RESOURCES FOR esl students
Writing successfully at an American University requires knowing both the rules of English grammar, and how to write for an American academic audience. What characteristics do native English speakers associate with coherent writing? What are the conventional ways English-speaking writers organize their thoughts? A student's native language might value different ways of presenting and explaining ideas, and he or she might have learned different patterns for expressing concepts in writing. In fact, many of the ESL writer's common ‘mistakes' may result from their application of the accepted rules of writing in their native language to writing in English. The following chart contrasts the characteristics of American academic writing with some typical conventions of other languages.
| Characteristics of effective writing in English for an American academic audience | Examples of some contrasting characteristics in other cultures/languages |
|---|---|
Writing is viewed as a tool to
accomplish a task (i.e. to express a point or present an argument) |
Writing is viewed as a way of engaging
the emotions through beautiful language |
Focus on clarity, directness, and
getting to the point |
Focus on the language's richness
or the ability to repeat ideas in a variety of ways; digression
is seen as a way of linking the subject under discussion to other
issues to show a wider range of knowledge |
Direct, explicit statement of main
idea(s) |
No direct statement of main idea(s),
with readers expected to infer the writer's main point |
The writer is responsible for including
explicit signals--such as transitions--to show logical links between
ideas and make connections clear |
Explicit signals are not necessary;
the writer shows respect for the reader's intelligence to make inferences |
Information is expected to be highly
specific |
Information is expected to be highly
philosophical |
Specific evidence (facts, statistics,
examples) are used to support arguments |
Traditional wisdom and authority
are used to support arguments |
Heavy use of deductive reasoning
(movement from the general to the specific) |
Heavy use of inductive reasoning
(movement from the specific to the general) |
Emphasis on the individuality and
originality of ideas |
Emphasis on traditional wisdom
and shared cultural knowledge |
*Adapted from handout by Dr. Margery Tegey, "The International Student As Academic Writer," Georgetown University Writing Center Seminar, November 13, 2001.
Writing Resources for ESL Students
-
Writing for an American Audience: A good starting place for ESL writers interested in learning the basics.
-
Dartmouth University's Guide for ESL Writers: This guide describes the structures of the English sentence, paragraph, and essay.
-
University of Hertfordshire on Using English for Academic Purposes: The most helpful section is "Organisation" which describes the linear format of English essays and outlines what an introduction, main body, and conclusion should contain.
-
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant: This site discusses different types of academic essays, including informal, thesis/support, and argumentative essays. Its recommendations for paragraph development and how to organize introductions and conclusions are must-reads for more advanced students.
-
UNC on Writing Arguments: A thorough guide to choosing and advancing an academic argument.
-
Georgetown University EFL Intensive Program: For students who may be interested in taking courses devoted to sharpening English academic writing skills here at Georgetown.
-
Georgetown University Language Exchange Program: "Through this program, students with complementary foreign language interests are paired together for a language interchange." Student pairs meet independently to talk and learn from each other.
Grammar Resources for ESL Students
To the native English speaker, even minor errors in grammar can distract a reader from following the argument of the paper and can also undermine the writer's authority. Some of the trickiest sentence level errors for ESL writers include using articles (a, an, the), prepositional idioms, and subject/verb agreement. Many of the grammar websites listed on our Resources for Writers page will serve ESL Writers well. Also, the following websites will help tutors and ESL writers work at the sentence level:
- Purdue OWL: Click on "English as a Second Language" on the right sidebar. This is by far the best site offering specific grammar help for ESL students.
- ESL Blues: The ESL Blues site offers overviews on a wide range of specific points of grammar and has tons of exercises for students to try. The site also provides a diagnostic test for those who wish to find out what specific problems one needs to work on and is suitable for intermediate level ESL students.
- Dave's ESL Cafe: Dave's ESL Café site is a big hit with users. It has links to numerous resources and has a help center which answers specific questions twenty-four hours a day. The idiom and phrasal verb links can be very useful as they list common English expressions with which many ESL students may not be familiar.
Recommended Reading
Shen, Fan. "The Classroom and the Wider Culture: Identity as a Key to Learning English Composition." College Composition and Communication, Vol. 40, No. 4 (December 1989): 459-465.
