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INTRODUCTION TO CLEAR WRITING IN ACADEMIC STYLE
Writers with an academic, scholarly approach write in a cool, controlled, often urbane manner. They
do not preach or harangue…… they sound rational, knowledgeable, and civilised.’ (Shirley Russell
1993).
Good writers credit their readers with the same degree of knowledge, education, discrimination and
interest in the subject as themselves. Often, they avoid the personal pronouns I/we/you/us, which
are used by those who wish to ‘talk’ to their readers (for instance, in informal letters, stories,
instruction leaflets and guides). Impersonal pronouns it or one, discuss the subject from a detached,
scholarly point of view.
In some areas, there has been a slight shift away from the purely impersonal, particularly since the
advent of the ‘Plain English Campaign’ (since the 80’s).
E.G.
a) I think the central idea is very badly expressed.
(personal)
b) The central idea is not particularly well expressed. (impersonal)
c) One might have hoped for a happier phrasing of the central idea (one might register the tone
of this sentence as sarcastic!)
d) is acceptable as a formal, but not pompous, sentence.
As a general rule, the first person (singular or plural) should not be used in academic work: I think, I
feel, I believe in particular, should be avoided.
Sentences
What lecturers are looking for in a student’s writing style:
•
sentences which are readable, understandable and cohesive
•
sentences which adhere to the conventions of English grammar, punctuation and spelling
•
a scholarly, dispassionate approach
The first principle of communication to understand is that thinking, speaking and writing are different activities.
When we think, we often do not form words or sentences to begin with – and many people think visually before
the writing process.
In speech, the language we use often, is less precise and less formal than in writing formal standard English.
We ensure that the listener understands our points by
pausing, re-phrasing, emphasising and using facial expressions and/or body language.
The target in writing formally is to produce work that is straightforward, methodical in structure and complex in
terms of the ideas expressed
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To add variety, interest and subtlety to writing one needs the ability to use simple, compound and complex
sentences, and the ability to choose which type of sentence will generate the most powerful effect. In doing
this, the writer will convey a sense of maturity and a sophistication in their thinking about ideas.
The three stages of writing development could be described as:
skill – knowledge of sentence structures and the conventions of English grammar.
craft – an ability to vary the type of sentences used and to combine them to convey ideas and concepts
art – a refined sensibility to words, meanings and implications and a fluency in explaining complex ideas
simply ( e.g. Stephen Hawkins’ writings)
Clear Writing - examples from Stephen Hawking’s writing
A
They have craved an understanding of the underlying order in the world. Today we still yearn to know why we
are here and where we came from. Humanity’s deepest desire for knowledge is justification for our continuing
quest. And our goal is nothing less than a complete description of the universe we live in.
B
A simpler model, however, was proposed in 1514 by a Polish priest, Nicholas Copernicus. (At first, perhaps
for fear of being branded a heretic by his church, Copernicus circulated his model anonymously.) His idea was
that the sun was stationary at the centre and that the earth and the planets moved in circular orbits around the
sun.
Nearly a century passed before this idea was taken seriously. Then two astronomers – the German,
Johannes Kepler, and the Italian, Galileo Galilei – started publicly to support the Copernican theory, despite
the fact that the orbits it predicted did not quite match the ones observed.
C
Although we know nothing for certain about the origin of the universe, we can surmise that it began with an
explosion. The most recent evidence for this comes from the work of astronomers, though it has yet to be
measured against other theories. While it may turn out to be just another theory, its importance could be that it
leads eventually towards a new understanding of the earth’s position in the solar system and, if we are to
believe the reports, a new grasp of the significance of sun-spots.
Hawking, S.W. (1988) A Brief History of Time. London: Bantam
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Writing Style
According to Wydick,
………..in every English sentence there are two kinds of words: working words and glue words. The working
words carry the meaning of the sentence.
In the preceding sentence the working words are these: working, words, carry, meaning, and sentence.
The other words are glue words: the, the, of and the. Glue words hold the working words together to form a
proper English Sentence.
But when you find too many glue words, it is a sign that the sentence is badly constructed.
Note that ‘working’ words are usually called content words ‘glue’ words are usually called structure words
Examples:
Please send clean clothes and money to me at the Royal Hotel Bath.
The content words are: send clothes
communicate the meaning.
money
Royal Hotel Bath As a text, the content words still
If you want to write well, the thing to aim at is to use as few structure words possible.
The content words are: you want write well thing aim use few structure words possible.
This would be an unintelligible text
A more succinct sentence is: To write well, use few structure words.
Wydick, W. (1990) Plain English for Lawyers. USA: Carolina Academic Practice
Activity
Rewrite the following sentence in six words by beginning, ‘Long sentences…….’
The fact that there is a large number of words in a sentence does not necessarily mean that it will be difficult to
read.
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Main mistakes in sentence structures:
1. The false subject
a) The thing that makes sentences difficult to read is the number of long constructions that they contain.
The above sentence contains almost as many structure words as content words.
The thing is unnecessary. It is a false subject.
The true subject (i.e. the topic word or phrase) Long constructions…..could then be followed by its verb and
object - make sentences, then the rest of the sentence – difficult to read.i.e.
Long constructions make sentences difficult to read.
b) In the case of teachers, they are very badly paid. Teachers are very badly paid.
In the case of is unnecessary. The subject (or topic word), teachers should come first, tightening the sentence
up:
Activity
Try these following sentences using few structure words and no false subjects:
1. It has been twice that I have telephoned the shop to complain.
2. In older people, drink changes their personalities.
3. She was pregnant, and it was not very far away that her baby was due.
4. In a recent survey it shows that crime is on the increase.
5. There are two factors that have contributed to this rise in crime: poverty and unemployment.
6. There is a lack of wisdom in the way some people spend their money.
7. Sentences are not necessarily verbose just because they contain a lot of words.
Fragments
e.g.
Lottery winners have lots of money and very little to do all day. Unlike the majority of people.
Algernon Ponsonby-Smythe’s appearance seems to sum him up. A chinless wonder.
The words in bold are not sentences: they are fragments. Read them aloud to test that in isolation they
do not make sense – additional information is needed to form a complete sentence.
Comma splices (running together)
(Running-together – two sentences run together sometimes with a comma.)
I went down the pub with my friends, when I got home I discovered I’d lost my wallet, along with my credit
cards, even though I wanted to go to bed, I had to start making phone calls to get my cards cancelled,
however, they turned up later.
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Whilst the reading aloud of this passage would make sense, in written form it is unacceptable. There should be
four sentences:
I went down the pub with my friends. When I got home I discovered I’d lost my wallet, along with my credit
cards. Even though I wanted to go to bed I had to start making phone calls to get my cards cancelled.
However, they turned up later.
Fused sentences (running together)
He did well at school he was top of the class.
The word ‘he’ appears twice; there is no conjunction or punctuation. It should be written as two simple
sentences or one compound sentence:
He did well at school. He was top of the class.
He did well at school because he was top of the class.
All of the mistakes stem from not recognising the difference between writing and speaking.
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