Structure your writing
for clear communication
Jamie Rinder, KTH Language & Communication
Discuss these questions with your neighbour(s):
1) How are STEM* texts read?
2) How do you want your reader to feel when s/he reads
your work?
3) What exactly do we mean by “clear” communication?
*Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
STEM texts tend to be speed-read.
thales-bm.com/how-to-learn-speed-reading/
You should want your reader to feel satisfied.
cfowise.com/solutions
Clarity is not exactly the same all around the world
en.globalbility.org/become-translator
Clarity is not exactly the same all around the world
englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/sites/ec/files/books-english-next.pdf
Structure your writing
for user-friendly communication
Jamie Rinder, KTH Language & Communication
kth.se/language
kth.se/caw
MACRO
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
Why?
How?
What?
… Well?
Problem  Solution
Thesis statement
Argument(s) against
Arguments(s) for
Conclusion
MICRO
VOCABULARY
PUNCTUATION
GRAMMAR
Aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't
mttaer in waht oderr the lterets in a wrod are, the olny
irpoamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the
rhgit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll
raed it whoutit a pboerlm. Tihs is bucseae the huamn
mnid deos not raed ervey ltteer by istlef, but the wrod
as a wlohe. Aaznmig, huh?
ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/can-you-read
MICRO
VOCABULARY
PUNCTUATION
GRAMMAR
The reason for many sentences being grammatically
poor and therefore open to misinterpretation is that the
sentences are simply too long.
Long sentences are the main cause of grammatical
mistakes and misinterpretation.
1) A thesis statement
2) Paragraph unity
MESO
3) A topic sentence
4) Flow between sentences
5) Parallel grammar in lists
1) Your text should begin with a specific thesis statement
that covers what you will discuss in your text. This
statement should later be supported by evidence.
At least 10% of 2016´s budget should be spent on
designing new paths through Tangham Woods, planting
new trees to line the paths and installing new bins.
Paragraph 1:
Path design
Paragraph 2:
Tree planting
Paragraph 3:
Bin installation
Conclusion:
How these 3 steps will ensure success.
Example of an opening paragraph
The official recording of Emma Watson’s speech to the UN,
which launched the HeForShe campaign in September
2014, has already been viewed over a million times [1].
The impact of this speech comes from Watson’s apparent
rejection of her fame (her “extrinsic” ethos) and the skilful
demonstration of her character (her “intrinsic” ethos). This
analysis offers a close reading of three passages from
Watson’s speech, which illustrate respectively her rejection
of authority, her attempt to connect with the audience by
using active speech and her use of personal anecdotes.
2) Each paragraph should deal with one topic only.
Steven Pinker’s The Thinking Person´s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century
3) Each paragraph should have a topic sentence. This is a
sentence that refers back to the thesis statement and
prepares the reader for the main idea in the paragraph.
One of the most important qualities for successful language
learning, in school and in life, is being confident. A great deal of
research has been done into how people learn languages and the
type of people that learn languages most successfully. Although the
results are not conclusive, it can be suggested that people who are
confident, not worrying too much about about making mistakes
and risk takers are the most effective ones. Self-assured students
often do better in unprepared language tests than students who
have the highest average marks in school.
4) Try to write short sentences that flow. Sentences
should be linked and key words repeated.
One of the most important qualities for successful language
learning, in school and in life, is being confident. A great deal of
research has been done into how people learn languages and the
type of people that learn languages most successfully. Although the
results are not conclusive, it can be suggested that people who are
confident, not worrying too much about about making mistakes
and risk takers are the most effective ones. Self-assured students
often do better in unprepared language tests than students who
have the highest average marks in school.
4) Try to write short sentences that flow. Sentences
should be linked and key words repeated.
One of the most important qualities for successful language
learning, in school and in life, is being confident. A great deal of
research has been done into how people learn languages and the
type of people that learn languages most successfully. The results
from this research suggest that people who are confident, not
worrying too much about about making mistakes and risk takers are
the most effective ones. Similarly, confident students often do
better in unprepared language tests than students who have the
highest average marks in school.
Start sentences with old, familiar information
Use discourse markers* to create flow and cohesion
*For practice: http://library.bcu.ac.uk/learner/writingguides/1.33.htm
5) When writing lists, use parallel grammatical forms.
One of the most important qualities for successful language
learning, in school and in life, is being confident. A great deal of
research has been done into how people learn languages and the
type of people that learn languages most successfully. The results
from this research suggest that people who are confident, not
worrying too much about about making mistakes and risk takers
are the most effective ones. Similarly, confident students often do
better unprepared language tests than students who have the
highest average marks in school.
5) When writing lists, use parallel grammatical forms.
One of the most important qualities for successful language
learning, in school and in life, is being confident. A great deal of
research has been done into how people learn languages and
which type of people learn languages most successfully. The results
from this research suggest that people who are confident, who do
not worry too much about about making mistakes and who take
risks are the most effective ones. Similarly, confident students
often do better in unprepared language tests than students who
have the highest average marks in school.
1) A thesis statement
2) Paragraph unity
3) Topic sentences
4) Flow between sentences
5) Parallel grammar in lists
One of the most important qualities for successful language
learning, in school and in life, is being confident. A great deal of
research has been done into how people learn languages and
which type of people learn languages most successfully. The results
from this research suggest that people who are confident, who do
not worry about about making mistakes and who take risks are the
most effective ones. Similarly, confident students often do better in
unprepared language tests than students who have the highest
average marks in school.
Version 1
Using the wildtype protein, whereby the binding of Biotin
molecules can not be regulated and multiple Biotin binding is
possible, is disadvantageous. Multiple binding or binding close to
the active binding site of Z-protein of Biotin lowers the affinity and
are therefor not wanted. One drawback of the cysteine variant was
that presence of multiple cysteine structure’s might result of disulphide bonds, making it impossible for Biotin to bind to the
protein and decrease the amount of protein open for the signal
cascade.
Improved version (with a topic sentence and flow)
Neither the wildtype protein nor the cysteine variant is ideal. The
disadvantage of using the wildtype protein is that the binding of
Biotin molecules cannot be regulated and therefore allows for
multiple Biotin binding. Such binding lowers the affinity and is
therefore undesirable. A similar drawback with the cysteine variant
is that the presence of multiple cysteine structures might result in
di-sulphide bonds. This presence prevents Biotin from binding to
the protein, thereby decreasing the amount of protein available for
the signal cascade.
Jamie Rinder
KTH Language & Communication
[email protected]