FINALS REVIEWER IN READING AND WRITING

by sarap

Reasoning
- act of thinking about something in a logical, sensible way
-think, understand, and form judgements by a process of logic

Evidence
-body of facts or information that indicates whether a belief or proposition is true or valid

Assertion
-statement used to make a declaration or to express strong belief on a particular topic,
often without evidence
-formulated after reading a story or poem or after watching a play
-used to convey an idea or feeling directly and to convince the reader to accept the writer’s
interpretation

Steps in Writing Assertion

1. Read or watch the literary work comprehensively.

2. Note the part you agree with, the part you oppose, and your explanation of it.
3. Collect evidence from the same or other literary authors that have the same
assertion as with the writer.

Types of Assertion

1. Basic Assertion
-simple, straightforward statement used to directly express feelings, beliefs, and opinions
-used in formal papers such as thesis and dissertation
-usually a simple “I want” or “I feel” statement.
-Example: “I want to see her again.”

2. Emphatic Assertion
-statement used to express empathy or on how a person understands the feelings and
emotions of the author
-conveys sensitivity
-used in both formal and informal paper

An Empathic Assertion usually has two parts:

1. First statement- recognizes the situation or feelings of the characters
2. Second statement- writer states his/her stand about the situation

Example: “I can see that you’re upset with me, but I want you to know that I’m willing to
explain.”

3. I-Language Assertion
-statement used to express feeling and preference
-called I-Language as it focuses on the writer and uses the pronoun “I”
-useful in expressing negative feelings and opinion
-best used in writing a review or reflection paper

An I-Language Assertion usually has three parts:

1. First Part- contains accurate information, especially the topic the writer disagrees
with (“When you…”)
2. Second Part- effect or feeling of the writer towards the topic (“I feel…”)
3. Last Part- preference or recommendation of the writer (“Therefore, I want…”)

Example: “When you ignore me, I feel sad. Therefore, I want you to spend more time home
and stop ignoring me.”
Textual Evidence
-information gathered from the text that supports your assertion or counterclaim about it

How to Express Judgement on a Text

1. State your idea about the text.
2. Determine evidence from the text by looking for clues and keywords that support
your idea.
3. Quote or paraphrase the part of the text. If it is from a book, indicate the page
number at the end of your sentence.
4. Express how the quote supports your idea.

Types of Textual Evidence

1. Paraphrasing- restating text in own words
2. Summarizing- restating text in shorter way using own words
3. Referencing- mentioning a specific section of the text
4. Quoting- stating a part of the text in the exact way it was written

Evaluative Statement
-statement made to reflect judgement and generalization about a text

Steps in Formulating an Evaluative Statement

1. Read the content of the text.
2. Find information and identify the writer’s claim.
3. Evaluate text using the Four Properties of a Well-Written Text.
4. Express judgement of the text. State what you liked about how the text was written.
5. Quote parts of the text to support your assertions. Use quotation marks and cite the
page if it is from a book or article.

Claim
-suggests an idea to the reader who may or may not agree
-arguable statement reflecting writer’s position on a topic
-usually supported by reasons
Assertion
-positive statements about the text

Four Properties of a Well-Written Text

1. Organization- having a clear and logical pattern
2. Coherence and Cohesion- connection of ideas
3. Language Use- choice of words
4. Mechanics- involves capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar

Sample Documents under Academic Writing

1. Book Review
-form of criticism in which a book is analyzed based on content, style and value
-can be an opinion, piece, a summary, or a scholarly review

2. Article Critique
-formal document that evaluates a journal article or another type of literary or scientific
content
-a.k.a. “Response Paper”

3. Literature Review
-analysis and combination of scholarly readings and other resources related to the topics or
issues included in the thesis paper
-a.k.a. “Review of Related Literature (RRL)”

4. Research Report
-systematic investigation and study of materials and sources to establish facts and reach
new conclusions
5. Project Proposal
-document used to present general plan and purpose to pursue a project
-a.k.a. “Terms of Reference”

6. Position Paper
-report used to defend opinion on a specific issue
-a.k.a. “Point-of-View Paper”

Sample Documents under Professional Writing

1. Resume
-document used to apply for a job
-typically consists of one to two pages
-contains summary of applicant’s personal info, skills, educational background, and work
experiences

2. Application for College Admission

a. College Admission Letter

-one-page letter required for university admission
-briefly discusses intention for attending college program
-a.k.a. “Letter of Intent”

b. College Admission Essay

-essay written by student-applicant to answer an essay topic given by admission office
-a.k.a. “Statement of Purpose” or “Personal Statement”
3. Employment Application Letter
-one-page letter attached to resume when applying for jobs
-a.k.a. “Job Application Letter” or “Cover Letter”

4. Other Forms of Office Correspondence

-written exchange of internal and external communication to support all business
processes and transactions

Types of Office Correspondence

1. Business Letter- traditional way of communicating information from one company
to another (external correspondence)
2. Business Memo- written communication strictly within company’s offices or
departments (internal correspondence)
3. Business Email- email with professional tone used for business purposes

What are Needed in Writing a Business Email?

1. Professional email address
2. Tech device with internet access
3. Mood for writing

Characteristics of a Business Email

1. Contains the @ sign
2. Does not necessarily contain capital letters
3. Most are written without capital letters

Parts of an Email Address

1. Username
-unique name you or your ISP select/s
-can be real name or nickname
2. @ Symbol
-sits in between username and domain of email address

3. Domain
-mail server (server hosting the email account)
-top-level domain (extension, such as .com, .net, .info)

Characteristics of a Business Email

1. Pillar of modern communication
2. Must only have one purpose
3. Should cover only one specific item, task, or request
4. Should be easy to understand, process, and act upon
5. Should be personal but brief
6. Should have enough information to allow a complete response

Parts of a ‘Compose Email” Window

1. To
-whom email is addressed
-recipient of email
-direct audience who needs to reply or act from the email content (Cullen, 2019)

2. CC (Carbon Copy)
-for readers who need to receive email conversation for reference or clarity, but do not
need to act or reply (Cullen, 2019)

3. BCC (Blind Carbon Copy)

-for audience who only needs to see the initial email and none of the later chain of replies
(Cullen, 2019)
-way of sending emails to multiple people without them knowing who else is getting the
email (Emerson, 2012)
4. From
-whom the email is from
-sender of email
-only appears in email received or email sent
-does not appear in ‘Compose Email’ window

5. Date
-specifies exact date and time of receipt of email

Steps in Writing Business Email

1. Pre-write
2. Draft
3. Revise
4. Refine

Tips on Writing Business Email

1. Follow a formal writing style
2. Focus on subject
3. Don’t mix two or three unrelated topics

Email Format
1. Plenty of white space to assist readers
2. Shorter paragraphs, lists, and bullet points to streamline information
3. Headings break up concepts and allow readers to skim

Font
-preferably sans serif (typeface without decorative strokes at the end)

Sans Serif
-modern and simple
-easy to read on screen and at small sizes
Recommended Fonts for Business Emails
1. Arial
2. Helvetica
3. Tahoma
4. Trebuchet MS
5. Verdana

Font Size- normal is 10-12

Bold Face
-for headings
-emphasizes important text
-catches eyes of readers

Italics
-softer way to draw attention
-brings emphasis
-used for titles of works

Text Color
-avoid using multiple colors
-draws eyes to multiple locations
-looks unprofessional
-only acceptable is blue (hyperlinks)

Alignment
-fully aligned left
-no indent
Numbered List
-organizes content where sequence is important

Bullet Points
-great way to create white space on page
-draw attention to related items
-best for unordered lists

Email Etiquette
1. Maintain appropriate level of familiarity
2. Be polite, especially if you don’t know the reader very well
3. Don’t start with “Hi” or “Hey”
4. Don’t shorten the recipient’s name or guess their nickname
5. If recipient signs their nickname, it’s okay to address them that way in the future
6. Avoid excessive use of punctuation (exclamation points should be used sparingly)
7. Don’t use emojis (unless they send one first)
8. Don’t shout (using all caps)
9. Review before sending
10. Specify email recipients
11. Don’t CC everybody
12. Be wary of using “Reply All”
13. Keep emails short and polite

Basic Structure of an Email Message

1. Greetings
2. Reason for writing
3. Purpose/Request
4. Other information
5. Call to action and closing
Parts of a Business Email

1. Subject Line
-the mini-summary
-email’s headline (must be a 3 to 8-word overview of content)
-determines whether email will be read or sent to trash
-clear and descriptive
-no more than 50 characters

2. Greeting
-professional
-concise
-addresses recipient by name

3. Purpose
-must only be one
-presented clearly and directly after peasantry
-concise and direct

4. Additional Information
-contains directly relevant content
-can be a clarification on task, link to resources or examples, and other helpful information

5. Call to Action
-found near the end of email
-specific that it should accomplish one task
-includes specifications and timeline
6. Closing
-indicates that email is complete
-nicely rounds out email
-includes complete contact info

Email Signature
-type of electronic business card appended to email
-includes most important context and contact details (phone number, email, etc.)

7. Attachments
-includes necessary links
-links referenced earlier must be included (include file name and document title)

8. Links
-directs to either websites or intranet dictionaries

Tips on Writing Book Review

1. Analyze- evaluate book with a critical mind
2. Compare- compare with similar texts and genres
3. Be consistent- stick with stance
4. See the big picture- review book as a whole
5. Recommendations- recommend or reject

Features of Book Review

1. Past Tense- book has already been read
2. Emotive Language- being passionate
3. Voice- use of passive and active voice in recounts
Elements of Book Review
1. Title
2. Author
3. Genre
4. Book Jacket/Cover
5. Structure/Format
6. Publisher and Price

Considerations in Writing Book Review

1. Think
2. Connect
3. Evaluate
4. Recommend

Article Critique
-specialized form of academic writing that evaluates the contribution of scholarly works
(academic books and journal articles) to knowledge

Purpose of Article Critique

1. Addresses more specific audience
2. Offers critical response to a published scholarly work
3. Uses both proof and logical reasoning to substantiate opinions

Structure of Article Critique

1. Introduction- contains the author’s name and the title of the article, the author's
main point, and a thesis statement that previews analysis
2. Summary- contains the main points of the article, the arguments presented, and the
findings in the article
3. Critique- pros and cons of the article, informed opinions about the clarity,
relevancy, and accuracy of the article using examples
4. Conclusion- summary of key points and own analysis and ending with comment on
the significance of the research or statement of future research needed in the field
Intertextuality
-refers to the way a text is shaped and connected to other texts

Hypertextuality
-refers to the direct or indirect transformation of one text into another

Academic Writing
-used in educational and research settings

Professional Writing
-used in workplace and business settings for communication and documentation