Properties Of A Well-written Text

PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT a. organization b. coherence and cohesion c. language use d. mechanics

PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT

1. Text organization

TEXT ORGANIZATION 

is the way a text is organized that helps to guide the reader logically through it. This property makes a text readable and its message clear.

ORGANIZATION CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH THE FOLLOWING TECHNIQUES: Physical format  Signal words  Structure 

PHYSICAL FORMAT 

The format is an aspect of the organization that is immediately apparent to the reader. It is seen in how the text physically appears like headings and subheadings, bullet points or font emphasis. However, use this technique with discretion as improper or superfluous formatting can be confusing.

EXAMPLE: Marxist ideology has three main theories. Historical materialism purports that all the features of society can historically be traced back to economic activity. Social class in capitalist societies is what produces unjust structure, structures of power that exist today. Socialism would be the next rational step for the development of human society…

EXPLANATION: The words in bold are the three most important Marxist theories that the first sentence is referring to. By emphasizing the correct term for the concepts along with their definitions; this would also aid in remembering the theories since they stick out from the rest of the text.

SIGNAL WORDS are textual cues that readers can use to follow a text. They can “signal” the transition from one point to another, the ordering of events and concepts, or the writer’s chosen text type (e.g., linear narration, question and answer).

EXAMPLE: Chuck Palahniuk’s novel Fight Club greatly influenced me as a fictional writer. First, his use of the unreliable narrator fascinated me, and I have written similar characters in my works. Second, the theme of patriarchal oppression can also be found in the stories I write. Third, the novel’s stunning twist is something that I have been trying to recreate. Thus, I am extremely grateful to have encountered Palahniuk’s genius early in my writing career.

EXPLANATION: By using sequential signal words (first, second, third) before the beginning of every sentence, the reader can follow what seems to be the writer’s list of three reasons why the novel influences him. The word thus also signals the conclusion and the end of the list.

STRUCTURE The structure provides the framework upon which the text is organized. It consist of the following: 

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Beginning: introduction, thesis statement, hook Middle: supporting details End: conclusion, summary, final message

EXAMPLE: Ancient philosophies believe that a person has an “aura”, this appears as a rainbow of light around the body that can be seen by individuals with clairvoyant abilities. The colours change depending on one’s mood, health, and thoughts. Some scientists believe that the existence of the aura has something to do with the electromagnetic fields produced by cells and tissues in the human body. Whether auras are real or not, the fact remains that there are forces everywhere that are real even though we cannot see them.

EXPLANATION:  

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Beginning: Introduced topic of aura Middle: Definition and evidence of auras End: Ending message about forces in the world by adhering to the structure, the writer can produce a text that is still easy to follow. The topic, supporting details and concluding messages is still clear to the reader.

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Text organization makes a text easy to read. It prevents the reader from becoming confused by a jumbled of words, sentences, and paragraphs that are in no particular order.

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Organization can be achieved through the physical format, signal words, and structure.

PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT

2. Coherence and Cohesion

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Coherence and cohesion make your text easier for your readers to follow and understand.

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Cohesion is the connection of ideas to the central concept of a text.

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Coherence is the relationship of ideas between sentences.

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Both should be presented in your text because having one without the other will still create confusion for readers.

COHESION WITHOUT COHERENCE

A text with cohesion has a central concept or “glue” that hold all the different ideas together. Although without coherence, there is no apparent logic to the way these ideas are presented. The writer appears to without a proper transition from the previous idea.

EXAMPLE Cubism is an avant-garde art movement that started in the early 20th century in Europe. A famous Filipino cubist painter is Vicente Manansala. He is a National Artist of the Philippines in Visual Arts. Did you know that visual arts have different forms including architecture, video and textile?

EXPLANATION Every sentence is related to the next sentence in some way. The paragraph stays on the stays on the topic of art, which is the “glue” that holds the text together and allows it to exhibit cohesion. However, the way it was developed does not make sense. It began with the origins of Cubism and through the artist Manansala was able to end with a seemingly unprovoked question about visual art forms.

COHERENCE WITHOUT COHESION

A text with coherence has ideas that are logically sequenced in a way that is easy to follow for the reader. Although without cohesion, no central concept links all these ideas together. The main point of the text remains unclear for readers.

EXAMPLE My favourite painting is “The Weeping Woman” by Pablo Picasso, which is an intriguing painting that symbolizes suffering. As a result, I love bright primary colors, so I wear a lot of shocking yellows, blues, and reds. Also, as an outgoing person, I enjoy performing for large crowds. In the end, people should not judge an artist’s talent based on one standard.

EXPLANATION Connecting words in the text suggest a sequence of ideas that the writer wants to convey. “As a result” implies an effect of the previous statement while “in the end” indicates the conclusion. However, the writer jumps from one topic to another resulting in a lack of cohesion. For instance, the writer talk about his or her favourite colors “as a result” of Picasso’s painting even though they are not connected in any way. It can be inferred that the choice of the painting, but the writer does not make this clear.

COHESION AND COHERENCE

A text with both cohesion and coherence has a central concept linking all the ideas in the text, and these ideas are presented in a logical manner. The main point is clear, and the text is easy to follow and understand.

EXAMPLE International Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of March of every year. It began as a Socialist political event in several Western countries. Then, other countries also started celebrating the holiday just as a way to express their love for women. Currently, the United Nations observes the holiday as a way to bring to light women’s issues around the world.

EXPLANATION The main topic of the text is International Women’s Day, which was stated in the first sentence. The paragraph proceeds to outline the history of the holiday starting form some Western countries and its spread to other nations. It ends with the current way that the whole world celebrates the day. The writer can present different ideas about the holiday in a logical manner and without veering away from the topic.

TIPS: REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING WHEN TRYING TO EVALUATE IF YOUR TEXT HAS COHESION AND COHERENCE. 

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A text with cohesion but no coherence is difficult to follow. A text with coherence but no cohesion has no definite point. A text with both cohesion and coherence is logically sequenced and stays on topic.

PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT

3. Language Use

LANGUAGE USE Proper language use allows you to capture the message that you want to convey to your readers. It is all about choosing the right words that accurately capture your ideas. However writers sometimes encounter problems with the following:

Misused Words Words with Unwanted connotations Technical or Highfalutin Words

1. MISUSED WORDS A writer might sometimes use a word incorrectly, and this occurs when the word does not mean what he or she thinks it does. So, it is important to be certain of the definition of a word before using it; this often happens with words that sound or look alike.

EXAMPLE: There are much behaviour that past societies considered legal but are now deemed amoral including slavery, sexism, and racism.

EXPLANATION: The writer confused the word “amoral” with “immoral”. The former means neither moral nor immoral (without moral quality) while the latter means not moral. Sometimes, it is easy to guess the correct meaning of a word just by looking at how it is spelled. The prefix a – signals that something is without such, as “anarchy” (without a government) or “atypical” (without typical features). One the other hand, the prefix im – simply means not such as in “imperfect” (not perfect) or “impossible” (not possible).

2. WORDS WITH UNWANTED CONNOTATION. There are words that take on a meaning specific to a context. Some writers might not be aware of these connotations, so they end up using language that is unintentionally confusing, comical or even offensive to readers.

EXAMPLE: The coast guard salvaged Priscilla and her sister after their fishing boat was damaged in the storm.

EXPLANATION: The words “salvage” means to save usually from the wreckage of a marine vessel. However, the Philippine media and police often use the term to mean a violent killing, which is opposite form its traditional English meaning. It comes from the Spanish word “salvaje” that has a meaning similar to “savage”. Thus if the 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.

3. TECHNICAL AND 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 hard to understand the texts.

EXAMPLE: There is an ongoing discourse about the anti-disestablishment assemblage and the administrative political body.

EXPLANATION: The text is complicated because it is filled with words that are difficult to understand. If the terms are important to use, than the writer could define what they mean. Otherwise, the sentence could be rewritten simple this way: There is an ongoing discussion between the opposition and the government. This sentence still “sound smart” but it is easier for most people to understand and it does not change the meaning of the original sentence in any way.

Tips: When you use words improperly, readers are left confused as to what you are trying to say. So, always choose words according to their correct definition and connotation. Also, keep your language as simple enough to make your text easier for readers to understand.

PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT

4. 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.

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 of spell checker.

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.

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I love to paint portraits I would paint one everyday if I had the time.

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I love to paint portraits. I would paint one everyday if I had the time.

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This book is dedicated to my parents, Noel and Corazon.

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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 

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.

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Proper Nouns = Alex, Manila

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Proper adjective = Canadian

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Days of the week = Sunday, Monday

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Months of the year = January

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Specific course titles = General Mathematics, English 101

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

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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)

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Historical periods, events, documents = Great Depression, The Renaissance, The Constitution

Mechanics (The following should be observed in academic and more formal texts.  Always use standard English  Avoid contractions (e.g. shouldn’t)  Avoid exclamation marks unless they are part of a direct quotation.  Mention the full name of the institution or organization with the abbreviation in parenthesis, in first mention. Thereafter, use the abbreviation.  Numbers from zero to ten should be spelled out while numbers higher than ten should be written in figures.  Generally, citations are used in academic and formal texts. However, they are sparingly used in business texts.

KEY POINTS 

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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 that choosing complicated words would make 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.