extraordinarily good; wonderful
5. What are the three main parts of an essay?
A. The hook, the main idea and the conclusion.
B. The introduction, the body and the conclusion.
C. The topic sentence, the body and the conclusion.
D. None of the above.

6. What is the purpose of the topic sentence?

A.To give coherence to the paragraph.
B.To help with the flow of sentences.
C.To help the reader understand what the paragraph will be
about.
D. None of the above
7. What is 'academic writing'?
A. A technique to write balanced, accurate and
professional assignments
B. An old-fashioned way of writing.
C. How university professors write.
D. The writing you find in textbooks
8. Choose three words to describe academic
writing:
A. Talented, stylish, inspiring
B. Precise, clear, objective
C. Decisive, divisive, derisive
D. Subjective, obscure, vague
9. What is true of the introductory paragraph?
A. ends with the thesis.
B. introduces the big idea of the essay
C. starts with a hook
D. all of these

10. What is the sequence of an essay?

A. Introduction, Body Paragraph, Body Paragraph,
Conclusion
B. Body Paragraph, Introduction, Conclusion, Body
Paragraph
C. Introduction, Body Paragraph, Conclusion, Body
Paragraph
LESSON 2:

Language Use in
Academic
Writing
WHAT IS A TEXT?
Text is defined in linguistics as “a
stretch of language which is
perceived as a purposeful
connected whole. A text maybe
spoken or written, produced by
one or more person.
An academic text, therefore, is a
product of communication or piece of
language used for academic purposes
or in relation to academic courses
(subjects). It may come in minor
grammatical units such as words,
phrases, clauses, and sentences.

Moreover, they may come in the form

of major grammatical units such as
paragraphs and compositions.
What is a Paragraph?
PARTS OF A PARAGRAPH
Topic Sentence – contains the
thesis or main idea of a paragraph
Supporting Sentence – sentence
that develops or supports the
thesis or main idea of a paragraph.
PATTERNS OF PARAGRAPH DEVELOPMENT:
 DEDUCTIVE PATTERN – A PARAGRAPH WHOSE
TOPIC SENTENCE IS STATED IN THE BEGINNING
The cura parroco seemed to have a finger in
every pie. He called the meeting of all the young ladies to
organize a benefit parish fair, with a beauty contest, if you
please, where chest measurements were not even
mentioned. He ran the parish school and set quotas for
contributions to processions and other religious festivals. No
fiesta or get-together was likely to be held without his
presence. The parishioners consulted him on whether they
should learn English, or accept a job in a new American
firm, whether such and such a young man from barbarian
country outside Ermita would make a good husband.
INDUCTIVE PATTERN - A PARAGRAPH WHOSE
TOPIC SENTENCE IS STATED IN THE END

He called the meeting of all the young ladies to

organize a benefit parish fair, with a beauty contest, if
you please, where chest measurements were not even
mentioned. He ran the parish school and set quotas for
contributions to processions and other religious
festivals. No fiesta or get-together was likely to be held
without his presence. The parishioners consulted him
on whether they should learn English, or accept a job
in a new American firm, whether such and such a
young man from barbarian country outside Ermita
would make a good husband. The cura parroco
seemed to have a finger in every pie
DEDUCTIVE INDUCTIVE PATTERN – A PARAGRAPH
WHOSE TOPIC SENTENCE IS STATED IN THE BEGINNING
AND RESTATED IN THE END
The cura parroco seemed to have a finger in
every pie. He called the meeting of all the young
ladies to organize a benefit parish fair, with a beauty
contest, if you please, where chest measurements
were not even mentioned. He ran the parish school
and set quotas for contributions to processions and
other religious festivals. No fiesta or get-together was
likely to be held without his presence. The parishioners
consulted him on whether they should learn English, or
accept a job in a new American firm, whether such and
such a young man from barbarian country outside
Ermita would make a good husband. Indeed, he was
involved in almost all community activities.
INDUCTIVE DEDUCTIVE PATTERN – A
PARAGRAPH WHOSE TOPIC SENTENCE IS
STATED IN THE MIDDLE.
The cura parroco called the meeting of all the
young ladies to organize a benefit parish fair, with a
beauty contest, if you please, where chest measurements
were not even mentioned. He seemed to have a finger
in every pieHe ran the parish school and set quotas for
contributions to processions and other religious festivals.
No fiesta or get-together was likely to be held without his
presence. The parishioners consulted him on whether they
should learn English, or accept a job in a new American
firm, whether such and such a young man from barbarian
country outside Ermita would make a good husband.
HINTED PATTERN – A PARAGRAPH WHOSE TOPIC
SENTENCE IS NOT STATED BUT IMPLIED.

The cura parroco called the meeting of all the

young ladies to organize a benefit parish fair, with a
beauty contest, if you please, where chest measurements
were not even mentioned. He ran the parish school and
set quotas for contributions to processions and other
religious festivals. No fiesta or get-together was likely to
be held without his presence. The parishioners consulted
him on whether they should learn English, or accept a job
in a new American firm, whether such and such a young
man from barbarian country outside Ermita would make a
good husband.
ACADEMIC TEXT
AS ENTIRE
COMPOSITIONS
WHAT IS A THESIS
STATEMENT?
FORMULA:

Topic + Opinion = Thesis

Statement
Discourse is defined in linguistics
as “any stretch of language larger
than a sentence, whether spoken
or written, and having a logically
consistent and unified structure
FORMS OF DISCOURSE:
Exposition - a form of discourse that
serves to explain or inform; it appeals
to the intellect
Example: A research paper on the
causes and effects of global warming
and article on child labor and child
abuse.
Description – A form of discourse that
serves to describe or state the qualities
orr characteristics of something/someone.
It appeals to the senses (visual-sight;
tactile/tactual – touch; auditory –hearing;
olfactory-smell; gustatory – taste;
kinesthetic- movement and thermal –
heat)
Example: A student’s description of his
ideal teacher; a writer’d description of a
locale he has recently visited; a
descriptive article on a festive celebration
Narration – a form of discourse that
serves to narrate or tell a story; it
appeals to the emotions
Example: a narrative account of a
student’s near death experience; a
fictive story about an encounter with
a supernatural being
Argumentation – A from of discourse
that serves to argue or to persuade
and/or take an action
Example: an essay expounding on the
retention or cancellation/cessation of
the Visiting Forces Agreement; a
commercial advertisement endorsing
a student’s “manufactured” product
SUMMARIZING AND PARAPHRASING
Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your
own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source.
Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a
somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.

Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words,
including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute
summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter
than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.
Points of contrats Summary/Precis Paraphrase

Length Shorter than the original Almost the same as the original

Idea Similar to the original; however, Similar to the original, moreover,

only the main ideas are included both the main and subordinate
ideas are included

Wordings Different from the original Different from the original

material material
Points of Contrast Summary/Precis Paraphrase

Procedures 1. Read the selected original 1. Read the selected original

material carefully. material carefully in order to
understand its full and exact
meaning.
2. Reread the selection. 2. Write the paraphrase in your
own words.
3. Write the summary as a whole 3. Restate the ideas of the original
unit of composition entirely.
4. Do not use too many words. 4. Do not add personal views or
reactions to the ideas in the
original selection.
5. Follow the order of the original 5. Compare your paraphrase with
selection. the original selection.
6. Compare your summary with 6. After doing the comparison,
the original selection revise your paraphrase if there is a
need for additions and/or
omissions.
7. After doing the comparison, 7. Remember that a good
revise your paraphrase if there is a paraphrase is grammatically
need for additions and/or correct.
omissions.
8. Remember that a good
summary is grammatically correct.
 SO THAT NOBODY HAS TO GO TO
SCHOOL IF THEY DON'T WANT TO
BY ROGER SIPHER
A decline in standardized test scores is but the most
recent indicator that American education is in trouble.
One reason for the crisis is that present mandatory-
attendance laws force many to attend school who have no wish
to be there. Such children have little desire to learn and are so
antagonistic to school that neither they nor more highly
motivated students receive the quality education that is the
birthright of every American.
The solution to this problem is simple: Abolish
compulsory-attendance laws and allow only those who are
committed to getting an education to attend.
 Ask high school teachers if recalcitrant students learn
anything of value. Ask teachers if these students do any
homework. Quite the contrary, these students know they will be
passed from grade to grade until they are old enough to quit or
until, as is more likely, they receive a high school diploma. At
the point when students could legally quit, most choose to
remain since they know they are likely to be allowed to
graduate whether they do acceptable work or not.
Abolition of archaic attendance laws would produce
enormous dividends.
First, it would alert everyone that school is a serious place
where one goes to learn. Schools are neither day-care centers
nor indoor street corners. Young people who resist learning
should stay away; indeed, an end to compulsory schooling
would require them to stay away.
 Second, students opposed to learning would not be able to
pollute the educational atmosphere for those who want to learn.
Teachers could stop policing recalcitrant students and start educating.
Third, grades would show what they are supposed to: how well
a student is learning. Parents could again read report cards and know
if their children were making progress.
Fourth, public esteem for schools would increase. People would
stop regarding them as way stations for adolescents and start
thinking of them as institutions for educating America's youth.
Fifth, elementary schools would change because students would
find out early they had better learn something or risk flunking out
later. Elementary teachers would no longer have to pass their failures
on to junior high and high school.
Sixth, the cost of enforcing compulsory education would be
eliminated. Despite enforcement efforts, nearly 15 percent of the
school-age children in our largest cities are almost permanently
absent from school.
 Communities could use these savings to support
institutions to deal with young people not in school. If, in the
long run, these institutions prove more costly, at least we would
not confuse their mission with that of schools.
Schools should be for education. At present, they are only
tangentially so. They have attempted to serve an all-
encompassing social function, trying to be all things to all
people. In the process they have failed miserably at what they
were originally formed to accomplish.
 Example summary: Roger Sipher makes his case for getting
rid of compulsory-attendance laws in primary and secondary
schools with six arguments. These fall into three groups—first
that education is for those who want to learn and by including
those that don't want to learn, everyone suffers. Second, that
grades would be reflective of effort and elementary school
teachers wouldn't feel compelled to pass failing students.
Third, that schools would both save money and save face with
the elimination of compulsory-attendance laws.
 Example paraphrase of the essay's conclusion: Roger
Sipher concludes his essay by insisting that schools have
failed to fulfill their primary duty of education because they try
to fill multiple social functions.
HOW TO KNOW IF HE/SHE IS A
PROFESSIONAL?
“PALMS”
POISE AND POSTURE
Poise is a particular way of carrying
oneself. Posture is the relative
arrangement of the different parts of
the human body.
ATTIRE
Dress up for school. Wear clean shirts,
pants and dresses. Slippers, tattered
pants, sandos, midribs are taboo in
formal setting.
LANGUAGE
Be tactful in your speech. Avoid offensive and
insulting words.
MANNERS
Good manners and right conduct are the
marks of an educated person. A person
who observes GMRC is admirable, but one
who doesn’t is despicable.
STYLE
Refers to the way one does a thing. Long
hair and egghead are no-no’s in an office
or any formal setting.
WRITING THE REACTION PAPER/
REVIEW/ CRITIQUE
Reaction or response paper- requires
the writers to analyze a text, then
develop commentary related to it. It
requires thoughtful reading, research
and writing.
Facts – is a truth, a reality or a thing that
exist
Opinion - a person’s view, appraisal, or
judgment about, or attitude toward a
certain thing.
Criticize- to analyze and evaluate, to judge
the merits and the demerits f the materials
SOURCES TO SUPPORT
CLAIMS
 Primary Sources – are those which provide
first-hand information to the researcher; these
include persons, organizations, plants and
animals, artifacts, documents and the like.

 Secondary Sources - are those which provide

second-hand information to the researcher;
these include books, periodicals (newspaper,
magazines), Internet or online materials, and
other sources not included in the primary
sources.
APPROACHES IN WRITING A
CRITIQUE
Cultural Approach – when the
writer is concerned about the
culture of the race or group
described in the selection.
(Ex: The wedding Dance,Life of
PI)
FORMALISTIC OR LITERARY
APPROACH
- When the writer focuses on the structure or
form of the reading selection. In studying a
poetic or prose narrative his concerns are
the elements such as setting, character, plot,
theme, point of view, conflict and so on. In
studying a poem his concerns are sense
(denotative or connotative meanings), figures
of speech, sound, and structure. In studying an
essay his concerns are organizations, structure,
style or author’s manner of writing, point of
HISTORICAL APPROACH
-if the reading materials deals
with events having historical
significance.
(Ex: General Luna)
IMPRESSIONISTIC
APPROACH
A writer express his impression of
the entire reading selection or of a
portion or element of it, for
example, his impression of the
protagonist.
(Ex: Harry Potter, Love is a Fallacy)
MORAL OR HUMANISTIC
APPROACH
-writers are concerned about
morals or the morality of the
character or of his acts studies a
reading selection moralistically or
humanistically.
(Ex: The Purge)
PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH
The writer attempts to understand the
behavior/s of the character/s in the context
of the circumstances that surround
him/them. He tries to answer this question:
What factors must have caused him/them
to act or behave in a certain manner?
(Ex: Insomnia, Memento, Paranormal
Activity)
SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH
A writer who is concerned about societal
problems or social relationships . He/ She
examined the kind of relationships that
exists between two characters, the degree of
such relationships, and the factors that lead
to their good/bad relationships. Otherwise,
he looks into the problem affecting the
society described in the selection.
(Ex: Train to busan)
SEVERAL SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
OF LITERARY CRITICISM
Biographical Criticism – a literary critic
depends on the life story of the author in
doing his critical analysis
Formalistic Criticism / New Criticism/
Stuctural Criticism – Concerns with the
form or structure of the reading selection
in doing his critical analysis. He
comments in the element of a piece.
Gender Criticism (Feminist Criticism,
LGBT Criticism) – Comments on the
treatment of the female, gays or lesbians
in the reading selection.
Historical Criticism – deals with the
past events and criticizes the manner by
which the events influenced the reading
selection.
Moral Criticism/ Ethical Criticism –
delves on moral or ethical issues affecting
the reading selection
 Political Criticism – deals with the manner
by which politics, political systems, political
parties affects the lives of the characters of
the story
 Psychoanalytic Criticism / Freudian
Criticism - from the word psychoanalysis,
deals with Sigmund Freud’s concept of
fantasies and dreams and how these affect the
psychology of the character or the author in
the selction
 Psychological Criticism/ Jungian Criticism
– deals with Carl Jung’s concept of analysis of
the character’s psychology.
Sociological Criticism – deals
with the effect of the society to the
characters in the reading selection.
Stylistic Criticism – Concerned
with the manner the writer presents
his ideas in the selection.