Reading and Writing Skills 2nd Grading Reviewer

By Yul

Professional and Business Correspondence

Professional Correspondence

● communication intended for career and professional advancement

● formal and impersonal; conveyed by person-to-person and person-to-
institution
● aims to create and leave a good impression on potential employers as one
applies for a job or a college

Resumé

● outline or summary of your background and qualifications for the job you
want
● it is crucial to know how to highlight important skills that match the job you
want
● must demonstrate that you…
○ are employable
○ meet the job and organization’s requirements
○ have the right qualifications and education
○ have the suitable experience and skills
○ have the surpassing level of professionalism for the job
● parts of a resumé:
○ name – must be highlighted the most
○ college degree – must be appropriate for the job
○ career objective – specific and tailored goals in the company applying
for
○ summary – brief highlight of qualifications
 ○ contact info – include your active contact number, professional e-mail
address, and current address
○ educational background – starting with JHS, include the school’s
name, address, year spent, and degree obtained; add achievements and
honors to gain an edge
○ job experience – specify previous relevant workplaces with job
description, company name and time stayed; for fresh graduates,
include OJTs
○ skills – show relevant skills important to the job; include licenses
○ trainings and seminars – additional; mention the title, date, and venue
of the seminar and your role in the activity
○ character references
■ people who can attest to your claims in the resumé when
interviewed by your potential employer
■ must NOT be relatives or friends
■ must have higher professional attainment and skills
■ include the name, position in their company, and contact info
■ ask their permission before enlisting their names

Application Letter

● aka “cover letter”

● highlights your qualifications
● summarizes the contents of your resume and to persuade your potential
employer to grant you an interview
● parts of a cover letter:
○ date of submission
○ inside address of the recipient (with their name)
○ salutation
○ a good start – express your interest for the job
○ present yourself clearly – flaunt relevant qualities
○ summarize your experiences and strengths
○ explain why hiring you is beneficial to the employer
○ show an impression of availability – present your contact info
○ complimentary close
○ name and signature
Business Correspondence

● written document for business transactions

● aimed to…
○ serve as a record
○ secure action from the recipient
○ express the writer’s specific objectives clearly
● types:
○ business letters
■ reflects a professional business image
■ different from personal letters
■ aimed to…
● inform (routine letter, good news messages, thank you
letter)
● persuade (sales letter, donation letter, collection and
claims)
■ parts of a business letter:
● heading (address of company)
○ conventional – plain address
○ modern – address with a logo or design
● date of submission
○ American English format – October 18, 2019
○ British English format – 18 October 2019
● inside address
● salutation
● body
○ first par. – introduction and reason for writing
○ second par. – explain reasons for writing in more
detail
○ last par. – summarize reasons for writing again
and make clear what you want the recipient to do
● complimentary close
● name and signature
 ■ block styles
● full block style – everything is aligned to the left
● modified block style – date and close are centered and
going to the right
● semi-block style – modified block style but the body
paragraphs are indented
○ memo
■ short for “memorandum”
■ form of interoffice communication
■ allows coordination with people in an organization, especially
those without e-mail
■ advantages:
● quick – written with word processors
● inexpensive – cheaper than telephone calls or meetings
● convenient – accessible to everyone; requires less time
● written record – can prevent misunderstandings
○ e-mail
■ sent via the Internet
■ for interoffice or outside office communication
■ must NOT be used for:
● negative or emotional significant messages
● time-sensitive messages
● long and complicated messages
● confidential messages
● messages that may be misinterpreted

Critical Reading as Reasoning: Types of Claims

What is Critical Reading?

● not just gathering info, but also judging the importance and legitimacy of the
info by judging the:
○ purpose
○ manner of presentation
○ holistic development of the arguments presented in the text
 ● process where a reader…
○ identifies and understands arguments and ideas presented in the text
○ evaluates supporting claims
○ responds by developing independent conclusions or counterarguments

Two Kinds of Information

1. explicit information
○ info stated in the text
○ can be seen in the given passage

2. implicit information
○ not directly presented in the text
○ needs to be read between the lines to be understood

What is a Claim?

● a simple statement that asserts a main point of an argument/side

● statement through which an author conveys or defends an idea
● types:
a. claim of cause
b. claim of definition
c. claim of fact
■ claim about a measurable topic
■ centers on debates about subjects believed to be objectively true
or untrue
■ empirically disputable
■ grounded on reliable authority like science or history
■ statement about how things were, are, or will be
■ NOT a fact, but claims to be a fact
■ no direct way of establishing the truth of the claim
■ e.g.: “The transition of Philippine presidents marks significant
changes in our culture”, “Global warming is a human-caused
 phenomenon”, “The country has made great strides in
increasing resources for education”
d. claim of value
■ claim about a moral, aesthetic, or philosophical topic
■ evaluates inherent goodness or morality of an event or value
systems by which we make decisions
■ concerning the relative merits of something which is measured
subjectively
■ different people may disagree on the criteria to evaluate
something
■ defended by offering criteria for consideration, showing its
legitimacy, and how it justifies the claim
■ e.g.: “Euthanasia is an affront to God”, “This schedule is terribly
inconducive to learning”, “Education that does not lead to better
lives is no education at all”

e. claim of policy
■ claim about an actionable topic
■ addresses the course of action to take, policy to adopt, and the
way we attempt to solve problems
■ regarding the merits of a course of action
■ people may not be certain about a course of action, but they
must still act
■ e.g.: “Positive values need to be reinforced among students”,
“The administration must inform the school of changes in
schedule way before it is implemented”

Identifying Claims and their Explicit/Implicit Nature

● when implicit is used

○ describes info that a person hints at but doesn’t say directly
● when explicit is used
○ info is stated directly and clearly without any question about the
meaning
 Identifying Assertions

What is an Assertion?

● declarative sentences that claim something is true about something else

● in other words, a sentence that is either true or false
● stated with force; therefore, it is meant by someone

The Four Verification Tactics

1. Fact (selective truth)

○ can be proven objectively by direct experience, testimonies, or
witnesses, verified observations, or research
○ can be double-checked for accuracy; therefore, there is general
agreement about its truth value
○ e.g.:
i. “The sampaguita’s roots are used for medicinal purposes, such
as an anesthetic and a sedative” (can be directly verified by
experience and research)
ii. “Roses grow best in soil made of ¾ clay and ¼ sand and loam”
(can be directly proven by experience or experiment)
2. Convention (universal truth)
○ verified by how commonly held definitions and beliefs are interpreted
○ depends on historical precedents, laws, rules, usage, and customs
○ cannot be verified objectively by measurements
○ e.g.:
i. “The sampaguita belongs to the genus Jasminium of the family
Olaceae” (based on an accepted scientifically-made classification
system)
ii. “There 366 days in a leap year” (agreed system of organizing
days)
iii. “Import liberalization means allowing foreign goods to enter the
Philippine market and compete with the domestic products”
(the law is a system agreed on by a political body)
3. Opinion (no truth yet)
○ based on judgment of facts
 ○ difficult to objectively verify because of uncertainty of producing
satisfactory proofs
○ results from ambiguities and open to disputes
○ e.g.:
i. “The popularity of sampaguita flowers is most evident in places
of worship” (based on an observation that needs to be proven
by studies and repeated observation)
ii. “The export of cut rose can be one of the most lucrative
businesses in the Philippines” (based on an observation)
4. Preference (personal truth)
○ based on personal choice
○ subjective and cannot be objectively proven or logically attacked
○ goes to the heart of values and beliefs
○ no proof, disputes, or debate is possible
○ e.g.:
i. “Sampaguitas are the most beautiful and most fragrant of all
flowers” (says what type of flower the writer likes)
○ classifications:
i. statement of taste – “I like it” or “I don’t like it”
ii. ethical statement – “It is good” or “It is bad”
iii. statement of obligation – “You should do it” or “You should not
do it”

Article Review

What is an Article Review?

● basically a criticism of somebody’s written work

● aims to generally let readers know what the work is about
● lets readers know the work’s merit so they can decide whether or not to read
● must be described because readers probably haven’t read the work

Contents of an Article Review

1. The work and the author (needed)

 2. Synopsis that summarizes the essential contents and main ideas (needed)
3. Statement or thorough discussion of the author’s thesis, purpose, and
methods of development
4. Brief biographical sketch of the author’s intellectual life; linking the work
under discussion to his other works
5. Discussion of the relationship between the work being reviewed and other
works in the field
6. Your clear and well-supported evaluation of the work (needed)
7. Selected short quotations from the work representative of the theme, tone,
and style

How to Write an Article Review

1. Read the material

○ read and understand the material before critiquing
○ academic reading is different to leisure reading
○ the material requires reading actively, intelligently, and critically
○ go beyond the content of the material
○ try to read the material twice or more
i. the first read is to digest the material
ii. the succeeding reads are to really dig into the contents of the
material; start jotting notes here
2. Write the review
○ give an informed analysis of the material
○ it must be more than just a summary
○ be mindful of the structure

Parts of an Article Review

1. Introduction/Thesis paragraph
○ include one or more general statements that indicate the work’s
contents and your reaction to it
○ include your thesis/main argument, the focus of the review
○ critique the article in its broadest sense
2. Body/Supporting paragraphs
○ number of paragraphs varies according to the reviewer
 ○ the summary paragraph includes all significant points of the work and
those emphasized by the author
○ explain the purpose of the work and the author’s background and
methodology
○ present your critical evaluation
i. discuss both positive and negative features
ii. support your judgments with evidence from the work by
paraphrasing and quoting excerpts
iii. Is the work thorough? Fair? Clear? Convincing? Significant?
How does the work relate to other works in the field or to your
general understanding of the subject? Is the author's use of
evidence appropriate and on target? How broad are the sources
used?
3. Conclusion/Ending Paragraph
○ give an overall evaluation as the conclusion of what you have said
○ make a recommendation or indication of the work’s merit in the field

Arguments and Evidences

What is an Argument?

● coherent series of reasons, statements, or facts intended to support or

establish a point of view of a reason for or against a matter under discussion
● in short, they are claims backed by reasons that are supported by evidence

Other Preliminaries (Claim, Reasoning, Evidence)

1. claim – a simple statement that asserts a main point of an argument/side

2. evidence – support for the reasoning in an argument
3. reasoning
 a. the “because” part of an argument and explanation for why a claim is
made
b. explicit links between the evidence and the claim; why the evidence is
important to the claim and argument

Pro and Con Arguments

● arguments for and against your claim, respectively

● there should be more arguments for the claim than counterarguments in a
paper
● show that your claim is stronger and more decisive with arguments and is
accurate and objective with counterarguments
● anticipate objections and respond to them

What are Refutations or Rebuttals?

● negating an argument by offering a contrary argument

● evidence that helps to establish the falsity of something
● disprove counterarguments by showing their inferiority on the basis that they
are:
○ incorrect – their reasoning is wrong because it is based on incorrect or
misleading info
○ irrelevant – their viewpoint is inappropriate and unrelated because it
is not relevant to the key point
○ insufficient – their reasoning is weak because it is based on insufficient
info or ignores significant info; partially agree with such view but
prove it’s weak overall

What is an Evidence?

● support for offered reasons

● compels the audience to accept arguments
● comes in different sorts and varies from one field to another
Four Kinds of Evidences

1. Facts
○ best tools to involve the reader in the argument
○ indisputable truths that automatically wins the reader’s mutual
agreement
○ used to get the reader to stand on the writer’s plane of reasoning
○ most reliable type of evidence, given that they’ve been proven sound
○ e.g.: “The RWS exam will be held on October 21, 2019.”
2. Personal experience (anecdotal evidence)
○ statements made by the writer or other people that supports the
former’s claim
○ storytelling is involved as evidence
○ less objective, therefore it is weaker
○ can be strengthened by statistical or testimonial evidence
○ e.g.: “I saw him grab the box and run off towards the alleyway.”
3. Authority (authoritative testimony)
○ uses a well-known, widely accepted authority or expert who examined
and interpreted the facts to lend validity to an argument
○ relies on the credibility of such expert
○ expert opinion is not beyond dispute; another expert may disagree
with or find fault in the first expert’s judgment
○ e.g.: “…entropy is what distinguishes the past from the future, giving a
direction to time.” – Stephen Hawking
4. Values (beliefs)
○ universally known, deeply held moral values, principles, and beliefs
○ extremely subjective and the weakest type of evidence
○ if the invoked principle is not agreed by the reader, the argument
weakens
○ open to interpretation
○ e.g.: “Thou shalt not kill.”

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