8 Summary

These are the key learning points this week:

• The term ‘style’ refers to the way people communicate in different contexts.
• In everyday life, people tend to adopt a different style according to the situation and who they communicate with.
• Academic writing uses a specific style which fits the type of subject being studied.
• Academic writers vary their style to fit the context in which they are writing, but generally they will use a formal style and technical terms.
• Formal academic style tends to express ideas more concisely and precisely through a range of grammatical structures and formal words.
• Students learn academic style gradually by reading academic texts and with the support of a tutor.
• There are a number of ways to report information from sources in a formal way.
• When stating ideas and reporting information it is important to hedge; that is, to use cautious language.

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