PROPERTIES OF A

WELL-WRITTEN
TEXT
A. Organization
B. Coherence and Cohesion
C. Language Use
D. Mechanics
IZATI
ON
ORGANIZATION
It is said that ideas are well-developed when there
is a clear statement of purpose, position, facts,
examples, specific details, definitions, explanation,
justifications, or opposing viewpoints.

• Organization is achieved when these ideas are

logically and accurately arranged.
ORGANIZATION
The way a text is organized that helps to guide the
reader logically through it. This property makes a text
readable and its message clear.

Organization can be achieved through the following

techniques:
Physical format
Signal words
Structure
Physical Format
format is an aspect of the organization that is
immediately apparent to the reader. It is seen in
how the text physically appears like headings
and subheadings, bullet points or font emphasis.
However, use this technique with discretion as
improper or superfluous formatting can be
confusing.

ORGANIZATION
PHYSICAL FORMAT
Marxist ideology has three main theories.
Historical materialism supports that all the
features of society can historically be traced
back to economic activity. Social class in
capitalist societies is what produces unjust
structures of power that exist today.
Socialism would be the next rational step for
the development of human society.

ORGANIZATION
SIGNAL WORDS
Textual cues that readers can use to follow a text.
They can “signal” the transition from one point to
another, the ordering of events and concepts, or
the writer’s chosen text type (e.g., linear
narration, question and answer).

ORGANIZATION
SIGNAL WORDS
Chuck Palahniuk’s novel Fight Club greatly
influenced me as a fictional writer. First, his use of
the unreliable narrator fascinated me, and I have
written similar characters in my works. Second,
the theme of patriarchal oppression can also be
found in the stories I write. Third, the novel’s
stunning twist is something that I have been trying
to recreate. Thus, I am extremely grateful to have
encountered Palahniuk’s genius early in my
writing career.

ORGANIZATION
STRUCTURE
The structure provides the framework upon which
the text is organized. It consists of the following:

Beginning: introduction, thesis statement, hook

Middle: supporting details
End: conclusion, summary, final message

ORGANIZATION
STRUCTURE
Ancient philosophies believe that a person has an
“aura,” this appears as a rainbow of light around the
body that can be seen by individuals with clairvoyant
abilities. The colors change depending on one’s
mood, health, and thoughts. Some scientists believe
that the existence of the aura has something to do
with the electromagnetic fields produced by cells
and tissues in the human body. Whether auras are
real or not, the fact remains that there are forces
everywhere that are real even though we cannot see
them.

ORGANIZATION
ORGANIZATION

If there is a clear
statement of
purpose, position, facts,
IDEAS are formed
examples, specific ORGANIZATION
and well-developed.
details, definitions,
explanation, justifications,
or opposing viewpoints,
COHERENCE and
COHESION
COHERENCE and COHESION
COHERENCE: sentences are arranged in a logical
manner, making them easily understood by the
reader.

COHESION: connection of ideas at to the central

concept of the text.
Cohesion without Coherence
A text with cohesion has a central concept or
“glue” that holds all the different ideas
together. Although without coherence, there
is no apparent logic to the way these ideas
are presented. The writer appears to move
on to another related idea without a proper
transition from the previous idea.
Cohesion without Coherence
Cubism is an avant-garde art movement that
started in the early 20th century in Europe. A
famous Filipino cubist painter is Vicente
Manansala. He is a National Artist of the
Philippines in Visual Arts. Did you know that
visual arts have different forms including
architecture, video, and textile?
Coherence without Cohesion
A text with coherence has ideas that are
logically sequenced in a way that is easy to
follow for the reader. Although without
cohesion, no central concept links all these
ideas together. The main point of the text
remains unclear for readers.
Coherence without Cohesion
My favorite painting is “The Weeping
Woman” by Pablo Picasso, which is an
intriguing painting that symbolizes suffering.
As a result, I love bright primary colors, so I
wear a lot of shocking yellows, blues, and
reds. Also, as an outgoing person, I enjoy
performing for large crowds. In the end,
people should not judge an artist’s talent
based on one standard.
COHESION and COHERENCE
A text with both cohesion and coherence has a
central concept linking all the ideas in the text,
and these ideas are presented in a logical
manner. The main point is clear, and the text is
easy to follow and understand.
COHESION and COHERENCE
International Women’s Day is celebrated on
the 8th of March of every year. It began as a
Socialist political event in several Western
countries. Then, other countries also started
celebrating the holiday just as a way to
express their love for women. Currently, the
United Nations observes the holiday as a way
to bring to light women’s issues around the
world.
COHERENCE and COHESION
A. Arrangement of details according to…
1. Chronological Order
2. Spatial Order
3. Emphatic Order
COHERENCE and COHESION
B. Signal Devices
1. Transitions
a. Time e. Comparison
b. Sequence f. Contrast
c. Space g. Cause and Effect
d. Illustration h. Conclusion
2. Repetitions
3. Synonyms
4. Pronouns
CHRONOLOGICAL
-details are arranged in the order in which they
happened

Coherence & Cohesion

CHRONOLOGICAL
This morning was crazy. My alarm clock was set for PM
instead of AM, so I woke up really late. I just threw on
some clothes and ran out the door. I rode my bike as fast
as I could and thought that I was going to be late for
sure, but when I got there everyone was outside and
there were firetrucks all lined up in front of school. I guess
somebody pulled the fire alarm before class started. It
worked out though, because nobody really noticed or
minded that I was tardy.

Coherence & Cohesion

SPATIAL
-sentences of a paragraph are arrange according
to geographical location, such as left-to-right, up-
to-down, etc.

Coherence & Cohesion

SPATIAL
The inside of Bill's refrigerator was horrible. On the
top shelf was a three week old carton of milk. Next
to it sat a slice of melon that had started to get
moldy. To the right of the melon sat the remains of
a macaroni and cheese dinner that had been
served a week earlier. On the shelf below was a
slice of cake from his sister's birthday party. Though
there was food, none of it was edible.

Coherence & Cohesion

EMPHATIC
-information found in a paragraph is arranges to
emphasize certain points depending on the
writer’s purpose.

The coherence of the paragraph is

established in one of two ways:
A. from least to most important
B. from most important to least important

Coherence & Cohesion

EMPHATIC
After looking at all the brochures and talking to
several salesmen, I decided to purchase an SLR
camera. For several years I had been dissatisfied with
the results I was getting from my point-and-shoot
camera. The framing was imprecise and the focus was
not always accurate. I had planned a vacation to an
area that promised many fabulous photo opportunities,
and I wanted to capture each one with accuracy. But
the most important reason I decided on the SLR
camera was the great versatility it offered.

Coherence & Cohesion

SIGNAL DEVICES
-words that give readers an idea of how the points
in your paragraph are progressing

1. Transitions – words that connect one idea to

another, in order for our ideas to flow smoothly

Coherence & Cohesion

TRANSITIONS
A. Time • Finally,
• First • Next
• Immediately • In the meantime
• Afterward • Later
• Eventually
• Before
• Then
• At the same time • Meanwhile
• After • Now
• Earlier • Subsequent
• Simultaneously etc.

Coherence & Cohesion SIGNAL DEVICES

TRANSITIONS
B. Sequence
• Moreover • First
• Furthermore • Second
• Next • Third
• Also • Besides
• Finally • Additionally
• Last etc.
• Another
Coherence & Cohesion SIGNAL DEVICES
TRANSITIONS
B. Space
• Above
• Next to
• Below
• Behind
• Beside
etc.

Coherence & Cohesion SIGNAL DEVICES

TRANSITIONS
D. Illustration • In this case
• For • To illustrate
• Instance etc.
• Specifically
• For
• Example
• Namely

Coherence & Cohesion SIGNAL DEVICES

TRANSITIONS
E. Comparison • In comparison
• Similarly • Too
• Also etc.
• In the same way
• Still
• Likewise

Coherence & Cohesion SIGNAL DEVICES

TRANSITIONS
F. Contrast • Although
• But • On the contrary
• Despite • Otherwise
• However • Conversely
• Even though etc.
• Yet
• On the other
hand
Coherence & Cohesion SIGNAL DEVICES
TRANSITIONS
G. Cause and Effect
• Because
• As a result
• Consequently
• Then
• So
• Since
etc.
Coherence & Cohesion SIGNAL DEVICES
TRANSITIONS
H. Conclusion
• Thus
• Therefore
• In conclusion
• In short
etc.

Coherence & Cohesion SIGNAL DEVICES

SIGNAL DEVICES
2. Repetitions – repetitions of mains ideas keep
continuity and highlight important ideas.
It could be a word, a phrase, or a full sentence,
or a poetical line repeated to emphasize its
significance in the entire text

Coherence & Cohesion

Repetitions
1. If you think you can do it, you can do it.
2. The boy was a good footballer, because his
father was a footballer, and his grandfather was a
footballer.
3. The judge commanded, stamping his mallet on
the table, “Order in the court, order in the court.”
4. The president said, “Work, work, and work,” are
the keys to success.

Coherence & Cohesion SIGNAL DEVICES

SIGNAL DEVICES
3. Synonyms – words similar in meaning to
important words or phrases that prevent tedious
repetitions.

4. Pronouns – words that connect readers to the

original word that the pronouns replace

Coherence & Cohesion

PRONOUNS
INCORRECT: Rodrigo Duterte is the 16th President of the
Republic of the Philippines. Aside from that, Rodrigo
Duterte also served as Davao City’s Mayor for a long
period of time. Rodrigo Duterte is also known by the
populace as an adamant
leader. . .
CORRECT: Rodrigo Duterte is the 16th President of the
Republic of the Philippines. Aside from that, he also served
as Davao City’s Mayor for a long period of time. He is also
known by the populace as an adamant leader. . .

Coherence & Cohesion SIGNAL DEVICES

TIPS
Remember the following when trying to
evaluate if your text has cohesion and
coherence:
oA text with cohesion but no coherence is
difficult to follow.
oA text with coherence but no cohesion has
no definite point.
oA text with both cohesion and coherence is
logically sequenced and stays on topic.
LANGUAGE USE
LANGUAGE USE
appropriateness of word/vocabulary usage

The way the language is used is one of the

clearest indicators of a well-written text. It enables
the writer to effectively communicate ideas
without confusing the reader. Effective language
use is achieved by observing the following time-
tested principles in writing.
LANGUAGE USE
Time-tested principles in writing:
1. Use clear and concise sentences. On average,
a sentence is 18 words long.
2. Avoid redundancies, wordiness, clichés and
high falutin language.
3. Avoid excessive use of “there” and “it”
structures. These sentences can be revised by
dropping the “there” and “it” phrase and
transforming the sentences appropriately.
LANGUAGE USE
Time-tested principles in writing:
4. Use precise vocabulary. Be accurate and
condense lengthy phrases into fewer words.
5. Be consistent with your pronoun’s point of view.
6. Avoid sexist language.
7. Use appropriate level of formality. The more
formal texts use an academic tone while the less
formal one usually use a personal or colloquial
tone.
LANGUAGE USE
Words and Phrases one must avoid to use in order
to practice appropriate Language Use:

1. Too informal’
2. Too unsophisticated
3. Too vague
4. Other tips
Too informal
TABOO EXAMPLE ALTERNATIVE
A bit The interviews were a bit difficult The interviews were (difficult/somewhat
to schedule difficult) to schedule.
A lot of, a couple of A lot of studies (Many/several/great number of/ eight)
studies
America A researcher in America A researcher in (the United States/ the US/
the USA)
Isn’t, can’t, doesn’t would’ve (or any The ample isn’t The sample (is not)
other contractions)
Kind of, sort of The findings were kind of The findings were (somewhat significant/
significant significant to some degree)
Til, till From 2015 til 2018 From 2015 (until/to) 2018
You, your You can clearly see the results (One) can clearly see the results
(for examples: the second-person
point of view) (The) results can clearly be seen

LANGUAGE USE
Too unsophisticated
TABOO EXAMPLE ALTERNATIVE
Bad A bad result A (poor/negative) result
Big, humungous A big sample A (large/sizeable) result
Get This model gets This model (receives)
attention attention
Give This chapter gives an This chapter
overview (provides/offers/presents) an
overview
Good A good example A (useful/prime) example
Show The below figure The below figure
shows (illustrates/demonstrates/reve
als)

LANGUAGE USE
Too vague
TABOO EXAMPLE ALTERNATIVE
Stuff People are concerned People are concerned about
about their stuff their (belongings,
possessions, personal
effects)
Thing The report presents The report presents many
many things (details/findings/recommenda
tions)

LANGUAGE USE
Other Tips

 Jargon (i.e. “insider” terminology that may be

difficult for readers from other fields to understand)
 Clichés (which are expressions that are heavily
overused, such as think outside of the box and but
at the end of the day)
 Everyday abbreviations (e.g. photos, fridge, phone,
info)
 Slang (e.g. cops, cool)
 Not gender neutral (e.g. firemen, mankind)

LANGUAGE USE
MECHANICS
MECHANICS
Technical aspects of writing

Conventions that have to be considered in

writing. Some of these conventions are spelling,
punctuation, and capitalization. It is important to
know and observe these conventions in writing to
avoid confusion.
MECHANICS
1. Always use Standard English
2. Avoid contractions (e. g. shouldn’t)
3. Avoid exclamation marks unless they are part of a
direct quotation.
4. Mention the full name of an institution or organization
with the abbreviation in parenthesis, in first mention.
Thereafter use abbreviation.
5. Numbers from zero to ten should be spelled out while
numbers higher than ten should be written in figures.
6. Generally, citations are used in academic and formal
texts. However, the are sparingly used in business texts.