Academic Writing

Features of academic writing

Introduction: Exercise

Some suggestions:

Text 1 is the introduction from a novel. Some features are: past tense narrative, introduction to characters

Text 2 is a recipe from a recipe book. Some features are: list of ingredients, instructions using imperative verbs “Trim, Add, Heat”.

Text 3 is a list of instructions from a manual for an electric kettle. Some features are: list, bullet pints, instructions using imperative verbs “Fill, Leave, Empty”

Text 4 is a business letter. Some features are layout “address, Dear Mr, Yours sincerely”

Text 5 is the beginning of a chapter from a textbook. Some features are: chapter headings, clear descriptions, definitions.

Text 6 is part of a play. Some features are: dialogue with speakers named, conversational language.

Text 7 is the introduction from an academic article. Some features are: objective impersonal language “This paper examines, It is hoped”, citations “Sinclair, 1988”, nominalisation (nouns, not verbs) “interaction, attribution”.

Text 8 is a poem. Some features are: layout – short lines, rhyme “day, May”

Text 9 is an advertisement. Some features are: layout, picture, price, positive adjectives “beautiful, great”

Text 10 is an article from a local newspaper. Some features are: layout “columns”, headings.

Text 11 is a classified accommodation advertisement. Some features are: layout, abbreviations.

Text 12 is an informal letter. Some feature are: personal language “I, you, we”, questions, use of punctuation.