ACADEMIC WRITING| Lecture 3 Notes

Academic writing

LECTURE 3 Ironing out the details

VIDEO 3A - STRUCTURE OF A CONCLUSION

1. LINK TO THESIS STATEMENT

2. SUMMARY OF BODY PARAGRAPHS

3. ANSWER ESSAY QUESTION OR COMMENT ON TOPIC

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ACADEMIC WRITING VIDEOSVIDEO 3A

• Writing a Conclusiono linkso No new materialo Useful vocabulary

VIDEO 3B• Narrowing a topic

o Broad (background)o Narrower (middle – link)o Narrower (thesis statement)

VIDEO 3C• Review

o Academic vocabularyo Cohesion

• New materialo Proof-reading

• Quiz

ACADEMIC WRITING| Lecture 3 Notes

EXAMPLE CONCLUSION

By looking at this conclusion, you should have a clear idea what the thesis statement in the introduction was, what the body paragraphs were about and what the question was. Your conclusion is a summary of key points of the essay.

WRITING A CONCLUSION TO MATCH YOUR ESSAY

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Coffee has played an important role in many aspects of our lives. From its early days in Africa and the Middle East it was instrumental in creating and maintaining trade routes and today it is still an important trading commodity. Along with the trade routes came the meeting of cultures and the ritual that we all know today of inviting guests to enjoy a cup of coffee with us. The industry has involved the exploitation of workers in the past and this continues today, though there is an increasing impetus to rectify this. Clearly coffee has had an important role in bringing the world together since its first

appearance in 800 AD and that role continues today.

ACADEMIC WRITING| Lecture 3 Notes

USEFUL VOCABULARY

USEFUL VOCABULARY EXAMPLE OF USE

on balance On balance, the problems are not major and can be solved by …

outweigh The advantages such as improved hygiene and health outweigh the disadvantages …

in summary In summary, it is clear that

in conclusion In conclusion, it is important to consider

complex issue This is clearly a complex issue, but it seems that …

no easy answers There are no easy answers to the issue of minimising environmental damage, however,

analysis On analysis, it is clear that

EXERCISE

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CONCLUSION:

Link to thesis:

Summarise:

Answer essay question:

ACADEMIC WRITING| Lecture 3 Notes

QUIZ

Read the conclusion and answer the questions on the right. You will hear the answers on the video.

VIDEO 3B

NARROWING YOUR TOPIC – In your introduction

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CONCLUSION

In summary, clear steps can be taken to minimise harm. Firstly, safety regulations need to be put in place so danger is minimised, secondly participation needs to be limited to fit, consenting adults and finally there needs to be a general acceptance that some level of risk is a positive rather than a negative factor. With these steps in place dangerous sports can continue to have their place in our lives and should not be banned.

QUESTIONS

A. What was the thesis statement in the introduction about?

B. What topics did BODY 1 discuss?

C. What topics did BODY 2 discuss?

D. What topics did BODY 3 discuss?

E. What was the question?

ACADEMIC WRITING| Lecture 3 Notes

Check page 10 for an example of an introduction that narrows the topic about the environmental problems in Brunei.

VIDEO 3CACADEMIC VOCABULARY QUIZ

Underline the parts of the sentences that are not in academic writing style. And then write them correctly. The answers are on the video.

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Background - broad general history.

What the culture is today, visitor reactions & actions.

Past until today.

ACADEMIC WRITING| Lecture 3 Notes

QUIZ – COMMON ERRORS

QUIZ - CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWERS

The answers are on the video.

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ACADEMIC WRITING| Lecture 3 Notes

VIDEO 3B - Extra

Check the example introduction below. It is a response to the question on video 3B about environmental problems and it focuses on the issues of pollution and overfishing in waterways. What do you think? Does it go a good job of narrowing the topic?

What are the environmental problems in Brunei and how can they be solved?

(Here is an example introduction that narrows the topic from Environmental problems in general to water and then narrows further to a specific aspect of the rivers or waterways.)

Like neighbouring countries Brunei has suffered from degradation of its air quality and natural environment, but most particularly it has suffered from environmental damage to its waterways. Several species of marine animals have already been lost and water quality sometimes poses a threat to human health. This essay will focus on two factors that have caused the degradation of the waterways which are overfishing and poor waste disposal, and it will also consider steps that could be taken to return the waterways to a healthy condition.

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