Foundations of Writing for University Study

This textbook explains the fundamentals of effective academic writing for university studies across multiple genres and formats. It is intended for students who are either in the early stages of their university studies, or are preparing to enter a university degree.

One of the ways this textbook differs from other textbooks on academic writing is its focus on the organisation of the English sentence through Theme and Rheme. The Theme is what the sentence is about, while the Rheme is what is being said about the Theme. In the English clause, the Theme is at the beginning and the Rheme follows.

At the same time as the English clause is divided into Theme and Rheme, the clause can be understood as a unit of information where New information is provided to Given information. One of the central aims of the textbook is to increase awareness of the flow of Given and New information from sentence to sentence, and for students to have greater ability in its organisation. Moreover, New information is formally organised through prosody, or rhythm and intonation patterns. This approach takes account of English rhythms, intonation and stress patterns that accompany sentences and how this relates to writing sentences.

Through the Theme/Rheme and Given/New approach, combined with an understanding of Genre, this book aims to both increase awareness of these aspects of the English sentence and explore how this aspect of English facilitates clearer and more effective writing.