Academic Writing-Exam 1

Stages of The Writing Process (5)

1. Pre-writing

2. Drafting

3. Revising (Spelling, punctuation)

4. Editing (shortening or adding details)

5. Publishing

Parts of Pre-writing (2)

1. Free writing: Write anything you want or whatever comes to your mind, DONT PAY ATTENTION TO STYLE OR GRAMMAR, (15-20 minutes)

2. Mind mapping: Look for a topic, connect key ideas and related concepts by making lines

Drafting

Academic Writing

Formal style of writing used in universities and scholarly publications

Characteristics of Academic Writing (5)

1. Formal and unbiased

2. Clear and precise

3. Focused and well structured

4. Well sourced

5. Correct and consistent

Academic writing is NOT (3)

1. Personal

2. Long-winded (it goes straight to the point)

3. Emotive and grandiose

Styles of Academic Writing (7)

1. Narrative

2. Descriptive

3. Analytical

4. Critical

5. Persuasive

6. Compare and contrast

7. Cause and effect

Narrative Writing

Style of writing that tells a Story, real or ficticious, chronological or in an invented timeline

Elements of Narrative (8)

1. Plot (thread of events)

2. Characters

3. Setting (time and place)

4. Conflict (what is the issue)

5. Theme (purpose of the story, moral)

6. Tone

7. Point of view

8. Timeline

Types of Narrative writing (7)

1. Novel

2. Screenplay

3. Short story

4. Personal Essay

5. Fairy Tale

6. Autobiography

7. News story

Novel

Long work of narrative fiction published in book form, it includes a narrator and cast of characters that experience the story

Screenplay

Used in films and theatre, it contains the lines characters memorize

Short Story

Brief work that contains some elements of the novel, but it is less elaborate and simpler (before its end, characters resolve the issue and the reader finds the theme)

Personal Essay

Written work that describes experiences or lessons gathered by an author

Fairy Tale

Folklore stories about magical and wonderous characters, usually told to children

Autobiography

Story of a persons life told in first person, it is longer than a personal essay

News Stories

Describe an actual event and convey information, it tells the story of a true event to an audience

Descriptive Writing

Writing that appeals to the five senses when describing an event or phenomenon, word choice is relevant but also vivid and it uses many ADJECTIVES

Characteristics of Descriptive Writing (3)

1. Describe subjects appealing to the five senses

2. Uses FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE like similes and metaphors

3. Clear and relevant language to the primary theme

Thesis Statement

It is the opening sentence of a paper that establishes the road map for the paper, it shows the significance of the matter and it takes a stance (answers the “how” and “why” question)

These are NOT thesis statements (5)

1. Titles

2. Vague statements with no positions (e.g. Food is impacting in society)

3. First person statements and announcements (e.g. “In this essay I will…”)

4. Questions (thesis statements answer questions)

5. Irrelevant statements

Topic Sentences

These are the sentences that introduce the body paragraphs that will support our thesis

Types of Concluding Sentences (4)

1. Restatements of the topic sentence

2. Opinions

3. Predictions

4. Advice

Paraphrasing

Restating someone elses ideas in your own words, but conserving detail

Summarizing

Reducing the most essential points of someone elses work into a shorter form

Alliteration

Repeating consonant sounds right next to each other, creating a “melody”

Onomatopoeia

When a word sounds like what it means (e.g. “shush” “sheesh”)

Personification

Attributing human characteristics to non-human things (e.g. The Trees danced in the wind)

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration that adds emphasis, urgency or excitement (e.g. Im so hungry I could eat a horse)

Imagery

Deep description that helps create a sensory experience by alluding to the 5 senses (“The room smelled of laundry detergent, such a bitter and strong smell, you could taste the arid air)

Analytical Essay

Type of writing that investigates the significance of facts and details behind an ARGUMENT, CLAIM OR IDEA

Characteristics of Analytical Writing (3)

1. Well structured (thesis, topic sentences, body paragraphs and conclusion)

2. It has a thesis (and it incorporates the thesis of the author)

3. Backed by evidence and research