Lesson 06:

Properties of a
Well-Written Text
 PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT

•There are different aspects

that present a text in its
finest format, regardless of
which field the text is to
be presented to.
A. Organization
 ORGANIZATION
• A well-written text is, first and foremost,
organized.
• A well-written text cannot simply be a
jumble of random facts, sentences, or
fragments.
• There are things to consider when
organizing a text, these are:
 1. Target Audience of Your Writing
The following are the questions to answer when
considering the target audience of your writing:
1.1. Who are my readers?
(ages, demographics)
1.2. What will they consider as important values?
(scientific data, firsthand info, studies or
theories)
 1. Target Audience of Your Writing
1.3. Which field of study will this text be
presented to?
(Journal, scientific, literary magazine, novella
or an article of a newspaper)
1.4. What empirical data or representation will
they expect to see?
(aspects of issues and characters)
 2. Flow of Information
• This is best achieved by consulting the
methods of organization the writer has
used to gather his data.
• With these methods in mind, the writer
may be able to “connect the dots” of
data in a manner that is both
aesthetically pleasing and
comprehensible to the reader.
 METHODS OF ORGANIZATION
• Should the timeline of the story be
linear or nonlinear?
Example:
Classic stories begin with the standard form of storytelling;
the initial problem and the adventure to reach the solution.
However, modern storytelling can skip forward and
backward using flash backs or flash forwards, before
returning to the current time period to how events have come
to be.
 METHODS OF ORGANIZATION
• Which aspect of the subject should be
tackled first among all the others?
Example:
If a paper has several subheadings, beneath
the primary topic, which one should be first?
Is it the most vital? Is their importance to be in
ascending or descending order?
 METHODS OF ORGANIZATION
• If the text begins with a thesis, how
do I best present evidence to support
my conclusion?
Example:
If a paper has several subheadings, beneath
the primary topic, which one should be first?
Is it the most vital? Is their importance to be in
ascending or descending order?
 3. WRITING STRUCTURE
• Proper data organization is what
creates the foundation for a
writer’s text.
• The following are to be
considered when figuring out a
writing structure:
 3. WRITING STRUCTURE
3.1. What should be the foundation for
my writing?
(determine the goals or aim of the
paper, its settings, moral grounds
and overall theme)
 3. WRITING STRUCTURE
3.2. Where does it begin?
(For creative writing: explain the universe
that your story is settled in or sketch out
the characters then follow his adventures.
For formal papers: begin with a thesis,
choose evidences.)
 3. WRITING STRUCTURE
3.3. How far does it extend? What are
my limitations?
(For creative writing: one cannot cover
every direction of subtopic under a major
heading. Narrow this subtopic to the most
relevant aspects.
For formal papers: it is called scope of
limitations.)
 3. WRITING STRUCTURE
3.4. Which direction do I want to avoid
with this topic?
(What should be avoided so the readers
would continue reading the material.)
B. Coherence &
Cohesion
 COHERENCE & COHESION
• Without these two, any form of text
would fall apart.
• With these two, it means that the
ideas are ‘sticking together’.
• It is not only enough to compose
grammatically correct sentences but
also to ensure that the writing has a
logical flow of ideas.
 COHERENCE

• It means that all the ideas in

your writing flows together,
which includes developing and
supporting arguments,
organizing and clarifying
ideas, and synthesizing and
integrating readings.
 COHESION

• It focuses on grammatical
aspects of writing.
• It sets tone of the text and
ensures that the vocabulary
and grammar are also correct.
 1. THE TEXT’S READABILITY
• Readability no longer pertains to
simply how readable the text is in
physical sense.
e.g.
*In children’s book can’t be too advance for
children’s understanding
*In reading for leisure, using overly formal
language would make it difficult to enjoy.
 2. THE TEXT BEING STYLISTICALLY CLEAR
• Every writer has a distinct writing approach.
• The stylistic clarity of the writer makes his
work original.
• This gives the reader a chance to acclimate to
the writer’s manner of spinning the story
and maintains this level throughout the
novel.
e.g.* Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games’s post-
apocalyptic battlegrounds.
 C. USE OF
LANGUAGE
 USE OF LANGUAGE
• This is not merely in reference to a writer’s
chosen language in his ideas but also refers to
the level of language and consideration for
the colloquial terms that will be used
sparingly.
e.g. *must take into consideration the age of
audience; colloquialism must be used towards the
familiar words; informal language should be utilized
to achieve clarity of the text.
 1. LANGUAGE AS IT APPLIES WITHIN THE TEXT
• Words are extremely powerful tools
in a writer’s arsenal, one word can
have different meanings so its usage
will depend on the context.
Example:
According JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, a human
without magic is called a Muggle. In her new series,
however, it appears that the term Muggle is no longer
used; non-wizards are called No-maj (No magic).
 2. LANGUAGE COMPLEXITY
• A writer should aim to fit his
language with that of the reader’s
language skills.
• Different texts require different
reading levels, each being justified to
the range of vocabulary of the target
readers.
D. MECHANICS
 MECHANICS
• It applies to general sentence
constructions, punctuations,
capitalizations, grammar, vocabulary,
spelling and the likes.
• Changes in this property of a text
could change the entire ‘personality’
of the piece, or add some emphasis to
certain areas.
END OF DISCUSSION