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Properties of A Well Written TexT Language Use and Mechanics

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8K views2 pages

Properties of A Well Written TexT Language Use and Mechanics

Uploaded by

Fretz Ael
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Properties of a Well-Written Text: Language Use and Mechanics

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

 Write using direct language and well-balanced statements


 Differentiate properly punctuated texts from poorly punctuated ones
 Explain how language use affect the meaning of the text
Language Use
It is important that you make good choices when it comes to language use because how you use language affects the tone of
the text and the readers’ interpretation of it. Before writing, you have to think about and consider your target audience.
Determine when it is appropriate to use formal language or when informal language is acceptable.
Informal language is usually used in writing for oneself or in writing to family, friends, and colleagues. On the other
hand, formal language is used in writing academic, business, and official texts.
Examples:

 We asked the secretary to call the professor and get her permission for us to continue our research.
 We requested that the secretary contact the professor and obtain her permission for us to continue our research.
Explanation:
In the first sentence, the writer used casual words such as asked, call, and get permission, which made the sentence
informal. The second sentence used more serious words such as requested instead of asked, contact instead of call, and
obtain permission instead of get permission. This sentence is formal and is appropriate to use when talking or writing to a
person of authority.
When you write, you should also make sure that the language you use is **direct  and simple rather than complicated
so that readers would easily understand the text.** If your readers are the youth, then you should use words that are familiar
to young people.
Example:
Why Sunglasses Are a Must-Have for Kids (An Excerpt)
(NewsUSA) Most parents know how damaging the effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) can be to our skin, which is why they
dutifully slather sunscreen on their kids during the summer. But one thing that often gets overlooked is protecting their
children’s eyes. According to vision-care experts, kids receive three times more UV exposure than adults annually, yet less
than 30 percent of parents currently protect their children’s eyes with sunglasses. The reason for concern is that children and
adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the sun’s rays because their ocular lenses are not mature enough to filter UV light
as effectively as adults, causing damage to the retina.
“Everyone buys into what happens to your skin when it comes to sun damage, but many parents are really surprised to learn
about the cumulative UV damage to the eyes,” Dawn Hartman, an optometrist at Columbus Ophthalmology Associates in
Columbus, Ohio, told the Wall Street Journal in an interview. But the right sunglasses can help, as parents become more
aware that protection from the sun is not just skin deep.
Source:
(USA, NEWS USA, 2016)
http://www.copyrightfreecontent.com/health/why-sunglasses-are-a-must-have-for-kids/
Explanation:
The entire text uses simple words. This lets readers easily understand the significance of letting kids wear sunglasses. There
were a few technical scientific terms that were necessary to mention in the text, such as ultraviolet radiation, ocular lenses,
and retina. However, the message of the text is still easy to grasp.

You should also be sensitive enough to use unbiased language so that you will not offend any individual or any
particular group of people. Unbiased language is language that is free of racial bias, free of religious bias, and free of
gender bias.
Examples:

 A teacher should make it a point to motivate her students.


 Teachers should make it a point to motivate their students.
Explanation:
In the first sentence, the pronoun used is she, but teachers may also be male, so the statement shows gender bias. The
second sentence, on the other hand, makes use of the gender-neutral pronoun their, making it unbiased.
Mechanics
Mechanics are conventions that have to be considered in writing. Some of these conventions are  spelling, punctuation,
and capitalization. It is important to know and observe these conventions in writing to avoid confusion.
Spelling
When you write, always make sure that you are consistently using one standard with regard to the spelling of your words.
Remember that there are slight differences in American English spelling and British English spelling.
Examples:

Explanation:
Before writing, think of your target audience. Whether you write using the British or American spelling, it is important to be
consistent in spelling. If you are unsure of the spelling of a word, consult a dictionary or a spell checker.
Punctuation
Punctuation is the act of using a system of symbols such as the comma, period, quotation marks, question marks, etc. that
are used to give structure to and organize a text. The use of punctuation guides the reader regarding how the text should be
read.
Examples:

 I love to paint portraits I would paint one every day if I had the time
 I love to paint portraits. I would paint one every day if I had the time.
 This book is dedicated to my parents, Noel and Corazon.
 This book is dedicated to my parents, Noel, and Corazon.
Explanation:
The first example does not make use of proper punctuation marks, while the second example presents two sentences that
are correctly punctuated. In the third example, the sentence denotes that the author’s parents are Noel and Corazon. In the
fourth example, the use of the serial comma denotes that the book is dedicated to four persons: the author’s mom, the
author’s dad, Noel, and Corazon. The simple act of adding a comma completely changed the meaning of the statement.
Capitalization
Capitalization is the act of writing the first letter of a word in uppercase while the rest of the letters are in lowercase. There are
rules in capitalization that one has to remember. Below are a few examples of words that require capitalization:

 proper nouns
Alex, Manila
 proper adjectives
Canadian

 days of the week


Sunday

 months of the year


January

 specific course titles


Theater 101

 kinship names used in place of personal names and are followed by personal names
Grandma, Dad, Aunt Paz, Uncle Alvin

 adjectives, verbs, adverbs, nouns, and pronouns in a title and the first and last word in a title
 Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (literature)
 And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going (song)

 historical periods, events, documents


 Great Depression, the Renaissance, the Constitution

Keypoints
 Informal language is used in writing for oneself and to family, friends, and colleagues, while formal language is
used in writing academic, business, and official texts.
 Using simple, direct, and familiar language rather than choosing complicated words would make a text easier to
understand.
 Using unbiased language could prevent offending any individual or any particular group of people.
 Mechanics are conventions that have to be considered in writing. Some of these conventions
are punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.

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