i0 Academic Language In this unit you will. 1& consider appropriate style and tone for academic work. hhow to make your points stronger and more 1 learn about avoiding phrasal verbs and idioms. | consider qualifying your thes 1 use hedging language to make claims and assertions more believable and accurate, 1m write a second draft of your paper. partner: Look at the picture. Discuss with your partner who the snd where you think they might be. Then read the dialogue. Do you is appropriate? Why or why not? Woman: $216 skateboarding now permitted on campus? Boy: Dunne Maybe, Woman: Would it not bea good idea to check? Boy: Everyone sels doing it, rust be OK Woman: Doing what? anoring the rules, or skatsboaraing? Boy: What? Areyouths skateboard police? Just as there are appropriate and inappropriate ways to talk wth people depending on the Stuation,s0 are there appropriate words and expressions to use when writing an academic piece of work In this unit we will look at some of those more appropriate academic sles 76 ACADEMIC LANGUAGEAcademic style and tone ‘Academic style, in adetion te being formal includes being precise. The mare leery your ‘vocabulary expresses what you mean the better the chance yeur reader wil get your points, For example, a sentence such as this is wague: Sebastian Jimenez is @ good soccer player ‘What does"goed" mean! Is he successuil Coes he train hard s she well-known? Ise a goad team player? Beginning writers sometimes try to strengthen'"ther writing ty simply making vague words stronger However the following sertences are no clearer: Sebostan Jimenez ison excellent soccer ployer Sebastian jmenez is on amazing soccer player ‘We stil dont really know what qualities he has oF displays that make him ermarkable “The fallowing sentences are more precise: Sebaston jmenez has remarkable endurance and 60 quick sprinter. Sebaston jmenez has good eld vison”: Ac any tne, he knows where his eorenates ave and where hs oppanents ae Ite natural to havea larger reading vocabulary than an active writing vocabulary. AS you exit your rst draft though look for places where your language s weak or imprecise. You can ‘rengthen these sentences by suiosttuting stronger, mare deseitive wards or by adding explanations and examples. 2. Classify the words in the box by writing them into the correct column. Add two ‘more words to each column. Then discuss with a partner which words can be used to describe these things: + objects + ideas or plans + people impractical obsolete ‘unfounded innovative overwhelming unpopular misguided stubborn visionary positive negative ACADEMIC LANGUAGE 773. Work with a parter. Rewrite the following sentences to make them stronger. You can change words o phrases: however, keep the overall meaning the same, Then Share your new sentences with another Dai a Overpopulation is a real problem, Convincing people in some cultures to have fewer children is difficult. ‘Many people like large families, ‘They think having a lot of children is good. However, living in a world without enough food or energy for everyone would be bad. Education is important 9. Understanding and respecting people's cultures is important, too. Phrasal verbs and idioms Academic syles of writing are usualy marked by precision and cancsion, Casual cnwersation, ‘though, sit usual 4 model for these features, In conversation, we use a range of vero and orverbal expressions to communieate. Among the verbal forms are phrasal verbs and idioms Phrasal verbs ‘A phrasal verb is 2 regular verb followed by a preposition or adverb, such as tum on, sat apart ‘or ge up The phrasal ver's meaning often cannot be guessec just by knowing the original verb For example, we all know the meaning ef eae, but cme around can mean Vt OF woke up 4) Work with a partner. Match the common phrasal verbs om tho lft with their one- word equivalents on the right. take aftor ‘convince / persuade restrain hold back 1. resemble b. make up 2 tolerate & point out 3. invent / create 4. putup with — 4, indicate fe. rule out 5. dofend { muninto climinate 9. show up arrive b, i i 6 2. stand up for 8, moet (by canes) B 0. talk into x 78 Acavemc vaNauAce‘sn idiom isa phrase that has a mearing diferent from the literal reading which, f rectly translated, loses ether the meaning or the grammar Here are two examples of iciomatc Senne 23) IS raining eats and dogs 1b) The basketball player ison fire ln. a}of course it doesn't mean that cats and dogs are fling fram the sky t simply means ?, ne raining heavy, In b.the player isnot literally "burnin’s it means he or she is playing extremely well Idioms can be fun. and are perfecty acceptable in spoken Englsh, However they are casual in style and not usuly appropriate for academic writing, Work with a partner. Guess the meaning of the following idiomatic expressions. (Check your dictionary if necessary. Then rewrite the icea in more formal language. a. She wont off the deep end, He needs to pull his socks wp. Iwas over the moon, ‘The exam was a pice of cake, b 4 {@ Tpassed by the skin of my tooth ACADEMIC LANGUAGE 796 Work with « partner, Read the following paragraph. Circle the phrasal verbs Ind undorlin the idioms. Then rewritelt in a more appropriate academic styl. Compare your now paragraph with another pain ‘Asa young man, he took after his father in many ways, burned the candle at both ends, and eventually became filthy rch, Although be was not the sharpest tool in the box, this did not hold him back, and his hard work paid of. Perhaps his greatest achievement was his idea to cut down on the amount of waste within local government. ‘He had a hard time talking the local oficlals into going along with it, bt once they started saving money hand over fist, he was the toast of tie town, He gave up working soon after, but he stayed on in an advisory role right until he passed on last year. Hedging “ou may fr as your recearch paper progrestes that you sil believe your orga thes but ‘at your argument not quite a lack and wie as you fr. thought You met have found information tat weakens your chim, sa youd hk to ake 2 ee abslute postion on yout Sryument Tike a lok athe folowing satemere (Our contd proctceof pling water il estoy a animal fe ‘When the writer originally stated ths he may well have belied that this level of threat was indesd true, He may now feel, however that such a strong statement does fly reflect the ‘ets uncovered in the research in this cae, the language can be ajusted by using hedges. ‘Compare this version ‘Fe continue polling water, it ely that mary animals wil ‘A hedge can refine the shape of your argument — raking it nore tentative and less strict absolute and forceful thereby making it easier forthe reader to accept and believe. How to use hedges Adverbs ‘Sometimes you can insert an avers or adverbial expression 79 soften the impact of what you are saying and make i less abeoite, Hore i lt of useful expressions (this not an ‘exhaustive Ist) aritie often rather slightly generally possibly reasonably somewhat moderately probably rwlatively to some extent sample: Driving at righ is dangerous. > Dring ot night is somewhat dangerous 80 ACADEMIC LANGUAGE738 Me ee ‘Avoid expressions such as ail always, every, al ofthe tine, never. rai, nobody, and soon. 7 Insrt am ver no to flowing seences tort a mare tntntv poston, ‘Thon compare your sentences witha partner. 2 Sinog is the eas of modern respiratory ailments ». Urban air pollution causes lung cancer ©. Congenital defects and psychological disorders are tke result ofa polluted planet Modal verbs ‘Another way to soften your message i by using certain modal verbs such as cam cou, may, night, ought to, shoul, and so on. Example: Dring ot night dangerous, and there wil be accents. > Drvig at right somewhat ‘angeous, and thre could be acces, 8 Insert a modal verb into the following sentences to reflect a more tentative position, Then compare your sentences with a partner. ‘4. Researchers in future generations will study us and our habits and wonder why ‘we developed plastics. ', Human civilization will see a decline as demonds for fossil fucls increase ¢, The widespread use of petro-chemicals will someday mark the end of life Modifiers Instead of suggesting that something i rue In of cases, t makes your argument more crecible ‘you acme that & might not always be the case, Here you can ve quantifies ike these: ‘good /high) numberof | many several a(significant) portion of | most some tow ‘much the majority minority of litte sample: Driving at right is dangerous, ond people wil have an acdent > Driving at ght s sereuhae dangerous ard a ood numberof people cold have on occidetat some ome in thei es. 9° Insert « modifier nto the following sentences to reflect a more tentative position. ‘Thon compare your sentences wit a porter a. Visitor to froign lands fe! re to pollute Humans ae polluters €. Pollution threatens if nthe biosphere ACADEMIC LANGUAGE 8110 Qualifying phrases 'A wel-pluced qulifying phrase can make your argument seerr more tentative, and this quality may ads erect to what you say Here are some phrases te seems that Many peopl believe that Ther ia tendency 0 think that itis understood that tis possible that ie might be the case that sample: Dring ot rights mare dangerous than crag inthe coy. fis pase dat ving ot rights more dangerous than drng nthe dy 10 insert « qualifying phrase into the following sentences to reflect « more tentative position, Then compare your sentences with a partner. ‘because people work and play wncoasciously every day of their b, Polluting water is Like polluting yourself ¢, Polluters have no respect for the environment. Qualifying conditionals Finally you can make your claim more credible by adding a xaifing or linting condition The simplest way to do this is by adding an if cause ample: Diving at night dangerous, > Dring 2 night is dangerous you dan pay atenan to the mad and ing conten, TI Insert a qualifying conditional into the following sontences to reflect a more ‘tentative position, Then compare your sentences with a partner. 1, People who pollute water should bo charged with acrime. We will destroy ourselves by our waste products. ©, Humans will noed to invent new ways of breathing, 82 ACADEME LANGUAGE12. Work with a partner. Look at the following paragraph. Circle any examples where you think the assertion of the writer is too strong. Rewrite the paragraph on @ Separate piece of paper, using more tentative, hodging language. Then share your new paragraph with another pair. Plastics are unsafe, In fac, plastics are composed of very dangerous toxins, and toxins damage the very cells of your body. They damage the endocrine system, the vital systom that regulates hormones. These disruptions affctfotal development, sexual development, brain development, motor developenent, and are Linked to a wide range of cancers. Two of the most common and yet dangerous toxins are BPA and PCBs, Through their extensive use in so many products they are now in soll le, and ‘water. Infact, they are in the containers we use to hold and transport water. If we do snot address this dangerous issue soon, the world will be in serious trouble. 13 Work with a partner. Look at the model research paper on pages 111-118. Can you find examples of hedging language? Note in the space provided the number you find. Then compare your results with your classmates. ACADEMIC LANGUAGE 8310 Put it together a 1k at your research paper draft. Look to see if there are any of the following, fa + Woak or vague language + Phrasal vorbs + Idiom: If'so, make notes in pen ar pencil with more precise and academic Language. Use a dictionary or ask your instructor for advice if necessary. b Have you made any statements that are too strong or tco absolute? Ifso, add hhedges to make them more tentative. € Write a second draft of your research paper. Consider content, organization, and language choices. You will edit for finer points when you prepare your final draft after Unit 12, As usual, save a copy ofthis draft in two places. You may also wish to save a copy of your earlier draft. ‘Your instructor may ask you to tutn in a copy of your second draft. Isa print out has and turn is keep an adaito ember not 29 leave printing tilt last minute, case there sa pr plan to use! hard copy fr yourset im withthe printer y 84 ACADEINC LANGUAGE] Editing Your Paper Inthis unit you will. 1m learn how to check your own paper for language and punctuation. 1 discuss issues related to accuracy in research, 1m learn how to write an APA-style abstract. 1 conduct a “self check” on your own paper. 1 Work with « partner or group. Discuss those questions. + How do you usally check your written work? + How wel do you think your methods work? + What kinds of mistakes do you not catch? Why, do you think? ‘+ What typos of grammatical mistakes do you think you cammonly make? How could you check for these mistakes? Editing your work You have akeady considered the cote organzaton and language of your rescrch pope: Now iste to edt more cach for raar and sping Isnt realy poste to nd grammatical errors—that things tare wrong but tat you do to reals are wrong However. posse to find gamma makes ing that tre rong int yousn recagice bang wrong One ofthe eset ways to find mites such a abjeterbareement errors incorrect word forma repesed or wistng wore or oUt ay Wt et our per Out oud Your rs wilceaic rales tat Your es co Nt EDITING YOUR PAPER 85