The document discusses the key properties of well-written text, including organization, mechanics, coherence and cohesion, and language use. Organization refers to the logical progression and completeness of ideas through elements like text structure and transition words. Mechanics covers technical aspects such as grammar, punctuation, spelling and parts of speech. Coherence and cohesion relate to how easily understandable and connected ideas are within a text. Language use considers style, tone, clarity and adapting language to the intended audience.

1. PROPERTIES OF
A WELL-WRITTEN
TEXT

2. When can we say the
text is well-written?
And when it’s not?

3. Well, there are as many
definitions of well-
written text as there are
forms of writing!

4. Fortunately, there are
some general
charactertistics that all
well-written text
shares.

5. PROPERTIES OF
A WELL-WRITTEN
TEXT

6. Simply put, is the logical
progression and
completeness of ideas in
text.
ORGANIZATION

7. A well-organized piece of
writing supports readers by
making it easy for them to
follow.

8. Instruction in organization focuses
on two areas: text structures
specific to the particular genre and
the cohesive elements that tie
clauses, sentences and paragraphs
together into a cohesive
whole.

9. TEXT STRUCTURES
Is the framework of a text’s beginning,
middle and end.
Different narrative and expository genres
have different purposes and different
audiences, and so they require different
text structures. Beginnings and endings
help link the text into a coherent whole.

10. The beginning, also called the lead
or the hook, orients the reader to
the purpose of the writing by
introducing characters or setting
(for narrative) or the topic, thesis or
argument (for expository writing).

11. If narrative and expository
structures are the framework,
cohesive elements such as
transition words are the glue that
holds these structural elements
together. Transition words show
the relationship between different
sentences and ideas.

12. TRANSITION WORDS

13. SPATIAL ORDER TIME ORDER NUMERICAL ORDER
CAUSE/EFFECT
ORDER
COMPARISON/
CONTRAST ORDER
GENERAL/SPECIFIC
ORDER

15. 1. SPATIAL ORDER
Words used in descriptive
writing to signal spatial
relationships, such as above,
below, beside, nearby, beyond,
inside and outside.

16. 2. TIME ORDER
Words used in writing narratives
and instructions to signal
chronological sequence, such as
before, after, first, next, then,
when, finally, while, as, during,
earlier, later and meanwhile.

17. 3. NUMERICAL ORDER
Words used in expository writing
to signal order of importance,
such as first, second, also, finally,
in addition, equally important,
and more or less importantly.

18. 4. CAUSE/EFFECT ORDER.
Words used in expository
writing to signal causal
relationships, such as becvause,
since, for, so, as a result,
consequently, thus and hence.

19. 5. COMPARISON/CONTRAST ORDER.
Words used in expository writing to signal
similarities and differences such as (for
similarities): also, additionally, just as, as if, as
thought, like, and similarly; and (for differences)
but, yet, only, although, whereas, in contrast,
conversely, however, on the other hand, rather,
instead, in spite of, and nevertheless.

20. 6. GENERAL/SPECIFIC ORDER
Words used in descriptive reports
and arguments to signal more
specific elaboration on an idea,
such as for example, such as, like,
namely, for instance, that is, in
fact, in other words, and indeed.

21. GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR
ORGANIZATION.
1. Does your piece have a clear
beginning, middle and end?
2. Does your piece have a strong
beginning that hooks the reader?
3. Does your piece have a strong
ending that fits the focus?

22. GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR
ORGANIZATION.
3. Are the ideas and actions
connected to each other?
4. Can your reader follow the
piece logically from beginning to
end?
5. Is it complete? Does it feel
finished?

23. MECHANICS
Mechanics is the term we use to
describe the technical aspects
of writing, such as spelling,
punctuation, capitalization, etc.

24. PARTS OF SPEECH
Knowing the parts of speech, using them
correctly and understanding how they
relate to one another is an important early
step in creating strong writing skills. From
nouns and verbs to prepositions and
conjunctions, each part of speech plays a
key role in sentence structure and clarity of
thought.

25. CAPITALIZATION
In a world of lowercase
texting, learning proper
capitalization takes on a
whole new meaning.

26. GRAMMAR
Grammar not only affects
our clarity, but also can add
authority, enhance
meaning and create a more
sophisticated voice.

27. PUNCTUATION
Punctuation are marks such as periods,
question marks, exclamation points,
commas, apostrophes, quotation marks,
semi-colons and colons. When used
correctly, they make writing look more
organized and easier to read and
understand. They tell you how to read a
line and where to pause or breathe.

28. SPELLING
Misspelled words should
be avoided when writing
any form of text.

29. COHERENCE
AND
COHESION

30. Cohesion refers to connectivity
in a text. Refers to how easy it is
to understand the writing. A text
is cohesive if its elements are
linked together. A text is
coherent if it makes sense.

31. Cohesion is a formal feature of
texts (it gives them their
texture(, while coherence is “in
the eye of the beholder” – that is
to say, it is the extent to which
the reader (or listener) is able to
infer the writer’s (or speaker’s )
communicative intentions.

32. Thus, cohesion is
objectively verifiable, while
coherence is more
subjective. A text may be
coherent to you, but
incoherent to me.

33. COHESION WITHOUT
COHERENCE
“My favorite color is blue. Blue sports
car go very fast. Driving in this way is
dangerous and can cause many car
crashes. I had a car accident once and
broke my leg. I was very sad because I
had to miss a holiday in Europe
because of the injury.

34. As you can see, there are
plenty of cohesion here. The
sentences connect clearly
together but if you read the
paragraph, it really makes no
sense – I start talking about
blue and I finish talking about
a holiday in Europe. There is
no coherence in this
paragraph.

35. COHERENCE WITHOUT
COHESION
“My favorite color is blue. I’m
calm and relaxed. In the
summer I lie on the grass and
look up.”

36. This is more difficult to
understand but
basically this lack of
cohesion means a lack
of sufficient connectors
to join the ideas
together.

37. If I try hard I can
understand what the
person is saying: a short
answer, an explanation,
an example; however
the sentences don’t fit
together.

38. LANGUAGE
USE

39. As a writer, it is important not only
to think about what you say, but
how you say it.
One must also think about the
style, tone and clarity of his/her
writing, and adapt these elements
to the reading audience.

40. In order to choose the most
effective language, the writer
must consider the objective of
the document, the context in
which it is being written and who
will be reading it.

41. CHARACTERTISTICS OF
AN EFFECTIVE
LANGUAGE

42. 1. CONCRETE AND SPECIFIC
LANGUAGE
Concrete language includes
descriptions which create
tangible images with details the
reader can visualize.

43. 2. CONCISE LANGUAGE
A hallmark of effective writers is
the ability to express the desired
message in as few words as
possible.

44. 3. FAMILIAR LANGUAGE
Familiar language is that which
the readers easily recognize and
understand because they use it
on a regular basis.

45. 4. PRECISE AND CLEAR LANGUAGE
The use of appropriate language
is a tricky matter because the
meaning of words is relative and
situational.

46. 5. CONSTRUCTIVE LANGUAGE
Constructive language phrases a
potentially negative message in a
positive way.

47. 6. FORMALITY OF LANGUAGE
The formality of the language one
uses should match the formality
of the situation and the
relationship between the writer
and reader.