Reading and Writing Skills Notes (1st quarter) 

● Tips on scanning a text 

by Georgia Hipolito and Angela Sison  ○ State  the  specific  information  you  are 
  looking for 
○ Try  to  predict  how  the answer will appear 
Reading   and  what  clues  you  might  use  to  help  you 
Page 2: 1.0 and 1.1 
locate the answer 
● Reading  is  perceived  as  one  of  the  most important 
■ Ex.  looking  for  a  date:  look  only 
skills for students in higher learning institutions 
for numbers 
● In  addition  to  mastering  reading  skills,  students 
○ Use  headings  and  other  aids  that will help 
are  also  required  to  acquire  critical  thinking 
you  identify  which  sections  might  contain 
abilities in their pursuit of knowledge 
the information you’re looking for 
● Reading  is  a  necessary  skill  because  the  world  is 
○ Selectively  read and skip through sections 
full  of  all  kinds  of  information  that  need  to  be 
of the passage 
analyzed critically 
 
● Skimming  and  scanning  are  the  2  most  commonly 
used strategies for reading  Text  
● These  speed-reading  approaches  require  specific 
● “Text  can  be  used  for  both  written  and  spoken 
steps  when  one  needs  to  cover  an  extensive 
language.  It  usually  refers  to  a  stretch,  an  extract 
amount of reading material 
or  complete  piece  of  writing  or  speech.  Texts 
● When  we  speed-read,  the  objective  is  not  to gain a 
generally  adhere to broad conversations and rules 
complete  understanding  of  the  arguments  in  the 
which  determine  the  language structure” (Coniblet 
text, but simply to determine what the text is about 
and Carter, 2001) 
● Strategies  and  skills  to  use  will  depend  on  the 
● Latin word “​texere​” which means to weave  
reader’s purpose and intent 
○ Metaphor  pertaining  to  threading  of 
 
words (fabric is the sentence)  
Skimming   ○ Choosing  certain  words  to  fit  into 
Page 2-5: 1.1  sentences  is  like  picking  certain  fibers  or 
● Employed  to  get  the  general  overview  of  the  fabrics to work into certain textiles 
content  and  only  the  important  ideas  in  a  reading  ● According  to  Scott  Thornburry  it  is  “beyond  the 
material  sentence” (Macmillan, 2005, p.19) 
● Used to find the main ideas of a text  ● It is  
● Reader  is  not  interested  in  total  comprehension  ○ Self contained  
but only the main points and major details  ○ Well formed  
● Top down strategy  ○ Cohesive 
● Tips on skimming a text  ○ Coherent  
○ Read the title  ○ Have a clear communicative purpose  
○ Read  the  introduction  or  the  first  ○ Are recognisable text types  
paragraph  ○ Appropriate to their context of use  
○ Read  the  first  sentence  of  every  other  ● H.  G.  Widdowson  said  it  is  “knowing  what  a 
paragraph  sentence  means  is  1  thing,  but  knowing  what  is 
○ Read any headings and sub-headings  meant  by  at  utterance  is  another.”  (Discourse 
○ Look  at  the  illustrations,  graphs,  or  other  Analysis, p.13, OUP, 2007) 
visuals    
○ Read the caption of the visuals 
○ Pay  attention  to  any  italicized  or  boldface 
Discourse  
words or phrases  ● Guy  Cook  (1989):  Can  be  anything  from  a  grunt  or 
○ Read the summary or the last paragraph  single  expletive,  through  short  conversations  and 
  scribbled  notes  right  up  to  Tolstoy’s  novel,  “War  & 
Peace”, or a lengthy legal case.  
Scanning   ● “The  latter  kind  of  language  -  language  in  use,  for 
Page 5-9: 1.1.2 
communication  is  called discourse, and the search 
● Involves  rapid  and  focused  reading  of  a  text  to 
for  what  gives  discourse  coherence  is  discourse 
locate specific information 
analysis.” 
● Engages  in  close  reading  of  the  selected  portions 
● Latin “discursus” (Conversation speech) 
of the text until your questions are answered 
● Term  to  refer  to  a  continuous stretch of especially 
● Ex. dictionaries or directories 
spoken language larger than a sentence 
 ● “It  is  a  set  of  utterances  which  constitutes  any  his ​explanations​ about the poem we're confusing 
recognizable  speech  event,  conversation,  joke,  and complicated. 
sermon,  interview,  and  many  more.”  (Crystal,   
Dictionary  of  Linguistics  and  Phonetics,  3rd  ed.  ANTONYMS 
1991)  ● Is a word that reveals the opposite meaning in 
  relation to the unknown word  
Connected Speech or Connected Discourse   ● The Hero in the poem did not give in to trepidation, 
● “More  than  a  string  of  individual  target  segments  rather he slayed the monster. Trepidation is the 
joined  together  in  series,  since  each  segment  is  antonym of bravery 
liable  to  influence  the  segments  that  surround  it”   
(Sara Howard)  EXAMPLES 
○ In  a  word,  every  letter  has  its  own  ● Example of a sentence using examples: There are 
purpose  even  though  they  look  randomly  many eccentric creatures in the forest, such as 
chosen  mome rats and borogoves. 
  ● Such as, like, examples of these are, etc. 
Devices for analyzing a Written Text as Connected   
Discourse  EXPLANATIONS AND DEFINITIONS 
● Cohesion   ● Explanations may be given as clues to describe an 
○ Refers  to  the  ties  and  connections  which  unknown term 
exist  within  texts  that  hints different parts  ● Definitions may follow and unfamiliar word 
of sentences or larger unit of discourse   ● Is, means, refers to, etc. 
○ Ex.  Linking  mid-sentence:  Susan  likes   
music.  Susan  plays  piano  --->  Susan  likes  DENOTATION  
music, she plays piano.  ● Basic,  precise,  literal  meaning  of  a  word  that  can 
● Cohesive devices  be found in the dictionary  
○ Tell  the  reader  what  we  are  doing  in  a   
sentence  and  help  to  guide  them  through  CONNOTATION 
our writing   ● Is the positive, negative or neutral feelings, 
○ Connect  sentences  for  a  smoother  attitudes, ideas or associations with a word 
transition  ● Positive connotation: are generally favorable 
○ In  addition  to,  furthermore,  moreover,  associations 
also, again  ● Negative connotations have unfavorable feelings 
● Coherence  or ideas towards a word 
○ The  quality  of  being  logical  and consistent  ● These shades of meaning are affected by social 
quality of forming a unified whole   overtones, emotional meanings, or cultural 
● Parallelism   implications 
○ Means side by side  ● They portray more multifaceted definitions of a 
○ use  of  components  in  a  sentence  that  are  word whether these are positive, negative, or 
grammatically  the same; or similar in their  neutral 
construction, sound, meaning, or mete   
  ANNOTATION  
● To understand the text  
Reading Strategies  
● Track changes or progression  
 
● Identify areas of interest or concern  
CONTEXT CLUES 
● Reactions, thoughts, definitions, important 
● Using words, phrases, and sentences that 
passages, feelings, etc.  
surround an unfamiliar word that can help you 
○ Personal notes 
recognize the meaning of an unknown word 
● Circle or Underline  
because the text gives you information about it; 
○ Main Ideas  
thus, you can study how a word is used in a 
○ Character/ People’s names  
sentence and discover an approximate definition. 
○ Vocabulary words  
 
○ Important ideas or event  
SYNONYMS 
 
● Are used when the text has words or phrases that 
 
are similar in meaning to the unknown word 
 
● Example: Humpty dumpty took great pleasure and 
 
obfuscating​ the poem's meaning for alice period 
 ● Examples: textbooks, reports, encyclopedias, 
Sexist Language   reference books, brochures, magazines, news 
● Language that excludes either men or women  articles, etc. 
when discussing a topic that is applicable to both  ● The information provided by the author aims to 
sexes  answer the 5W + 1H questions (why, when, who, 
● Another common error that shows gender bias is  what, where, how) 
assuming that the subject of all sentence is male  ○ Provide the info that the audience wants 
● E.g. Each student selected his own topic for his  to know or the author wants to offer 
term paper (should be “his or her”)  Writing to Persuade 
  ● Author aims to convince the audience to agree 
Reasons to Avoid Sexist Language   with his or her position on the topic 
1. It encourages discrimination and can discourage  ● Author uses facts to inform audience and support 
people  his or her position on the topic 
2. Also offends people when they find themselves  ● Author may also use opinions and biased language 
excluded  to further strengthen position 
3. Remember that the goal is not to avoid referring to  ● Examples: advertisements, campaigns, politicals 
individual people as male or female, the goal is to  speeches and stories 
be inclusionary when speaking in hypothetical  Writing to Entertain 
statements or of mixed gender groups  ● Author writes to entertain by appealing to the 
4. Use genderless titles whenever possible, such as  audience’s senses and imagination 
flight attendants instead of stewardess, firefighter  ● Author usually describes places, ideas, and 
instead of fireman, housemaker instead of  characters (either real or imaginary) to amuse or 
housewife, etc.  engage the audience 
a. Avoid adding gender markers in   
genderless jobs  T O N E  
5. Rework sentences in the plural to avoid gendered  Unit 1.3.2; Examples 1.21 to 1.23; Page 24-25  
pronouns and possessive adjectives  Types of tones: objective and subjective 
6. When it’s not possible to recast sentences in the  ● Language used to express his or her attitude 
plural, use he/she or his/her to be inclusive  towards a topic 
7. Don’t take gender inclusivity to the extreme, each  ● What the author feels about the subject 
specific individual has a gender and can be  ○ Mood - how the audience feels (effect on 
referred to in a way.  the reader) 
  ● The tone may remain constant or change 
  throughout the writing 
● Is expressed through the use of words, syntax, 
Purpose, Tone, Audience, Bias   points of view, and varying levels of formality 
Page 20-30: 1.3 
Objective tone 
● An  author  writes  not  only  to  convey  a  message. 
● Impersonal, unbiased, unemotional, and formal 
The message is written for a particular purpose 
● Neutral with the presentation of facts and 
● Words  and  phrases  are  chosen  with  specific 
unbiased in terms of explanation 
writing styles to convey the tone of the message 
● Author does not convey any feelings for or against 
● The  choice  of  words  or  phrases  may also reflect a 
the topic 
position  taken  by  the  author  in  a  particular 
Subjective tone 
message 
● Personal, biased, emotional, and usually informal 
○ The  author  may  also  convey  prejudice  or 
● Uses words that describes feelings, judgment, and 
bias towards or against an issue 
opinions 
 
● Deal with senses, experiences feelings, sentiments, 
P U R P O S E  
and thoughts 
Unit 1.3.1; Examples 1.15 to 1.20; Page 21-24 
 
3 common purposes for writing: to inform, to persuade, 
A U D I E N C E 
and to entertain 
Unit 1.3.3; Examples 1.24 to 1.25; Page 25-27  
Writing to Inform 
● During the writing process, an author has a 
● The author writes to inform when he or she 
particular audience in mind 
provides information about a topic that is normally 
● Author might ask himself or herself: 
true or contains facts 
○ Who is he or she addressing? 
○ Who would be interested in this idea? 
 ● Note that reader will also use these questions in  3. Audience: everyone (mostly girls) 
determining the target audience of a text  4. Purpose: question societal norms (beauty being 
● The intended audience can be any of the ff:  unattainable) 
○ Specific person (ex. Company director,  5. Subject: barbie girl having a need to be accepted in 
chief of police, etc.)  society 
○ Group of people (ex. Youths, parents,  6. Tone: ironic, morbid, cynical (sarcastic) 
doctors, etc.)   
○ The general public (ex. Society at large,   
Filipinos, etc.)  ARTICLE 1 
  Texting: Blessing or Curse? 
B I A S   Matthew Zelner  
Unit 1.3.4; Tables 1.2-1.5; Page 27-30   Paragraph 1 
Bias towards or against a topic  - Thesis: “Texting is expensive, it distracts us from 
● Refers to the use of words and phrases that are  daily work, it feeds our destructive need for instant 
considered prejudiced, offensive, and hurtful  gratification, it encourages short attentions pans 
● Using biased words or phrases indicates a bias  and, lastly, it’s making us dumb.” 
against something or someone  Paragraph 2 
● If the words or phrases are used in favor of  - “Full disclosure” = disclaimer, to be h=completely 
something or someone, then this is an indication of  honest, all cards on the table 
a bias towards that thing or person  - Author has a very clear bias against texting 
  - Talks about how writing has become overcome by 
texting 
Examples   Paragraph 3, 4, and 5 
“BARBIE DOLL” BY MARGE PIERCY  - “Complete waste of time” - mrs p 
Using SOAPSTone  - There is some attempt on credibility 
This girlchild was born as usual  - Weak connection, makes no sense, does not 
and presented dolls that did pee-pee  strengthen thesis 
and miniature GE stoves and irons  - Last part of paragraph 5 resembles last part of 
and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.  thesis 
Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:  Paragraph 6 and 7  
You have a great big nose and fat legs.   - Purpose: to persuade (FAILED) 
  - Sounds like an opinion 
She was healthy, tested intelligent,  - POV - first person 
possessed strong arms and back,  - Should have interviewed students, not only 
abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.  teachers (bias); Did not consider any other 
She went to and fro apologizing.  perspectives 
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.   - Does not talk about texting being a blessing, 
  straight to curse 
She was advised to play coy,  - “An erosion of students’ writing skills” (last 
exhorted to come on hearty,  sentence of para.5): original writing purpose  
exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.  >> Paragraph 6 backs up this sentence 
Her good nature wore out   
like a fan belt.  ARTICLE 2 
So she cut off her nose and her legs  Business School makes PowerPoint a Prerequisite?  
and offered them up.   Justin Pope 
  - Purpose: to persuade  
In the casket displayed on satin she lay  - Rather than applications, use of powerpoint 
with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,  - No to technocracy; Yes to creativity  
a turned-up putty nose,  How to make a credible statement: Rhetorical Triangle by 
dressed in a pink and white nightie.  Aristotle 
Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.  - Ethos - credibility (expert at field) 
Consummation at last.  Rose Martinelli, Nicole Chestang, Michael Avidan 
To every woman a happy ending.   - Pathos - emotion (biases) 
1. Speaker: unnamed narrator, 3rd person, impartial  - Logos - logic (statistics) 
objective  Paragraph 6 (lingua franca - dominant language) 
2. Occasion: story of a girl’s life   
 ARTICLE 3 
Why We Keep Stuff: If You Want to Understand People, Take 
Identifying Supporting Details  
a Look at What They Hang On To?  Supporting details 
Caroline Knapp  ● A paragraph consists of a main idea and some 
- Purpose: to entertain  supporting details in a paragraph can also be 
- Rhetorical device used: repetition (the word “stuff”  divided according to their functions: major or 
is repeated 28 times for emphasis, *also for  minor details 
imagery in paragraph 1)  Major details 
- Paragraph 5: “(the National Association of Theater  ● General ideas that support the main idea of a text 
Operators? The Detroit office of the National  ● Reasons, points in an argument, points of 
Transportation Union? Huh?)” - confused, lost,  comparison or further elaborations of a main idea 
trying to be funny  Minor details 
- Tone changes to sentimental and nostalgic in  ● Specifics that illustrate or support the major 
paragraph 6 (thesis): “Granted, the significance of  details 
a pile of old ribbons may be minimal, but I think the  ● Examples, specific details, specific instances, and 
things that people choose to hang on to, and the  statistics 
ways they hang on to them, are quite telling --   
small testimonies to the ways people organize their  Specific signal words are used to introduce major and 
lives on both external and internal levels.”  minor details in paragraphs 
- Paragraph 10: As a hoarder, it’s hard to let go, 
Signal words for   Signal words for  
your stuff become a part of you  major detail  minor detail 
- Paragraph 11: It’s hard to give up stuff because of 
sentimental value  First/Second/Third  For example 
- Paragraph 12 - trying to be funny again 
- Last paragraphs: trying to get audience to relate  One  An example is 
- Tries to be rational but does not follow her advice, 
Another   For instance 
this is not bad because it shows her humanity 
- POV: 1st person  Furthermore   To be specific 
- Perspective is herself (appropriate bc personal 
essay)  Moreover   That is 
 
Next   This means 
Identifying Main Ideas  
Also   A case in point  
● A topic is the general subject of a reading passage 
or text. It is usually written using a word, phrase,  Finally   To illustrate 
or name in each paragraph  
● The main idea, which is written in a sentence, is the  Lastly   To explain  
most important point of the topic. It could either be   
explicit or implicit 
Explicit main idea  
Sentence Errors  
● Supporting ideas further clarify the main idea by  Parallelism  
providing more details  ● Means that words, phrases, and clauses used in 
● A complete sentence that describe the author’s  pairs or groups must all have the same form 
overall purpose for writing the paragraph  ● Verbs must match with verbs, nouns must match 
● To find the explicit main idea, ask yourself this  with nouns, etc. 
question: What is being said about the person,  ● Ex. I have been to Beijing and saw the Summer 
thing, or idea (the topic)?  palace. 
Implicit main idea  ● Verbs have different tenses 
● Implicit main idea is not clearly or directly stated in  ● I have been to Beijing and ​have seen​ the Summer 
any one sentence in a paragraph. It is only  Palace. 
suggested or inferred by the authors   I ​went​ to Beijing and saw the Summer Palace. 
● The implied main idea must be formulated by the  ● She likes to read but not write 
reader  She likes to read but not ​to​ write 
● Re-reading and summarizing the gist of the  ● Brian likes to read, exercise, and watch​ing​ movies  
paragraph are both helpful at this stage of the  Brian likes to read, exercise, and watch movies 
process  ● My car is sporty, economical and ​goes​ very fast.  
 My car is sporty, economical, and very fast.  ● Although Andre sank a perfect basket from half 
● As we neared the airport, you could hear jets   court, the coach’s back was turned 
As we neared the airport, ​we​ could hear jets  ● Andre sank a perfect basket from half court after 
● Please judge me by my words and ​by (my actions)  the coach’s back was turned 
what I do.  ● Never use “, because” 
Please judge me by my words and by my actions   
Please judge me by what I say and by what I do.   Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers 
  ● Modifier; a word or phrase that changes or 
Run-on sentences    describes another word or phrase 
● Is not necessarily long.   ● Dangle: to hang or swing loosely 
● Has 2 or more independent clauses that are joined  ● A modifier is misplaced if it modifies the wrong 
without the correct punctuation or conjunction  word or phrase 
● The speech was long, it lasted for one hour.   ● A modifier is dangling if the word or phrase that is 
The speech was long, lasting for one hour.  supposed to be modified does not appear in the 
The speech was long. It lasted for one hour.   sentence 
The speech was long; it lasted for one hour.  ● After biting 2 children, the police took away our 
- Ex. I walked she ran  dog 
  After biting 2 children, our dog was taken by the 
Fragment   police 
● Andre spinning the ball to show off his skills  ● Having been thrown into the air, the dog caught the 
○ Spinning is not a verb, so you have to  ball 
fragment  When the ball was thrown into the air, the dog  
● As Andre spun the ball to show off his skills.  caught the ball 
(Thought is not complete)  ● Having finished the assignment, the TV was turned 
● Andre spun the ball to show off his skills.  on 
○ Correct one (has subject, a verb, and a  Having finished the assignment, Andre turned the  
complete thought)  tv on 
● Feels like the sentence is dangling or unfinished  - Studying the unappetizing place of food, all 
● A subject, a verb, and a complete thought  appetite was lost  
● I love staying in shape and losing weight, so I  ● Studying the unappetizing place of food, Georgia’s 
exercise every day   appetite was lost. 
● Working on my homework all night. That I didn’t   
have time for any fun 
○ Almost like a sentence, but it lacks a 
Language Use and Mechanics  
subject, a verb, or a complete thought  Examples 
I have been​ working on my homework all night.  ● Include your children when baking cookies  
I was working on my homework all night so I didn’t  ○ Bond with your children while baking 
have time for fun.   cookies 
  ○ Bake cookies alongside your children  
Fused sentences and comma splices   ● Bank Drive-in Window Blocked by Board  
● Andre sank a perfect basket from half court;  ○ Bank Drive-in window, not approved by 
unfortunately the coach’s back was turned  the board of directors 
❏ Period and a capital letter  ● Killer sentenced to die for second time in ten years  
❏ You cannot run together two sentences with no  ○ Killer receives second death sentence  
punctuation  ● Eye Drops off shelf  
❏ Comma and a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS:  ○ Eye drops with prescription are off the 
for and nor but or yet so)  shelf 
❏ Semicolon (use sparingly: 3-4 times max per essay)   
❏ Subordinate conjuctions  In writing academic and formal texts, the following should 
After, although, as, because, before, even though,  be observed 
if, even if, in order that, once, provided that, since,  ● Always use standard English 
so [that implied], so that, than, that, though, unless,  ● Avoid using contractions 
when, whenever, where, wherever, whereas,  ● Avoid using exclamation marks unless they are 
whether, while  part of a direct quotation 
❏ Reduce one of the two clauses to an incomplete  ● Always put the whole name of an abbreviation in 
thought  the first mention Thereafter, use the abbreviation  
 ○ U.S. for United States  ● Hallmark of effective writers is the ability to 
○ No. for number  express the desired message in as few words as 
● Numbers from zero to ten should be spelled and  possible 
the rest should be written in figures  ● Good writers, in other words use language which 
● Common units of time, greater than one second,  is straightforward to the point  
from zero to nine: five minutes, three days   
  Familiar language 
Characteristics of effective language  ● Easily recognize and understood because they use 
● Concrete and specific, not vague and abstract  it on a regular basis 
● Concise , not verbose  ● Language that is foreign and unfamiliar to the 
● Familiar, not obscure  reader tends to emphasize the differences 
● Precise and clear, not inaccurate or ambiguous  between writer and reader, and makes the 
● Constructive not destructive  message difficult to understand 
● Appropriately formal  ● Purpose of writing it to create homophily: sense of 
Transitional device: To smoothly relate ideas between  commonality (using unfamiliar language does not 
sentences/paragraphs  create homophily) 
   
Concrete and specific language  Precise and clear language  
● Includes descriptions which create tangible  ● Why the student body should continue in this state 
images with details the reader can visualize  of apathy is not really understandable 
● Clearer to avoid misinterpretation  ● Our student body is dull and slack-minded 
● Long unnecessary phrases: each and every one, in   
my 15 years of living, etc.  Constructive language 
● As few words as possible  ● Stating phrases that are potentially negative 
● Use language which is straightforward and to the  message in a positive way 
point  ● Destructive language directs blame and criticism 
● Before making a decision about whether the  towards the reader, creating defensiveness 
person on trial is guilty or innocent in this case... =  ● Readers are likely to become defensive when the 
Before deciding on the guilt or innocence of the  writer’s language expresses any or all of the ff: 
suspect…  ○ Superiority over reader 
● Should not be abstract, as it is vague and obscure  ○ Indifference or apathy about an issue of 
and it does not bring into mind specific visual  importance to the reader 
images  ○ Negative evaluation or judgment of the 
● Example of an abstract language  reader (as opposed to neutral 
○ Can be interpreted in many other ways  descriptions or observations) 
○ He is a bad roommate,   ○ Command or control over reader 
He is lazy and discourteous,   ○ Skepticism or doubt about the reader’s 
He is untidy and unclean  credibility or legitimacy of their claims 
He doesn’t clean up his own messes   
He leaves his dirty dishes on the kitchen  Formality of language 
counter  ● Should match the formality of the situation and the 
● Example of a concrete and specific language  relationship between writer and reader 
(based on the example on top)   
○ Less open to multiple interpretations 
○ Your relationship with John is 
Organization  
unacceptable  ● Organization: a well-written text should possess 
You do not get along well with John  the property of being organized. In order to attain 
You and John have a lot of arguments   organization, the flow of ideas must be logically 
You and John insult each other too much   and accurately arranged 
You and John call each other derogatory  ● Deductive: upside down triangle (broad to specific; 
names   main idea last) 
= He is a bad roommate because he is lazy, untidy,  ● Inductive: triangle (specific to broad; main idea 
messy, and disrespectful  first) 
Concise language    
● Short and concrete    
 ○ Future event: it is likely, it looks like its 
Coherence   going to, it will, soon, next week, in the 
● Coherence = to stick together  coming months, in the future, etc. 
○ The logical connections that readers or  ● Cannot be verified because these are based on 
listeners perceive in a written or oral text  beliefs or judgment  
○ The quality of being logically integrated,  ● Expert Opinions are beliefs or judgment of experts 
consistent, and intelligible, congruity  in their field wherein they rely on their knowledge 
○ His story lacked coherence  and experience 
● Continuity = to continue  ● Examples: F or O 
○ An uninterrupted succession or flow; a  ○ Vaping can pose health hazards (O) 
coherent whole  ○ It was reported that some 1000 medical 
○ A continuous flow, series, or succession;  graduates had ended their ambition 
unbroken  ● Words that are used to express judgment include 
● Coherence at essay level  quite, rather, very,too, much, many, more, a bit, 
○ Prewriting  and a little 
■ Generate ideas   
■ Choose appropriate info 
■ Distinguish main points from 
Topic Sentence 
supporting points  ● Is the controlling idea which determines what 
■ Begin to put ideas in order  needs to be included in and excluded from 
(outline)  paragraph  
■ Counter arguments help more  ● A well written para is unified, coherent, and 
○ Thesis  well-developed 
■ Focus on what you will say in the  ● 1 in every paragraph 
essay  ● Declarative  
● The sentences you just wrote will be the topic  ● Thesis Statement 
sentences for your body paragraphs, and will hold  ○ 1 in every essay  
○ Argumentative 
your essay together by  
○ Most important statement in the essay 
○ Tie the body paragraphs to the thesis 
○ Presents the controlling idea 
○ Reinforcing the order of discussion 
Examples 
○ Furthering the discussion 
● Sport is important in maintaining one’s health 
● Building coherent paragraphs 
○ Sports can increase one’s heart rate 
○ Focus on one of the main points in the 
○ Cardiovascular health is improved when 
thesis 
one engages in sports 
○ Explain in detail why/how that point 
○ Oxygen levels are improved in sports 
supports the thesis/your argument 
● Family involvement can influence the academic 
● To do its job effectively, a paragraph has to contain 
success of a student 
certain information 
○ Family members can monitor students’ 
 
performance 
Types of Information  ○ When a student experiences difficulties, a 
Page 63-64 
family member can be a facilitator and 
Facts   counselor 
● Can be proved as true   ○ Family members can also provide financial 
● Correct or true information from reliable sources   assistance to the student 
● They can be verified through experiences,  ● Language can be learnt without a teacher 
researches, observations, or experimentations  ○ A person does not even need to enter a 
Opinions  formal classroom 
● Words used to express opinion are conveyed in  ○ Language skills can be acquired with 
forms of judgment, uncertainty, or the occurrence  adequate exposure and practice 
of future events  ● A tertiary qualification is not a necessity 
○ Judgment: quite, rather, very, too, much,  ○ A person without a tertiary education can 
many, more, a bit, a little, etc.  be successful if he/she is focused 
○ Uncertainty: I think, I believe, in my  ○ If they master the art of comm, they can 
opinion, it seems, it appears, maybe,  survive life without a college degree 
perhaps 
 ○ If he/she is given an opportunity to apply  ● Next week 
what they have learnt in life, they can be  ● In the coming months,  
successful without a tertiary education  ● In future 
● Jogging can sometimes be hazardous   
○ A person can injure themselves without  EXERCISE 
the proper warm-up exercise  Paragraph 1 
○ The safety of the location must be  Inference 
- Diabetes is harmful to the body and is widespread 
considered when jogging 
Conclusion 
○ You must be aware of your surroundings 
- The lack and excess of glucose in the body affects 
when you jog. 
the state of the body resulting into diabetes 
  Paragraph 2 
Inferences   Inference 
- Homeschooling may not be the preferred option for 
Page 65 
all parents 
● A logical conclusion that is based on observation 
Conclusion 
or assumed facts 
- It is up to the parents to enter their child in 
● Mental process by which we read a conclusion 
homeschooling  
based on specific evidence 
Paragraph 3 
● Described as “reading between the lines” 
Inference 
● Logically derived statement from the available 
- Eating right is crucial before exercising  
information 
Conclusion 
● Assumptions based on facts 
- To benefit from a workout, proper food intake is 
● General thing itself 
crucial  
Practice 2.4 on pages 68-69 
 
● Paragraph 2 
○ Inference: Homeschooling may not be the  Essay Building Blocks 
preferred option for all parents 
○ Conclusion: It is up to the parents or  Essay title  
families to make a decision regarding  1. College students easily fall prey to fad diets  
homeschooling  a. Short term diets, long term consequences  
● Paragraph 3  2. Traveling to another country is a great way to 
○ Inference: Eating right is crucial before  learn about one’s own culture 
exercising  3. Standardized testing in elementary school causes 
○ Conclusion: To benefit from a workout,  several problems  
proper food intake is necessary   
  Inference  Conclusion 
Conclusions  Assumptions based on  Takeaway or final idea 
● Drawn by a reader, after thorough thought has  little facts 
been given to the facts and supporting details that 
Read between the lines  Big picture 
are presented by an author in a reading text 
● Next step after giving thoughtful consideration to   
what has been read  Page 97: Practice 2.10: Article 1 
● Can be argued and questioned  ● Topic: Difficulties Faced by University Students 
● Statements are subjective; they are based on  ● Purpose: to inform 
personal feelings, tastes or opinions  ● Tone: objective 
● Take away from the paragraph  ● Main ideas 
● Page 68-69   ○ Students/interest plays a significant role 
To express judgement   in influencing learning difficulty levels 
● Quite, rather, very, too, much, many, more, a bit, 
○ Learning difficulties can be attributed to 
and a little  
language proficiency 
To express uncertainty 
○ Time management 
● I think, I believe, in my opinion, it seems, it appears, 
maybe, and perhaps    
To express a future event    
● It is likely...   
● It looks like it is going to...   
● It will…   
● Soon 
 ● The wrongful appropriation and stealing and 
SQ3R  publication of another author’s language. 
● Reading strategy  Thoughts, ideas, or expressions and the 
● Helps you think about the text you are reading  representation of them as one’s own original work  
● Survey, question, read, recite, review  ● Considered academic dishonestly and a violation of 
● Survey  journalistic ethics 
○ Bird’s eye view   
○ Review the text to gain initial meaning 
from the headings, bolded text, and charts 
Context 
○ Images, headings, etc.  ● Students’ work for a class is expected to reflect 
○ Skimming, taking it all in  their own thinking and effort  
● Question  ● Students who use other people’s ideas and present 
○ Generate questions about your reading  them as their own are not being honest with 
from previewing it  themselves, the teacher, the school, or their fellow 
● Read  students  
○ Look for answers to your questions   
formulated during your preview of the 
text. 
Consequences 
○ These questions, based on the structure  ● Such academic dishonesty is a serious issue and 
of the text, help focus on your reading.  carries serious penalties  
○ Annotating (confusing words, context  ○ A failing grade on the assignment  
clues, etc.)  ○ A failing grade in the class 
● Recite   ○ Suspension from school  
○ Move through the text and recite or  ○ Expulsion from school  
rehearse the answers to your questions  ● Teachers are aware of plagiarism and have ways 
and make notes about your answers for  of detecting it in student work  
later studying  Six steps of paraphrasing  
○ Verbalize (people have different learning  1. Read the sentences you want to paraphrase 
styles)  carefully before writing anything  
● Review  2. In your first sentence, provide the author’s full 
○ You should review the text to answer  name and the name of the work you are 
lingering questions and recite the  paraphrasing from  
questions you have previously answered  3. Paraphrase the sentence. You may combine two or 
● Ex. Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe  more sentences into one concise, paraphrased 
○ SURVEY  sentence of your own  
■ Possible initial questions: Who is  4. Write the paraphrase using your own words, not 
Annabel Lee? Does it have a  the words of the author. Also, be sure to use your 
rhyming scheme? What are some  own sentence structure and style- not too close to 
rhetorical or literary devices?  the original  
○ QUESTION  5. Stay objective. Do not offer your opinion. Do not 
■ Possible questions: Why  add any interpretation  
structure of poem/text is that  6. Include a page citation and or publication 
way, unknown words, context of  information needed.  
the author, etc.   
○ READ  Checklist for a good paraphrase  
■ Analyze and look for answers  1. Check to make sure that you have paraphrased the 
■ Literary devices or patterns  ideas in the original sentence(s) in the same order 
■ Assonance, repetition, imagery,  they were presented  
parallelism, hyperbole,  2. Check to make sure the paraphrase includes all of 
personification, alliteration, etc.  the main ideas and main examples for support 
  from the original sentence(s)  
3. Check to make sure the paraphrase is in your own 
Plagiarism  words and that there are no significant phrases 
that were in the original sentence(s) (no direct 
From the latin word Pladgium - a kidnapping  
quotes, not even partial quotes)  
Plagiarius = kidnapper  
4. Check to make sure the paraphrase is accurate in 
its restatement of the original material and that 
 you have not added any reaction to or opinion 
about the material (restatement is objective)  
5. Make sure you have included the author’s name 
and the title of the original piece at the beginning of 
your paraphrase and included a citation of the 
source at the end 
 
APA WHEN TO CITE  
● Cite when you refer to ideas, theories, or research 
of an author  
● Ensure references cited have been read  
● Provide references for facts and figures  
● Provide a citation for direct quotations 
 
ON SEEING THE 100% PERFECT GIRL ONE BEAUTIFUL APRIL 
MORNING BY HARUKI MURAKAMI 
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE 
● Dependent clause, hanging 
● Hints the reader that there is no finality in the story 
and nothing deep or significant happened 
● Shallow  
 
SOAPSTONE 
SPEAKER 
● The boy 
● 1st person at the start, but 3rd person when it 
nears the end (once upon a time) 
OCCASION 
● Walking in narrow side streets of Tokyo’s Harajuku 
neighborhood in April 
AUDIENCE 
● Young readers 
PURPOSE 
● Tells a story or narration 
● Story of a guy who longs to have courage to 
approach a girl 
● Allows the reader to get inside the thoughts of a 
man 
● His fantasy of love is very shallow since he has 
concluded from seeing the woman 50 yards away 
that she is the 100% perfect girl for him 
● So lonely that he invents a perfect person, realizes 
the reality that he is just a normal and ordinary 
guy 
SUBJECT 
● By chance, a boy passes and recognizes his 100% 
perfect girl and in his hesitation loses her in the 
crowd 
TONE 
● Starts off optimistic and happy but turns sad and 
doubtful,  
● sympathetic, intimate, uplifting, reminiscing, bright 
and hopeful, changes to anxious and regretful 
 
 
   
Reading and Writing Skills Notes (1st quarter)  ● Helps readers make an educated guess by using 
by Georgia Hipolito and Angela Sison  rationale, reasoning skills and the information 
  provided in the text.  
Experience Clue  
Thesis Statement   ● Involves the readers’ experience and prior 
Page 91 and 92  knowledge in understanding a particular context 
● The most important statement in the whole   
essay–without the thesis statement, the essay will 
lose its focus or direction, thus making it confusing  Word Structural Analysis  
and problematic  Words are divided into parts to find the meaning of 
  unfamiliar words  
​Patterns of Development in Writing  Roots 
● A root word, or root, can have a prefix, suffix, or 
Page 30, Unit 1.4 
both added to it.  
Narration 
● Most roots in English are from either Latin or 
● Aims to tell a story in order to explain or illustrate 
Greek 
a point.  
Prefixes 
● Uses transitions of time and space, and may 
● An affix that is added in front of a root words, and 
feature descriptions of people, places,or events to 
it often changes the meaning of the word.  
make the subject interesting and captivating 
● Example: re, un, mis 
● May not have a topic sentence but the idea or 
Suffixes  
theme of the paragraph may appear in the frist or 
● An affix placed after a root word 
last sentence 
● It does not change the meaning of the root word, 
 
but modifies it.  
Identifying Properties of a Well-written Text  ● Can also indicate parts of a speech 
Page 41, Unit 1.5   
● Use of formal writing 
● Academic writing conforms to a specific style and 
Identifying Claims 
tone of writing that is formal, academic, and  Causal argument 
displays certain standards that are not of normal  ● Asserts that there’s a relationship between two 
everyday conversation  events such that one is the effect of the other 
● The language used in academic writing is void of  ● Takes the form of “x causes y” with x referring to 
informal lexical items (vocabulary), slang,  the effect 
contractions, abbreviations, and/or clichés.  ● Provides the premises to support a conclusion 
Instead, more formal structures are applied  about a cause and effect relationship 
● Vocabulary strategies are used to determine the  ● Take a variety of forms, many of which do not use 
meaning of words. Moreover, contextual analysis  the term “cause” 
helps in analyzing the meaning of a word by closely  ● For example, we see that a friend has seemed less 
examining the surrounding text.  talkative recently, and we wonder why 
  ● Do not always use the term “cause” even when we 
Contextual Analysis  mean it. If we say the ice on the road led to the 
● Context clues refer to clues or hints found within a  accident, “led to” has the same meaning as “cause” 
sentence, paragraph or passage which can assist  in this claim 
the readers in understanding the meaning of  ● Again, essential to a causal claim is a relationship 
unfamiliar words  between two events such that one is the effect of 
Definition Clue   the other 
● Informs the reader what a word means by using   
linking words, synonyms, and punctuation marks   Claims in a text 
Example Clue   ● Are argumentative in nature 
● Consists of examples given by the author to explain  ● Represent a person’s or a group’s perspective that 
the meaning of unfamiliar words  must still be proven in order to be considered 
Contrast Clue   factual 
● Consists of antonyms that help readers to  ● Piece of information that a writer believes to be 
determine the meaning of unfamiliar words  true, but must be proven 
Inference Clue   ● Different kinds of claim 
○ Claim of fact 
 ○ Claim of value  ○ If the bell tolls 8 times and the bus arrives, 
○ Claim of policy  you can’t say there’s an 8 o’clock bus 
● Claim of fact  ● Ignoring a common cause 
○ Presents something projected as factual  ○ Sometimes we mistakenly identify one 
or true but is actually debatable  event as the cause of another without 
○ Fact: excessive sugar intake causes  recognizing that they both may be the 
diabetes  effect of the common cause 
○ Claim of fact: Diabetes is the number one  ● Assuming a common cause 
killer disease in the world  ○ We can also make errors in causal 
○ Fact: grades on report cards are a sign of  reasoning when we look too hard for a 
a student’s achievements  common cause 
○ Claim of fact: grades are not the be all and  ○ Ex. blaming everything on a black cat 
end all   ● Appeal to pity 
○ Fact: Climate change is an issue that  ○ An argument that appeals to another’s 
needs to be addressed now  sympathy, not answering the argument 
● Claim of value  ○ Ex. saying that your failing grades are 
○ Subjective because people vary in terms  because you helped your family 
of what they value or cherish  throughout grade school, not being able to 
○ Refers to an argument of how important  print because your mom is tired 
something is  ● Sweeping generalization 
○ Remains to be a claim and argumentative  ○ Asserting a proposition is true because it 
because it may not be true for many  has not been proven false 
people  ○ If 5 people didn’t submit, then the whole 
○ Fact of value: Marrying more than one  class is irresponsible 
spouse is atrocious!  ● Red Herring  
○ Fact of value: Keeping a dog in a cage is an  ○ An irrelevant topic introduced in an 
act of utmost cruelty  argument to divert the attention of 
○ Fact of value: Boxing is a dehumanizing  listeners or readers from the original 
sport  issue  
● Claim of policy  ○ The distractions should be abit related to 
○ Refers to rules, regulations, and  the topic  
processes  ● Non Sequitur  
○ The penalty for drunk driving should be a  ○ Does not follow a logical sequence  
mandatory jail sentence and loss of  ○ The conclusion does not logically follow 
drivers license  the explanation 
○ A chef was teaching a culinary arts class  ● Faulty Analogies  
about the famous Filipino dish adobo. He  ○ Lead to faulty conclusions  
showed them how adding laurel leaves  ○ Writers often use similar situations to 
can enhance the taste.  explain a relationship  
○ To reduce exploitation and  ○ Sometimes, though, these extended 
sensationalism, the news media should  comparisons and metaphors attempt to 
not be allowed to interview victims of  relate ideas or situations that upon closer 
crime and disaster  inspection are not really that similar 
   
Fallacies you must avoid 
● Post hoc ergo propter hoc 
Essential Ingredients of an Argument 
○ Latin phrase that means “after this,  ● Talked about issue is open to debate  
therefore because of this”  ● Should state your position on the issue  
○ We are guilty of this error of reasoning  ● Your reasons for that position should be clearly 
when we claim that x causes y in time.  stated  
Certainly a cause does precede the effect,  ● Evidence to support your reason wherein you can 
but that doesn’t mean that coincidence  cite experience, expert opinions, research and 
along establishes a causal relationship  statistics  
○ If I got an A after eating 8 bars of  Thesis Statement 
chocolate I will get an A again if I do the  ● Lets the readers know the main idea of the paper  
same thing 
 ● Is not a factual statement or an announcement of 
purpose, but a claim that has to be proven 
throughout the paper 
 
Characteristics of a Thesis Statement 
1. It should be argumentative in nature  
2. It should indicate specifically what the essay is 
about 
3. It should be written in complete sentences  
4. It should be a general statement about the essay 
but also be specific enough for the intended length 
of the essay 
 
Structure of a Classical Argument  
● Introduction  
● Thesis Statement  
● Background Information  
● Reasons and evidence 
● The opposing view and the refutation  
● Conclusions  
 
Using A Reasonable Tone  
● Shows you are fair-minded and therefore adds to 
your credibility  
● When you acknowledge the opposition with 
balanced language 
 
Offering A Counterargument  
● Addressing the opposition demonstrates your 
credibility as a writer 
● It shows that you have researched multiple sides 
of the argument and have come to an informed 
decision