ACADEMIC ENGLISH

Martin McMorrow

Learning Advisor, Centre for Teaching and Learning, Albany Campus Library, Level 3

An earlier version of this presentation can be viewed at:http://tinyurl.com/academicenglish2015

Part 1

CTL ServicesAcademic Style

Citations and References

Academic Vocabulary

Using sources

Structuring paragraphs

Grammar mistakes to avoid

Part 2

Evaluating paragraphs

QUIZ

1. Name four differences between ordinary and academic English style

2. What does an APA citation consist of?

3. How many parts does an APA reference for a book have?

4. What should you do when you come across anunknown word in your reading?

5. When should you include a quotation in your academic writing?

7. Which words should you repeat a lot in your academic writing?

6. What is plagiarism and how can you avoid it?

CENTRE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING SERVICES

http://tinyurl.com/6xy9hy Academic English podcast

http://owll.massey.ac.nz online writing and learning link

Selected online resources

Weds 12 pm (starting in Week 2) in QB5

See: http://tinyurl.com/albanyworkshops2015

Workshops

There are also Postgraduate workshops in QB2

Book on slc-alb@massey.ac.nz

OR in person at the library (LEVEL 3)

ONE-TO-ONE OR SMALL GROUP CONSULTATIONS

ASSIGNMENT PRE-READING FOR SELECTED FIRST-YEAR PAPERS

Select one or two first-year assignments and use the link in Stream to send them for online feedback

PART 1: ACADEMIC ENGLISH STYLE

Ordinary English

Ageism happens when someone is treated badly just becausethey’re young or old and it’s a lot more common than peoplethink. What matters most isn’t whether or not someone’s treateddifferently but whether it’s unfair to treat them differently in thecircumstances. You couldn’t call a bar ageist if they didn’t take on a16 year-old for the job because that’s fair enough as their handsare tied. But it’s obvious that a bar that wouldn’t give a job to a 50year old to serve drinks is being ageist if that person was able to doeverything he or she was supposed to do, except for the fact thathe or she was older. This sort of thing is incredibly common, evenin New Zealand.

Ageism may be defined as “unfair discrimination towards someone on account of their age” (Smith & Davidov, 2003, p. 104). The crucial aspect in ageism is not discrimination in itself, but its unfairness. A bar cannot be considered ageist for refusing to employ a 16 year-old, since this is perfectly fair (and in fact, legally required). However, a bar which refused to employ a 50 year old to serve drinks could be considered ageist, if that person met the other employment requirements. Recent research has found evidence of ageist employment practices, in over half of New Zealand organisations (Brown, 2012).

Academic English

Ageism happens when ….

unfair discrimination

precise

Ageism may be defined as ….

when someone is treated badly

concise

Academic English is:

Recent research has found … (Brown, 2012).

based on theory and evidence

This sort of thing is incredibly common, even in New Zealand.

Recent research has found evidence of such practices, where age is used as an unjustified barrier to employment or promotion, in over half of New Zealand employers (Brown, 2012).

Citations are a short way of indicating the source of your theories, models, concepts, examples or facts

In APA style, all you need to do is to put the author and date of publication of the book, article or website you used

The most common way to do this is to put these in brackets AFTER you’ve used the information

CITATIONS AND REFERENCES

As an alternative you can use ‘according to’ and include the author(s) in your sentence

Or make the author(s) the subject of your sentence, choosing an appropriate reporting verb, for example:

claim argue explain point out find / foundsuggest

According to Brown (2012), older employees provide three main benefits for organisations. The first of these is ….

Brown (2012) found that age is used as an unjustified barrier to employment or promotion in over half of New Zealand employers.

Brooks, R. M. (2010). Financial management: Core concepts. Boston, MA: PearsonBrown, P. (2012). Equal opportunities in New Zealand: Myth or reality? Australasian Journal

of Human Resources, 41(3), 46-68.Davidson, C., & Tolich, M. (2001). Social science research in New Zealand. Auckland, New

Zealand: Pearson Education.Khan, I., & Chen, T. (2010). Tackling ageism: A cross-institutional approach. In J. Johnson & T.

Peterson (Eds.), An equal opportunities handbook (pp. 102-131). San Francisco, CA: Pilot Press.

Atkinson, D. (2013, January 24). Too old to work: Too young to die? Retrieved from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/1004532.htm

Smith, P., & Davidoff, R. (2003). Equal opportunities: From policy to practice. Central Islip, NY:Progressive Press.

Statistics New Zealand. (2008). Demographic Trends – 2001-2006. Retrieved from http://stats.govt.nz/demotrends-2012.pdf

Your citations need to match up with complete references to sources in a list at the end

References

Smith, P., & Davidoff, R. (2003). Equal opportunities: From policy topractice. Central Islip, NY: Progressive Press.

(year) title of book

city publisher

In academic writing, most references are to books and journal articles

surname, initial

Brown, P. (2012). Equal opportunities in New Zealand: Myth orreality? Australasian Journal of Human Resources, 41(3), 46-68.

(year) title of articlesurname, initial

volume / issue number page numbersname of journal

ACADEMIC ENGLISH VOCABULARY

1) It’s difficult to define the con_ _ _ _ of beauty.

2) The internet gives you instant acc_ _ _ to information.

3) Evolution explains how simple animals developed into more com_ _ _ _ ones over a long period of time.

4) Come to the meeting if you feel you have anything to con_ _ _ _ _ _ _ to the discussion.

5) We are not really in competition with them, but there are a few ove_ _ _ _ _ between our products.

concept

access

complex

contribute

overlaps

6) She asked me to check the first dra_ _ of her presentation.

7) The final cost of the project should not exc_ _ _ $10 000.

8) It’s impossible to eli_ _ _ _ _ _ crime completely, but this government aims to reduce it substantially.

9) Financial experts have det_ _ _ _ _ some signs that the economy may be improving.

10) No agreement has been reached but negotiations are still ong_ _ _ _.

draft

exceed

eliminate

detected

ongoing

11) One reason that increasing numbers of goods are manufactured in South-East Asian

is the lower lab_ _ _ costs there.

12) We have to inf_ _ from his silence on the matter that he has comment to make.

13) A recent sur_ _ _ found that more than 60 % of workers were

dissatisfied with their managers.

14) We had to make several calls to the tec_ _ _ _ _ _ support line before

anyone came to repair out computer.

15) We all ass_ _ _ _ _ _ in the meeting room to hear the takeover news.

labour

infer

survey

technical

assembled

16) The company publishes its ann_ _ _ accounts every September.

17) At the moment we don’t ant_ _ _ _ _ _ _ any problems with the new system.

18) The internet has become an important med_ _ _ of communication for companies.

19) Her work has been a cru_ _ _ _ part of the company’s success.

20) Unemployment will be one of the most important iss_ _ _ in the next election.

annual

anticipate

medium

crucial

issues

SOME MORE ADVANCED ACADEMIC VOCABULARY (featured in the Academic English Podcast)

The mattress contains over 50 internal supports to provide rigi _ _ _ _, while the luxurious foam filling provides comfort.

Given the uncertain financial situation in Europe, this may not be an ausp _ _ _ _ _ _ time to be opening a new retail business there

Having grown up during a period of aust _ _ _ _ _, in later years he found it hard to tolerate any waste.

The President used the full range of her rhet _ _ _ _ _ _ skills to persuade reluctant senators to back her economic recovery plan

As criminals become more resourceful, knowledgeable or desperate, security firms and the police need increasingly inge _ _ _ _ _ means of preventing and detecting crime.

rigidity

rhetorical

auspicious

austerity

ingenious

HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

Massey papers

192.101 English for Academic Purposes192.102 Academic Writing

Massey Academic English Podcast

http://tinyurl.com/6xy9hy

Resources from other universitiesUniversity of Manchester: http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.ukUniversity of Hertfordshire: http://www.uefap.com

Strategies for dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary in your academic reading

high

lowignore

work out meaning and move on

look it up to confirm and move on

Look it up, file it in your systemwith an example sentence. Review itat the end of the day and week

future

relevance

An application of this strategy to vocabulary from Chapter 1 of a Business Law book.

Important concepts for this subject (business law)

Important concepts for all academic research, analysis, argument etc

presumption

disseminate

flora and fauna

validity

nomenclature

solecisms

arbitrary

disclose

derived

adherents

Practice in working out meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary

“adequate research of overseas markets is … one ofseveral prerequisites for international marketing success”

things that will make a profit

things that must be done

things that will surprise you

“If you watch a Yoplait advertisement that shows otherpeople enjoying a new yoghurt flavour, you mightconclude that you would like it too. For services, suchvicarious learning is essential, as consumers can rarelyassess the benefit directly and have to rely on theexperience of others…”

second-hand

enjoyable

conclusive

SUMMARY OF PART 1

• Aim to develop a precise, concise, objectiveand evidence-based writing style

• Review and practice your basic academic vocabulary

• Work out meaning of new vocabulary from context whenever possible

• Ignore new vocabulary that is not important in your subject

• Use Massey resources and workshops to getyour referencing right

PART 2

• Using sources

• Structuring paragraphs

• Evaluating paragraphs

• Grammar mistakes to avoid

As Mundell (2002, p. 4) argued, “If it’s right for Europe to scrap its national currencies, why is it wrong for other countries to do the same thing?”

1) Only quote definitions:

Quotations

And, as in the above examples, copy as few words as possible and put these inside “ “ after your own introductory phrase.

2) ..... or really memorable phrases:

The concept of comparative advantage states that “everyone does best when each concentrates on the activity for which he or she is relatively most productive” (Frank & Bernanke, 2001, p. 23).

USING SOURCES

Complete the following sentence, using the source below, including the correct punctuation and citation.

Such is the realm of corporate governance, an area that deals with how a company conducts its business and implements controls to ensure proper procedures and ethical behaviour.

(from page 18 of a book entitled “Financial Management: Core concepts”, written by Raymond Brooks and published in 2010, by Pearson – a publisher based in Boston in the American state of Massachusetts)

Corporate governance refers to “how a company conducts its business and implements controls to ensure proper procedures and ethical behaviour” (Brooks, 2010, p. 18).

Corporate governance refers to ________

Brooks, R. M. (2010). Financial management: Core concepts. Boston, MA: PearsonBrown, P. (2012). Equal opportunities in New Zealand: Myth or reality? Australasian Journal

of Human Resources, 41(3), 46-68.Davidson, C., & Tolich, M. (2001). Social science research in New Zealand. Auckland, New

Zealand: Pearson Education.Khan, I., & Chen, T. (2010). Tackling ageism: A cross-institutional approach. In J. Johnson & T.

Peterson (Eds.), An equal opportunities handbook (pp. 102-131). San Francisco, CA: Pilot Press.

Atkinson, D. (2013, January 24). Too old to work: Too young to die? Retrieved from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/1004532.htm

Smith, P., & Davidoff, R. (2003). Equal opportunities: From policy to practice. Central Islip, NY:Progressive Press.

Statistics New Zealand. (2008). Demographic Trends – 2001-2006. Retrieved from http://stats.govt.nz/demotrends-2012.pdf

The citation matches up with the full reference in the list at the end of the essay.

References

“A person who wishes to follow Confucian moral philosophy will have the goal of becoming a junzi. The term junzi literally means the ‘‘son of the ruler’’ and has been translated into English as a ‘‘person of virtue,’’ a gentleman, a ‘‘superior man’’ or a ‘‘princely man.’’ The term appears 107 times in the Analects (Wang, 2000). According to Anh (2008, p. 103) a junzi is a ‘‘noble person who attempts to actualize Confucian cardinal virtues in concrete human relationships at any cost.’’ The junzi is a person who is an involved agent with others, rather than someone who is a detached intellectual or ivory tower philosopher (Wang, 2000). Business leaders still nominate the ideal of being a junzi as the standard of personal integrity in China today”.

How could you summarise in ONE sentence the key ideas from this text (from an article by Chen & Lee, 2008) for a paragraph on Confucian ideas about leadership?

Summarising

90% of your use of sources will be in the form of summaries of ideas in your own words. To do this effectively, you need to:

a) highlight the relevant informationb) turn this into brief notesc) close the original textd) expand your notes into one or more linked sentences

“A person who wishes to follow Confucian moral philosophy will have the goal of becoming a junzi. The term junzi literally means the ‘‘son of the ruler’’ and has been translated into English as a ‘‘person of virtue,’’ a gentleman, a ‘‘superiorman’’ or a ‘‘princely man.’’ The term appears 107 times in the Analects (Wang, 2000). According to Anh (2008, p. 103) a junzi is a ‘‘noble person who attempts to actualize Confucian cardinal virtues in concrete human relationships at any cost.’’ The junzi is a person who is an involved agent with others, rather than someone who is a detached intellectual or ivory tower philosopher (Wang, 2000). Business leaders still nominate the ideal of being a junzi as the standard of personal integrity in China today” (Chen and Lee, 2008).

Confucian goal is to become a junzi – a person of outstanding practical moral standardBusiness leaders in China see junzi as an ideal (Chen & Lee , 2008).

STEP 1: Highlight relevant information

STEP 2: Take the information out and put into brief notes

Research has shown that modern Chinese business leaders continue to aspire towards the Confucian ideal of the junzi, or someone recognised as having outstanding practical virtues and social skills (Chen & Lee , 2008).

STEP 3: Close the original book or screen – so all you have in front of you is your notes

STEP 4: Expand your notes into one or more linked sentences

Confucian goal is to become a junzi – a person of outstanding moral standards, which they use in social relationshipsBusiness leaders in China see junzi as an ideal (Chen & Lee , 2008).

If you follow these FOUR steps

• You won’t need to worry about plagiarism• You’ll write more critically• Your writing will flow much better• You’ll be more credible

STRUCTURING PARAGRAPHS

Sample Assignment Question

Discrimination in the workplace has two victims: in the short term, those discriminated against suffer; but in the longer term, organisations themselves suffer from their own discriminatory practices. Discuss in relation to the New Zealand business environment.

Although, as we have seen, sexism and racism continue to exist inNew Zealand organisations, there is a clear legal framework foridentifying and dealing with both practices. This is not the casewith ageism, which can be defined as “unfair discrimination on thebasis of age” (Smith & Davidov, 2003, p. 23). Because its legalstatus is less clearly marked, ageism may be even more serious,since organisations may not recognise it as a problem. One reasonfor this lack of recognition is that there can be reasons to take ageinto account in recruitment. For instance, it could not be claimedthat a bar was being ageist because they refused to employ a 16year-old. Discrimination it may be, but it is not unfair.

On the other hand, a bar which refused to employ a well-qualified 46 year-old to serve drinks clearly has an ageist policy,even if they try to justify this policy as what their customers andother staff expect. Such discrimination appears to be common inNew Zealand (Morrison, 2000, p. 18), which indicates a failure torespond to the changing demographics of our society (ExecutiveTaskforce Group, 2004). Its negative impacts on organisationsare likely to worsen over the coming decades in which olderworkers will be our main talent pool (Statistics New Zealand,2006, ch. 8). Therefore, ageist policies may indicate that anorganisational culture is not ready for the challenges andopportunities that lie ahead.

A WELL-STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH

• Starts by referring back to main topic of previous paragraph(s)

• Focuses on the essay question

• Makes ONE clear basic point

• Supports this point with argument, references to research & examples

• Is made up of sentences which refer back to earlier sentences

• Comes to a conclusion

Start paragraphs by referring back to the main point you’ve made in the paragraph before

Although, as we have seen, sexism and racism continue to be prevalent in New Zealand organisations, there is a clear legal framework for identifying and dealing with both practices. This is not the case with ageism

Make sure you use the key topic words to keep your writing relevant

Although, as we have seen, sexism and racism continue to exist in New Zealand organisations, there is a clear legal framework for

identifying and dealing with both practices. This is not the case with ageism, which can be defined as “unfair discrimination on

the basis of age” (Smith & Davidov, 2003, p. 23). Because its legal status is less clearly marked, ageism may be even more common,

since organisations may not recognise it as a problem. One obvious reason for this lack of recognition is that there may be reasons to

take age into account in recruitment. For instance, it could not be claimed that a bar was being ageist because they refused to

employ a 16 year-old. Discrimination it may be, but it is not unfair. On the other hand, a bar which refused to employ a well-

qualified 46 year-old to serve drinks clearly has an ageist policy, even if they try to justify this policy as what their customers and other

staff expect. Such discrimination appears to be common in New Zealand (Morrison, 2000, p. 18) which indicates a failure to

respond to the changing demographics of our society (Executive Taskforce Group, 2004). Its negative impacts on organisations are likelyto worsen over the coming decades in which older workers will be our main talent pool (Statistics New Zealand, 2006, ch. 8). Therefore,

ageist policies may indicate that an organisational culture is not ready for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Make the main point of your paragraph clearly

in a topic sentence at or near the beginning

Because its legal status is less clearly marked, ageism is potentially even more serious, since organisations may not recognise it as a problem.

Include references to one or more books, academic journal

articles and high quality websites to provide evidence for

the facts, examples and concepts you include

Such discrimination appears to be common in New Zealand (Morrison, 2000, p. 18), which

indicates a failure to respond to the changing demographics of our society (ExecutiveTaskforce Group, 2004). Its negative impacts on organisations are likely to worsen over the

coming decades in which older workers will be our main talent pool (Statistics NewZealand, 2006, ch. 8). Therefore, ageist policies may indicate that an organisational culture

is not ready for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

To make your writing flow, start each new

sentence by referring BACK to an earlier idea

__________. This is not the case with ageism _______. Because its legal status is less clearly marked,

_____ organisations may not recognise it as a problem. One obvious reason for this lack ofrecognition is _____ . For instance, _______. Such discrimination _________

Aim to conclude your paragraphs with an evaluation of the

topic you’ve discussed

Therefore, ageist policies may indicate that an organisational culture is not ready for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

EVALUATING PARAGRAPHS

BAND 1: The paragraph develops a coherent and convincing argument. It is well-structured, with an opening, a set of three or more linked sentences, and a concluding comment. Most sentences are correct, with no basic grammar or vocabulary errors. There is evidence of a reasonable range of sentence types and some non-basic vocabulary.

Currently, a large number of students chose to study aboard. New Zealand is one of the popular countries. There are 3 main reasons that international students go to study in New Zealand. First of all, New Zealand is quite a safe country as there is not much serious crime. And for parents, children’s safety is the most important. Secondly, there are a lot of beautiful scenery in NZ such as Long Bay Regional Park and Mission Bay. Good enviorment contributes to motivate students to study. The last but not least is the quality of education in NZ. All students are looking forward to having a good job or something else. So NZ is such a great choice!

BAND 2: The paragraph communicates an adequate, though rather simple, argument. It has a simple structure, with basic connections between sentences (and, but, firstly, secondly). At least half of the sentences are correct – i.e. without basic grammar or vocabulary errors. The range of sentence types and vocabulary is limited with only one or two examples of non-basic vocabulary or syntax.

There are many reasons for students study at universities in NZ, but I think there are three main resons, firstly we can learn about the world, it is a good way for us to expand our knowledge. Secondly, study at universities in NZ is not too expensive. Last but not least, NZ is a safer place in the world, because there is not much serious crime. All in all, NZ is a good place for studying.

BAND 3: The paragraph as a whole does not communicate a convincing argument at tertiary level. At points it is hard to follow. It has a simple structure and connections between sentences are rather awkward and/or inconsistent. Most sentences contain at least one basic grammar or vocabulary error. The range of sentence types and vocabulary is limited to basic forms.

Living in New Zealand is very safety. There are not much serious crime, at the same time students can work hard on their relevant course without worry. When we come New Zealand, we must become more independence. There is nobody take care of us. Studying is the significant. To improve our English and study hard, make sure we will graduate from university.

BAND 4: The paragraph does not communicate a convincing argument as a whole, or at the level of individual sentences, which are mostly unclear. The overall structure is minimal and/or not coherent. Most sentences contain more than one basic grammar or vocabulary error. The range of vocabulary and sentence types is limited to basic forms.

Gerenally speaking, an oversea student would become more independent than the student who study in home country. Student need to find homestay or do the others. This can improved a student confident. Moreover, the company realised that the international students would more effect or improved the company. They need some new ideas from other countries. This is why we need to study overseas.

TOP TEN GRAMMAR MISTAKES MADE BY MASSEY STUDENTS

10) Spelling and Punctuation

• english

• a students life

• studing

• reknowned

• future carrier

• people are quiet friendly

9) Grammar of comparison

• the environment is more clean ..

• NZ is not that expensive than ...

• fees are quite cheaper than ..

8) Wrong tense or verb form

• My parents send me to New Zealand ...

• I choose to study in NZ ..

7) Wrong words

• New Zealand has very beautiful views

• nations which are upcoming with ideas

• a low number of crime

6) Wrong collocation

• Among the vital reasons

• the fees are cheaper

5) Wrong or unnecessary preposition

• The reason of coming to New Zealand was for improve my English

• included at the top 200 universities

• I would like to discuss about why …

• contact to students from Europe

• important in these days

• both of environment and social background

• an interesting opportunity to me

• In my point of view ..

• I’ve been dreaming for it

4) Wrong form of word (adjective instead of noun etc)

• New Zealand is inexpensive comparing to

• a political neutral place

3) missing ‘a’ and ‘the’

• New Zealand is very safe country

• an important step for future

• environment is beautiful

• NZ universities have good reputation

2) agreement – especially where the noun doesn’t agree with verb

• Research have shown …

• NZ universities offers

1) singular instead of plural

• parent are reassured that their child are ...

• one of the major reason is ..

• many beautiful place ..

QUIZ

1. Name four differences between ordinary and academic English style

2. What does an APA citation consist of?

3. How many parts does an APA reference for a book have?

4. What should you do when you come across anunknown word in your reading?

5. When should you include a quotation in your academic writing?

7. Which words should you repeat a lot in your academic writing?

6. What is plagiarism and how can you avoid it?

THANKS … and see you at the Centre for Teaching and Learning

... for one-to-one consultations

slc-alb@massey.ac.nz 09 441 8143

... at our writing workshops

First one (Paragraph Writing) on Weds Week 2Postgrad workshops start in Week 1

... listen to my Academic English podcast

http://tinyurl.com/6xy9hy

... use our videos and online tools

http://owll.massey.ac.nz

You can view this presentation at:http://tinyurl.com/academicenglish2015