for us to continue our research. b.

We requested that the secretary contact the

PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT professor and obtain her permission for us to continue our research.)
Mechanics and Language Use • 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
LANGUAGE USE. It enables writers to effectively communicate ideas without confusing the your readers are the youth, then you should use words that are familiar to young
reader. This is how the text is structured, the grammatical features and the word choice. people.
Proper language use allows you to capture the message that you want to convey to your • You should also be sensitive enough to use unbiased language so that you will not
readers. It is all about choosing the right words that accurately capture your ideas. offend any individual or any particular group of people. Unbiased language is
• Misused Words. A writer might sometimes use a word incorrectly, and this occurs language that is free of racial bias, free of religious bias, and free of gender bias. (A
when the word does not mean what he or she thinks it does. So, it is important to be teacher should make it a point to motivate her students. Teachers should make it a
certain of the definition of a word before using it; this often happens with words that point to motivate their students.)
sound or look alike. • Distinguish facts from opinions.
Example: There are many behaviors that past societies considered legal but are now • Include supportive statements when necessary.
deemed amoral including slavery, sexism, and racism. (The writer confused the word • Choose your words carefully.
“amoral” with “immoral.” The former means neither moral nor immoral (without moral • Avoid using words like “always” and “never”—these box the writer in and create
quality) while the latter means not moral. Sometimes, it is easy to guess the correct finality
meaning of a word just by looking at how it is spelled. The prefix a- signals that • Avoid “blanket words” (word/phrase that is used to describe multiple groups of
something is without such as in “anarachy” (without a government) or “atypical” related things; eg. Vehicles, racial groups, computer)
(without typical features). On the other hand, the prefix im- simply means not such as
in “imperfect” (not perfect) or “impossible” (not possible).) MECHANICS. - focuses on the technicalities of the structure. It refers to the conventions of
• Words with Unwanted Connotations. There are words that take on a meaning specific writing which include capitalization, punctuation, spelling, numerals, abbreviations,
to a context. Some writers might not be aware of these connotations, so they end up acronyms and contractions. They are not simply rules that we must memorize and follow;
using language that is unintentionally confusing, comical or even offensive to readers. they are specific signals to the reader. These mechanics are used to determine meaning
Example: The coast guard salvaged Priscilla and her sister after their fishing boat was and to clarify intent. It is possible to change the connotation of a sentence by altering
damaged in the storm. (The word “salvage” means to save usually from the wreckage punctuation and/or capitalization.
of a marine vessel. However, the Philippine media and police often use the term to • Spelling. When you write, always make sure that you are consistently using one
mean a violent killing, which is opposite from its traditional English meaning. It comes standard with regard to the spelling of your words. Remember that there are slight
from the Spanish word “salvaje” that has a meaning similar to “savage.” Thus, if the differences in American English spelling and British English spelling.
writer produced this text for a Filipino audience, the meaning that he or she intended
would be lost. Using the word “saved” or “rescued” would remedy the issue.)
• Technical or Highfalutin Words. Writers want to sound smart by using words that are
very technical or have deep meanings. Though some writing genres require the use of
such words, writers should still be careful about using them since they make readers
work harder to understand texts. Example: There is an ongoing discourse about the
antidisestablishment assemblage and the administrative political body. (The text is
complicated because it is filled with words that are difficult to understand. If the terms
are important to use, then the writer could define what they mean. Otherwise, the
sentence could be rewritten simply this way: There is an ongoing discussion between
the opposition and the government. This sentence still “sounds smart” but it is easier
for most people to understand and it does not change the meaning of the original
sentence in any way.)
• Determine when it is appropriate to use formal language or when informal language is
acceptable. (a. We asked the secretary to call the professor and get her permission
 Everyone on the team supports the coach.
• Punctuation. It is the act of using a system of symbols such as the comma, period, 5. However, a few indefinite nouns such as ALL, ANY, NONE and SOME may be
quotation marks, question marks, etc. that are used to give structure to and organize singular or plural DEPENDING on the noun or pronoun they refer to.
a text. The use of punctuation guides the reader regarding how the text should be Some of our luggage was lost.
read. (a. I love to paint portraits I would paint one every day if I had the time. b. I None of his advice makes sense.
love to paint portraits. a. I would paint one every day if I had the time. This book is 6. Make the verb agree with its subject even when the subject follows the verb.
dedicated to my parents, Noel and Corazon. b. This book is dedicated to my parents, There are surprisingly few children in our neighborhood.
Noel, and Corazon.) There were a social worker and a crew of twenty volunteers at the scene of the
• Capitalization is the act of writing the first letter of a word in uppercase while the rest accident.
of the letters are in lowercase. There are rules in capitalization that one has to 7. Words such as athletics, economics, measles and news are usually SINGULAR,
remember. Below are a few examples of words that require capitalization: (proper despite their plural form.
nouns: Alex, Manila; proper adjectives: Canadian; days of the week: Sunday; months Statistics is among the most difficult courses in our program.
of the year: January; specific course titles: Theater 101; kinship names used in place 8. Titles of works, company names, words mentioned as words, and gerund phrases
of personal names and are followed by personal names: Grandma, Dad, Aunt Paz, are SINGULAR.
Uncle Alvin; adjectives, verbs, adverbs, nouns, and pronouns in a title and the first Lost Cities describes the discoveries of many ancient civilizations.
and last word in a title: Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There Delmonico Brothers specializes in organic produce and additive-free meats.
(literature), And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going (song); historical periods, events, 9. Treat collective nouns (e.g. team, audience, crowd, class, family) as SINGULAR
documents: Great Depression, the Renaissance, the Constitution unless the meaning is clearly plural
• Parts of Speech 1. SINGULAR
✓ He often plays the trumpet. Collective nouns nearly always emphasize a group as a UNIT.
✓ Do you like dogs? The class respects the teacher.
✓ They listen to music every day. The board of trustees meets in Denver twice a year.
✓ She is an old lady. 2. PLURAL
✓ The group went climbing in the mountains. Occasionally, a collective noun is treated as plural to draw attention to the
✓ This is a fast car. INDIVIDUAL members of the group.
✓ He did well in the test. The class are debating amongst themselves.
✓ My father drives carefully. If that is the case, it is better to change it to:
✓ Has your father ever been to Australia? The class members are debating amongst themselves.
✓ Whoa! This is amazing. • Homophones, Homonyms, Homographs
✓ Can you please pick up Dan and me on your way home?
• Subject-Verb Agreement
1. In the present tense, verbs agree with their subjects in NUMBER (singular/plural)
and in PERSON (first, second, or third). The present tense ending –s (or –es) is
used on a verb if the subject is THIRD PERSON SINGULAR.
2. Make the verb agree with its subject, not with the word in between.
High levels of pollution cause damage to the respiratory tract.
3. With subjects joined with or, nor, either…or, or neither… nor, make the verb
agree with the part of the subject NEARER to the verb
A driver’s license or credit card is required.
4. Treat most indefinite pronouns as SINGULAR.
Anybody Each Everyone Nobody Somebody
Anyone Either Everything No one Someone
Anything Everybody Neither Nothing Something
Everybody who signed up for the snowboarding trip was taking lessons.
❖

Activity 3. Read the statements below that contain underlined erroneous phrases. Identify
the structural device that makes each erroneous.

Activity 1. Revise the paragraph below applying the properties of a well-written text.
1. The exhausted runner, his shoes worn down and his legs aching, was crossing the
A deep 1.____(mechanics) low moan – ghostly but unmistakably human – finish line when he collapsed.
rolled up from the bowels of the earth. 2. _____there (mechanics) was for one
moment, my brother recalls, a stillness like doom upon all of them. Then everybody 2. The teacher still had to grade a pile of papers that were stacked high after spending
was running, running…. A great shadow passed beside my brother. It 3. ______ (verb) hours on them.
a horse. The moan persisted, even over the sound of thumping boots and 4._____
raced (parallelism) hoofs. Now my brother passed the horse, and burst through the 3. She doesn't like to eat pizza or to watch movies.
barbed wire fence. He flung himself down the lane 5. ____ (conjunction) plunged
through the doorway of our house then hugged himself close to the dying coals in the 4. The Great Gatsby is a well-known novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
fireplace. An hour passed before he began to cry. -Jim Barnes

Activity 2: Redundancy Exercises. In the following sentences underline the redundant 5. The cake, which was decorated with colorful icing, and the cookies, were placed on
expression, and then revise the sentences to eliminate redundancy. the table.
1. Her handbag was square in shape.
2. The consensus of opinion on the basic fundamentals created the shortest meeting of 2. We have seen the movie last weekend.
the year.
3. If you refer back to the day of March 18 at eight o’clock in the morning, you will 3. She loves to sing, dance, and to play the piano.
recall seeing a woman wearing a dress that was red in color gather together her
belongings before crossing the street. 4. The new student asked if they could join the club during the first meeting.
4. Even though she had performed the operation a numerous number of times, she still
reviewed the basic essentials each and every day. 5. I can’t hardly wait for the concert tomorrow!
5. Advance planning can avoid total destruction of a historical site.
6. Fruit at Winn Dixie may possibly be cheaper in cost than fruit in Publix, but 6. Having finished her homework, Sarah went to bed early. The next morning, he was
nevertheless it is of poorer quality. surprised by the test.

Eliminate Wordiness. Rewrite the ones seem too wordy.

7. The pies were baked by the parents of the second graders.
8. The office manager wanted all the memos to be typed. She wanted all the memos to
be typed so that they would be easy to read.
9. One time when I went to the park, my friend, whose name is Jake, went with me and
we had fun.
10. The dog was walked by the girls who were sisters.