Topic 2: Effective Writing – Academic Communication Notes Form Five
In writing, one does not only focus on getting precise message along but also in writing effectively. Effective writing entails a clear, concise, and engaging manner that resonates with the intended audience. It involves conveying message effectively, whether through an essay, a report, a letter or any other form of written communication.
In this chapter you will learn how to write different sentences using appropriate punctuation marks, construct paragraphs using appropriate steps in writing texts and compose essays using appropriate structure. The competence developed in this chapter will enable you to produce clear, coherent, concise and impactful writing.
Think
What it takes to produce clear, coherent, concise and impactful writing.
Effect writing has to be clear, accurate and concise. One has to set his/her ideas across in a way that the audience will use less efforts to understand. You should therefore strive to write in a straight way, focus your sentences appropriately and organize sentences logically in paragraphs with appropriate punctuation.
Punctuation
Punctuation refers to using symbols in language to organise or clarify meaning. The symbols used for punctuation include commas, full stops, question marks and quotation marks. In academic writing, correct punctuation can make the difference between a concise, easy-to-read work and a disjointed work that lacks a coherent sequence and is difficult to understand.
Exercise 2.1
Write and punctuate two sentences for each of the following prompts.
| Prompts | Punctuated sentences |
| Create interrogative sentences with an exclamation mark. | |
| Form imperative sentences using quotation marks. | |
| Prompts | Punctuated sentences |
| Craft exclamatory sentences with an apostrophe. | |
| Write declarative sentences using a semicolon. | |
| Write a sentence to introduce a list or an | |
| explanation and a statement that elaborates on the | |
| preceding clause using a colon. |
Proper use of punctuation marks
In texts, commas, full stops, quotation marks, colons, semi-colons, dashes, question marks and exclamation marks serve several purposes. One must read various sources
and practise using punctuation marks correctly in academic writing.
Punctuation marks are essential for writers; they can significantly alter how sentences are understood.
Read the following extracts adapted from Cyber Text Consulting to understand how punctuation may affect meaning. Examine each text and note the instances of punctuation marks.
Text 1
Dear John,
I want a friend who knows what time management is all about.
You are focused, efficient and productive.
People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior.
You have ruined me for other friends.
I yearn for you.
I have no time whatsoever when we’re apart.
I can be forever happy.
Will you let me be yours?
Husna
Text 2
Dear John,
I want a friend who knows what time management is.
All about you are focused, efficient and productive people,
who are not like you.
Admit to being useless and inferior.
You have ruined me.
For other friends, I yearn.
For you, I have no time whatsoever.
When we’re apart, I can be forever happy.
Will you let me be?
Yours,
Husna
There are many different punctuation marks, each with its own use. Punctuation skills help writers to organise and clarify ideas.
Activity 2.1
Study the following texts and identify their differences in relation to how they are organized. Then, punctuate the unpunctuated text.
Text 1
Text 2
The importance of effective communication cannot be overstated communication skills are crucial in all aspects of life whether it’s communicating with friends family or
colleagues in a professional setting good communication skills are essential they help convey ideas clearly build strong relationships and resolve conflicts communication skills also play a significant role in academic success from participating in class discussions to presenting research findings being able to communicate effectively is key punctuation grammar and vocabulary all contribute to clear communication learning how to punctuate sentences properly can greatly improve the clarity and coherence of your writing it’s important to understand the rules of punctuation such as when to use periods commas question marks and exclamation points mastering these rules will help you become a more effective communicator.
Exercise 2.2
1. Re-write the following sentences with their correct punctuation:
(a) Majaliwa went to the market and bought cassava cabbage eggplant and cauliflower
(b) The parade was amazing I’ve never seen anything like it before
(c) Jesca’s favourite hobbies include reading swimming and playing drums
(d) The weather is supposed to be sunny tomorrow however I’ll bring an umbrella just in case
(e) I can’t believe it’s already June, where did the time go
(f) After the game we went to grab a drink to quench our thirsty it was really fun
(g) My favourite colours are blue green and purple
(h) Pinto said I can’t make it to the party tonight sorry
(i) Did you see that dog it was huge
(j) The reason for her failure was simple she didn’t spend her time wisely
2. How does punctuation impact clarity and organization of a work?
Sentence Writing
A sentence is a complete idea. In academic writing, it is vital that your ‘complete ideas’ are as clear as possible to the reader. Your writing should also be clear, with appropriate punctuation.
Moreover, giving a complete idea in a sentence requires one to correctly use the specific aspect of sentence structure, namely subject-verb agreement. Misusing this aspect affects the sentence structure and makes it difficult for the reader to follow and understand the point.
The opposite of this makes the writing more engaging for readers, and the text becomes easier to read.
English sentences are commonly built upon the Subject-Verb-Object model, which contains a subject, a verb and an object. A sentence must have a main clause to make sense by itself. For example, ‘I ate fruits.’ is a complete sentence.
However, for short sentences, it is advisable to combine them with longer ones using a subordinating clause for consecutive meanings. For example, “I was hungry. I ate some fruits.” can be combined as follows:
“I ate some fruits because I was hungry.” This complex sentence with a subordinating element clearly states why the speaker ate fruits.
Other examples of sentences are as follows:
Group 1
(a) My father is a software engineer.
(b) Hard-working students make excellent family and nation builders.
(c) Negative relationships cause one to lose significant connections.
Group 2
(a) We work hard on the weekdays and rest during the weekends.
(b) Alcohol is bad for our health; yet, many people drink excessively.
(c) They spend a lot of time studying to get good grades.
Group 3
(a) Despite her love for her work, she often complains about it.
(b) Before being hired elsewhere, she used her skills as a volunteer teacher at a
local school.
(c) Since John aspires to become a diplomat, he studies international relations and diplomacy.
Observations
All sentences have a subject.
1. Group 1 sentences contain just one verb or one main clause, also known as an independent clause. These are called simple sentences. The following are other
examples of simple sentences:
My friend enjoys jogging.
The news report includes several accounts from bystanders.
Engineers work with technicians.
2. Group 2 sentences contain just two verbs or two main clauses (i.e., two independent clauses). These are called compound sentences. Other examples of compound
sentences:
· She dislikes apples, but she likes bananas.
. You will not be able to have pudding unless you finish your dinner.
. He already has a dog, but he also wants a cat.
3. Group 3 sentences contain a main clause and a subordinate clause joined together with subordinating conjunctions. These are called complex sentences. Subordinating conjunctions are words like although, before, as, if, since, despite, because, until, while, unless and others. Subordinating conjunctions are frequently used in academic writing and are a great way to connect ideas to develop long texts.
Other examples of complex sentences are as follows:
· Even though it was freezing outside, she chose not to wear a coat.
. By the time he got to the station, the bus had departed.
. What he said was right, but it wasn’t very useful.
Activity 2.2
Read carefully the following sentences and respond to the questions accordingly.
1. There are errors with subject-verb agreement in the following sentences. Find the errors in each sentence and rewrite the sentence correctly.
i. One of the athletes run fast.
ii. The folks who lives next door asked me to pick up their phone.
iii. Nganashe, John and Tau eats ugali
iv. Each boy and girl eat ugali.
v. Either Bob or his brother eat ugali.
vi. The grandma with all of her little grandchildren eat ugali.
vii. Some of the ugali are eaten.
viii. Some of the students is eating ugali.
ix. My family with all my crazy cousins always eat ugali.
x. Economics are destroyed when we consistently cook more ugali than we
xi. Ten kilograms of ugali are too much to be eaten by one person.
xii. I am famished! Where are my ugali?
xiii. “The main problem we face are people don’t eat ugali”, said the dietitian.
xiv. Eating ugali with my friends are my favourite.
xv. Girls who eats ugali are vivacious.
2. Use the knowledge you have acquired from the activity in 1 above to create your own subject-verb agreement rules. Prepare a well-written paragraph describing the rules and present it to the class for discussion.
Paragraph writing
For effective writing, one should clearly and concisely organise ideas and information.
In academic writing, paragraphs act as fundamental units of scholarly discourse that facilitate the systematic exposition of ideas and arguments. To maintain coherence and logical flow, the writer should ensure each paragraph concentrates on a single main idea and is organised with a topic sentence, supporting details and a concluding sentence.
Additionally, standard guideline is that a paragraph should be around 4-6 sentences long, though this can vary depending on factors such as the complexity of the topic, writing style, and intended audience. Following formal writing conventions is crucial in composing paragraphs for academic writing.
These conventions include correct grammar, punctuation and citation of sources. Professionalism and credibility are also communicated using suitable field-specific vocabulary and a formal tone. Learning how to write strong paragraphs will help you write with greater clarity and persuasiveness and improve the overall impact and efficacy of academic communication.
Steps for writing a paragraph
Constructing a lengthy writing begins with a sentence and builds up into a paragraph.
Developing a well-written paragraph involves several key steps, each contributing to the overall clarity, coherence, and effectiveness of the writing. Each step of the process plays a crucial role in refining the paragraph and ensuring its quality before it is finalized.
The steps are:
Pre-writing
This stage involves steps like brainstorming, identifying purpose and audience. You generate ideas and organize your thoughts before you begin to write. This can be
done through techniques like free-writing, mind mapping, or listing. Pre-writing helps in determining the tone, style, and content of the writing.
Researching
Where a paragraph to be written requires supporting evidence or information you should gather evidence through research from relevant sources including books,
articles, or credible websites. Importantly, take note of all important points, quotes, or data that will be used in the paragraph and ensure to cite sources for later reference.
Drafting
This stage involves organization of ideas. You should arrange the information you have gathered in a logical order. In doing so make sure you structure the paragraph
effectively by focusing on lead sentence, cohesion and argument. Don’t worry too much about perfection at this stage; the goal is to get thoughts onto paper.
Revising
This stage is for paragraph content evaluation. You should review the draft you have written to ensure that the ideas are presented logically and cohesively. Additionally,
check for clarity, relevance, and coherence of the content and enhance your paragraph’s overall argument or message.
Editing
This stage comes after you have developed the entire paragraph. You review the paragraph for grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, and spelling errors and
ensure that sentences are properly structured and punctuated. Moreover, clarify any ambiguous phrases or unclear sentences and make sure terminologies, style, and
tone are consistent throughout the paragraph.
Proofreading
This is the final review of a paragraph. You should carefully read through the paragraph to catch any remaining errors or inconsistencies. Focus on the formatting to ensure
it is proper, such as indentation, alignment, and font size.
Importance of learning the language of instruction
For students to succeed in their studies, they must comprehend the language used in the classroom. Students can interact with teachers and peers more successfully
when they are fluent in the language used in the classroom. Students benefit from this communication by learning new ideas and participating fully in class discussions.
Additionally, students who are fluent in the language of instruction perform better academically overall and have greater self-confidence. Therefore, putting in the time and effort to become proficient in the language used in the classroom is an essential skill that will help students in their academic endeavours.
Note that:
A paragraph ought to have the following:
1. A topic sentence
2. Development of a topic statement
3. Cohesion and coherence
4. Focus on a single idea/point or argument being discussed.
5. A concluding sentence
Exercise 2.3
Study the sample paragraph provided above and identify the topic statement, the topic statement development and the conclusion sentence.
Activity 2.3
Create two exemplary paragraphs on topics that you find interesting.
Essay writing
Essay writing starts with developing a strong thesis statement, which is typically a single sentence that captures the main idea or argument of the entire essay. After formulating this sentence, the essay can then be developed further in paragraphs. An essay consists of three main parts: introduction, body and conclusion.
These parts are organised logically and coherently to present a clear discussion.
(a) Introduction
The introduction serves as a roadmap for your essay and captures the reader’s attention. When writing an introduction, begin with an engaging statement or a
thought-provoking question to capture the reader’s interest.
Provide some context or background information on the topic to give the reader an understanding of the subject matter. Focus on the statement that defines the purpose of the essay. The statement that defines the purpose of your essay is called a thesis statement.
(b) Main body
The body, also called thesis development, of the essay consists of several paragraphs, where a specific point of the essay is addressed independently in each paragraph.
When developing the body of an essay, start each paragraph with a clear topic sentence introducing the main point you will discuss. Present evidence and examples to support the ideas and provide credibility to your argument.
Use reliable sources and cite them properly. Explain how the evidence you provided supports your main argument. Analyse the significance of the evidence and its relevance to your essay. Lastly, connect your paragraphs and maintain the flow of ideas.
(c) Conclusion
Write your main points concisely by doing the following in the conclusion: Paraphrase your essay statement to remind the reader about your main argument. Summarise the key points you discussed in the body paragraphs, emphasizing their significance to your essay. Provide some final thoughts or recommendations related to the topic.
Give suggestions for further follow-up or implementation. End with a strong statement that leaves the reader with a sense that you are closing the essay.
Exercise 2.4
1. Describe the kinds of essay you wrote when you were at ordinary level.
2. What are your strengths and weaknesses in essay writing?
Activity 2.4
Write an essay on one of the following topics:
1. The influence of mass media on public opinion.
2. The importance of mental health awareness and support.
3. The pros and cons of online learning.
Revision questions
1. Explain the importance of using appropriate punctuation marks in writing.
2. Describe the steps involved in constructing a well-developed paragraph.
3. Explain the main components of a paragraph and their roles.
4. How significant is a topic sentences in paragraph writing?
5. Explain the appropriate outline structure of an essay.
6. What makes an essay conclusion strong and impactful?
