PROPERTIES OF A

WELL-WRITTEN TEXT
PARAGRAPHS
VS.
ESSAYS
 Characteristic
of a
Well-Written Text
Completeness
■The written text must be
able to achieve its
purpose.
Why I Came to College
My chief reason for coming to college was to prepare
myself for a position that would allow me to have a larger
income than I would be likely to obtain as a high school
graduate. There is no question that college graduates make
more money. Another reason for coming to college was to
provide myself with a cultural background that would help me
to make a more satisfying use of my leisure time. A third
reason for coming to college was to increase my social
experience.
Unity
■A unified paragraph makes clear
reading.
■A unified paragraph sticks to the
purpose for which it is written.
 It is a good thing that we learn to speak as
children. If the learning were postponed until we were
adults most of us would be too discouraged by the
difficulties to persevere in the task. "Perhaps, in that
event, our political campaigns would be conducted in
sign language and our radio broadcasters would be
required to learn the Morse code." We take a child's
learning to talk for granted, and not infrequently
parents grow worried when their four-year old stumbles
over his consonants and becomes snarled in his
syntax. Y et compared with the intellectual
achievement of learning to talk, the discovery of the
theory of relativity is a trifling accomplishment.
Orderly Movement of Ideas
■ Refer to the relationships of the sentences in the
paragraph.
■ There are five types of orderly relationships of sentences:
1. time and chronological relationships
2. space relationship
3. particular to general
4. general to particular
5. cause-effect relationship
Time/Chronological Relationship

■ It is the natural order of narration and is

commonly used in explaining the steps in a
process.
■ Events are recorded in the order in which they
occur - first, second, next, and so on to the last
 While I jacked the fore end of the car up, and cleared away
the snow from under it, Dan built a fire about a foot in front of the
radiator to keep the car and us from freezing to death and to
furnish light for the operation. The wheel correction was
surprisingly easy; we were ready to leave again in a few minutes.
Then we discovered that it would be more difficult to get out of the
lane than it had been to get in. Because of the density of the
timber there was no way of turning around without serious risk of
getting stuck, and the whirling snow made the visibility poor
everywhere except directly within the beams of the head lights.
Dan therefore very carefully directed my backing; yet in spite of
this I bumped several small pines, which retaliated by dumping
their burden of snow on top of the car. The Plymouth was little
more than a snowdrift on wheels by the time we reached the
highway
Space Relationship
 useful when the writer wishes to report
what he sees
 Shows movement or action
 I seated myself in the barber chair, which was
only a rickety, straight-backed affair made of bamboo
placed on a wooden box in the center of the room
Directly in front of this throne hung a dingy, blurred
mirror, suspended by ropes from the roof. To my right
stood a square table, upon which rested the barber's
only tools - a pair of clippers, a dirty looking comb, and
a razor. As I cast my eyes downward, I was somewhat
surprised to find that the floor was still in its natural
state dirt. It also showed evidence that hair had been
cut here before. I noticed now for the first time an
opening at the rear, over which a piece of gray material
was draped. Evidently this archway led into the living
quarters of the barber.
Particular to General

■ A common order in expository paragraphs is from a

succession of particular statements to the general
statement or conclusion to which the particulars
lead
■ Example is the presentation of evidences or proofs
which lead to a conclusion or general statement.
 If you enjoy working out the strategy of games, tit-tac-toe
or poker or chess; if you are interested in the frog who
jumped up three feet and fell back two in getting out of a
well, or in the fly buzzing between the noses of two
approaching cyclists, or the farmer who left land to his
three sons; if you have been captivated by codes and
ciphers or are interested in crossword puzzles; if you like to
fool around with numbers; if music appeals to you by the
sense of form which it expresses - then you will enjoy logic.
You ought to be warned, perhaps. Those who take up logic
get glassy-eyed and absentminded. They join a fanatical
cult. But they have a good time. Theirs is one of the most
durable, absorbing and inexpensive of pleasures. Logic is
fun.
"Working part-time as a cashier at the Piggly Wiggly
has given me a great opportunity to observe human
behavior. Sometimes I think of the shoppers as white
rats in a lab experiment, and the aisles as a maze
designed by a psychologist. Most of the rats--
customers, I mean--follow a routine pattern, strolling
up and down the aisles, checking through my chute,
and then escaping through the exit hatch. But not
everyone is so dependable.
Cohesion and Coherence
■ Cohesion is the connection of ideas or sentences.
■ A text with coherence has ideas that are logically
sequenced in a way that is easy to follow for the reader.

Cohesion without Coherence

– 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?
 Coherence without Cohesion

My favorite 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.
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.

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.
Remember the following when trying to evaluate if your
text has cohesion and coherence:

■ 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.
■ My favorite color is yellow. I love yellow motorbikes
because they look cool and they can go very fast.
Driving fast is dangerous and may cause accidents.
Actually, I had an accident just this summer and I
broke my arm, Because of that, I wasn’t able to go
with my friends to the beach.
Common Transitional Words and Expressions
Addition Cause-Effect
And As a result
Also Then
Furthermore Therefore
Moreover Thus
Besides Consequently
First, second, third For this reason
In addition, Accordingly
In the first place, And so
To begin with, Hence
Finally, so
Next
Common Transitional Words and Expressions
Comparison Contrast
Likewise, But
Similarly, On the contrary
Il like manner On the other hand
In the same wat However
In contrast
Instead
Nevertheless
yet
Common Transitional Words and Expressions
Example/Exemplification Time
To illustrate Recently,
As an example Meanwhile
For example Previously,
For instance Simultaneously
Particulary Afterward
Specifically At the same time
Then
Common Transitional Words and Expressions
Place Emphasis
In front Definitely
Nearby Indeed
On top of In fact
To the left
To the right
Above
Alongside
Beneath
Beyond
Under
upon
Common Transitional Words and Expressions
Restatement Conclusion and Summary
In short Thus
In other words In conclusion
In simpler terms On the whole
That is to conclude
To put it differently To summarize
To repeat Finally
In closing
Anaphoric and Cataphoric References
Anaphoric reference is reference something that has
already been mentioned in the text or speech.
An example of this refers to the use of pronouns which
refers to a previously mentioned noun.

Buddhists do not worship any god. They do not

worship Buddha but perceive him as someone who
has attained what they are also striving to attain –
Nirvana. They follow a set of principles to become
more self-disciplines and live their lives the ay
Buddha did.
Cataphoric reference is reference to ideas or
elements introduced later in the text or speech.

Examples:
They are self-disciplines and practice
dedicated meditation. These people are known as
Buddhists.

When she arrived with her playmates, Anna

have her mom a hug.
■ For many years, East German people
devised 1creative ways to sneak out of East
Germany. Some people dug tunnels; 2 others tried
crashing through checkpoints with cars, trucks, or
busses; 3still others flew out in small airplanes or
balloons. One woman tied herself to the bottom of a
car and passed through a checkpoint unnoticed.
And one family sewed fake Russian uniforms
for 4themselves; then, they pretended to be Russian
soldiers and simply drove through a checkpoint.
Some desperate people tried scrambling over a
barbed-wire fence or a wall. 5These people were
often shot.
Exercise!!!
■ On 21 December 1972, 6the Basic Treaty was signed by East and
West Germany, and relations between 7the two countries started
to improve. During the next two decades, they began to
cooperate with 8each other by sharing cultural and
commercial 9activities such as arts exchange programs and joint
business ventures. However, East Germans were still
dissatisfied, for 10their living standard was lower than 11that of
West Germany. 12Their industries produced inferior goods,
and 13their country was polluted from inferior mining methods
and careless industrial waste.