Academic Writing

First semester English, Fall 2008. Session 2: Coherence and Cohesion

Studietid

Sum-up from last week

• The academic genre

• The writing process

Academic Writing

The four Cs• Clear

• Coherent

• Concise

• Correct

speech acts

 

 

 

 

Workable speech acts in the academic genre

• analysing• arguing • categorising• citing• constructing• contextualising• critisising • defining• describing• discussing• evaluating• examining• interpreting• paraphrasing• prioritising• problematising• proving• reasoning• reflecting• relating• showing• substantiating

Not workable speech acts in the academic genre• agitating • reviewing• confessing• lecturing• presuming• telling• feeling• praising• believing• proclaiming• degrading• experiencing• popularise• postulate• plagiarising• entertaining • (Adapted from Rienecker & Stray Jørgensen m.fl. 2005).

The writing process

Traditional views on writing(think and make plans first, write later)

1. Choose topic

2. Construct an outline of the text

3. Search for literature

4. State problem

5. Write

6. Revise

7. exam

Process-Oriented view on Writing (write first, revise later)1. Choose topic

2. Pre-writing activities (freewriting, mindmapping, webbing, fragment writing, clustering, “the Journalist’s six questions”)

3. Research your topic for an overview

4. Make a preliminary problem statement

5. Make a tightly focused literature search

6. Read and write a draft

7. Feedback and revision

8. Make final problem statement

9. Feedback and revision

10. Plan your essay

11. Revise

12. exam

• (Adapted from Rienecker & Stray Jørgensen m.fl. 2005).

The journalist’s six questions

• Who?

• What?

• Where?

• Why?

• When?

• How?

Pre-writing activities

• Brainstorming

• Mindmapping

• Free-writing

• Fragment writing

• Displays (graphical illustrations of the assignment and its coherence)

Reflection on your own writing process

The text you wrote last Tuesday – your reflections on advantages and disadvantages of your own writing habits?

Today’s topic: Coherence and Cohesion

Coherence: the logical linking of ideas• Paragraph

– A unit of thought• Topic sentence

– The unifying top-level statement of the paragraph• Concluding sentence

– The rounding up of the paragraph (and the link to the next paragraph)

• Levels of generality– The hourglass shape

• Linking words (later lecture)

Compendium p. 11, task 1

• Read from p. 10 in the compendium about coherence and guidelines for purposeful reading;

• then read the essay on p. 12 in order to solve task 1 on p. 11.

Compendium p. 16, task 1

• Read The importance of paragraphs on p. 15, then solve task 1 on p. 16.

Compendium p. 16, task 1a) The rest of the sentences in the paragraph refer back to the topic sentence ad support it, thus

providing the reader with evidence, examples, facts etc. at various levels of generality, which contribute to the reader’s understanding of the main idea.

b) They are visually set off from other paragraphs by double spacing.c) In extended texts, paragraphs help create global coherence in that the unifying idea expressed

in the topic sentence links up with the other topic sentences to form the overall theme or line of argument of the whole text.

d) The main idea is usually announced in a general statement, called the topic or controlling sentence, and it is often – but not always placed towards the beginning of the paragraph.

e) Despite variation in structure, length and pattern of development, paragraphs can be said to have certain features in common.

f) (One sentence paragraphs are rarely found in academic prose.)g) This sentence contains key words which control the way the paragraph will be developed.h) Well-developed paragraphs consist of a succession of sentences which develop one dominant

idea.i) The last sentence in the paragraph usually rounds off the idea being developed or serves as a

transition to the next paragraph.

Task 1(E) Despite variation in structure, length and pattern of development, paragraphs can be said to have certain features in common. (B) They are visually set off from other paragraphs by double spacing. (H) Well-developed paragraphs consist of a succession of sentences which develop one dominant idea. (F) (One sentence paragraphs are rarely found in academic prose.) (D) The main idea is usually announced in a general statement, called the topic or controlling sentence, and it is often – but not always placed towards the beginning of the paragraph. (G) This sentence contains key words which control the way the paragraph will be developed. . (I) The last sentence in the paragraph usually rounds off the idea being developed or serves as a transition to the next paragraph. (A) The rest of the sentences in the paragraph refer back to the topic sentence ad support it, thus providing the reader with evidence, examples, facts etc. at various levels of generality, which contribute to the reader’s understanding of the main idea (C) In extended texts, paragraphs help create global coherence in that the unifying idea expressed in the topic sentence links up with the other topic sentences to form the overall theme or line of argument of the whole text.

Task 1: What clues helped you assemble the paragraph?

Task 1: Repetition of key words or phrases (paragraph, idea, topic sentence)

(E) Despite variation in structure, length and pattern of development, paragraphs can be said to have certain features in common. (B) They are visually set off from other paragraphs by double spacing. (H) Well-developed paragraphs consist of a succession of sentences which develop one dominant idea. (F) (One sentence paragraphs are rarely found in academic prose.) (D) The main idea is usually announced in a general statement, called the topic or controlling sentence, and it is often – but not always placed towards the beginning of the paragraph. (G) This sentence contains key words which control the way the paragraph will be developed. (I) The last sentence in the paragraph usually rounds off the idea being developed or serves as a transition to the next paragraph. (A) The rest of the sentences in the paragraph refer back to the topic sentence and support it, thus providing the reader with evidence, examples, facts etc. at various levels of generality, which contribute to the reader’s understanding of the main idea. (C) In extended texts, paragraphs help create global coherence in that the unifying idea expressed in the topic sentence links up with the other topic sentences to form the overall theme or line of argument of the whole text.

Task 1: Use of synonyms for key words (E) Despite variation in structure, length and pattern of development, paragraphs can be said to have certain features in common. (B) They are visually set off from other paragraphs by double spacing. (H) Well-developed paragraphs consist of a succession of sentences which develop one dominant idea. (F) (One sentence paragraphs are rarely found in academic prose.) (D) The main idea is usually announced in a general statement, called the topic or controlling sentence, and it is often – but not always placed towards the beginning of the paragraph. (G) This sentence contains key words which control the way the paragraph will be developed. . (I) The last sentence in the paragraph usually rounds off the idea being developed or serves as a transition to the next paragraph. (A) The rest of the sentences in the paragraph refer back to the topic sentence ad support it, thus providing the reader with evidence, examples, facts etc. at various levels of generality, which contribute to the reader’s understanding of the main idea (C) In extended texts, paragraphs help create global coherence in that the unifying idea expressed in the topic sentence links up with the other topic sentences to form the overall theme or line of argument of the whole text.

Task 1: Use of pronouns as substitutes (they, it, this)

(E) Despite variation in structure, length and pattern of development, paragraphs can be said to have certain features in common. (B) They are visually set off from other paragraphs by double spacing. (H) Well-developed paragraphs consist of a succession of sentences which develop one dominant idea. (F) (One sentence paragraphs are rarely found in academic prose.) (D) The main idea is usually announced in a general statement, called the topic or controlling sentence, and it is often – but not always placed towards the beginning of the paragraph. (G) This sentence contains key words which control the way the paragraph will be developed. (I) The last sentence in the paragraph usually rounds off the idea being developed or serves as a transition to the next paragraph. (A) The rest of the sentences in the paragraph refer back to the topic sentence and support it, thus providing the reader with evidence, examples, facts etc. at various levels of generality, which contribute to the reader’s understanding of the main idea. (C) In extended texts, paragraphs help create global coherence in that the unifying idea expressed in the topic sentence links up with the other topic sentences to form the overall theme or line of argument of the whole text.

Task 1: Use of connective words (the rest)

(E) Despite variation in structure, length and pattern of development, paragraphs can be said to have certain features in common. (B) They are visually set off from other paragraphs by double spacing. (H) Well-developed paragraphs consist of a succession of sentences which develop one dominant idea. (F) (One sentence paragraphs are rarely found in academic prose.) (D) The main idea is usually announced in a general statement, called the topic or controlling sentence, and it is often – but not always placed towards the beginning of the paragraph. (G) This sentence contains key words which control the way the paragraph will be developed. (I) The last sentence in the paragraph usually rounds off the idea being developed or serves as a transition to the next paragraph. (A) The rest of the sentences in the paragraph refer back to the topic sentence and support it, thus providing the reader with evidence, examples, facts etc. at various levels of generality, which contribute to the reader’s understanding of the main idea. (C) In extended texts, paragraphs help create global coherence in that the unifying idea expressed in the topic sentence links up with the other topic sentences to form the overall theme or line of argument of the whole text.

Task 2, p. 16

• Read the short text on the topic sentence on p. 16, then solve task 2.

Task 2• The life story of a neighborhood (neighbourhood)

reflects that of its inhabitants. • Neighborhoods share their inhabitants’ life

stories.• Neighborhoods grow with their inhabitants, and

they age with them.• A neighborhood’s condition reflects that of its

inhabitants.

Task 3, p. 17

• Read the short text on Key words in topic sentences; then solve task 3.

• (supporting material = how do you intend to ”prove” your topic sentence? By way of examples, comparisons, argumentation etc.)

Task 3

1. exemplification

2. argumentation

3. comparison and contrast.

Hourglass shape

Topic sentence (the ’broadest’ most general ideas)

Concluding sentence (broadening out and rounding off the paragraph)

Hourglass shape

Levels of generality

Supporting sentences (various levels of supporting ideas)

Task 4, p. 17See if the text on Writing fits the hourglass theory. First identify the topic sentence, then the supporting sentences and finally the concluding sentence – would a diagram as follows make sense?:

Level 1. Topic sentence …..

Level 2. Supporting sentence 1

Level 3. Supporting sentence 2

Supporting sentence 3

???

Level 4. Supporting sentence?

Level 1. Concluding sentence

Task 4Level 1 Writing is a complex…Level 2 The skills needed…Level 3 The first skill area involves…

The second skill area requires …

Third, writing involves…Level 4 One important aspect of

this last feature is …Level 1 Because of these characteristics, writing is not

…

Next week• Workshop about peer feedback• Writing task before workshop: three

paragraphs on either ”The origins of English” or ”Modernity and English: British and American Englishes” – bring a paper copy to class. (= there is no article or text to write these paragraphs on but you might find inspiration from Paul Mcllvenny’s class).

Study time

Compendium p. 13, task 2 + try to rewrite and make a better paragraphCompendium p. 17, task 5 – save for your portfolio