EFFECTIVE ACADEMIC WRITING: AN INTRODUCTORY SECTION OF PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

PART I. Persuasive Idea Presentation Techniques in Writing

FAMILIARIZE:

As you mature as writers, it is essential that you write with a variety of formats. Persuasive writing
helps you formulate specific reasons for creating well-grounded opinions and encourages you to
improve your study skills by researching facts and building arguments. Developing an
understanding of how writing can influence or change another’s thoughts or actions may lead you
to learning that communication via any channels and forms has its innate persuasive nature for it
to become successful.

Take this sample persuasive paragraph from a winning essay “End of an Illusion” by Jamie Fast
(2017) who was inspired by Katherine Mansfield’s Miss Brill.

Miss Brill's ritual of visiting the park every Sunday helps her to cope with
loneliness. 1It is clear how much enjoyment the old woman derives from the simple
activity as the narrator states, "Oh, how fascinating it was! How she enjoyed it!
How she loved sitting [t]here, watching it all!" 2The weekly outing provides an
opportunity for Miss Brill to place herself in the company of others and to leave
behind "the little dark room" in which she lives. 3Miss Brill employs the tactics of
listening and watching to passively include herself in the activities of the park
crowd. 4She is expert at "sitting in other people's lives for just a minute" by
eavesdropping. 5This habit of "listening as though she didn't listen" helps her to feel
included. 6Being an avid people watcher, Miss Brill pays rapt attention to those who
surround her. 7By the same care she takes in noticing others, she hopes that "no
doubt somebody would have noticed if she hadn't been there" in attendance. 8This
thought allows her to feel a sense of community with the strangers at the park. 9Miss
Brill seizes every opportunity she can to imagine herself as having some connection
with the individuals she observes in attempt to garner a sense of belonging. 10She
even likens herself to being a part of the "family" that the band plays to. 11In effect,
the weekly outing provides a means to escape the isolation felt in her solitary
existence for a period of time by engaging herself in the happenings at the park.
However, as Miss Brill observes and listens, she prefers to view her world
through a proverbial set of rose colored glasses to protect herself from
confronting the truth of her lonely existence.

Text italicized indicates the primary claim of the paragraph, the main idea that the writer attempts
to prove in the paragraph. Text numbered indicates the writer's development of the main idea that
begins the paragraph, usually the writer's explanation of how the evidence she presents supports
the main idea. Text underlined indicates supporting evidence, facts that the writer uses to support
the idea that begins the paragraph. The final sentence is a transitional sentence that takes readers
to the main idea in the next body paragraph.

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
ANALYZE:

Have you observed the author’s manner of staying focused on developing the main idea, how
well he supported his claims by providing evidence, and how he was able to succeed in pointing
out the main objective of his paragraph up until his closing sentence?

The author’s work is an example of an effective persuasive paragraph. His paragraph is

outstanding, with strong organization and especially effective support and development of ideas.
He utilized a sophisticated writing voice and demonstrated a mastery of English grammar,
punctuation, and word choice.

But how can you make your own effective persuasive paragraph then? Perhaps starting a piece
with a bang and ending it with a boom? This section of the module will explain to you how such
aim could be achieved.

The hardest parts of writing are the beginning and ending as, in both parts, you need to provide
your readers reasons why, from the start alone, they need to read your work and why, up until the
finale, they will have to believe you did a great job. Equally challenging is the effort you must
exert when you write persuasive outputs. To resolve this, you are bound to answer the following
questions:
(1) Why are you writing?
(2) Who are you writing for?
(3) How are you going to prove your points?
(4) How are you going to end your piece effectively?

CONTEXTUALIZE:

Why are you writing?

Whether you are writing literary pieces or technical correspondence, it is essential to put into
perspective the reason why you are creating a written output. Let us take Dodd’s simplified
approach to this question: “Take a moment and think about why you are about to put pen to paper
or fingertips to keyboard. If you don’t have an answer then why would anyone else take the time
to read it?”

As much as you want to impress your teacher or classmates, still, the first person you must
persuade is YOURSELF. However, according to Dodd, here are some guide questions to help your
mind get to the right format, tone, and structure for your writing:
a. What is important, original, or exciting about what you want to convey?
b. Who do you want to read this?
c. What action are you trying to inspire?
d. Where will it be read?

They may be basic but once you have responded to these, you are right on track.

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
Who are you writing for?

The saying “If you try to appeal to everyone, you will appeal to no one”, so the best way to create
persuasive writing is to make your narrative audience-specific. If it is literary piece that you are
creating, your audience may be specified by age, theme, and genre of your writing. If it is an
academic script, then you could narrow down your readers to the discipline and topic you are
writing about. Most importantly, address your readers’ priorities, concerns, and constraints and
suggest the benefits they can get from your narrative.

Speak your audience’s language by being responsive to:

a. Their role;
b. The timing;
c. The situation or context;
d. The challenges they may be facing; and
e. The things they clamor.

How are you going to prove your points?

Do your research and put your piece together. Consider the questions your readers might have and
be ready to answer them by specifying points in your document. Remember that a good piece is a
well-researched piece. Being persuasive means that you have to provide accurate facts and reliable
data to base your claims on. This style would turn you into a credible and confident writer, and
you will be looked up to by your readers who could encourage others to read your work. Your
uncertainty about yourself would be reflected to your paper, and to avoid that, you have no other
resort but to research.

How are you going to end your piece effectively?

The Center for Writing and Speaking (Scott, n.d.) emphasizes the technique they call as “End with
a Bang, Not a Whimper”. However, the beginning of a written output is an equally difficult task
as the ending. As such, you may then choose from the following types of ending to successfully
close your document:

Restatement. More like a tieback, this sentence or ending is more likely to loop back to
your idea in the beginning part of your written output. You may use the same wordings or
their respective synonyms. If for example you posted a question as a beginning part of your
narrative, you can either provide the answer or shift the responsibility to your reader.
Consider this:

Getting a better job is a goal that I would really like to

The idea of 1st accomplish in the next few years. Finishing school will take me a
sentence was long way to meeting this goal. To meet my goal, I will also prepare
restated in the
last sentence
my résumé and search for jobs. My goal may not be an easy one
to achieve, but things that are worth doing are often not easy.
- (Wells, 2013)

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
 If you study the two sentences, you will notice that the insights that can be deduced from
the opening sentence are of equal importance and sense with the closing sentence, thus, a
restatement.

• Conclusion. A closing sentence/paragraph is a conclusion (1) if there are signal words that
suggest generalization such as “so”, “therefore”, and the like or (2) if new ideas are formed
or introdoced based on the elaborated ideas.

Here are some strategies you can employ to end your piece effectively (St. Cloud State
University, 2005) :

Ask “So What?”. Always ask “So what?” when developing the closing points for your
piece. When you ask yourself this question, you are giving yourself the chance to
develop ideas that could further improve your generalizations.

Create a tieback. This strategy means that you would link your generalizations with
your first set of claims or insights. Whatever you establish in the beginning should be
linked via tieback or a set of sentences that refer to your introductory paragraph. In
this way, you are strategically applying cohesion in your writing.

Synthesize. Do not just summarize; integrate your insights into one powerful set of
ideas that you supported through examples in the previous strings of sentences. In a
nutshell, create a powerful image of what you have elaborated.

Highlight implications. You can end your piece by making your readers realize of the
importance of writing about the topic you have chosen. You can claim that the lack of
knowledge or course of action towards your chosen topic can lead to possible
disadvantages.

e. Provoke. You may inspire your readers to act upon whatever you have stated in your
output by ending with a significant question or a socially relevant and inspirational
sentence. It could also be something that could be a source of your readers’ desire for
researching, that could eventually turn them into writers themselves. This can redirect
your readers’ thought process and help her to apply your info and ideas to their own
lives or to see the broader implications of the insights you have shared.

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
PART II. Writing Academically

Although the first part of this module is the lesson on persuasive idea presentation technique in
writing, other elements of effective academic writing are yet to be discussed. This is why there is
a need for this part of the module which particularly focuses on academic writing.

FAMILIARIZE:

Study the following sample paragraphs from different academic papers.

Sample 1:
In explaining the voodoo effect medically, Cannon theorized that what happens to curse victims
is a case of self-induced shock brought on by “prolonged and intense emotion”. Experiments
with animals put under intense stress and case histories of soldiers in battle situations, he says,
have shown one of the physical aftereffects of intense stress is an extreme drop in blood pressure.
Shock occurs as a result of the rush of adrenaline. The body’s blood vessels constrict, or tighten
up, cutting down the blood supply to the body. Starved of oxygen carrying blood, vital organs start
breaking down, the heart starts faltering and eventually death occurs. This, combined with the fact
that the victim often refuses all food and water, is responsible for the killing effect.
- (Troyka, 1978)

Sample 2:
Numerous studies have proven that men and women have different ways of using language in
their relationships. Aside from these, they also differ in terms of their influence tactics or
behavior. Influence tactic is the ability to change another person’s behavior, beliefs, and
attitudes. Gender differences and influence tactic created gender stereotypes that molded both
men and women as to how they should communicate and act based on their gender even at an
early age. These stereotypes represent women to have more expressive, tentative, cooperative,
and polite communication characteristics, and men to have more aggressive, assertive, direct,
and powerful communication traits.
- (Merchant as cited in Concepcion et al., 2018)

ANALYZE:

1. Do you think that both paragraphs have sentences that talked about their respective topic?
2. What is then the topic of paragraph 1? Paragraph 2?
3. Based on what you learned from the lesson “Persuasive Idea Presentation in Writing”, what
can you say about the first and last sentences of the paragraphs?

(Note that you do not have to answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper. Use them as
your guide questions for you to be familiar with the lesson.)

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
CONCEPTUALIZE:

The two presented paragraphs are examples of parts of different academic papers. They are both
well written in their own right. But how is academic writing practiced? This section will teach you
the fundamentals of writing in a professional field.

Understanding the Rhetorical Situation

“Rhetoric” is any communication used to modify or influence perspectives of other people. You
identify something as rhetorics if primarily encourages awareness of the word choices.

In writing academic papers, the major step before the actual “meeting of the pen and paper or
fingertips and keyboard” is the establishment of the awareness of the rhetorical situation, the
instances that call for communication.

Rhetorical situation has five elements, namely—text, author, audience, purpose, and setting. The
text is the actual instance or piece of communication; therefore, text, in this context, is not only
limited to any written material, rather, it is the actual communication occurrence that could either
be verbal or non-verbal. The author is someone who communicates, The audience is the recipient
of the communication; the purposes are the reasons for the occurrence of the communication; and
the setting involves time, place, and environment surrounding the communication (Sproat,
Driscoll, & Brizee, 2018). In simple terms, the rhetorical situation is the exact circumstance where
the communication takes place.

Once you have identified the specifics of your rhetorical situation, then you have made a significant
move towards creating your first draft.

Researching: The Heart and Soul of Academic Writing

Basically, before anything would come into a full-blown academic paper, you need to do
RESEARCH. Conducting research is a useful skill to acquire as it can greatly supplement your
writing. No writers have ever been successful without them practicing their research skills. You
can always benefit from doing research as it can be useful in a variety of domains such as business,
professional, science, and many others. When doing a research for the first time, you need to
consider the following aspects according to Driscoll and Brizee (What is Primary Research and
How do I get Started?, 2018):

(1) Interviews. These are one-on-one correspondence with question and answer sessions.
These will provide a lot of information if done with a small group of people and experts.
(2) Surveys. These are forms that contain series of questions that groups of people answer.
(3) Observations. These involve taking organized and structure notes about incidents within
an environment. These will provide insights about specific subjects objectively.
(4) Analysis. This involves empirical interpretation of collected and organized data gathered
either through interviews, surveys, observations, or the combination of two or all.

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
Driscoll and Brizee’s Guide Questions for Conducting a Research
What do I want to discover?
How do I plan on discovering it? (This is called your research methods or methodology)
Who am I going to talk to/observe/survey? (These people are called your subjects or
participants)
How am I going to be able to gain access to these groups or individuals?
What are my biases about this topic?
How can I make sure my biases are not reflected in my research methods?
What do I expect to discover?

Parts of an Academic Research (based on Your Library Research Term Paper)

This portion refers to the structure of your paper. The following are the parts of an academic
research paper:

Introduction. Within that outline, there should be an introduction which states the general problem
to be addressed in your paper. The introduction should also state what prompted you to create the
paper. Give a background about your main topic. You could arrange it this way:
a. Macro-micro (Most important to least important) perspective about the topic
b. Global-national-local approach towards the topic

You may also include the connection of your paper to your being a student. Why do you think
topic like what you chose is important?

The Problem. State here the PROBLEM or the QUESTION/S that you plan to prove in your paper.
The following is an example:

The Problem

My aim is to analyze the code-switching patterns in five most popular fast-food

themed advertisements in the Philippines. Specifically, I seek answers to the
following:
1. Which language is mostly used (in terms of the number of words) in the
advertisements?
2. What code-switching patterns are observed from the advertisements?

For more a detailed description on drafting a problem, go to https://www.editage.com/insights/the-

basics-of-writing-a-statement-of-the-problem-for-your-research-proposal.

Research Methodology. In this subject, research paper construction is modified. One part that is
modified for easy reading is the research method. In this part, you have to discuss the following:
a. Method of Research – Is it qualitative? Is it quantitative? Is it mixed or a combination of
both? Add reasons for your answer. To know more about the difference of the three, read
https://nile.northampton.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-1547923-dt-content-rid-
2645314_1/courses/Centre-for-Achievement-and-

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
 Performance/Research/Quantitative%20Qualitative%20and%20Mixed%20Methods%20-
%20Feb%202016.pdf.
b. Sources of Data. In this portion, you have to discuss whatever data you utilized and where
you got them. You have to specify the time frame of your data collection. When did you
start and end? In the paper, this part is also where readers would know how you gathered
your data.
c. Theoretical Basis. Also called Theoretical Framework, this section is dedicated to the
discussion about the theory or model you used as basis of your analysis. It is under Research
Methodology so that readers would easily understand how you were able to create your
paper. If for example your paper is about communication patterns of DJs and callers of a
certain radio station, then your model or theory must be about communication patterns so
that you would know how to answer your problem.

Results and Discussion. Here you will present, analyze, and interpret the data you gathered. This
section is about the actual answers to the Statement of the Problem. You are entitled to
subcategorize them according to your liking.

Conclusions. Here you will summarize your main findings, in relation to the results and discussion.
You can also discuss remaining issues and future directions. Finally, do not end with meaningless
rhetoric, but with a crisp sentence that gives the reader one last thing to think about.

Recommendations. Provide suggestions that are aligned with the conclusions you made. Readers
would appreciate it more if you give suggestions related to further investigation about areas your
paper was not able to fully figure out. In other words, good recommendations may come from the
limitations of your research or the ones you did not intend to include in your paper.

References. See the next paragraphs for proper citation and referencing.

Authors’ Bio. Tell something about yourself. This could be a one-paragraph summary of your
education and experiences.

Other Reminders:

Tables and Figures. Tables should be labeled and captioned above the table as "Table N," where
N denotes the number of the table, and captioned. Material such as photographs, images, charts,
and line-drawings should be labeled and captioned below the material as "Figure N" where N
denotes the number of the figure, and captioned. Tables and Figures are numbered separately in
series, 1….N. Captions for each should describe briefly, in neutral terms, the content of the table
or figure.
Quotations and Paraphrasing. You should have very few, if any, quotations in your paper. Let
us repeat that, VERY FEW QUOTATIONS. Quotations that constitute fewer than five lines in
your paper should be set off with quotation marks [ “Lions roar” ] and be incorporated within the
normal flow of your text. For material exceeding that length, omit the quotation marks and indent
the quoted language one inch from your left-hand margin. Any quotation should be followed in
parentheses by the source of the quotation.

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
Mostly, you will paraphrase what you read, meaning that you put it in your own words. All your
own words! Do not use a quotation with only one or two words changed. Doing this amounts to
PLAGIARISM and will be treated as such!! Refer to the pdf at the following web site for additional
useful information about avoiding plagiarism:
http://sja.ucdavis.edu/files/plagiarism.pdf

Also, there is a paraphrasing tool online which can help with your writing. Just key in paraphrasing
tool online on the search engine then you will be provided with the list of tools that can
automatically paraphrase material for you. However, it is highly recommended that you further
paraphrase the resulting paragraph or sentences of such sites as sometimes they are
ungrammatical. You should not therefore depend too much on them because you are much more
knowledgeable than the computer. Use it as your guide not your research manufacturer.

Beginning to Write an Academic Paper

On Paragraphs and Paragraphing

A paragraph, for one, may just be a simple collection of sentences; but, academically, it is a set of
related sentences that are united, coherent, and logically adequate.

a. Unity
Your paragraph should be about one major theme. You should avoid irrelevant sentences
in your paragraph. All sentences must be under the same main idea.

b. Coherence
Your paragraph must be easily understood by your readers. It should have a mooth flow by
having logical and verbal bridges. Logical bridges are created when your paragraph has
sentences that are constructed in a parallel manner which means that they could be from
the most to least important or vice versa. Verbal bridges are the key words and their
synonyms that are repeated in the strings of sentences, the pronouns that are used
appropriately, and the transitional or signal words/phrases.

c. Adequacy
Your paragraph is adequately developed if details that are complete. In academic writing,
the practice is that the paragraph must be well-developed. For example, in thesis writing,
the introduction is made of several paragraphs that are strategically written. To help you
develop your own paragraph, you can refer to the following methods of paragraph
development (Driscoll & Brizee, 2015):

1. By example and illustrations. You cite experiences or situations related

to the topic.
2. By data or statistical citation. You refer to statistical or graphical
results or evidence.
3. By testimonial examination. You include what other experts say
regarding your topic by quoting or paraphrasing their insights.

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
 4. By using anecdotes or story. You narrate anecdotes and stories that are
related to your topic.
5. By definition. You define terms that are pertinent in the narrative.
6. By comparison and contrast. You compare and contrast ideas or
insights.
7. By evaluation of causes and effects. You determine the causes and
effects of a situation or circumstance related to your topic.
8. By description. You objectively or subjectively describe your subject or
main focus.
9. By chronological order. You arrange your thoughts chronologically.
10. By spatial order. You describe the time and space related to your topic.

Practicing the Proper and Responsible Referencing

Citation and proper referencing are very important in writing academic papers especiallty
that this generation is at the height of advance technology use which makes it easier for
people to navigate and access information online. As students, your are accountable for
your actions; thus, before you can call yourselves “professionals”, you have to practice
proper and responsible referencing and learn the rules by heart.

In this country where, instead of committing to responsible writing, celebrating fake news
has been rampant, the so-called millennials and generation Z therefore have the social
obligation to do away with the wrong practice and spread the knowledge about maximizing
the power of technology to fight against plagiarism. This technological power, believe or
not, is just at the tip of your fingertips and is a few clicks away from the “start” button of
your personal computer or laptop. This is because Microsoft Word has a built-in References
tab that you can utilize.

Thanks to Microsoft for this innovation, you now have no excuse for missing out correct
referencing in your document. This next part of the module will teach you how to maximize
the power of Microsoft; all you have to do is follow the set of procedures which apply to
Word for Office 365, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Word 2007 (Microsoft, n.d.).

Note that these steps shall be followed before you could create your BIBLIOGRAPHY .
The good news is that once you have indicated the details about the cited sources of
information, they will be automatically stored in the database of the document and even if
you try opening the file via other computer, the references will still be there. More
importantly, there are several bibliographical formats that you can choose from (MLA,
APA, Chicago-style, etc.).

How to Create In-text Citation and Bibliography in Microsoft Word

1. On the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, click the
arrow next to Style to choose the citation format you want. For example,
social sciences documents usually use the MLA or APA styles for citations
and sources.

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
2. Click at the end of the sentence or phrase that you want to cite.

3. On the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group,

click Insert Citation.

To add the source information, click Add New Source, then begin to fill in
the source information by clicking the arrow next to Type of source. For
example, your source might be a book, a report, or a Web site.

Fill in the bibliography information for the source. To add more information
about a source, click the Show All Bibliography Fields check box. Note
that when there are more than one author, click Edit beside the Author field
then fill in the blanks.

Click OK to have this: (Arguelles, 2004).

That example is if you chose APA format. Also, if you hover on such
citation and click on it, you will notice that it becomes this:

That dropdown key is for you to edit the citation. If you click it, you will
see this:

*Edit Citation – This option is for you to change what would appear in the
in-text citation like pages, suppressed title, etc.
*Edit Source – This option will lead you to the Bibliography fields where
you added information about the source. If you committed the mistake, you
can easily edit it.

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
 *Convert citation to static text – This converts the citation to editable text;
that is if you want to have a new way of citing the source like instead of
(Arguelles, 2004), you want Arguelles (2004).
*Update Citations and Bibliography – This updates the changes that you
made if there is any.

7. Create your bibliography by clicking on References tab, clicking the

Bibliography dropdown key, and clicking on Insert Bibliography. This is
what will appear:

Arguelles, D. M. (2004, June 20). Youth Speak - Patricia Evangelista. Retrieved from PhilStar
Global: https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/starweek-
magazine/2004/06/20/254708/youth-speak-patricia-evangelista

The list is depending on the number of sources that you cited in your
document. Note that if you copied from another document that was cited
also using Microsoft Word’s References tab, the cited sources of such
document will automatically be included.

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
TASK NO. 1

Exercise 1: What method of paragraph development is it?

Read the following paragraphs and identify the paragraph development used. Choose from:
By example and illustrations.
By data or statistical citation
By testimonial examination
By using anecdotes or story
By definition
By comparison and contrast
By evaluation of causes and effects
By description
By chronological order
By spatial order

1. We tend to equate saying "no" to someone with being

unlikable. Not long ago, I, myself, realized that I was wanting to refuse invitations, but
instead I was forcing myself to suffer through boring cocktail parties and stuffy dinner
gatherings. I also found that no matter how half-hearted I felt about doing favors for others,
I was never saying "no" to them either. Isn't it time for friends to be honest with one
another? (Troyka, 1978)

2. You can safely swim with piranhas, but it’s important to

know how and when to do it. First, chose an appropriate time, preferably at night and
during the rainy season. Avoid piranha-infested waters during the dry season, when food
supplies are low and piranhas are more desperate. Piranhas feed during the day, so night-
time swimming is much safer. Second, streamline your movement. Wild or erratic activity
attracts the attention of piranhas. Swim slowly and smoothly. Finally, never enter the water
with an open wound or raw meat. Piranhas attack larger animals only when they are
wounded. The presence of blood in the water may tempt the fish to attack. If you follow
these simple precautions, you will have little to fear (UNC College of Arts and Sciences,
n.d.).

3. Learning how to ride a bike for the first time was a nerve
racking independent moment. I was about five years old when my sister informed me that
I was too old to still be riding a bike with training wheels. That was the time I decided not
to depend on them anymore. Even though I had some doubt, my sister and I went outside
and started to take the little wheels off my bike. After my bike went through the
transformation, I was now ready for the big moment. With butterflies in my stomach, I
slowly got on the bike, and with my shaky hands, I gripped the handles tightly. Meanwhile
my sister was holding on to me to help keep my balance. I was so afraid the she would let
go, yet I was determined to ride this bike on my own. Next with a little push from her, I
started to peddle. The faster my bike went the faster my heart raced. Finally I looked back
nervously and noticed that my sister let go of my bike a long time ago. I was so excited that
I accomplished freedom on my bike that I forgot to peddle. The next step I remember, I was

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
lying on the ground, yet I did not care because of the adrenaline rush. I will never forget
the exhilarating moment and growing up stage of riding a bike without training wheels
(Faque, 2015).

4. For many teenagers, there are numerous negative

factors that can lead them to give up on their education and drop out of school. The first
cause is that many teenagers lack positive role models in their lives. The lack of an
encouraging adult in their lives can cause them to think negatively about themselves and
it does not allow them to live up to their full potential. Also, the lack of a positive role
model can cause them to get involved with the wrong kind of people and activities. When
students get involved in these types of negative situations, they usually don't focus on
school. This can lead many impressionable young children to give up on their education.
Another factor that cause a student to give up on school is a lack of determination. If they're
not determined to graduate, it can be very difficult for them to stay in school. Many students
find it difficult to stay focused on school when they when they feel that getting an education
is useless. Some students only attend school because they are forced to and they are not
there to further their education. The third and final factor is peer pressure. Many students
give into pure pressure very easily. If the pure pressure is negative, this can lead them into
drugs and alcohol. The drugs and alcohol can cause them to drop out very easily because
that is the only thing that they are focused on and it can easily ruin a child's life (Sullivan,
2005).

5. Deja vu is a French word meaning "already seen", it has

also been described as a feeling or experience that one has seen or done something before.
For example, you are waiting in line to check out at the grocery store and the lady behind
you asks you to hand her a pack of gum. Suddenly you get an overwhelming feeling that
you have been there in that exact same spot, talking to the same lady, even the same brand
of gum. Even though everything seems so familiar you know there is no way that could
have happened before. There are many theories as to why and how this phenomenon
happens. One theory is that deja vu is connected with temporal-lobe epilepsy, but people
without a history of epilepsy have also experienced deja vu. Psychiatrists believe it is
something in your brain that confuses an event that happened in the past with the present.
Another theory is parapsychologist think it is connected with past life experiences. Whether
deja vu is an experience of the paranormal or simply some confusion in the brain, it is a
perplexing feeling of having "already seen” (Ming, 2005).

Exercise 2: Helpless Love

Part A. Read the selcction and answer the questions about it.

Helpless Love
by Stephen on September 13, 2008 ·
Once upon a time all feelings and emotions went to a coastal island for a vacation.
According to their nature, each was having a good time. Suddenly, a warning of an
impending storm was announced and everyone was advised to evacuate the island.
The announcement caused sudden panic. All rushed to their boats. Even damaged
boats were quickly repaired and commissioned for duty.

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
 Yet, Love did not wish to flee quickly. There was so much to do. But as the clouds
darkened, Love realized it was time to leave. Alas, there were no boats to spare.
Love looked around with hope.
Just then Prosperity passed by in a luxurious boat. Love shouted, “Prosperity,
could you please take me in your boat?”
“No,” replied Prosperity, “my boat is full of precious possessions, gold and silver.
There isno place for you.”
A little later Vanity came by in a beautiful boat. Again Love shouted, “Could you
help me, Vanity? I am stranded and need a lift. Please take me with you.”
Vanity responded haughtily, “No, I cannot take you with me. My boat will get soiled
with your muddy feet.”
Sorrow passed by after some time. Again, Love asked for help. But it was to no
avail. “No, I cannot take you with me. I am so sad. I want to be by myself.”
When Happiness passed by a few minutes later, Love again called for help. But
Happiness was so happy that it did not look around, hardly concerned about
anyone.
Love was growing restless and dejected. Just then somebody called out, “Come
Love, I will take you with me.” Love did not know who was being so magnanimous,
but jumped on to the boat, greatly relieved that she would reach a safe place.
On getting off the boat, Love met Knowledge. Puzzled, Love inquired, “Knowledge,
do you know who so generously gave me a lift just when no one else wished to
help?”
Knowledge smiled, “Oh, that was Time.”
“And why would Time stop to pick me and take me to safety?” Love wondered.

Questions:
1. Who are the characters in the story?
2. Which among them need help? Why?
3. What do you think is the value of TIME for LOVE?
4. If you would be given a chance to include another deeling/character in the story,
what would it be and why?

Part B. Rewrite it.

A. What are the definitions of the following terms? Base your definitions on the
dictionaries or online sources. Make sure that you include the CITATION for your
definition as what was discussed in this part of the module. If your definition lacks
CITATION, you will lose 5 points, and will only get the score of 5 for each term
that is worth 10 points.
1. Love
2. Prosperity
3. Vanity
4. Sorrow
5. Happiness
6. Knowledge
7. Time

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
 B. Extend the story. Write a paragraph that continues the story about Love. Include
another character that you indicated in Part A. Follow the standards of writing an
effective paragraph.

Part C. Research about It.

Gather data from already made studies or articles about any kind of love (motherly love,
teenage love, summer love, patriotic love, etc.). The resources must be within 2010-
present. Once you have collected at least 5 sources, create a report using the following
matrix.

Report on the Gathered Data on Love

Bibliography Information General Problem or Aim Summary of Findings or

of the Sources of the Study or Article Results/ Gerneralizations
of the Author/s

Guidelines:

1. All your answers must be printed.

2. The font style to be used is Times New Roman, 12pt.
3. The title page must indicate your:
• Name
• Program and Schedule
• Subject Title
• Subject Professor (AProf. Edelyn H. Dagñalan)
4. Submit this on our next meeting.

Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
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Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the
Sproat, E., Driscoll, D., & Brizee, A. (2018, January 31). Elemenths of Rhetorical Situations. Retrieved
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Prepared by:
A/Prof. Edelyn H. Dagñalan
Faculty Member, College of Arts and Letters, Open University System, and
Graduate School
Faculty Assistant, Office of the