The document provides an overview of key components for writing an effective essay or text, including: 1) Determining the properties of a well-written text and identifying its structure and components. 2) Recognizing cohesive and coherent features that logically link ideas between sentences and paragraphs. 3) Identifying language and mechanics used properly in academic writing.

4. By the end of the lesson, you will be 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

5. PARAGRAPH ESSAY
Organized around a topic sentence Organized around a thesis
Contains introductory sentence Contains introductory paragraph
Uses sentences to explain major points Uses paragraphs to explain major points
May use a concluding sentence Always uses a concluding paragraph.

6. A paragraph is composed of 3 major parts: the topic sentence, the
body which consists of the supporting details, and the closing sentence.
Topic Sentence –
the central idea
of the
paragraph; it
can be a stand or
a comment, an
objective
statement, or a
question
Closing Sentence
– concludes the
details that have
been presented.
Supporting Details
– sentences that
clarify and prove
the main idea.
Cohesive Devices
– transitional
devices, pronouns,
or repetition of
ideas used in
order for all of the
sentences to be
linked properly
In their book, Wilbert McKeachie and Marilla
Svinicki described 4 types of challenging students. The
first type is composed of the attention-seeking,
discussion-dominating students who want to be heard.
The second type is comprised of inattentive students who
doodle and drift off during class discussions. They often
stare into their cell phones and chat with their
classmates during lecture. The third type is composed of
the unprepared students who are characterized as the
ones who skip doing their assignments prior to the class.
They don’t have pens or paper even when they know that
they are scheduled to take their quizzes and exams. The
last type of challenging students includes uncivil and
disrespectful ones who display rude behaviors. Knowing
these types of challenging students would help teachers
manage these behaviors constructively.

10. Unity is achieved when a composition contains one focused idea. In a unified text,
all the supporting ideas are relevant to the main thought. Without unity, the text will be
confusing.
Text without Unity Text with Unity
Viral videos circulating online expose
the danger in sensationalist culture: anyone’s
life can change in one single post. A Like in
Facebook can change everything. For
example, the video of the student who
verbally abused a guard in the LRT has
changed the life of the student. Therefore,
people must take note of their actions
wherever they may be, because these might
be documented and posted online. In addition
to that, everyone must be wary of the things
they post, because they never know who will
share it, too,
Viral videos circulating online expose
the danger in sensationalist culture: anyone’s
life can change in one single post. For
instance, the video of a student who verbally
abused a guard in the LRT had drastically
altered the future of the student. She was
bashed by netizens for her rude behavior, and
the hashtag #AMALAYER, taken after the
way she pronounced, “I’m a liar,” trended
soon afterwards. News reports following the
incident soon revealed that the girl has
received considerable flak and has even
become a victim of bullying.

11. Coherence and cohesion 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. It can be seen through well-
defended arguments and organized points.
Unlike coherence, cohesion is the connection of ideas at the sentence
level. Cohesion can be applied using can be applied using 3 techniques.
 Through the use of pronouns to refrain from using a specific word
repeatedly.
 Through the use of transitional devices to connect sentences with linked
ideas.
 The last technique employs a repetition of keywords to tie up the
paragraphs subtly.

12. Text without Coherence and Cohesion Text with Coherence and Cohesion
Amelia Earhart was a legendary woman
who made her name in aviation by setting various
records. In 1928, she became famous as the first
woman who flew across the Atlantic Ocean. She
was only a passenger, with pilot Wilmer Stultz
and co-pilot/mechanic Louis Gordon manning the
controls. In 1932, she flew on her own over the
Atlantic. She flew from Honolulu Hawaii to
Oakland California. She became the first person
to fly over both the Alantic and Pacific Oceans.
Between 1930 and 1935, Earhart set seven
woman’s speed and distance aviation through
different aircrafts. She disappeared in 1937 while
attempting to fly around the world. On board her
plane was her only crew member, Fred Noonan.
Extensive search efforts were not able to find a
trace of both aviators.
Amelia Earhart was a legendary woman
who made her name in aviation by setting
various records. In 1928, she became famous as
the first woman who flew across the Atlantic
Ocean. However, during this trip she was only a
passenger, with pilot Wilmer Stultz and co-pilot
Louis Gordon manning the controls. In 1932, she
finally got to fly on her own over the Atlantic. She
set another record when she flew from Honolulu
Hawaii to Oakland California in 1935, thus
becoming the first person to fly over both the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Between 1930 and
1935, Earhart set seven woman’s speed and
distance aviation through different aircrafts

13. 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. The sentences within a paragraph must also be organized logically.
Text without Organization Text with Organization
Thomas Edison was simply the one who
created the first commercially viable light bulb.
It is widely believed that he invented the light
bulb. What made Edison’s light bulb successful
was his use of carbonized bamboo as the
filament. This made the bulb last longer and it
was cheap enough to be available for the masses.
He only improved on previous works of inventors
who also worked on the same project.
Although it is widely believed that Thomas
Edison invented the light bulb, in reality he was
simply the one who created the first
commercially viable light bulb. Along with his
team, Edison improved the previous works of
inventors who also worked on the same project.
Compared to previous versions, what made is
light bulb successful was his use of carbonized
bamboo as the filament. This made the bulb last
longer and it was cheap enough to be available
for the masses.

14. The way 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.
1. Use clear and concise sentences. On average, a sentence us 18 words long. (Note
that this does not require every sentence to be composed of exactly 18 words.)
Don’t Do
Image is a very important factor in politics
because once the reputation of a person is
smeared by accusations, the people's perception
of the person is forever tainted and it may cause
him to lose credibility and trust even when the
truth behind allegations is not yet verified.
Image is a very important factor in politics.
Once the reputation of a person is smeared by
accusations, the people's perception of the person
is forever tainted. The person may lose his
credibility, even when the allegations are not yet
verified.

15. 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.
Don’t Do
Although offsprings are taught not to
obtain free gifts from strangers, at the present
moment many still do.
Although children are told not to take gifts
from strangers, many still do.
Don’t Do
There are many people walking on this
street during Sundays. It is important to keep
your valuables close to you.
Many people walk on this street during
Sundays. Keeping your valuables close to you is
important.

16. 4. Use precise vocabulary. Be accurate and condense lengthy phrases into fewer
words.
5. Be consistent with your pronoun's point of view..
Don’t Do
Shafts that control the brake during
urgent situations are built inside MRT trains to
keep the passengers free from harm.
Emergency levers are installed in every
MRT train for the safety of the passengers.
Don’t Do
We should accept the fate is simply an
illusion; you must not leave our decisions to
something that does not exist.
We should accept that fate is simply an
illusion; we must not leave our decisions to
something that does not exist.

17. 6. Avoid sexist language. This issue can be addressed by using articles (a, an, and
the), using plural pronouns, using his or her instead of his, writing through a
second person point of view, or using gender-neutral nouns (e.g. chairperson
instead of chairman). Make sure not to overuse the his or her technique as it
breaks up the flow of your composition.
7. Use the appropriate level of formality. The more formal texts use an academic
tone while the less formal ones usually use a personal or colloquial tone.
Don’t Do
Every employee should submit his credentials. All employee should submit their credentials.
Don’t Do
Yes, diskettes are like things of the past,
but they're still totally cool.
Diskettes may be outdated, but they are
still fascinating.

18. The technical aspect of writing should not be overlooked. It is
characterized as a set of conventions on how to spell, abbreviate,
punctuate, and capitalize a composition. In academic and more formal
texts, the following should be observed:
1. Always use Standard English.
2. Avoid contractions
3. Avoid exclamation marks unless they are part of a direct quotation.
4. Mention the full name of institution or organization with the
abbreviation in parenthesis, in first mention.
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 texts. However they sparingly
used in business texts.

19. Text without mechanics Text with Mechanics
Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet in
2006 after the General Assembly of the IAU, as
it only met 2 out of the association's three
requirements to qualify as a Planet (Library of
Congress). The dispute started when Caltech
astronomy prof Mike Brown discovered an
Asteroid bigger than Pluto in 2005 (Cain, 2012).
The science community went wild! Brown's
findings sparked a debated on whether this new
planet, which he named Eris, should be added to
the roster of 9 Planets. The controversy
prompted the International Astronomical Union
to meet up and delineate what a 'planet' is. They
came up with three requirements to classify a
celestial body as a planet and removed the
Planet Status of Pluto based on the new
definition.
Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet in
2006 after the general assembly of the
International Astronomical Union (IAU), as it
only met two out of the association’s three
requirements to qualify as a planet (Library of
Congress). The dispute started when Mike
Brown, a professor of astronomy at the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech),
discovered an asteroid bigger than Pluto in 2005
(Cain, 2012). Brown’s findings sparked a debate
on whether this new planet, which he named
Eris, should be added to the roster of nine
planets. The controversy prompted the IAU to
meet up and delineate what a ‘planet’ is. They
came up with three requirements for classifying
celestial bodies as planets and removed the
planet status of Pluto based on the new
definition.