English as a Second Language
Information and Resources
The Internet is a great place to find information on writing for English as a Second Language students. One of the most comprehensive sites is the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University. Visit the link below to view the index of topics they address. Also, check out the Writing on the Web page and the links to the various sites. Many of them have sections specifically designed for English as a Second Language students. All of the tutors in the Writing Center at McDaniel are trained and experienced to help English as a Second Language students better understand and improve their writing.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/index.html
Basic Tips for ESL Students: Writing for an American
Academic Audience
If you come to an American university from another country, you will find
that your instructors’ writing expectations can often be difficult
to understand. Many instructors are unaware of the differences in the
approach to writing that other nationalities and cultures have, and even
if they were aware, ESL students would still be expected to write academic
essays in an "American" fashion. This handout touches on some
of the basic qualities of an academic essay written in the United States.
State Your Thesis
American academic essays are usually "thesis-driven." This means
that you as the writer must explain the main point of your essay
at the start. A thesis statement is a sentence or two that
(1) shows the purpose of the essay
(2) indicates the basic components of the essay
(3) offers the unique perspective of the writer
The thesis-driven essay may be different from non-American writing forms,
in which the thesis is often implied, delayed, or delivered at the end
of the essay. Consider the thesis statement a concise version of the entire
essay, which usually appears in the introductory section of an essay.
Here’s an example of a thesis for an informative essay:
The experiment failed because of the presence of helium in the vat; the
helium tainted the purity of the environment and caused the data to be
irrevocably skewed.
**Notice that this thesis is short but reveals the most important ideas.**
Here’s an example of a thesis for an argumentative essay:
Purdue University should offer more scholarships to international students
because they have a greater desire to succeed in college, tend to work
harder, and graduate more quickly and with greater frequency than American
students.
This type of thesis usually states the primary goal of the argument
and then indicates the reasons or points you will make in the essay to
support the argument. Subsequently, every assertion that you make afterward
must be related to the thesis statement. The rest of the essay must clarify
or support your thesis.
Use Linear Structure
Once the thesis statement is established, the rest of the essay must "flow."
How does this happen? It helps if you create an outline of the paper.
The most rudimentary structure for an academic essay, the 5-part essay,
is as follows:
Part 1. Introduction, followed by the thesis (3 points to be made)
Part 2. Point 1.
Part 3. Point 2.
Part 4. Point 3.
Part 5. Conclusion
Additionally, argumentative essays tend to include a section of informative
background data on the topic, plus a section citing and refuting possible
objections to the argument.
Use Transitions
Connect the different sections of your paper with transitions. Transitions
are words (like however, therefore, additionally, thus, and also) or phrases
(like for example, on the other hand, and in conclusion) that show a link
between a paragraph and the one that precedes it. You usually put a transition
at the beginning of the paragraph to connect it to the previous one. One
very useful way to create a transition sentence is to identify a key word
or phrase in the previous sentence and repeat it in your transition sentence.
Example:
The remaining workers were laid off because they were considered expendable,
a drain on the company’s budget. Also expendable
was the company’s organizational vision. The initial charter stated
that the company would. . . .
Be Direct, Concise, and to the Point
Most professors in American universities are not impressed by a complicated
writing style, one which uses lots of complex sentence structures, overly
formal words, and the continuous repetition of ideas. If you can keep
your style simple, you will be less likely to commit errors in grammar
and thus more likely to hold the interest of your reader.
What Else Should I Know?
Talk often with your professors. They know best what they want to see
in your work, and often you will understand an assignment better if they
can talk to you about it one-to-one. Scholars in the West believe that
published academic work is the intellectual property solely of the one
who creates the work. When you use other people's words or ideas in your
own writing, you must give them credit; failure to do so is called plagiarism,
which amounts to theft! The Writing Lab has a handout and research handbooks
that show you how to avoid plagiarism.
Understand that learning English is a process, not something that is
immediately acquired, like a new car, nor are language difficulties something
to be "fixed." Don’t be discouraged by difficulty—no
one, not even native users of a language, ever becomes perfect in a language.
Set reasonable goals that you can achieve over a long period of time.
The tutors in the Writing Lab can help you set these goals and check your
progress.
Schedule time each week to work on English skills not related to your
academic work. Talk with English-speaking friends, read local newspapers,
and find out about the cultures around you. Also, the Writing Lab offers
you a self-study center that helps you work on reading, speaking, and
listening at your own pace. You can also make appointments to talk with
tutors about your papers.
This page was developed by Mark Dollar, September 1999.
To contact OWL, please visit our contact information page at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/lab/contact.html
to find the right person to call or email.
