7

ENGLISH
Quarter 4-Module 1

FEATURES OF ACADEMIC
WRITING

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines
English – Grade 7
Alternative Delivery Mode
Fourth Quarter- Module 1: Features of Academic Writing
First Edition, 2020
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Published by the Department of Education – Region 10

Regional Director: Dr. Arturo B. Bayocot, CESO III
Assistant Regional Director: Dr. Victor G. De Gracia Jr., CESO V

Development Team of the Module

Authors: Elvin B. Laput Cathrine B. Pielago
Michelyn
RolandoC.T.Aranjuez
Luna Shirley
Silmarie
N. Bayon-on
E. Actub Crystalyn S. Ledesma
Maria Corazon C. Jumawan
Reviewers:

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Chairperson: Dr. Arturo B. Bayocot, CESO III

Regional Director

Co-Chairpersons: Dr. Victor G. De Gracia Jr., CESO V

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Edwin R. Maribojoc, EdD, CESO VI
Schools Division Superintendent
Eugene I. Macahis,
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 7
English
Fourth Quarter-Module 1

Features of Academic
Writing

This instructional material is collaboratively developed and

reviewed by educators from public schools. We encourage teachers
and other education stakeholders to email their feedback,
comments, and recommendations to the Department of Education –
Region 10 at [email protected].

Your feedback and recommendations are highly valued.

Department of Education ● Republic of the

 Introductory Message

To our dear learners,

Welcome to the first module of Quarter 4! You will be learning many things in
this module that will help you develop your communication skill, particularly in
academic writing.

This module will provide you with an overview in the world of academic
writing. A brief discussion about its features or characteristics will also be provided.
Writing academically will help you analyze, convey understanding, think critically,
and focus on technique and style.

Before you will do the activities, you must familiarize the different set of
headings and learning icons that will help you understand the lesson.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in the
module.

What I Know This part includes an activity that aims to check

what you already know about the lesson to take. If
you get all the answers correct ( 100%), you may
decideto skip this module.

What’s In This is a brief drill or review to help you link the

current lesson with the previous one.

What’s New In this portion, the new lesson will be introduced to

you in various ways such as a story, a song, a
poem, a problem opener, an activity or a situation.

What is It This section provides a brief discussion of the

lesson. This aims to help you discover and
understand new concepts and skills.
.
What’s More This comprises activities for independent practice to
solidify your understanding and skills of the topic

You may check your answers to the exercises using

the Answer Key at the end of the module.

What I Have Learned This includes questions or blank

sentence/paragraphto be filled in to process what
you learned from the lesson.
 What I Can Do This section provides an activity which will help you
transfer your new knowledge or skill into real life
situations or concerns.

Assessment This is a task which aims to evaluate your level of

mastery in achieving the learning competency.
.

Additional Activities In this portion, another activity will be given to you

to enrich your knowledge or skill of the lesson
learned. This also tends retention of learned
concepts.

Answer Key This contains answers to all activities in the module.

At the end of this module, you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in developing

this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Write your answers of the tests and exercises in your English
activity notebook.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.

If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are not
alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning
and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

What I Need to Know ---------------- 1

What I Know ---------------- 1

What’s In ---------------- 2

Activity 1: Remember Me! ---------------- 2

What’s New ---------------- 2

Activity 2: Spot the Difference! ---------------- 2

What Is It ---------------- 3

What’s More ---------------- 7

Activity 3: Expanded over Contracted ---------------- 7

What I Have Learned ---------------- 7

Activity 4: Watch Out! ---------------- 7

What I Can Do ---------------- 8

Activity 5: Complete Me ---------------- 8

Assessment ---------------- 9

Additional Activity ---------------- 11

Activity 6: Think It Over ---------------- 11

Answer Key ---------------- 12

References ---------------- 15
 What I Need to Know

After reading this module, you should be able to distinguish the features of
academic writing. (EN7WC-I-c-4.2)

Specifically, you should also be able to:

a. describe what academic writing is;

b. identify the different features or characteristics of academic writing; and
c. apply the unique features of academic writing.

Prepare yourself for a wonderful learning experience. Be extra patient in

accomplishing the tasks. But more importantly, have time to enjoy in answering
them. Just remember that this will enrich you with important knowledge and skills in
your academic journey.

What I Know

Directions: Draw a smiley face ( ) if the item is an example of an academic

writing, or put a sad face ( ) if it is not.

1. novel 9. movie script

2. poem 10. personal diary
3. riddle 11. nursery rhyme
4. thesis 12. myth or legend
5. textbook 13. abstract report
6. song lyric 14. research paper
7. short play 15. idiomatic expression
8. news article

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 Lesson
Features of Academic Writing
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What’s In

Activity 1: REMEMBER ME!

Before you start, I would like you to recall the past lesson. You have learned
about asking thought provoking questions. This time, formulate three (3) thought
provoking questions based on the topic in the box below. Write your answers in your
English activity notebook.

My three thought provoking questions:

COVID-19 Pandemic
1. ?
2. ?
3. ?

What’s New
You are about to start learning more exciting activities. Have fun!
Study the boxes of information below.
A B
Across the globe, suicide is a
Source: univ-biskra.dz Suicide is a serious problem. This is
serious public health issue (Mann et al, because if you lose somebody close to you,
2005). There are severe emotional costs this can be very hard for you. It is also
because suicide costs a lot of money to the
through loss of an acquaintance or loved
economy due to losing members of the
one in addition to significant economic
workforce and the cost of treating people who
costs through loss of income and medical have attempted suicide. The number of
treatment (Corso et al, 2007). In the last 45 people committing suicide. The number of
years, worldwide suicide rates have people committing suicide has gone up a lot.
increased by 60% (World Health It has gone up by 60% over the past 45 years.
Organization, 2008). Consequently, the This means that people who work in public
development of suicide prevention health all over the world need to come up with
initiatives has become a global public ideas that will prevent people from committing
suicide.

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Activity 2: SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Compare the paragraphs in Boxes A and B. Which paragraph is clearer,

more formal, concise, focused, structured, and backed up by evidence? Which
paragraph is more conversational, informal and subjective?

What Is It

Based on Activity 2, you have observed that the paragraph in Box A is

clearer, more formal, concise, focused, structured, and backed up by evidence. On
the other hand, Box B is more conversational, informal and subjective.
Therefore, Box A is more academic than Box B.

What is Academic Writing?

Academic writing is a formal style of writing. Its general purpose is to

present information in order to display a clear understanding of a particular subject.

The following are some examples of documents where academic writing is used:
1. Books 5. News Articles
2. Thesis 6. Research Paper
3. Abstract 7. Conference paper
4. Journals

Features of Academic Writing

1. Formality is using formal language rather than everyday common

language. It is achieved through:

1.1 Choosing expanded forms over contracted forms.

Poor examples Improved

can’t cannot
doesn’t does not
won’t will not
I’ve I have

Sentence:
The policy does not permit illegal dealings.

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 1.2 Choosing one verb form over two-word verbs.

Poor examples Improved

mess up damage
brought up raised
give back return

Sentence:
The business sectors raised the questions of excluding tax
payment from the dialogue.

1.3 Avoiding colloquial/trite/idiomatic expressions

Examples of colloquial/trite/idiomatic expressions

“stuff” “thing”
“a lot of” “you know what I mean”
“sort of” “kind of like”

“It’s raining cats and dogs.”

Sentence:
With women, there is a great deal (instead of a lot of) pleasure to
conform to a certain physical shape.

1.4 Choosing expanded terms over their abbreviated equivalents.

Poor examples Improved

ASAP as soon as possible
romcom romantic comedy

Sentence:
The government wants it done as soon as possible.

2. Objectivity means that the writing must be impersonal. The main emphasis
should be on the presented information and/or arguments
rather than what you think about the issue.

It is achieved through:

2.1 Avoiding the use of personal pronouns such as you, I and we.

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 Poor example Improved
1. We need to conduct the The researchers need to conduct
experiment. the experiment.
2. You can easily forget how It is easy to forget how different life
different life was 50 years ago. was 50 years ago.

2.2 Avoiding rhetorical questions.

Poor example Improved

1. How can these problems be Certain measures must be
solved? discovered to solve problems.

2.3 Avoiding “emotive language” that shows biases.

Poor example Improved

1. The investigators were very The investigators did not expect the
shocked to see the outcome of result.
the
tests.

3. Explicitness is the responsibility of the writer in English to make it clear to

the reader how the various parts of the text are related.

It is achieved through:

3.1 Using different signaling words

Comparison/similar ideas
 Similarly, in the same way
Contrast/opposite ideas
 But, however, on the contrary
Cause and effect
 Consequently, as a result, because
Sentence:
One should notify any change of address to the Bonds and Stocks Office.
Similarly, savings certificates should be re-registered with the Post Office.

3.2 Citing/acknowledging sources of

ideas Example:

Suicide is a serious public health issue (Mann et al, 2005).

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 4. Caution is an important feature of academic writing which is the concept of
cautious language, often called “hedging” or “vague language”.
Caution is needed to avoid sweeping generalizations.

It is achieved through:

4.1 Using devices such as modal verbs, adverbs, or verbs

Examples:
Modal verbs would, may, can, might, should
Adverbs of frequency often, sometimes, usually
Verbs tend, suggest, think, believe, doubt

Other devices:

Modal adverbs e.g. certainly, definitely, clearly, probably, possibly,

perhaps
Modal adjectives e.g. certain, definite, clear, probable, possible
Modal nouns e.g. assumption, possibility, probability

That clauses e.g. It could be the case that…

e.g. It might be suggested that…

e.g. There is every hope that…

To-clause + e.g. It may be possible to obtain sufficient…
adjective
e.g. It is important to develop an active…
e.g. It is useful to study possible…

Sentence NOT observing Sentence observing caution

caution
1. The commitment to some of It may be said that the commitment to
the social and economic concepts some of the social and economic
was less strong than it is now. concepts was less strong than it is now.
2. Nowadays the urinary Nowadays the urinary symptoms seem
symptoms are of a lesser order. to be of a lesser order.

Source: Harley, J. Academic Writing and Publishing. New York; Routledge, 2008.

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 What’s More

As given earlier, one important feature of academic writing is

FORMALITY. One way to achieve it is by choosing expanded forms over
contracted ones. Consider this activity below:

Activity 3: EXPANDED OVER CONTRACTED

Directions: In your English activity notebook, rewrite the following sentences by

expanding the underlined contracted words.

1. We aren’t giving up.
2. Winning isn’t everything.
3. We didn’t want to have a dog.
4. Mr. Reyes doesn’t like snake.
5. We hadn’t played their team before.
6. They weren’t afraid to play our team.
7. Our class didn’t have any good ideas.
8. Our class couldn’t decide on a mascot.
9. Our school colors aren’t black and gold.
10. The crowd mustn’t forget to applaud both teams.

What I Have Learned

This time, let us check your ability on using the features of academic writing.

Activity 4: WATCH OUT!

Directions: Put a check () if the sentence observes the features of academic
writing or put an ( ×) if it does not. Write your answers in your English
activity notebook.
1. You should cite the sources you use properly.
2. You should avoid using different signaling words.

3. You should use slang words (e.g. wanna, gonna, fab).

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4. You should avoid emotive language that shows biases.
5. You should place the main emphasis on the information.

6. You should make use of idiomatic expressions more often.

7. You should not demonstrate your understanding of the source material.

8. You should justify your position and provide evidence for the claims you make.
9. You should use one word verbs (e.g. educate) rather than phrasal verbs (e.g.
bring up).

10. Simpler words are preferable than complex words (e.g. make is better
than produce or manufacture).

What I Can Do

Activity 5: COMPLETE ME
Directions: The table below is composed of sentences that are examples of
academic writing. Some of the words are underlined for you to
analyze what feature of academic writing it indicates, and give
evidence that proves your point. Copy and complete the table in your
paper. Number 1 is already done for you.

Sentence Feature of Academic Evidence

Writing
1. Consequently, the
development of
suicide prevention Explicitness Using different
initiatives has signaling words.
become a global
public health
priority.
2. Staying at home
during this
pandemic probably
stops the spreading
of COVID 19.
3. The President did
not expect about the

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 fast spreading of the
virus.
4. Young people
should obey the
government health
protocols.
5. This issue has been
raised by many
scientists.

Assessment

Congratulations!

You are done with your lesson about the different features of academic
writing.Let us now try to check your understanding by answering the following
activities.

A. Directions: Read the statements below and answer the questions that follow.
For items 1, 3, 5, & 7 choose only the letter of the answer. For items 2, 4, 6, &
8 identify what feature of academic writing is used.

1. A.Which of the above

The patient needsstatements
to be rushedobserves good academic
to the hospital ASAP. writing?
2. B.What
Thefeature
patient of academic
needs to be writing
rushed istoused?
the hospital as soon as possible.

3. A.Which
The researchers
of the aboveneed to conduct
statements an experiment
observes to find writing?
good academic the cure for
the feature
4. What virus. of academic writing is used?
B. We need to conduct an experiment to find the cure for the virus.
A. The coronavirus is transmitted through droplets from one
infected individual to another.
B. According to the study conducted by the World Health Organization,
coronavirus is transmitted through droplets from one infected individual
to another.

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5. Which of the above statements observes good academic writing?
6. What feature of academic writing is used?

7. A.Which of the
During this above statements
time, issues aboutobserves good academic
non-communicable writing?
disease are of
8. What
lessfeature of academic writing is used.
importance.
B. During this time, issues about non-communicable diseases seem to be
B. Directions: Read the selection below and answer the questions that follow.
of less importance.

Test Anxiety

(1) Test anxiety is normally understood as a form of debilitating anxiety,

although how it is measured varies. Certain measures must be discovered in order
to address the problem.

(2) Evidence points to the fact that in general, test anxiety lowers performance
slightly. During that time, some studies have reported that test anxiety does not
lead to lower results. However, these findings are not likely to be true for all students.

(3) Evidence points to the fact that in general, there is a possibility that test
anxiety lowers performance slightly. This relationship has been studied well for
over sixty years.

(4) While the question of anxiety has been studied for many years, researchers
need to further conduct the study as soon as possible in order to address the issue.
Test anxiety is of special interest to educators and students.

Source: examples.com/education/academic-essay-examples.html

9. Which paragraph can you find the academic writing feature of formality?
10. Copy the sentence that supports your answer.

11. Which paragraph can you find the academic writing feature of objectivity?
12. Copy the sentence that supports your answer.

13. Which paragraph can you find the academic writing feature of explicitness?
14. Copy the sentence that supports your answer.

15. Which paragraph can you find the academic writing feature of caution?
16. Copy the sentence that supports your answer.

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 Additional Activity

The following activity is designed to enrich your learning on Features of

Academic Writing. Use your critical thinking skills in analyzing sentences and
paragraphs.

Activity 6: THINK IT OVER

Directions: Copy the table below that has columns of the four features of academic
writing. Then, read the news article entitled “How the Philippines is
Fighting COVID-19” by Anna Malindog-Uy dated July 5, 2020. Pick
out the word/s or sentences that are indicators of the Features of
Academic Writing and write them in the column where they belong.

Formality Objectivity Explicitness Caution

Source: https://theaseanpost.com/article/how-Philippines.fighting-covid-19?amp
How The Philippines Is Fighting COVID-
19
After more than three months of hard lockdowns, the Philippines is now trying to
ease quarantine restrictions for its economy to bounce back. While the focus is on
saving lives and looking after the health and well-being of every Filipino, developing
economies like the Philippines with a population of around 109 million people – a high
percentage of which come from hand-to-mouth households – simply cannot afford the
use of containment measures like hard lockdowns for the entire country indefinitely.
Hence, the government has considered steps to safety and gradually reopen the
economy.

As the Philippines reopens its economy by easing out restrictions after

successful lockdowns, it has experienced a reversed trend in the number of COVID-19
positive cases. The number of deaths has been reduced to single-digit, while the
number of positive cases has increased significantly to three-digit.

This reversal is somewhat expected because more people are now back on the
streets. One of the contributing factors to the rise in COVID-19 positive cases is the
influx of returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), of which some have tested
positive upon arrival in the Philippines. For instance, as of July 2, out of the 99,353

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Answer Key

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 References

Book

Bailey, S. Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students. New York:

Routledge, 2011.
Bowker, N. Academic Writing: A Guide to Tertiary Level Writing. New Zealand:
Massey University, 2007.
Harley, J. Academic Writing and Publishing. New York; Routledge, 2008.

Hasbrouck, Jan E. McGraw-Hill Language Arts. New York, MacMillan/McGraw-Hill,

2001.

Jordan, R. R. Academic Writing Course: Study Skills in English. England: Pearson

Education Limited. Longman, 1999.

Electronic

Davis, Suzanne. Academic Writing. Accessed June 13, 2020.

http://www.academicwritingsuccess.com

LoveToKnow, Corp. Accessed June 16, 2020.

https://www.grammar.yourdictionary.com

Samigullina, Anna D. Teaching First Year Students Features of Academic Writing.

Accessed June 12, 2020.https://www.rulb.org/en/article/obuchenie

Scribbr. The Do’s and Dont’s of Academic Writing. https://www.scribbr.com

University of Leeds. Accessed June 16, 2020. https://www.library.leeds.ac.uk

University of Massey: Online Writing and Learning Link. Accessed June 16, 2020.
Last updated November 29, 2018. https://www.owll.massey.ac.nz

Valdes, Olivia. An Introduction to Academic Writing: Characteristics and Common

Mistakes to Avoid. Last updated June 16, 2020.https://www.thoughtco.com

Accessed July 27, 2020.

examples.com/education/academic-essay-examples.html

Accessed July 15, 2020.

https://www.mesacc.edu/.~paoih30491/RubricNameEssay.html

Accessed July 26, 2020.https://theaseanpost.com/article/how-Philippines.fighting-covid-

19?amp

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