This document discusses academic writing techniques such as using the passive voice and focusing on processes rather than direct instructions. It provides examples of rewriting instructions for a flu vaccine process in the passive voice and examples of describing a study by focusing on the process rather than naming the agent. The document also discusses using participles, active voice, and indirect questions to flow ideas in a process description.

1. Problem, Process, and
Solution (Part II)
Gülbin Özdemir
March, 2012

2. Do you like chocolate cakes?

3. Here is the recipe!
A. INSTRUCTIONS B. PROCESS
First,the oven is preheated.
Preheat the oven
Then, the dark chocolate is
Break the dark
broken in pieces. Next,
chocolate in pieces
some butter is melted with
Melt some butter with
those pieces of chocolate.
those pieces of chocolate After that, some water,
Add some water, some some flour, some sugar
flour, some sugar and eggs and eggs are added.
Ready to bake! It’s ready to bake.

4. Academic writing requires…
that you use ‘Passive Voice’
rather than giving instructions
while writing an academic process
description.
We shall see what happens and why it
does so in the following examples.

5. Language Focus: Verbs and
Agents in the Solution
1. Imperatives and Passive Voice
2. Flow of Ideas in a Process Description
2.1 Participles
2.2 Active Voice
2.3 Causes and Effects

6. 1. Here is a set of instructions about how
to prepare a flu vaccine
* Identify the three most common strains of flu virus.
* Grow each of the strains separately and harvest.
* Purify the harvested virus.
* Inactivate the purified virus.
* Blend the inactivated virus strains together with a
carrier fluid and dispense into vials.
THIS FORM COULD BE USED AS A GUIDANCE
‘Imperatives are used’

7. If you need to write an academic
explanation in a process,
First, the three most common strains of flu
virus are identified. These strains are then
separately grown and harvested. The harvested
virus is purified and inactivated. Finally, the
inactive virus strains are blended together with a
carrier fluid and dispensed into vials.
‘Passive Voice is used’

8. When to use ‘Agents’
The technician identifies the virus strains in
the lab. The technician separately grows and
harvests the virus. The technician purifies and
inactivates the virus. The technician blends the
inactive virus strains together with a carrier fluid
and dispenses them into vials.
‘The process is backgrounded and the emphasis
shifts to the agent’

9. Agents could be used, when describing
the history of the field.
From Junco’s (2011) article titled ‘The Relationship between
frequency of Facebook use, participation in Facebook and
student engagement’
The study used a 19-item NSSE scale
developed by Junco, Heiberger et al. (2010) to
measure engagement.

10. 2. Flow of Ideas in a Process
Description
Verbs should very carefully be put together.
2.1 Participles
‘…listening skills are ignored.’
Ignored listening skills are….’
2.2 Active Voice
Natural processes stay still.
‘Sun rises…’

11. 2.3 Causes and Effects

12. Language Focus: -ing Clauses of
Result
To avoid using to much ‘therefore’ and ‘as a
result’, you may use:
‘Any number of the students can take part in a
radio play, as a result of modifying the script’ (Sze,
2006).
‘Any number of the students can take part in a
radio play, by modifying the script’ (Sze, 2006).

13. Language Focus: Indirect
Questions
Indirect questions follow a standard word
order. They do not require the subject and verb
to be inverted.
Direct Question: What time is it?
Indirect Question: She asked what time it is.

14. Use of Indirect Questions
‘Until such time, nonnative speakers of
English will remain uncertain about how effective
their publications are in their own languages’.
‘Being able to know about our students
individual learning styles and preferences will
give us the clue so as to know whether we should
correct them or not and how error correction
could improve their linguistic and
communicative competence’(Martinez, 2006).

15. References
Al- Ansari, H., S. 1993. Integrative and Instrumental Motivation as Factors
Influencing Attained Levels of Proficiency in English. J. King Saud Univ.,
Vol 5, Arts (2), pp. 71-83.
King, FJ., Goodson, L., Rohani, F. Higher Order Thinking Skills.
Retrieved from:http://www.cala.fsu.edu/files/higher_order_thinking_skills.
pdf
Martinez, S., G. 2006. Should we correct our students’ errors in L2 learning?
Retrieved from: http://www.encuentrojournal.org/textos/16.8.pdf
Swales, J., M. and Feak, B., C. 2004. Academic Writing for Graduate
Students, Essential Tasks and Skills. The University of Michigan Press.