2013-1 Social Welfare Seminar
Chung-Ang University
Seungyun Cha
Writing Skills
2013-1 Social Welfare Seminar
Department of Social Welfare
Chung-Ang University
Seungyun Cha
Today, we will learn how to write an academic report. This includes, basic grammar,
effective writing structures, important vocabulary, and APA style writing. I hope this will
prepare you to both mid-term and final papers.
I referred to several literature for this content. If you want to learn more about effective
academic writing styles, please see (a) 이현주(2005). 영작문 한 권으로 끝내기. (주)다락원; (b)
OECD Style Guide Second Edition; and (c) APA Style Guide.
* * * * *
I. First, write about yourself, including a title, name, age, department/school, place you
work (if possible), family members, and hobbies. This will allow you to see your writing
habits.
II. Your Title
A. It should be positioned in the (
) of the top part of your paper.
B. The first letter of each word should be (
C. Articles a/the/of should not be (
).
).
D. Exercise: Things to do before coming to social welfare seminar class
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2013-1 Social Welfare Seminar
Chung-Ang University
Seungyun Cha
III. Paragraph
A. You should start with an indent in the beginning of a paragraph.
B. Try to include at least three sentences in a paragraph.
C. Each paragraph should be have a consistent theme.
IV. Sentences
A. Always start with a (
) letter.
B. Avoid using and/but/so/because in the beginning of your sentence.
C. Try not to use “I” in the beginning of your sentence all the time.
D. You have to end your sentence with a (
).
E. Do not use spoken language and abbreviated words in your report.
1. wanna, I’m, can’t, gonna, you know, so on....
F. Watch your spelling.
G. It is appropriate to precede these nouns with a definite or indefinite article – the with
both singular and plural, a or an with singular count nouns.
1. a house, the moon, a dog
2. Exercise 1: There is a book on the table. (
) book on the table is mine.
3. Exercise 2: (
) mother who had been a victim of political torture in Liberia
escaped to (
) neighboring country with her children and her mother. After
living in (
) refugee camp for 2 years, (
permit that allowed her to come to (
process of completing (
immigrate to (
(
) mother obtained (
) United States. She was in (
)
)
) paperwork so that her children and her mother could
) United States as well. This process required DNA reports for
) children as well as their birth certificates, which (
to provide for two of (
) mother was able
) children.1)
V. Tense Agreement
A. If an event happened in the past, be consistent in using past tense verbs all
throughout your sentences when describing it. Do not mix present, past, and future
tense verbs in a sentence.
B. Exercise 1: Correct all the verbs if necessary.
In the year 1879 I take my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of
London, and proceed to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons
in the army. Having complete my studies there, I am duly attach to the fifth
Northumberland Fusiliers as assistant surgeon. The regiment was stationed in India
at the time, and before I can join it the second Afghan war have broken out.2)
C. Exercise 2: Write a short paragraph, preferably 2-3 sentences, on what you had for
lunch.
1) A case from Hepworth, D.H. et al. (2006). Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and Skills (7th Ed.).
Ontario: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
2) Doyle, A.C. (1887). A Study in Scarlet.
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2013-1 Social Welfare Seminar
Chung-Ang University
Seungyun Cha
VI. Comma, Colon, and Semi-Colon
A. a and b
B. a, b, and c
C. a, b, c, and d
D. I have a bird, and you have a cat.
E. I have a bird and a cat.
F. I am not happy because you are not happy. I am not happy while you are gone.
G. I have several books: Fundamentals to Social Welfare, Social Welfare Policy, and Direct
Social Work Practice.
H. I have a lot to do when I go back home: preparing for my mid-term exams; buying
new clothes for a job interview; and setting up an appointment with my mentor.
VII. Now, try to correct the following as much as you can using all the rules you learned
earlier.
my brother, the sports fan
My brother is sports fan. His favorite sports if golf, tennis, skiing and swimming. He
skies in the winter, swims in the summer, and plays golf During the summer and fall.
he alose watches baseball and football games on TV. his bedroom look like a used
sports good store. There is skies, tennis rackets, golf clubs, tennis balls, soccer balls, a
bicycle and weights. you often can’t see his bed, his desk or sometimes even him
VIII. Writing a Paragraph
A. Your sentences should be concise. Do not elaborate too much.
1. A good average sentence length is 15 to 20 words.
a) He is a man who is very famous. →
.
b) Jeju Island is a place which I have always wanted to visit. →
.
c) He is drunk and walking with tottering steps. →
.
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2013-1 Social Welfare Seminar
Chung-Ang University
Seungyun Cha
2. How to shorten your sentence?
a) Separate your ideas.
b) Express fewer ideas.
c) Use fewer words.
d) Delete and start again.
e) Choose simple grammatical structures
(1) Subject + Verb + Direct Object: The director approved the project.
(2) Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Object: The director gave her the project.
(3) Subject + Verb + Complement: She became the project manager.
B. Use specific language.
1. Example 1-avoid: She likes to go to the movies and listen to music.
2. Example 1-use: She likes to go to the movies, especially the romantic comedies. Her
favorite movie is When Harry Met Sally3). She likes classic rock and roll from the
sixties, especially the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.
3. Example 2-avoid: It is the widespread opinion of delegates that the report is one of
rather general nature and does not succeed in addressing the issue, which is
currently of such significance, of reforming pensions. Furthermore, there is complete
agreement among delegates on the fact that no new data on unemployment across
countries are presented in the report.
4. Example 2-use: Delegates believe that the report is too general and fails to discuss
the important issue of pension reform. They also agree that it does not present any
new data on unemployment in OECD countries.
C. Write with (active) verbs for clarity of your sentence.
USE
AVOID
to believe
to be of the opinion that
to agree
to come to an agreement on
to question
to raise some doubts about
to eliminate
in order to eliminate
to provide
for the purpose of providing
to analyze
to perform an analysis of
to examine
to study in depth
to receive
to be in receipt of
to write well
to be a good writer
to recognize
be recognizant of
to emphasize
to put the emphasis on
to try
to make an attempt to
to understand
to have an understanding of
to compare
to make a comparison to
to allow
to grant permission to
3) Italics for movie and book titles.
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2013-1 Social Welfare Seminar
Chung-Ang University
Seungyun Cha
D. In a paragraph, there should be a (a) topic sentence, (b) context, and (c) concluding
sentence. The example below has all of three parts that a paragraph should have. Do
you think it is a good paragraph? Is this a cohesive paragraph? (See, III-C)
Top sentence: One of my best friends is Hyowon.
Body sentences: She is twenty years old. She is a junior of Chung-Ang University. One
weekends she likes to see the romantic comedy movies. Her favorite movie is When
Harry Met Sally. She likes classic rock and roll from the sixties, especially the Rolling
Stones and the Beatles.
Concluding sentence: I like her because she really takes care of me.
E. All the sentences should be related to the topic sentence. Concluding sentence usually
is a summary of the context.
F. Fluent flow throughout the paragraph
1. If you want to keep the concluding sentence in the example above, you should add
more sentences in the body for fluent flow.
2. If you do not want to keep the concluding sentence, how would you go about
changing it?
IX. Organizing Your Paper
A. Organize the overall structure of your paper so that the readers grasp the important
information as quickly as possible.
B. Models that work
1. The inverted pyramid puts the most important information first and follows with lesser
information in order of priority.
2. Questions and answers work well to keep your readers interested.
3. The Problem-Case-Solution approach, or Situation-Complications/DevelopmentResolution, first presents the dilemma, creating sufficient interest for the reader to
read further to understand the causes and solutions.
4. Chronological order is valuable in writing historical backgrounds but is less effective at
attracting a wide readership.
C. First paragraph should get attention from the readers.
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2013-1 Social Welfare Seminar
Chung-Ang University
Seungyun Cha
D. Cohesion
1. Be consistent in your use of tense.
2. Use similar constructions for similar ideas and details.
a) Example-avoid: The committee responded quickly and in an enthusiastic way.
b) Example-use: The committee responded quickly and enthusiastically.
3. Put the main ideas in the main clauses.
4. Again, paragraphs are single ideas. Each paragraph should start with the main idea
of the paragraph. Subsequent sentences in the paragraph should contain details the
reader needs. Give new topics to new paragraphs.
Major changes in American families and workplaces over the past half-century form
the backdrop for the work and family challenges that face workers today. The
biggest changes in the family itself have been increases in paid work by women
and in family instability, both of which have altered family-related activities such as
housework and child care. Population aging has also increased demand for care of
parents and older relatives. Workplace changes include an increase in nonstandard
work schedules and greater education-related inequality in work hours and income.
Although these family and workplace changes affect all American families, they
result in quite different work-life issues for parents at the top, middle, and bottom
of the income distribution.4)
a) Find a topic sentence.
b) Find the context.
c) Find a concluding sentence.
d) What paragraphs should follow afterwards?
X. Vocabulary
A. abase
1. To lower in rank; degrade
2. I would never do something that would abase myself.
3. self-abasement
B. aberrant
1. departing from an accepted standard
2. For her, such a low on an exam was an aberration.
3. ≑ abnormal, deviant, extraordinary, acentric
C. adroit
1. skillful or dexterous
2. adroit replies; an adroit negotiator
3. ≠ maladroit, gauche, lacking social grace
D. affected
1. behaving, speaking in an artificial or assumed way
2. an affected smile
4) Bianchi, S. M. (2011). Changing families, changing workplaces. Future of Children, 21, 2, 15-36.
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2013-1 Social Welfare Seminar
Chung-Ang University
Seungyun Cha
3. n. affectation = artificiality
4. v. affect = influence, pretend
E. bolster
1. to support; strengthen
2. ≑ buttress
F. consolidate
1. to unite into one system or whole; combine; to strenghten
2. consolidated five separate agencies into a single department; She consolidated her
power during her first year in office.
3. ≑ (a) merge, unify, amalgamate; (b) strengthen, secure, fortify
G. daft
1. foolish, simple, or stupid
2. What a daft suggestion!
3. ≑ stupid, simple, crazy, silly, absurd, foolish
H. deft
1. skillful in physical movements
2. ≑ dexterous (dexterous hands)
I. fabricate
1. to invent, typically with deceitful intent
2. The evidence was totally fabricated.
J. fleeting
1. passing swiftly
2. a fleeting interest in the campaign
3. ≑ transient, transitory, ephemeral, evanescent
K. gullible
1. easily deceived
L. imperative
1. of vital importance; crucial
2. It’s imperative to know your rights.
3. ≑ urgent, essential, pressing, vital, crucial, exigent
M. incense, infuriate, ire, irascible, irk, indignation
N. mercurial
1. (of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind
2. a mercurial temperament
3. ≑ capricious, volatile, erratic, fickle, unpredictable
O. mislead
1. to lead in the wrong direction
2. Her friendly attitude misled me into thinking I could trust her.
3. ≑ misguide, lead astray, misdirect
P. misdemeanor
1. a crime less serious than a felony; misdeed
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2013-1 Social Welfare Seminar
Chung-Ang University
Seungyun Cha
Q. patronize
1. (a) to act as a patron; support, sponsor; (b) to go to as a customer, especially on a
regular basis; frequent; (c) to treat in a condescending manner
2. (a) The family patronizes the arts; (b) I patronize the library regularly; (c) “I’m sure
you did your best even though you failed.” “Please don’t patronize.”
R. rebut, refute
1. to refute or disprove
2. n. rebuttal, refutation
S. savor
1. to appreciate fully; enjoy or relish
2. I want to savor this great moment of accomplishment.
3. ≑ enjoy, relish
T. ubiquitous
1. existing everywhere; omnipresent
U. undercut, undermine
1. to diminish or destroy the effectiveness of
2. ≠ undergird, bolster, buttress
XI. Gender Sensitive Language
A. Use the plurals.
1. (o) Managers should discuss changes with their staff.
2. (x) A manager should discuss changes with his staff.
B. Replace the pronoun with “an,” “a,” or “the.”
1. (o) The staff member should submit the request promptly.
2. (x) The staff member should submit his request promptly.
C. Add the female.
1. (o) The consultant should ask his or her supervisor to sign the form.
XII. APA style5)
A. Title page
1. The title page should consist of the
institution affiliation.
title of the paper, the author’s name, and the
a) Type your title in upper and lowercase letters centered in the upper half of the
page. All text on this page and throughout the paper should be double-spaced.
b) Beneath the title, type the author’s name: first name, middle initials, and last
name.
c) Beneath the author’s name, type institutional affiliation.
B. In-text citation
1. Short quotations
a) If you are directly quoting from a work, you have to include the author, year of
5) http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
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2013-1 Social Welfare Seminar
Chung-Ang University
Seungyun Cha
publication, and the page number for the reference (preceded by “p.”)
(1) According to Jones (1998), “Students often had difficulty using APA style,
especially when it was their first time” (p. 199).
(2) She stated, “Students often had difficulty using APA style” (Jones, 1998, p. 199),
but she did not offer an explanation as to why.
2. Long quotations
a) Avoid long quotations.6)
3. Citing an author or authors
a) One author
(1) Esping-Andersen (2009) states . . .
(2) The changing status of women has brought a paradigm shift in this world
(Esping-Andersen, 2009).
b) Two authors
(1) Research by Choi and Cha (2013) supports . . .
(2) (Choi & Cha, 2013).
c) Three to five authors
(1) List all the authors the first time you cite the resource. For example, (Choi, Cha,
Kim, Lee, & Chung, 2013).
(2) In subsequent citations, only use the first author’s last name followed by “et
al.” in parenthesis. For example, (Choi, et al., 2013).
4. Organization as an author
a) According to OECD (2011), ...
5. Two or more works in the same parenthesis
a) (Choi & Cha, 2013; OECD, 2011).
b) (K. Kim, 2001; Y. Kim, 2003)
C. Reference
1. Basics
a) Hanging indentation: All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference
list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin.
b) Author’s name: Last name comes first. Do not alphabetize when there are multiple
authors.
c) Alphabetize the list.
d) For multiple articles by the same author, list the entries in chronological order,
from earliest to most recent.
e) Books and journals are italicized.
2. Examples:
Books
Esping-Andersen, G. (1999). Social Foundations of Postindustrial Economies, NY:
Oxford University Press.
6) This pertains to Seungyun Cha’s personal opinion.
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2013-1 Social Welfare Seminar
Chung-Ang University
Seungyun Cha
Articles
Yoshikawa, H. (1995). Long-term effects of early childhood programs on social
outcomes and delinquency. The Future of Children, 5(3), 51-75.
Two authors
Danziger, S. H. & Haveman, R. H. (2001). Understanding Poverty. NY: Russell Sage
Foundation.
The End!
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