Reading and Writing Skills

UNIT II
FUNDAMENTALS OF WRITING

LESSON 5

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE WRITING

Various factors must be considered in identifying the effectiveness of a particular text, such as
organization, cohesion, and coherence, language use, and mechanics. To further understand these properties, you must
first know the components of a text or composition.

 Composition- can either be a paragraph or an essay

o Paragraph- group of interrelated sentences that talk about one main idea
o Essay- group of paragraphs that talk about a central idea

A paragraph is composed of three major parts: the topic sentence, the body which consists of the
supporting details, and the closing sentence.

In their book, Wilbert McKeachie and Marilla

Svinicki described four types of challenging students.
Topic Sentence- the The first type is the attention-seeking, discussion- Supporting details-
central idea of the dominating students. The aim of these students is just sentences that clarify
paragraph; it can be a to be heard. The second type is the inattentive and prove the main
stand or a comment, students. These are the students who doodle and drift idea
an objective statement, off into their own thoughts during class discussion.
or a question They often stare at their cell phones and chat with
their classmates during lecture. The third type is
composed of the unprepared students who are Cohesive Devices-
characterized as the ones who skip doing their transitional devices,
assignments prior to the class. They do not come to pronouns, or repetition
class equipped, even when they are aware of of ideas used in order
Closing Sentence- for all of the sentences
scheduled quizzes and exams. The last type of
concludes the details to be linked properly
challenging students is the uncivil and disrespectful
that have been
ones. They are the ones who display rude behavior.
presented
Knowing these types of challenging students would
help teachers manage these behaviors constructively.

Unlike a paragraph, an essay has a more elaborate structure. It is divided into three general parts, namely
the introduction, body and conclusion. Below are the specific parts of an essay.

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I. Introduction
A. Lead or Attention-getter
B. Transitional Statement
C. Thesis Statement
II. Body
A. Major Point 1
1. Minor Detail 1
2. Minor Detail 2
3. Minor Detail 3
B. Major Point 2
1. Minor Detail 1
2. Minor Detail 2
3. Minor Detail 3
C. Major Point 3
1. Minor Detail 1
2. Minor Detail 2
3. Minor Detail 3
III. Conclusion
A. Reiteration of thesis statement
B. Transitional Statement
C. Closing Statement

1. Introduction

 Lead or attention-getter- first statement in the essay which aims to hook the readers
 Transitional statement- links the lead to the thesis statement. It generally provides background
information on the topic.
 Thesis statement- states the main idea or argument of the essay

2. Body- meat of the essay

- discusses the thesis statement in detail through its paragraphs

3. Conclusion

 Restatement of thesis statement- uses different structure and wording to uphold the language style
 Transitional statement- talks about the recommendations, benefits of ideas presented or purpose of
writing the essay
 Closing statement- used to wrap up the essay

Properties of a Well-Written Text

1. Unity- achieved when a composition contains one focused idea

2. Coherence and Cohesion

 Coherence- occurs when ideas are connected at the conceptual or idea level
 Cohesion- connection of ideas at the sentence level

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3. Organization- achieved when ideas are logically arranged

4. Language use- enables the writer to effectively communicate ideas without confusing the reader

5. Mechanics- technical aspect of writing

- characterized as set of conventions on how to spell, abbreviate, punctuate, and capitalize a

composition

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Name:

Date:

Patterns of Development

Test I. Read the following thesis statements. Choose one of the patterns of organization from the box that best describes
the pattern the author will follow. Use each choice once.

a. Comparison c. Definition e. Chronological g. Listing

b. Spatial d. Cause and Effect f. Classification h. Generalization

____1. During the election, the candidate will make a number of campaign stops throughout the United States.
____2. Managers experience several different personnel problems that must be solved before a business can work
effectively such as tardiness, poor performance, and inappropriate computer usage.
____3. Just as we relate to others based on their personality traits, we tend to interact with our personal computers based
on their performance.
____4. Acrophobia is an intense, unreasonable fear of high places.
____5. A mother’s use of alcohol during pregnancy can lead to birth defects in her unborn child.
____6. Wetlands is a general term that includes several types of vital links between water and land.
____7. Within a rainforest there are four layers of growth starting on the ground and moving up through the trees.
____8. Tyler’s intelligence and energy allows him to excel in a variety of areas such as sports, academics and community
service.

Test II. Fill in each blank with a transition from the box. Use each transition only once. Then tell what pattern of
organization is used.

after finally first second third

Sexual harassment is defined as any form of unwanted sexual attention. Most companies now have sexually
harassment policies in place. If you feel you are being harassed, there are several steps you can take. (1) __________, ask
the harasser to stop. Be clear and direct. This may be the first time the person has ever been told such behavior is wrong.
(2) _____________, record the event. Having a record of exactly what will be helpful in making your case. (3)
________, complain to a higher authority. Talk to your manager about what happened. (4) _____________, remember
that you have not done anything wrong. You will likely feel awful (5)________ being harassed. However, you should
feel proud that you are not keeping silent.

6. Pattern of Development: __________________________________________________

difference despite however in contrast

Reading a book is always much better than watching a movie based on a book (7) _______________ the saying
“A picture is worth a thousand words,” a book is able to give much more information than a movie can give. The author
can give the thoughts of characters ; (8) ________________, a movie usually conveys only the actions and words of the
characters. A book can follow several characters and plot lines, but a movie usually has less than two hours to tell the
story and must follow just a few characters or one plot line. The final (9) ______________ is one of imagination. Each

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reader of a book can create a different mental picture of the characters and scenes. A movie (10) ______________, can
offer only the vision of the director and actors.

11. Pattern of Development: __________________________________________________

Test III. Determine the pattern of organization used for each sentence. Then fill in the blanks within the sentence with
transition words from the box. Use each choice once.

Transition Words
for example furthermore just as so
type even though when between

Patterns of Organization
definition spatial contrast classification
cause and effect chronological comparison addition

1. _________________ Chloe is afraid of heights, she went bungee jumping to celebrate her birthday.
Pattern of Organization: _______________________

2. Distance education is learning that takes place when student is in a location apart from the classroom, building, or site;
_______________, online courses and telecourses are distance learning courses.
Pattern of Organization: _______________________

3. Isabella wanted to become a professional actress, ___________________ she moved to New York City.
Pattern of Organization: _______________________

4. Jealousy destroys friendship ___________________ thoroughly as a wildfire consumes a forest.

Pattern of Organization: _______________________

5. The best course of action to take _____________ one has made a mistake is to admit, learn from it, and avoid making
it again.
Pattern of Organization: _______________________

6. Pilates develops a strong and supple spine by extending the space ________________ each vertebra.
Pattern of Organization: _______________________

7. Research has shown that cancers of the lip, tongue, mouth, throat, larynx, lung, and esophagus are connected to cigar
smoking. _____________________, facts strongly suggest a link between cigar smoking and cancer of the pancreas.
Pattern of Organization: _______________________

8. During an episode of an activity, a volcano commonly displays a distinctive pattern or _______________ of behavior.
Pattern of Organization: _______________________

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Name:

Date:

Test I. Read each sentence then identify its claim. Write CF if it is a claim of fact, CV if it is a claim of value and CP if
it is a claim of policy.

___________________1. The sale of assault weapons should be banned in the US.

___________________2. There is one god.
___________________3. The Lakers will win the championship this year.
___________________4. Global warming is the most pressing challenge facing the world today.
___________________5. We should stop spending so much on prisons and start spending more on education.
___________________6. Republican economic policies caused the Great Depression.
___________________7. We should respect everyone in school.
___________________8. The Hunger Games is one of the best movies.
___________________9. Increasing population threatens the environment.
___________________10. Physician assisted suicide is immoral.
___________________11. We should dismantle prisons and spend our resources on education.
___________________12.The dancing that occurs in high schools leads to immoral behavior.
___________________13.The 1950s was a time of racial and gender harmony in the United States.
___________________14. I think Virginia Woolf is better than James Joyce.
___________________15. The governor is a bad man.

Test II. Read the following statements below then analyze what type of logical fallacy is it.

__________________1. It’s either you win the game or don’t mind it at all.
___________________ 2. When a boss recommends someone for a promotion and makes the argument that the person
really needs the additional money to support his family.
__________________3. Are you going to admit that you are wrong?
__________________4. He may be a qualified candidate, but he has tattoos, so I won't vote for him.
___________________ 5. During the obstacle course, Tanner believes that going left will get them out of the maze, but
everyone else thinks they should go right. So, Tanner goes with the group.
__________________6. You either like kids or you don't.
___________________7. A young mother asks for assistance from a local church and she brings her three young
children with her to speak to the pastor.
__________________8. Did you ever beat your wife?
___________________ 9. If we allow gay marriage, the next thing we know, people will want to marry their dogs, or
their cats, or their pigs.
___________________10. Ian was raised in a Christian home. When Ian goes to college, many of the students do not
believe in Jesus and do not attend church. Ian begins to doubt his faith because of his new
friends' lack of faith.
__________________11. Mrs. Peters is nominated for teacher of the year, which is voted on by her fellow faculty
members. A colleague says that she would never vote for her because she is too young.
__________________12. While the professor makes some good points in class, he doesn't believe in God, so I don't
listen to a thing he has to say.
__________________13. If you allow the students to redo this test, they are going to want to redo every assignment for
the rest of the year.
__________________14. If you don’t accept that the Sun orbits the Earth, rather than the other way around, then you’ll
be excommunicated from the Church.
_________________15. Drink water every day and be healthy, or continue to drink sodas and be unhealthy.

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LESSON 7

ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING

Academic Writing
- a type of writing produced by students in an academic setting
- its main purpose is to inform and persuade
- academic writing is impersonal and formal
 Impersonal because it usually uses the third person perspective and does not have a direct
reference to persons and feelings
 It is formal because it strictly adheres to formal English and avoids word contractions (e.g.
don’t, shouldn’t)
Professional Writing
- is any type of written communication done specifically in a professional context
- similar to academic writing, its main purpose is to inform and persuade the readers
- may involve private businesses, government corporations and offices

COMPONENTS OF ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING

1. Context- refers to the situation where professional writing is performed

- it includes the people involved (the sender and the receiver), relationship between the people involved in the
communication, time and place, and some possible interferences

2. Message- refers to the content of your document

- details may be in the form of facts, statistics, testimonies and observation

3. Language- refers to the channel used to convey the message

4. Purpose- refers to the reason or motive you have when communicating

- in the context of academic and professional writing, your two general purposes are to inform and to
persuade

 To inform means to make the audience understand a concept

 To persuade means to influence the readers to change their attitudes or actions

5. Audience- refers to the receiver of the message

6. Product- refers to the output that you intend to produce after considering all the other components

The following are some examples of outputs produced through academic writing and professional writing:

ACADEMIC WRITING PROFESSIONAL WRITING

Academic essay, Thesis, Dissertation, Library Instructional manuals, Specification, Brochure,
Research, Coursework, Reaction paper, Book Business Correspondence (letter and memo),
Review, Literature Review, Research Report, Business and Technical report
Project Proposal, Position Paper

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