Principles of writing
- 4. By the end of the lesson, you will be able to Determine the properties of a well-written text; Identify the components and structure of an effective essay; Identify the cohesive and coherent features of texts; Identify the language and mechanics used in texts; and
- 5. PARAGRAPH ESSAY Organized around a topic sentence Organized around a thesis Contains introductory sentence Contains introductory paragraph Uses sentences to explain major points Uses paragraphs to explain major points May use a concluding sentence Always uses a concluding paragraph.
- 6. A paragraph is composed of 3 major parts: the topic sentence, the body which consists of the supporting details, and the closing sentence. Topic Sentence – the central idea of the paragraph; it can be a stand or a comment, an objective statement, or a question Closing Sentence – concludes the details that have been presented. Supporting Details – sentences that clarify and prove the main idea. Cohesive Devices – transitional devices, pronouns, or repetition of ideas used in order for all of the sentences to be linked properly In their book, Wilbert McKeachie and Marilla Svinicki described 4 types of challenging students. The first type is composed of the attention-seeking, discussion-dominating students who want to be heard. The second type is comprised of inattentive students who doodle and drift off during class discussions. They often stare into their cell phones and chat with their classmates during lecture. The third type is composed of the unprepared students who are characterized as the ones who skip doing their assignments prior to the class. They don’t have pens or paper even when they know that they are scheduled to take their quizzes and exams. The last type of challenging students includes uncivil and disrespectful ones who display rude behaviors. Knowing these types of challenging students would help teachers manage these behaviors constructively.
- 10. Unity is achieved when a composition contains one focused idea. In a unified text, all the supporting ideas are relevant to the main thought. Without unity, the text will be confusing. Text without Unity Text with Unity Viral videos circulating online expose the danger in sensationalist culture: anyone’s life can change in one single post. A Like in Facebook can change everything. For example, the video of the student who verbally abused a guard in the LRT has changed the life of the student. Therefore, people must take note of their actions wherever they may be, because these might be documented and posted online. In addition to that, everyone must be wary of the things they post, because they never know who will share it, too, Viral videos circulating online expose the danger in sensationalist culture: anyone’s life can change in one single post. For instance, the video of a student who verbally abused a guard in the LRT had drastically altered the future of the student. She was bashed by netizens for her rude behavior, and the hashtag #AMALAYER, taken after the way she pronounced, “I’m a liar,” trended soon afterwards. News reports following the incident soon revealed that the girl has received considerable flak and has even become a victim of bullying.
- 11. Coherence and cohesion are achieved when ideas are logically, clearly, and smoothly linked to one another. Coherence occurs when ideas are connected at the conceptual or idea level. It can be seen through well- defended arguments and organized points. Unlike coherence, cohesion is the connection of ideas at the sentence level. Cohesion can be applied using can be applied using 3 techniques. Through the use of pronouns to refrain from using a specific word repeatedly. Through the use of transitional devices to connect sentences with linked ideas. The last technique employs a repetition of keywords to tie up the paragraphs subtly.
- 12. Text without Coherence and Cohesion Text with Coherence and Cohesion Amelia Earhart was a legendary woman who made her name in aviation by setting various records. In 1928, she became famous as the first woman who flew across the Atlantic Ocean. She was only a passenger, with pilot Wilmer Stultz and co-pilot/mechanic Louis Gordon manning the controls. In 1932, she flew on her own over the Atlantic. She flew from Honolulu Hawaii to Oakland California. She became the first person to fly over both the Alantic and Pacific Oceans. Between 1930 and 1935, Earhart set seven woman’s speed and distance aviation through different aircrafts. She disappeared in 1937 while attempting to fly around the world. On board her plane was her only crew member, Fred Noonan. Extensive search efforts were not able to find a trace of both aviators. Amelia Earhart was a legendary woman who made her name in aviation by setting various records. In 1928, she became famous as the first woman who flew across the Atlantic Ocean. However, during this trip she was only a passenger, with pilot Wilmer Stultz and co-pilot Louis Gordon manning the controls. In 1932, she finally got to fly on her own over the Atlantic. She set another record when she flew from Honolulu Hawaii to Oakland California in 1935, thus becoming the first person to fly over both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Between 1930 and 1935, Earhart set seven woman’s speed and distance aviation through different aircrafts
- 13. Organization is achieved when ideas are logically and accurately arranged. Knowledge of the parts of a composition is a great help in adhering to the correct organization of ideas. The sentences within a paragraph must also be organized logically. Text without Organization Text with Organization Thomas Edison was simply the one who created the first commercially viable light bulb. It is widely believed that he invented the light bulb. What made Edison’s light bulb successful was his use of carbonized bamboo as the filament. This made the bulb last longer and it was cheap enough to be available for the masses. He only improved on previous works of inventors who also worked on the same project. Although it is widely believed that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, in reality he was simply the one who created the first commercially viable light bulb. Along with his team, Edison improved the previous works of inventors who also worked on the same project. Compared to previous versions, what made is light bulb successful was his use of carbonized bamboo as the filament. This made the bulb last longer and it was cheap enough to be available for the masses.
- 14. The way language is used is one of the clearest indicators of a well-written text. It enables the writer to effectively communicate ideas without confusing the reader. Effective language use is achieved by observing the following time-tested principles in writing. 1. Use clear and concise sentences. On average, a sentence us 18 words long. (Note that this does not require every sentence to be composed of exactly 18 words.) Don’t Do Image is a very important factor in politics because once the reputation of a person is smeared by accusations, the people's perception of the person is forever tainted and it may cause him to lose credibility and trust even when the truth behind allegations is not yet verified. Image is a very important factor in politics. Once the reputation of a person is smeared by accusations, the people's perception of the person is forever tainted. The person may lose his credibility, even when the allegations are not yet verified.
- 15. 2. Avoid redundancies, wordiness, clichés, and high falutin language. 3. Avoid excessive use of "there" and "it" structures. These sentences can be revised by dropping the "there" and "it" phrase and transforming the sentences appropriately. Don’t Do Although offsprings are taught not to obtain free gifts from strangers, at the present moment many still do. Although children are told not to take gifts from strangers, many still do. Don’t Do There are many people walking on this street during Sundays. It is important to keep your valuables close to you. Many people walk on this street during Sundays. Keeping your valuables close to you is important.
- 16. 4. Use precise vocabulary. Be accurate and condense lengthy phrases into fewer words. 5. Be consistent with your pronoun's point of view.. Don’t Do Shafts that control the brake during urgent situations are built inside MRT trains to keep the passengers free from harm. Emergency levers are installed in every MRT train for the safety of the passengers. Don’t Do We should accept the fate is simply an illusion; you must not leave our decisions to something that does not exist. We should accept that fate is simply an illusion; we must not leave our decisions to something that does not exist.
- 17. 6. Avoid sexist language. This issue can be addressed by using articles (a, an, and the), using plural pronouns, using his or her instead of his, writing through a second person point of view, or using gender-neutral nouns (e.g. chairperson instead of chairman). Make sure not to overuse the his or her technique as it breaks up the flow of your composition. 7. Use the appropriate level of formality. The more formal texts use an academic tone while the less formal ones usually use a personal or colloquial tone. Don’t Do Every employee should submit his credentials. All employee should submit their credentials. Don’t Do Yes, diskettes are like things of the past, but they're still totally cool. Diskettes may be outdated, but they are still fascinating.
- 18. The technical aspect of writing should not be overlooked. It is characterized as a set of conventions on how to spell, abbreviate, punctuate, and capitalize a composition. In academic and more formal texts, the following should be observed: 1. Always use Standard English. 2. Avoid contractions 3. Avoid exclamation marks unless they are part of a direct quotation. 4. Mention the full name of institution or organization with the abbreviation in parenthesis, in first mention. 5. Numbers from zero to ten should be spelled out while numbers higher than ten should be written in figures 6. Generally, citations are used in academic texts. However they sparingly used in business texts.
- 19. Text without mechanics Text with Mechanics Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006 after the General Assembly of the IAU, as it only met 2 out of the association's three requirements to qualify as a Planet (Library of Congress). The dispute started when Caltech astronomy prof Mike Brown discovered an Asteroid bigger than Pluto in 2005 (Cain, 2012). The science community went wild! Brown's findings sparked a debated on whether this new planet, which he named Eris, should be added to the roster of 9 Planets. The controversy prompted the International Astronomical Union to meet up and delineate what a 'planet' is. They came up with three requirements to classify a celestial body as a planet and removed the Planet Status of Pluto based on the new definition. Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006 after the general assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), as it only met two out of the association’s three requirements to qualify as a planet (Library of Congress). The dispute started when Mike Brown, a professor of astronomy at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), discovered an asteroid bigger than Pluto in 2005 (Cain, 2012). Brown’s findings sparked a debate on whether this new planet, which he named Eris, should be added to the roster of nine planets. The controversy prompted the IAU to meet up and delineate what a ‘planet’ is. They came up with three requirements for classifying celestial bodies as planets and removed the planet status of Pluto based on the new definition.