Comm 11 – Advanced College Writing

2nd Semester, AY 2020-2021

Module 1: Introduction to Advanced College Writing (1 week)

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this section, you should be able to:
1) Identify personal difficulties in applying basic rules of English grammar and of
composition and style;
2) Differentiate between academic, non-academic, and creative writing;
3) Determine the best writing process for yourself to write effectively.

I. Basic Rules of English Grammar, Composition and Style

Having undergone through at least thirteen (13) years of English classes in basic
education, you must be tired of repetitive lessons on “proper” English grammar. In this
class, the most important consideration is that you make sense and can communicate
meaning clearly; however, you need to use grammar effectively to do so. No matter
how great your idea is, it wouldn’t make sense if you couldn’t communicate it properly
because you used the wrong verb tense, an improper preposition, or god forbid, a
convoluted sentence structure.

In this subsection therefore, you will be given a test to help you identify common
errors that you may regularly commit. By being aware of these, you would be tasked to
work on ways to address them so that you wouldn’t commit them in your writing
assignments for this class and, hopefully, in your other papers for other classes.

Activity 1.1. DIAGNOSTIC TEST. This is a timed 65-point diagnostic test on your
familiarity with basic rules on grammar and composition. After completing this activity, you
will be shown the correct answer/s as well as a brief discussion on why they are considered
correct. You can have two tries to answer this test. (Not graded)

Activity 1.2. FORUM. After answering activity 1.1. and reviewing the explanations for
each correct answer, state in summative and evaluative terms the common errors that you
have committed and explain how this could impact the clarity and effectiveness of your
writing. (Not graded)

II. General, Creative, and Academic Writing

In this subsection, it is important to define what we mean when we say “academic
writing,” “general writing” and “creative writing.” By setting the definition of these
terms, you will know what is expected of you as you meet the requirements of this class
and, later, in your other classes.

The primary differences between these three types of writing lie in a) audience; b)
topic; c) register and style; d) point-of-view; and e) referencing.

General Writing and Creative Writing is generally aimed for a general audience
or the layperson such as your friends or parents. Therefore, general or creative writing
may vary depending on the interest of the writer and the reader. This means that the
 language register expected for this kind of writing may be informal or colloquial so that
a general audience could relate easily to the topic. The style is also less rigid compared
to academic writing where a particular format is expected and, often times, even
required. Sentence constructions may be of greater simplicity so that the audience
could easily follow your point. The point-of-view may be subjective, and referencing is
not necessary.

Academic Writing is aimed for the academic audience such as your instructor,
university peers, or for publication in academic journals. Topics are generally limited
to your expertise or field of interest; for example, if you are a language and literature
student, the topics that you are expected to write about are ones that relate to literary
analysis or language studies (even in your General Education Courses, you may find
yourself developing a topic that reflects your field of study). Keeping in mind the
audience, your register and style is required to be more formal, with more attention
given to grammar. The use of complex sentences than simple sentences is more
common in academic writing, as you are expected to provide greater depth to your
discussion. Bias is discouraged in academic writing, so the point-of-view must be as
objective as possible. It is also important to provide as much support for your
assertions as possible by citing other sources; thus, referencing or listing and detailing
your sources is very important.

WATCH. Watch the following videos:

“Creative Writing vs. Academic Writing” by Peter Abreen Bricia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Ekvpc6AIc
- cut and reuploaded (unlisted video): https://youtu.be/G-IAV_x_yoM
“What is Academic Writing” by Akademiskt skrivande/Academic Writing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pE-
ohVy9e0&list=PLLXNen7HrY9t8Z5zzTgiNwhU9f43sUXvK&index=2
- watch entire video, only 2:56 minutes
“Academic Writing: The Basics” by Simon Frasier University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=wdmSo2_e18A&list=PLLXNen7HrY9t8Z5zzTgiNwhU9f43sUXvK&index=3
watch entire video, only 7:08 minutes

Activity 1.3. FORUM. In a table, give at least five (5) differences between Academic and
Creative Writing. (10 points)

Activity 1.4. FORUM. As referencing is important, you need to know how to cite your
sources properly in your papers. Luckily, there are many websites and apps that could help
you keep track, generate, and arrange your sources. In citation, we have many possible
styles, two of which are the American Psychological Association (APA) style and the Chicago
Manual Style (CMS). APA is generally used in the social sciences and sciences, while CMS is
usually used in the humanities and the arts. In both styles, researchers may be required to
use endnotes, footnotes or in-text citations. In CAC, we use CMS where sources containing
the name of the author, year, and page number (if any) are briefly cited in-text or within the
text and then the full bibliographical information is cited in a Reference List at the end of a
paper. For an example of this, see summarized CMS 16th guide (don’t forget to attach this
source as a link in VLE). For this activity, identify three (3) websites that you could
use to guide you in citing sources using CMS. Make sure that you link the
websites properly so that we could access them. (15 pts)
-

III. The Writing Process

While you might have been writing papers as requirements for your classes in
high school, you might find that college academic writing is more particular and
exacting than what you are used to. A big factor for this is because your professors and
instructors already expect you to be able to express your ideas in writing, especially
since their courses might be focused on helping you understand and apply concepts
and theories, not teaching you a skill like writing effectively. Luckily for you, this class
is primarily aimed to hone your skills in academic writing, with the assumption that
you have learned the basics of writing of course.
In many studies on what makes a writer successful or unsuccessful, the following
behavioral differences have been identified which are summarized below (see Carnegie
Mellon University 2021 for additional details):

Skilled/Successful Writers Unskilled/Unsuccessful Writers

Is much more aware that writing is a Focuses on the mechanics of writing and
recursive activity involving revisions of is primarily concerned with formal
successive drafts of one’s texts, during correctness.
which one’s ideas might change,
necessitating the rewriting of whole
chunks of text.
Reflects on the needs of the reader and Does not anticipate probable problems of
writes accordingly. the reader when reading one’s work.
During the prewriting stage, spends time During the prewriting stage, spends little
planning the task. time on planning and is confused when
to begin.
During the drafting stage, writes quickly During the drafting stage, spends little
and fluently; spends most time time reviewing what one has written,
reviewing what they write, and does reviews only short segments of text, and
most of their reviewing at the sentence are primarily concerned with vocabulary
and paragraph level. and sentence formation.
At the revision stage, revises at all levels At the revision stage, makes no major
of lexis, sentence and discourse, review revisions on the direction or focus of the
and revise throughout the composing text, and most revisions are only made
process, and uses revisions to clarify during the first draft and the focus is
meaning. primarily on the mechanics of grammar,
spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary.

To summarize, a successful writer goes through the following process:

 Remember, good
writing is often the
result of recursive
activity.

THE
WRITING
PROCESS

If you are still confused and lacking confidence, maybe this chapter on the
writing process by Melanie Gagich of the Cleveland State University could help you:
https://pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu/introduction-to-writing/chapter/3-1-eng-100101-
writing-process/
Based on your experience as a UP student, which of the behaviors
above do you tend to exhibit more? (This question is for you to reflect on, with
the hope that by identifying certain behaviors that might inhibit you from performing
well in this class and others, you would work on improving or changing these
behaviors.)
In relation to the writing process, it is important for you to apply the appropriate
pattern/s of paragraph development depending on your purpose and audience. To
refresh your memories, some examples of general patterns (sometimes called “modes”)
of paragraph development are as follows:

Cause and Effect details why something happens, what causes it, what are the
effects and how it is related to something else.
Classification and Division groups items into their parts or types.
Compare and Contrast tells how something is like other things or how something
is different from other things.
Definition explains what something is in comparison to other members of its class,
along with any limitations.
Description details what something looks like and its characteristics.
Exemplification provides typical cases or examples of something.
Narration describes what, when, and where something happened.
Persuasion describes an issue and your position or opinion on the subject.
Process explains how something happened, how it works or how it is made.
Source: https://www.iit.edu/cac/writing-guides/writing-process/patterns-development-
writing
 Activity 1.6. WATCH. For a more comprehensive discussion and examples on the
different patterns of development, watch the video “Patterns of Organization in Academic
Writing” by the College of DuPage Learning Commons. As you watch the video, note the
examples given and reflect on a) which of the given patterns did you use most often in the
past and why; and b) which ones did you use rarely and why?
“Patterns of Organization in Academic Writing” by the Writing, Reading, Speech Assistance
College of DuPage Learning Commons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92WClFvNYc8
- watch the entire video, only 24:29 minutes
Activity 1.7. READING. “How to Say Nothing in Five Hundred Words” by Paul
McHenry Roberts.
Guide Questions:
As you read this article, try to answer the following questions:
1) Why did Roberts use College Football as the topic of his example?
2) According to Roberts, why would a paper like the one he drafted as an
example be given a low grade by any professor/instructor?
3) What techniques or ways did Roberts suggest to improve your writing?
Other than Roberts’ “How to Say Nothing in Five Hundred Words,” you may also read
other articles that list ways to improve your writing. For example, George Orwell
(1946) in “Politics and the English Language,” suggests the following rules:
1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used
to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can
think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Strunk and White in The Elements of Style (2000, 15-33) (you may easily find this book
online) have given many rules as well. For a section titled “Elementary Rules of
Composition” for example, they listed the following rules:

1. Choose a suitable design and hold to it.

2. Make the paragraph the unit of composition.
3. Use the active voice. Put statements in positive form.
4. Use definite, specific, concrete language.
5. Omit needless words.
6. Avoid a succession of loose sentences.
7. Express coordinate ideas in similar form.
8. Keep related words together.
9. In summaries, keep to one tense.
10. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.

Strunk and White (2000, 66-86) also have a section dedicated to style titled “An Approach to
Style” where the following rules are listed and explained:
 1. Place yourself in the background.
2. Write in a way that comes naturally.
3. Work from a suitable design.
4. Write with nouns and verbs.
5. Revise and rewrite.
6. Do not overwrite.
7. Do not overstate.
8. Avoid the use of qualifiers.
9. Do not affect a breezy manner.
10. Use orthodox spelling.
11. Do not explain too much.
12. Do not construct awkward adverbs.
13. Make sure the reader knows who is speaking.
14. Avoid fancy words.
15. Do not use dialect unless your ear is good.
16. Be clear.
17. Do not inject opinion.
18. Use figures of speech sparingly.
19. Do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity.
20. Avoid foreign languages.
21. Prefer the standard to the offbeat.

Activity 1.7. FORUM. List down 10 writing rules that you wish to follow. You may refer to
your reflection answers in activity 1.2 to identify which rules are most relevant to you. You
may cull from the list given by Roberts, or from other guides that you found. Explain briefly
after each rule why you need to apply such a rule on yourself. (20 points)

-End of Module 1-

References:

Akademiskt skrivande/Academic Writing. “What is Academic Writing?” Filmed September

2016 at Lund University, Sweden. Video, 2:56.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pE-
ohVy9e0&list=PLLXNen7HrY9t8Z5zzTgiNwhU9f43sUXvK&index=2

Bricia, Peter Abreen. “Creative Writing vs Academic Writing Video Lesson.” Filmed July
2020 in the Philippines. Video, 7:37.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Ekvpc6AIc

Carnegie Mellon University. 2021. Help Students Become Better Writers. Accessed 14
February 2021.
https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/instructionalstrategies/writing/h
elpstudentwriters.html

Gagich, Melanie. n.d. Introduction to Writing in College. Cleveland: MSL Academic

Endeavors. Pressbooks at MSL.
https://pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu/introduction-to-writing

Orwell, George. 1950. “Politics and the English Language.” In Shooting an Elephant and
Other Essays. London: Secker and Warburg.
Roberts, Paul McHenry. 1958. “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words.” In Understanding
English. New York: Harper.
Simon Fraser University. “Academic Writing: The Basics.” Filmed March 2016 at Simon
Fraser University, Canada. Video, 7:08.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=wdmSo2_e18A&list=PLLXNen7HrY9t8Z5zzTgiNwhU9f43sUXvK&index=3

Strunk, William Jr. and Elwyn Brooks White. 2000. The Elements of Style. New York:
Longman.

Writing, Reading, Speech Assistance - College of DuPage. “Patterns of Organization in

Academic Writing.” Filmed February 2017 at College of DuPage, IL. Video, 24: 29.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92WClFvNYc8