FEU CAVITE

Senior High School Department

English for Academic and Professional

Purposes
ASPECTS ACADEMIC
of &
PROFESSIOAL
LANGUAGE
Which is Which?
• Formal • Implicit
• Informal • Explicit
• Subjective • Cautious
• Not- Cautious
• Objective
Academic VS. Non Academic
Writing
• Formal • Informal
• Objective • Subjective
• Explicit • Implicit
• Cautious • Not- Cautious
ASPECT 1: Formality
 ASPECT 1: Formality
• Choosing expanded over contracted forms
e.g. The experiment can’t be conducted due to time constraints. Cannot
• Choosing one verb over two word verbs :
e.g. Napoleon would not tolerate his generals holding out on him. Hiding
• Choosing expended over abbreviated equivalents
e.g. ASAP vs as soon as possible
• Avoidance of colloquial/trite/idiomatic expressions
e.g. kind of like, as a matter of fact, epic fail
One word verb over Two word verbs
• James added up the number of affirmative responses. Totalled.
• The order was to call off the strike immediately. _ a _ _ _ (5)
• The outnumbered forces would not give up.
_ u r r_ _ _ _ r (9)
• When deadlines approach, a student cannot let anything hold
up the completion of an assignment. d _ l_ _ (5)
• We have a hypothesis, but we must look into other possible
explanations for the phenomenon. _ e _ _ _ _ c h(8)
ASPECT 2:
Objectivity
• Avoid the use of personal pronouns such as YOU, I and WE

e.g.
In this paper, I argue that small incentives can lead to greater
participation in surveys.

The paper argues that small incentives can lead to greater

participation in surveys.
ASPECT 2: Objectivity
• Avoid rhetorical questions
e.g. Why has antibiotic resistance increased?

Many researchers have investigated why antibiotics resistance has

increased

It remains unclear why antibiotic resistance has increased

It is important to understand why antibiotic resistance has increased

ASPECT 2: Objectivity
• Avoid Emotive language
e.g. The investors were very shocked to see the outcome
of the tests

The investors did not expect the results

Exercise: Identify the problem then edit
the following sentences
1. You can use this model to optimize the water supply.
2. So, why did the bridge collapse? There’re a lot of questions.
3. The use of touch screen voting systems could get rid of many
problems associated with traditional paper-based ballots.
4. So far, there hasn’t been much research on how conflict influences
the level of trust and respect in a group.
5. Adventure would mean doing something epic.
 ASPECT 3: Explicitness
The use of vague expressions such as and so forth and etc should be avoided.
These expressions may sometimes be used, but keep in mind that they are
imprecise and require readers to “fill in” the missing information.

Example:
Micropumps can be used in drug delivery, lab-on-a-chip analysis, etc. (poor)
Micropumps can be used in drug delivery, lab-on-a-chip analysis, ink
dispensing, and other specialized applications that require self-contained, low
power, miniature pumps. (better)
ASPECT 4: Cautiousness
It is often believed that academic writing, particularly scientific writing, is
factual, simply to convey facts and information.
However it is now recognised that another important feature of academic
writing is the concept of cautious language, often called "hedging“.

In other words, it is necessary to make decisions about your stance on a

particular subject, or the strength of the claims you are making. There must be a
certain level of cautiousness for your claims and stance.
Hedging Words
e.g. seem, tend, look like, appear to be, think, believe,
Introductory verbs:
doubt, be sure, indicate, suggest
Certain lexical verbs e.g. believe, assume, suggest
Certain modal verbs: e.g. will, must, would, may, might, could
Adverbs of frequency e.g. often, sometimes, usually
Modal adverbs e.g. probably, possibly, perhaps, conceivably,

Modal adjectives e.g. probable, possible

Modal nouns e.g. assumption, possibility, probability
e.g. It could be the case that . 
That clauses e.g. It might be suggested that . 
e.g. There is every hope that .
e.g. It may be possible to obtain . 
To-clause + adjective e.g. It is important to develop . 
e.g. It is useful to study 
Consider the following sentences. The second sentence
is the better choices because it uses cautious language
.

The commitment to some of the social and economic concept (poor)

It may be said that the commitment to some of the social and economic
concepts was less strong than it is now. (better)
The lives they chose are overly ascetic and self-denying to most women
today. (poor)

The lives they chose may seem overly ascetic and self-denying to most
women today. (better)
Flow
Flow
Another important consideration for successful communication is flow
— moving from one statement in a text to the next.

Naturally, establishing a clear connection of ideas is important to help

your reader follow the text
How do you establish flow in your academic
paper/professional communication text?
1. Use of repetition and linking words
and phrases
Repetition and linking words and phrases can help a writer maintain
flow and establish clear relationships between ideas.

See example in the next slide.

 Research has shown that caffeine does indeed reduce sleepiness and can lead
to better academic performance since students can spend more time studying.
Despite its effectiveness in counteracting sleepiness, caffeine can have a negative
impact on subsequent sleep, which for many students may already be
compromised. Specifically, caffeinated beverages consumed near bedtime at
night can prolong sleep onset and reduce sleep efficiency and depth, thus
affecting both sleep quality and duration. Most of the research on how caffeine
affects sleepiness/alertness has focused on coffee or no-doze pills. However, a
new kind of caffeinated drink has become increasingly popular, namely functional
energy drinks (FEDs). FEDs are marketed as products that can improve both
mental and physical performance. In addition to containing caffeine, FEDs have
other active ingredients such as taurine, glucose, and glucoronolactone. Exactly
how these ingredients together affect alertness remains unclear.
The linking words and phrases are
highlighted in bold in the given examples
1. Increasing the size of airports is one solution to traffic congestion;
however, this is a long-term solution whose benefits may not be seen for
many years into the future.
2. It was once thought that aging disrupts the biological clock. But, recent
research (Czeisler et al., 2005) has shown that the body temperature and
hormone fluctuations of the elderly are as regular as those of the
young. . Doctors can consider this valuable information in the treatment
of sleep disorders in the elderly.
3. Although the biological clock functions regardless of the normal 24-
hour cycle of light and darkness, light is still involved in resetting and
regulating the clock.
How do you establish flow in your academic
paper/professional communication text?
2. Use of This (or These)+ Summary
Phrase/s
This (or These)+ Summary Phrase/s this/these + a noun can be used to establish a good flow of
information. Consider the following sentences. Sentences B has better flow because of the use of
This + a summary phrases/word

Sample:
A: Writing instructors know that students need to understand the differences between formal and
informal language.
This can help students make strategic choices in their writing.

B: Writing instructors know that students need to understand the differences between formal and
informal language.
This understanding can help students make strategic choices in their writing.
Sample:
In recent years, the number of students applying to PhD programs has increased steadily,
while the number of places available has remained fairly constant. This situation has
resulted in intense competition for admission.

This + situation (the summary word)

EXAPLANATION:

The phrases in italics contain a summary noun or word that refers back to the idea in the
previous sentence. The summary word summarizes what has already been said and pick up
where the previous sentence has ended. You may have noticed in your academic reading
that this is not always followed by a noun—that is, this is unsupported or unattended.
Keep in mind, however, that if there is a possibility your reader will not understand what
this is referring to, your best strategy is to follow this with a noun so that your meaning is
clear.
Exercise: Choose a noun to complete the second sentence of
each set of sentences. More than one answer may be possible.

1. According to a recent survey, 26% of all American adults, down

from 38% 30 years ago, now smoke. This _____________ can be
partly attributed to the mounting evidence linking smoking and fatal
diseases, such as cancer.
a. improvement
b. decline
c. rise
Exercise: Choose a noun to complete the second sentence of
each set of sentences. More than one answer may be possible.

1. According to a recent survey, 26% of all American adults, down

from 38% 30 years ago, now smoke. This _____________ can be
partly attributed to the mounting evidence linking smoking and fatal
diseases, such as cancer.
a. improvement (correct)
b. decline (correct)
c. rise
Exercise: Choose a noun to complete the second sentence of
each set of sentences. More than one answer may be possible.

2. Nowadays, laptop computers are lighter, more powerful, and easier to

use than they were five years ago. These ____________ have led to an
increase in the sales of these machines.

a. advances
b. problems
c. improvements
Exercise: Choose a noun to complete the second sentence of
each set of sentences. More than one answer may be possible.

2. Nowadays, laptop computers are lighter, more powerful, and easier to

use than they were five years ago. These ____________ have led to an
increase in the sales of these machines.

a. advances (correct)
b. problems
c. improvements (correct)
PLEASE ANSWER TASK 3
Thank you!