Glossary

A type of English that is shared by educated users of the language to communicate various matters in a civilized fashion. It is language that can describe or argue about complicated issues to help readers understand and/or become convinced about some proposal. It can be general for the educated public (English for General Academic Purposes: EGAP) or specific to researchers in a particular field of academic inquiry (English for Specific Academic Purposes: ESAP).

The APA format is one of the most widely used set of guidelines for academic citation and referencing.

The intended readers for a piece of writing.

One or more sentences that connect a hook and a thesis statement in an Introduction. These statements usually explain the general background of the topic indicated in the hook, add some details to it, define keywords if necessary, and lead readers to the thesis statement that follows. In other words, it narrows down the wide scope that the hook covers into a focused point of the thesis statement.

A preference or inclination that prevents someone from looking at an issue objectively.

capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms

to decompose and be absorbed by the environment

The second part of a passage that supports the idea presented in the first part (Introduction). Body paragraphs usually include reasons, examples, data or other types of information that strengthen the idea presented in the Introduction (the controlling idea). The content of the body paragraphs should be 'controlled' by the controlling idea in the topic sentence for paragraph unity.

A prewriting stage when the writer creatively formulates ideas about a topic.

A sense that readers get when they read a well-connected passage. Coherence is often achieved by the effective use of transitional words/phrases. When a passage is coherent, it clearly shows the point that it describes or argues and increases the sense of unity.

The last of the essential three parts of an essay. It restates the topic presented in the Introduction, summarizes supporting points and details in the Body, and makes a final statement (a comment or implications) to make a lasting impression at the end of a passage.

an act or process of merging

Located in the topic sentence of Body paragraphs. It specifies the particular aspect(s) of the topic that the paragraph will describe or explain.

knives, forks, spoons; used for eating food

A passage that enables readers to understand the meaning of a term and to distinguish it from other similar or related terms.

separation or division

A preliminary version of a piece of writing that is intended to be revised to improve organization, content/ideas, and expression/style.

the ability to produce expected results

A type of academic English is used to communicate complicated matters in a straightforward way across disciplines and fields. Examples include opinion essays in newspapers and scientific reports addressed to the general public.

to catch, immobilize, or trap

to catch, immobilize, or trap

Generally used to mean any kind of careful writing on one theme. However, in this course of academic writing, "essay" means a multi-paragraph passage using English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP).

The standard pattern of layout for a text.

A statement, question, quotation, statistic or other type of interesting information at the beginning of an Introduction paragraph to attract readers' attention.

a compound of hydrogen and carbon

to take into the body (usually through the mouth)

The first part of an essay that introduces readers to what they are going to read. It is usually followed by Body and Conclusion paragraphs.

A word or concept that is a key for finding relevant information about a topic (i.e., keyword search).

The white space on a page around a text.

make a problem less severe or serious

the study of the brain and nervous system

A structure of a passage. It shows how a passage is organized and connected in an abstract way. Creating an outline is recommended for all writers. When you write an outline, writing the following headlines in advance may be useful: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion (in one paragraph passage); Introduction (Hook, Background Information, and Thesis Statement), Body, and Conclusion (restatement of the thesis, summary of the supporting point(s), and final comment) in an essay.

A group of sentences that support one main idea. As a general rule, a paragraph should include just one main idea. In academic writing, a paragraph is normally described as having three parts: a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.

Text that expresses similar ideas found in another text (source), but uses different words and structure.

The method of getting feedback on an essay from a classmate or colleague to improve the quality of the ideas and the organization. This is step 5 of the writing process.

be decomposed by the action of light, especially sunlight

Using another writer’s work without acknowledging the original source with a citation.

The process of carefully reading and correcting mistakes in an essay before submitting it.

benefitting other people

mutually beneficial

Revising (or editing) a passage by making structural and/or content changes to a draft.

The original text a writer used to obtain an idea or piece of information.

Sentences that follow a topic sentence in a Body paragraph and add details to explain the controlling idea, or topic focus. In academic essays, these sentences will typically contain evidence from sources to support the thesis statement.

happening at the same time or speed

to produce a substance by combining elements through a chemical process

A sentence found in the Introduction that specifically tells readers what the essay is going to be about. It usually comes after the hook and general statements.

to force or pressure to do something

A sentence usually located at the beginning of a Body paragraph. It indicates the topic of the paragraph and the main idea about the topic that the paragraph will develop. Thus, it shows what the writer will focus on (see Controlling Idea) and establishes unity.

Words and phrases that help readers follow how a passage develops. Specifically, they help readers to understand how a passage is organized and how different parts of a passage are connected. In other words, these words improve coherence. Examples of these expressions include first, furthermore, lastly, however, on the other hand, or to sum up.

A sense that readers get when they read a passage where only one theme is developed with no irrelevant or unnecessary information added. See also Coherence.

A computer tool that counts words in a word processed (typed) passage; Punctuation and spaces are not counted.

A sequence of steps writers can follow to produce a writing passage.