Module 4

Module 4

Essentials for Academic Writing

In this module, you will learn

What a paragraph is

How to outline your essay

Unity and Coherence

Common mistakes

What is a paragraph?

- Group of about 6–12 sentences about one topic. - All of the sentences explain the writer’s main idea. - When a writer wants to write about a new main idea, he / she begins a new paragraph. - The sentences are arranged logically, so the reader can easily understand what the writer wants to say. In academic writing, a paragraph has a topic sentence that directly tells the reader the main idea. The other sentences in the paragraph, called supporting sentences, give more information about the topic. They add specific details and explanations. In academic English, the topic sentence is usually (but not always!) first or last.

Does your writing flow?

STOP AND THINK

VIDEO

Watch this video and take some notes:What is Cohesion?What is Coherence?

Cohesion

- Cohesion works at the paragraph level. - A paragraph should have minimum elements: Topic sentence + Supporting sentences + Examples (data) + Concluding sentence. - When you write a paragraph, remember that: 1) People cannot read your mind! and 2) You should organize your sentences from general to particular.

Coherence

- Coherence works at the complete text level - Coherence is improved by having a plan (outline) ready before you start writing - When you write a text, remember that: 1) All paragraphs should have an objective linked to your thesis and 2) You should organize your paragraphs in a logical way

THE CONTENTS OF THE Body paragraphs

Topic Sentence

• This is the main idea of the paragraph. It is usually the first and most general sentence.
• In an essay, this sentence should relate directly your thesis. It represents your reasons
• How to find it? -> take your thesis and transform it into a question starting with why. The answer to that question will be your first reason.

Supporting Sentence(s)

• These are sentences that talk about or explain the topic sentence. They are more detailed ideas that follow the topic sentence
• In an essay, these sentences are details that explain your reasons.
• How to find them? -> take your reason, you can either ask yourself why or how that reason happens.

Examples

• Examples are the core of your essay, they give the support to prove your previous statements.
• There are different types of examples: Cause-effect, extra details, facts/data, personal opinion
• In a reaction essay, you should use data that's properly cited in your examples.

Examples

• Examples are the core of your essay, they give the support to prove your previous statements.
• There are different types of examples: Cause-effect, extra details, facts/data, personal opinion
• In a reaction essay, you should use data that's properly cited in your examples.

Outlining an essay

What is an outline?

Imagine your skeleton: although you do not see it, it supports your body. In the same way, although your reader cannot see your outline, making an outline will support your essay by providing structure. This will help you write a more coherent text

What does an outline look like?

I. Introduction: ThesisII. Body paragraph 1: Main reason 1A. Supporting detail 11. Example 12. Example 2B. Supporting detail 21. Example 1III. Body paragraph 2: Main reason 2A. Supporting detail 21. Example 1 ....IV. Body paragraph 3....V. Conclusion

What does an outline look like?

I. Introduction: ThesisII. Body paragraph 1: Main reason 1A. Supporting detail 11. Example 12. Example 2B. Supporting detail 21. Example 1III. Body paragraph 2: Main reason 2A. Supporting detail 21. Example 1 ....IV. Body paragraph 3....V. Conclusion

Example

Now what? Check coherence

Once your outline is ready, you should check: 1) That no reasons / details / examples are repeated or similar. If that is the case, you can merge them. 2) That your reasons / details / examples relate to your thesis *effectively* - Not because you describe something related to the topic necessarily means that you are writing an argumentative text 3) That your ideas connect to each other in a logical way

Common mistakes to avoid

Excessively long sentences

Long, wordy sentences are a common problem in Spanish speakers. This can lead to repetition or unclear paragraphs.

There are 4 types of sentences:1) Simple (subject + verb + object): I finished my paper yesterday. I sent it to the journal. 2) Compound (two simple sentences joined by a conjunction, e.g. and, because ): I finished my paper and I sent it to the journal. 3) Complex (a simple sentence split by an intervening subordinate clause): My paper, which had taken two months to write, was rejected by the journal. 4) Compound + complex: My paper, which had taken two months to write, was rejected by the journal because the referees said it made no contribution to the current state of the art. (29 words)

Redundancy in introductory phrases

Keep the idea per sentence simple, relevant and useful. This will help your reader to move from one sentence to other easily

X is an expensive item. In this respect, perhaps it would be better to find a less expensive substitute. X is an expensive item, so it would be wiser to find a less expensive substitute.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

REFERENCES

Wallwork, A. (Ed.). (2023-2024). English for Academic Research [Book series]. Springer. https://www.springer.com/series/13913 Yang, J. T. (1995). An outline of scientific writing: For researchers with English as a foreign language. World Scientific. https://archive.org/details/outlineofscienti0000yang Zemach, D. E., & Rumisek, L. A. (2003). College writing: From paragraph to essay. Macmillan. ISBN: 9780333988534.