EAPP

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

TYPES OF WRITING STYLES

OUTLINE Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive, Narrative
I Nature of Academic Test
A Characteristics
II Types of Writing Styles
 Expository This means that the author is trying to explain a
A Reading Texts Critically concept, imparting information to the audience. It is not
i. Common Types of Text Structure subjective but rather focuses on facts that are supported by
B Text Structure evidence.
C Thesis Statements Examples: Textbooks, Articles, Recipes, News
ii. Characteristics of an Effective Thesis Stories (not editorials or op-eds), Business Technical
Statement or Scientific Writing
iii. Genres and Types of Thesis Statement
 Descriptive - Descriptive style means painting a picture of a
III Outlining Reading Texts
i. Types of Outline Texts person, place, or thing through words. It is often found in
ii. Critical Approaches in Writing a Critique fiction, though it can make an appearance to non-fiction as
well Memoirs, first-hand accounts, and events or travel
guides are examples of descriptive writing. The author
NATURE OF ACADEMIC TEST might employ metaphor or other literary devices in order to
 Academic Writing is a form of language used by people describe the author’s impressions using their five senses.
who communicate within an academic context using a  Persuasive - It is the main style of writing you will use in
written means. academic papers. When an author writes in a persuasive
 Context must be "formal” style, he/she is trying to convince the audience of a position
or belief.
o Persuasive writing contains the author’s opinions and
RULES IN WRITING AN ACADEMIC TEXT
biases, as well as justifications or reasons given by the
author as evidence of the correctness of their position.
o The examples of persuasive writing include cover
letters, op-eds and editorial newspaper articles,
reviews of items, letters of complaint, advertisements,
and letters of recommendation.
 Narrative Writing - Narrative writing is used in almost every
longer piece of writing, whether fiction or non-fiction., rather
tries to construct and communicate a story, complete with
characters, conflict and settings

CHARACTERISTICS READING TEXTS CRITICALLY

Formal, Explicit, Precise, Structured, Unbiased,
Responsible, Supported

 Formal - Academic Writing is formal in terms of vocabulary

words
 Explicit - Sentences must be connected in a clear way
 Precise - Sentences, terms, dates, figures and data must
be precise.
o Avoid " a lot of people" " many things
 Structures - Information is presented in logical way and that
ideas can be developed clearly
 Unbiased - Intends to inform or to produce reasonably
persuasive arguments
 Responsible - Providing evidence to support your claim
o managing information ethically
 Supported - Acknowledging sources used to develop your
own ideas

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CRITICAL READING is an active process of discovery because 3. Comparison and Contrast - Gives the similarities and
when you read critically, you are not just receiving information differences between two or more people, events, concepts,
but also making an interaction with the writer. ideas, and the like.
- You should bear in mind that this kind of structure should
SUGGESTED WAYS TO HELP YOU BECOME A discuss both comparing (similarities) and contrasting
CRITICAL READER (differences).
1. Annotate what you read SIGNAL WORDS: like, unlike, both, neither, similar, and
2. Outline the text different.
3. Summarize the text 4. Chronological Order - Chronological order explains a text
4. Evaluate the text by the time an event occurs.
- Chrono means time and logic means order.
5. Problem – Solution - Mentions a problem or problems,
identifies some possible solutions and discusses the effect
of the solution.
- Problem – Solution is a pattern of organization that
explains a problem or issue and an attempted solution in the
issue.

THESIS STATEMENT
Thesis statement is a statement or theory that is put
forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. It also tells
the reader what will be in the paper. It identifies and proved
the topic being discussed, or it summarizes the main point
of the paper. It is a 1-2 sentence or about 30 to 40 words
long. It is found at the end of the introduction, and it presents
1. Annotate what you read - Underline, circle or highlight the an argument to the reader.
word, phrases or sentences that contain important details A thesis statement is a sentence used in an essay that
2. Outline the Text - An Outline is a great way to organize ideas serves as the guide for the essay.
and information for a speech, an essay, a novel or a study guide. A thesis statement expresses the main idea of your paper.
Tips to do outline text CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE THESIS
i. Decide if you will write your outline by hand or type it. STATEMENT
ii. Narrow down your topics- outline helps you organize 1. A strong thesis statement usually contains an element of
your thoughts, ideas or research regarding a topic uncertainty, risk, or challenge, meaning that it should offer a
iii. Identify the purpose of your outline debatable claim that can be proven or disproved in the
iv. Identify the purpose of your outline essay.
v. Know your intended audience 2. An effective thesis statement is not just a statement of fact
vi. Write an alphanumeric outline for easy approach or a description of a topic. Instead, it describes for the reader
3. Summarize the Text - A summary is a shortened version of a what the particular position of the writer is on an issue, or
text. It contains the main points in the text and is written in your his/her interpretation of the significance of a particular idea.
own words 3. A thesis statement should not merely announce
4. Evaluate the Text - One way to evaluate the text is to look at something or state a fact. Rather, it should give an essay
the grammar, another way is to look at the content tension by introducing ideas that may challenge the reader’s
views.
USING KNOWLEDGE OF TEXT STRUCTURE 4. It is important that a thesis statement is not too general
TO GLEAN INFORMATION because the writer will not have enough space to cover
every possible aspect of the thesis statement.
Text Structure EXAMPLE
- A text should present its details and main ideas general idea - gadget
- Helps them to organize a written text, giving its cause and narrow idea - wired headphones
effect, or its different views. general idea - appliances
- Text structure refers to organization of information in a narrow idea - microwave oven
passage GENRES AND TYPES OF THESIS STATEMENTS
Argumentative essay (Making a claim) states the topic of
COMMON TYPES OF TEXT STRUCTURE your paper, your position on the topic, and the reasons you
1. Spatial or Description - Gives a reader a detailed have for taking that position.
feature that creates a picture on his/her mind about a
topic.
2. Cause and Effect - Presents the relationship between
specific events, ideas, or concepts.
- Cause and effect is one way of organizing information
in a text. It explains reasons why something happened.
It can be ordered as cause to effect or vice versa. It is
generally used in expository and persuasive writing
modes.
SIGNAL WORDS: because, as a result, resulted,
caused, affected, since, due to, effect.

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Analytical essay implies the breaking down of something into It shows how the parts of a text are related to one another
parts, or the discussion of something in a way that it becomes a or parts that are of equal importance, or sections that are
dissection of the whole. It differs from other types of essays in subordinate to the main idea.
that its primary goal is to explain something bit by bit to enhance
understanding.
What is the importance of making an outline?
1. It gives an overview of the topic and it enables us
to see how various subtopics relate to one
another.
2. Record the information in our own words tests our
understanding of what we read.
3. Record needed information from reference books
you do not own.
TYPES OF OUTLINE TEXTS
Expository essay is a genre of essay that requires the student
Reading Outline
to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea,
 used to get the main ideas of a text that is already
and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and
written.
concise manner.
STEPS IN CREATING A READING OUTLINE
1. Read the entire text first. Skim the text afterward.
2. Locate the main idea or thesis statement of the whole essay
or text.
3. Look for key phrases in each paragraph.
4. Look at the topic sentences and group those with related
ideas together.
5. Evaluate the supporting details provided.
6. Go back to the text to check whether you have followed its
sequence closely and that you have not missed any important
information.

Writing Outline
Narrative essay is telling a story. This essay is often anecdotal,  is a skeletal overview of your draft, which contains your
experiential, and personal—allowing students to express fundamental points and the different ideas that support
themselves in a creative and, quite often, moving ways. them.
STEPS IN CREATING OWN OUTLINE
1. Determine what your purpose is for writing the thesis, who
your reading audience is, and point of view and tone you would
like to assume in delivering your message.
2. Group together similar ideas and thoughts.
3. Examine all your main topics, sub- topics, supporting points
and particular details to see if it all developed your thesis, and
are logically sequenced. Also, check if all levels in the outline
have parallel wordings and grammatical structure.

The main difference between the two is the source of ideas.

OUTLINING READING TEXTS When you outline someone else’s work, you are trying to present
their ideas and structure. When outlining your own paper, you
will need to focus on your own ideas and the best way to
organize them.

An outline is a written plan that serves as a skeleton for

the paragraphs you write. It is a summary that gives the
essential features of the information that will be included
in a paper, book, speech or any other similar document

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working class and the elite members of society. Hence,

it attempts to reveal that the ultimate source of people’s
experience is the socio-economic system.

For an essay question on a test or a brief oral presentation in

class, all you need to prepare is a short, informal outline in
which you jot down key ideas in the order you present them.

For a longer paper like a story in a book or a research paper, a

formal outline is advisable.

CRITICAL APPROACHES IN WRITING A CRITIQUE

A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly and critically

summarizes and evaluates a work or concept. Critiques can be
used to carefully analyze a variety of works such as:

 Creative works – novels, exhibits, film, images, poetry;

 Research – monographs, journal articles, systematic
reviews, theories;
 Media – news reports, feature articles.

In short, a critique is a discussion, evaluation and interpretation

of a certain work especially in the literary field. Critiquing is not
merely “finding faults” but “improving a certain work” and helps
us understand the connection of each structure.

TYPES OF CRITICISM
1. Formalist Criticism - Also known as formalism, In this
approach, you can criticize the work based on the
elements of the text, how the characters, the setting,
the plot and the point of view are presented in the
literary work, in the same manner with the elements of
an artwork such as the line, shape, form and the space

2. Reader Response Criticism - This approach of criticism

is concerned with the reviewer’s reaction as an
audience of a literary work. This approach claims that
the reader’s role cannot be separated from the
understanding of the work. A text does not have
meaning until the reader reads and interprets it.
Readers, therefore, are not passive and distant, but
active consumers of the materials presented to them.

3. Feminist Criticism - This approach of criticism is

concerned with the reviewer’s reaction as an audience
of a literary work. This approach claims that the
reader’s role cannot be separated from the
understanding of the work. A text does not have
meaning until the reader reads and interprets it.
Readers, therefore, are not passive and distant, but
active consumers of the materials presented to them.

4. Marxist Criticism - Marxist criticism, also called

Marxism, is concerned with the differences between
economic classes and the implications of a capitalist
system, such as the continuing conflicts between the

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