Wednesday, October 14, 2020

PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT

ENGLISH

PARAGRAPH
- A group of interrelated sentences that talks about one main idea.

- It has 3 parts: Topic Sentence, Body (supporting paragraphs), and

Closing Sentence.

ESSAY
- A group of paragraph that talks about one central idea.

- Has general parts: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion

Paragraph
- Organized around a topic sentence

- Contains introductory sentence

- Uses sentences to explain major points

- May use a concluding sentence

Essay
- Organized around a thesis

- Contains introductory paragraph

- Uses paragraphs to explain major points

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- Always uses a concluding paragraph

PROPERTIES OF WELL-WRITTEN TEXT

- Unity

- Coherence and Cohesion

- Organization

- Language Use

- Mechanics

UNITY
- Has one focused idea

- Supporting ideas are relevant to the main thought

COHERENCE AND COHESION

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- 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.

- Cohesion is the connection of ideas at the sentence level.

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.

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LANGUAGE USE
- One of the clearest indicators of a well-written text.

- Use clear and concise sentences

- Avoid redundancies, wordiness, cliches, and high faulting

languages

- Avoid excessive use of “there” and “it”

- Use precise vocabulary

- Be consistent with your pronoun’s point of view

- Avoid sexist language

- Use appropriate level of formality

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MECHANICS

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- Is the technical aspect of writing

- Set of conventions on how to spell, abbreviate, punctuate, and

capitalize a composition.

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THESIS STATEMENT, TOPIC SENTENCE AND SUPPORTING
DETAILS

ENGLISH

THESIS STATEMENT
- it is the central point of a multiple paragraph composition that
guides, controls, and unifies ides.

- It is usually placed at the end of the introductory paragraph.

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A SUCCESSFUL THESIS STATEMENT
- Is usually one sentence

- Is a statement, not a question

- Identifies the subject of the paper

- Takes a stand rather than simply announcing a subject

- It should be written in a complete sentence with a clearly stated

subject.

- It should not be to narrow nor too broad, and it should contain at

least two details.

- Avoid an awkward thesis statement which states the obvious.

These statements usually start with the phrase “I will telly you…” or
“I will talk about…”

- Enumerated details should have the same level of significance.

- It should not state an absolute fact, it will not present any central
idea that can be developed further. It should have a point.

TOPIC SENTENCE
- States the main idea of the paragraph.

- Summarizes what the entire paragraph is all about.

- Controls the other sentences in the paragraph.

A good topic sentence does two important things.

1. Helps you stay focused on the topic of your paragraph.

2. Helps readers to know what your paragraph will be about.

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THE EXAMPLES OF TOPIC SENTENCE

1. Topic Sentence:

There are many reasons why pollution in Pandeglang town is the

worst in the world.
- The topic is “pollution in Pandeglang town is the worst in the
world.”

- The controlling idea is “many reasons”.

2. Topic Sentence:

Fortune hunters encounter many difficulties when exploring a

shipwreck.
- The topic is “exploring a shipwreck”.

- The controlling idea is “may difficulties”.

LOCATIONS OF TOPIC SENTENCE IN THE PARAGRAPH

AT THE BEGINNING
Example:

A brownout for students would be a horrendous disaster.

The students will not be able to check their mail. They cannot receive
their e-mails either. They cannot use the fax machine too.

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AT THE BOTTOM
Example:

The mountain air around a lake invigorates and pleases me. I

like a lake’s underwater life, such as minnows and trout, and I enjoy
observing the plant life around me. Most important, a lake usually has
no chemicals because lake water is clean, natural, and more
refreshing for swimming. I prefer swimming in a mountain lake.

IN THE MIDDLE
Example:

The bird next to me was immature. He still had brown and tawny
plumage instead of the predominantly black color of the adult. For
one thing, he may never have seen another human being. But
there is a better explanation; in remote Galapagos Islands, there are
hardly any land mammals, and the hawk is very nearly the sole
predator. With no enemies and almost no competitors, it has nothing
to fear and plenty to eat.

BOTH AT THE BEGINNING AND THE END

Throwing a clay pot, requires many steps. The first step is by
wedging the clay. The potter kneads the clay to prepare it for
throwing. Once wedged and from into a ball, the clay is thrown onto
the center of a potter’s wheel. The clay must be coerced into a
perfectly symmetrical shape, dead center on the spinning wheel.
When correctly centered, the clay is ready to opened. After that, the
clay can now be shaped and the potter should correctly reach its
desired height. Finally, the pot is ready to be dried, fired, and glazed.

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Thus, even though a clay pot may appear simple to make,
fashioning one by hand takes a long process.

IMPLIED TOPIC SENTENCE

- Some paragraphs doesn’t state there topic sentences. This does
not mean that there is no topic sentence on it. Instead, it means
that you have to figure it out by yourself.

Example:

Yellow is a bright cheery color; it is often associated with a

spring and hopefulness. Green, since it is a color that appears
frequently in nature (trees, grass, plants), has come to suggest growth
and rebirth. Blue, the color of the sky may suggest eternity, or
endless beauty. Red, the color of both blood and fire, is often
connected with strong feeling such as courage, lust and rage.

The suggested implied topic sentence for example 2 is:

Different colors may bring different meanings or symbolic
representations.
TOPIC SENTENCES
Thesis Statement

A job interview can often make or break your chances of getting

your dream job. There are several things that you can do in an
interview to increase the possibility of your success: answering
interview questions thoroughly, and asking good questions at the
end of the interview.

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Topic Sentece Paragraph #1:

The way you dress can have a big impact on an interview panel’s first
impressions of you.

Topic Sentence Paragraph #2:

An interview is an opportunity for potential employers to get to know

you better, so it is important that you answer each questions as
completely as possible.

Topic Sentence Paragraph #3:

By preparing some thoughtful questions for the end of the interview,

you can show the panel that you have prepared for the interview and
want the job.

The Solar System Analogy

Just as the sun is the center of the solar system and orbited by the
planets, topic sentences revolve around your thesis statement, the
center of your argument.

SUPPORTING DETAILS
- These details are pieces of information necessary to better
understand the main idea.

- It can be facts, reasons, testimonies, statistics, and experiments

that support the topic sentence.

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Through the centuries, rats have managed to survive our efforts
to destroy them. Rats are very resilient. It is really difficult to get rid
of them. Some of them even survived the atomic bomb tests
Entwetok Atoll in the Pacific after World War II. In addition to nuclear
testing, they have been poisoned and trapped. They have been
fumigated, drowned, and burned. In spite of all our efforts, the rats
continue to do well.
Topic Sentence
Supporting Details

Conclusion

Supporting Details

Homeless people have many problems. In winter, its hard to

stay warm and it gets too hot in summer. Its also hard to keep
things safe without a home. Worst is the lack of privacy.

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CRITICAL READING SKILLS

ENGLISH

INTERTEXT AND HYPERTEXT

An INTERTEXT refers to a work whose meaning is shaped by

referencing or calling to mind other texts.

HYPERTEXT is characterized by the external links embedded in a

text by the writer.

CLAIM
- It is a single statement that becomes the topic of the argument.

- It is the most important part of an academic paper. The complexity,

effectiveness, and quality of the entire papa hinges on the claim.

- A claim must be argumentative. When you make a claim, you are

arguing for a certain interpretation or understanding of your
subject.

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3 TYPES OF CLAIMS

Claim of Fact
- Asserts that something has existed, does exist, or will exist.

- Debates whether it is true or false.

- It can be an assertion of the past, present, or future.

For example:
A claim of fact may argue that climate change does not exist,
because these are simply natural cycles of weather change.

- you cannot really check whether this is indeed a universally

accepted and disputable fact, as there are other evidences which
disagree with it.

Claim of Value
- Asserts judgement whether it is good or bad, more or less
desirable.

- It is based on judgement and evaluation on philosophical,

aesthetic, or moral standpoint.

For example:
Is Euthanasia an acceptable procedure in medical field?

- is Euthanasia a violation of life?

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Claim of Policy
- Is something that should or should not be done.

- The key word is the verb “should”, which implies that some action
ought to be taken, but not that it must or will be taken.

For example:
Alternative sources of energy and conservation efforts must be
applied to preempt potential energy problems. Today, most of the
energy resources we have are generated from limited resources. If
continuously consumed at an alarming rate, fossil fuels will run out
before long.

- nonetheless, this problem can be addressed by using alternative

sources of energy and by emphasizing conservation.

LOGICAL FALLACIES
- An errors in reasoning that invalidate an argument.

COMMON LOGICAL FALLACIES:

Hasty Generalization - It is a conclusion based on insufficient or

unrepresentative evidence.

For example: Martha, the foreigner from France, is very impolite.

French people are mean and rude.

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Bandwagon - The opinion of the majority is always valid: that is,
everyone believes it, so you should too.

For example: Most Filipinas want to have fair skin because they think
that they look beautiful. Therefore, having fair skin must be the real
standard beauty.

Appeal to Authority - Does not refer to appropriately citing an

expert, but rather when an arguer tries to get people to agree with
him/her by appealing to a supposed authority who isn’t much of an
expert.

For example: Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, recommends

the effective fabric softening properties of Downy fabric softener.

False Dilemma - Occurs when an arguer presents his/her argument

as one of only two options despite the presence of multiple
possibilities.

For example: Either you fully devote yourself to the company or you
quit.

Appeal to Pity - Is a fallacy in which someone tries to win support for

an argument or idea by exploiting his or her opponent’s feeling of pity
or guilt.

For example: Please do not fire me for being absent all month; I have
sick mother and a special child to support.

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FAKE NEWS

Be skeptical of headlines. False news stories often have catchy

headlines in all caps with exclamation points. If shocking claims
in the headline sound unbelievable, they probably are.

Look closely at the link. A phony or look-alike link may be a

warning sign of false news. Many false news sites mimic
authentic news sources by making small changes to the link. You
can go to the site to compare the link to established sources.

Investigate the source. Ensure that the story is written by a

source that you trust with a reputation for accuracy. If the story
comes from an unfamiliar organization, check their "About"
section to learn more.

Watch for unusual formatting. Many false news sites have

misspellings or awkward layouts. Read carefully if you see these
signs.

Consider the photos. False news stories often contain

manipulated images or videos. Sometimes the photo may be
authentic, but taken out of context. You can search for the photo
or image to verify where it came from.

Inspect the dates. False news stories may contain timelines that
make no sense, or event dates that have been altered.

Check the evidence. Check the author's sources to confirm that

they are accurate. Lack of evidence or reliance on unnamed
experts may indicate a false news story.

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Look at other reports. If no other news source is reporting the

same story, it may indicate that the story is false. If the story is
reported by multiple sources you trust, it's more likely to be true.

Is the story a joke? Sometimes false news stories can be hard

to distinguish from humor or satire. Check whether the source is
known for parody, and whether the story's details and tone
suggest it may be just for fun.

Some stories are intentionally false. Think critically about the

stories you read, and only share news that you know to be
credible.

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