Your Learning Materials

Properties of a Well-Written Text?

The last lesson in this unit I focus on the properties of a well-written text is the following:
Organization, coherence and cohesion, language use, and mechanics.

Organization
A well-written text is organized. Be organized, we mean that ideas presented in the
selection flow logically. When we write, we have to make sure that our readers will understand
our thoughts well.

A well-organized text has three main parts (the introduction, the body, and the
conclusion). You usually introduce the central idea and preview your main ideas in your
introduction. Your main ideas are further elaborated and explained in the body. Below are
some ways you can organize the body of your essay or paper.

1. Chronologically
When you write about the procedures or events, you usually chronologically organize
your main ideas. Ideas must be arranged in a sequential order to facilitate a better
understanding of a certain procedure or event.

2. Topically
You can also organize your thoughts topically. This form of organization is arbitrary
and depends on the importance given by the writer.
3. Spatially
Another way we can arrange our ideas is spatial. We spatially arrange ideas whenever
we discuss location, position, and directions.

4. Cause and Effect

When we organize our ideas in a cause and effect manner, we explain why
something happened or identify the effects of something. This organizational pattern is used
when we are explaining a phenomenon. This pattern is also used whenever we seek to
persuade.

5. Problem and solution

The problem and solution manner of organizing a composition is similar to the cause
and effect. The difference is that cause and effect texts do not necessarily propose solutions to
a problem. Hence, this organizational pattern is most commonly used when writing an
argumentative persuasive text.

Coherence and Cohesion

Leggett, Mead, and Charvat (1970) argued that:

A paragraph may be unified without being coherent. Unity depends upon selecting
details and ideas relevant to the paragraph topic. Coherence depends upon organizing these
details and ideas so that the reader can easily see how they are relevant. Even though all the
sentences of a paragraph bear upon a single point, unless they are knit together and flow into
one another so that their relationship to that single point is clear, they will not be coherent. A
coherent paragraph leads the reader easily from sentence to sentence.

Therefore, a coherent text is a well-organized text. As writers, we should synthesize and

integrate our sources. On the other hand, cohesion focuses on the “grammatical” “aspects of
writing” (Min, n.d.). He further explained that “cohesive writing does not mean just
“grammatically correct” sentences; cohesive writing refers to the connection of your ideas both
at the sentence level and at the paragraph level.” Cohesive writing maintains a certain level of
formality.

Hence, we must use cohesive devices. According to Pell (n.d.), they give the reader
signal about how the clauses, sentences, and paragraphs are related.

Language Use

Aristotle, in his seminal work Rhetoric, argued that “For it is not enough to know what
we ought to say; we must also say it as we ought. Much help is thus afforded towards
producing the right impression.” Simply put, no matter how good our ideas are, if we cannot
articulate them well, our text cannot be considered well-written. Hence, language use is also of
primary importance. Effective language is the vehicle of a good idea.

Leggett, Mead, and Charvat (1970) articulated four major characteristics of good language
use: (1) exactness, (2) directness, (3) appropriateness, and (4) spelling.

1. Exactness – for language to be considered exact, a writer needs to be aware of the

denotative (literal) and the connotative (emotive) meaning of a word. Leggett, Mead, and
Charvat (1970) provided several guidelines:

• Carefully distinguish between nearly synonymous words.

• Do not confuse words with similar sounds or spelling but with different meanings.
• Generally, avoid “invented” words.
• Avoid improprieties.
• Be alert to changes in meaning from one suffix of a word to another.
• Avoid “elegant variation.”
• Use words and phrases idiomatically.
• Avoid “omnibus” words
2. Directness- when our language is direct, it becomes concise and direct-to-the-point. We
must avoid verbosity. If you could say it in three words, don’t say it in the ten.
Leggett, Mead, and Charvat (1970) offered a handful of guidelines.

• Eliminate deadwood by judiciously reducing clauses to phrases, phrases to single words.

• Use one exact word for two or more approximate words.
• Do not use words that needlessly repeat the meaning of other words.
• Avoid awkward repetition.
• Use simple, direct expression in preference to needlessly complex ones.

3. Appropriateness- we must use easily understandable words. When we write, our goal is to
get our message across, not to obscure meaning. Leggett, Mead, and Charvat (1970) proposed
the following guidelines:
• Ordinarily, avoid slang.
• Avoid substandard English.
• Avoid trite expression.
• Avoid jargon in writing for a general audience.
• Avoid artificial or tilted diction and “fine writing.”
• Avoid mixed and incongruous metaphors and other illogical comparisons.

4. Spelling- when we write, we sometimes tend to overlook aspects such as spelling. After
writing, we have to make sure to proofread our words to check errors. Leggett, Mead, and
Charvat (1970) suggested the following guidelines:

• Proofread your manuscript carefully to eliminate misspelling.

• Cultivate carefully pronunciation as an aid to correct spelling.
• Distinguish carefully between the spellings of words that are similar in sound.
• Familiarize yourself with spelling rules as an aid to correct spelling.

Mechanics

According to Sun Technical Publications, the mechanics of writing “specify the

established conventions for words that you use in your documentation.”

When we talk about mechanics, we refer to the convention we follow when it comes to
capitalization, contractions, numbers and numerals, abbreviation, and punctuation among
many others. You must remember that the mechanics of your writing should conform to the
style guide your discipline follows. The following are the most common style guides for
academic writing:

1. The Chicago Manual Style

This style is generally used in business, history, and fine arts.
Here’s a sample paper formatted using CMS:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/1300991022_717.pdf

2. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

This stands for Modern Language Association, this style s generally use in the humanities.

Here’s a sample paper formatted using the MLA style:

http://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=htttps://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/201
60920114529_747.pdf

3. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

This style is generally used in education, psychology, and sciences.

Here’s a sample paper formatted using the APA style:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090212013008_560.pdf

You need to be familiar with the style guide by the discipline you are in. when writing
academic papers, you need to conform to the standards set by these publication manuals.