english for mastery

• The writing process


  A complex process which involves preparation, planning, researching, writing, revising, and editing
• Preparation


  1. Establish your purpose first

  2. Specify your persona as a writer

  3. Set the tone, language, and level of formality

  4. Be informed of the character, interest, background, and preferences of your target readers

  5. Think of the topic and the type of output you will produce
• Modeling


  1. Look at different works similar in nature to the paper you are about to write

  2. Analyze the features such as organization, structure, and language use

  3. Use excellent quality model papers
• Generating ideas

  1. Brainstorming

  2. Freewriting

  3. Clustering
• Focusing on a topic

  1. Narrow down the general topic

  2. Focus on a topic by thinking of a question related to your specific purpose

  3. Answer the question with at least two details
• Organizing ideas


  1. Organize your ideas in an outline

  2. Answer the question that leads to your thesis statement

  3. Generate two or three main ideas

  4. Use main ideas as main headings

  5. Write subtopics and supporting details
• Drafting


  1. Focus on content and organization, not grammar and mechanics

  2. Build credibility by using reliable and valid sources

  3. Check website addresses and top-level domains
• Feedback


  1. Self-feedback, peer feedback, teacher feedback

  2. Focuses on content, structure, organization, and clarity
• Revising


  1. Improve the original paper by applying changes based on feedback

  2. Apply critical thinking and evaluation skills

  3. Give yourself a break before revising
• Editing


  1. Focuses on grammar and language

  2. Focuses on typography and mechanics

  3. Use standardized editing symbols
• Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement
• You must present original insights in your work, cite your sources, and use an online plagiarism checker
• Publishing

  Showcase your work on social networking sites, reputable research sharing websites, or publish collectively with classmates
• Editing – focuses on grammar and language
• Proofreading – focuses on typography and mechanics
• Feedback

  • An important component of the writing process

  • A response to the written work which focuses on all aspects of writing

  • During the drafting stage, the feedback focuses more on the content, structure, organization, and clarity of the message
• Revision is the act of improving the original paper by applying changes based on the feedback
• Writing


  A medium of human communication that involves the representation of a language with written symbols
• Paragraph


  A group of interrelated sentences organized around a topic sentence
• Essay


  A group of paragraphs organized around a thesis
• Parts of a Paragraph

  • Topic Sentence
  • Supporting Sentences
  • Cohesive Devices
  • Closing Sentence
• Parts of an Essay

  • Introduction (Lead/Attention-getter, Transitional Statement, Thesis Statement)
  • Body (Major Point 1, Major Point 2, Major Point 3, Minor Details)
  • Conclusion (Reiteration of Thesis, Transitional Statement, Closing Statement)
• Properties of a Well-Written Text

  • Unity
  • Coherence and Cohesion
  • Organization
  • Language Use
  • Mechanics
• Unity


  Achieved when a composition contains one focused idea and all the supporting ideas are relevant to the main thought
• Coherence


  Achieved when ideas are logically, clearly, and smoothly linked to one another at the conceptual or idea level, seen through well defended arguments and organized points
• Cohesion


  Achieved through connection of ideas at the sentence level, seen through a smooth flow of the sentences and the connection of the ideas
• Organization


  Achieved when ideas are logically and accurately arranged
• Techniques for Coherence and Cohesion

  • Use of pronouns to refrain from using a specific word repeatedly
  • Use of transitional devices to connect sentences with linked ideas
  • Repetition of keywords to tie up the paragraphs
• Principles of Language Use

  • Use clear and concise sentences
  • Avoid redundancies, wordiness, clichés, and hifalutin language
  • Avoid excessive use of "there" and "it" structures
  • Use precise vocabulary
  • Be consistent with your pronoun's point of view
  • Avoid sexist language
  • Use an appropriate level of formality
• Mechanics


  The technical aspect of writing, characterized as a set of conventions on how to spell, abbreviate, punctuate, and capitalize a composition
• Mechanics Conventions in Academic/Formal Texts

  • Use standard English
  • Avoid contractions
  • Avoid exclamation marks unless part of a direct quotation
  • Mention full name of institution/organization with abbreviation on first mention, then use abbreviation
  • Spell out numbers 0-10, use figures for higher numbers
  • Use proper citations
• Parts of an Essay

  Introduction

  1. Lead or Attention-getter – aims to hook the readers; provocative rhetorical question, statistics, a startling statement, an anecdote, a quotation, humor, or analogy
  2. Transitional Statement – links the lead to the thesis statement; provides a background on the topic
  3. Thesis Statement – states the central idea or argument of the essay
• Parts of an Essay

  Conclusion

  1. Reiteration of the thesis statement – restatement using different structure and wording
  2. Transitional Statement – recommendations, benefits of ideas presented, purpose of writing
  3. Closing Statement – wraps up the essay; end it with a bang (link it to the attention-getter in the introduction)
• Parts of a Paragraph

  •Sentence – contains the main idea of the paragraph; it may present a stand, a question, or a statement

  •Body (Supporting Sentences)– provide additional information or details that prove or explain the main idea

  •Cohesive devices– words such as pronouns, conjunctions, and other transitional devices that show how the parts of the text are connected

  •Closing sentence– concludes the information or arguments presented in the text
• incoherent- if there are sentences that are misplaced or in the wrong order
• Language Use

  • enables the writer to effectively communicate ideas without confusing the reader
  • achieved by observing the following time-tested principles in writing
• Redundancy- something that is repeated unnecessarily or something that is not useful because there is already another or more advanced version
• Cliche - a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought
• Hifalutin - expressed in or marked by the use of language that is elaborated or heightened by artificial or empty means