eading and Writing Skills (lesson 5)

Properties of a Well-Written Text

1. Organization
2. Coherence/Cohesion
3. Unity
4. Language Use
5. Mechanics
1. Organization- Organization also known as arrangement, is achieved when ideas are logically and accurately arranged with
focus on the arrangement of ideas, incidents, evidence, or details in a definite order in a paragraph, essay, or speech.
It can be done with a recognizable plan that defines one sentence connection to the other sentence and paragraph to the other.
Things to consider when organizing texts:
1. Target audience of your writing
Excellent writers often include that writers should write for themselves. However, a writer must still consider the audience for
whom he is writing to.
The following are the questions to answer when considering your target audience:
1. Who are my audience? What are their ages?
2. What will they consider as important values?
3. Which field of study will this text be presented to?
4. What representation do they expect from me?
2. Flow of Information
This is best achieved by consulting the methods of organization the writer has used to gather data. Regardless of
whether this is a formal dissertation or a creative peace, research is necessary. All this information must flow
properly.

Guide Questions:
1. Should the timeline of the story be linear or nonlinear?
2. Which aspect of the subject should be tackled first among all others?
3. If the text begins with a thesis, how do I best present evidence to support my conclusion?
3. Writing Structure
Proper data organization is what creates the foundation for writer’s text. With an outline in mind, the writer may
use the data and information gathered to expound his ideas.

The following are to be considered when figuring out a writing structure.

1. What should be the foundation for my writing?
2. Where does it begin?
3. How far does it extend? What are my limitations?
4. Which direction do I want to avoid with this topic?
Example of text without organization
“Thomas Edison was simply the one who created the first commercially viable light bulb. What made Edison’s light
bulb successful was his use of carbonized bamboo as the filament. This made the bulb lasts 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.”
Example of text with organization
“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 version, what made his light bulb successful
was his use of carbonized bamboo as the filament. This made the bulb lasts longer and it was cheap enough to be
available for the masses.

2. Coherence and Cohesion- To achieve this property, the ideas should be logically, clearly and smoothly linked to one
another. The concepts of coherence and cohesion are interrelated to each other but they have distinct functions and uses.
Coherence occurs when ideas are connected at the conceptual level while Cohesion is the connection of ideas at sentence level.
Also, coherence is the quality of being logical, clearly organized, not rumbling or confusing and cohesion is the connection or
relation of ideas which make them unified and coherent.

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 Coherence VS Cohesion
Coherence
1. Coherence mainly deals with logic and appropriate organization of the sentences to form meaningful and
understandable content.
2. Coherence is more sort of a pattern in the collected parts of writings.
3. Coherence is the attribute that is decided by the end-user or reader which determines whether the
content seems meaningful, understanding and useful.
4. Coherence is not a measurable property and very hard to achieve.
5. It is abstract as it deals with the ideas.
6. Coherence is a qualitative property
Cohesion
1.Cohesion focuses more on lexical syntax and grammar in sentence formation.
2.Cohesion is just the individual parts that are collected together and are stick together for representation.
3.Cohesion is the attribute decided by the writer and which is brought by using different techniques like
repeated words/ideas, reference words, transition signals, substitution, etc.
4. Cohesion is a measurable property that can be measured by checking the lexical syntaxes and grammar
rules.
5. It is observable as it is dealt with the actual written content.
6. Cohesion is a quantitative property.
Coherenceis the connection the ideas in the concept level:
Guide questions:
 Is the first topic related to the next?
 Is this sentence connected to the topic sentence?
Cohesion is the connection of ideas in the sentence level:
Guide questions:
 Did it use pronouns properly?
 Did it use transitions?
 Did it do repetition of the subject matter?
Coherent but not cohesive: "My favorite color is blue. I'm calm and relaxed. In the summer I lie on the grass
and look up."
Cohesive but not coherent:“My favorite color is blue. Blue sports cars go very fast. Driving in this way is
dangerous and can cause many car crashes. I had a car accident once and broke my leg. I was very sad because I
had to miss a holiday in Europe because of the injury."
Coherent and cohesive:"My favorite color is blue. I like it because it is calming and it relaxes me. I often go
outside in the summer and lie on the grass and look into the clear sky when I am stressed. For this reason, I'd have
to say my favorite color is blue."
Ways of Ordering Ideas to Achieve Coherence
1. Spatial Order- Words used in descriptive writing to signal spatial relationships, such as above, below,
beside, nearby, beyond, inside, and outside.

2. Time Order- Words used in writing narratives, and instructions to signal chronological sequence, such as
before, after, first, next, then, when, finally, while, as, during, earlier, later, and meanwhile.
3. Numerical Order- Words used in expository writing to signal order of importance, such as first, second,
also, finally, in addition, equally important, and more or less importantly.
4. Cause/Effect Order- Words used in expository writing to signal causal relationships, such as because,
since, for, so, as a result, consequently, thus, and hence.
5. Comparison/Contrast Order- Words used in expository writing to signal similarities and differences, such
as (for similarities) also, additionally, just as, as if, as though, like, and similarly; and (for differences) but,
yet, only, although, whereas, in contrast, conversely, however, on the other hand, rather, instead, in spite
of, and nevertheless.

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 6. General Specific Order- Words used in descriptive reports and arguments to signal more specific
elaboration on an idea, such as for example, such as, like, namely, for instance, that is, in fact, in other
words, and indeed.
Techniques to improve paragraph cohesion: Use of Transitional Words (These words can help a paragraph flow
more smoothly and show how each sentence relates to one another.)
1. Additional Idea-also, moreover, again, further, furthermore, in addition, likewise, too, first, initially,
second, third, next, finally, last, another, other, then
2. Comparison- likewise, similarly, in a like manner, in comparison, so it is
3. Contrast- however, nevertheless, still unlike, in contrast, conversely, on the contrary, on the other hand,
whereas
4. Cause & Effect- therefore, thus, hence, then, consequently, accordingly, in conclusion, as a result
5. Example- for example, for instance, to illustrate, for one thing, frequently, in general, in particular, namely
usually, specifically
6. Summary- to sum up, to summarize, in short, the conclude, in conclusion, on the whole, in brief.
7. Generalizations- typically, as usual, for the most part, generally, usually, in general
8. Emphasis- above all, chiefly, especially, particularly, significantly, most importantly, primarily
9. Similarity- comparatively, correspondingly, likewise, similar, together with, combined with
10. Emphasis- above all, chiefly, especially, particularly, significantly, most importantly, primarily
11. Restatement- in essence, in other words, namely, that is, in short, to put it differently
12. Order (time)-at first, to begin with, at the same time, now, the next step, in turn, later on, meanwhile,
next, then, soon, later, while, earlier, simultaneously, afterward, before, prior, last, meanwhile
Techniques to improve paragraph cohesion:
 Repetition: In sentence B, repeat a word from sentence A.
 Synonymy: If direct repetition is too obvious, use a synonym of the word you wish to repeat. This strategy
is called 'elegant variation.'
 Antonymy: Using the 'opposite' word, an antonym, can also create sentence cohesion, since in language
antonyms actually share more elements of meaning than you might imagine.
 Pro-forms: Use a pronoun, pro-verb, or another pro-form to make explicit reference back to a form
mentioned earlier.
 Collocation: Use a commonly paired or expected or highly probable word to connect one
sentence to another.
 Enumeration: Use overt markers of sequence to highlight the connection between ideas. This
system has many advantages: (a) it can link ideas that are otherwise completely unconnected, (b)
it looks formal and distinctive, and (c) it promotes a second method of sentence cohesion.
 Parallelism: Repeat a sentence structure. This technique is the oldest, most overlooked, but
probably the most elegant method of creating cohesion
Example:
Another of my possessions that wears out is my car. One part of it that wears out is the tires. For example, it seems
that I put new tires on it just last year, and they have already worn to the point of being unsafe. Another part of my
car that wears out is the windshield wipers. For instance, here in the desert, the sun destroys them so that they
need to be replaced even before they are used for the rain. The ones I just replaced didn’t last more than six
months. The last part of my car that wears out is the battery. Again, the desert heat, combined with the heat under
the hood, makes batteries wear out fast. They are supposed to last five years, but mine never make it past two. It
seems that the things that go wrong with a car most often are the things one depends on the most.

3. Unity-Unity is achieved when a composition is focused on one idea. In a unified text, all supporting
ideas are relevant to the main thought. Without unity, text will be confusing.
Unity is oneness of ideas all pertaining to the theme or the topic sentence.
Things to check:
1. Lead/Topic Sentence /Thesis Statement
2. Supporting Sentences
3. Cohesive Device

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 4. Conclusion
It is also important to observe unity in the following:
A. Unity in tense- means keeping the piece of writing within one tense-consistently unless there is a good
reason to shift.
B. Unity in mood- The form of the verb that shows the mode or manner in which a thought is conveyed.
There are three moods of the verb in the English language: Indicative, Imperative, Subjunctive
C. Unity of tone and Level of Language

4. Language Use-Using proper language is one of the clearest indicators and sign of g well-written text. This
enables the author and the writer to communicate more to the readers. This helps the readers to understand the
text with confusion of what is the meaning of that word in a text.

There are different characteristics of a language use that we need to remember such as: the language
should be concrete and specific that includes effective descriptions which creates tangible image ang
objects that the readers can visualize; the language should be concise not verbose which express the
desire message in just a few as possible; the language should be familiar not obscure for the reader to
easily understand the message of the text; lastly, the use of language should match with the situations
presented in the text.
Levels of in Language Use:
1. Informal/ Personal- slang, local expressions, text messaging
Hey Bes Yow
Sup Pet (friend) Nigga
OTW GNyt Dude
BRB SML KUTGW
2. Standard/Academic- widely accepted words and phrases found in books, magazines, and newspapers
Note to a professor:
I missed last night’s class and will email my paper later. The problem was on garbage management as it greatly affects
the students who are occupying the SJH Blg.
3. Business/Technical- scientific terms, jargons, and special expressions
Psychiatrist’s report: “Dissociative rage order is not indicated by the ER assessment.”
Principles in Language Use:
1. Use clear and concise sentences, usually about 18 words long.
2. Avoid redundancies, clichés wordiness, and highfalutin.
3. Use precise vocabulary. Be accurate. Condensed.
4. Be consistent in pronoun POV.
5. Use appropriate level of formality.

1. Use clear and concise sentences, usually about 18 words long.

 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 an 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 and trust, even
when the allegations are not yet verified.
Examples of concise not verbose:
i. Expletive: There are likely to be many researchers raising questions about this methodological approach.
Correction: Many researchers are likely to raise questions about this methodological approach.
ii. Expletive: It is inevitable that oil prices will rise.
Correction: Oil prices will inevitably rise.
iii. Expletive: It was her last argument that finally persuaded me.
Correction: Her last argument finally persuaded me.
Avoid redundancies, cliches, wordiness, and highfalutin:

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 “The presently assigned paper necessitates an eloquently articulated analysis of the Existentialist perspective as it
pertains to contemporary living. You should adumbrate the points which represent the sine qua non of your
analysis”

In the example, the author use hifalutin words in presenting his idea. As a result, the readers had a hard time to
understand the meaning of the text.
Sample Cliches are:
Time will tell, in a jiffy, brave as a lion, opposites attract, all is well that ends well, once upon a time, time and time
again

Use precise vocabulary. Be accurate. Condensed.

 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.
Be consistent in pronoun POV.
 We should simply accept the fate is simply an
illusion; you must not leave our decisions something
that does not exist.
 We should simply accept the fate is simply an illusion; we must not leave our decisions something that
does not exist.
Appropriate level of Formality
 Yes, diskettes are like thing of the past, but they’re still cool today.
 Diskettes may be outdated, but they are still fascinating.

5. Mechanics-Mechanics is the last property of a well-written text that deals with the technical aspect of writing.
A. In this property, the writer should focus on the correct:
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Abbreviation and Acronyms
 Numbers
 Grammar
 Punctuation Marks

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