PRINCIPLES OF

EFFECTIVE WRITING
LESSON 6: ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING
By the end of the lesson, you will have
been able to
determine the properties of a well-written text;
identify the components and structure of an effective
essay;
identify the cohesive and coherent features of texts;
identify the language and mechanics used in texts;
and
write an essay that reflects properties of a well-
written text.
REMEMBER !!!

Know the
COMPONENTS of a
composition first
before understanding
its PROPERTIES.
1. What are the components of a composition?
2. What are its properties?
 A composition can either be
a paragraph or an essay.
PARAGRAPH ESSAY

A group of INTERRELATED sentences A group of paragraphs that talk about

that talk about one main idea. one central idea.

• Organized around a topic sentence • Organized around a thesis statement

• Contains introductory sentence • Contains introductory paragraph
• Uses sentences to explain major • Uses paragraphs to explain major
points points

• May use a concluding sentence • ALWAYS uses a concluding

paragraph
COMPONENTS OF A PARAGRAPH
/the topic sentence//the body//the closing sentence
COMPONENTS OF AN ESSAY
/the introduction//the body//the conclusion

Transitional Paragraph
- does not provide support to a thesis
statement in an essay.
- bridges one paragraph to another

meat of the essay

1

1
2
3
Transitional Paragraph
- does not provide support to a thesis statement in an essay.
- bridges one paragraph to another
meat of the essay
1

2
3
PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT
/UNITY//COHERENCE AND COHESION//ORGANIZATION//LANGUAGE USE//
MECHANICS/

UNITY
How important is it to have UNITY in
everything?

• One focus
• Not confusing
• All the supporting ideas are relevant to the
main thought
PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT
/UNITY//COHERENCE AND COHESION//ORGANIZATION//LANGUAGE USE//
MECHANICS/

COHERENCE AND COHESION

-these are achieved when ideas are logically,
clearly, and smoothly linked to one another.

COHERENCE - the connection of ideas at

the conceptual or idea level.

COHESION - the connection of ideas at

the sentence level
Three techniques to achieve cohesion
• Use pronouns (to avoid repetition of specific words)
• Use transitional devices (to connect the ideas)
• Repeat the keywords to tie up the paragraphs subtly.
PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT
/UNITY//COHERENCE AND COHESION//ORGANIZATION//LANGUAGE USE//
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ORGANIZATION
-This is achieved when ideas are logically
and accurately arranged.

REMEMBER:
Knowledge of the parts of a composition is a great
help in adhering to the correct organization of ideas.
PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT
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LANGUAGE USE
-One of the clearest indicators of a well-written
text.
- It enables the writer to effectively communicate
ideas without confusing the reader.

IT HAS SEVEN PRINCIPLES…

PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT
/UNITY//COHERENCE AND COHESION//ORGANIZATION//LANGUAGE USE//
MECHANICS/

Principles of Language Use

1. Use clear and concise sentences.
2. Avoid redundancies, wordiness, cliché’s, and highfalutin
language.
3. Avoid excessive use of “there” and “it” structures.
4. Use precise vocabulary.
5. Be consistent with your pronoun’s point of view.
6. Avoid sexist language.
7. Use appropriate level of formality.
PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT
/UNITY//COHERENCE AND COHESION//ORGANIZATION//LANGUAGE USE//
MECHANICS/

MECHANICS

-characterized as a set of conventions on how to

spell, abbreviate, punctuate, and capitalize a
composition.

Here are the tips to

achieve this property
PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT
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In academic and more formal texts, the following

should be observed.
1. Always use standard English.

2. Avoid contractions (eg., shouldn’t)

3. Avoid exclamation marks unless they are part of a direct quotation.

4. Mention the full name of the institution or organization with the abbreviation in
parenthesis, in first mention. Thereafter, use the abbreviation.
Ex: I am a bona fide student of University of Cebu (UC). I have been in UC for two years.
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, they are sparingly
used in business texts.