EL0200A: EAP 1

English for Academic Purposes

Instructor: Eva LI
Disclaimers

The booking of ELSS workshops starts from Week 3.

Lovely faces are available on AIMS. So, don’t worry
about participation marks.
Lesson Objectives

1. Review the course assignments and requirements

2. Introduce what is ‘genre’
3. Practice reading sub-skills including skimming and
scanning
4. Develop a general picture of an argumentative essay
5. Generate a list of don'ts for academic language
6. Do some practice on hedging
Kahoot Review Game
Genre
Genre
• typical layout,
• names of the bride and
groom, some decorations,
• the date of the ceremony,
• name of the church and
the hotel where the
reception will be held,
• RSVP to an email address or
by phone by…,
• dress code (‘black tie’ is in
English).
Genre
Genres

 What other genres do you know or need to produce during your

university life?
Genres

 What other genres do you know or need to produce during your

university life?

• Essays • Presentation scripts

• Reports • Research abstracts
• Business plans • Research Dissertations & Theses
• Research proposals
• Book reviews
• Brief research reports
• Literature reviews
• Reflective writing
• Reading response
 Brainstorming Technique: Listing
 ‘Social media should be controlled on university campuses’
 Come up with a list of all the arguments supporting or arguing against
this stance.
 At least 3 perspectives on each side.

Possible viewpoint or stance:

___________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Points in favour: Points against (Counter arguments):
 Brainstorming Technique: Listing
 ‘Social media should be controlled on university campuses’
 Come up with a list of all the arguments supporting or arguing against
this stance.
 At least 3 perspectives on each side.

Points in favour: Points against (Counter arguments):

• Reduce chances of being distracted
• Being less addictive to cell phones and
start to spend time with school activities
and building relationships
• Focus on academic studies
• Avoid cyberbullying on campus
• Students are adults and can take care of themselves
• Personal freedom of using their phones and social
media
• Easy access to useful information
• Students are often excluded if they don’t know
common buzzwords or events on social media
Reading Skill: Skimming
 Reading Skill: Skimming

 Skimming refers to looking only for the general or main ideas.

 With skimming, your overall understanding is reduced because
you don't read everything.
 You read only what is important to your purpose.
 Practice this sub-skill constantly as you need this in the final exam.
Reading Skill: Skimming

 Read the personal response to this topic.

 Give 1.5 mins and find out the following information:
 What is Ben’s stance on this matter?
 What are the major reasons?
Reading Skill: Skimming

 Read the personal response to this topic.

 Give 1.5 mins and find out the following information:
 What is Ben’s stance on this matter?
 What are the major reasons?

Highly addictive in nature

Negative impacts on students’ wellbeing

Increased social isolation

Reading Skill: Scanning
Reading Skill: Scanning

 Scanning is reading a text quickly in order to find specific

information, e.g., figures or names.
 It can be contrasted with skimming, which is reading
quickly to get a general idea of meaning.
 Complement with skimming for effective and efficient
understanding
 Reading Skill: Scanning
 A much more well-written academic text
 Can you find how many citations are used in the essay?

Citation information What is this citation for?

 Reading Skill: Scanning
 A much more well-written academic text
 Can you find how many citations are used in the essay?

Citation information What is this citation for?

Paragraph 1- Montag (2019) To explain why people become

additive to social media and
mobile phones.
 Reading Skill: Scanning
 A much more well-written academic text
 Can you find how many citations are used in the essay?
Montag (2019): to explain why people become additive to social media
and mobile phones.
Gambling Disorder (APA, 2013): a type of disease

Griffiths et al. (2014): will be enough evidence in the future to show social
media addition can also be recognised as a type of serious disease

Hirshkowitz et al. (2015): Poor academic performance and lack of sleep

Chang et al. (2015): To explain the mechanism of the effects from

electronic devices on sleep quality

Kim and Kim (2017): Raise a concern from other scholars: Develop social relationships

Primack et al. (2017): Social Isolation

Hofer & Aubert (2013): Comment on the quality of friendships on social media
 Reading Skill: Scanning
 Do you know the meanings of these words?

Words Synonyms/Antonyms
availability
constant buzzes and pings
restrictions
excessively
predominately
fulfilling
liable
prohibit
 Reading Skill: Scanning
 Do you know the meanings of these words?

Words Synonyms/Antonyms
availability Existence/unavailability, shortage
constant buzzes and pings Notifications
restrictions Limitations, regulation, constraint/
Freedom, permission, liberation

excessively Too much, to an extreme extent, very

frequently/infrequently, little, minimally
predominately Mostly, primarily, mainly/infrequently, little, minimally
fulfilling Adequate, effective, productive, successful
liable Likely/unlikely
prohibit Constrain, forbid, inhibit/
Allow, facilitate, encourage
 Model essay analysis
 Read the following essay and answer the questions:

 1. How many paragraphs are there? How do you know? Look at both the
language and the layout.
 2. Where do we first discover the author’s argument on the topic?
 3. What is the function of the first and the last paragraph?
 4. Where do we find out what each body paragraph is going to be about?
 5. Do all body paragraphs present only the arguments supporting the author’s
argument?
 6. What is the page format (font, spacing, indentations, alignment, etc.)?
 Model essay analysis (Academic style)

 Read a version of Ben’s introduction that breaks a number

rules of academic writing.
 Study the language in both versions and try to guess the rules
behind each example.
 Come up with a list of Donts for academic style
 Academic Language

In academic writing, the following should generally be avoided:

• Clichés (“Every coin has two sides.” )
• Contractions (“is not”  / “isn’t” )
• Emotional language (“sub-standard”  / “terrible” )
• Idioms (“unexpectedly”  / “out of the blue” )
• Imperatives (“Time management is an important skill for students.”  /
“Manage your time better!” )
• Informal vocabulary (“children”  / “kids” )
• Rhetorical questions (“X is inadvisable.”  / “Should we really do X?” )
 Hedging Practice: Reading
Read the conversation and then answer the questions that follow.
Jim: Hi, Sue - how are you?
1. Exactly how many people were at the cinema?
Sue: Not bad, thanks. You?
Jim: Great. So, what have you been up to? 2. What was the exact temperature in the cinema?

Sue: Well, I went to see the new Tom Cruise 3. How frequently does Sue go to Tom Cruise films?
movie last night.
Jim: How was it? 4. What specific things does she like about his
acting?
Sue: Fantastic. But there were millions of
people there, and it was boiling in the 5. Who knows that Tom Cruise is a great actor?
theatre.
Jim: How was Tom’s performance? 6. What proof does Jim have that Cruise will
win the Oscar?
Sue: Excellent. But then I always go to his
movies – he’s great.
Jim: Well, everyone knows that! He’ll win
the Oscar® for sure this year!
 Hedging Practice: Reading
Read the conversation and then answer the questions that follow.
Jim: Hi, Sue - how are you?
1. Exactly how many people were at the cinema?
Sue: Not bad, thanks. You? “Millions”
Jim: Great. So, what have you been up to? 2. What was the exact temperature in the cinema?
“Boiling”
Sue: Well, I went to see the new Tom Cruise 3. How frequently does Sue go to Tom Cruise films?
movie last night. “Always”
Jim: How was it? 4. What specific things does she like about his
acting?
Sue: Fantastic. But there were millions of “He’s great”
people there, and it was boiling in the 5. Who knows that Tom Cruise is a great actor?
theatre. “Everyone”
Jim: How was Tom’s performance? 6. What proof does Jim have that Cruise will
win the Oscar?
Sue: Excellent. But then I always go to his
“None”
movies – he’s great.
Jim: Well, everyone knows that! He’ll win
the Oscar® for sure this year!
 Hedging Practice: Reading
Read the conversation and then answer the questions that follow.
Jim: Hi, Sue - how are you?
1. Exactly how many people were at the cinema?
Sue: Not bad, thanks. You? “Millions”
Jim: Great. So, what have you been up to? 2. What was the exact temperature in the cinema?
“Boiling”
Sue: Well, I went to see the new Tom Cruise 3. How frequently does Sue go to Tom Cruise films?
movie last night. “Always”
Jim: How was it? 4. What specific things does she like about his
acting?
Sue: Fantastic. But there were millions of “He’s great”
people there, and it was boiling in the 5. Who knows that Tom Cruise is a great actor?
theatre. “Everyone”
Jim: How was Tom’s performance? 6. What proof does Jim have that Cruise will
win the Oscar?
Sue: Excellent. But then I always go to his
“None”
movies – he’s great.
Jim: Well, everyone knows that! He’ll win
the Oscar® for sure this year!
 Hedging Practice: Reading
Read the conversation and then answer the questions that follow.
Jim: Hi, Sue - how are you?
1. Exactly how many people were at the cinema?
Sue: Not bad, thanks. You? “Millions”
Jim: Great. So, what have you been up to? 2. What was the exact temperature in the cinema?
“Boiling”
Sue: Well, I went to see the new Tom Cruise 3. How frequently does Sue go to Tom Cruise films?
movie last night. “Always”
Jim: How was it? 4. What specific things does she like about his
acting?
Sue: Fantastic. But there were millions of “He’s great”
people there, and it was boiling in the 5. Who knows that Tom Cruise is a great actor?
theatre. “Everyone”
Jim: How was Tom’s performance? 6. What proof does Jim have that Cruise will
win the Oscar?
Sue: Excellent. But then I always go to his
“None”
movies – he’s great.
Jim: Well, everyone knows that! He’ll win
the Oscar® for sure this year!
 Hedging Practice: Reading
Read the conversation and then answer the questions that follow.
Jim: Hi, Sue - how are you?
1. Exactly how many people were at the cinema?
Sue: Not bad, thanks. You? “Millions”
Jim: Great. So, what have you been up to? 2. What was the exact temperature in the cinema?
“Boiling”
Sue: Well, I went to see the new Tom Cruise 3. How frequently does Sue go to Tom Cruise films?
movie last night. “Always”
Jim: How was it? 4. What specific things does she like about his
acting?
Sue: Fantastic. But there were millions of “He’s great”
people there, and it was boiling in the 5. Who knows that Tom Cruise is a great actor?
theatre. “Everyone”
Jim: How was Tom’s performance? 6. What proof does Jim have that Cruise will
win the Oscar?
Sue: Excellent. But then I always go to his
“None”
movies – he’s great.
Jim: Well, everyone knows that! He’ll win
the Oscar® for sure this year!
 Hedging Practice: Reading
Read the conversation and then answer the questions that follow.
Jim: Hi, Sue - how are you?
1. Exactly how many people were at the cinema?
Sue: Not bad, thanks. You? “Millions”
Jim: Great. So, what have you been up to? 2. What was the exact temperature in the cinema?
“Boiling”
Sue: Well, I went to see the new Tom Cruise 3. How frequently does Sue go to Tom Cruise films?
movie last night. “Always”
Jim: How was it? 4. What specific things does she like about his
acting?
Sue: Fantastic. But there were millions of “He’s great”
people there, and it was boiling in the 5. Who knows that Tom Cruise is a great actor?
theatre. “Everyone”
Jim: How was Tom’s performance? 6. What proof does Jim have that Cruise will
win the Oscar?
Sue: Excellent. But then I always go to his
“None”
movies – he’s great.
Jim: Well, everyone knows that! He’ll win
the Oscar® for sure this year!
 Hedging Practice: Reading
Read the conversation and then answer the questions that follow.
Jim: Hi, Sue - how are you?
1. Exactly how many people were at the cinema?
Sue: Not bad, thanks. You? “Millions”
Jim: Great. So, what have you been up to? 2. What was the exact temperature in the cinema?
“Boiling”
Sue: Well, I went to see the new Tom Cruise 3. How frequently does Sue go to Tom Cruise films?
movie last night. “Always”
Jim: How was it? 4. What specific things does she like about his
acting?
Sue: Fantastic. But there were millions of “He’s great”
people there, and it was boiling in the 5. Who knows that Tom Cruise is a great actor?
theatre. “Everyone”
Jim: How was Tom’s performance? 6. What proof does Jim have that Cruise will
win the Oscar?
Sue: Excellent. But then I always go to his
“None”
movies – he’s great.
Jim: Well, everyone knows that! He’ll win
the Oscar® for sure this year!
Hedging Practice 1
Your reader may
think “How can you
Degree of Certainty
be so sure?”
Suppose you write:
a. “Young people who cannot pay their credit card
debts will commit suicide.”
Or
b. “The Hong Kong economy will improve in the next
five years.”

 Re-write the sentences so that they are less certain.

Hedging Practice 1
Degree of Certainty
Possible Answers:
a. “Young people who cannot pay their credit
card debts will may commit suicide.”
Or
b. “The Hong Kong economy will is likely to
improve in the next five years.”
Review

✓ Review the course requirements

✓ Understand what is Genre
✓ Model sample essays
✓Basic conventions
✓Academic language including hedging
✓Practice reading sub-skills
Resources for IL

• Hedging, style, and tone

• Language features of Academic Writing Part 1
• Language features of Academic Writing Part 2
• Language features of Academic Writing Part 3
• Language features of Academic Writing Part 4
• ELSS online resources – English for General and
Academic Purposes - all the files under ‘Grammar’ and
‘Vocabulary’