RWS FINALS

• Mechanics


  Set of conventions on how to spell, abbreviate, punctuate, and capitalize while writing
• Punctuation


  • Comma to separate items in series
  • Semicolon to link two independent clauses with no connecting words
• Capitalization


  • Always capitalize the first word in sentence
  • Capitalize Proper Nouns
  • Capitalize the Pronoun and the Interjection "0"
• Abbreviation


  • Only abbreviate well-known terms
  • Initialisms - abbreviations that use capital letters
  • Latin abbreviations SHOULD NOT be capitalized
• British English - keeps the spelling of words it has absorbed from other languages, mainly French and German
• American English - spellings are based mostly on how the word sounds when it is spoken
• Organization - arrangement of ideas in a text


  • Physical Representation (textual clues, heading and sub-headings, locating the main idea topic sentence, thesis statement)
  • Text Structure (expository, narrative and grammar)
• Coherence


  Relationship of ideas between sentences. Sentences are arranged in a logical manner
• Cohesion


  Connection of ideas to the central concept of a text. It has a central concept or "glue" that holds all the ideas together. It is 'tying our words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs together
• Organizing The Details in Your Paragraph


  • EMPHATIC - Details are arranged according to the writer's purpose
  • CHRONOLOGICAL - Details are arranged in the order
  • SPATIAL - Details are arranged according to geographical location
• Signal Devices


  • Pronouns - connect readers to the original word that it replaces
  • Transitions - connect one idea to another, in order for our ideas to flow smoothly
  • Repetitions could be a word, a phrase, or a full sentence, or a poetical line repeated to emphasize its significance in the entire text
  • Synonyms - similar in meaning to important words or phrases that prevent tedious repetitions
• Simple Reading


  • Understand the overview or general idea of the material
  • Grasp what the text says
  • Summarize and restate what the reader has read
• Critical Reading


  • Formulate judgments based on how ideas and information are presented
  • Understand how the text works, what evidence are present in the text, what assumptions are made, what the text means, and how the choices made affect the meaning of the text
• Use of Language

  • Concrete Language - can create tangible images
  • Concise Language - straightforward and to-the-point use of language
  • Familiar Language - readers easily recognize
• Critical Reading is an active and complex way of engaging with a written text to get a deeper understanding of its ideas
• Non-critical readers believe that many texts offer the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and that texts provide facts that readers gain knowledge by memorizing
• Critical readers recognize that any single text provides a portrayal of the fact, one individual's "take" on the subject, and they recognize not only what a text says, but also how that text portrays the subject matter
• Critical Reading always comes with Critical Thinking
• Types of Claims

  • Claim of Fact - argues that something is true or not, using factual evidence such as existing data and statistics
  • Claim of Value - weighs and challenges one's moral practices and standards
  • Claim of Policy - specific course of action that could potentially resolve a problem
• Types of Assertion

  • Fact - proven objectively
  • Convention - similar to norms and traditions
  • Preference - based on personal choice
  • Opinion - conclusion reached by someone
• Counterclaims are the opposition you make, and you should recognize the value of hedges, which are used to give a courteous volume in writing
• Types of Textual Evidence

  • Summarizing - stating it more briefly, with less detail and explanation
  • Quoting - using exact words from the original text
  • Paraphrasing - rephrasing in your own voice and sentence structure
• Parts of Project Proposal

  • Goals and Objectives - must clearly state what the proposal aims
  • Plan - providing details on how to achieve the set goals and objectives
  • Resources - must include and cover all variables (human, financial, and technical resources)
  • Budget - must specify and justify the financial aspect of the project
• Types of Project Proposal

  • Solicited - sent to respond to a request for proposal
  • Unsolicited - sent without a Request for Proposal
  • Informal - your proposal can follow your preferred format
  • Renewal - sent to an existing client to encourage them to renew your services
  • Continuation - sent to remind investor that project is underway and to provide progress updates
  • Supplemental - sent to remind investor that project is underway and ask for additional resources (must be persuasive)
• How to write and effective project proposal?

  Be persuasive - convince readers to take action

  Establish the connection - present the larger impact of your solution

  Simplify - easy to read and understand

  Edit and proofread - scan for spelling, punctuations, and grammar errors.