Reading and Writing Skills
SY 2022-2023
TOPIC 1: PATTERNS OF DEVELOPMENT
A pattern of development in writing refers to the
particular strategy writers use to develop ideas.
✓ Learning to use these patterns of
development in writing will not be difficult if
you will familiarize yourself with the key
transitional expressions or signal words
that would be used to signal the reader that
a particular pattern is used.
1. DEFINITION – using definition to develop an idea
helps to clarify and explain the concept by
answering the question, “what does it
mean?” This pattern explains the
information through the use of illustrations,
examples, and descriptions. It may also
include one or more different patterns.
Sample text (Definition):
“Social engineering is defined as any
method which tricks people to share
personal information through the use of
technology. The “social” component in this
scheme means information through the use
of technology.”
2. EXEMPLIFICATION - it presents the general
statements and then provides specific and
concrete examples to expound on the main
idea. This pattern is used to provide an
example of something.
Sample text (Exemplification):
“While the internet offers so many benefits
to man, it also has its downside. One of
these is phishing, which refers to the act of
obtaining personal information, such as
passwords and credit card details. In other
words, phishing is a form of cybercrime. As
an example, let us consider the case of Mr.
X. He received an email stating that his
Gmail account has been compromised and
that he needed to click a link to update
personal information.”
3. DESCRIPTIVE PATTERN (Sensory and Spatial) –
It basically provides details on the idea by
using either a sensory or spatial pattern.
Through a sensory pattern, ideas are
arranged based on one or all of the five
senses. A spatial pattern, on the other hand,
arranges ideas by location or physical
spaces.
Sample text (Descriptive Pattern):
“A laptop is one of the greatest inventions of
the modern era. It is a lightweight device
that can save a vast amount of information.
The screen, touchpad, speakers, keyboard,
battery, and AC adapter are the basic parts
of a laptop. The most noticeable part of a
laptop is its screen, which is responsible for
displaying information. Another major
component is the keyboard. On it are keys
needed to enter data into the computer.”
4. NARRATION/PROCEDURAL – This pattern
organizes ideas or events according to time.
It can either be in the form of a narration or
process. A narration sequences events in
the order in which they occurred in time,
while a process organizes details based on
stages or steps. The most essential parts of
this pattern are the main idea, major dates,
and events such as the final outcome, major
steps/stages, and, of course, the order of
presentation.
Sample text (Narration)
“Ondoy began to develop from an active
low-pressure area to a tropical cyclone on
September 24, 2009. The following day,
PAGASA raised storm signals all over the
Philippine archipelago. At that point, signal
no. 2 was raised in Catanduanes and other
parts of Luzon.”
Sample text (Procedural)
“During flooding, one thing that may
probably save your life is an improvised
floatation device. You can make one using
your pants. First, knot off the leg holes of
your pants. Then, hold the open waist and
swing the pants around to fill the legs with
air. Promptly, a knot of the waist to trap the
air and hold the pants underwater so that
the air would not escape.”
6. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST—organizes ideas
based on how events, places, people, things,
and concepts are similar to or different from
one another. There are ways on how ideas
can be arranged: separately, which involves
describing one item first followed by the
second item; or side-by-side, which means
discussing both items based on each point
of comparison.
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 Reading and Writing Skills
SY 2022-2023
Sample text (Comparison and Contrast): 9. PERSUASION - This pattern organizes ideas to
show how a set of evidence leads to a
If you want to own the best phones
logical conclusion or argument. Specifically,
on the market, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
this pattern presents the issue, the position,
and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will
and the supporting evidence that supports
probably be at the top of your list. Both fit
the position.
the bill perfectly: they are big, they have
huge batteries, they have excellent cameras Sample text (Persuasion):
but what are the differences?
“Euthanasia or mercy killing has been a
The iPhone 14 Pro Max offers a new widely debated issue. It is an act to end a
and faster A16 processor, has industry- person's life alleviate the suffering brought
leading battery life and a host of new about by a terminal or grave illness. While it
features including a never-before seen may be supported by some, mercy killing is
Dynamic Island concept, plus a few not only unethical medical practice, it is also
potentially life-saving features like SOS via a crime. Afterall, on the most basic level,
satellite and Crash Detection. Not to euthanasia still takes a life. In fact, majority
mention a new Always On display, upgraded in the countries in the world, including those
cameras, the best portrait mode video and that have legalized it, consider it as
all of that spiced up with long software homicide. Aside from being a crime,
support from Apple. euthanasia is unethical in the medical
context because it violates the principle of
7. CAUSE AND EFFECT - organizes details based
“primum non nocere” which means “first, do
on the cause, the reason, and the result or
no harm.” In their code of ethics, doctors
consequences of a certain phenomenon.
have the responsibility of saving lives, not
Sample text (Cause and Effect): destroying them, which is why euthanasia
can never be acceptable.”
“As we know, globalization has affected the
world in many ways. First, it served as a
catalyst for worldwide trading, thus These patterns of development are
allowing countries to access foreign important to help your readers follow the
products. Although this had positive effects, ideas within your essay and your
it also posed a real threat to the paragraphs.
merchandise of local traders.”
8. PROBLEM-SOLUTION - organizes ideas into
problems and proposed solutions. The
problem section usually includes the what,
who, when, where, why, and how of the
problem. The other part then presents the
major effects of the problem and the
possible solutions to address it, as well as
the steps in implementing the solution.
Sample text (Problem-Solution)
“Today, most of the energy resources we
have are generated from coal, oil, and
natural gas. However, these resources are
limited. If continuously consumed at an
alarming rate, fossil fuels necessary for
generating power to operate vehicles and
factories will run out before long.
Nonetheless, this problem can be resolved
through the use of alternative sources of
energy and conservation efforts.”

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TOPIC 2: PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT
1. ORGANIZATION
It refers to the arrangement of ideas in a
text. You can easily follow good organization
when you create an outline of your ideas
before you start. An outline is like the
skeleton of the human body—the latter
gives the body form while the former gives
your writing basically the same thing. The
form will make the readers see which ones
are the major parts and which ones are the
minor parts. An outline can be useful
because it provides a format in which ideas
can be arranged in a hierarchy—that is, it
distinguishes the general ideas from the
specific or subordinating ideas.
Here is an example of an outline.
As you can see in this example, there are three
major parts of an outline: the introduction, body,
and conclusion.
The introduction is where you write your catchy
opening statements that are aimed to hook the
readers into reading your paper. You also include
in this part your main thesis statement or the
statement that expresses the main idea (or claim)
of the essay.
The body is the part where you will lay out the topic
sentences that you have for your essay. Each topic
sentence will then be supported with supporting
evidence and details.
Lastly, the conclusion. The conclusion is that a
writer summarizes everything and where a writer
reiterates his claim or thesis statement.
Reading and Writing Skills
SY 2022-2023
✓ An outline is usually done when you are in
the pre-writing stage of your essay. Make
sure to incorporate this before writing your
essay to make it clearer and more
organized.
2. Coherence and Cohesion
These two make the text easier for readers
to follow and understand. Cohesion is the
connection of ideas to the central concept of
a text. While coherence is the relationship
of ideas between sentences. Both should be
present in your text because having one
without the other will still create confusion
for readers.
COHERENCE
Coherence is defined as the quality of being
logical, consistent, and able to be
understood. Imagine coherence as a
building. Coherence, in contrast, relates to
the organization and connection of ideas
and whether they can be understood by the
reader, and as such is concerned with the
macro level features of a text, such as topic
sentences, thesis statement, the summary
in the concluding paragraph (dealt with in
the essay structure section), and other
'bigger' features including headings such as
those used in reports.
E.g.
There are different types of nouns in the English
language. There are proper nouns which are the
names of people or places, such as Tamara or
North Korea. There are abstract nouns that are
used to describe things that are not physical,
such as emotions. There are collective nouns
that are used to describe groups of things, such
as a flock of birds.
In the example, we can clearly see that the author
has ensured that there is coherence in the
paragraph. You can easily point out the main idea
(nouns) of the paragraph since it was clearly laid
out by the author.
COHESION
Cohesion on the other hand refers to the act
of forming a whole unit. It is effectively a
subset of coherence. Picture cohesion as
the bricks and cement which make up the
building. Cohesion relates to the micro level
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of the text, i.e., the words and sentences and
how they join together.
E.g.
Cara loves to cook dinner for her husband
Carl. The dinner that she likes cooking the
most is lasagna. Lasagna is a very popular
dish in Italy. Italians are also known for their
heavy accents. Accents can tell you where in
the world people come from. There are over 7
billion people on earth.
This example is not understandable and just shifts
somewhere. This is an example of a paragraph that
has cohesion but lacks coherence. The parts of the
paragraph connect with each other but then if you
are going to ask what is it that the author is trying
to focus on you will be having a hard time.
LANGUAGE USE
Appropriate language use refers to the
acceptable style of language for a particular
form of text. For business correspondences,
for instance, the style must be concise and
formal which is why writers of such texts
should not use wordy phrases and must have
a courteous tone to it.
For literary pieces, on the other hand, the
language and style may be less formal and
more creative.
One thing to ask to ensure that the tone and
style of your writing are appropriate is to
whom am I writing?
This question makes you change some aspects
of your written work for it to be appropriate in
formal or casual settings. So, know in advance
to whom you will be sending a letter or essay
before printing it.
Effective Use of Language Use
✓ Use clear and concise sentences. On
average, a sentence is 18 words long.
✓ Avoid redundancies, wordiness, cliches,
and highfalutin language.
✓ Use precise vocabulary. Be accurate and
condense lengthy phrases into fewer
words.
✓ Avoid sexist language. This issue can be
addressed by using articles (a, an, and the),
using plural pronouns, using his or her
instead of just his, writing through a second
point of view, or using gender-neutral
nouns (ex. chairperson instead of
chairman).
Reading and Writing Skills
SY 2022-2023
✓ 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.
MECHANICS
It refers to the conventions of writing which
include capitalization, punctuation, spelling,
numerals, abbreviations, acronyms, and
contractions.
1. Always use Standard English.
2. Avoid exclamation marks unless they are
part of a direct quotation.
3. Mention the full name of an institution or
organization with the abbreviation in
parenthesis, in the first mention. Thereafter,
use the abbreviation.
4. Numbers from zero to ten should be spelled
out while numbers higher than ten should
be written in figures.
5. Generally, citations are used in academic
and formal texts. However, they are
sparingly used in business texts.
Here are other examples of punctuation,
contractions, numbers, and numerals.
Capitalization
1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence
Ex. The cat is sleeping.
2. Capitalize names and other proper nouns
Ex. My favorite author is Jane Austen.
3. Do not capitalize after a colon (usually)
Ex. I have one true passion: wombat racing.
4. Capitalize the first word of a quote
(sometimes)
Ex. Mario asked, “What is everyone doing
this weekend?”
5. Capitalize days, months, and holidays, but
not seasons
Ex. I hate Mondays
Contractions
We use contractions (I’m, we’re) in everyday
speech and informal writing. Contractions are
usually not appropriate in formal writing.
Contractions with I, you, he, she, it, we, and they
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 Reading and Writing Skills
SY 2022-2023
’m = am (I’m) 2. No other standard rule
’re = are (you’re, we’re, they’re) Experts do not always agree on other rules.
That is, they say you should write out twelve
’s = is and has (he’s, she’s, it’s)
or twenty. But not 24.
’ve = have (’ve, you’ve, we’ve, they’ve)
3. Using the comma
’ll = will (I’ll, you’ll, he’ll, she’ll, it’ll, we’ll,
In English, the comma is used as a thousand
they’ll)
separator (and the period as a decimal
’d = had and would (I’d, you’d, he’d, she’d, it’d, separator), to make large numbers easier to
we’d, they’d) read.

Punctuations 4. Do not start a sentence with a numeral

1. Punctuation must be parallel.
When punctuation is parallel, it means that
interrupting a main clause with a dash or
a comma requires the same punctuation at
both the beginning and end of the clause.
Ex. The teenagers, students from Mrs.
Smith's art class, went on a field trip to
the museum.
Make it “Fourscore and seven years ago,” not
“4 score and 7 years ago.”
That means you might have to rewrite some
sentences: “Fans bought 400,000 copies the
first day” instead of “400,000 copies were
sold the first day.”
5. Centuries and decades should be spelled out.
Use the “Eighties” or “nineteenth century.”

2. a colon appears at the end of a main clause

List: I have three brothers: David, Kent, and
Jacob.
Elaboration: I have decided not to move to
San Francisco: I have been offered a
better job in Milwaukee.
Restatement: Thinking back, Jenny was not
sure who started yesterday's fight: she
could not decide whether she was at
fault or her friend Annie.
3. A semicolon is used for equal emphasis
Ex. Sarah answered my question abruptly;
she seemed preoccupied.
4. Parentheses show related and nonessential
elements
Ex. My family visited several countries (Italy,
France, Portugal, and Spain) on our
vacation last year.
5. Apostrophes Show Possession or Indicate an
Omission
Ex. Susan's book
Numbers and Numerals
1. Spell small numbers out.
The small numbers, such as whole numbers
smaller than ten, should be spelled out.

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 Reading and Writing Skills
SY 2022-2023
TOPIC 3: TYPES OF CLAIMS
CLAIMS Example:
It persuades, argues, convinces, proves, or • Euthanasia is not only an unethical
provocatively suggests something to a reader medical practice but also a crime.
who may or may not initially agree with you. This • Vincent van Gogh’s art is more beautiful
is also known as propositions. than Picasso’s because of its unique use
of color, subject matter, and technique.
Also, it is an argument about a quantifiable
topic. But it should be noted that a claim of fact
CLAIM OF POLICY
is not fact; it only asserts a stand regarding a
debatable topic. It affirms that a condition has Asserts the implementation of a certain policy.
existed, exists, or will exist.
This is driven by the need to present a solution
TYPES OF CLAIMS: to problems that have arisen; sometimes it is
given as a response to claims of fact. It
CLAIM OF FACT
generally states the solutions and plans that are
Asserts a stand regarding a debatable topic. procedural and organized. It also incorporates
judgment coupled with supporting information.
A well-argued claim of fact clearly states the
main argument and defines vague and Proof requires (McGaan, 2016):
controversial terms. It is supported by factual
1. Making proposed action clear
information and pieces of evidence such as
statistics, testimony, and observation. 2. Justification
Proof requires (McGaan, 2016): 3. Must be planned and workable
1. sufficient and appropriate grounds 4. State the advantages or benefits
1.1. reliable authority 5. Consider oppositions or counterarguments
1.2. recent data Example:
1.3. accurate, typical data • The age at which people can get a
driver’s license must be raised to 20.
1.4. clearly defined terms—no loaded
• We should eat breakfast every day.
language
• Beauty contests should be banned.
2. clear distinction between fact and
interference
To identify the claims, focus on the
CLAIM OF VALUE
first and last sentences of a paragraph. The
This claim argues whether something is good or details in each paragraph will also guide
bad; moral or immoral. you as to whether a text supports or
opposes a certain claim or argument. Take
It is based on judgment and evaluation of a
note of the transitional devices used.
philosophical, aesthetic, norm, or moral
standpoint cites experts on the field, and draws
real-world examples to make abstract values
clear.
A well-defended claim of value may assert that
the value being defended will produce good
results if supported by reliable information.
Proof requires (McGaan, 2016):
1. Establish the advantage (practical or moral) of
your standards.
2. Use examples to clarify abstract values.
3. Use credible authorities for support.

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