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Academic Writing in English for
Speakers of Other Languages
TIPS FOR IMPROVING ACADEMIC WRITING IN
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR NON-NATIVE
SPEAKERS
ACADEMIC WRITING CENTRE,
NUI GALWAY
COMPILED BY DANIEL WAGNER
INFORMATION RETRIEVED FROM THE MAYFIELD HANDBOOK FOR
TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC WRITING & THE PURDUE OWL
WEBSITE.
Contents
 Choosing the Right Word
 Nouns, Articles, Verbs
 Avoiding Wordiness
 Word Order and Sentence Structure
 Coherence at the Sentence and Paragraph Level
 Developing an Appropriate Style
 Organization and Approach
 Documentation/Use of Research
SECTION 1
CHOOSING THE
RIGHT WORD
Articles
There are 2 types of articles:
definite and indefinite.
EXAMPLES

Example 1: Using the direct article “the” in reference to specific entities.
The Academic Writing Centre in the James Hardiman Library provides support for
students of the National University of Ireland, Galway.
 Definite Articles (the)
The noun the article
supports is specific, not
new to reader

Used when intending a
singular noun to refer to
an entire class of items
(See: “Examples” for common
uses of definite articles!)

 Indefinite Articles (a,
an)
The noun the article
supports is not unique,
other examples exist

Used when noun is new to
reader or is an arbitrary
example of the class the
noun belongs to
(See: “Examples” for common
uses of indefinite articles!)
Definite Articles
Notice how the
articles precede
the nouns in the
sentences!
Example 2: Using the direct article “the” when intending a singular noun to refer
to an entire class of items.
The students of NUI Galway can refer to the resources provided online to enhance
their academic writing.

Indefinite Articles
*Tip! Choosing between a or an: When the noun begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), then you use “an”. When
the noun begins with a consonant (all other letters), then you use “a”.
Example 1: Using the direct article “a” for a noun beginning with a consonant.
The Academic Writing Centre can be a great resource for a student seeking

assistance in writing.
Example 2: Using the direct article “an” for a noun beginning with a vowel.
Revision is an important element in making sure an essay is of good quality.
EXAMPLES
Nouns
A noun is a person, place or thing and is
normally preceded by an article (a, an,
the).


Example: Using an article before a singular countable noun and not using one
before a plural countable noun. (Also, adding –s or –es to plural nouns!)
Countable vs. Uncountable

Countable: Nouns that are
countable mean that they can
exist as more than one and the
endings –s or –es are added to
the end to represent pulrality
Uncountable: Nouns that refer to
substances, concepts, or general
terms for classes of items
(See: “Examples” for common uses of
each!)
The Academic Writing Centre helps students of the National University of Ireland
Galway with difficulties in writing.

Pronouns
Pronouns take the place of
specific nouns

Types of pronouns:

I, me, he, she, herself, you,
it, that, they, each, few,
many, who, whoever, whose,
someone, everybody…
(See: “Examples” for common uses of
pronouns!)


Proper nouns
Are capitalised and have special
rules with article usage
(See: “Examples” for these special
uses!)

Uncountable nouns
Example: The correct and incorrect usage of uncountable nouns.


Countable nouns
BOLD underlines represent
singular countable nouns. SLIM
underlines represent plural
countable nouns. Articles in
italics!
Incorrect: Good academic writing is important for students to develop throughout
their years in the education.
Correct: Good academic writing is important for students to develop throughout
their years in education.

Pronouns
Example: The presence of pronouns in a sentence replacing the noun.
Ciara was not confident with her writing, so she went to the Academic Writing
Centre for help. James told Ciara he saw mistakes in her paper, but very few.

Proper nouns
Example: Some proper nouns require an article, some don’t. Here’s an example!
The Academic Writing Centre at the James Hardiman Library is located in Ireland.
BOLD underlines represent proper nouns requiring an article. SLIM underlines
represent proper nouns that do not require an article. Articles in italics!
EXAMPLES
Verbs
Verbs describe actions: what has
happened, what is happening, or what
will or might happen; or a condition.

Subject-verb agreement



A verb places the event of
the sentence in the past,
present or future (whether
the action happened, is
happening, or will happen)
Voice


Subject-verb agreement
NOT ACCEPTABLE
The college have the Academic Writing Centre to helps students with writing.
ACCEPTABLE
The college has the Academic Writing Centre to help students with writing.
Tense


Verb must agree with subject
in: number & person
Be careful of modifiers!

Two voices in English: active
or passive (subject: doer or
receiver of action expressed
by verb)
Mood

Three types of mood:
indicative, imperative or
subjunctive (attitude of
subject toward action/
certainty with which action is
to take place?

Tense
Past
The Academic Writing
Centre helped many
students with academic
writing last semester.

Present
The Academic Writing
Centre helps many
students with academic
writing each semester.
Future
The Academic Writing
Centre will help students
with academic writing for
many semesters to come.
Voice
Active
The Academic Writing Centre
provides services in academic
writing to the students of NUI
Galway.
Passive
Services in academic writing
are provided by the Academic
Writing Centre to the students
of NUI Galway.
SECTION 2
AVOIDING
WORDINESS
General Tips on Wordiness
 KISS – Keep It Simple, Sweetheart


Say what needs to be said in as few words as possible
BUT don’t sacrifice any vital information!
 Conciseness



REMEMBER – Sometimes, less is more
Don’t try to say too much in one sentence
Breaking up a really long sentence into 2 smaller ones can make it
easier on the reader to understand your idea
 Avoid repetition


Repeating ideas can make the writing confusing
Once you have made your point, back it up with research and move
on to the next
Word Order
Inverted Word Order
Ordinary Word Order
Sentences usually follow this order:
1.
Subject
2. Verb
3. Direct and indirect objects (if present)

Certain sentences call for Inverted Word
Order, in which the verb comes before the
subject.

Types of sentences which follow this model of
word order include:
1.
Examples
ACCEPTABLE
The Academic Writing Centre helps students of
NUI Galway.
2.
3.
NOT ACCEPTABLE
Students of NUI Galway the Academic Writing
Centre helps.
Interrogative sentences (questions)

Example: Do you use the Academic Writing
Centre?
Conditional clauses

Example: Were he a more diligent student, he
would use the AWC to make sure his academic
writing is acceptable.
Declarative sentences beginning with negative words,
such as: never, rarely, scarcely, hardly, ever and not
only.

Example: Not only can the AWC provide with
good academic writing tips, it helps to have
another person look over your papers.
Sentence
Structure
Commas
Commas should be used in the
following situations:
•
Coordinating
Conjunctions
As with anything else, academic
writing requires practice, and can
be mastered by anyone who
practices their craft.
A comma is placed before the
coordinating conjunction which
separates 2 clauses when necessary
Elements in a Series
Stages of writing include:
brainstorming, outlining,
drafting, revising, editing, and
polishing.
A comma distinguishes between all
of the individual items in the series
Coordinate modifiers
•
•
Each day of the week, the
Academic Writing Centre helps
students with issues in
academic writing.
Elements in a series
•
•
A comma separates introduction of
sentence to main point
Coordinating conjunctions joining
independent clauses
•
•
Introductory Elements
Introductory Elements
•
•
EXAMPLES
Separate two or more modifiers of a
word with a comma to indicate their
distinctiveness from one another
Non-restrictive modifiers
•
•
Usually introduced by “which”
Contain information that is not
essential to establishing the
meaning of what it modifies
The conjunction
“and” needs to be
preceded by a
comma.
Coordinating
Conjunctions
As with anything else,
academic writing requires
practice, and can be mastered
by anyone who practices their
craft.
Non-Restrictive
Modifiers
The Academic Writing Centre,
which is located in the James
Hardiman Library, is an open
service to students of NUI
Galway.
Sentence Structure: Colons vs. Semi-Colons
Semicolons
Colons

Use colons for the following purposes:
•
•
•
to introduce and emphasize lists and certain
appositional elements
to set off and emphasize explanations and
appositional elements
to separate titles from subtitles
Examples

Use semicolons for the following
purposes:
•
•
to join two independent clauses
to separate sentence elements with commas
in them
Examples
Example 1: Stages of writing include: brainstorming,
Example 1: There are two ways to set up appointments
Example 2: When planning your writing, you must first
at the Academic Writing Centre; one is by coming in for a
one-on-one consultation in person, and the other is
scheduling a one-on-one consultation over the phone
with a tutor.
outlining, drafting, revising, editing, and polishing.
ask yourself: What question am I trying to answer?
Example 3: I am currently reading a book entitled
Composition in Four Keys: Inquiring into the Field by
Wiley, Gleason and Phelps to improve my academic
writing.
Example 2: Italicize titles of journals, books,
newsletters, and manuals; letters, words, terms, and
equation symbols; foreign words; and names of specific
things.
Other General Rules for Sentence Structure

Phrases and Clauses

Always be aware of which part of the sentence is DEPENDENT on the other – there is no specific
rule for order of clauses, but be sure to emphasise the importance of the dependence of one clause
on the other.


Old Information Before New

To avoid confusion for the reader, be sure to mention old information before new information so
the reader can understand the flow of your writing in an easier way.



EXAMPLE: Since it is important to check your writing before submitting (DEPENDENT), having another
person read over your essay draft is always a good idea (INDEPENDENT).
BAD EXAMPLE: You can submit an essay to the Academic Writing Competition where the winning essay earns
the writer an iPad [new] after the essays are judged by tutors at the Academic Writing Centre [old].
GOOD EXAMPLE: You can submit an essay to the Academic Writing Competition which will be judged by
tutors at the Academic Writing Centre [old] and the winning essay will earn the writer an iPad [new].
Main Clause of the Sentence: Important information

Put the most important information of the sentence (the information that the sentence is about)
into the main clause. Put information that is less important (information that is included to
provide background or tie together the ideas in a paragraph) into a dependent clause.

EXAMPLE: Since academic writing can be difficult for some people, working with a tutor at the Academic
Writing Centre can help students who struggle finding their strength with writing academic essays.
Overall Coherence
Paragraph Level
Sentence Level
1.
Break up stringy sentences.
1.
2.
Avoid “choppy” sentences – keep the essay flowing.
1.
2.
3.
The flow of one sentence into the next must feel natural
and not disjointed.
Sometimes, combining short, smaller sentences into one
(IF IT WORKS!) will contribute to a more free-flowing
string of sentences.


Coherent paragraphs have a beginning, a middle and
an end.
Elements contributing to coherent paragraphs:
1.
Topic Sentences


2.
Be careful with modifiers.
1.
2.
4.
Instead of combining a bunch of smaller clauses with
commas, decide where to include a full stop[.] . This will
break up the clauses from stringing along into one big,
confusing sentence.
Maintain consistent tense, mood, person and voice
among all sentences!
1.
2.
Go back and review mentions of these terms further back
in the PowerPoint for review.
Shifting between different tenses, moods, etc. will make
the essay seem disconnected and choppy.
Transitional Devices, Words and Phrases
1.
Make sure your modifiers are properly connected to the
words they modify.
Add the noun or phrase that the modifier was intended to
modify and rephrase the sentence accordingly.
2.
3.
3.
State the central idea of a paragraph in a topic
sentence.
The other sentences should elaborate on the topic
sentence with relevant information and evidence.
Verbal "bridges" which link one idea to the next.
Help to avoid choppyness!
Common transitional words and phrases:
1.
See next slide for a comprehensive list of
common transitional words and phrases!
Overall Paragraph Unity
1.
Unify paragraphs by making every sentence
contribute to one, central idea. This is usually stated
in a topic sentence.
Common Transitions
 cause and effect: consequently, therefore, accordingly, as a result, because, for this
reason, hence, thus
 sequence: furthermore, in addition, moreover, first, second, third, finally, again,
also, and, besides, further, in the first place, last, likewise, next, then, too
 comparison or contrast: similarly, also, in the same way, likewise, although, at the
same time, but, conversely, even so, however, in contrast, nevertheless, nonetheless,
notwithstanding, on the contrary, otherwise, still, yet
 example: for example, for instance, in fact, indeed, of course, specifically, that is, to
illustrate
 purpose: for this purpose, for this reason, to this end, with this object
 time or location: nearby, above, adjacent to, below, beyond, farther on, here,
opposite to, there, to the south, before, after, later, afterward, immediately, in the
meantime, meanwhile, now, since, soon, then, while
SECTION 3
DEVELOPING AN
APPROPRIATE STYLE
Organization and Approach

Clarity

Structural Clarity



Stylistic Clarity




What is the purpose of your writing? What is/are the question(s) you are answering?
This should be explicit for the reader as they should come to an understanding of your conclusions as they read through your essay.
Conciseness




Be simple, direct and concise.
Refer back to good word choice, avoiding wordiness and good sentence structure tips in order to master concise style!
Contextual Clarity


Makes it easy for the reader to understand the overall picture
For longer theses or dissertations, using a Table of Contents, section titles, etc. helps the reader to understand the different sections
they are reading in a long (and often overwhelming) document.
At the level of the whole document, conciseness is helped most by focus, the narrowing of document scope to a
manageable problem and response.
Preparing a clear introduction and developing a detailed outline are two strategies that give you control over
document length and scope.
Identify and eliminate material that is not necessary to support your claims.
Organization

The process of getting organized requires that you work out a schedule for your research and writing. Planning
guides can be valuable tools for helping you produce work on a reasonable schedule. (This goes back to the stages of
the writing process!)



Outlines (a planning guide) help you work out both the general structure of your document and specific sections and topics.
Organization is essential for coherence. A predictable and logical structure helps readers understand the information
presented in your document.
Introduction – body – conclusion is the typical, accepted format to follow for good organization.
Documentation and Use of Research
Language of Citing In-Text

Direct Quotations



A direct quotation is either enclosed in quotation
marks or indented on the page.
If you omit part of the wording, use an ellipsis (…) to
indicate the missing part of the quotation.
Paraphrasing


Restating an idea in an entirely new form that is
original in both sentence structure and word choice
from that of the original author.
BE CAREFUL!: Taking the basic structure from a
source and substituting a few words is an
unacceptable paraphrase and may be construed as
plagiarism.

Creating a new sentence by merging the wording of two or
more sources is also plagiarism.
EXAMPLES
Direct Quotation: William Zinsser has said ‘writing and learning and
thinking are the same process’.
Language of Bibliography

There are a number of different styles to be
aware of for bibliographies, or works cited
pages!



APA Style
MLA Style
Chicago Manual Style
Each of these styles are outlined and explained on the
PURDUE OWL website. If you click on their logo on the
bottom of the ‘Language of Citing In-Text’ section, it will
bring you to the home page, where you can find
information on structuring a bibliography or works cited
page for your academic essay!
REMEMBER: This section of your essay is very technical
and needs to be followed correctly to avoid plagiarism,
which is very important!
Paraphrase: There is a synthesis between writing, learning and
thinking as they occur simultaneously among each other, which
William Zinsser has suggested.
Purdue OWL is the BEST
online resource for helping
with research and
citations!