REVIEWER FOR READING AND WRTING

HUMSS T – NAOMI (ROGEN)

Week 1 and 2: PATTERNS OF DEVELOPMENT: DEFINITION, EXEMPLIFICATION, DESCRIPTION,

NARRATION, COMPARISON AND CONTRAST, CAUSE AND EFFECT, PROBLEM-SOLUTION AND
PERSUASION

What is a paragraph?

- A paragraph is defined as “a group of sentences or a single sentence that forms a unit” (Lunsford and
Connors 116). It is a unit that supports one main idea considered as the “controlling idea” as it controls
the topic where a certain paragraph revolves.

Process to Develop a Paragraph

1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence

- This sentence conveys what the paragraph will be all about

2. Elaborate on the controlling idea

- Paragraph development continues with an elaboration of the controlling idea which can be broaden in
different aspects through wide explanation, implication, or simply its significance.

3. Give example(s)

- Paragraph development progresses with an example (or more) that illustrates the claims made in the
previous sentences.

4. Explain the example(s)

- The explanation should clearly demonstrate how significant and relevant the examples to support the
major claim focused in the paragraph. There should be NO example left unexplained.

5. Complete the paragraph’s idea or transition into the next paragraph.

- The final movement in paragraph development involves tying up the loose ends of the paragraph.
PATTERNS of DEVELOPMENT

To decide what patterns of development to use, remember that your purpose is to communicate your
thoughts in whatever combination of ways you deem most effective for your message and your
audience.

• It is the logical arrangement of ideas.

• Helps to follow the idea easily and understand a text better.
• Uses ‘signal words’ to determine the patterns of development.

1. Definition - the writer’s goal is to help the reader to understand new terms or concepts.

Signal Words used in Definition

• defined as
• is known
• the term means
• is stated as
• is used to mean
• as defined
• means
• to define
• is defined as
• refers to

2. Exemplification - provides a series of examples

Signal Words used in Exemplification

• as an example
• for example
• specifically
• in particular
• such as

3. Description - rich descriptive words that put picture of a person, place or an object in reader's mind.
• Sensory – ideas are arranged based on the five senses.
• Spatial – ideas are arranged by location or physical space.

Signal Words used in Description

• above
• behind
4. Narration - it refers to telling a story or recounting a series of events.

Forms of Narration

Chronology (Narration of Event) - it tells about an event in time

Sequence (Narration of Process) - it tells the steps in a how-to

5. Comparison and Contrast – compares and contrast two subjects and discusses how they are alike and
lists a few examples

There are two (2) ways to write a comparison and contrast paragraph:

1. First, there is the “point by point paragraph”. In the point by point, writing back and forth between
the two subjects is done.

2. Second, the “blocked paragraph” which only discusses one topic and then finishes the paragraph with
the other subject that is to be compared or contrasted with the first.

6. Cause and Effect - the cause is a reason for, or events leading. And the effect is the result of a cause or
causes

7. Problem – Solution - method for analyzing and writing about a topic by identifying a problem and
proposing one or more solutions.

Organizing a Problem-Solution Essay

a. Introduction - identify the problem

b. Problem Paragraph(s) - explain the problem clearly and accurately

c. Solution Paragraph(s) - offer a concrete solution to the problem, and explain why this is the best one
available

d. Conclusion - reemphasize the importance of the problem and the value of your solution

8. Persuasion - convince the reader that your opinion on an issue or subject is the right one

Methods of Persuasion

Facts - a statement of what is

Referring to authority - an expert who can be relied on to give unbiased facts and information.

Examples - an example should be clearly relative to the argument and should be typical enough to
support it.

Predicting the consequence - helps the reader visualize what will occur if something does or does not
happen.

Answering the opposition – answering possible critics show you are aware of the opposing opinion and
can respond t
Week 3: PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT: ORGANIZATION, COHERENCE AND COHESION,
LANGUAGE USE

A. ORGANIZATION - it is also known as arrangement, which is achieved when ideas are logically and
accurately arranged with focus on the arrangement of ideas.

B. COHERENCE and COHESION

Coherence - means the connection and organization of ideas in a text to create unity

To achieve coherence, every good paragraph must have UNITY or oneness of idea.

Cohesion - refers to connectivity in a text

To achieve good cohesion, you need to know how to use cohesive devices.

C. LANGUAGE USE - you are responsible to choose the appropriate language to be used and to regard
the objective of the writing, the context in which it was written and the target audience in mind.

There are five major issues with appropriate language that should be avoided in an effective and well
written text, as identified by (Purdue Online Writing Lab 2020):

1. First, the formality of the language one uses should depend on how formal the situation is
and how the writer and the reader are related to one another.
2. Second, jargon or specialized language used by groups of individuals in the same field, should
only be used if the target readers belong to the same group.
3. Third, slang and idioms should be avoided.
4. Fourth, euphemisms or words that veil the truth shall also be avoided.
5. Fifth, avoid using any biased language including those associated with any racial, ethnic,
group, or gender.

I love you.

Week 5: PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT MECHANICS

Mechanics is the set of rules and principles that make writing clear and easy to understand.

Mastery in writing mechanics is critical for:

• Clarity. Proper writing mechanics helps your sentences communicate clearly and correctly, so
the reader understands your intent and can follow your train of thought.
• Focus. Not only is poor construction unclear, but it’s also distracting.
• Professionalism. For paid writers, correct mechanics is essential for professionalism.
1. Capitalization - practice of using capital letters in writing or printing

When do we capitalize?

A. Starting a Sentence
B. The Pronoun “I”
C. Quoting Others
D. Proper Nouns
E. Names and Nicknames
F. People and Languages
G. Geographical Names
H. Organizations
I. Days, Months, and Holidays
J. Religions
K. Titled Work

2. Abbreviations - abbreviate means to shorten an existing word.

When do we use abbreviations?

A. Names
B. Social Titles
C. Other People Titles
D. Academic Titles
E. Time
F. Geographical Abbreviations
G. Measurements
H. Metric
I. U.S. Customary System

3. Spelling - important for exactly the same reason that grammar and punctuation are important: poor
spelling makes for poor communication.

Some Spelling Rules:

a. Use i before e, except after c, or when sounding like "a" as in "neighbor" and "weigh."
b. Drop the final e in a word before adding a suffix beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) but not
before a suffix beginning with a consonant.
c. Change a final y to i before a suffix, unless the suffix begins with i.
d. Double a final single consonant before adding a suffix when the word ends with a single vowel
followed by a single consonant AND the consonant ends an accented syllable or a one-syllable
word.
e. The letter q is usually followed by u.
 f. The letter s never follows x.
g. The consonants v, j, k, w and x are never doubled.
h. Adding a prefix to a word does not usually change the spelling.
i. To make a word plural, if the word ends with a consonant and y, change the y to an i and add es.
j. Words ending in a vowel and y can add the suffix -ed or -ing without making any other change.

4. Punctuation Marks - symbols used in languages to convey certain aspects of speaking and directions
to the reader or speaker

a. Period (.) - end a declarative sentence, certain imperative sentences, or an indirect question
b. Exclamation Mark (!) - end an exclamatory sentence, an interjection, or certain imperative
sentences
c. Question Mark (?) - end a direct question, an incomplete question.
d. Commas (,) – one of the most widely used punctuation marks in the English language

Rules governing when to use a comma:

▪ Conjunctions
▪ Lists/Series
▪ Introductions
▪ Dates
▪ Geographical Locations
▪ Numbers
▪ Quotations

E. Semicolons (;) - used to join independent sentences that do not have a conjunction and to clarify
meaning

• Independent Clauses
• Semicolons can also be used to join to independent clauses joined with a conjunctive adverb and
transitional phrases.
• Lists

F. Colons (:) - used to set off a list of items that follows an independent clause

• Lists
• Quotations
• Emphasizing an Appositive

J. Apostrophes (‘)

▪ Contractions are words or phrases with certain letters removed. An apostrophe is put in place of
the missing letters.
 ▪ Possession is another use of apostrophes. Depending upon if the noun is plural or not,
apostrophes are used in different ways.
▪ Compound Nouns
▪ Joint v. Individual
▪ Pronouns

K. Quotation Marks (“ ”)

▪ Direct Quotations
▪ Unquoted words
▪ Fragments
▪ Speaker Change
▪ Quotation within a Quotation

6. Titles

▪ Short works, such as short stories or poems, should have their title inside of quotations.
▪ Titles that occur in a series, such as television show episodes or songs on an album are also
placed in quotations.

5. Subject-Verb Agreement - makes your work more enjoyable to read

Rules we need to consider when using SV:

a. Subject and verb must agree in number.

b. Don’t get confused by the words that come between the subject and verb; they do not affect the
agreement.
c. Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect the agreement.
d. When sentences start with “there” or “here”, the subject will always be placed after the verb.
e. Subjects joined by “and” are plural. Subjects joined by “or” and “nor” take a verb that agrees
with the last subject.
f. Indefinite pronouns are usually singular and take a verb form that ends in “s”.
g. Some indefinite pronouns will be singular or plural depending on the object of the prepositional
phrase.
h. Use singular verbs with distances, sums of money, etc. when considered as “s” unit.
i. Use singular verbs with uncountable nouns that follow on indefinite pronoun. Use plural verbs
with countable nouns that follow an indefinite pronoun.
j. Use singular verbs in the construction of the form “the number of...” and plural verbs for the
form “a number of...”
k. Use singular verbs for subjects that are plural in form but singular in meaning.
l. Use singular or plural verbs with collective nouns depending on meaning. Collective nouns
usually take a singular verb form.
m. Titles of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated singular and takes a singular verb.
 n. If gerunds and infinitives are used as subjects, they still take the singular and plural form of the
verbs, depending on the number.

LESSON 5: CLAIMS EXPLICITLY OR IMPLICITLY MADE IN A WRITTEN TEXT

What is Explicit?

Explicit is used to define a situation that has been thoroughly elaborated and expressed without leaving
anything untouched.

Example: “His eyes are blue”

What is Implicit?

The term implicit is used to express something indirectly or implied but still understood. This means that
the scenario under consideration has not been stated.

Example: “His eyes reflect the color of the sky on the sunny day.”

Difference between Explicit and Implicit

Implicit is used to express the implied meaning that does not exist. The meaning of an implicit sentence
is suggested and does not exist. Explicit expresses the actual meaning of the sentence. This means that
anything that is communicated by an explicit phrase is the direct meaning that is correctly stated without
any ambiguity.

Application in Poetry

Explicit communication is not highly adopted in poetry, and other literary works because it
communicates directly which is not preferred in this discipline.

Application in Academic Writing

Academic writing does not adopt implicit writing because it has significant levels of ambiguity, which are
not necessary when learning. Students are encouraged to write explicitly so that teachers can easily
understand their meaning.

Primary and Secondary Meaning

Explicit sentences communicate the primary meaning of the phrase because they use actual words,
which are easy to understand without any ambiguity. A person reading a text that has used explicit
communication easily understands the subject under consideration. On the other hand, implicit writing
communicates the secondary meaning of the sentence.

LESSON 6: CLAIMS EXPLICITLY OR IMPLICITLY MADE IN A WRITTEN TEXT (FACT, VALUE AND POLICY
CLAIM)

What is Claim?

Del Grandio J. 2008, said that claim is an arguable statement-an idea that a rhetor (that is a speaker or
writer) asks an audience to accept. A claim is an opinion, idea, or assertion.

Campbell and Huxman define a claim as an assertion.

Types of Claims

1. Claim of Fact - makes an assertion about something that can be proved or disproved with factual
evidence.

Example: Research studies are conducted to improve human condition.

2. Claim of Value - argues that something is good or bad, or that one thing is better than another thing.

Example: Communication is better than computation.

3. Claim of Policy - argues that certain conditions should exist, or that something should or should not
be done, in order to solve a problem.

Example: Fetal issues should be banned in any research undertaking.