Essential Knowledge and Skills for Essay Writing; A Practical Guide for ESL and EFL Undergraduates; Bowen

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen [+–]

Thammasat University

Neil Bowen is an Associate Professor at Thammasat University and an ESRC Doctoral graduate from Cardiff University. He holds a PhD in Language and Communication, an MA in Applied Linguistics, and a BA in English and TEFL. His research focuses on process–product relationships in writing using a combined cognitive and Systemic Functional Linguistics approach. His 2019 article, “Unfolding choices in digital writing: A functional perspective on the language of academic revisions,” was the runner-up for the 2022 John R. Hayes’ best article award given by the Journal of Writing Research. His work can also be seen in other prominent journals such as Journal of Second Language Writing, TESOL Quarterly, Written Communication, Computers and Composition, Teaching and Teacher Education, System, and others.

Designed for intermediate and advanced users of English, this book offers an integrated approach to essay writing by focusing on both the processes and products of writing. It has been developed over many years of teaching and researching written English, in particular, with university students in Thailand. In addition to addressing common issues involving written English which many novice writers face, it covers the basic elements of writing—sentences and paragraphs—and introduces students to descriptive, narrative, expository, and argumentative writing. The book’s content and layout are carefully tailored for student writers, as reflected in color highlighting of important text and images, placement of key information in boxes, and inclusion of plentiful exercises with answer keys. Care has also been taken to avoid formality and unnecessary complexity. Model examples taken from actual students’ essays as well as published texts help to ensure the book’s appeal and educational value to its intended audience of novice writers.

Drawing on the Systemic Functional Linguistics of Michael Halliday and others, each of the five units begins with a form–function orientation. The purpose is to raise students’ awareness of the links between language structures at the micro-level of words, phrases, and clauses, and to introduce them to higher-order rhetorical goals at the macro-level of paragraphs and essays. Students learn to recognize and evaluate texts for key language features (formal knowledge), such as descriptive phrases, figurative language, and various types of transitions. Students then practice putting these elements together to form larger functional units (rhetorical knowledge), focusing on unity, cohesion, and a clear overall purpose. Each unit then focuses on generating ideas and content (subject knowledge) using critical questions, collaborative discussions, and visualization techniques. At strategic points, students are cycled through key reflective practices (process knowledge) as a way to help them complete longer writing tasks. These longer tasks include clear scoring rubrics, which can be used by the student or teacher as a means to gauge progress and provide feedback.

The book will help students acquire essential knowledge alongside transferable and functional skills—both of which can be applied across areas of study and in future writing projects.

Series: Frameworks for Writing

Prelims

Acknowledgements ix-x

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen

Thammasat University

Series Editor’s Preface xi-xii

Martha C. Pennington

Birkbeck University of London

Martha C Pennington is a Research Fellow in Applied Linguistics and Communication at Birkbeck University of London. She holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania, where she became a tenured Lecturer teaching English to international students while completing her degree. She has also held Professorial and administrative posts at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the City University of Hong Kong, the University of Bedfordshire, Elizabethtown College, and the School for African and Oriental Studies of the University of London. She previously edited a column for Gendai Eigo Kyoiku (Modern English Teaching) and was editor-in-chief of Writing & Pedagogy. She is currently editor of the book series Innovation and Leadership in English Language Teaching (Brill, formerly Elsevier), Frameworks for Writing (Equinox), and Applied Phonology and Pronunciation Teaching (Equinox). Pennington’s books on pronunciation are Phonology in English Language Teaching: An International Approach(Longman), Phonology in Context (Palgrave Macmillan), and (with P Rogerson-Revell) English Pronunciation Teaching and Research: Contemporary Perspectives (Palgrave Macmillan). She has published articles on the teaching of pronunciation in edited collections and in TESOL Quarterly, The Modern Language Journal, and RELC Journal, and has guest-edited a special issue (52.1) of RELC Journal on Pronunciation Teaching.

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen

Thammasat University

Introduction

Introduction 1-9

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen

Thammasat University

Unit 1

Essay Writing Basics [+–] 10-74

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen

Thammasat University

Unit 1 takes the student back to basics: writing clauses, sentences, and paragraphs —the building blocks of any good essay. Students are given advice on how to avoid common “mistakes” at the sentence level, such as incorrect punctuation and syntax, and the importance of plain language. Core elements of a paragraph are then introduced in terms of topic sentences, supporting sentences, and concluding sentences, and three main types of paragraphs are outlined: introductory, main body, and concluding paragraphs. The unit ends by highlighting how the writing process is an iterative and cyclical activity involving seven stages.

Unit 2

Descriptive Writing [+–] 75-136

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen

Thammasat University

Unit 2 introduces the student to descriptive writing. It starts by presenting some of the key language features that are prevalent in this type of writing, and moves on to the importance of using all five senses, figurative language, vivid word choices, and enhancing, elaborating, and extending details. Students are then taken through the fundamentals of writing descriptions of things, places, people, and processes, both at the paragraph and essay level. The unit ends by challenging students to write a five-paragraph descriptive essay, using the seven phases of writing introduced in Unit 1 as a guide.

Unit 3

Narrative Writing [+–] 137-192

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen

Thammasat University

Unit 3 focuses on the key skills and language features needed for narrative writing. These include working with narrative perspective, creating dialogue and golden details, and choosing strong, vivid verbs. Once the basics are in place at the word/phrase/sentence level, students are then shown how characterization and the sequencing of events can contribute to a five-stage, rise–fall pattern consisting of setting-the-scene, rising action(s), climax, falling action(s), and resolution. At the end of the unit, students are challenged to write a narrative essay of at least five paragraphs, and are again guided through the seven stages of the writing process.

Unit 4

Expository Writing [+–] 193-245

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen

Thammasat University

Unit 4 marks a switch to more formal, factually based writing. Students are introduced to the key skills and language features of expository writing, such as elaborating, enhancing, and extending upon key information, sequencing information, and using organizational templates (block method and point-by-point) to populate an outline. Students are then challenged to write three different expository texts—Compare/contrast, Classification, Cause-effect—and are given helpful tips and exercises along the way. At key stages within the unit, students are tasked with writing paragraphs and essays for each expository text type using the seven stages of the writing process.

Unit 5

Argument / Opinion Writing [+–] 246-307

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen

Thammasat University

Unit 5 focuses on the key skills and language features that are important to argument writing. These include making measured and valid claims, choosing a debatable and interesting topic, selecting robust and reliable evidence, and referencing others’ work. Students are introduced to three popular forms of Western argument—classical/Aristotelean, Rogerian, and Toulmin—and are then given practice in constructing a Toulmin argument. In the writing tasks, the focus is on identifying/collecting the grounds (data) for a qualified claim, linking these together through warrants and backing, and countering any valid counterclaims or counterarguments through refutation and rebuttal.

End Matter

References 308-313

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen

Thammasat University

Sources for Images 314-317

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen

Thammasat University

Author Index 318-319

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen

Thammasat University

Subject Index 320-322

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen

Thammasat University

Reviews

In this comprehensive and highly accessible textbook, author Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen has provided us with invaluable content and activities that successfully connect English L2 writing theory and practice from a global perspective. Filled with brilliant illustrations, exercises, and sample writing, this textbook is a go-to manual for all TESOL undergraduate writing researchers and practitioners interested in understanding how an experienced researcher-practitioner such as Bowen utilizes the process-genre approach to teach ESL and EFL essay writing.
Professor Jim McKinley, Institute of Education, University College London’s Faculty of Education and Society

This book is the result of an impeccable combination of reflective professional knowledge and a deep theoretical understanding of second language writing. It answers recent calls in the field of English Language Teaching for more teaching-informed resources, which have students’ needs at the forefront. The book also addresses the urgent need for materials that are more contextually-relevant to students who are learning English outside the Anglosphere.
Heath Rose, Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of Education, Vice-Principal, Linacre College, University of Oxford

While most writing textbooks aim to help students become competent writers, Essential Knowledge and Skills for Essay Writing goes one step further. By looking in depth at the various decisions that underpin a finished text, Neil Bowen’s book can help students become proficient writers. The variety of writing issues covered in the book is impressive. In terms of the essay as product, the topics range from the micro-details of sentence structure and nuanced vocabulary choice to the rhetorical structure of essays such as using plots to drive narratives and integrating Toulmin elements into an argument. In addition, useful tips on the writing process from the purposes of the various drafts through to revising the final essay are provided.
To help students navigate and engage with the wide range of topics, Essential Knowledge and Skills for Essay Writing makes extensive use of models of writing. The models chosen include the standard literary texts but effective use is also made of real student essays which show the book’s target students that proficient writing is achievable. The model texts are analysed in clear and productive ways to show how various writing purposes can be achieved. Importantly, and one of the key tenets of the book, these texts and the writing tasks in the books should be intrinsically interesting and relevant to much of the book’s audience. For teachers of writing to advanced students, Essential Knowledge and Skills for Essay Writing warrants serious consideration as a textbook to guide students to become highly proficient writers.
Richard Watson Todd, Associate Professor, School of Liberal Arts, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand

Bowen’s book addresses the needs of the intelligent, engaged English language learner. He goes beyond just indicating how to formulate accurate English sentences at the more advanced level – he explains why.
This is a treasure-trove of insights into the workings of English that learners will find enjoyable and enlightening. It unifies the challenges of learning a second language with those of constructing effective text, so learners can become good writers as well as accurate ones. The book also offers guidance on how to identify the main messages in texts, to enhance more effective reading and comprehension.
With separate sections on different genres of writing, the book can meet its readers where they are, and guide them to what they most need to know.
Professor Alison Wray Centre for Language and Communication Research, Cardiff University

Frameworks for Writing

Books and Journals in Humanities, Social Science and Performing Arts

Essential Knowledge and Skills for Essay Writing

A Practical Guide for ESL and EFL Undergraduates

Neil Evan Jon Anthony Bowen [+–]

Thammasat University

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