WRITING

ACADEMIC
TEXTS
 PARAGRAPH VS. ESSAY
 A composition can either be a paragraph or an essay.
 A paragraph is a group of interrelated sentences that talk
about one main idea while an essay is a group of
paragraphs that talk about one central idea.
PARAGRAPH ESSAY
Organized around a topic Organized around a thesis
sentence
Contains introductory sentence Contains introductory
paragraph
Uses sentences to explain Uses paragraphs to explain
major points major points
May use a concluding sentence Always uses a concluding
 A paragraph is composed of three major parts: the
topic sentence, the body which consists of supporting
details, and the closing sentence.
TOPIC
SENTENCE-
the In their book, Wilbert McKeakie and
central SUPPORTING
idea of the Marilla Svinicki described four types of DETAILS-
sentences
challenging students. The first type is
paragraph; it
that clarify
can be standcomposed of the attention-seeking, discussion- and prove the
or adominating students who want to be heard. main idea
comment, an
objective The second type is comprised of the
statement, inattentive students who doodle and drift of COHESIVE
or aduring class discussions. They often stare into DEVICES-
question. their cell phones and chat with their transitional
CLOSING classmates during lecture. The third type is devices,
SENTENCE composed of the unprepared students who are pronouns, or
- characterized as the ones who skip doing their repetition of
ideas used
concludes assignments prior to the class. They do not
in order for
the details have pens or paper even when they know that all of the
that have they are scheduled to take their quizzes and sentences
been exams. The last type of challenging students to be linked
presented includes the civil and disrespectful ones who properly
display rude behaviors. Knowing these types
TRANSITIONAL DEVICES
 To Add:
 and, again, and then, besides, equally important, finally, further, furthermore, nor, too, next, lastly, what's
more, moreover, in addition, first (second, etc.)
 To Compare:
 whereas, but, yet, on the other hand, however, nevertheless, on the contrary, by comparison, where,
compared to, up against, balanced against, vis a vis, but, although, conversely, meanwhile, after all, in
contrast, although this may be true
 To Prove:
 because, for, since, for the same reason, obviously, evidently, furthermore, moreover, besides, indeed, in
fact, in addition, in any case, that is
 To Show Exception:
 yet, still, however, nevertheless, in spite of, despite, of course, once in a while, sometimes
 To Show Time:
 immediately, thereafter, soon, after a few hours, finally, then, later, previously, formerly, first (second,
etc.), next, and then
 To Repeat:
 in brief, as I have said, as I have noted, as has been noted
 To Emphasize:
 definitely, extremely, obviously, in fact, indeed, in any case, absolutely, positively, naturally, surprisingly,
always, forever, perennially, eternally, never, emphatically, unquestionably, without a doubt, certainly,
undeniably, without reservation
 To Show Sequence:
 first, second, third, and so forth. A, B, C, and so forth. next, then, following this, at this time, now, at this
Unlike a paragraph, an essay has a more elaborate structure. It
is divided into three general parts, namely the introduction,
body, and conclusion. Below are the specific parts of an essay.
I. Introduction
A. Lead or Attention-getter
B. Thesis statement

II. Body
A. Major Point 1
1. Minor Detail 1
2. Minor Detail 2
B. Major Point 2
1. Minor Detail 1
2. Minor Detail 2
C. Major Point 3
1. Minor Detail 1
 INTRODUCTION
 A lead or attention-getter is the first statement in the essay
which aims to hook the readers.
 A composition can have an effective lead through the use of
provocative rhetorical question, statistics, startling statement,
anecdote, quotation , humor, or analogy.
 Lead/ attention-getter is followed by transitional statement
or the sentence which links the lead to the thesis statement.
 The last part of the introduction is the thesis statement
which states the main idea or argument of the essay.
Underline the lead once; encircle the
transitional statement; and then underline
the thesis statement twice.
While walking amidst the tall grasses in Route 169,
Ash was suddenly stopped by the sight of a wild
Pokemon; he opens his Pokeball case, calls out his
Charizard, and gets ready for an exciting battle. This is
just one of the many scenes a gamer may encounter
when playing an adventure role-playing game (RPG) a
sub-genre of video games where a player takes the
role of a character which can interact in the game’s
fantasy world and play out the storyline. The hook of
adventure RPGs is the escape that they provide to the
player—a double-edged sword which can lead to either
BODY
• The body is the meat of the essay. It discusses
the thesis statement in detail through its
paragraphs. This is where the topic is
developed and where the arguments are laid
out and discussed.
CONCLUSION
 The concluding paragraph begins with the restatement of
the thesis statement using a different structure and
wording to uphold the language style.
 This part is followed by a transitional statement that
talks about the recommendations, benefits of ideas
presented, or purpose of writing the essay.
 Finally, a closing statement is used to wrap up the
essay. One strategy used for ending an essay with a
bang is to link it to the attention-getter in the
introduction.
Underline the restatement of the thesis statement
once; encircle the transitional statement and then
underline the closing statement twice.
These forms of escape offered by adventure RPGs
effectively encourage a player to indulge in another
world, while at the same time exposing him to the
danger of addiction. It is therefore a challenge for
gamers to draw the line between fun and addiction,
to stay within the boundary of the former and curb
the pangs of the latter. After all, once the credit rolls
in and every Pokemon is caught, the player has to
journey back to the real world.
LANGUAGE USE
1. Use clear and concise sentences. On average, a
sentence is 18 words long.
DON’T
Image is a very important
factor in politics because once the
reputation of a person is smeared by
accusations, the people’s perception
of the person is forever tainted and it
may cause him to lose credibility and
trust even when the truth behind
allegations is not yet verified.
DO
Image is a very important
factor in politics. Once the
reputation of a person is smeared by
accusations, the people’s perception
of the person is forever tainted. The
person may lose his credibility, even
when the allegations are not yet
verified.
2. Avoid redundancies, wordiness, clichés, and high
falultin language.

DON’T DO
Although Although children
offsprings are taught are told not to take gifts
not to obtain free gifts from strangers, many
from strangers, at the still do.
present moment many
still do.
3. Avoid excessive use of “there” and “it” structures.
These sentences can be revised by dropping the “there”
and “it” phrase and transforming the sentences
appropriately.
DON’T DO
There are many Many people walk
people walking on this on this street during
street during Sundays. Sundays. Keeping your
It is important to keep valuables close to you
your valuables close to is important.
you.
4. Use precise vocabulary. Be accurate and condense
lengthy phrases into fewer words.

DON’T DO
Shafts that control Emergency levers
the brake during urgent are installed in every
situations are built MRT train for the safety
inside MRT trains to of the passengers.
keep the passengers
free from harm.
5. Be consistent with your pronoun’s point of view.

DON’T DO
We should accept We should accept
that fate is simply an that fate is simply an
illusion; you must not illusion; we must not
leave our decisions to leave our decisions to
something that does something that does
not exist. not exist.
6. Avoid sexist language.

DON’T DO
Every employee All employees
should submit his should submit their
credentials . credentials.
7. Use the appropriate level of formality. The more
formal texts use an academic tone while the less formal
ones usually use a personal or colloquial tone.

DON’T DO
Yes, diskettes are Diskettes may be
like things of the past, outdated, but they are
but they’re still totally still fascinating.
cool.