LPE2501 ACADEMIC WRITING

LECTURE NOTES 7
[WEEK 13 – 14]

Topics:

1. Sentence Problems
• Subject -Verb Agreement
• Fragment
• Run -on and Comma Splice
• Parallelism
2. Tenses
3. Vocabulary - Word Forms
1. SENTENCE PROBLEMS i. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
In academic writing, you have to construct sentences based on the correct subject-
verb agreement rules. The basic rule is singular subjects need singular verbs; plural
subjects need plural verbs. Being able to find the right subject and verb will help you
correct errors of subject-verb agreement. The following are some of the rules that
you can use as a guide:

N Rules Examples
o
1 A singular verb follows a • The boy laughs loudly.
singular subject and a • The boys laugh loudly.
plural verb follows a
plural subject.
2 When two or more • Michelle and Matthew sing well.
singular subjects are • Lara and Sam study very hard for the test.
joined by the conjunction
“and”, a plural verb is
used.
3 Phrases such as • Jim, together with his sister, is leaving for
“together with", “as well Korea on Sunday.
as” and "along with” do • The manager as well as the employees, has
not affect the actual to go for the blood test.
number of subject • The doctors, along with their nurses, are
before them. They are taking a break at the cafeteria.
not the same as the
conjunction "and”.
4 A singular verb is used • Neither of the two traffic lights is working.
after “neither” and
"either".
• Either dress is fine with me.
5 When two subjects are • Neither Jasmine nor Megan knows the
joined by "neither…nor” answers.
or “either...or”, the verb • Are either the boys or the girls required to
agrees with the subject stay in the venue?
nearest to it.
6 The indefinite pronouns, • Everyone likes durians.
such as "anyone", • Someone has taken my dictionary.
"anybody", "anything", None of the students has done the
•
"everybody”, "everyone", assignments.
“everything', "nobody",
"no one”, “nothing",
"someone", "somebody",
“something” and “none”
require singular verbs.

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7 When the subjects • Every boy and girl has to pay for the entrance
follow "each", “even” tickets.
and "one of", a singular • Each of the students is responsible for
verb is used. success or failure of the event.

8 lndefinite pronouns, such • Some of the umbrellas are missing.

as “all” and “some” can be • Some of the rice is stale.
singular or plural
depending on whether
they are referring to
countable or
uncountable nouns.
9 When the subjects are • All but the lecturer have left the lecture hall.
separated by “all but" • Both Mary and Kay enjoy singing and
and “both...and", a dancing.
plural verb is used.
10 When two singular • My good friend and neighbour is a
subjects refer to the • musician. Ryan, my supervisor and
same person or thing, a mentor, teaches me how to be a good
singular verb is used. technician.
11 When two subjects are • Bread and butter is all I usually take for my
used to express one idea, breakfast.
a singular verb is used. • The horse and carriage is
beautifully decorated for the
competition.
12 "There" and "here" are • Here is your shirt.
never a subject. • There are your shirts.

13 A collective noun takes • The team wins all the competitions.

a singular verb when it • The committee has not decided on where to
is used to mean a hold the camp yet.
group.
14 Words such as • My glasses are missing.
"glasses", "trousers", • My trousers are torn.
"pants", “scissors” are • A pair of trousers is on the table for you.
regarded as plural
unless they are used
with the phrase "a pair
of".
15 Plural numbers take a • A million dollars is a lot of money.
singular verb when they • Three years is a long time.
are used in a phrase to
mean an amount or a
unit.
16 Some words end in • Physics bores me to death.
“s” but are singular in
meaning. ln this
case, a singular verb
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 is used.

17 Some nouns are • The police have caught the culprit. Poultry
singular in form but • continue to rise in price.
plural in meaning. In
this case, a plural verb
is used.

EXERCISE 1
Fill in the blanks with appropriate forms of the verb given in the brackets.

It is customary for Malaysians to work at least eight hours per day if they
(1) ____work_____(work) in an office. However, this is considered as long working
hours in Europe. Working long hours (2) _____is____(be) common for most Asian
countries, such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea – all countries with
developing economies.
Malaysia (3) ___has_____(have) been ranked as one of the top countries with
workaholic employees as they also work on holidays. (4) _____does____(Do) this
reputation harm or benefit Malaysia? Japan and South Korea (5)
___have_____(have) taken the initiative to reduce the number of working hours as
they fear longer working hours may cause health problems and (6)
_reduce________(reduce) the quality of life for the workers. Nevertheless, if
Malaysia reduces its working hours, productivity will suffer. The Malaysian economy
largely (7) ___depends_____(depend) on a productive workforce. If working hours
are decreased, workers may not be able to make up for lost hours or meet employer
demands. It is also feared that employers will put more expectation on workers to
complete their tasks in a fairly short deadline.
Moreover, if employees (8) ____take_____(take) long leave, it may reflect
negatively on their careers. As one travel survey found, Malaysian employees take
the least amount of leave for travel. The survey mentioned that this trend
(9) _____is____(be) worrisome as taking annual leave for travelling is important for
workers’ well-being. Malaysian employees are reluctant to take long work holidays
because they have the option of carrying forward the unused leave to the next year
calendar. Therefore, instead of reducing working hours for Malaysian workers, a
more viable solution for their productivity and the economy of the country

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(10) _____is____(be) to allocate more hours for lunch break, currently practised by
workers in Spain. The workers in Spain take a ‘siesta’, or a long break in the
afternoon for resting and doing leisure activities after lunch, and they resume working
at about 4pm. Thus, reducing working hours may be counterproductive for the
Malaysian economy in the long run.

EXERCISE 2
The text below contains SIX Subject-Verb Agreement errors. Identify and correct the
errors.

Many people have diverse thoughts about the importance of early childhood
education. Better academic achievement, of course, is one of them. According to
Ethridge (2010), the president of the National Association of Early Childhood
Teacher Educators, children who attend early childhood education programmes
demonstrates higher levels of school achievement and better social adjustment than
those who have no formal early education. These children are less likely to repeat a
grade or be placed in special education classes as learning issues can be identified
and mediated early. In addition to that, research also indicates that children who
have had formal early learning experiences are also more likely to graduate from
high school with better grades as they learn best when educational activities are
exposed at the very early age. Thus, early childhood education will help children
perform better academically.

On the other hand, critics of pre-kindergarten education highlight the

differences between children enrolled in pre-school programmes and children not
receiving formal education. Most childhood education specialists claim that it is not
good for young children to be separated from their parents for extended periods of
time. One reason for this is children who are educated by their parents during their
early developmental years experiences the same benefits as children enrolled in
preschool programmes, especially children receiving a lot of attention from parents.
While some children benefit immensely from pre-school, it may not be the best
educational setting for other children. In fact, they usually do not benefit in
programmes with inexperienced teachers and large classroom sizes. Parents must
evaluate a child's unique personality before determining which programme is best
suited for a child since not all programmes benefit children the same way.

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ii. FRAGMENT

A complete sentence must have a subject, a verb and must express a complete
thought. A sentence that does not have a subject or a verb and does not express a
complete thought is a fragment.
The following are the most common types of fragment errors.

a. Fragment with a missing subject

Fragment Discovered the cure for the disease.

Problem This is a fragment as it is missing a subject. It also does not

express a complete thought. This can be corrected by adding a
suitable subject.

Correct The Department of Health Science discovered the cure for the
sentence disease.

b. Fragment with a missing verb

Fragment Hiking great activity to boost metabolism and maintain a healthy

weight.

Problem This is a fragment as it is missing a verb. It can be corrected by

adding a verb that matches the subject (hiking).

Correct Hiking is great activity to boost metabolism and maintain a healthy

sentence weight.

c. Fragment that does not express a complete thought

Fragment Because the final examination is important for all students.

Problem This is a dependent clause. It begins with the subordinator

(because). It also does not express a complete thought because
there is no independent clause.

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 Correct There are 2 ways to correct this problem:
sentence
1. Add a suitable independent clause
Because the final examination is important for all students, they
must study hard and prepare well for it.

2. Remove the subordinator

The final examination is important for all students.

Sometimes you may combine a fragment with another sentence that comes before
or after it to form a new sentence that expresses a complete thought.

1
Fragment Students will be able to develop soft skills such as time
management and communication skills. 2Which are vital skills in
the workplace.

Problem Sentence 2 is a dependent clause. It begins with a subordinator

(which). To correct this fragment error, combine sentence 1 and 2
to form a new sentence that expresses a complete thought.

Correct Students will be able to develop soft skills such as time

sentence management and communication skills which are vital skills in the
workplace.

EXERCISE 3
Read the sentences below and label each sentence as either fragment or complete
sentence. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, rewrite each fragment to form a
complete sentence.

No Sentences Complete /
Fragment
1 Universities around the world are striving to achieve C
academic and research excellence.

2 Although the athletes spent hours practising and perfecting F

their performance.

3 Extracurricular activities students with numerous skills such F

as teamwork and critical thinking skills.

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 4 The 2021 Tokyo Olympics was a world class event that C
brought athletes from all around the world together to
compete in various sports.

5 As she was facing difficulties with the internet connection. F

6 Two examples of great outdoors activities camping and F

scuba diving.

7 Air pollution is caused by solid and liquid particles that are C

released into the air through industrial activities.

8 While taking extra classes to meet the credit requirement F

for graduation.

9 Health experts believe that taking a long vacation every C

year will help promote better mental health among workers.

10 Are able to retrieve information through academic sources F

such as books and journal articles.

EXERCISE 4
The text below contains FIVE fragment errors. Identify and correct the errors.

1
Claustrophobia is a situational phobia triggered by an irrational and intense fear of
tight or crowded spaces. 2can be triggered by things such as being locked in a
windowless room, being stuck in a crowded elevator or driving on a congested
highway. 3Claustrophobia one of the most common phobias. 4People who suffer from
claustrophobia may feel like having a panic attack. 5Although claustrophobia is not a
panic disorder. 6When anxiety levels start to escalate. 7The sufferers may experience
accelerated heart rate and profuse sweating. 8Claustrophobia disappears on its own
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for some people. Others may need therapy to manage and cope with their
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symptoms. In 2015, a study was conducted by University of Wisconsin-Madison's
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Neurology Department on claustrophobia. Based on the study, 5-7% of the world’s
population affected by severe claustrophobia.

a. Sentence number: _____2_________

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 Correct sentence:

(Add Subject)= Claustrophobia can be triggered by things such as being locked in a

windowless room, being stuck in a crowded elevator or driving on a congested

highway.

b. Sentence number: _______3______

Correct sentence:

(Add verb) = Claustrophobia is one of the most common phobias.

c. Sentence number: 4 & 5

Correct sentence:

(Combine sentence 4 and 5 to form a new sentence that expresses a complete

thought) = People who suffer from claustrophobia may feel like having a panic attack
although claustrophobia is not a panic disorder.

d.Sentence number: 6 & 7

Correct sentence:

(Combine sentence 6 and 7 to form a new sentence that expresses a complete

thought) = When anxiety levels start to escalate, the sufferers may experience
accelerated heart rate and profuse sweating.

e. Sentence number: 8 & 9

Correct sentence:

(Combine sentence 8 and 9 and add subordinating conjunctions to form a new

sentence that expresses a complete thought) = Claustrophobia disappears on its

own for some people where others may need therapy to manage and cope with their

symptoms.

iii. RUN-ON AND COMMA SPLICE

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A run-on refers to a sentence in which two or more independent clauses are
combined together with no punctuation and conjunction.
Meanwhile, a comma splice refers to two independent clauses incorrectly joined by
a comma without any conjunction.
Note: Conjuction refers to coordinators, subordinators and conjuctive adverbs

Run-on English is an important global language it is widely used for

international trade and foreign investments.

Comma Splice English is an important global language, it is widely for

international trade and foreign investments.

There are a few ways to correct these sentence errors. Pay attention to the parts
highlighted in green.

Add a period English is an important global language. It is widely used

for international trade and foreign investments.

Add a semicolon English is an important global language; it is widely used

for international trade and foreign investments.

Add a coordinator English is an important global , for it is widely

language for international trade and ments. used
foreign invest

Add a English is an important global language because

used it is
subordinator for international trade and foreign investments. widely

Add a conjunctive English is an important global language widely

; used forit is
adverb therefore,
international trade and foreign investments.

EXERCISE 5
Identify the following sentences as either Run-on (RO) or Comma Splice (CS). Then,
correct the sentences using the methods stated.
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1. Exercise is an important element in maintaining a healthy weight it also helps in
reducing daily stress.

Error: RO

a. Add a period

Exercise is an important element in maintaining a healthy weight. It also helps in

reducing daily stress.

b. Add a semicolon

Exercise is an important element in maintaining a healthy weight; it also helps in

reducing daily stress.

c. Add a coordinator

Exercise is an important element in maintaining a healthy weight, for it also helps

in reducing daily stress

2. Talking on the mobile phone while driving is dangerous, drivers lack

concentration and focus when driving.

Error: ___CS_____

a. Add a semicolon

Talking on the mobile phone while driving is dangerous; drivers lack concentration
and focus when driving.

b. Add a subordinator

Talking on the mobile phone while driving is dangerous, because drivers lack
concentration and focus when driving.

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3. Health experts have been trying to find a cure for the disease the results do not
show any progress.

Error: ____RO____

a. Add a coordinator

Health experts have been trying to find a cure for the disease, for the results do
not show any progress.

b. Add a conjunctive adverb

Health experts have been trying to find a cure for the disease; therefore, the
results do not show any progress.

4. Fresh graduates are expected to be proficient in the English Language, they

need to have good communication skills to succeed in the workforce.

Error: ___CS_____

a. Add a period

Fresh graduates are expected to be proficient in the English Language. They need

to have good communication skills to succeed in the workforce.

b. Add a conjunctive adverb

Fresh graduates are expected to be proficient in the English Language; therefore,

they need to have good communication skills to succeed in the workforce.

EXERCISE 6
The text below consists of Run-on and Comma Splice errors. Identify the sentence
numbers that contain the errors. Write the correct sentence in the space provided by
using any of the ways you have learned.

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 1
Advertising media has an impact on the way society perceives gender role and
behaviour. 2It brings about gender stereotyping on how men and women are
depicted. 3Men are portrayed to be stronger and aggressive women are perceived as
the weaker half of society and are expected to be gentle. 4Courtis and Lockeretz
(1971) indicated that over the years, women had been portrayed as domestic
providers who did not make significant decisions as they were dependant on men.
5
For example, car manufacturers use women in skimpy clothing in their
advertisements to advertise their cars instead of focusing on the features of those
cars these are some of the roles that media has given to women.
6
Another area that the advertising media influences society is through its values.
7
The ability of the mass media to influence social ethics remains one of the most
worrying influences as some of the values are decadent (Warhol, 2009). 8The
lifestyles that the media portrays are glamorised, they are beyond the reach of
ordinary people. 9This has become a cause for concern when normal individuals in
society try to adopt these values and imitate the lifestyles of the rich, careful
consideration should be given before something is advertised in the media as
millions of individuals would be influenced by it.

a. Sentence error: Run-on

Sentence number: __3____
Correct sentence.
( Add a period) = Men are portrayed to be stronger and aggressive. Women are
perceived as the weaker half of society and are expected to be gentle.

b. Sentence error: Run-on

Sentence number: __5____
Correct sentence.
(Add a period) = For example, car manufacturers use women in skimpy clothing in
their advertisements to advertise their cars instead of focusing on the features of
those cars. These are some of the roles that media has given to women.

c. Sentence error: Comma splice

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 Sentence number: __4_____
Correct sentence.
(Add a semicolon) = Courtis and Lockeretz (1971) indicated that over the years;
women had been portrayed as domestic providers who did not make significant
decisions as they were dependant on men.

d. Sentence error: Comma splice

Sentence number: __9______
Correct sentence.
(Add a conjunctive adverb). = This has become a cause for concern when normal
individuals in society try to adopt these values and imitate the lifestyles of the rich;
therefore, careful consideration should be given before something is advertised in
the media as millions of individuals would be influenced by it.

iv. PARALLELISM

Parallelism is important in writing especially when listing or comparing ideas.

Parallelism refers to the repetition of similar grammatical structures in sentences.
Parallel items in sentences create a smooth flow in writing and readers will be able to
follow your ideas clearly and easily. Below are examples of parallel and non-parallel
structures.

Non-parallel Structure Parallel Structure

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 Students often spend their free time Students often spend their free time
reading, sleeping and they go shopping. reading, sleeping and shopping.

(The items are all verbs + ing)

The Aerobics Club consists of The Aerobics Club consists of

Malaysian, Singaporean and students Malaysian, Singaporean and
from Vietnam. Vietnamese students.

(The items are all adjectives)

The professor instructed his students to The professor instructed his students to
observe, to listen and he made them observe, to listen and to take notes
take notes during the lab session. during the lab session.

(The items are all infinitive phrases)

Parallelism can also be used with coordinators and paired or correlative

conjunctions. Below are examples of parallelism with coordinators and conjunctions.

Parallelism with Coordinators: And / Or / But

Words, phrases and clauses that are joined by coordinators (and / or / but) must be
written in parallel form. Below are examples of parallel structured sentences joined
with coordinators.

a) Parents have to punish their children for any misbehaviour, and they have to
warn their children not to repeat the misbehaviour.

b) The annoyed customer at the store wanted to change the item, to obtain a refund
or to speak to a manager. OR
The annoyed customer at the store wanted to change the item, obtain a refund or
speak to a manager.

c) Prof Davis found the chemical substances in the cupboard, under the sink but not
on the table.
Parallelism with Paired Conjunctions

Sentences with paired conjunctions such as both…and, either…or, neither…nor, and

not only…but also should be written in parallel form. Below are examples of parallel
structured sentences joined with paired conjunctions.

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 a) The writers must both write and publish their work next month.

b) Global warming may be caused either from industrial activity or from open
burning .

c) The candidate neither called the company nor emailed the company to
explain his absence.

d) The journey to Antarctica was not only too expensive but also too tiring for
the researchers.

EXERCISE 7
Underline the part of each sentence that is not parallel. Circle the word(s) that
connect the parallel structures. Then, rewrite the sentence in parallel form.

1. The Writing Portfolio Task can be done individually, in pairs or can be done in
groups of five.

The Writing Portfolio Task can be done individually, pairs or groups of five.

2. Writing a project paper requires not only reading journal articles but also the
writing requires understanding the concepts of research writing.

Writing a project paper requires not only reading journal articles but also the
concepts of research writing.

3. Students can either pay their fee with one payment or they can stretch out their
payments into instalments.

Students can either pay their fee with one payment or into instalments.

4. Retirees often fear loneliness, becoming ill and poverty in their old age.
Retirees often fear loneliness, ill and poverty in their old age

4. An ideal environment for online classes includes good internet connection, a

comfortable desk and having a spacious area.
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 An ideal environment for online classes includes good internet connection,
comfortable desk and spacious area.

5. Sustainability in business requires to either raise revenues or there is a

requirement to reduce expenses.

Sustainability in business requires to either raise revenues or reduce expenses.

6. The lecturer was asked to write his report quickly, accurately and in a thorough
description.

The lecturer was asked to write his report quickly, accurately and in thorough
description.

7. The magazine had articles on losing weight quickly, how to attract a rich spouse
and finding the perfect haircut.

The magazine had articles on losing weight, attract a rich and perfect haircut.

8. The players want neither to compete internationally nor do they like practising their
sport.

The players want neither compete internationally nor like practising sport.

9. People immigrate to other countries for both freedom and to become financially
secure.

People immigrate to other countries for both freedom and financially secure.

EXERCISE 8
Read the text below. Identify the following sentence errors and write the sentence
number which contain the stated error. Then, write the correct sentence in the space
provided.

a. Subject-verb Agreement
b. Fragment
c. Run-on
d. Comma splice
e. Non-parallel structure

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 1
“I am feeling depressed today” is a phrase that is uttered by countless people
each day. 2These individuals tends to misuse the term ‘depression’ to refer to the
normal ups and downs of daily life. 3In reality, depression is a serious illness. 4It has
caused 11 million individuals to spend $44 billion on the treatment of depression
each year (Greenberg & Stiglin, 1993). 5A clinically depressed person in a constant
state of sadness because of three main factors which are genetics, substance abuse
and social environment.
6
Firstly, the most common cause of depression is genetics. 7People who are
born with low levels of serotonin and dopamine in their brains cannot experience
pleasure in the same way that people with both balanced chemicals can, these
people do not experience happiness from normal happy events. 8For example, a
clinically depressed student with chemical imbalances in the brain might derive less
satisfaction from earning an A for a subject than a student with balanced chemicals.
9
Therefore, people with low levels of serotonin and dopamine require extreme
circumstances to experience the same level of happiness that people with balanced
chemicals would experience from a lesser event.
10 11
A second cause of depression is substance abuse. Substance abuse is the
12
use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco in amounts which are harmful. Excessive
amounts of these substances in the bloodstream can alter the brain’s normal
13
chemical balance. People who use these chemical substances may experience
short-term or long term depression due to the chemical changes in their brains for
example, alcoholics can develop depression because of the constant altering of the
14
levels of dopamine in their brain. Hence, the more alcohol a person consumes, the
risk of getting depression is likely to increase (Joseph & David, 2011).
15 16
Lastly, social environmental factors can trigger clinical depression. Failed
relationships and traumatic events are two common stimuli in depression
17
(Williamson, 1996). Failed relationships such as a divorce or a falling out between
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family members can leave a person in a state of depression. In addition, traumatic
events such as witnessing the death of a family member or to watch a family
member’s health deteriorate are also social environmental factors that can send a
person into depression.

a. Sentence error: Subject-verb Agreement

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 Sentence number: ______2________
Write the correct sentence.
These people tend to misuse the term ‘depression’ to refer to the normal ups and
downs of daily life.

b. Sentence error: Fragment

Sentence number: _______4_______
Write the correct sentence.
Depression has caused 11 million individuals to spend $44 billion on the treatment
of depression each year (Greenberg & Stiglin, 1993).

c. Sentence error: Run-on

Sentence number: ______7________
Write the correct sentence.
People who are born with low levels of serotonin and dopamine in their brains
cannot experience pleasure in the same way that people with both balanced
chemicals. These people do not experience happiness from normal happy events.

d. Sentence error: Comma splice

Sentence number: ______14________
Write the correct sentence.
Hence, the more alcohol a person consumes; the risk of getting depression is likely
to increase (Joseph & David, 2011).

e. Sentence error: Nonparallel structure

Sentence number: 17 & 18

Write the correct sentence.
Failed relationships such as a divorce or a falling out between family members and
traumatic events such as witnessing the death of a family member or to watch a
family member’s health deteriorate are social environmental factors that can send a
person into depression.

2. TENSES

In academic writing, it is important to use the correct tenses depending on the

context of your writing. You will probably need to use different tenses to indicate
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 ideas/truth, to give a particular meaning or to emphasise certain functions. Below are
the three common tenses used in academic writing:

I. SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

The simple present tense is used to describe, to express opinions, and to write about
facts or general truths. It is one of the most frequently used verb forms in writing.
Notice how the writer uses the simple present to express feelings and to describe
habitual actions.

USE EXAMPLE

To indicate general ideas and truths Text messaging causes the deterioration
of proper English usage.

Organic farming is an approach that

seeks to create an integrated,
sustainable, and humane agricultural
system.

To express habitual actions The campus election in all public

universities in Malaysia is done every
semester.

All students sit for an examination before

enrolling in the course.

To express mental perceptions, I prefer exercising in the morning rather

emotions, or opinions than in the evening.

She claims that her research is

published in a high impact journal.

II. SIMPLE PAST TENSE

The simple past tense is used to write about events and situations in the past. It is
especially useful when writing a story or narrative that happened in the past. Like the
simple present, the simple past can be used to express general ideas and truths,
habitual actions and mental perceptions and emotions. The only difference is that
they happened in the past and are completed.
USE EXAMPLE

To indicate general ideas and truths In 1980s, people chose to listen to classic
rock songs.

In the past, students did not have the

chance to benefit from online learning.
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 To express habitual or completed actions During my school days, my teacher used
the blackboard in class.

The teacher appeared at the door before

the class started.
To express mental perceptions, emotions, I felt afraid of the punishment.
or opinions
I thought about my selfishness.

III. PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

When you are analysing or explaining, you will often use the present perfect tense
(has or have + past participle). The present perfect is used to refer to an event in the
past, but the past time of the event is not the important focus. The real focus is the
effect that the past action or event has on the present time and on the writer. The
present perfect always ties the past to the present.
USE EXAMPLE

Events that occurred at some unspecified He has already decided to major in time in
the past (often with recently, business studies.
already, just, or yet)
Recently, research has shown that
abnormal behaviour is often associated
with anxiety.
Events that occurred more than once in He has changed his major three times. the
past
The lecturer has failed the students twice
due to their poor performance in the tests.
Events that began in the past and Many students have matured a lot since
continue into the present (often with for they started college.
or since)
Mr Smith has worked in Malaysia for 10
years.

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EXERCISE 9
Fill in the blanks with the correct tenses of the verbs given.
21
 The hectic pace of life today causes most people to disregard the importance
of exercising. One of the options for people to exercise is cycling. Bicycles
(1) ________ (date) back to as early as the 18 th century, yet they do not seem to
take centre stage in everyday lives. Interestingly, people (2) _______ (learn) to ride
the bicycle when they (3) ________ (be) young, but the moment they (4) ________
(obtain) their driving license, they abandon these two-wheelers for cars.

Perhaps, this is because people (5) _______ (be, not) aware of the health
benefits of cycling. Health experts say that cycling (6) ________ (offer) many health
advantages. For instance, it may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and fight
obesity. One of the advantages of cycling (7) ________ (be) that it helps one to have
a healthy heart. Cycling also (8) ________ (reduce) the incidences of cardiovascular
diseases, such as stroke, high blood pressure, and heart attack. This is because
regular cycling (9) ________ (improve) blood circulation and (10) _________ (keep)
blood pressure in check.

Furthermore, cycling is one way to fight obesity. It (11) _______ (help) people
to control body weight by boosting their metabolic rate and building muscles.
However, this only (12) _________ (work) if cyclists (13) ________ (practise) healthy
eating habits since childhood. These health advantages, however, (14) ________
(do not, seem) to encourage people to cycle. Many people (15) ________ (do not,
take up) cycling as a routine activity. It is a shame though if an easy and low impact
activity such as cycling is not promoted for the purpose of healthy living.

EXERCISE 10
The text below contains TWELVE tenses errors. Identify and correct the errors.

Autonomous vehicles are one of the most talked-about technological

breakthroughs of the past decade. Vehicle manufacturer such as Tesla is already
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one step ahead in experimenting with autonomous vehicles by introducing their ‘Full
Self
Driving’ software that functioned to aid drivers in aspects such as parking and
cruising. While the future of autonomous vehicles seemed bright, many were
concerned on the safety aspects of such vehicles.

Autonomous vehicles relied on multiple sensors to interact with the

environment around them. For this to truly work, sensors used needed to be highly
adaptive to process signals even in the worst external conditions such as bad
weather and dense traffic. However, there are many instances where accidents had
occurred due to the failure of sensors in providing accurate feedback to the vehicle’s
control system.

Aside from that, cybersecurity experts did not seem to favour the idea of
autonomous vehicles as they are prone to cybercrimes. As widespread hackings
have been happening in many areas of computing, many worried that the
autonomous vehicles’ system could be compromised. Latest research shown that it
only takes a small-scale hack to cause significant chaos and gridlock traffic on a
busy road. Hence, experts claim that the cooperation between automakers, security
experts and government agencies were pivotal to prevent such instances from
happening (LeClair, 2020).

With autonomous vehicles being new and revolutionary, concerns regarding

their safety aspects were inevitable. Nonetheless, with proper mitigation of risks,
there was no doubt that autonomous vehicles will have a role to play in the future of
motoring. In fact, they are a testament to the potential for innovation in the industry.

3. VOCABULARY - WORD FORMS

In academic writing, it is important to use the correct word forms to communicate

your intent. Word forms share the same root meaning, but each form has a different
meaning, depending on its function in a sentence. This function is called part of

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speech (noun, verb, adjective, and adverb). It is important to match the word form
with the part of speech.

Verb Noun Adjective Adverb

devote devotion devoted devotedly
- happiness happy happily
interrupt interruption interrupting -

If you did not use the correct word form in your sentence, a word form error will
occur. A word form error indicates that you have chosen the correct basic word, but
the form of the word does not suit its position in the sentence. For example:

i. When Ruth received a full scholarship to the university, she was so happiness.
(happy)

(happiness is a noun and is incorrectly used in the sentence. The correct word
form should be happy, an adjective that describes a person.)

ii. Because of the destroy of forests, many animals are in danger of extinction.
(destruction)

(destroy is a verb and is incorrectly used in the sentence. The correct word form
should be destruction, a noun that refers to an activity.)

Use a dictionary to help you to identify the word forms if you could not differentiate a
verb from a noun. By knowing the word forms, you will be able to edit your sentences
and make sure your writing is word form error free.

EXERCISE 11 Fill in the blanks with correct word forms. Use the word in the
bracket to help you.

Yoga is an ancient practice and meditation that has become increasingly

popular in today's busy society. For many people, yoga provides a retreat from their

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(1) _____________ (chaos) and busy lives. Yoga provides numerous mental as well
as physical benefits, and many people have started including yoga stretches in their
daily workout routine. One of the main benefits of yoga is the (2) _____________
(develop) of a better body image. Yoga develops inner (3) _____________ (aware),
and it focuses attention on the body's abilities. It also helps develop breath and
strength of mind and body. Yoga studios (4) _____________ (typical) do not have
mirrors. This is so that people can focus their awareness inward rather than on how
they look. Surveys have found that people who practiced yoga were more aware of
their bodies than people who did not practice yoga. They were also more satisfied
with their bodies and less critical of their bodies (Fisher & Cloud, 2020). For these
reasons, yoga has become an integral part in the (5) _____________ (treat) of
eating disorders and programmes that support the (6) _____________ (promote) of
positive body image and self-esteem.

In addition, yoga boosts weight loss and assists in weight

(7)_____________ (manage). People who practice yoga are (8) _____________
(mind) eaters and are more in tune with their bodies. They may be more sensitive to
hunger cues and feelings of (9) _____________ (full). Researchers found that
people who practiced yoga for at least 30 minutes once a week for at least four
years, gained less weight during middle adulthood, and people who were overweight
lost weight. Overall, those who practiced yoga had lower body mass indexes (BMIs)
compared with those who did not practice yoga. Researchers attributed this to
mindfulness.
Mindful eating can lead to a more positive (10) _____________ (relation) with food.

EXERCISE 12
The text below contains SIX word form errors. Identify and correct the errors.

One of the biggest concerns that parents have about raising children in a
bilingual household is that learning two or more languages at the same time will
cause confuse. One misunderstood behaviour, which is often taken as evidence for
confusion, is when bilingual children mixture words from two languages in the same
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sentence. 9This is known as code mixing. In fact, code mixing is a normal part of
bilingual development, and bilingual children actually have good reasons to code mix
(Pearson, 2008). The reason some children code mix is that they are just repetition
what they hear adults around them say (Comeau et al., 2003).

Another reason for code mixing among bilingual children is due to their limited
vocabulary in both languages. Similar to how a monolingual 1-year-old might
initialise use the word “dog” to refer to any four-legged creature, bilingual children
also use their limited vocabularies to substitute a word from one language with a
word from another language. A bilingual child might not know or cannot quick
retrieve the appropriate word in one language, so he or she might borrow the word
from the other language (Lanza, 2004). Thus, rather than being a sign of confusion,
code mixing can be seen as a progressive in their language development and a sign
of bilingual children’s ingenuity.

Wrong word form Correct word form

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