EAPP 1st Quarter Handouts PDF

Cabatuan National Comprehensive High School SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL English for academic and professional purposes First Semester, S.Y. 2024-2025...

Cabatuan National Comprehensive High School SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL English for academic and professional purposes First Semester, S.Y. 2024-2025 NATURE OF ACADEMIC TEXTS Academic texts are typically formal. They include information from credible sources which are, in turn, properly cited. They also include a list of references used in developing the academic paper. Academic texts include concepts and theories that are related to the specific discipline they explore. They usually exhibit all the properties of a well-written text (i.e., organization, unity, coherence, and cohesion, as well as strict adherence to rules of language use and mechanics.)  DIFFERENCE OF ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC TEXTS Difference in… Academic Texts Non-Academic Texts Written for and used by college Can be written by anyone Author instructors and students Use preciseness and formal words; Use informal and casual words; Use impersonal and objective type Can be personal, emotional, Language used when writing impressionistic, subjective in nature Author’s name will be present; Author may not be provided; References and Authors There is a list of references. No reference list Long period of time to be done; Quickly to be published; Span of Time and Purposes For learning purposes only Written for mass public and for entertainment  EXAMPLES OF ACADEMIC TEXTS 1. Articles - Published in scholarly journals, this type of text offers results of research and development that can either impact the academic community or provide relevance to nation-building. 2. Conference Papers - These are papers presented in scholastic conferences and may be revised as articles for possible publication in scholarly journals. 3. Reviews - These provide evaluation or reviews of works published in scholarly journals. 4. Theses/Dissertations - These are personal researches written by a candidate for a college or university degree. 5. Textbooks – These are books containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions.  ACADEMIC WRITING Academic writing is a kind of writing which communicates ideas, information and research to the wider academic community. There are two kinds of academic writing: student academic writing and expert academic writing. Difference in… Student Academic Writing Expert Academic Writing assessment at university or school writing for publication in scholarly What it is journal or book Audience teachers, tutors, or professors other experts in the field Purpose demonstrate learning create new knowledge  ACADEMIC LANGUAGE Academic language is the language needed by students to do the work in schools. It includes, for example, discipline-specific vocabulary, grammar and punctuation, and applications of rhetorical conventions and devices that are typical for a content area (e.g., essays, lab reports, discussions of a controversial issue.)  ASPECTS OF PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC LANGUAGE 1. Formality 2. Objectiveness 3. Explicitness 4. Caution 1. FORMALITY reflects your dignified stance in writing as a member of the academic community. This means that since your audience are fellow members of the academic community, the language you use requires precision to make it a “legitimate” piece of academic writing. Formality can be achieved through the following ways: a. Choosing expanded modal forms over contracted forms It is recommended to use expanded terms, not contractions. Contractions are mostly used to simplify common modal-negation and pronoun-verb combinations. Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs (also called helping verbs). It is generally considered too informal for academic writing. In this context, always write out the full words instead such as using cannot instead of can’t, do not instead of don’t. Generally speaking, avoid contractions in formal writing, such as business letters, essays, technical papers, and research papers or in any professional writing that is meant for an audience of your peers. Contractions lessen the impact of your words and may lead to your ideas/research not being taken seriously. Examples of expanded terms in sentences: I cannot speak English. She has not finished her homework. He is arriving any moment from now. b. Choosing one verb form over two-word verbs Choose one verb form over two-word verbs or phrasal verbs such as damage instead of mess up and discover instead of find out. c. Choosing expanded terms over their abbreviated equivalents Choose expanded terms over their abbreviated equivalents. Instead of… write… ASAP - as soon as possible BRB - Be right back ETA - Estimated time of arrival aka - also known as DIY - Do it yourself TBA - To be announced d. Avoiding colloquial/trite/idiomatic expressions Colloquialism is the use of informal words, phrases, or even slang in a piece of writing. Also avoid conversational language such as cliches and idioms. Example, a colloquial phrase easier said than done should be changed to formal alternative word “more difficult to practice.” Trite is a word that is overused and consequently of little import, lacking originality or freshness. It is considered boring, not fresh, or original. It is also lacking in effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition. Examples of colloquial and trite phrases:  a lot of, crystal clear, as a matter of fact, in this day and age, believe it or not, better late than never 2. OBJECTIVITY Academic writing requires special knowledge and use of more complex language and objectivity. This means that the writing is fact-driven, must be impersonal and maintains a certain level of social distance. To be objective, the main emphasis should not be you; rather, it should be on the information that you want to give and the arguments you want to make. Nobody really wants to know what you think or believe. They want to know what you have studied and learned and how this has led you to your various conclusions. The thoughts and beliefs should be based on your lectures, reading, discussion, and research. This ensures that the readers receive a clear, unbiased view, allowing them to form their own opinions based on the evidence provided. Avoiding bias is crucial for maintaining the trust of your readers and the academic community. Objectivity can be achieved through the following ways: a. Avoiding the use of personal pronouns such as you, I, me, and we. A personal pronoun is a short word we use as a simple substitute for the proper name of a person. Each of the English personal pronouns shows us the grammatical person, gender, number, and case of the noun it replaces. I, you, he, she, it, we they, me, him, her, us, and them are all personal pronouns. The use of First-Person point-of-view will give readers implication that it is merely your own opinion. Remember, academic texts are based on research and reasoning rather than feelings and personal opinions. Poor Example: We need to conduct the experiment. Improved Example: The researchers need to conduct the experiment. b. Avoiding rhetorical questions as it marks “closeness” with the reader, and constantly seeks his/her attention. A rhetorical question is a question for which no answer is expected. Its purpose is to catch the reader’s attention or to start a discourse. The rhetorical question takes several forms: a. It may answer itself and require no response. Example: Do people want to be successful? b. It may be used to provoke thought. Example: What if this generation could solve hunger? c. It may be used to state the obvious. Example: Can students try a bit harder next time? d. It may have no possible answer. Example: What if there is no answer to this problem? Rhetorical questions are inappropriate for academic writing. It will only develop familiarity or closeness between the writer and the reader. To be objective, a certain level of distance must be developed between the writer and the reader. Poor Example: How can these problems be solved? Improved Example: Certain measures must be discovered to solve the problems. c. Avoiding emotive language that shows biases and lessens objectivity. Emotive language is a word or phrase meant to evoke an emotional response to a subject. This kind of language often aims to persuade the reader to share the writer’s point of view, using language chosen specifically to stimulate an emotional reaction. Emotions are personal feelings of the writer about the topic or issue. The use of words with feelings and emotions suggest prejudices or biases. Poor Example: It is disappointing that there are people who violated the rules under Enhanced Community Quarantine. Improved Example: According to police data, more adults violated the rules under Enhanced Community Quarantine.  3. EXPLICITNESS Explicitness is the responsibility of the writer in English to make it clear to the reader how the various parts of the text are related. Academic writing demands the use of signposts or signaling words that make authors’ message explicit and allow readers to trace the relationships in the parts of a study. Signposts are words or phrases that help articulate the structure of a piece of writing. Signposting flags the most important parts of an argument, signal transitions, and clarify the stakes of an argument. Some effective signposts used in academic writing are: However, This is due to the, This resulted in, Similarly, In addition, and For example a. If you intend to show a change in your line of argument, make it clear by using However. It is apparent that the government hopes to provide assistance to the poor. However, giving dole outs to the “poorest of the poor” does not work in the long term. b. By using This is due to the, the cause-and-effect relationship of ideas become explicit. A number of MERALCO consumers trooped to the City Hall to claim a PhP 500 cash incentive. This is due to the Supreme Court ruling that overcharges must be returned to the end users whose electric consumption for the April-May period was below 100 kw/hr. c. The cause-and-effect relationship of ideas also become explicit when using This resulted in. With the Supreme Court ordering MERALCO to return overcharges to the end users, government offices have been tapped to operate as claim centers. This resulted in a number of MERALCO consumers trooping to the City Hall to claim the PhP 500 cash incentive. d. When two ideas seem the same, express each one clearly and connect them using Similarly. The study showed that eighty percent of the 200 participants involved in the study were dissatisfied with the operations of MERALCO. Similarly, the data revealed that majority of the participants were not aware of the charges imposed on them by MERALCO. e. If you intend to give extra information in your sentence, make it clear by writing In addition. MERALCO has been operating as a business conglomerate involving foreign stakeholders and independent power producers or IPP. In addition, MERALCO owns major IPPs operating in the region. f. If you are giving examples, do so explicitly by writing For example. The MERALCO issue has led to disputes between opposition and administration senators. For example, those who have been labeled as against the president considered the issue as the administration’s way of avoiding the NBN-ZTE scandal. 4. CAUTION An important feature of academic writing is the concept of cautious language, often called “hedging” or “vague language.” Academic writing requires care since knowledge is built from proven theories and concepts. Therefore, caution is needed to avoid sweeping generalization. Since academic writing draws on previous writings done related to your topic (in the case of research writing), it is important that creating knowledge is expressed through means that do not lead to sweeping generalizations that may directly attack other writer’s point of view. If your results show something different from another author’s ideas, there are possible ways in writing these points: 1. The results contradict Meyer’s findings. 2. The results appear to be different from Meyer’s findings. While both sentences essentially mean the same thing, sentence 1 expresses an explicit difference between your findings and of Meyer’s. On the other hand, sentence 2 shows that you are distancing yourself from your work (basing conclusions on what is observed) and comparing it to previous works done by other researchers relating your contributions to other ideas in the discipline.  In academic writing, caution needs to be observed in the following parts of your paper:  When a hypothesis needs to be tested  Drawing conclusions or predictions from your findings that may generalize certain matters or may not be conclusive  Referencing other’s work to build your own paper Consider the following example: Government officials are corrupt. The statement is not completely true and the rhetorical impact of the statement may be misleading. The statement can be improved using devices such as hedging verbs, modal verbs, or adverbs. Improved versions: (verb) - A number of government officials tend to be linked with cases of corruption. (modal verb)- Some government officials may be corrupt. (adverb) - Corruption is commonly linked to some key government officials. Below are some forms that you may use in observing caution in writing. a. Hedging Verbs  tend, suggest, appear to be, think, believe, doubt, indicate, seem, look like Example: The findings of the survey suggest that students who use social networking in their academic work tend to be more updated on recent developments in their respective subjects. b. Modal Verbs  will, would, must, may, might, can, could Example: The observations of students’ use of social networking sites may lead to the different behaviors that manifest in real-life communication. c. Adverbs of Frequency  usually, generally, often, frequently, sometimes, rarely Example: The essays that were given scores were usually high. TEXT STRUCTURE Text structure refers to how a piece of text is built. Writers use different structures to build their ideas. Each text structure communicates ideas in a different way. To easily understand an academic text, you need to know the signal words or transitional words that could help you to identify the information you needed. A transition is a change from one idea to another in writing or speaking and can be achieved using transition terms or phrases. These are often placed at the beginning of sentences, independent clauses, and paragraphs and thus establish a specific relationship between ideas or groups of ideas. COMMON TEXT STRUCTURES AND TRANSITION WORDS 1. SEQUENCE- Authors use chronological order to explain how things happen in order. Chronological order is also called sequence or time order. Transition words include first, next, later, then, and finally as well as dates and time. You will often see chronological order in directions. For example: Have you ever made macaroni and cheese? It’s simple! First, boil some water and make some macaroni. Then, make your cheese sauce. After the cheese sauce is ready, mix it with the macaroni. Bake the entire thing in the oven. Finally, it’s time to eat! Information Have you ever made macaroni and cheese? It’s simple! First, boil some water and make some macaroni. Then, make your cheese sauce. After the cheese sauce is ready, mix it with the macaroni. Bake the entire thing in the oven. Finally, it’s time to eat! 2. COMPARE AND CONTRAST- This text structure shows how two or more ideas or items are similar or different. The text may use a clustered approach, with details about one topic followed by details about the other or alternating approach, with the author going back betweenthe two topics. Transition words may include like, similar, unlike, on the other hand, also, and too. For example: The cardinal and the cedar waxwing are two common birds. Both have crests on their heads. Both are common at birdfeeders. But the birds have some differences. The male cardinal is bright red while the waxwing is brown. The cedar waxwing often migrates from place to place. On the other hand, the cardinal stays in one place year after year. Information: The cardinal and the cedar waxwing are two common birds. Both have crests on their heads. Both are common at birdfeeders. But the birds have some differences. The male cardinal is bright red while the waxwing is brown. The cedar waxwing often migrates from place to place. On the other hand, the cardinal stays in one place year after year. Comparison: Both have crests on their heads. Both are common at birdfeeders. Contrast: The male cardinal is bright red while the waxwing is brown. The cedar waxwing often migrates from place to place. On the other hand, the cardinal stays in one place year after year. 3. CAUSE AND EFFECT- This text structure shows how one or more causes led to one or more effects. This structure also has a strong time component since causes come before effects. Transition words such as cause, effect, as a result, consequently, and because are used. For example: The night’s snowstorm had many effects. People were out shoveling snow from their sidewalks. The power lines were draped with ice. Snowplows drove down every street. Children were the happiest of all. The unexpected snow caused classes to be cancelled! Information: The night’s snowstorm had many effects. People were out shoveling snow from their sidewalks. The power lines were draped with ice. Snowplows drove down every street. Children were the happiest of all. The unexpected snow caused classes to be cancelled! Cause: The night’s snowstorm had many effects. Effect: The unexpected snow caused classes to be cancelled! 4. DESCRIPTION- This text structure shows what an item or place is like. Some texts will categorize typical main idea and detail paragraphs as description. Some texts will also refer to these paragraphs asstatement and support. Transition words include spatial words, such as next to, on top of, beside, and so forth. For academic texts, supporting arguments or minor details are considered the descriptions justifying the main idea.  For example: The pond was a beautiful place to visit. The falling leaves, all different colors, decorated the surface of the water. At the edges of the pond, small wildflowers grew. The golden forest glowed faintly in the distance. Information: The pond was a beautiful place to visit. The falling leaves, all different colors, decorated the surface of the water. At the edges of the pond, small wildflowers grew. The golden forest glowed faintly in the distance. Main Idea: The pond was a beautiful place to visit. Supporting Ideas: The falling leaves, all different colors, decorated the surface of the water. At the edges of the pond, small wildflowers grew. The golden forest glowed faintly in the distance. 5. PROBLEM AND SOLUTION- This text structure explains a problem and shows one or more solutions. Transition words may include problem, solution, solve, effect, hopeful, and so forth. Example: The Chesapeake Bay faces an uncertain future. Issues such as pesticides, too many nutrients, and habitat loss all threaten the Bay’s water quality and animal life. However, scientists are hopeful that the future may be brighter. If everyone in the Chesapeake Bay watershed works together, solutions may be found. Information: The Chesapeake Bay faces an uncertain future. Issues such as pesticides, too many nutrients, and habitat loss all threaten the Bay’s water quality and animal life. However, scientists are hopeful that the future may be brighter. If everyone in the Chesapeake Bay watershed works together, solutions may be found. Problem: Issues such as pesticides, too many nutrients, and habitat loss all threaten the Bay’s water quality and animal life. Solution: If everyone in the Chesapeake Bay watershed works together, solutions may be found. THESIS STATEMENT A thesis statement…  is the overall idea or argument of your work.  is also known as the main idea that presents or describes the point of a text.  is a general statement that presents essential parts that leads the reader to the right direction.  should be focused and succinct, meaning it provides supporting points that strengthen the main claim.  must be framed as a declarative sentence and should use direct, specific language.  makes all parts of your work stick together.  refers to one or two sentences in the introduction of a text that the writer uses to “set the stage” for the reader.  provides the focus for the writing that follows and lets the reader know what the essay or text is about.  is what the writers use to focus their ideas and express the main point of their writing.  In your academic writing, you are often expected to provide a thesis statement in the paper, presentation, online post or other composition assignment. It is usually presented in the abstract or executive summary or found at the last part of the introduction.  In many writing contexts, especially instructive, academic, and professional contexts, a thesis or thesis statement is very important and helpful to guide the written message. Thus, a good quality thesis statement is crucial for good quality writing because intentional composition should equal clear and focused communication.   Your wise thesis statement is a directional signpost. It provides clarity, focus, and direction to the writing for the reader. The more focused, clearer, and pointed the writing is, the better the reader will understand exactly what you desire to say.  Ideally, the thesis statement should have at least three ideas that will be developed in succeeding sections of the work. Example: Effective dissemination of information and efficient resource management are indicators of effective local governance.  A thesis statement is not a title, not an announcement of the subject, and not a fact. Strategies in Locating the Thesis Statement  Read the title of the text and make inferences on its purpose.  If the text has no abstract, read the first few paragraphs as the thesis statement is usually located there.  In other cases, you may also check the conclusion where authors sum up and review their main points. Guide on How to Develop a Strong Thesis Statement 1. Identify the topic. State the idea that you want to explore in your essay. 2. State your position. The statement should make a clear and specific claim or argument about the topic. 3. Provide evidence. Support your thesis statement with credible evidence such as statistics, research findings, or expert’s opinions. Example: Studies have shown that playing violent video games can lead to aggressive behavior and lower academic performance in children. THESIS STATEMENT VS. TOPIC SENTENCE A Topic Sentence…  presents or describes the point of the paragraph (main idea of the paragraph).  can be located in the beginning, middle, or last part of a paragraph. The other sentences in the paragraph are called details. Details describe or explain the main idea. Thesis Statement Topic Sentence The thesis statement is the main idea of an essay or a The topic sentence serves as the main idea of a text. paragraph. The thesis statement contains at least three The topic sentence usually has just one supporting supporting points which are developed in succeeding point. paragraphs. A thesis statement is usually a declarative sentence The topic sentence can either be declarative or that presents essential parts supporting the main interrogative depending on the author’s writing style. point. Thesis Statement in a Research Abstract Previous studies revealed that meaning-focused instruction (MFI) and form-focused instruction (FFI) are two of the most effective approaches in developing the overall language skills of second language learners, separately. However, no experimental studies have been conducted to prove their effectiveness when integrated. This study, therefore, aims to fill in this gap by investigating the effects of combining MFI and FFI in developing the speaking, writing, and grammar skills of selected secondary ESL students in public high schools in the Philippines. The participants involved in this study are 480 third year high school students. These students were divided into four groups: Group A (n=120) received both the MFI and FFI, Group B (n=120) received MFI only, Group C (n=120) received FFI only, and Group D (n=120) received the standard English program for secondary ESL students. Findings revealed that students from Group A, B, and C significantly improved in their speaking, writing, and grammar skills but not Group D. Based on ANOVA, findings further showed that students from Group A have outperformed students from Group B, C, D. From these findings, it is concluded that combining MFI and FFI is an effective way in significantly improving the language skills of students. Future directions and implications for teaching are also discussed.