Introduction to Reading and

Writing Skills
Patterns of Development in
Writing Across Discipline
Reading and Writing
Skills
 Reading is the process of looking at a series
of written symbols and getting meaning from
them. When we read, we use our eyes to
receive written symbols (letters, punctuation
marks and spaces) and we use our brain to
convert them into words, sentences and
paragraphs that communicate something to
us
 Writing is the process of using
symbols (letters of the alphabet,
punctuation and spaces) to
communicate thoughts and ideas in a
readable form. Generally, we write
using a pen/pencil (handwriting) or a
keyboard (typing).
A rhetorical mode is a strategy--a
way or method of presenting a
subject through writing or speech.
 Narration"

or a "narrative" provides details of what

happened.

It is almost like a list of events in

the order that they happened,
except that it is written in
paragraph form.
 A narration or narrative doesn't
have to show any cause and effect;

it only needs to show what

happened in the order that it
happened
 In developing narration, sequential
presentation of events plays an important
role.

Signal words help to create unified

thought and to show the transition of
events to the next. This leads us to focus
on the use of the action words in the
story. It also helps to move the story and
makes the story interesting.
The chronological ordering of events helps
to show the reader how the story moves.

Most of the common transitional words are

first, next, then, after and suddenly.

Moreover, it is also important to give

specific details in pointing out the direction
of the story.
 Peddling On My Own

Learning how to ride a bike for the first time was a nerve racking independent
moment. I was about five years old when my sister informed me that I was too old
to still be riding a bike with training wheels. That was the time I decided not to
depend on them anymore. Even though I had some doubt, my sister and I went
outside and started to take the little wheels off my bike. After my bike went
through the transformation, I was now ready for the big moment. With butterflies
in my stomach, I slowly got on the bike, and with my shaky hands, I gripped the
handles tightly. Meanwhile my sister was holding on to me to help keep my
balance. I was so afraid the she would let go, yet I was determined to ride this bike
on my own. Next with a little push from her, I started to peddle. The faster my bike
went the faster my heart raced. Finally, I looked back nervously and noticed that
my sister let go of my bike a long time ago. I was so excited that I accomplished
freedom on my bike that I forgot to peddle. The next step I remember, I was lying
on the ground, yet I did not care because of the adrenaline rush. I will never forget
the exhilarating moment and growing up stage of riding a bike without training
wheels.
 "Description"
means "illustrative detail." A
description paper often takes a
person or object
and then describes that person or
thing in great illustrative detail. It is
important to
provide plenty of details
 Systems of description

1.Move in a specific direction: e.g., from

head to foot when describing a person,
or perhaps clockwise when describing a
room or place. The exact direction or
order does not matter as long as you are
consistent.
 Systems of description

2. Use the five senses (using adjectives and

adverbs) to describe how your subject looks,
sounds, feels, smells or even tastes like are
called sensory languages. It also concerns
how you will arrange the details to provide
an image of the scene, the person or the
object you are trying to describe in your
 Systems of description

3. Use the five W's of journalism by

answering the questions "Who, What,
Where, When, and Why or How?"
 It is wise to include as much action as
possible: to make your readers see a movie
whenever possible, and not just a painting
or drawing.
Kinds of description
 Objective description is one where the
writer presents impartial and actual picture
of the subject without biases and excluding
personal impression of the subject.
Subjective description is one where
the writer gives a personal
impression of what is observed.

.
The old car slowly chugged down the street like the caboose of a
steam engine train. The car goes up the hill it goes Ka boom ,
kachunk. The car is old and weathered with rust covering the
entire body like cancer consuming its victim. Wheels and tires
wobble like a drunk bum on his way home from the bar. Hub
caps are gone along with all the mirrors and extras on the car.
Black smoke flows out the rotten tail pipes like the smoke out of
and old cobb pipe. The local junk yard had seen better cars than
this. The interior was a dusty brown with holes covering almost
every square inch of the seat covers. The ceiling was hanging
down and the rust had eaten through the roof like a Billy goat
through a tin can. This old car is my old car and it is as faithful
as a good old dog by always starting and getting me from where
I need to go.
 Definitions
provide concise but exact meanings
of unfamiliar words and explain
special meanings for familiar words.
They are often used to explain
technical words and concepts.
Kinds of Definitions
 Kinds of
Definitions
Informal definition-----

either denotation or connotation.

 Kinds of
Definitions
Denotation is the dictionary meaning of the
word.

For example: Rose is a family of prickly shrub with

pinnate leaves and showy flowers.
 Kinds of
Definitions
Connotation is the secondary meaning of a
word
It is how a writer understands a word based
on their own personal or consensual
experiences.
A rose may mean love or romance
 Kinds of
Definitions
·Formal definition is consist of three
principal parts:

the species (WORD) + Genus (CLASS) +

Differentiae.
 Kinds of
The WORDDefinitions
is the name of the object,
process, or concept defined. This is usually
followed by “is” and “are” and the CLASS or
general group to which the objects belongs.
 Kinds of
Definitions
For example:

Skimming (species) is a reading technique (class)

of allowing the eyes to travel over a page very
quickly, stopping only here and there to gain an
idea (differentiae).
 Kinds of
Definitions
An extended definition defines a subject in a fuller or
more extended--more thorough--way than does a
dictionary.

Typically, an extended definition has a brief introductory

paragraph of a few sentences, a body of one or several
paragraphs, and a brief concluding paragraph
 Kinds of
Definitions
How to write an extended definition

By stating its characteristics

By discussing its function
By what it is not
By what it is similar to
By examples
By origin of word or etymology
By its effect
 Exemplification (or illustration)

is the most common and effective

pattern to explain an idea or point.
 In developing this kind of
paragraph, the writer develops
a general statement – the topic
sentence, with one or more
examples to support it.
to show exemplifications, the ff.
expressions may be used:

for instance, namely, to be

specify, to clarify, to illustrate,
for example, in short, as an
However, when a writer needs
to sort out or arrange subjects
to groups or categories based
on their common and shared
characteristics, classification is
used .
 Terms for classification:
classified as, one kind, the last
group, another kind, another,
final type, the first category, are
categorized as, the next part.
Humans are often harmed by pollution. The presence of the
hazardous substances brought about by these three major types
of pollution: land, air and water gravely affects our health. For
instance, a person may acquire skin problems and other
deformities from the toxic wastes present in the land that we live
in such as garbage, pesticides, heavy metals and other chemicals.
Air pollution caused by toxic gases, solid and liquid particles or
aerosols, and other hazardous air pollutants adversely
contaminate the air that we breathe. Long-term exposure to air
pollutants has been linked with diseases of the heart and lungs,
cancers and other health problems. Lastly, water pollution
observed in our primary water sources like oceans, rivers, and
lakes is caused by the presence of industrial wastes, sewage and
waste waters, chemical fertilizers and pesticides to be specific.
 "Comparison/contrast"

means to show how subjects are

alike and/or different.
A simple comparison/contrast paper often has two
subjects and describes how they are alike and then
how they differ.

In academic writing, comparison/contrast writing is

sometimes used to show how two related viewpoints--
two ideas or opinions

Comparison/contrast also can be useful in analyzing

an author's argument by comparing it to someone
else's argument
 Although cell phones and regular phones have the same purpose and they both work
the same, they have many differences as well. For example, a cell phone has to have
at least six service bars in order to talk and the battery has to have a charge before it
will work. The battery needs to charge for about an hour but it depends on what kind
of charger you use. The charger that comes with the cell phone doesn't take as long to
charge the phone as chargers purchased over the counter. A hard wired phone, one
that has to be installed through wiring within your home, can be used anywhere in
your home and is maintained by telephone servicemen. Some of hard wired phones
are cordless, which means they can be used throughout the home and even in the
yard. You can't take your hard wired phone with you in your vehicle because service is
limited to just a short range. A cordless phone has to be returned to its base
periodically to be recharged. With your cell phone, someone can leave you a message
and you can get it right on the phone whereas on a home phone, you have to have an
answering machine. Although they have many differences, they also have some
similarities. They both have to be charged in order to keep the battery full and the
phone working. You can use both to make and receive a call. They also both ring to tell
you that you have an incoming call. A cell phone can be programed for special rings
but a hard wired phone has only one ring tone. Cell phones are much smaller in
appearance than a hard wired phone. Cell phones may have different appearances
and gadgets but they both serve the same purpose.
 Cause and Effect -

"Cause" means the reasons why

or the source of something.
"Effects" simply are results or
outcomes.
 Cause and Effect is a text development pattern
which explains why something happens, or what
results a particular event produces.

It emphasizes the cause and the effect.

It discusses the chain of events related to a person,

event, or object, showing what are the causes and
what are the results.
 TV, or television, has transformed our lives dramatically since it was first introduced in 1954. It especially took off
in 1962, when color television came to the public. It seems that the world never was the same after TV was shown
to the world. It has prompted us to stay indoors more, has changed how we operate political campaigns, caused
family interactions to decrease, and made obesity skyrocket, among other effects.

More than ever before, people—especially children—have been staying indoors. This is largely due to the access to
TV and other pieces of technology. According to The Guardian, there has been a study by the National Trust, and
the findings were that “…on average, children were playing outside for just over four hours a week, compared to
8.2 hours a week when the adults questioned were children” (“Children Spend Only Half as Much Time Playing
Outside as Their Parents Did”). This leads to many damaging effects to our body and mental state.

On a more grandiose scale, TV has affected the way we go about political campaigns. According to HowStuffWorks,
“Television gave elected officials and candidates for office an unprecedented way to speak directly to millions, face-
to-face. Of course, it didn’t take long for that direct contact to be mediated, mostly by the network executives,
producers and reporters who put together nightly news programs.

Another negative effect of TV in our lives is the way they make children and parents interact less. Often, parents
see TV has a form of parenting, and also as a form of bonding. Science Daily states that, “Since the first television
screens lit up our living rooms scientists have been studying its effect on young children. Now scientists in Ohio
have compared mother-child communication while watching TV to reading books or playing with toys to reveal the
impact on children’s development.
 Problem/ solution

presents a problem, usually

discussing several aspects of the
problem, then concludes by
discussing solutions to the
problem
 Describe the problem only in terms
of its effects.
Use examples.

The problem may be

Outline the causes of the
addressed in the problem.
following ways: Discuss solutions in terms of
preventive measures

After a topic sentence, illustrate

the problem by using an
extended example (through a story or
an anecdote from your introduction).
 Here are some
ways to present
solutions:
Suggest a Give Include
Discuss solutions that
series of some have already
Preventive steps or advice been tried,
measures solutions and have been
unsuccessful,
helpful and new
hints. solutions which
you are
proposing.
Healing a Child’s Stitches and Burns
By Emerson T. Armero
There can be no doubt that a large number of CIFL or children in conflict with the law may
commit more juvenile crimes despite the intense effort of teachers, the barangays, the police and
the guidance offices. This poses a huge challenge to government authorities and the whole
society as well since these minors are protectedby law and should not be harmed by all means.
Basically, while being interrogated upon, these child offenders do not take their case seriously.
They sometimes treat their offense as a practical joke similar toan amusing snapchat or a
tiktokmoment. Others consider their waywardness as part oftheir growing up years – their being
young, wild and free. And they blend with the other CIFL regulars, thereby establishing an
organization of future gangsters. Unfortunately, they are not given the chance to reform their
character because they cannot go to jail and should be with their parents’ custody within 24
hours. Additionally, some of them turn to substance abuse.
There might be two doable solutions to overcome the problem mentioned in the previous
paragraphs. The first step would be to give them the opportunity to intensely
rehabilitate and provide educational programs suited to their needs and abilities which will
prepare them in the harsh realities of life. It is also equally important that they get
the full support and encouragement of their parents and fellow learners.
It is reasonable to conclude that education still paves the way for CIFL learners tomend their
ways.Furthermore, it is stilleverybody’s responsibility tohelp them change, to motivate them to
change and stay away from temptations that may inevitably arise
 Persuasive text

can be in the form of an

argument, discussion, exposition,
review or even an advertisement.
First state the issue. This will serve as a
background information about the topic.

Then, it should be followed by a clear,

strong and specific argument.
An argument is one’s claim or position
that is supported with a well-researched evidences,
which will give details on how and why it supports the
argument.

Evidences can be factual, logical, statistical or anecdotal

in nature. It can also explain counter- arguments not
because the writer wants to prove which claims are
wrong or right but to enlighten the readers about other
positions.
A conclusion restates the main argument of the
text should be written the end of the text. This will
be your final statement to persuade your readers.
 When we consider the ubiquity of cellphones, iPods, personal computers and
the internet, it’s easy to see how science (and the technology to which it
leads) is woven into the fabric of our day-to-day activities. When we benefit
from CT scanners, M.R.I. devices, pacemakers and arterial stents, we can
immediately appreciate how science affects the quality of our lives. When we
assess the state of the world, and identify looming challenges like climate
change, global pandemics, security threats and diminishing resources,we
don’t hesitatein turning toscience to gaugethe problems and find solutions.
And when we look at the wealth of opportunities hovering on the horizon —
stem cells, genomic sequencing, personalized medicine, longevity research,
nanoscience, brain-machine interface, quantum computers, space
technology—we realize how crucial it is to cultivate a general public that can
engage with scientific issues; there’s simply no other way that as a society
we will be prepared to make informed decisions on a range of issues that will
shape the future.

(from "Argumentative Essay," Literary Devices, last modified May 22, 2020,
https://literarydevices.net/argumentative-essay/.)