Lecturer: Dr. David Ako Odoi UGRC 210 Academic Writing 2 Lecturer: Dr. David Ako Odoi Contact Information: odoiski@yahoo.com

Copyright All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or otherwise without the permission of the publisher.      Stella Boateng Norgbe David Ako Odoi Evershed Kwasi Amuzu Language Centre University of Ghana © Copyright reserved

Published by Institute of Continuing and Distance Education (ICDE), University of Ghana, Legon. August 2011. E-mail iae@ug.edu.gh Website: www.ug.edu.gh   Tel: (233) 21 501789 Fax: (233) 21 500931 Module Titles Unit 1 Overview of Grammer Unit 2 Methods of Developing a Controlling Idea in a Paragraph Unit 3 Reading II Practical Session Unit 4 Presentations Editorial Board

Editorial Board Prof. Yaw Oheneba Sakyi Rev. Prof. Elom Dovlo Prof. W.A. Asomaning Prof. O. A.T. Frimpong Kwapong Dr. D. Oduro-Mensah Dr. S.K. Badu-Nyarko Dr. Michael Tagoe Dr. H. B. K. Kwashie Dr. T. Tefe Ms. Clara Benneh Mr. R.A. Aggor Kenneth Adda Nathanial Anibra Typesetting Irene Boakye-Yiadom Michael Ntiamoah © Copyright reserved

Acknowledgement It is a pleasure to thank all those who have helped us in one way or another during the preparation of this course book. Special thanks are due to the Centre for Distance Education, University of Ghana, for not only giving us the opportunity/challenge to write this course book but also for ensuring that we get the necessary training and motivation to do our best. We also wish to thank Dr. Gordon Adika, the Director of the Language Centre, for giving generously of his time whenever we needed to consult him on aspects of the book. Many thanks also go to Dr. Vera Arhin, who was part of this team initially, for the quality of contributions she continued to make and for the generosity with which she opened her personal library to us: indeed, many of the references cited in this work were borrowed from her library. We have not forgotten the rest of the (teaching as well as non-teaching) staff at the Language Centre; we thank each one of them for being there for us whenever we needed their assistance. Last but not least, many thanks go to our families; they have been wonderfully patient throughout the many hours (and sometimes days) we had to spend away from them in order to get this job done. We, however, reserve our ultimate praise to God: thank You!

Contents Course Overview v   Unit 1 Overview of Grammar Introduction Section 1 Subject Verb Agreement Section 2 Shits and Mixed constructions Section 3 Sentence Fragments Section 4 Run on Sentences/Comma Splices Section 5 Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Section 6 Commonly confusing Words Assignment 1 Unit summary Unit 2 Methods of Developing a Controlling Idea in a Paragraph Section 1 The Process Approach to Writing Section 2 Writing Introductions Section 3 Writing Body Paragraphs Section 4 Writing Conclusions Section 5 Revising your essays Section 6 Editing Common Errors Assignment 2

Unit 3 Reading Techniques Introduction Section 1 Process Analysis Section 2 Narration Section 3 Description Section 4 Cause and Effect Section 5 Comparison and contrast Pattern Assignment 3 Unit summary Unit 4 Presentation Section 1 Types of Presentations: Presenting to Inform Section 2 Types of Presentations: Presenting to Persuade Source in Essays Section 3 Preparing for your Presentation Section 4 Selecting and Arranging Content Section 5 Speaking on Special Occasions Assignment 4

Course Overview Welcome to the Academic Writing course! This course is to help you with the communication skills that will enable you to succeed in writing good essays in the academic discourse community. This community consists of yourself, me, your colleague students, your tutors and lecturers, and the rest of the university community and those beyond. The community demands that you think critically. For this reason, you will need to acquire some skills. I will take you through strategies for reading and writing paragraphs as well as taking and making effective notes. All these strategies, and others, will help you write good academic essays. The course is divided into four units. In Unit 1, I will introduce you to the Overview of Grammar. In Unit 2, you will continue with Methods of Developing a Controlling Idea in a Paragraph. This time I will teach you the different methods that writers use to clarify the idea they wish to express in a paragraph. Then, in Unit 3 I will teach you ways to achieve effective reading to cope with undergraduate studies. In Unit 4 I shall introduce you to aspects of public speaking and making presentations. The following, then, is the outline of the course:

Unit 1 Overview of Grammar Unit 2 Methods of Developing a Controlling Idea in a Paragraph Unit 3 Reading II Practical Session Unit 4 Presentations It is important that you follow the units step by step. This is because the course has been designed in a way to guide you to acquire one skill before another. You will experience through taking this course that writing and speaking make an exciting Journey. Best of luck as you begin your journey.

Objectives   By the end of this course, you should be able to read and identify a writer’s main ideas from the details he provides write well-structured paragraphs and academic essays in which you guide readers to follow your train of thought effortlessly write good notes that you may use in organizing and writing your essays acknowledge sources of information in essays edit and proofread essays

Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS