Episode 56: Taking part in academic discussions

Good writing requires an appropriate mix of different types of sentence. Too many short, simple sentences can make the writing boring, while too many long and complex sentences can make the writing dense and difficult to understand. This podcast considers different kinds of sentence, then looks at the three different types of clause used in complex sentences, namely noun clauses, adjective clauses and adverbial clauses.

A good dictionary is an essential tool for any language learner. This podcast considers different types of dictionary and the advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as looking at the features of a good dictionary. It concludes by looking at ways to improve dictionary use.

Taking notes, both when reading texts and when listening to lectures or presentations, is an essential aspect of student life. This podcast considers reasons to take notes while listening, how note-taking for listening differs from note-taking for reading, and gives 10 tips for note-taking while listening.

This podcast looks at language for reports. As with other formulaic language (e.g. the language for presentations), you do not need to learn all of these phrases. You should be able to use at least one phrase for each function (e.g. stating the aim(s) of your report, referring to figures in the Results section or the Discussion section). How many more you learn after this is up to you. Good writing requires varying the expressions you use, rather than using the same ones all the time. On the other hand, you will only state the aim once in a report, so one phrase may be enough for life!

This podcast considers the important features of English vocabulary that you will need to know in order to use it effectively, namely meaning, spelling, pronunciation, part of speech, word family, frequency, register, usage and collocation. 

After you have understood the title, the next step of the writing process is to generate ideas. The best way to do this is by a process called brainstorming. The podcast gives information on what brainstorming is, as well as describing three useful brainstorming techniques, namely clustering, listing, and freewriting.

Academic discussions are a key part of university life. This podcast will help you understand how to participate in academic discussions by considering the reasons for taking part in discussions and giving ways that individuals and groups can help to create an effective discussion. It also includes some tips on how to improve your discussion skills.

This podcast explains what EAP (English for Academic Purposes) is, giving a definition of EAP, describing its development, locating EAP in a family tree of English Language Teaching, considering general versus specific EAP, and comparing EAP to General English.

Each subject has words which are either used specifically in that subject area (and not in general English), or common words which are used with special meaning in that subject area. Such words are known as technical, domain-specific or subject-specific vocabulary. This podcast explains what subject-specific vocabulary is, and gives an overview of some of the technical lists available for academic study. 

General vocabulary, also called high-frequency vocabulary, is vocabulary that occurs frequently in all kinds of texts and everyday language. It is likely to comprise the majority of the words and phrases learners encounter on a General English course at school. This podcast discusses general vocabulary, beginning with a definition, then considering how many words should comprise general vocabulary, looking at two common models of vocabulary: one by Nation (2001), and a more recent one by Schmitt and Schmitt (2014).