Writing Styles
Traditional academic writing styles differentiate from styles found outside the university. These writing styles are different due to various reasons such as audiences, the topic, setting, format etc. The traditional academic writing style has been what I learned and use in school. This writing style has prepared me for my own writing life beyond the University.
The traditional writing style I learned and got used to was the classic format for compositions which is the five-paragraph essay. It is not the only format for writing an essay, but it’s the traditional one many are familiar with. Students are trained to memorize the format of the five-paragraph essay. This allows the student to answer the exam prompt quickly
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Most people who browse the Internet often allocate just a few seconds of their time for a particular page and quickly move forward to another page when they do not see what they looking for. My page may have the information but if it is hidden in long boring blocks of text, then it will be rendering it invisible to the searcher. Shorter paragraphs and bullet points are easier to read, so online readers can easily spot them on the page.
The main characteristic of web writing that makes it different from traditional writing is the use of keywords, the words and phrases most likely to be used by readers as they search for information on the web. The Internet is an environment where we read and consume information in a manner that is different from the traditional or conventional. However, with the Internet becoming the primary mode of gathering information, knowledge of these patterns and behaviors is very important for anyone aiming to get information out to readers
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. This type of writing unlike the traditional writing ,less is seen as more because the less information presented to the audience in the world I am most likely to encounter outside the university, the better the audience will be able to grasp this information. My audience that I will be presenting this style of writing can be anywhere around the world and the level of their reading is usually that of a fifth grader or even lower. Therefore the information presented has to be written in a way that will be beneficial to
Essays are not just the standard five paragraphs and then done style that was taught to students in grade school. The article “The Sixth Paragraph: A Re-Vision of the Essay” by Paul Lynch, explains quiet well how essays are typically taught and why. It is basically because it is easy to grade and even easier to write. Even when talking about writing or giving an example to a person it’s quite typical to start using the five paragraph format. While writing the standard essay the guidelines are quite specific. BE precise, stick to the topic, and stay impersonal. However, the author states that this made her realize that essays can be confining instead of teaching. So instead the author decided to listen to her students and quit focusing on the
The way it shaped what I was writing was that I would choose topics that I knew very well so that it made it easier for me to just write from things I new and in that way meet the requirements and so it never allowed me to take time and research or acquire new learning. I have written a five-paragraph essay for a class assignment particularly following the “Spart Write” formula. My experience with this was that I was just trying to meet certain criteria and that's all I really cared about. By having to write in such a structure manner it didn't allow me to learn new things. Based on my own experiences and on the readings, the most important characteristics of an academic student essay would be to follow some sort of structure where it doesn't allow you to wander aimlessly but not to structure that it doesn't allow you to learn or explore new ideas. Also mention in “The Age of Essay” having that surprise element because it allows you to learn new things and it might even lead you to contradict things you already
In the article, How to Say Nothing in 500 Words, Paul McHenry Roberts starts by explaining that writer tends to focus more on the total of words that has to be used than on the actual content. McHenry gives many advice on ways to become a better writer. He mentions that writers should get rid of “padding,” which are words that simply add up the total number of words but does not add any detail nor does it support your main idea. He also talks about calling a person or item for what it is. McHenry use the example of a student calling a principal a fool but in different words.
My English 1310 course was taught by Professor Daniel Stuart. He taught us the concept of academic writing and why it is important. Academic writing is the process of down ideas, using a formal tone, deductive reasoning and third person. Writing done to carry out the requirements of a college or university on a research based level. It requires a starting point or introduction, followed by a thesis on the preferred topic, then comes proving and disproving of the evidence based arguments. Learning academic writing is important because it is a way to communicate our thoughts clearly and originality. It helps us think and see what evidence we can come up to contribute to that thinking. This course approached this idea of academic writing by
‘Helping students meet the challenges of academic writing’ by Fernsten and Reda is an interesting study how reflective writing practices can be useful for marginalized students, who are struggling with “negative writer self-identity. The possible causes according to Fernsten & Reda are, “issues such as race, class and gender that are marginalized factors for many basic writers”, in addition to the expectations of the dominant academic culture. However, even though Fernsten & Reda illuminated the ‘potential conflicts’ within the academic world, they have failed to provide conclusive evidence that supports their argument regarding their solution. Their reliance on dated research that provides a one sided historical perspective, may no longer accurately reflect current socio/economic issues. In addition, education has been evolving to an inclusive curriculum approach, as immigrated children enter the school system in record numbers. “Persons obtaining legal permanent status in the U.S from the year 2000-2010 are roughly eleven million” (Homeland Security,pg.10/2010). Fernsten & Reda’s confidence of their own limited teaching practices without legitimate comparables from an empirical study leads to their underlying assumptions about the true effectiveness of reflective writing strategies and the causes they believe are associated to a student’s socio/economic background.
Consistency, is what essay formats seek to provide for readers. Without essay formats, readers may find themselves lost in the style of the author’s text rather than contemplating the ideas and thoughts that the author wants the reader to acknowledge. However, why is it that there are so many different essay formats? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just have one universal essay format? The two most widely used formats, MLA and APA, both have great degree of similarity as well as very distinct differences. Most of the similarities exist due to their effectiveness. On the other hand, the two formats’ distinct differences such as in-text citations or setting aside a whole page for a title, serve to strengthen the clarity of ideas within a field of study the author is trying to convey. Different formats exist due to the specific necessities fields of study require in order to convey their ideas to the reader.
It would be foolish to claim that I have never overanalysed and disregarded conveying ideas and theories properly, in the interest of impressing my reader. Nevertheless, this aspiration indicates there is more to academic writing than simply passing information.
The strengths in my writing are my organizational skills, grammatical construct, and my work ethic. Organizing an essay is a very natural process for me. I always follow the basic guidelines for the structure of an essay, which state that one must have an introduction, thesis statement, body, conclusion, and a works cited when needed. The “Are Helicopter Parents Entering the No Fly Zone?” essay, “Animal Cloning—How Unethical Is It?” essay, and the “The Clean Water Act—Is it Successfully Reducing Water Pollution?” essay all have a proper introduction, an informative thesis statement, a body, great conclusions, and works cited pages. Formatting the essays is an integral aspect of organizational skills. Each new paragraph is indented, the font is twelve-point Times New Roman, the sentences are double spaced, and the headers are correct.
While there are people who love to read and write, there are others that do not. When a student is required to read a book for a class and that student does not enjoy reading, there are very few things they would rather do less. And when that book’s topic is about learning how to write that is the worst of it. When I was assigned to read Writing with Style by John R. Trimble, my immediate thought was that this book and assignment was going to be a struggle to get through. To my pleasant surprise, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Writing with Style provides the reader with a wide range of writing tips while being written in a fun, conversational style. This book provides easy to find writing tools that can be understood by people of varying
Strategies and techniques that a person uses are those that allow you to write great papers. There are no rules on how an essay should be written; the only expectations are to get your main point across to your audience. Whether you are writing a persuasive essay, an informal essay, literary essay, argumentative essay, or a compare and contrast essay you name it there is always a purpose. One individual can follow a linear process and can edit it and precede all over with the following steps. Your fellow class mate might have a different way to write or even have similarities within. Writing takes time, patience, and overall practice. Just like how Hairston relates writing to the best athletes. Athletes are not born the best but through practice, time, criticism, and reinforcement it can lead them to become the
What is writing style? I started out thinking that writing style is a personal thing and that all writers have their own style. But, this way of thinking is really just a simple way to answer the question. After more careful thought, I realized that style is actually quite the opposite of personal and original. Style is a form of standardization. As writers, we all follow certain rules and guidelines to make our point. Style is these rules and guidelines.
My writing style changes greatly between the communities of academia and newspaper journalism. In both academic and newspaper writing I am compelled to include as much information as possible, yet the two call for completely different styles. I think this difference exists because the two forms of writing have different objectives. The general objectives of a newspaper article are to examine a story or issue, to introduce the public to the issue, and to provide a forum for others' opinions. With a few exceptions, newspapers don't have the time or the space to delve into an issue; instead they introduce it and possibly follow it up later with another story. The general objective of most academic writings I have done is to comprehensively answer a question. This involves a far more exhaustive exploration of an issue. Often in academic writing, the question itself provides the objective and defines the content of the writing. The fundamental differences in purpose between newspaper and academic forms of writing manifest into more clearly defined differences.
My English 1310 course was taught by Professor Daniel Stuart. He taught us the concept of academic writing and why it is important. Academic writing is the process of breaking down ideas, using a formal tone, deductive reasoning and third person. Writing done to carry out the requirements of a college or university on a research based level. It requires a starting point or introduction, followed by a thesis on the preferred topic, then comes proving and disproving of the evidence based arguments.
Writing styles that are transitioned from my old high school to San Jose State University is quite difficult even if I have been studying how to create writing ever since I was born in the United States. In high school I took normal English classes, which are not remedial or advanced placements, and focused on methods of planning out my essays, working on specific paragraphs such as the introduction and conclusion of an essay, how to transition one paragraph to another, and also using the correct grammar and spelling. I feel that throughout my high school and future college writings I will slowly improve to the point where I feel satisfied of my work.
Academic writing skill is very essential for the college students. Through academic writing, the students can express their thoughts, feelings and point of view on a certain issue or topic. In presenting ideas about variety of issues, students need to follow certain rules in writing academic essays. Academic writing is a specific type of writing that is needed in writing formal essays in a certain course. To create a well-constructed essay, it is very important for the students to use academic writing style. It has specific features which include academic tone in the essays. To achieve formality of tone, students must maintain the objectivity of their written texts. Unfortunately, some of the students tend to use personal pronouns