Properties of a well-written text:
them of the risks of an unhealthy diet:
In a well-written text there are four properties
that you must learn these are: Organization,
Coherence and Cohesion, Language use and the
Mechanics.
6 Characteristics of an Effective Language.
1.
A. Use of Concrete words-
-are specific words
- they form sharp,clear meanings and stand for
what the reader easily percieve while using the
five senses such as : seeing, touching, hearing,
taste, and smelling.
Example:
(Concrete Sentences)
 He is a bad roommate
 He is lazy and discourteous
 He is untidy and unclean
 He doesn't clean up his own messes
 He leaves his dirty dishes on the kitchen
counter
(Concrete Words)
 Smelly
 Ugly
 Beautiful
(Abstract Sentences ; words you cannot imagine)
 Your relationship with John is unacceptable.
 You do not get along well with John.
 You and John have a lot of arguments.
 You and John insult each other too much.
 You and John call each other derogatory
names.
B. Use Concised words
-short and simple (less is more)
- avoid redundancy (unimportant details)
Example:
Sentence :“We collaborated together on the
project.”
Better: “We collaborated on the project.”
Sentence:”I will see you in the near future.”
Better:”I will see you soon.”
In letter writing:
Sentence:”Attached here with”
Better:”Attached”
2. Use familiar words/Language:
-Use words that are almost in everyone’s
vocabulary.
-Familiar language is that which the readers easily
recognize and understand because they use it on
a regular basis.
Example:
A letter sent to high school students warning
"Individuals who maintain a diet of high fat
content are exposed to an increased risk of
developing atherosclerosis, which is a buildup of
fat deposits on the inner walls of the arteries. This
condition can reduce or cut off the flow of blood
in the arteries serving the major organs of the
body. This can lead to poor health."
3.Use precise and clear words
-greatly improves the clarity of a sentence.
-marked by exactness and accuracy of expression
or detail
-Never sacrifice clarity to novelty.
Example:
1.Vague: Consumer demand is rising in the area
of services.
Precise: Consumers are demanding more services.
2.Vague: Photography took on new aspects during
the Civil War.
Precise: The Civil War saw the advent of graphic
battlefield photography.
3.Vague: Strong reading skills are an important
factor in students’ success in college.
Precise: Students’ success in college depends on
their reading skills.
4. Avoid Sexist Langugae
-Use language that are not gender biased.
Example:
Reading makes a full “man”.
Reading makes a full person.
5. Used of Constructive language.
-Constructive language phrases a potentially
negative message in a positive way, whereas
destructive language directs blame and criticism
toward the reader, creating defensiveness.
Examples:
(1) Boss to employee: Constructive Language:
"Your job performance recently has been
unacceptable and there are no excuses for it. You
have claimed that you are having some serious
personal problems, but even if this is true, you
cannot allow it to affect the quality of your work.
If your work doesn't improve, I'll have to replace
you with someone else."
3) Instructor to student: (Destructive Language)
"I have never had a student who was so confused
with this material. Perhaps you should take an
easier course from an easier professor. It makes
no difference to me."
6. Use of Formal and Informal Language.
-The formality of the language one uses should
match the formality of the situation and the
relationship between the writer and reader or the
speaker and the audience.
Examples:
Very Formal: Exceedingly large segments of the
population are expressing their discontent with
medical practitioners who appear to more
engrossed in amassing financial assets than in
providing efficacious care to people with health
disorders.
Formal: A large number of consumers are
complaining about medical doctors who are
apparently more interested in making money than
in provide effective health care.
Informal: A lot of people are unhappy with their
doctors who only seem to care about how much
money they make, and not about giving their
patients good care.
Mechanics: 4 Components
a. Punctuation
a)clarifies sentence structure by separating some
texts and grouping others. It includes commas,
semicolons, dashes, hyphens, apostrophes,
quotation marks, and so much more.
“Using correct punctuation allows you to convey
your ideas to the readers.” Punctuation as a
writing mechanic is to bring comprehension to a
report.
1.PERIOD (.) used after sentences, in
abbreviations, and as decimals.
2.EXCLAMATION POINT (!) placed at the emphatic
or forceful sentences.
3.QUESTION MARK (?) placed at the end of a
question and to note questionable items.
4.QUOTATION MARKS (“ ”) to indicate di
rect quotations- for titles of poems, short stories,
chapters, essays, songs, episodes of television
shows.
5.APOSTROPHE (’) to show possession (Angel’s
bag), to show missing letters and number (you’re,
’95), to show plurals of letters (I got all A’s last
semester.)
6.COLON (:) after independent clauses to
introduce elements.
The coach demanded three things from his
players: loyalty, devotion, and teamwork.”
/ to separate items in numerals, ratios, titles and
subtitles, timereferences, scripture references.
7.PARENTHESES () to set off non-essential details
and explanations, to enclose letters and numbers
used when listing items, first-time use of acronym.
8. BRACKETS [ ] to set off clarifications inserted in
quotations.
Eric observed, “I think [Rodrigo] Duterte was the
greatest president.”
9. HYPHEN ( - ) to separate or join words.
We saw her on tele-vision last night.
Never pay a higher-than-average price.
10. DASH ( -- ) to show sudden break of thought
“Ted was angry after his car was stolen—who
wouldn’t be?”/ to set off an introduction to a
series
“They have everything needed to succeed—ideas,
money, and marketing.”
11. SLASH (/) to separate words or to show
alternatives (he/she)
12. SEMICOLON (;) to join independent clauses
when and, or, yet, but, or so are not present, to
separate items in a series that contains commas
“The governor will meet with Rey Simon, the
mayor of Concepcion; Bert Vesca, the vice mayor;
and Peter Cayabyab.”
13. ELLIPSIS (. . . ) to indicate that words have
been deleted from quoted material.
Original text -The mayor said, “Our city, which is
one of the country’s most progressive, deserves a
high-tech light-rail system.”
With Ellipsis - The mayor said, “Our city . . .
deserves a high-tech light-rail system.”
14. COMMA (,) to signal pauses and shifts in
sentences, used with and, or, so, but, yet to join
independent clauses.
“Chinatown is a popular tourist attraction, and it
serves as an important cultural center.”
b.) Spellings
-No reader wants to read wrong spellings within
the content, not selective. Improper spellings
remove credibility and damage your reputation as
a writer.
c.) Capitalization
-Capitalization highlights all the vital details in a
sentence. Be it a place or people, we’ve to
capitalize them to notify the reader that we’re
mentioning something important.

Improper capitalization might not affect the

meaning behind the word, but it can misalign the
text. It gives a separate identity to every written
paragraph and allows a smooth flow.

REMEMBER :
Capitalized Proper Nouns (Names of Person ,
Places , Things)
Capitalized the first and last word of a title (“The”
is not a word)

d.)Abbreviations
-To abbreviate is to lessen an existing word. It’s
fine to use them, but there’s a series of rules for
words to shorten. Ideally, readers aren’t familiar
with it unless you’re going for a technical write-
up.

 approx. - approximately
 appt. - appointment
 apt. - apartment
 c/o - care of
 dept. - department
 D.I.Y. - Do it yourself
 est. - established
 E.T.A. - estimated time of arrival
 min. - minute or minimum
 misc. - miscellaneous
 Mr. - Mister
 Mrs. (pronounced “missus”) - from the
honorific “mistress”
 Ms. - Miss
 no. - number
 tel. - telephone
 temp. - temperature or temporary
 vet. - veteran or veterinarian
 vs. - versus


Reviewer prepared by: Charlotte L. Jamon