Tips for Multilingual Writers

Jody Fernando, MA, MEd

Overview
Tips on
Style

Editing

Word
Choice

Gramm
ar

Tips on

Writing Style

Understand cultural writing

styles

North American writing style

Direct, but with hedges
Assertive: state ideas bluntly
Concise: Be brief, use as few words
as possible

Engage the writing process

Writing isnt just about grammar!

Ten Writing Priorities

1. Thesis
2. Audience
3. Genre
4. Support
5. Organization

6. Syntax
7. Diction
8. Standard Usage
9. Spelling &
punctuation
10.Presentation

Use hedges
Hedge: Word/phrase that qualifies statements

Assume
Might
Could
Possible(ly)
Indicate
Seem
Likely

Using Hedges
Qualified statements (with
hedges)

I think cricket is a better game than baseball.

Maybe we should go to the beach this weekend.

Thats an excellent book, isnt it?

Harsher,
sounds
demanding

Unqualified assertions
(without hedges)

Softer,
more polite

Daycare should be free to all parents.

Republicans dont care about the poor.

How frequent are hedges?

Common in academic writing

Why use hedges?

1. Increase accuracy of statements
Example:
More accurate = This suggests that there may be
a connection between watching TV and improved
grades.
More accurate = Comics seem to develop students
interests in reading and might lead them to read
stories.

Why use hedges?

1. Increase accuracy of statements
2. Decrease challenges to ideas
Somewhat cautious

More cautious

It seems that

Data suggest that

It appears that

The model implies that

It is likely that

Newspaper reports indicate

that

Why use hedges?

1. Increase accuracy of statements
2. Decrease challenges to ideas
3. Projects honesty and modesty
Personally, I believe that video games are
very useful for education purposes.
For this seems to suggest to me that we
dont need a two-party system.
I suggest we need to watch American reality
shows to improve our English.

Lets practice!
Identify the hedging phrases.

15 more people were reported to have been arrested in

New York City. Known protesters previously arrested are
also understood to have been organizers of the most recent
event. The majority of the arrests appear to have taken
place in Times Square over the past two days.

Lets practice!
Identify the hedging phrases.

Without hedging phrases

15 more people were reported to have been arrested in

New York City. Known protesters previously arrested are
also understood to have been organizers of the most recent
event. The majority of the arrests appear to have taken
place in Times Square over the past two days.

15 more people were reported to have been arrested in

New York City. Known protesters previously arrested are
also understood to have been were organizers of the
most recent event. The majority of the arrests appear to
have taken took place in Times Square over the past two
days.

Tips on

Editing

Read your paper aloud.

Edit as you go

Increases ability to self-correct

Great pronunciation practice

Add another pair of eyes

Come to the Writing Center!

Ask a friend

Editing should be a conversation, not proofreading

Check for errors one pattern at

a time.

Read paper multiple times, looking for only one type of error at a time.

Tips on

Word choice

Use a learner dictionary to find the

right word
.NOT A TRANSLATOR!!!!!!!!

Personalit
y

Character

Identit
y

Uniquene
ss

Individual
ity

Personalit
y

Character

Identit
y

Uniquene
ss

Individual
ity

Not all
synonyms
are equal!!!
My identity is a
student.
My character is a
student.
My individuality is a
student.
My uniqueness is a
student.

Use a learner dictionarys

resources
Academic word list
Usage notes
Which word?
Example: Actually

Searches word use by

category.
Example: Shoot
Reverse look-up
Search by definition,
related concepts,
categories

Tips on

Grammar

Practice, practice, practice

Revisit rules
Understand the errors you make
Use good sources to learn how to correct
errors
Grammarly handbook
Purdue OWL Grammar

Tools

Great help in catching simple grammar errors,

butCAUTION: Its STILL technology!
Not always accurate
Doesnt mean your paper is perfect