Reading and Writing

Skills
Reading & Thinking
Strategies across Text
Types
Lesson Text and Context Connections:
 

5.3 Author’s Purpose and Tone

✔ An author’s purpose is his reason for or intent in
writing. An author’s purpose may be to amuse the
reader, to persuade the reader or to inform him.
✔ An author’s purpose is reflected in his tone.
✔ Tone reflects the author’s attitude in approaching
the topic. According to Forlini, “an author chooses
words according to his/her attitude toward the
topic and how the author expects the reader to
respond to the material.”
 Purpose is the reason an author writes about a
topic. An author may have a more specific purpose in
mind other than to inform, entertain or persuade him.
To figure out the author’s purpose, you as the reader,
must consider the main idea, thought pattern and
tone.
The author’s tone, on the other hand, may be
evident in his/her choice of words either expressing
its connotation or denotation.
Authors use jargons and slanting to make the
readers lean towards their position/argument.

❖ Jargons are “specialized vocabulary used by

people in a particular field.” While often
misused to conceal meaning, jargons may
prove effective in solidifying an argument if
defined and explained appropriately.
 Examples of Jargon
Medical Jargon
• acute - a condition that comes on
suddenly
• agonal - term to signify a major,
negative change in a patient's condition
• atypical - something that isn’t
completely normal
• comorbid - two or more conditions that
occur at the same time
• iatrogenic - something that didn’t go as
planned
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-jargon.html
Business Jargon
• bang for the buck - a term that means to
get the most for your money
• best practice - the best way to do
something
• core competency - basic strength of a
group or company
• due diligence - putting effort into
research before making a business
decision
• drill down - to look at a problem in detail
Examples of Jargon

Police Jargon

• assumed room temperature - an

individual has died

• beat - an officer’s parole area

• berries and cherries - the lights on

top of a police car

• code eight - term that means officer

needs help immediately

• code eleven - a code that means the

individual is at the scene of the crime

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-jargon.html
https://www.google.com/search?
q=jargon+vs+slang&sxsrf=ALeKk00O2hsml_8OC2pjt9tDarPFxhFjEA:1616721801521&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&v
ed=2ahUKEwjEl7iF5szvAhUOyosBHUzfBQAQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1242&bih=568#imgrc=QJW3wesQu0ymCM
❖ Slanting “is the writing of a passage so that it
leans toward one point of view.” Words with
either positive or negative connotations may
be used as slanting. Another example of
slanting is purposefully leaving out information
of a different perspective on a similar issue.
Example:

Government project will cost a certain

amount of money.

(Suggests that the amount of money is

not great)
Example using slanting:

Money is being poured into the government

Project.
(“Poured” connotes careless,
unnecessary spending)
 Analyzing a Written Text

In analyzing a written text, it is

important to take note of the following
elements as well as the guide questions
that come with it:
• Purpose/Context – What does the text aim to
do? Does it mean to persuade or does it contribute
to a discussion of an existing topic? What content
does the text cover? What purpose does it serve its
readers?
• Author/s – Who wrote the text? What are his
qualifications for writing about the topic?
• Audience – What is its target audience? Where
is the text found? What does the author expect the
reader to get from his/her composition? Are you a
part of the author’s audience?
• Topic and Position – Is the author’s argument
on the topic at hand supported by valid evidence?
Is the author’s position clear? Is it presented as
objective? Is his/her stand based on other author’s
position or simply from personal
observation/experience?
• Research/Sources – Do previous researches have a role
in supporting the author’s argument? Which of the
references elicits further discussion?
• Proof/Evidence – What are the proofs/evidence
presented by the author throughout the text? Did they come
from credible sources? What type of proof is used by the
author (e.g. references to other work, interpretations of other
work, original research, personal experience, author’s
opinions, critical analysis, etc.)? Do these proofs validate the
argument? Which of the evidence carries the most weight?
• Organization – How are the information organized
in the text? For what particular reason are they
arranged in this particular way? Where did the author
plainly states his/her stand on the topic? Is the
organization driven more by the content (the
information that needs to be presented), by the
authors' argument, by the needs of the audience, or
by some combination of the three?
• Style – What can you infer from the author’s
choice of words? From what perspective did the
author write the text? Was he/she inclusive with
his/her choice of words? Did they use jargons or
slanted meanings? If there are, were they properly
defined for the reader’s convenience and
understanding? What other writing techniques did
the author apply in writing the text? Analyze each
sentence structure, figurative language and
rhetorical questions existing in the text.
• Drawing Conclusions – What does the author
want to highlight? Compare and contrast the text with
other similar ones. Identify the similarities and
differences in their approach of the same topic.
 Read the following passage and
analyze the author’s purpose,
tone and persuasive techniques
used by completing the table that
follows it. Use the guide questions
we have discussed in the previous
page to help you in analyzing the
 Exit Essay: Save the Filipino Language

The Filipino language plays a huge part in the lives of the

countrymen. It is the heart and soul of the country as it
symbolizes oneness in words, speech, and thought. Language
is something one continuously learns as he/she grows up.
Truly, a country’s language paves way for bigger and better
opportunities that will benefit everyone. But what will happen to
this optimistic view of the future if the means of learning one’s
language is taken away from him? This has been one of the
hottest issues present in Philippine society today – the
exclusion of the Filipino subject in the tertiary level.
 Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has already released a
revised general education (GE) curriculum that implements the dropping
of the mandatory Filipino subjects on the tertiary level. The CHED
memorandum order on the new curriculum notes that the integration of
GE courses in senior high school – Grades 11 and 12 – has created a
window for the revision of the current curriculum in colleges. According
to CHED, the revision of the curriculum aims to promote the
development of a student’s intellectual competency, personal and civic
competency, and practical skills. CHED also claims that the Filipino
subjects taken under the K to 12 program are sufficient given that
students already have 108 hours under the said subject in Grade 11
alone. “The proposed GEC strips away remedial courses, those that
duplicate subjects in Grades 11 and 12, and introductory courses to the
disciplines,” CHED explained in CMO 20-2013.
The new curriculum includes the following core courses:
Understanding the Self; Readings in Philippine History; The
Contemporary World; and Mathematics in the Modern World.
Also included are Purposive Communication; Art Appreciation;
Science, Technology and Society; and Ethics. It requires three
courses on the Arts & Humanities; Social Sciences &
Philosophy; and Mathematics Science and Technology
clusters. It also mandates the three-unit Life and Works of
Rizal course. As a whole, the number of GEC units has been
reduced from the current 63-51 units down to 36 units for all
college students.
The revision of the curriculum has met various violent
reactions and oppositions from stakeholders, linguists,
academics, and even students themselves. Movements from
different universities concerned are currently in motion in
order to fight for the life of the Filipino subjects in the tertiary
level. David San Juan (2014), a professor in De La Salle
University-Manila, pointed out that while the memorandum
stated that the optional provision for the teaching of the
courses in Filipino dilutes its purpose as most universities in
the country uses English as its default language.a
In addition to the statements of oppositions, the Kagawaran
ng Filipino of the Ateneo de Manila University avers that “Hindi
lamang midyum ng pagtuturo and Filipino. Isa itong disiplina.
Lumilikha ito ng sariling larang ng karunungan na
nagtatampok sa pagka-Filipino sa anumang usapin sa loob at
labas ng akademya.” UP DFPP also reacted on the revision of
the curriculum expressing, “Ang pagtatanggal ng siyam na
yunit ng Filipino sa kolehiyo ay isang anyo ng karahasang
pangkamalayan. Nilulusaw nito ang pagpapahalaga sa
kasaysayan at kabihasnang tanging Filipino ang
makakapagpaliwanag.”
On a personal account, being a student myself makes me think twice
about the revision of the GE curriculum in college. Through the years
of my schooling, the Filipino language has been one of the most
important factors that shaped me as a person. It is the language I use
at home, in school, and nearly in everywhere I go every day. I couldn’t
stress even more the fact that I am a Filipino living in the Philippines. I
grew up in a family that treasures the native language of the Philippine
culture. Hearing about the mandatory exclusion of the Filipino subjects
in college irks me mostly because I cannot see the point if it is really
necessary to remove the Filipino language when in fact; it plays a big
role in the development of the country.
 Resorting to dropping these subjects in favor of others, let alone its
mere deletion, is senseless. There are far more ways to address the
issue of the student’s incompetence and the revised curriculum is not
one of them. It is a shameful act to kill the nurturing of the native
language. We are Filipinos and our language is something we should
be proud of – something that we must treasure. Save the country from
senseless actions by fighting for the life of the Filipino subjects. It is not
impossible to oppose such acts if all countrymen are united towards
achieving one goal. The time to act is now – before it is all too late.

(Perez, R.E. (2014). Exit essay: Save the Filipino language. Retrieved from
http://rjaperez.tumblr.com/post/95149266012/exit-essay-save-the-filipino-language )
  

Purpose/Context  
 

Author
 

Audience  
 

Topic & Position  

 

Research/Sources  

 
 

Proof/Evidence  

 
 

Organization  

 
 

Style  

 
 

Drawing Conclusions  
Lesson Text and Context Connections:
 

5.4 Making Inferences

✔ An inference is an idea or conclusion that’s
drawn from evidence and reasoning.
✔ An inference is an educated guess.
✔ When you are making an inference, you are
reading between the lines or just looking
carefully at the facts and coming to
conclusions.
The text, by itself, does not contain meaning. It is up to the
reader to interpret the meaning of the words, their usage and
structure in the text. The reader infers an interpretation of the
text through prior knowledge, social conventions, shared
experience or shared values.

Inferences are essential in both written and spoken

communication. A single sentence may contain a variety of
assertions. Reading is “an active, reflective, problem-solving
process.” Readers do not simply read the words, but ideas
from a collection of assertions.
Example:

You adopt a puppy from the shelter, and he seems nervous

and scared. He hides from loud noises and had some
noticeable scars.
You can infer that he was abused by his former owner.
Let’s try if you can infer where I
am and what I am doing, and
what can you infer about the
feelings of the people in the
situations that I’ll be giving you.
The first one has been done for
you.
Can you infer where I am and what I’m
doing?
 
I see bubbles rising. I hear my own breathing.
There are fish swimming above me. I feel the
seaweed swaying.

Answer: Scuba diving in the sea!

Can you infer where I am and what I’m
doing?
 
I hear screaming. My stomach feels funny.
Can you see my hair blowing? I’m feeling
excited.
Can you infer where am I?
 
It’s so dark in here. What’s that spooky
sound? Oh I feel somebody on my back!
I’m getting nervous.
Can you infer where am I?
 
I hear the crowd cheer as the ball gets
inside the ring. The players whop with
glee.
What can you infer from this?

Rey always carries his guitar with him.

What can you infer about Anna’s father?

After Anna broke the vase, her father

turned and walked away without saying
anything.
What can you infer about the relationship
of the speaker and whom he/she is
speaking to?

If you won’t go, I won’t either.

What can you infer about what Grandma is
feeling?

Grandma’s mouth dropped open. Her

hands flew to her face.
REMEMBER!

• Critical reading goes beyond recognition of the

text’s meaning and restating it in your own words
• A critical reader must be able to do the following
a. Distinguish between fact and opinion
b. Identify the author’s purpose
c. Make inferences
d. Recognize the author’s tone
e. Recognize persuasive techniques.