Unformatted Attachment Preview
Supplementary Material
FSP110 English for Engineering
Grammatical Features
Issue no.
Document
Revision No.
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
1
ACK.TEM.FSP.01
0
September 2016
January 2017
NA
Grammatical Features of Academic Writing
Introduction
Definition: to define key terms in the text to avoid confusion about the key concepts being
described
Form: simple present form of be + the verb means or the passive of certain verbs
1. Term + be + general noun + defining details
Occupational safety and health (OSH) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the
safety, health, and welfare of people at work.
2. The passive in definitions: Verbs commonly used include call, define, know and refer
in the passive when defining a term.
Occupational safety and health (OSH) is defined as a multidisciplinary field concerned
with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work.
A multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at
work. is known as occupational safety and health (OSH).
Writing about the problem/issue:
1. Phrases to introduce the issue.
The key/main/primary problem is…
2. You can use the present perfect to introduce general ideas and provide background
information about an issue. Then use the simple past to fill in details that led to the
issue.
The issue of plagiarism has increased in recent years. In the 1980s, the Internet
arrived and provided students with the tools to plagiarize.
3. Use the present perfect progressive to describe actions that started in the past and to
emphasize that they continue to the present and may continue to the future.
FSP110 English for Engineering
Page 1 of 11
Fall 2016
Supplementary Material
FSP110 English for Engineering
Grammatical Features
Issue no.
Document
Revision No.
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
1
ACK.TEM.FSP.01
0
September 2016
January 2017
NA
Academic staff have been warning us for years that plagiarism is on the increase.
4. Noun phrase structures are generally used in academic writing to identify and restate
more complex ideas.
-Some noun phrases with “of” explain, label or define a concept. See definitions in the
next section.
-Some noun phrases with “of” express the importance of a concept: the core of/the
heart of/the importance of
Sustainability is the heart of energy security.
-Some noun phrases with “of” demonstrate measure and quantity: the amount of/ the
frequency of/ the majority of/ a number of/ the number of/ the rest of
The majority of US colleges have plagiarism software in use.
A number of countries have begun to consider alternative energy sources.
The number of road deaths per year is increasing in Kuwait.
-
Noun phrases with “that clauses” are used to:
Express a fact: conclusion/fact
The fact that the global population is increasing means urbanization will continue to
increase also.
Express an idea claim/idea/notion
Researchers claim that water shortages will continue to be an issue globally.
Express a claim that is not yet proven: hope/hypothesize/observation/
possibility/suggestion
Many people are concerned about the possibility that a nuclear incident may happen
in the Middle East.
The fact that/the idea that are especially common in academic writing.
The fact that=introduces ideas that are generally accepted. This phrase can be used
to persuade as a reader is less likely to challenge a statement that follows the fact
that.
FSP110 English for Engineering
Page 2 of 11
Fall 2016
Supplementary Material
FSP110 English for Engineering
Grammatical Features
Issue no.
Document
Revision No.
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
1
ACK.TEM.FSP.01
0
September 2016
January 2017
NA
Cause and Effect language:
In cause and effect writing, sentence types are used in a variety of ways. Simple sentences
are used to express facts/opinions strongly whereas compound/complex sentences are used
to logically connect causes/effects.
1. Simple sentences have only one clause (main clause) or an independent clause and it
must have a subject and a verb. Remember if a subject or a verb is missing, the
sentence is incomplete and it is called a fragment!
Unemployment (subject) has destroyed (verb) many lives (object).
Unemployment (subject) is (verb) often in the news (prepositional phrase).
Financial resources (subject) will decrease (verb) eventually (adverb).
2. The subject of a sentence must be a noun phrase:
Large financial resources are needed. (adjective + noun)
This has made a great difference. (pronoun)
Education and health are often in the news. (noun and noun)
The education of workers in the construction industry is vital. (noun +
prepositional phrase)
Educating workers in the construction industry is vital. (gerund)
3. How are simple sentences used in cause/effect writing/academic writing?
To emphasize an important point:
The consequences of education can be profound.
Independent clauses are connected in academic writing by transition words to make
the relationship between ideas clear: as a result/consequently/furthermore/however
The ozone layer is getting thinner. As a result, the Earth is getting warmer.
4. Compound sentences connect ideas. A compound sentence includes at least two
independent clauses that are connected by a coordinating conjunction
(for/and/nor/but/or/yet/so). Use a comma before the coordinating conjunction.
FSP110 English for Engineering
Page 3 of 11
Fall 2016
Supplementary Material
FSP110 English for Engineering
Grammatical Features
Issue no.
Document
Revision No.
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
1
ACK.TEM.FSP.01
0
September 2016
January 2017
NA
Some people are concerned about the environment, so they recycle all their
packaging.
Remember to avoid run-on sentences (two independent clauses without a
coordinating conjunction) and comma splices (two independent clauses combined with
a comma)!!! Don’t start sentences with AND or BUT in academic writing!!!
5. Complex sentences can be used to link cause and effect ideas. A complex sentence
has an independent clause and a dependent clause introduced by a subordinator.
Subordinators show the relationship between the two ideas. Examples of
subordinators
include:
although/after/as
if/because/before/if/since/whereas/whether/while
Although health and safety courses are more common in the construction industry,
accidents continue to happen.
While solar energy is becoming more common, the costs of installing solar energy
systems is still a concern.
Because oil reserves are being depleted, alternative energy sources must be
explored.
Noun patterns that show cause: The use of the nouns cause, reason and factor is another
important way of showing cause/effect relationships in academic writing.
1. Cause + form of the verb be:
A lack of awareness is one major cause of construction accidents.
Another leading cause of pollution is carbon dioxide emissions from cars.
2. Reason + form of verb be:
One reason (why) oil reserves are being depleted is increased demand.
The primary reason for our concern about urbanization is the declining quality of city
living.
FSP110 English for Engineering
Page 4 of 11
Fall 2016
Issue no.
Document
Revision No.
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
Supplementary Material
FSP110 English for Engineering
Grammatical Features
1
ACK.TEM.FSP.01
0
September 2016
January 2017
NA
3. Factor and a form of the verb be:
Another critical factor in pollution is the rising industrialization of developing
countries.
Rising industrialization of developing countries is one key factor in the increase in
pollution.
4. Common expressions with the nouns effect and result:
The/One effect of _________________(NP)
_______________(NP) .
on
_________________(NP)
is
One effect of carbon dioxide emissions on the world is acid rain.
______________(NP) have an effect on _____________(NP).
Fossil fuels can have a significant effect on our health and planet.
When/If _______________(NP), the result is _______________(NP).
When/If students do not know how to summarize, the result may be plagiarism.
Body Paragraphs
Presenting other author’s ideas
When you are using another author’s ideas to defend your ideas, you can do so in the
following 3 ways:
1. Direct quotation
“the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another
author and the representation of them as one's own original work” (Dictionary.com).
These should be used sparingly.
FSP110 English for Engineering
Page 5 of 11
Fall 2016
Supplementary Material
FSP110 English for Engineering
Grammatical Features
Issue no.
Document
Revision No.
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
1
ACK.TEM.FSP.01
0
September 2016
January 2017
NA
2. Paraphrase
A paraphrase involves rewriting, or ‘translating’, someone else’s ideas into your own
words in approximately the same number of words as the original text. The key to
acceptable paraphrasing is being able to manipulate the language and grammatical
features of the original so that you keep the meaning while making the words your own.
Original text: With an understanding of the conceptualization and methods of application,
QOL (Quality of Life) can be an important concept for occupational therapists to use in
outcome measurement.
Paraphrase: Quality of Life has been described as an important outcome measure for
occupational therapists, provided it is adequately conceptualized and the methods of applying
it are understood (Liddle & McKenna, 2000).
3. Summary
A summary includes the main ideas of an author or the essence of their argument/s and is
always substantially shorter than the length of original text. Through summarising source
material, you can avoid overusing direct quotations and paraphrasing large sections of the
original text (a common issue for less confident writers). It forces you to focus on the meaning
of what you have read and presents the material in your own words. You still need to
acknowledge the source of the information, and you should add your own comments to
provide analysis and interpretation of the work.
Original text: With an understanding of the conceptualization and methods of application,
QOL (Quality of Life) can be an important concept for occupational therapists to use in
outcome measurement.
Summary: Quality of Life can be an important concept and outcome measure for
occupational therapists (Liddle & McKenna, 2000).
Phrases used to introduce and identify other author’s ideas
You can use these common subject + verb combinations to introduce the main ideas of a
summary.
a. The article + says/states/notes/described/mentions/quotes/reports…..
The article describes the causes of air pollution.
b. The author + claims/explains/calls/says/writes/argues/cites/establishes/starts…
The author argues that China has a responsibility to reduce air pollution.
FSP110 English for Engineering
Page 6 of 11
Fall 2016
Supplementary Material
FSP110 English for Engineering
Grammatical Features
Issue no.
Document
Revision No.
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
1
ACK.TEM.FSP.01
0
September 2016
January 2017
NA
These phrases are used to identify ideas by the author in the original text
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
The article discusses corporate social responsibility in detail.
The article goes on to say that this is a real issue in business.
The author further states that action is now being taken to address this problem.
The author also states that individuals also have a role to play.
According to the author, this issue should be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Showing your own stance
You can show your own stance in one of the following ways:
1. Showing how confident –or not- you are with regard to your position.
It is clearly the better solution for warmer climates.
You can be confident through the use of boosters such as ‘definitely’, ‘will’, ‘must’, and
‘cannot’.
It is perhaps the better solution for warmer climates.
You can be cautious through the use of hedges such as ‘perhaps’, ‘maybe’, ‘could’
and ‘might’.
2. Being explicit about relationships.
If you think two ideas are almost the same make it clear. Similarly,
If you intend your sentence to give extra information, make it clear. In addition,
3. Indicating the strength of your claim.
You can show your position with regard to the points of view or the evidence that you
have presented.
FSP110 English for Engineering
Page 7 of 11
Fall 2016
Supplementary Material
FSP110 English for Engineering
Grammatical Features
Issue no.
Document
Revision No.
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
1
ACK.TEM.FSP.01
0
September 2016
January 2017
NA
Research suggests that the construction industry in Kuwait is the most hazardous in
the Middle East.
OR
Research shows that the construction industry in Kuwait is the most hazardous in the
Middle East.
Here are some other words or phrases that you can use to show your position:
-
Introductory verbs: seem, indicate, suggest
Thinking verbs: believe, assume, suggest
Reporting verbs: claim, find, confirm, assert
Evaluative adjectives: effective, appropriate, important, misguided, wrong, inaccurate,
incorrect
Evaluative adverbs: accurately, unsatisfactorily
Adverbs of frequency: often, sometimes
Modal verbs: will, may, might, could
Modal adverbs: certainly, definitely
Modal adjectives: certain, definite
Modal nouns: assumption, possibility
Signaling words: furthermore, similarly
Limiting overgeneralizations
a. Use seem/appear/tend/likely + infinitive to indicate something that is possible but not
certain, or to indicate something is not true all the time.
Experts who study poverty seem to/appear to disagree on its causes.
b. Use IT constructions like It seems that/It appears that when you believe that
something is increasingly happening, but you do not have strong evidence to support
that.
It seems that more parents are becoming concerned about violence on TV.
c. Use these phrases to express limits on your general claims: In most cases/ mainly /
typically
FSP110 English for Engineering
Page 8 of 11
Fall 2016
Supplementary Material
FSP110 English for Engineering
Grammatical Features
Issue no.
Document
Revision No.
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
1
ACK.TEM.FSP.01
0
September 2016
January 2017
NA
In most cases, students will attempt to plagiarize if detection methods are not in
place.
Persuasive writing
a. Common nouns
Advocates/opponents/proponents/supporters….when referring to people
Argument/belief/claim/conclusion/evidence/fact/information/problem…
referring to ideas
when
The main argument used by proponents of social networking sites is that they allow
increased communication globally.
Some critics believe social networks are a hindrance to communication, but there is
little evidence of this.
Phrases that present an opposing view
a. To present documented views
It has been argued that/It is argued that… social media is causing children to
become smarter.
It has been claimed that social media is detrimental for Arab culture.
Some researchers disagree that social media is detrimental for Arab culture.
b. To present potentially opposing views when you do not have sources for your
claim. Modals make the claim less strong
It might/may/could be argued…..
It might/may/could be claimed that….
It could be argued that social media is actually making us all smarter.
FSP110 English for Engineering
Page 9 of 11
Fall 2016
Supplementary Material
FSP110 English for Engineering
Grammatical Features
Issue no.
Document
Revision No.
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
1
ACK.TEM.FSP.01
0
September 2016
January 2017
NA
c. Use these adverbs as logical connectors to acknowledge a specific point of view
or an opposing viewpoint
Clearly/naturally/obviously/of course
Clearly, increased access to information has to be beneficial.
d. Use these phrases to introduce a refutation or to dispute an argument.
However/It is not true that/That may be so, but/ While it is true that/This is
(simply) not true
Some claim that violence in video games leads to violent behavior in children.
However, this is simply not true.
Conclusion
Expressing future actions
a. Use will/be going to write about a plan or prediction for the future.
Some countries are going to continue to tax industries responsible for polluting the
environment.
b. Use modals could/might/may to express possibility in the future.
The effects of social media could worsen in the future.
FSP110 English for Engineering
Page 10 of 11
Fall 2016
Supplementary Material
FSP110 English for Engineering
Grammatical Features
Issue no.
Document
Revision No.
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
1
ACK.TEM.FSP.01
0
September 2016
January 2017
NA
c. Use should to express an expectation.
Governments should tax industries that cause pollution.
d. Use would to express an expectation based on either a stated or unstated condition.
If governments apply a pollutant tax on industries, the environment would benefit.
e. Something that will likely happen in the future: is due to/is about to
The government is about to introduce a new tax.
f.
Phrases to talk about possible future events:
It is/ seems/looks likely that + clause
Something/someone is/seems/looks likely to + verb
Anticipate + verb + -ing (event very likely)
It seems likely that the government will introduce a new tax.
The government is considering abolishing all taxes.
FSP110 English for Engineering
Page 11 of 11
Fall 2016
ACKA
Graphic Organizer
FSP110
Issue no
Document
Revision No
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
ACK TEMESPOT
January 2017
June 2017
NA
8
March
2017
Class
P1E1
Student Number
Student Name
7 5 1 6 2 8 0 Afrah Abdullatif Jumah
Use the following graphic organizer to plan your essay. Include all information in note form
No full sentences! Indicate the sources you will use for support throughout.
Paragraph 1: Introduction& Problem
Background Information
Noise Pollution → Description → (Article 1, p. 127)
"Noise pollution is considered as one of the effective factors affecting people's quality of
life in urban areas throughout the world" (Article 2, p. 257)
Noise pollution is a global problem, which is faced in several locations, like certain
workplaces (Article 1, p. 127), and living areas near traffic (Article 2, p. 258; Article 3,
.
p. 626).
Thesis Statement:
Noise Pollution is serious problem in Kuwait and the Middle East (Article 1, p. 127-128)
make the
Kownit Link
clever.
Problem:
• Noise pollution is a global problem (Article 1, p. 128; Article 2, p. 257)
Noise pollution is common in certain workplaces like construction sites (Article 1, p.
127-128) and in high traffic roads (Article 2, p. 258; Article 3, p. 626)
Context: Kuwait and the Middle East
Controlling idea: Controls of Noise Pollution
Solutions: SI: Reduction of noise generation (Article 1, p. 133; Article 4, p. 1)
S2: Protection of exposed individuals (Article 1, p. 133; Article 4, p. 2)
FSP110
ELP
Page 1 of 5Spring 2017
ACK TEM FSP 01
Graphic Organizer
FSP110
Document
Revision No.
Revision Date
Next Revision Date
Old Reference
January 2017
June 2017
NA
Paragraph 2
What is the solution?
The first solution to noise pollution is about reduction of noise from the sources (Article
1, p. 133-135; Article 4, p. 1)
Describe how it could be implemented
• In workplaces, like construction sites and factories, machines and equipment which
make high levels of noise are replaced by others that make less noise (Article 4, p. 1)
• Highways are designed to reduce traffic and accordingly reduce the resulting noise
(Article 3, p. 626)
Pros:
It's more effective to control the sources of noise. (Article 1. p. 133-135; Article 4, p. 1)
Guarantee protection of the whole surroundings. (Article 1, p. 133-135; Article 4, p. 1)
Cons:
High costs. (Article 1, p. 135)
• Complications of execution. (Article 1, p. 135, Article 4, p. 1-2)
FSP110
ELP
Page 2 of 5Spring 2017
ER FILE BAG NU. SUS