Download Academic Writing 1: Sentence Structure and Grammar The

Academic Writing 1:
Sentence Structure and Grammar
The University of Melbourne
Tim Beaumont
Teaching and Learning Unit
btj@ nimelb ed a
[email protected]
>
A recentt exchange
h
The University of Melbourne
hi tim
r u free on friday@ 2pm?:)let e know if u r free ..i want to
structure the essay outline about chinee exconomu. Tks for
helping
#####
!
student number ####
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
2
>
A recentt exchange
h
The University of Melbourne
Dear #####,
Can you write back a proper email that you’ve
you ve put some thought
and care into? This sounds rude, but I won’t respond to emails
such as the one you’ve just sent.
Regards,
Tim Beaumont
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
3
>
A recentt exchange
h
The University of Melbourne
Dear Tim
sori. was rushed before.Are you free in tomoro
p
with u tomoro afternoon around
afternoon?Can i an apointment
2pm?i wanna discuss about my essay structure. Tks for helping
#####
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
4
>
A recentt assignment
i
t
The University of Melbourne
Internationalization is very important in building up SMEs’
competitiveness and grow in age of globalization today. SMEs
internationalization is different from LSEs internationalization
internationalization.
Nonetheless, little research is found that examine role of brand
in SMEs internationalization. Most of past research, when
addressing the role of brand in internationalization
internationalization, focus
exclusively on branding from large or multinational brands
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
.
5
>
The Importance of Good
Sentence Structure
The University of Melbourne
Poor sentence structure and grammar can:
•
•
•
•
•
affect comprehension
prevent your points from being taken seriously
suggest carelessness and lack of professionalism
negatively affect your marks
prevent you from getting jobs
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
6
>
O tli
Outline
The University of Melbourne
1. Sentence Structure Review
The Four Basic Sentence Structures
2. Clear Writing
Seven Techniques
3. Grammatical Accuracy
Seven Common Grammar Problems
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
7
>
Clauses
The University of Melbourne
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject & a verb.
Independent
(they express a complete thought)
•
Martin has two PhDs.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
8
>
Clauses
Cl
The University of Melbourne
Dependent
(they do not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone)
•
•
•
•
because Martin has two PhDs
although Martin has two PhDs
that Martin has two PhDs
if Martin had three PhDs
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
9
>
S t
Sentences
The University of Melbourne
A sentence is a group of words which contains (at least) one
independent clause and expresses a complete thought
Four main kinds:
1. Simple
1
2. Compound
3. Complex
4 Compound/Complex
4.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
10
>
Si
Simple
l Sentences
S t
The University of Melbourne
A simple sentence contains one independent clause.
•
Martin has two PhDs.
•
Martin has two PhDs but has absolutely no interest in a third.
•
Both Martin and his wife became sick of his endless study.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
11
>
C
Compound
d Sentences
S t
The University of Melbourne
A compound sentence combines two or more simple sentences
These two sentences are clearly related and of equal importance
They can be connected by:
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
12
>
C
Compound
dS
Sentences
t
The University of Melbourne
1.
Coordinating conjunctions
(for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
•
Martin enjoyed his first PhD, but he became tired of his
seco d
second.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
13
>
C
Compound
dS
Sentences
t
The University of Melbourne
2. Other linking words
(eg. in addition, however, alternatively, therefore, nevertheless,
on the one hand
hand, for example
example, in other words
words, indeed
indeed,
specifically)
•
Martin enjoyed his first PhD; however, he became tired of his
second.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
14
>
C
Compound
dS
Sentences
t
The University of Melbourne
3. A semi-colon
(if the relationship is so clear that a linking word is unnecessary)
•
Martin enjoyed his first PhD; he became tired of his second.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
15
>
C
Complex
l Sentences
S t
The University of Melbourne
A complex sentence contains one independent clause and one
or more dependent clauses
The main idea is contained in the independent clause, creating an
order of importance
The dependent clause could serve:
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
16
>
C
Complex
l Sentences
S t
The University of Melbourne
1. As a noun:
Most theorists believe that sales will decrease.
2. As an adverb:
Although this belief is widespread, the market is yet to be
a ected
affected.
3. As an adjective:
Most theorists expect that the decrease
decrease, which is likely to be
severe, will begin soon.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
17
>
Complex / Compound
Sentences
The University of Melbourne
Complex / compound sentences contain at least two
Independent clauses and one dependent clause
• Although most theorists believe the decrease will come soon,
customer confidence remains strong
strong, and most businesses
have not initiated significant restructures.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
18
>
Review
The University of Melbourne
IC (independent clause)
DC (dependent clause)
IC
Simple Sentence
IC + IC
Compound Sentence
IC + DC
Complex Sentence
IC + IC + DC
Complex / Compound Compound
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
19
>
The University of Melbourne
Wh t is
What
i ‘academic
‘
d i English’?
E li h’?
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
20
>
G d academic
Good
d i English?
E li h?
The University of Melbourne
>
The main purpose of the Staff Booking Database (SBD) is for the
recording of staff booking requests which in turn provides the total
recurring audit cost for each client. As a result of the recent merger
that has taken place and hence the increase in the numbers of staff
and clients, it is important that each BU be used in such a way as to
track and collate all staff movements. The use of the SBD allows
a age s in eac
each BU
U to rethink
et
on
o a
an a
annual
ua bas
basis,
s, tthe
e way
ay tthe
e
managers
audit was performed and make any necessary amendments to the
amount of staff and the mix of skills required for the following year.
Implementing a formal process and system will not only make sure
that all staff are receiving the right type of experience and exposure
as they progress, but it should also be of assistance in guaranteeing
our clients are receiving the most suitable mix of staff.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
21
A golden
ld rule
l
The University of Melbourne
Keep it simple!
If unsure about a sentence:
•
•
•
•
start with the subject (but not ‘it’)
follow with a verb
keep it short
explain your point out loud: “What I want to say is…”
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
22
>
The University of Melbourne
Cl
Clear
writing:
iti
7 tips
ti
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
23
>
1 U
1.
Use clear
l
vocabulary
b l
The University of Melbourne

A considerable multitude of invited participants enquired
about the location in which they could purchase beverages.

Many guests asked where they could buy drinks.
Imagine
ag e you are
a e writing
t g for:
o
•
an intelligent but non-specialist audience, or
•
a lecturer who is tired, has just read 20 assignments, and
doesn’t want to think
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
24
>
2 U
2.
Use short
h t sentences
t
The University of Melbourne
 Once an organisation understands its customers’ needs, it must
establish goals to help ensure good service delivery which are
typically set in terms of employee or machine performance such
as in a case in which a bank may require all its employees to
conform to a dress code and that all incoming telephone calls be
answered by the third ring.
 Once an organisation understands its customers’ needs, it must
establish goals to help ensure good service delivery. These
goals are typically
g
yp
y set in terms of employee
p y or machine
performance. For example, a bank may require all its employees
to conform to a dress code. Likewise, the bank may require that
all incoming telephone calls be answered by the third ring.
(Pride Elliot
(Pride,
Elliot, Rundle-Thiele,
Rundle Thiele Waller
Waller, Palandino
Palandino, Ferrell
Ferrell, p
p. 258)
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
25
>
3. Put the subject early
in the sentence
The University of Melbourne
 In his lecture on Engineering Ethics, which he gave on Tuesday
the 7th of June in the Chisholm Theatre, Dr Dabke addressed
y and how humans become p
professional.
why
 Dr Dabke addressed how and why humans became
professionals in the lecture on Engineering Ethics which he
gave on Tuesday the 7th of June in the Chisholm Theatre.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
26
>
4 U
4.
Use th
the active
ti voice
i
The University of Melbourne
 It is believed by many lecturers and tutors that inadequate care
is put into writing by too many students.
 Many lecturers believe that too many students put inadequate
care into their writing.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
27
>
5 Be
5.
B careful
f l with
ith noun phrases
h
The University of Melbourne
 A measure of the distance in multidimensional space is known
as Mahalanobis distance which is the distance of each
observation from the mean centre of the observations.
 Mahalanobis distance is a measure of observations taken and
where they are taken from. To be specific, it is the distance in
multidimensional space of observations
observations. This measurement is
normally taken from the mean centre of observations.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
28
>
6 B
6.
Be careful
f l with
ith pronouns
The University of Melbourne
 His determination to succeed in a challenging competitive
environment is what made Richard Branson so successful.
 Richard Branson’s determination to succeed in a challenging
competitive environment is what made him so successful.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
29
>
7 B
7.
Be careful
f l with
ith abbreviations
bb i ti
The University of Melbourne
 In Feb, 2008, MMSP of UEB, Ian Appleton, spoke about HRM
use of the MBTI.
 In February, 2008, Associated Management and Marketing
Senior Professor of the University of East Borneo, Ian Appleton,
spoke about Human Resource Management use of the MyersBriggs Test Indicator.
Indicator
Minimise use of:
A
Acronyms
(NASA
(NASA, UNICEF)
Initialisation (MBTI, UNSW, HRM)
Shortened forms (etc., eg., ie, Assoc., Feb., Intl, Grad. Dip.)
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
30
>
A d avoid:
And
id
The University of Melbourne
•
Language that isn’t tentative
“X caused Y”, “A must do B”,“A thinks B”
•
Vague words
“some”, “many”, “somewhat”
•
Contractions
“It’s” “Isn’t”
•
Smiley faces
:-)
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
31
>
A d avoid:
And
id
The University of Melbourne
•
Informal language
“I”, “you”, “we”, “pretty good”
•
Jargon
“outcome-based benchmarking of best practice”
•
Colourful language
“Really brilliant”
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
32
>
Grammar
The University of Melbourne
Try to identify your grammatical problems so you can
address them
7 grammatical areas students often find difficult are:
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
33
>
Grammar
The University of Melbourne
1.
2.
3
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Articles
Singular or Plural
Countable or Uncountable
Subject-Verb Agreement
Verb Tenses
Linking Words
Prepositions
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
34
>
1 A
1.
Articles
ti l (a/an/the)
( / /th )
The University of Melbourne
•
•
•
•
•
I have Finance tute in ten minutes in Spot.
I usually come to uni by tram.
University should not only be for rich.
I read good text yesterday. Text could be useful for my essay.
Tonight I need to buy milk, Age, apple and loaf of bread.
The most common problem is omission. The second is using
the wrong article.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
35
>
2 Si
2.
Singular
l or Plural
Pl
l
The University of Melbourne
It’s easy to forget to make nouns plural. ( Many manager…)
Often, you will need to decide whether to refer to nouns in your text
Often
as singular (a manager) or plural (managers).
If you are refer to ‘a manager’, don’t start talking about ‘managers’.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
36
>
3 Countable
3.
C
t bl or Uncountable
U
t bl
The University of Melbourne
Don’t add ‘s’ to uncountable nouns ( informations,
knowledges, equipments, etc)
Be careful with quantity words and articles:
 Many freedom
 Less people
 An information
2/10/2012
 Much freedom
 Fewer people
 Information
Tim Beaumont
37
>
4 S
4.
Subject-Verb
bj t V b Agreement
A
t
The University of Melbourne
Make sure verbs agree with subjects.
•
He is…
is / They are…
are / She lives
lives…
Be careful when:
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
38
>
4 S
4.
Subject-Verb
bj t V b Agreement
A
t
The University of Melbourne
The verb has long modifying phrase which follows the subject
• The text about the marketing strategies of 10 leading Australian companies is
useful.
The noun is can lead to confusion about whether it is singular or plural.
• The Beatles is a great band.
• Everyone wants a good job.
Words that indicate quantity are used
• Each one of the employees is satisfied.
• The number of people in support was 15
15.
• A number of people were unhappy.
Uncountable nouns are subjects
• The audience was supportive.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
39
>
5 V
5.
Verb
b Tenses
T
The University of Melbourne
The English tense system is complicated and very different to
tense systems in other languages.
It is essential that tenses are consistent in your writing.
Don’t shift unnecessarily between tenses in a paragraph.
When changing
g g tenses in a p
paragraph,
g p , use ‘signalling
g
g words’ or time
phrases eg. since then, currently, now, in the past etc
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
40
>
6 Li
6.
Linking
ki words
d
The University of Melbourne
Be careful about the exact meaning and use of linking words:
 Although she tried, but she couldn’t succeed.
 Although she tried, she couldn’t succeed.
 She tried. While she couldn’t succeed.
 She
S tried, However, she couldn’t
’ succeed.
 The managers lacked financial planning skills. Meanwhile, they
l k d experience
lacked
i
iin thi
this area.
 The managers lacked financial planning skills. Furthermore, they
lacked experience in this area.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
41
>
7 P
7.
Prepositions
iti
The University of Melbourne
A notoriously difficult and frustrating aspect of the English language
for non-native speakers!
 I have locked on an appointment by the Manager in 9.00 at the
morning on the 22nd to discuss about my upcoming presentation with
the clients.
 I have locked in an appointment with the Manager at 9.00 on the
morning of the 22nd to discuss my upcoming presentation to the clients.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
42
>
Editi and
Editing
d Proofreading
P
f di
The University of Melbourne
Also check:
•
•
•
•
•
•
text structure
paragraph structure
spelling
punctuation
font
layout
Always edit and proofread your work carefully!
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
43
>
N d More
Need
M
H
Help?
l ?
The University of Melbourne
Consult Academic Writing Books, particularly:
•
•
•
Writing Academic English (Longman)
The Essentials of English (Longman)
Some IELTS texts
Use CELT
C
S
Services, particularly:
•
•
•
•
Workshops
I di id l C
Individual
Consultations
lt ti
Helpsheets
GEP
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
44
>
A k
Acknowledgement
l d
t
The University of Melbourne
Some of the material featured in this presentation has been
adapted from slides prepared by Dr. Martin Davies and Chi Baik.
2/10/2012
Tim Beaumont
45
>