Effective Writing

• Whoever took the step ladder yesterday-please bring

it back or further steps will be taken

• Toilet out of order. Use the floor below

• Try our cough syrup. You will never get any better

• Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar

Are these effective?

•His report was about managers broken down by

age and gender.

•The company performed well last quarter, its

stock rose several points.

•The members of the committee reported the

results of the survey at the meeting held on
Tuesday.
• His report focused on age and gender of managers. /
His report about manager focused on…

• The company performed well last quarter; its stock rose

several points.

• The committee members reported the survey results at

the Tuesday’s meeting
 Characteristics

 Formal (impersonal, no slang, formal sentence structure)

 Reasoned (critical thinking: how and why)

 Impartial (gives a balanced point of view, more than one

point of view)

 Logical (ideas flow logically from one to another:

signposts, topic sentences and linked paragraphs)
 Structured (keeps to the structure of an essay, report etc)

 Supported (evidence and examples, referencing)

1. Prewriting

• To find something to write about

• Understand, generate ideas
• Research, read, discuss
Methods:
1. Brainstorming
2. Freewriting
3. Personal journal writing
The academic essay
Research the topic
Read the right
• Books
• Periodicals
• Internet
Writing is not isolated
2. Planning

• To clarify, focus, organize

Methods include:
1. List
2. Graphic organizers: mind map, clustering
3. Outline view (essay plan).
Mind maps
Outline
3. and 4. Drafting and revision

• Whatever your process, good writing takes

• Time
• Work
• Revisions.
• Revisions can be made on the word processor screen or on paper.
• Leave time for revisions.
• Capital is a complex notion. There are many definitions of the word
itself, and capital as applied in accounting can be viewed conceptually
from a number of standpoints; that is, there is legal capital, financial
capital and physical capital. The application of financial and physical
concepts of capital is not straightforward as there are various
permutations of these concepts applied in the business environment...

• Capital is a difficult thing to understand. We can explain it in different

ways, and in accounting we can look at it from different angles.
Accountants talk about legal capital, financial capital and physical
capital. How we apply financial and physical concepts of capital isn't
easy because people in business use it differently...
Elements of writing

• Summarize
• Paraphrase
• Synthesize
• Analyze
• Evaluate
Summarize
Paraphrase
Synthesize
Analyze
Evaluate
5. Peer review

• Peer review is an essential part of professional academic life.

• Anonymous peer reviews are necessary for journal publication and
some books.
• Review by “critical friends” is common.
6. Editing

Editing, proofreading & polishing are to correct the surface features of

the text.
1. Appearance
• Formatting, fonts, footnotes, footers
2. Linguistic accuracy
• Spelling, punctuation
3. Sources, references, acknowledgements
• Citations correct, references complete
Structure

• Introduction usually one paragraph that explains what you are

writing
about and how you plan to do it

• Body A series of paragraphs (80-90%) of the essay. Gives

details/evidence to answer the question

• Conclusion usually one paragraph, briefly summarises main ideas and

shows you have answered the question

• References list of sources you used

A critical thinker

• does not just accept what s/he reads

• does not simply make assertions
bases arguments on evidence and sound reasoning
• identifies flaws or weaknesses in an argument
• recognises his or her own assumptions, prejudice or
point of view
• develops a reasoned, logical argument
 An academic Paragraph
-a paragraph introduces and develops one main idea

- the main idea is introduced through a topic sentence, which is usually

the first sentence

- all sentences in the paragraph need to relate to the main idea in a logical
way

-paragraphs are linked together and flow logically on from each other

- in-text references need to be included in the paragraph if supporting

ideas come from other sources.

27
Some writing pitfalls to avoid

1. Avoid addressing the reader directly or using questions

• For example: “Does this mean that some strategies are better than
others?”
2. Try not to make generalizations.

For example:
"Everyone agrees that cold calling does not produce results".
While this may be true you can only make such statements if
supported with evidence.

Instead:
• "According to the Mori Report (2000), cold calling does not produce
results.
 3. OVERLY-LONG SENTENCES

• A sentence should express only one idea or a clearly connected

set of ideas.
• Home care has been expanding tremendously over the past few years
partly due to recent technological advances that enable assessments
and treatments to be a part of the home setting which at one time could
only be performed within
.
the hospital environment.
X

• Home care has expanded tremendously over the past few years.
This increase is partly due to recent technological advances that
now make more assessments and treatments possible in the home
rather than only in the hospital.
• OK
• 4. WORDINESS - use the minimum number of
words.

• Check your writing to make sure you don’t have

unnecessary words or phrases.
Wordiness

You may often find that there are a

number of words contained in your
writing that can be safely eliminated
without any kind of danger to your
meaning whatsoever. X

© Unitec New Zealand 32

You may often find that there are a
number of words contained in your
writing that can be safely eliminated
without any kind of danger to your
meaning whatsoever.

© Unitec New Zealand 33

Supported

It is important to draw on other sources in your writing.

Why do you think this is?

• Using sources strengthens your writing / gives credibility to

what you are saying

• Shows you’ve done research and have synthesized the

findings into your own words

• Shows your participating in the intellectual conversation

within your discipline
Quote, Paraphrase or summary?

• Quote : Verbatim
• Paraphrase:
“To express the meaning … in other words”
• Summary or Abstract:
“Containing the chief points or sum or substance of
a matter” … “with implication of brevity”
(Shorter Oxford English Dictionary)
EFFECTIVE WRITING

•Words and Phrases

•Sentence structure
•Paragraph structure
•Readability
WORDS AND PHRASES

PREFER AVOID
Concrete to abstract •Clichés
Plain and Familiar to •Excessive use of
Pompous and jargons
unfamiliar •Redundancy and
circumlocution
Verbs to nouns
•Foreign words and
phrases
WORDS and PHRASES
Concrete and Specific

• A significant loss A 53% loss

• In the near future By noon

Thursday

• Substantial amount Rs.50,000

• This company has produced many publications this year.

---has brought out 3 newsletters, 2 manuals and 25 reports in 2002.
The following analysis is aimed at
highlighting the pertinent aspects that
affect liver.

The following analysis

highlights the…
Use descriptive verbs
Clichés
• Our universities have today become the hot-bed of
politics which has become part and parcel of their
functioning. We must explore every avenue to remove
this evil and use the iron hand of law to achieve this
sacred purpose

• Now-a-days politics has become an integral part of the

university system and has started influencing its
functioning. With the help of law, we must try to
eliminate this political influence from our university
system.
•It was a futile attempt and nothing
came out of it.
•It was a futile attempt.
Redundancy
•Basic fundamentals •Actual experience
•Repeated again •Humorous joke
•Returned back •At the present time
•True fact •Main essentials
•Make a mention of •At a later date
•Few in number •Throughout the
•Adequate enough entire month
•It is not believed that the proposed design
will meet all the required specifications
based on the previous test experience
obtained in the laboratory
•Lab tests indicate that the proposed
design will not meet all requirements.
Avoid circumlocution
Circumlocution
Due to the fact that (because)
Despite the fact that (though)
For that reason (because)
At a later date (later on)
Foreign words and phrases

•Perse
•Status quo
•Ad infinitum
•Infra dig
•Vide supra
•Raison d’etre
•Modus operandi
 Sentence Structure
•Use definite word order
•Use parallel constructions
•Avoid vague subjects
•Use relatively shorter sentences
•Avoid unnecessary passive
constructions
Emphatic word order
• The new machine despite the various complexities
involved has proved to be effective.
• I could collect after going through a series of rigorous
procedures the data for this report
• The senior manager spoke to the media along with his
subordinates.
• With a little care a good sentence can be written by a
student having all parts in the proper order
• Being built on solid rock the engineers thought that the
building would not settle
 Place Important Information at the beginning
1.The equipment will cost Rs. 10 lakhs but save Rs.50,000 annually on administration

2.A new product must be experimentally developed to be successful

 Use Parallel construction

The company objectives for the coming

year are to match last year’s
production, higher sales, and
improving consumer relations.
 Avoid vague ‘This’ subjects
Don’t use one word expressions ‘this’,
‘that’, ‘these’, ‘those’, ‘it’, as an all
purpose subject remedy : follow these
subjects with a noun this approach,
that strategy etc.
Use relatively shorter sentences

•We solicit any recommendation that you wish to

make and you may rest assured that any such
recommendation will be given our careful
consideration as to the utilization thereof.

•Please give us your suggestions. We would

carefully consider them.
 Paragraph structure

Dull and difficult Well organized effect

•Unity
•Coherence
•Adequate development
• Stress can have many side effects. A supervisor feeling pressure
to complete a difficult project may become irritable, develop
ulcer, or succumb to illness such as cold, flu, or more serious
diseases. A student preparing for exams just the day before may
feel nervous, frustrated and may even develop exam fever.
(inadequate use of transitional tags)

• Stress can have many side effects. For instance, a supervisor

feeling pressure to complete a difficult project may become
irritable, develop ulcer, or possibly even succumb to illness
such as cold, flu, or more serious diseases. Similarly, a student
preparing for exams just the day before may feel nervous,
frustrated and may even develop exam fever.
 Use Transitions
to relate ideas to each other
Words/phrases

and, or ,nor, indeed, also, furthermore in fact, in

addition, first, for instance, similarly, likewise, there for,
thus, hence, consequently on the whole, in short,
frequently, occasionally, in particular, however,
nevertheless, whereas, in case, unless, on the contrary,
when, because
Summary

• Formal
• Structure ( Introduction, Main Text, Conclusions0
• Process ( Prewriting, Planning, Writing, Revision, Peer Review,
Publishing)
• Style ( words, phrases, sentences, paragraph, text)
 Useful References
• Dunleavy Patric. Authoring a PhD. 2003. NY: Palgrave
MacMillan.
• Greene, Stuart and April Lidinsky. From Inquiry to Academic
Writing: A Text and a Reader. 2nd Ed. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2012. Print.
• Wood, Nancy. V. Perspectives on Argument. 5th Ed. New Jersey:
Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.
• Gerson Sheron J and Steven M Gerson. Technical Writing. 5th
Edition. New Delhi : Prentice Hall
• Raman Meenakshi and Sangeeta Sharma. Technical
Communication. Second Edition. New Delhi : Oxford University
Press.