STUDY GUIDE 1.pdf

The Basic Principles of Effective Writing VARIETIES OF ENGLISH/ LEVELS OF FORMALITY/ BENEFITS OF PARAGRAPH WRITING/ WRITING AS A SKILL ENG 8 – Week 1 (A.Y. 2023-2024) Introduction Writing does not have to be an excruciating experience for you, most especially if you open yourself to learning...

The Basic Principles of Effective Writing VARIETIES OF ENGLISH/ LEVELS OF FORMALITY/ BENEFITS OF PARAGRAPH WRITING/ WRITING AS A SKILL ENG 8 – Week 1 (A.Y. 2023-2024) Introduction Writing does not have to be an excruciating experience for you, most especially if you open yourself to learning how it can be done. A lot of students are intimidated by the idea of writing lengthy texts for fear of using the wrong words, faulty grammar, and writing down incoherent thoughts, among others. In this class, together we will learn the basic English writing principles you ought to master in order to become more confident with our writing outputs. ENGLISH 8: BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2 1  OBJECTIVES: This week we want to be able to: 1. Find out the basic principles of effective writing; 2. Learn the different varieties of English; 3. Find out the different levels of formality; 4. Understand the benefits of paragraph writing; and 5. Understand writing as a skill. Let’s Begin THE 4 BASIC PRINCIPLES TO WRITE EFFECTIVELY English teaches us four simple ways to make our writing better and a little bit easier to do at the same time. Keeping these in mind every time we write something will simplify the task and guide us in making an understandable paragraph. 1. Start with a clearly stated point. 2. Provide logical, detailed support for your point. 3. Organize and connect your supporting material. 4. Revise and edit so that your sentences are effective and error-free. If you want to communicate effectively with readers, you must provide solid evidence for any point you make. An important difference between writing and talking is this: In writing, any idea that you advance must be supported with specific reasons or details. Below is a paragraph written by a student name Gene Here, about his worst job. A paragraph is a short paper of 150-200 words. It usually consists of an opening point called a topic sentence followed by a series of sentences supporting that point. My Job in an Apple Plant Working in an apple plant was the worst job I ever had. First of all, the work was physically hard. For ten hours a night, I took cartons that rolled down a metal track and stacked them onto wooden skids in a tractor trailer. Each carton contained twenty-five pounds of bottled apple juice, and they came down the track almost nonstop. The second and feature of the job was the pay. I was getting the minimum wage at that time, $3.65 an hour, plus a quarter extra for working the night shift. I had to work over sixty hours a week to get ENGLISH 8: BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2 2 decent take-home pay. Finally, I hated the working conditions. We were limited to two ten- minute breaks an unpaid half hour for lunch. Most of my time was spent outside on the loading dock in near-zero-degree temperatures. I was very lonely on the job because I had no interests in common with the other truck loaders. I felt this isolation especially when the production line shut down for the night, and I spent two hours by myself cleaning the apple vats. That vats were an ugly place to be on a cold morning, and the job was a bitter one to have. Notice what the details in this paragraph do. They provide you with a basis for understanding WHY the writer makes the point that is made. Through this specific evidence, the writer has explained and successfully communicated the idea that this job was his worst one. The evidence that supports the point in a paragraph often consists of a series of reasons followed by examples and details that support the reasons. That is true of the paragraph above: three reasons are provided, with examples and details that back up those reasons. Supporting evidence in a paper can also consist of anecdotes, personal experiences, facts, studies, statistics, and the opinions of experts. ENGLISH 8: BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2 3  ACTIVITY GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS: When you are through answering all the activities contained in this Study Guide, save your document in PDF format and email to [email protected]. To those who opted to handwrite their answer, please take a clear photo of your work and sent to me via Messenger or email. ACTIVITY 1: The paragraph on the apple plant, like almost any piece of effecting writing, has two essentials parts: (1) a point is advanced, and (2) that point is then supported. Taking a minute to outline the paragraph will help you understand these basic parts clearly. Add the words needed to complete the outline. (7 pts.) Point: Working in an apple plant is the worst job I ever had. Reason 1: a. Loaded cartons onto skids for ten hours a night b. Reason 2: a. b. Had to work sixty hours for decent take-home pay. Reason 3: a. Two ten-minute breaks and an unpaid lunch b. c. Loneliness on the job (1) No interests in common with other workers (2) By myself for two hours cleaning the apples ENGLISH 8: BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2 4  ACTIVITY 2: See if you can complete the statements below. 1. An important difference between writing and talking is that in writing we absolutely must any statement we make. 2. A is made up of a point and a collection of specifics that support the point. ACTIVITY 3: This time, you will write your own paragraph on the worst thing you were asked to do at home. Provide three reasons why you think it was the worst thing asked of you to do, and give plenty of details to develop each of your three reasons. Notice that the same paragraph, “My Jo in an Apple Plant,” has the same format as your paragraph should have. The author: 1. States a point in his first sentence 2. Gives three reasons to support the point 3. Introduces each reason clearly with signal words (First of all, Second, and Finally) 4. Provides details that develop each of the three reasons Write you paragraph as clearly as you can, following the outline mentioned above. (10 pts.) VARIETIES OF ENGLISH: There are several varieties of English used in different regions around the world today. The usage and pronunciation of some words may be different, but quite often, the meaning remains the same. Here are the different kinds of English varieties being used today: 1. British English 2. American and Canadian English 3. Australian and New Zealand English 4. South Asian English 5. African English LEVELS OF FORMALITY: (Source: https://www.espressoenglish.net/formal-semi-formal-and-informal-english/) 1. Formal – Textbooks, official reports, academic articles, essays, business letters, contracts, official speeches a. Uses longer/ more complex sentences. ENGLISH 8: BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2 5  Punctuation, proper grammar, and correct sentence structure are very important. A formal sentence you might see in an academic journal: Research has shown that learning a second language, in addition to leading to expanded career and social opportunities, can also expand the reasoning capability of the brain, although this finding is disputed by some scientists. A less formal way to express the same idea: Learning another language can improve your career and social life. Some people also say it can make you smarter, but others disagree. b. Larger and less common words c. Avoid phrasal verbs d. Avoid contractions e. No idioms, slang, text speak 2. Semi-formal – Day-to-day interaction with colleagues and teachers, popular magazines/books, interviews, when talking with someone in authority or whom you respect 3. Informal – Interacting with friends, speaking or chatting online a. Uses shorter, simpler sentences b. Uses expressions and exclamations c. Phrasal verbs, slang, and idioms are used very frequently d. Reductions when speaking BENEFITS OF PARAGRAPH WRITING: Paragraph writing offers at least three benefits: 1. Mastering the structure of the paragraph will help you become a batter writer. 2. The discipline of writing a paragraph will strengthen your skills as a reader and listener. 3. Paragraph writing will make you a stronger thinker. Creating a paragraph in which there is an overall topic sentence supported by well- reasoned, convincing evidence is more challenging than writing a free-form or expressive paper. Such a paragraph obliges you to carefully sort out, think through, and organize your ideas. You’ll learn to discover and express just what your ideas are and to develop those ideas in a sound and logical way. Traditional paragraph writing will train your mind to think clearly, and that ability will prove to be of value in every phase of your life. ENGLISH 8: BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2 6  WRITING AS A SKILL: A realistic attitude about writing must build on the idea that writing is a skill. It can be learned. If you have the determination to learn, this class will give you the extensive practice needed to develop your writing skills. Writing is not an automatic process: we will not get something for nothing. Competent writing comes from plain hard work. The good news is the skill fo writing can be mastered. ACTIVITY GUIDE ACTIVITY 4: To get a sense of just how you regard writing, read the following statements. Put a check beside those statements with which you agree. (10 pts.) 1. A good writer should be able to sit down and write a paper straight through without stopping. 2. Writing is a skill that anyone can learn with practice. 3. I’ll never be good at writing because I make too many mistakes in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. 4. Because I dislike writing, I always start a paper at the last possible minute. 5. I’ve always done poorly in English, and I don’t expect that to change. NOTE: Please include your answers in this activity with the others above. ENGLISH 8: BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2 7 ENGLISH 8: BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2 8