Creating effect in texts

Expressive or Objective?

Academic writing normally has the aim of being ‘objective’ rather than‘expressive’ or ‘subjective’.

Emotional or emotive writing is generally avoided when writing for academic purposes.

Writers should try to support points they make with the writing of established academic sources, rather than making impressionistic points based on their own experience or anecdotal evidence.

Expressive or objective?

Text 1 This dreadful government has been responsible for one of the most shambolic episodes in country’s history. I don’t know how this incompetent, corrupt Prime minister sleeps in his bed at night when the unfortunate youth of today suffer the torment and misery of unemployment. Disgracefully, I don’t think he cares.

(Expressive)

Expressive or objective?

Text 2 To examine the record of this government effectively we must look at a combination of their record on the economy, unemployment statistics and at a poll of the general satisfaction levels of the electorate. Their detractors and supporter would doubtless interpret these statistics differently, but we must attempt to come to an overall conclusion.

(Objective/Academic)

The first slide (1) uses personal pronouns (I, he, his) and emotive language such as strong adjectives (dreadful, corrupt, incompetent) and opinions (“I don’t think he cares”); all of this produces an expressive effect that is not appropriate in academic writing.

The second slide (2) is more impersonal, contains a balance of opposing opinions and attempts to define how the topic is being assessed. All of this gives the writing a more objective and academic quality.