I can differentiate academic

texts from non-academic texts.

I establish my purpose when
reading academic texts.
I use graphic organizers to see
the relationships of the ideas in
the text.
I read the title first, then ask
myself essential questions about
the topic.
I make inferences based on the
title.
I check the evidence and
arguments presented to prove the
main idea or thesis statement.
I annotate text to identify
essential information, comment
on the author’s arguments, or
relate new ideas to existing ones.
I read to answer my own questions
posed before reading a text.
I make a summary or synthesis of
what I read.
I read and re-read the text until
my questions have been
answered or until I understand
its arguments.
Linear- it has a central
point or theme
The purpose is to inform.
It is in the standard
written form of language.
1. Complexity
 more complex than spoken language
 lexically more dense and it has a
more varied vocabulary
 more noun-based phrases than verb-
based phrases
 shorter and the language has more
grammatical complexity, including
more subordinate clauses and more
passives.
2. Formality

relativelyformal (Colloquial
words and expressions are not
present.)
3. Precision

Facts and figures are given

precisely.
4. Objectivity
Language is in general
objective rather than personal.
 Has fewer words that refer to
the writer or the reader
Tends to use nouns (and
adjectives), rather than verbs
(and adverbs).
5. Explicitness
 Explicit about the relationships
in the text
Has to be clear to the reader
how the various parts of the text
are related
Uses signaling words
6. Accuracy

Uses vocabulary accurately

Distinguishes clearly between
"phonetics" and "phonemics"
7. Hedging

The writer makes decisions

about his/her stance on a
particular subject.
8. Responsibility
Must be able to provide
evidence and justification
for, any claims you make
Must be responsible for
demonstrating an
understanding of any source
texts you use
Writing is a skill that is
required in many contexts
throughout life. For instance,
you can write an e-mail to a
friend or reflect on what
happened during the day in
your personal diary.
In contrast,
1. Academic writing does many of
the things that personal writing
does not.
Divided according to clearly
labeled sections, such as
“Introduction”, “Discussion”,
“Conclusion” and
“Recommendations”.
2. Academic writing is based on
the citation of published
authors.
Judgments and opinions are
supported by linking them to
what a published author has
previously written.
Work of other authors is cited.
3. Academic writing follows rules of
punctuation and grammar, especially
as the end-user or consumer of
writing, unlike a friend, is likely to
be very different from you and will
not always know to what you are
referring.
4. Academic topics have focused on
abstract things, like ideas and
concepts, which cannot, necessarily,
be given in a concrete or physical
form.
 Delve into theories, philosophies,
concepts, and other abstract ideas
that underlie the practical nature of
activities concerned.
5. Academic writing is a
special genre of writing that
prescribes its own rules and
practices.
 Include concepts and theories that are
related to the specific discipline they
explore.
 Exhibit all properties of a well-written text:
organization, unity, coherence, and
cohesion, as well as strict adherence to rules
of language use and mechanics.
 The following are observed by authors when
writing academic texts:
 They state critical questions and issues.
 They provide facts and evidence from
credible sources.
 They use precise and accurate words
while avoiding jargon and colloquial
expressions.
 They take an objective point-of-view
and avoid being personal and
subjective.
 They list references.
 They use hedging or cautious
language to tone down their claims.
Types Examples As used in the
sentence
Modal auxiliary verbs may, might, can, The measure might
could, would, should have negative effects
on the patients’
health.
Modal lexical verbs To seem, to appear, The discussion
doubting and to believe, to appears to have a
evaluating rather assume, to suggest, positive implication.
than merely to estimate, to tend,
describing to think, to argue, to
indicate, to propose,
to speculate
Probability adjectives Possible, probable, A number of
un/likely significant changes
are possible.
Nouns Assumption, claim, There are a number
possibility, estimate, of claims pertaining
suggestion to the possibility of
divorce.
Adverbs Perhaps, possibly, The proposal is
probably, practically, practically an answer
likely, presumably, to the confusion.
virtually, apparently
Indicators of degree, Approximately, Fever is present in
quality, frequency, roughly, about, about a third of
and time often, occasionally, cases.
generally, usually,
somewhat, somehow,
a lot of
Introductory Phrases Believe, to our The committee
knowledge, it is our believes that the
view that, we feel issue needs to be
that explored.
If clauses If true, if anything If anything, the
opinion holds a
number of truth.
Compound Double hedges: seems This probably
Hedges reasonable; looks probable; indicates that the
it may suggest that; this assigned personnel
probably indicates is misinformed.
Treble hedges: it seems
reasonable to assume that
Quadruple hedges: it would
seem somewhat unlikely
that, it may appear
somewhat speculative that