1. W RITING AND S TUDY S KILLS C LINIC Introductions and information conveyance

2. T HE P LAN —A ND THE E XTRAS …. Old information/new information needs in Introductions Passive Versus Active Voice

3. Q UESTIONS TO P ONDER In my field or for my field, does the intro serve to: Define? Provide a Lit Review? Justify the paper’s purpose Fill the gaps Outline the theories involved Does the intro lead the reader to a completely new world, or a new perspective on an old thread? Do I need to explicitly outline the whole paper, including research questions, purpose, and evidence?

4. T HE M OST I MPORTANT E LEMENT How much of the field must be explored for the reader to feel situated within the context sufficiently to proceed? What should the order of information be? Old information/new information enables the reader to start off in a “safe” zone, and move effortlessly to the purpose of your paper.

5. P OSSIBLE “M OVEMENT ” Touch on the main idea  background  back to the main idea again Background of field  main idea For each, the progression often ends in the meta- discourse that outlines the paper. How much of any and all that appears in the introduction should be explained, and how much connection must be made for the reader to follow the flow of the ideas?

6. K EEPING IT N ARROW You must be able to defend reasonably every idea in your introduction. Edgar Allen Poe is the greatest author of the macabre genre. Getting to the point and spiral in: Repeat the same idea with more information or different NEW information each time. Repetition of vocabulary and ideas Lodestone concepts which revolve around a focal point Author Theory Main idea/purpose

7. E XAMPLE : SLA VERSUS SCA Second language acquisition (SLA) has been viewed as a second culture acquisition (SCA). As Brown (1986) noted, “culture is really an integral part of the interaction between language and thought. Cultural patterns, customs, and ways of life are expressed in language; culture-specific world views are reflected in language” (p. 45). This linking of culture to language intimately affects the second language learner, for while he does not relearn the thinking process, he does learn how to think in new patterns, as determined by his L2’s world view. Brown hypothesized that the failure of a learner to master his second language (SL) in the target culture had not sufficiently synchronized his linguistic and cultural development. Either the learner acculturated to the point of communication without further developing his language skills, as one might associate with Schumann’s (1976) description of SL context pidginization, or the learner had mastered the linguistic elements of his L2 without sufficient attention to the cultural dimension, making it difficult or impossible for him to function comfortably in his L2 speech community. Brown calls on SL teachers to pay attention to this two-part development and to make use of the L1 and prior knowledge, “that which is valid and valuable for second culture learning and second language learning ” (p. 47). So the question for the SL teacher becomes, what are manifestations of culture in SLA and how are they connected to the SL as taught, including the implications for linguistic competence?

8. W RITING THE I NTRODUCTION F IRST OR L AST The relationship(s) of the ideas to be discussed should be as clear as possible from the outset. Begin with definition? Begin with contrast or contention? Many studies have been done…. Situating the ideas within time or space might also be a part of the equation. This might refer to paradigm shifts or other upheavals integral to your work. Over the past decade… Recently… Focusing on Hong Kong politics...

9. P ASSIVE VERSUS A CTIVE Be + past participle shows that the SUBJECT did not complete the action. The research has been conducted in 30 countries. The program is being run on 10 consecutive intervals at this time. Food is served daily to the unfortunate who frequent the lower west side. The experiment was conducted to account for the linguistic set backs experienced by the control group.

10. P ASSIVE VERSUS A CTIVE : WHEN SHOULD YOU USE IT ? S TYLE B ASED Formal versus informal First personal versus third person We experimented on 10 monkeys. Ten monkeys were used in the course of the experiment. Ten monkeys were experimented on.

11. M EANING B ASED Focus of the sentence/idea/paragraph/paper Main elements and clauses We don’t know who did it, or what caused it. We don’t want to assign blame. Someone stole all of our monkeys! Our monkeys have been stolen! Mildred broke our computer, so our experiment is ruined. The computer has been broken, rendering our experiment null.

12. O LD I NFORMATION /N EW I NFORMATION F LOW Cohesion Strengthening old information/new information connections Childhood diseases infiltrate the immune system. The immune system is then compromised, and drastic steps might have to be taken in order to maintain the child’s health.

13. M IDDLE V OICE C ONFUSION This voice often carries a sense of suspense, and is rarely used in academic writing without an artistic, pathos, or literary intent: The chair fell. The experiment failed.

14. C ORRECTING FOR B OTH M EANING & F ORM The active is to be preferred, as well as “active” verbs: It is important to recognize the limitations. The experiment is limited by a small population. The population limits the experiment’s generalizability. A direct object is necessary to create a passive. The fish ate the cat. The cat was eaten by the fish. The dog fell down the hole. The hole was fallen down the dog….

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