Academic Writing: Common Sentence Patterns, Part One

2017 · VOA Learning English

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Transcript

1. The new school year is beginning in communities across the United States. Many students are busy at work in their new classes.

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2. Some are already thinking about all the homework they will face in the weeks to come.

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3. Teachers also ask students to write book reports and research papers.

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4. Today on Everyday Grammar we will explore two grammatical structures that you will see often in academic writing. We will show you how to use these structures.

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5. adjective that-clause This is a common way to express an attitude, opinion or position.

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6. It is often used when considering an idea, note grammar experts Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber.

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7. Here is an example: "It is clear that the evidence is inconsistent Here is how you can understand the sentence.

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8. The subject in our example is the word it. Then comes the verb is.

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9. After is there is an adjective: the word clear After clear there is a that-clause.

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10. A that-clause is a group of words, beginning with the word that. It has a subject and a predicate.

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11. A predicate is the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject. The that-clause has the idea that the writer is considering.

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12. In the example we gave you, the idea under consideration is the following statement: "the evidence is inconsistent." The adjective clear suggests the writer's judgment.

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13. By saying "it is clear," the writer is saying that he or she agrees the evidence appears to be conflicting with other information.

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14. Note that the writer did not write, "I think that the evidence is inconsistent," even if it has the same meaning as the example sentence. Why?

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15. Academic writers often use it is an adjective that-clause to raise questions, note possibility, and express importance.

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16. For example, you might read the following sentence: "It is unlikely that the results will be

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17. conclusive." Or, "It is likely that the information was incomplete." In the former case, the writer is using the adjective unlikely to raise questions.

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18. In the latter one, the writer is using the adjective likely to express possibility.

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19. The infinitive phrase describes the action. The adjective shows the writer's evaluation

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20. Consider this example: "It is difficult to define these ideas."

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21. In this example, the infinitive to define relates to an action, while the adjective difficult shows the writer's evaluation.

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22. Writers often use it is an adjective an infinitive phrase to show possibility, difficulty, importance, and so on.

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23. So, for example, you might read the following sentences: "It is hard to understand these

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24. In the former example, the writer is expressing difficulty, while in the latter the writer is expressing

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25. You should try using them with your own adjectives, that-clauses, infinitive phrases, and so on. There is one point to keep in mind, however.

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26. You should know that sometimes you might not want to use these structures especially if you are writing for business or even artistic reasons.

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27. In those situations, it might be better to use more direct language. Consider the first example we gave you, "It is clear that the evidence is inconsistent."

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28. This is a common, acceptable way to write a sentence for academic purposes. It is grammatically correct.

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29. However, the statement uses indirect language to express an evaluation. The writer is expressing an opinion without specifically writing "I think...," for example.

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30. You could give a very direct evaluation by writing "I think the evidence is inconsistent," or simply "The evidence is inconsistent."

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31. The structure that you choose to use depends on what kind of writing you are doing. It is difficult to improve your writing.

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32. But with practice, you can do it! I'm John Russell.

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