Answers Worksheet A1. Complexity2. Formality3. Precision

REWRITE THE SPOKEN TEXTS TO MAKE THEM SUITABLE FOR ACADEMIC WRITING

Children today are adept users of technology and they believe physical books will soon be redundant.

The current method is not optimal.

P1

P2EXERCISE 1

1. investigating

2. raised

3. intervene

4. eliminate

5. reduced

6. establish

7. fluctuate

8. proposed

EXERCISE 2

1. tolerate

2. caused

3. considering

4. decline

5. continued

6. postponed

7. demolished

8. reduced

P3EXERCISE 3

1. considerable

2. obtained

3. numerous

4. consequences

5. extremely

6. arising from

EXERCISE 4

1. sort of / somewhat

2. nice / promising

3. get together / meet

4. good / a benefit

5. outside the country / internationally

6. given the sack / let go

7. super / excellent

1. sort of / somewhat

2. nice / promising

3. get together / meet / convene

4. good / a benefit

5. outside the country / internationally

6. given the sack / dismissed

7. super / excellent

P4EXERCISE 5

1. were not

2. We will

3. She has

4. It is

5. are not

6. -

7. He would

8. -

EXERCISE 6

1. NO, it would be ridiculous to claim that. Paragraph A implies this but Paragraph B uses the key phrase ‘more likely to’ to be more accurate.

2. NO, Again, Para A implies it, but Para B more precisely states that they are ‘more likely to be’

3. YES

P5EXERCISE 6

4. Paragraph B – fewer introductory words to each

point. Eg. First & last sentences.

A: It could be argued that one reason why …

B: One reason why

A: about 21% of unmarried men described themselves as

being ‘very unhappy’

B: about 21% of unmarried men felt ‘very unhappy’

P5EXERCISE 6

5. Precision is important in academic writing because …

???For accurate facts/statistics and development of argument, which is what assessors look for when grading papers.

Answers Worksheet B

1. Objectivity2. Caution3. Accuracy 4. Responsibility

P1EXERCISE 1

1. (Passive) The same theory of learning can be applied

to young children.

2. (Passive) This can only be done after the initial

preparation has been conducted

3. (Passive) The figures are accurate to within 1%, but it

should be noted that local variations may apply.

4. (Passive) In the second section of the report, the

environmental consequences will be considered.

P2EXERCISE 2

1. In this essay the main differences between the

English and Scottish legal systems will be discussed.

2. The report has been divided into five sections.

3. All drugs should be legalised.

4. The importance of the monarchy should be reduced.

5. The third part of the essay will consider the reasons

for public hysteria over the SARS virus.

6. -

P3EXERCISE 3

1. Today credit cards are ubiquitous. / Today credit

cards are commonly used.

2. Smoking is considered to be damaging to health.

3. Global warming may negatively affect the planet.

4. Isolation is a possible risk of teleworking.

5. Evidence suggests that women are less capable

drivers than men.

P4EXERCISE 4

1. Positive feedback compensated for problems

encountered during the trials.

2. The two learning processes have clear differences.

3. The task was relatively simple for the subjects.

4. Autonomous systems were found to exist in

numerous countries.

U14Academic Style

No question, no breaks. Sounds formal. Sounds confident.

Quite different.

a. Fb. Ic. I

d. F e. Ff. F

g. I

a. It was argued that the standard had to be higher. b. The lecture was difficult to comprehend.c. They learnt how to conduct a survey of the opinions held by the elderly regarding young children. d. The results were stronger than anticipated.e. No-one in the group knew the answer.f. He reported that it was very difficult to be alone.

a. A survey indicated that a number of lecturers use the terms ‘seminars’ and ‘tutorials’ interchangeably.

b. The inflation rate is unlikely to change in the next 12 months.

c. Reading is considered to be effective when there is a particular motivation.

d. The right questions are likely to elicit the correct answer.e. The word ‘democracy’ appears to be understood

differently by different countries.

CAUTIONThese words generally lack caution. Use them … dare I say … cautiously!

all; always; never; every concerned citizen; clearly; it is obvious that; absolutely; obviously; there is no doubt that; without a doubt; definitely; this essay has proven; absolutely certain; any right-thinking person; certainly; undoubtedly; every

CAUTIONHere are some useful words to help you avoid making statements that are too strong or too general to be academic.

VERBS assume, suggest, estimate, indicate,

MODALScan, could, would, may, might, should, appear, look, seem, tend, appear

ADVERBS appear, tend, look, seem, often, usually, generally, occasionally

ADJECTIVES likely, unlikely, probable, possible

NOT CAUTIOUS

The weather in Amsterdam is always cold, grey and dull.

CAUTIOUSFrom October to March Amsterdam experiences winter weather that can frequently be cold, dull and grey.

NOT CAUTIOUS

The locals enjoy excellent health because of the water quality.

CAUTIOUSOne reason put forward to explain the generally good health of the local population is the quality of the water.

Read the two versions of the texts below. Can you see and understand the differences?

NOT CAUTIOUS

Brunei has maintained a greater percentage of natural forest cover than any country in the world.

CAUTIOUS

Brunei is one of fewer than 10 countries that has been able to maintain a forest cover of over 80% of its land area (State of the World, 2003).

Read the two versions of the texts below. Can you see and understand the differences?

Are you ready to do some practice? The sentences below lack caution. Rewrite them so that they are more cautious.

1. Northern European men and women have blonde hair and blue eyes.

2. Older mothers cope better with babies than younger mothers.

3. All Chinese people are multi-lingual.

4. Internet shopping will put 'real' shops out of business within the next few years.

5. It is clear that students today do not read books

THESE SENTENCES HAVE GREATER CAUTION

1. Many northern European men and women have blonde hair and blue eyes.

2. Many older mothers cope with their babies more easily than younger mothers.

3. Many Chinese people speak Mandarin in addition to one or two local languages.

4. It is likely that internet shopping will cause a challenge to ‘real’ shops in the near future.

5. It appears that students today are less likely to read books than in the past.

Sometimes you want to make a strong statement, and that's okay.

The important thing is that you are aware that your statement is strong and that you provide evidence to back it up.

Essentially common sense needs to be used here.

TO FINISH TODAY, ONE MORE TASKLET’S PRACTISE PARAPHRASINGParaphrase this:

"Plagiarism is a serious offence and can lead to expulsion from university, so learning how to avoid plagiarism is a must!" (Pounder, 2011).

It is necessary to have the skills to ensure that plagiarism does not occur. Without these skills a student may ultimately be expelled from the university (Pounder, 2011).