LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET IN READING IN WRITING

Worksheet No. 4 Quarter: 3

Learner’s Name: _____________________ Date: _____________________
Grade Level/Strand: _____________________ Score: _____________________

Evaluate a written text based on its properties (organization, coherence and cohesion,
language use and mechanics) specifically, after working on this learning activity sheet,
you should be able to:
✔ identify the features of a coherent and cohesive text
✔ evaluate a written text based on its coherence and cohesion

Every good writing needs to be reader friendly. It needs to be as clear as possible so that
the reader can easily follow sentences, ideas and details in the writing. One key aspect of this
feature of good writing is weaving through the connections and relationships that exist between
ideas.
Through this learning activity sheet, you will gain knowledge on coherence and cohesion
as properties of a well-written text.

What is Cohesion?
connection of ideas at the sentence level

focuses on the “grammatical” aspects of

writing

Good cohesion is achieved through the following five main methods:

1. Repeated words/ideas – one way to achieve cohesion is to repeat words, or to repeat ideas
using different words.
Example:
Most students are intimidated by the works of William Shakespeare.
They believe Shakespeare’s sonnets and plays are far too complicated
to read and understand.
2. Reference words – are words which are used to refer to something which is mentioned
elsewhere in the text, usually in a preceding sentence. The most common type is pronoun.
Example:
Mr. Thompson agreed to meet with members of the worker’s union
before he signed the contract. He was interested in hearing their
concerns about the new insurance plan.

3. Transitional Signals – are also called cohesive devices or linking words. These are words or
phrases which show the relationship between ides. Some examples of transitional signals are:
a. Time – first, immediately, afterward, before, at the same time, after, earlier,
simultaneously, finally, next, in the meantime, later, eventually, then, meanwhile,
now, subsequent, etc.
b. Sequence – moreover, furthermore, next, also, finally, last, another, first,
second, third, besides, additionally, etc.
c. Space – above, next to, below, behind, beside, etc.
d. Illustration – for instance, specifically, for example, namely, in this case, to
illustrate, etc.
e. Comparison – similarly, also, in the same way, still, likewise, in comparison,
too, etc.
f. Contrast – but, despite, however, even though, yet, on the other hand,
although, on the contrary, otherwise, conversely, nevertheless, instead, in spite
of; etc.
g. Cause and effect – because, as a result, consequently, then, so, since, etc.
Example:
h. Conclusion – thus, therefore, in conclusion, in short, etc.
Many students believe they cannot write a good essay because
they are not writers. However, as they practice writing and work on
developing their writing skills, most students are able to gain the needed
confidence to start thinking of themselves as writers

4. Synonyms – are words that have the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. They
provide alternative word choices that can add variety to a text and can help eliminate unnecessary
repetition.

Example:
Teenagers face an enormous amount of peer pressure from
friends and schoolmates. As a result, many young adults are exhibiting
signs of severe stress or depression at an early age.

5. Parallelism – is the use of matching words, phrases, clauses or sentence structures to express
similar ideas. Parallel structures allow the reader to flow smoothly from one idea, sentence or
paragraph to the next and to understand the relationships and connections between ideas.
Example:
Usually, the children spend the summer weekends playing ball
in park, swimming
Below are examples of paragraph in the
with poor andneighbor’s pool, eating
strong cohesion. Haveice creamlook
a closer under the
on how
three, or camping in the backyard.
they differ.
 Poor Cohesion
Thousands of people visit Yosemite
National Park each year. They come to
experience the natural beauties of the
magnificent rock cliffs and to enjoy the
great outdoors. These rock cliffs pose a
great danger from rockslides.
Strong Cohesion
Thousands of people visit Yosemite
National Park each year. They come to
experience the natural beauties of the
magnificent rock cliffs and to enjoy the great
outdoors. However, what they do not realize
is that as beautiful as they are, these rock
cliffs pose a great danger from rockslides.

If there is Cohesion, there should be Coherence.

What is Coherence?

connection of ideas at the idea level

“rhetorical” aspects of writing which include

developing and supporting arguments (e.g. thesis
statement development, synthesizing and integrating
readings, organizing and clarifying ideas)

overall sense of unity in a passage including

both the main point of sentences and the main point of
Coherence involves…
each paragraph
summarizing the overall presenting ideas in a
argument of an essay in logical sequence
the introductory paragraph

FEATURES
putting separate, major beginning each paragraph
points into separate with a ‘topic sentence’,
paragraphs followed by supporting
sentences

Coherence can be achieved by:

⮚ writing a concept map or outline
⮚ write down the main idea of each paragraph – called a topic sentence
⮚ check to see if the topic sentences are connected to the thesis statement
of the paper of have strayed from the main argument
⮚

How do you check whether you achieve coherence?

 ⮚ Analyze the essay paragraph by paragraph.
.
Do the paragraph breaks come in natural places?
Does every paragraph focus only on one aspect of the problem?

⮚ Read the paper from beginning until the end without any pauses.
Does it give you a sense of completeness and unity?

⮚ Think about your impressions.

Can you tell straight away what the main idea of the text is after you
have read it?
It is clear what opinion the author sticks with?

Example:

Poor Coherence Strong Coherence

The industry has many advantages. It can
draw on great deal of research. It can also
export products to key trading partners. It has
significant growth potential in the medium to
long term. Workers within this industry need
training. It is important to keep staff up-to-date
with software used in this industry.
The industry has many advantages. It can
draw on great deal of research, particularly
in terms of strategies used for entering new
markets. While there is a significant growth
potential in the medium to long term, it is
clear that workers within this sector need
training. Therefore, it is important to keep
staff up-to-date with software used in this
industry.

Practice Task 1: Call to ORDER

Number the sentences in an appropriate order to form a coherent and cohesive paragraph. Write
the numbers in the spaces provided for. Use a separate sheet of paper.
1) _____a. Therefore, I wake up two hours before leaving for work
_____b. Otherwise I wouldn’t be well enough rested
_____c. I dislike being stressed in the morning
_____d. This means having to go to bed very early in the evening
2) _____a. The set, sounds, and actors in the movie captured the essence of horror films.
_____b. The sounds, too, were appropriate; especially terrifying was the hard, hollow
sound of footsteps throughout the film.
_____c. The set was ideal: looming shadows of large and unlighted houses, deserted
streets, trees dipping their branches over the sidewalks, and mist hugging
the ground.
_____d. But the best feature of the movie was its actors, all of them, tall, pale and
extremely thin.
Practice Task 2: Get LOGICAL
Read and analyze the given sentence in each item. Tick off (√) the sentence which follows
logically from the first sentence. Use a separate sheet of paper.
1. Studying when you’re older should not be a problem.
____a. In fact, some say that the additional experience older people have is a plus.
____b. Despite this, there are many benefits to being a mature student.
2. Colleges recognize that not everyone can physically attend a course of study.
____a. For instance, online courses are now very popular.
____b. For this reason, many now offer study-at-home courses.
3. Going back to studying after a long gap can be problematic.
____a. As a result, people can greatly improve their job prospects.
____b. Mature students often have family commitments as well as academic difficulties.
4. Distance learning has been greatly helped by the internet.
____a. Due to its popularity, television soon became a popular medium for education.
____b. Advantages such as real-time communication make it much more effective than using the
radio, television or the postal service.
5. Subjects such as philosophy and sociology are popular choices at degree level.
____a. Nevertheless, these subjects do not lead directly to a job.
____b. In addition, it is difficult to find work with a degree in either of these.

Practice Task 3: Get through the CONNECTIONS

This exercise will give you a chance to practice condensing and combining sentences using
transitional devices. Combine the sentences in each set into two clear sentences. Add a
transitional word or phrase to the second sentence to show how it relates to the first. Write your
answer on a separate sheet of paper.
1)
a. Retirement should be the reward for a lifetime of work.
b. It is widely viewed as a sort of punishment.
c. It is a punishment for growing old.
2)
a. There are differences in math performance between boys and girls.
b. These differences cannot be attributed simply to differences in innate ability.
c. If one were to ask the children themselves, they would probably disagree.
3)
a. We do not seek solitude.
b. If we find ourselves alone for once, we flick a switch.
c. We invite the whole world in. The world comes in through the TV or Internet.
Rewrite the given paragraph to make it more coherent and cohesive. Use appropriate transitional
devices.

The Human Resources department is developing a plan to increase

employee retention. Three employees resigned from the accounting department
last month. We had to hire temporary staff to fill the positions until new accounting
staff could be hired. Many important accounting tasks went unfinished. Employee
retention has become a top priority for Human Resources.

References
www.slideshare.net. “Properties of a Well-Written Text – Reading and Writing.” Published on
February 24, 2018. https://www.slideshare.net/aliciamargaretjavelosa/properties-of-a-
wellwritten-text-reading-and-writing
Monica Tan.www.academia.edu. “Properties Of A Well-Written Text.” Accessed date July
02,2020.https://www.academia.edu/34256187/READING_AND_WRITING_First_Quarter
_Period_ PROPERTIES_OF_A_WELL-WRITTEN_TEXT
KatrinaClaireLandich.www.slideshare.net.“Properties of a Well-Written Text.” Accessed date
July 02,2020.https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/KatrinaClaireLandich/properties-of-a-
well-written-text-88147656
Liza Mae Neis. “PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT.” Updated December 08, 2016.
https://prezi.com/bhm-a9lxb8wu/properties-of-a-well-written-text/?fallback=1

Prepared by:

April Pauline F. Arevalo/Teacher III

Bulan National High school/Sorsogon Province Division

Module Writers:
Arvic L. Fortes
Cyrel E. Baldorado

Quality Assured by:

Maricel M. Dineros
EPS I-ENGLISH/ Sorsogon Province Division