English For Academic and Professional Purposes 1st Term Reviewer

CHAPTER 1: READING ACADEMIC TEXT

Objective VS. SUBJECTIVE

 In a video posted by NBC Bay Area showing the end of the incident, Raptors guard Kyle Lowry
is shown pulling Ujiri onto the court. (OBJECTIVE)
 I think Kyle Lowry really did pull Ujiri onto the court because I just hate him so much. (SUBJECTIVE)
 OBJECTIVE – contains facts, support, and etc. If it is a question, the question has ONE correct
answer.
 SUBJECTIVE – opinions. If it is a question, there are a lot of possible answers depending on the
ideas of the answerer.

ACADEMIC TEXT is objective, while NON-ACADEMIC TEXT is subjective.

 ACADEMIC TEXT
- Has references
- Using formal language
- In third person point of view
- Has opinions but with support
- Examples: News Article, Research Paper (Thesis)
 NON-ACADEMIC TEXT
- Mostly are opinions of the writer
- Uses informal language
- Usually contains statement with the use of “I think”
- Examples: Facebook comment, Opinion Article

STRUCTURES OF ACADEMIC TEXT (This may show in True or false)

1. Three-part essay structure - is a basic structure that consists of introduction, body, and
conclusion.

 Introduction
- Find a startling statistic that illustrates the seriousness of the problem you will address.
- Quote an expert (but be sure to introduce him or her first).
- Mention a common misperception that your thesis will argue against.
- Give some background information necessary for understanding the essay.
- Use a brief narrative or anecdote that exemplifies your reason for choosing the topic. In an
assignment that encourages personal reflection, you may draw on your own experiences; in
a research essay, the narrative may illustrate a common real-world scenario.
- In a science paper, explain key scientific concepts and refer to relevant literature. Lead up
to your own contribution or intervention.
- In a more technical paper, define a term that is possibly unfamiliar to your audience but is
central to understanding the essay.
- AVOID THE FOLLOWING:
- Don’t provide dictionary definitions, especially of words your audience already knows.
- Don’t repeat the assignment specifications using the professor’s wording.
- Don’t give details and in-depth explanations that really belong in your body paragraphs.
You can usually postpone background material to the body of the essay.
- Don’t provide dictionary definitions, especially of words your audience already knows.
- Don’t repeat the assignment specifications using the professor’s wording.
- Don’t give details and in-depth explanations that really belong in your body paragraphs.
You can usually postpone background material to the body of the essay.

 Conclusion
- It is not merely a summary of your points or a re-statement of your thesis. If you wish to
summarize—and often you must—do so in fresh language. Remind the reader of how the
evidence you’ve presented has contributed to your thesis.
- The conclusion, like much of the rest of the paper, involves critical thinking. Reflect upon the
significance of what you’ve written. Try to convey some closing thoughts about the larger
implications of your argument.
 - Broaden your focus a bit at the end of the essay. A good last sentence leaves your reader
with something to think about, a concept in some way illuminated by what you’ve written in
the paper.
- For most essays, one well-developed paragraph is sufficient for a conclusion. In some cases,
a two-or-three paragraph conclusion may be appropriate. As with introductions, the length
of the conclusion should reflect the length of the essay.

2. IMRaD Structure is the most commonly used format for scientific papers.

- comprises the “core” of your research paper.

- Indicate to readers where certain information can be found.
- Creates a logic flow that mimics the basic structure of scientific process
-
LANGUAGE USED IN ACADEMIC TEXTS FROM VARIOUS DISCIPLINES

 ACADEMIC LANGUAGE - This is also called as the ‘LANGUAGE OF SCHOOL’

- Form: WHAT (vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, punctuation etc.)
- Function: HOW YOU USE IT (access textbooks, understand instructions, read content,
explain your answers, etc.)
- Fluency: EASE OF USE (academic discourse, 2nd nature use of language both receptive &
productive)

 Features of Academic School

1. Complex - Written texts are shorter and the language has more grammatical complexity,
including more subordinate clauses and more passives.
2. Formal - You should avoid colloquial words and expressions.

Contractions - These are the shortened words such as… (INFORMAL)

Was not = wasn’t

Do not = don’t

Colloquial
- Informal language
-
- Okay
- Alright
- Good = positive, strong, apt
- Bad = negative, weak, poor
- Buy = purchase, acquire
- Get = obtain, achieve, receive

3. Precise - Facts are given accurately and precisely.

4. Objective
- Objective rather than personal.
- One of the major danger of writing essays is that you may start to narrate or ‘tell a story’.
5. Explicit - It is the responsibility of the writer in ENGLISH to make it clear to the reader how the
various parts of the text are related.
6. Accurate
- Uses vocabulary accurately.
- Most subject have words with narrow specific meanings.
7. Hedging - It is necessary to make decisions about your stance on a particular subject, or
the strength of the claims you are making.
 8. Responsible - You must be responsible and must be able to provide evidences and
justifications for any claims you make.

Writing a Reaction Paper, Review and Critique

What are Reaction Papers, Reviews, and Critiques?

 A reaction paper, a review, and a critique are specialized forms of writing in which a reviewer
or reader evaluates any of the following:
 A scholarly work (e.g., academic books and articles)
 A work of art (e.g., performance art, play, dance, sports, film, exhibits)
 Designs (e.g., industrial designs, furniture, fashion design)
 Graphic designs (e.g., posters, billboards, commercials, and digital media)
 A reaction paper, a review, and a critique are specialized forms of writing in which a reviewer
or reader evaluates any of the following:
 A scholarly work (e.g., academic books and articles)
 A work of art (e.g., performance art, play, dance, sports, film, exhibits)
 Designs (e.g., industrial designs, furniture, fashion design)
 Graphic designs (e.g., posters, billboards, commercials, and digital media)

CRITICAL APPROACHES IN WRITING A CRITIQUE

 There are various ways or standpoints by which you can analyze and critique a certain material.
You can critique a material based on its technical aspects, its approach to gender, your
reaction as the audience, or through its portrayal of class struggle and social structure.

1. Formalism - claims that literary works contain intrinsic properties and treats each work as a
distinct work of art. In short, it posits that the key to understanding a text is through the text itself;
the historical context, the author, or any other external contexts are not necessary in interpreting
the meaning.
 What should we look for in formalism?
- Author’s techniques in resolving contradictions within the work
- Central passage that sums up the entirety of the work
- Contribution of parts and the work as a whole to its aesthetic quality
- Relationship of the form and the content
- Use of imagery to develop the symbols in the work
- Interconnectedness of various parts of the work
- Paradox, ambiguity and irony in the work
- Unity in the work

2. Feminist Criticism - also called feminism, it focuses on how literature presents women as subjects
of socio-political, psychological, and economic oppression. It also reveals how aspects of our
culture are patriarchal, i.e., how our culture views men as superior and women as inferior.
 What should we look for in feminism?
- How culture determines gender
- How gender equality (or lack of it) is presented in the text
- How gender issues are presented in literary works and other aspects of human production
and daily life
- How women are socially, politically, psychologically, and economically oppressed by
patriarchy
- How patriarchal ideology is an overpowering presence

3. Reader-Response Criticism - is concerned with the reviewer’s reaction as an audience of a

work. This approach claims that the reader’s role cannot be separated from the understanding
of the work; a text does not have meaning until the reader reads it and interprets it. Readers are
therefore not passive and distant, but are active consumers of the material presented to them.
 What should we look for in Reader-response?
- Interaction between the reader and the text in creating meaning
- The impact of the reader’s delivery of sounds and visuals on enhancing and changing
meaning

4. Marxist Criticism - is concerned with differences between economic classes and implications
of a capitalist system, such as the continuing conflicts between the working class and the elite.
 Hence, it attempts to reveal that the ultimate source of people’s experience is the
socioeconomic system.
 What should we look for in Marxist?
- Social class as represented in the work
- Social class of the writer/creator
- Social class of the characters
- Conflicts and interactions between economic classes

Structure for Critiques of Academic Researches and Articles

 Introduction (around 5% of the paper)

 Title of the book/article/work
 Writer’s name
 Thesis Statement

 Summary (Around 10% of the paper)

 Objective or purpose
 Methods used (if applicable)
 Major findings, claims, ideas, or messages

 Review/Critique (in no particular order and around 75% of the paper)

 Appropriateness of methodology to support the arguments (for books and articles) or
appropriateness of mode of presentation (other works)
 Theoretical soundness, coherence of ideas
 Sufficiency and soundness of explanation in relation to other available information and
experts
 Other perspectives in explaining the concepts and ideas
 It is best to ask the following questions during this part:
- Does the writer explicitly state his/her thesis statement?
- What are the assumptions (i.e., scientific/logical/literary explanation without evidence)
mentioned in the work? Are they explicitly discussed?
- What are the contributions of the work to the field where it belongs?
- What problems and issues are discussed or presented in the work?
- What kinds of information (e.g., observation, survey, statistics, historical accounts) are
presented in the work? How are they used to support the arguments or thesis?
- Are there other ways of supporting the arguments or thesis aside from the information used
in the work? Is the author or creator silent about these alternative ways of explanation?

 Conclusion (around 10% of the paper)

 Overall impression of the work
 Scholarly or literary value of the reviewed article, book, or work
 Benefits for the intended audience or field
 Suggestion for future direction of research

FOR OTHER TYPES OF REVIEWS, THERE IS NO PRESCRIBED STRUCTURE, BUT THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS ARE
ALMOST ALWAYS PRESENT.

Introduction
o Basic details about the material, such as its title, director or artist, name of exhibition/event,
and the like
o Main assessment of the material (for films and performances)
Plot Summary/Description
o Gist of the plot
o Simple description of the artwork
Analysis/Interpretation
Discussion and analysis of the work (you may employ the critical approach here)
It is best to ask the following questions during this part.
o What aspects of the work make you think it is a success or failure?
o Were there unanswered questions or plot lines? If yes, how did they affect the story?
o Does the work remind you of other things you have experienced through analogies,
metaphors, or other figurative devices? How does this contribute to the meaning?
o How does the work relate to other ideas or events in the world and/or in your other studies?
o What stood out while you were watching the film or the performance?
Conclusion/Evaluation
o Reinforcement of main assessment
o Comparison to a similar work
o Recommendation of the material (if you liked it)