ACADEMIC ENGLISH II THE WRITING PROCESS BY DIMUTHU

ACADEMIC ENGLISH II: THE WRITING PROCESS BY: DIMUTHU DE SILVA

STRUCTURE Structure of a piece of writing will have: • An introduction • A Body • A Conclusion

STRUCTURE: THE INTRODUCTION What is the purpose of writing an introduction? Choose from the list below: • Define terms of the title • Give your opinion of the subject • To show that you have some research of the subject • To show the subject is worth writing about • To explain in a nutshell what the essay/ article/ document deals with • To get the reader’s attention with a provocative idea • To show you need to organise your thoughts

STRUCTURE: THE INTRODUCTION Activity: Read the introduction given below and see if your answers to the previous question match this. “ 1. 1 Introduction Modern marketing defines the space between the consumer and the product as a separate and discrete but yet inextricably linked via the common thread of the brand. Against the backdrop of this link, understanding how a brand strategy is built to through brand equity is crucial to retain the consumer, the reputation and finally, the equity itself. The purpose of this essay is to understand the concept as stated above and use them in the application of providing the context of branding strategy to introduce Starbucks Coffee to Sri Lanka. ”

STRUCTURE: THE INTRODUCTION Remember! There is no standard introduction structure but rather depends on the nature of the research, the conditions of the situation and style of the writer. However, any introduction (exam condition or otherwise) should have some of the elements listed below: • Definitions of terms in the title that are unclear • Background information to the topic • Reference to other writers who have discussed the topic before • Your purpose in writing • Any limitations to the topic • Summary of main points

STRUCTURE: THE BODY The main body of academic writing pieces generally follow the structures listed below: • Description/ Development Kotler et al. (p. 263, 2013) defines a brand as the unique space a product or service hold’s in a customer’s heart and mind while branding is how a customer/s own/s this unique space through effective advertising and marketing campaigns. • For and Against Whether it is on TV, radio or hoardings at the side of the road, advertisements have become a part of our lives, advertising simply a means of informing the public or does it encourage consumers to purchase products they do not really need?

STRUCTURE: THE BODY • Comparison/ Evaluation It is very difficult to get away from calendar time in literate societies. By contrast many people in oral communities have little idea of the calendar year of their birth. Homework activity: Read some essays published online and find examples of the above discussed writing techniques

STRUCTURE: THE BODY The body generally includes the following sections: • Literature review – summary of main authorities on the topic • Experimental setup – technical descriptions on how the experiments are organised • Methods – how the experiment was carried out • Findings/ Results – results of the experiment conducted • Discussion/ Conclusion – examination of the results and the writer’s verdict • Sometimes there may be a case study that describes the topic being stupid in simple

STRUCTURE: CONCLUSION Not every academic study will have a separate conclusion. Sometimes this might be a part of an extended part of the body given as the summary of study or as “concluding remarks”. However, in most cases the conclusions speaks about: • Comparisons with other studies • Summary of the main body • Limitations of the research on a summative point • Suggestions, improvements and recommendations • Practical implications

STRUCTURE: CONCLUSION Activity: Read the conclusion given below and see if the conclusion has the structures previous discussed. “ 1. 7 Conclusion While managing a brand it’s equity is no simple deal, the real challenge lies in the successful execution of a brand strategy. Time again, history has proved that good brand strategies fail due to ineffective communication among departments and functions and thereby leading to not only loss of brand profits but also the losing the brand from the customer’s memory effectively making them relics of an age gone by. Also, adjusting and adapting to trends of time and culture while retaining what makes a brand unique is key to maintaining brand equity through brand strategy. Successes of brands like Sony and Apple provides the perfect juxtaposition with failed brands like Woolworth which further confirm the same. Finally, in conclusion, Starbucks in its entry to Sri Lanka should concentrate on building the brand with a local variation while retaining the brand charm and de rigueur that makes it unique and successful. ”

EFFECTIVE WRITING: AVOIDING PLAGIARISM What is plagiarism? The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. This is considered a criminal act. How to avoid plagiarism? One of the best ways to avoid plagiarism is through effective paraphrasing What is paraphrasing? Expressing the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity.

EFFECTIVE WRITING: PARAPHRASING Before: Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head. From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers, " Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348 After: The use of a helmet is the key to reducing bicycling fatalities, which are due to head injuries 75% of the time. By cushioning the head upon impact, a helmet can reduce accidental injury by as much as 85%, saving the lives of hundreds of victims annually, half of whom are school children ("Bike Helmets" 348).

ACTIVITY: PARAPHRASING 1. "The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts tremendous control on our climate, " [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera. "The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity. " From "Captain Cousteau, " Audubon (May 1990): 17. 2. The twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and the law was a bad joke because everyone knew of a local bar where liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land, and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America's break with the past. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25.

EFFECTIVE WRITING: REFERENCING What is referencing? Academic writing relies on more than just the ideas and experience of one author. Referencing is used to tell the reader where ideas from other sources have been used in an assignment. There are many reasons why it is important to reference sources correctly: • It shows the reader that you can find and use sources to create a solid argument. It properly credits the originators of ideas, theories, and research findings • It shows the reader how your argument relates to the big picture and to how to avoid plagiarism NEVILLE, C. (2010). The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism. 2 ND edition. Open UP Study Skills. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

EFFECTIVE WRITING: REFERENCING What needs to be referenced? Whenever an assignment uses words, facts, ideas, theories, or interpretations from other sources, that source must be referenced. Referencing is needed when: You have copied words from a book, article, or other source exactly. You have used an idea or fact from an outside source, even if you haven't used their exact wording. The common referencing styles include: • Harvard • Oxford • APA • Chicago

EFFECTIVE WRITING: PROOFREADING • Proofreading helps you to check that you have included everything you wanted to say in any piece of writing • It gives you a chance to review your work and add in anything you may have missed out • It helps you iron out any little, unnecessary errors you may have made • Proofreading shows that you take pride in your work and that it is the best you can make it • It can help you gain extra marks in your exams and could even make the difference between an entire grade!