NU FAIRVIEW

READING AND
WRITING SKILLS
COURSE MATERIAL #3

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WHAT WILL
YOU LEARN?

This module has been

designed to help you:

 organize your ideas into

writing;

 use coherence to
logically connect ideas;

 use cohesion through

transitional devices to
establish the
relationship between
ideas; and

 evaluate a written text

according to its
properties.

PROPERTIES OF
A WELL-
WRITTEN TEXT

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WHAT’S
LESSON OUTLINE
INSIDE THIS
MODULE?

 Properties of a Well-
 Different techniques in selecting and Written Text
organizing information 
Organization
Cohesion
 Usages of different 
Transitional Devices
 How to use the different techniques in reading
Coherence
and writing skill to achieve particular purpose

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FOCUS
QUESTIONS

 What are the properties

of a well-written text?

 How can ideas be

organized in writing?

 Why is it important to
make a logically coherent
and cohesive text? Properties of a
Well-Written
Text
Now that you have unlocked your first set of achievements
as BOO (Brainstormer, Organizer, Outliner), we move on to
the next level. As you know, organizing a large pool of data
(such as information from essays and news articles) will be
totally useless if you do not know the principles, i.e., how,
and why we do it. A discourse material (e.g. essay, article,
book chapter, etc.) must possess certain properties to achieve
the objective of their composition: to effectively deliver the
message that they are trying to convey to a certain audience.
This two-part CM will make you understand just that. Part 1
will deal with Organization, Cohesion, and Coherence,
which tackles why you need to organize acquired
information, as well as to connect different thoughts into one
united piece so that your readers clearly understand your
train of thought.

Part 2 will deal with Mechanics and Language Use, which

discuss why you need to go back to your basic punctuations,
capitalizations, spelling, and other technical aspects of
writing, as well as words specific only for a particular
community.

Let’s get to work then!

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KEY POINT

A well-thought-of essay, although

functional, informative, and

Organization objective, will be worthless if the

information enclosed therein is not
organized properly. Organizing your
ideas in a logical manner helps your
readers understand your text
After gathering information and generating your ideas, clearly.
you are now left with a multitude of resources to write
about. What do you write about first? Which ideas go
together? What information can you omit, and what
other information do you need to add? You may be
overwhelmed with these questions, making writing
your essay even more challenging than it already is.

This is where organization will come to your rescue.

We all need order in our lives, and that includes our
writing, too!

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. Simply put, organization is developing your
ideas into a logical and sensible pattern.

Cenizal-Raymundo (2016) defines organization as the

effective strategic plotting of ideas in a text. Just like
what we did with the definition of graphic organizers
in the previous CM, let’s chop the definition into three
keywords:

Effective, a writer does not live on organizing

information alone; s/he must be able to organize such
thoughts, concepts, and facts in a way that it will be
easily understood by everyone regardless of their level
of comprehension.
Strategic plotting, organizing information is
deliberately decided, depending on the need of those
who may read your essay, article, or any other
discourse material you are asked to make.
Ideas, the root of it all. Remember that the reason we
organize ideas is to easily understand them should we
need them right now, or in the future.

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Let’s not go too far. Take this CM (and your other CMs, in
this case) as an example of a highly organized discourse
material. You are given a topic outline at the first page to see
what to expect inside. Also, the manner of how your lectures
are presented are strategically placed. The lessons which are
easier to understand are always taught first, then it gets
harder as you progress until the end. The fact that you are
first given a lecture before you are asked to do a specific
activity is also an indicator that this CM is an organized piece
of text.

This organizational pattern is called the IBC format,

standing for Introduction (the overview and the pre-test),
Body (the lectures themselves), and Conclusion (the
summary, activities, and the learning output). This is also the
most common organizational pattern when writing an essay.

Aside from brainstorming lists, GOs, outlines, and the IBC

format, there are other ways to organize your information
when writing essays and other discourse materials, namely:

a. Topic subordination
Commonly applied to paragraphs (which, when
combined, make up the whole essay/discourse
material), topic subordination is the explicit
highlighting of the topic sentence, and the
supporting details which are clipped onto it.

Suppose you want to define the term “vlog” as a topic

for your essay. For you to successfully introduce the
term to your prospective readers, you may want to
establish the definition itself first, turning it into your
topic sentence in the process. After you have
established the definition, you may want to give some
supporting details to augment the argument being
presented in the topic sentence. Refer to the example
below:

A vlog is a form of blog for which the medium is a video,

and is a form of web television, as defined by New
England Film (2006). The word itself is the condensation of
two separate terms, “video” and “blog” (or “log”,
depending on what you wish to believe).
Observe closely: the first sentence is the topic
sentence, since it introduces you to what a vlog is. The
sentence that comes after it is its supporting detail; it
gives you an idea about the origin of the term.

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b. Generalization to specification
This organizational pattern allows you to expand
the reach of the thought that you present in your
topic sentences by giving examples.

Let’s go back to the definition of “vlog” above. If I

want to give additional supporting details about it,
I can do so by giving some examples of vlogs, as
well as the people and/or institutions that allow
people to share their vlogs. This is executed in the
example below.

A vlog is a form of blog for which the medium is a

video, and is a form of web television, as defined
by New England Film (2006). The word itself is the
condensation of two separate terms, “video” and
“blog” (or “log”, depending on what you wish to
believe). There are many kinds of vlogs, such as
personal vlogs, where you can share personal
experiences of any kind and topic; informative
vlogs, such as news, general knowledge,
debates, and trivia; instructional vlogs, such as DIY
videos, item unboxings, and make-up tutorials;
and novelty vlogs such as pranks and jokes. The
most famous platforms where you can share your
vlogs are YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion,
where the views that your vlogs get are
monetized at certain rates.

The additional sentences, if you will observe, now

contain more supporting details, which solidifies
your knowledge of what vlogs are. Maybe you can
now explain to your mother how they work and
start your own. 😉

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LEARNING ACTIVITY
Yay! or Nay?

Below are certain statements related to the property of

Organization. Your objective is to determine if they are correct,
or not. If it’s correct, simply write “Yay!” on the blank; otherwise,
write “Nay?” if the statement is not correct, and write a
“correction” afterwards.

________1. Graphic organizers are not good examples of how

to properly organize text.

________2. When introducing a new idea, the supporting

details come first before the topic sentence.

________3. The mode of organization of ideas is dependent on

the aim of the writer.

________4. Organization is limited to paragraphs only.

________5. Organizing information must not only be well-

polished, but effective as well.

Great! Now that your mind is more than organized (pun

intended), let’s get to the other properties!

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KEY POINT

Discourse materials must not

only be organized on the

Cohesion outside (through the different

organizational patterns) but
also be organized from the
inside through a smooth flow
of thoughts.
Cohesion is the second property that you need to look for
to evaluate whether a text is well-written or not. Halliday
and Hasan define it as the fluid connection of ideas
between sentences and paragraphs (1975).

The never-ending thoughts and ideas that we read about

and write every day must be fluid, like water connected
through pipes of various degrees so they can flow in a
single, unified direction all throughout your household.
And to do that in reading and writing different texts, we
enlist the use of transitional devices. When you were in
your Elementary and Junior High School years, they were
simply called conjunctions. Sure, the FANBOYS mnemonic
(For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So) is still correct and
applicable, but since you’re in Senior High School, you
must broaden your scope.

We could also look at it in another way. From the root word

“cohere” which means “to stick together”, cohesion sticks
the ideas in sentences together to become grammatically
and logically correct. Imagine that your essay is a tall
building which was built by using the right bricks. The
cement that holds the bricks together represent cohesion,
and the finished building is now the coherent essay. Your
paragraphs must be cohesive as cement and fluid as water
at the same time!

Below are more examples of transitional devices for specific

purposes:

Sequence
again, also, and, and then, besides, finally, first,
second, third, furthermore, last, moreover, next, still,
too

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Time
after a few days, after a while, afterward, as long as, as
soon as, at last, at that time, before, earlier, immediately, in
the meantime, in the past, lately, later, meanwhile, now,
presently, simultaneously, since, so far, soon, then,
thereafter, until, when

Comparison
again, also, in the same way, likewise, once more, similarly

Contrast
although, but, despite, even though, however, in contrast,
in spite of, instead, nevertheless, nonetheless, on the
contrary, on the one hand . . .on the other hand,
regardless, still, though, yet

Examples
after all, for example, for instance, indeed, in fact, of
course, specifically, such as, the following example, to
illustrate

Cause and Effect

accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this
reason, hence, if . . . then, since, so, then, therefore,
thereupon, thus, to this end

Place
above, adjacent to, below, beyond, closer to elsewhere,
far, farther on, here, near, nearby, opposite to, there, to the
left, to the right

Concession
although it is true that, granted that, I admit that, it may
appear that, naturally, of course

Summary, Repetition, or Conclusion

as a result, as has been noted, as I have said, as mentioned
Michael Alexander Kirkwood earlier, as we have seen, in any event, in conclusion, in
(M.A.K.) Halliday other words, in short, on the whole, therefore, to summarize
13 Apr 1925 – 15 Apr 2018

British linguist who studied and made

known the concept of cohesion in the
English language in the mainstream in
1976, with the help of his wife, Indian-
born linguist Ruqaiya Hasan.

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LEARNING ACTIVITY
The Weakest Link
Below are sets of sentences with their transitional
devices boldfaced and underlined. Your objective is to
determine whether that device is appropriate to be used
in that particular set or not. If it’s appropriate, write
“Strongest Link” after the set. If it’s inappropriate, write
“Weakest Link”, then suggest the appropriate transitional
device.

Example:
X. The British are very well-known to have fun in their own
unique ways. Although, if the average British citizen is not
seen with a soccer ball in the pitch, he is seen holding a trio
of steel-tip darts ready for a quick match.
Answer: Weakest Link
Suggestion: In fact

1. The sport known as “Darts” can be considered as a

landmark indicator of British culture. It traces its
roots to 1860s England. Evidently, it is considered
as a proud symbol of the British working class as it
is commonly seen in pubs, where workers usually
stop for a drink after working 9 to 5.
Answer:
Suggestion:

2. A game of darts is called a “leg”, wherein a darts

player needs to score five hundred and one (501)
points to complete it. For the same reason, when
you complete three (3) legs, you get to win a “set”.
Answer:
Suggestion:

3. Dart boards are originally made from wood.

Specifically, elm was the wood of choice. Although
players and pub owners noticed that holes kept
accumulating on the board, besides, they have to
procure new dart boards to satisfy their customers.
Nowadays, dart boards are made of fibers from the
sisal plant, which heal themselves after being struck
by a dart.
Answers:
Suggestions:

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KEY POINT

Cohesion occurs when ideas are

connected at the sentence level;
coherence, at the conceptual
level.
Coherence
In addition to the fact that all of your sentences and
paragraphs must be interconnected to each other, the whole
text itself (the essay, the book, this CM, whatever else) must
be able to make a connection with the reader. This specific
connection is called coherence. The moment your essay fails
to connect with the reader is the moment you must realize
that there is something wrong with your sentences and
paragraphs. Your pipes may have leaks that you need to fix
immediately. No cohesion, definitely no coherence.

You can achieve coherence through these ways:

a. connecting old and new information

As facts are created and changed every day, you must
be able to connect with the reader by providing both
sides of the coin: what was said then, and what is
proven now. This is highly effective when you write
informative and argumentative essays, where facts are
the stars of the show.

b. contextualization of content
You must also be able to make a connection with your
readers by tailor-fitting your content to what they
want/what they are interested with.

c. meaning making
Your readers must be able to make sense of what you
have said.

Coherence, in other words, refers to the overall sense of

unity in a passage, including both the main point of
sentences and the main point of each paragraph. A coherent
passage focuses the reader’s attention on the main ideas and
the specific people, things, and events you are writing about.
Coherence reflects the quality of a writer’s text, and this is
judged by a reader depending on how well they understood
the text, based, in turn, on how well it was written.

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Remember the topic sentence? This sentence contains the
main topic of the paragraph. All your supporting
sentences should come from this topic sentence.
Basically, focus is the key.

Let’s read and analyze the paragraph to the right and

check how the sentences are related to each other.

(1) Throughout most of my school days my eyes

failed to focus correctly when reading. (2)
Consequently, I saw different symbols every time I
read a sentence. (3) As a result, the printed page
was a chaotic kaleidoscope of constantly
changing letters that made no sense. (4) For
example, when reading the last sentence, I
would see: “A tters made sense,” or “As le ter that
made no ense,” or “Letters mad no sens,”
depending on how my eyes focused on a
sentence. (5) After my eye problem was
corrected, my real problems began because it
was assumed that I could now read like everyone
else. (6) This was a big mistake that overlooked
the psychological effects created by my visual
disability. (7) Most importantly, I was left doubting
my understanding when reading unfamiliar
material while teachers began to give me
increasingly complex material to read.

The writer introduces the topic of the paragraph in the

first sentence, then creates a connection of cause and
effect with the use of “consequently” at the beginning of
the next sentence. Sentence 3 creates coherence by
creating another cause and effect relationship with the
phrase, “as a result”, and by referring to the previous
sentence. Sentence 5 creates a narrative relationship
between events with the use of “after” and the repetition
of a key concept (eye problem) from the topic sentence.
The writer then creates coherence in sentence 6 by using
GOAL CHECK
the pronoun “this” to refer to an event described earlier
in sentence 5. Finally, the circle is completed in sentence
Beware, for in your knowledge of
7 by referring to another key idea in his topic sentence, transitional devices, you might get
that of reading. excited to use them every chance
you get, or in every sentence you
The paragraph above shows how all of the sentences are write. You don’t have to. That reeks
related to each other based on a cause and effect of amateurism. As in the exercise of
paragraph arrangement. All the supporting sentences are power, the key is knowing when to
connected and related to the topic sentence which is the use them and when to leave them
first sentence of the paragraph. well enough alone.

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LEARNING ACTIVITY
Confidently Coherent and
Correct

Now that you have seen the importance of cohesion as a

property of a well-written text, let’s now focus on coherence.
The article titled “Embodiment (and disembodiment)”
accompanies this file in our Class Materials folder. Read it in
its entirety then use the table below to list down the
transitional devices you have identified throughout the text
and the sentences they are found in.

PARAGRAPH # TRANSITIONAL DEVICES

First As well as… (3rd sentence)
Second

Third

Afterwards, answer the following questions which will help

you make a stand on whether the text you have read is a
coherent one or not.

1. Did you understand the main topic of the text? What

could the main topic of the text be?

2. What were the supporting details given?

3. What were some statements/arguments that caught

your attention while reading the text? Why did they
catch your attention?

4. Summing up your answers from the previous

questions, do you consider the text coherent? Why or
why not?

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Cohesion vs. KEY POINT

It is difficult to achieve coherence if

Coherence the text is not cohesive in the first

place. You can have a wall of
cement stuck solidly together that
may not fit in a building, but you
More or less, it was not that challenging for you to can’t have a building where the
identify the correct transitional devices in the previous pieces don’t fit perfectly all along.
activities. In fact, as you were reading, some of you may
already have the possible answers in mind, without
having to look back on the list of transitional devices
given. This is because your basic knowledge of grammar
and sentence construction are the foundations of
cohesion.

That being said, coherence and cohesion are closely

related with only a subtle difference that separates them.
Take note that coherence is a result, while cohesion is the
process (cohesion = cement; coherence = building).
Coherence occurs when the reader understands the text
because the writer uses cohesive devices/words that
“stick” or connect the ideas logically together.

Let’s take a look at the paragraphs below.

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.
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."

The first paragraph is cohesive due to the use of

antecedents, that is, words that are referred to by
proforms such as pronouns or other succeeding words.
The mention of the color blue in the first sentence is
succeeded by another mention of the same color in the
second sentence, thereby establishing a link, albeit a
weak one because the color has now become,
inexplicably, a car. The cohesion of the rest of the
sentences rests on the topic of driving and cars.

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However, there is still a jarring in the mind of the reader

because the link between the blue color and the blue car has
not been established clearly. By contrast, the second
paragraph still uses antecedents and appropriate proforms,
and it also talks about only one subject: the color blue and its
associations with calmness and relaxation.

As you have read, it is an easy mistake to write cohesively

but miss out on writing coherently. However, it is difficult to
write coherently without writing cohesively first. Cohesion
is determined by lexically and grammatically overt inter-
sentence relationships, whereas coherence is based on
semantic (meaningful, logical) relationships.

Here is a table for a recap:

Cohesion Property Coherence

interconnect one connect the text
sentence to with the
What does it
another; one reader/intended
paragraph to
intend to do? audience
another
- transitional - usage of old
devices and new
(conjunctions) information
-references/ -
How will it be
antecedents contextualization
-substitution
achieved? of content
-diversity of - meaning-
choice of words making
(lexical cohesion)

Other materials may have the terms unity, coherence, and

emphasis instead to refer to the properties of a well-written
text. In this case, cohesive devices unite the sentences
together to achieve coherence and your order of
organization ensures that what you place prominently or
predominantly in the paragraph is what you emphasize.

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LEARNING OUTPUT
SO EaSSAY!
For this output, you will highlight the best things about your
strand. Be ready to prepare some facts to back up your
ideas.

What to do: Write at least a three-paragraph essay.

What it means: You have to “promote” your strand with

data and facts through research.

What do I expect: Your ideas should be organized,

cohesive, and coherent. Use the techniques discussed such
as using the appropriate transitional devices.

When to submit: Add this to your online portfolio and

submit on the next meeting.

A. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In your own words and understanding, define

coherence and think of some ways to improve this in
your writing.
2. Define cohesion and think of ways to improve it.
3. What are ways by which you can organize your
ideas?
4. Why is organization an essential part of writing?
5. How can you prepare your ideas before you write
them? For the most commonly used
transitional devices, check this
article from Purdue OWL:
B. WRITING WORKSHOP
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_
A separate PDF worksheet will be sent via email, so you writing/mechanics/transitions_and
can access it separately and work on your own.  _transitional_devices/transitional
_devices.html

Practice makes for

proficiency!

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SUMMARY

What are the properties of a well-written

text?
Some of the properties of a well-written text include
organization, cohesion, and coherence.

How can ideas be organized in writing?

Ideas can be organized through the IBC format, topic
subordination, and generalization to specification.
Decisions made regarding these must always consider
purpose and emphasis.

Why is it important to make a logically

coherent and cohesive text?
A cohesive text unites the sentences together through
KEY TERMS grammatical structures to make a logically coherent text
that will be meaningful to readers.

Antecedent
Coherence
Cohesion
Emphasis
Generalization to
specification
IBC format
Organization
Topic sentence
Topic subordination
Transitional devices
Unity

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References
Cenizal-Raymundo, H. (2016). Reading and Writing Skills. Makati City: DIWA Learning Systems,
Inc.

“Coherence.” (n.d.). In Literary Terms. Retrieved from https://literaryterms.net/coherence/

Halliday, M., & Hasan, R. (1975). Cohesion in English. London: Longman.

Mabini Colleges. (n.d.). “Properties of A Well-Written Text: Make Your Paragraphs Effective.” In
Course Hero. Retrieved from https://www.coursehero.com/file/57317257/Properties-of-a-
Well-Written-Text-MODULEdocx/

Min, Y. (n.d.). “Coherence and Cohesion.” In University of Washington: Bothell. Retrieved from
https://www.uwb.edu/wacc/what-we-do/eslhandbook/coherence

Purdue University. (n.d.). Transitional Devices. Retrieved from Purdue University Online Writing
Lab: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/
transitions_and_transitional_devices/transitional_devices.html

“Sample of a coherent paragraph.” (n.d.) Retrieved from http://write-

site.athabascau.ca/documentation/Sample%20of%20a%
20coherent%20paragraph.pdf

Tan, M. (n.d.). “Properties of A Well-Written Text.” In Academia.edu. Retrieved from

https://www.academia.edu/34256187/READING_AND_WRITING_
First_Quarter_Period_PROPERTIES_OF_A_WELL_WRITTEN_TEXT#:
~:text=Language%20Use%20must%20always%20consider,%2C%
20Language%20Use%2C%20and%20Mechanics.

“Understanding Coherence and Cohesion.” (n.d.) In MacMillan Education. Retrieved from

https://nyelvkonyvbolt.hu/uploads/files/ImproveFirstUse.pdf

Van Loon, J. (2007). Media Technology: Critical Perspectives. McGraw-Hill. Last accessed Aug
14, 2020 from https://epdf.pub/media-technology-critical-perspectives.html

Wyson, J. (2018). English for Academic and Professional Purposes. Quezon City: Phoenix
Publishing House.

CONTRIBUTORS
Erika Gin C. Constantino

Ma. Carmie Flor I. Ortego

Maria Carina T. Pontanar

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