WRITING SKILL
The mechanics of writing
Developing the skill of writing is an important factor in teaching
of foreign language. Writing should be
introduced after word recognition exercises.
Writing skill reinforces oral and reading work. The language items already learnt become
fixed in the minds of students. Writing
provides a change of activity and enables the students to do some homework. At later stage the ability to write in
English is needed in offices, because English continues to be the language of
administration at the Central level.
Effective writing
requires a sound understanding of the mechanics of good writing. A useful
example in thinking about the mechanics of writing is that of driving a
car. Important information includes
- the various components of the car (or parts of speech in writing), and how they function together (the rules of grammar), and
- what is needed to keep the car moving along, stopping and starting in the right places, and pausing whenever it is necessary (punctuation).
The basic element of
writing is the word. The first important thing to recognize is that there are
several types of words used in written and spoken speech, each with its
defining characteristics and its specific purposes.
Punctuation
A well written piece
of work must have good punctuation. By learning to use different forms of
punctuation one can communicate and express his ideas and arguments more
clearly.
General
principles
The following seven
points of style can be useful in the preparation of any piece of written work.
1.
Be clear - In general, keep
sentences short and convey a single point in each sentence
2.
Be concise – As for as
possible, use shorter words and phrases
3.
Enjoy precision- Effective
writing is writing that says precisely what the writer means and means
precisely what the writer intended.
4.
Be consistent - Use terms
consistently throughout the essay or report
5.
Be accurate - State
measurements using the correct notations and symbols
6.
6.Check disciplinary
expectations - Different styles of writing are used in different disciplines. A
piece of written work that is about a technical subject or a laboratory report
in a scientific discipline is very different in style from a sociology or fine
arts essay.
7.
Be honest - Reference all sources
of information
|
Activity
1:
|
Sub-Skills in Writing
Writing is one of the most demanding skills. It has to be deliberately cultivated. It is not something natural to human beings
like that of listening and speaking. It
is a skill that has been developed in civilized society to pass on knowledge or
messages. Writing aims at clear and efficient communication. Anne Raimes (1983) has diagrammatically
represented writing and its sub- skills as follows –
The above diagram clearly illustrates the complex of sub-skills that
make a piece of writing coherent,
effective and communicative.
|
Activity
2
|
Chapter - 3
Writing Skills – Mechanical Skills – Grammatical
Skills – Judgement Skills – Discourse Skills
Mechanical
Skills
- Avoid the use of slang words
- Try not to use abbreviations
- Steer away from the use of symbols (&)
- Clichés should be avoided.
- Brackets are used to play down words or phrases
- Dashes are generally used for emphasis
- Great care should ALWAYS be taken to spell the names of people and companies correctly
- Numbers should be expressed as words when the number is less than 10 or is used to start a sentence.
- Quotation marks should be placed around any directly quoted speech or text and around titles of publications.
- Keep sentences short
Grammatical
Skills
Writing is very
powerful. The power comes from its potential as an efficient and effective
means of communication. The power is derived from order and clarity. Structure
is used to present the information so that it is more accessible to the reader.
We have to provide the information in small manageable chunks, and to use the
structure of the document to maintain the context.
Considering the aim of
reading and the reader, the document is broken down into distinct sections,
which can be written (and read) separately. These sections are then
further decomposed into subsections (and sub-subsections) until we arrive at
simple, small units of information - which are expressed as a paragraph, or a
diagram. Every paragraph in the
document should justify itself. It should serve a purpose, or be removed. A
paragraph should convey a single idea. There should be a statement of that key
idea and it should have the following:
- a development of the idea
- an explanation or analogy
- an illustration
- support with evidence
- contextual links to reinforce the structure
When we have decided
what to say, to whom to say, and how to structure it we must then check it for
clarity and effectiveness.
Layout
The main difference between written
and verbal communication is that the reader can choose and re-read the various
sections, whereas the listener receives information in the sequence determined
by the speaker. Layout should be used to make the structure plain, and more
effective. It acts as a guide to the reader. The key to effective layout is to
use -
- informative titles
- white space
- variety
Style
People do not have the
time to enjoy a florid phrase or incessant illiteration. They want to know what
the document is about and what it says. In some articles a summary can be
obtained by reading the first sentence of each paragraph. The remainder of each
paragraph is simply an expansion or explanation of the initial sentence.
Punctuation
Punctuation is used to
clarify meaning and to highlight structure. It can also remove ambiguity.
Spelling
For some, spelling is
a constant problem. Incorrect spelling distracts the reader and detracts from
the authority of the author. Computer spell-checking programmes provide great
assistance, especially when supported by a good dictionary.
Sentence Length
Avoid long sentences.
We tend to associate "unit of information" with "a
sentence".
Judgement Skills
Judgement skills are also discourse
skills, but they are of a higher order.
Judgement skills include style, register, relevance and
organization. They are so called because
they involve, choice of language that suits the purpose, which is a matter of
judgement. In the following two
grammatically correct sentences –
I gave Vinoth money to pay his fees.
I gave Vinoth money so that he could pay
his fees.
The second sentence is stylistically
a neat sentence and therefore it is preferable.
Such stylistic choices are to be used in our writing.
The language of speaking should not
be mixed with writing. Such words as Cop
(Policeman) that occur in speech should be avoided in writing. This is a matter of Register that is the choice of language that suits the written
medium. Register is also a matter of
choosing language that suits the subject.
The employment of relevant material in writing and the organization of
ideas or details form the judgment skills.
“Discourse means ‘pieces of language longer than a sentence.” Some
words and expressions are used to show how discourse is constructed. They can
show the connection between what a speaker is saying and what has already been
said or what is being said.
Therefore, discourse markers are words or phrases that function to
signal how the current utterance relates to prior discourse contributing to the
meaning of the message. They are best realized by being used at the beginning
of clauses. In view of that, a preliminary list of discourse markers can be
specified, in terms of their functions, as follows:
1. Focusing And Linking: With reference
to, Speaking/Talking of/about, Regarding, As regards, With regard to, With
respect to, In regard to, As to, As for
2. Contrasts:
- Direct Contrast: However, Nevertheless, Mind you, Yet/Still/In spite of, Conversely, In contrast/In contrast to
- Concession and Counter Argument: It is true, Of course, If, May, But, However, Even so, Nevertheless, Nonetheless, All the same, Still
- Contradicting: On the contrary
- Balancing Contrasting Points: While, On the other hand, Whereas
- Dismissal of Previous Discourse: Anyway, At least, At any rate
3. Similarity:
Similarly, In the same way, Likewise, By the same token
4. Change
of Subject: By the way, Incidentally, Right, Now, O.K
5. Structuring:
First(ly), First of all, Second(ly), Third(ly), Lastly, Finally, To begin
with, To start with, In the
first/second/third place, For one thing, For another thing
6. Adding:
Moreover, Furthermore, In addition, As well as that, On top of that, Another
thing, What is more, Besides, In any case, Also
7. Generalizing:
On the whole, In general, In all/most/many/some cases, Broadly speaking, By and
large, To a great extent, Apart from, Except for....
8. Exemplification:
For instance, For example, In particular, Such as, e.g.
9. Logical
Consequence:
Thus, Hence, Accordingly, Therefore, As a result, Consequently, So, Then,
That’s why
10. Making
Things Clear / Softening and Correcting: I mean, Actually, That is to
say, In other words, I think, I feel, I reckon, I guess, In my view/opinion,
Apparently, So to speak, More or less, Sort of, Kind of, Well, Really, At
least, I am afraid, I suppose
11. Gaining
Time: Let me see, Let’s see, Well, You know, I don’t know, I
|
Activity
3
|
Characteristics of Good Handwriting
The following are the
characteristics of good handwriting:
1. Letter Style
There are three different styles of
letters viz.,
(1) slanting
towards the left,
(2) vertical,
(3) slanting
towards the right.
These angles of
writing are shown below:
|
1.
Slanting towards left
|
|
|
2.
Vertical
|
|
|
3.
Slanting towards right
|
|
Generally girls tend to adopt the
first style and boys the third while the vertical style is common to both. The teacher must ensure that the pupils adopt
one style only and do not mix them in their written work because it will make
their handwriting shabby. They may adopt
any of the three letter styles. The
vertical letters are the best. Students
should be helped to cultivate the habit of writing in this style.
2. Legibility
In order to secure legibility in
writing, the teacher should pay special attention to the different aspects of
the cursive writing –
- letter-formation, regularity of slant,
- quality of line or stroke,
- alignment, and spacing.
Studies have shown that pupils generally do not write properly five
letters – a, e, r, t and f. The teacher should pay special attention to
these letters as well as other letters which the pupils do not write
properly. Legibility is of great
importance. Good letter-formation is essential
for legibility. The chief errors in
letter formation which make handwriting illegible are -
(i)
difficulty in dotting i
(ii)
difficulty in crossing t
(iii)
top stroke short as in h
(iv)
failure to close letters, as in
a and o.
3. Uniformity
Good handwriting is always uniform
in style. Whatever style the individual
writer adopts, it should be uniform in size, spacing and alignment. In good handwriting, all letters are written
either in vertical style or in forward slant or in backward slant. Any style is good provided it is uniform in
style.
4. Spacing
Spacing adds beauty to
handwriting. The letters in words and
words in sentences should be properly spaced.
Similarly lines on a page should not be unevenly close to each other. Proper spacing of letters, words and lines is
essential for good handwriting.
5. Distinctiveness
Each letter should have a
characteristic form of its own. Letters
should be written clearly and carefully.
The letters should not have resemblance with some other letters.
6. Simplicity
The letters should be simple. A simple handwriting in which letters have no
unnecessary tails or loops is always easy to read. Simple letter shapes carry more appeal.
7. Appropriate Size of Letters
The size of letters should be
moderate and even. These should be
neither small nor big. There should be
proportion between the size of letters.
They should have due proportion to one another.
8. Speed
Good handwriting also requires a
reasonable speed. It adds charm and
fluency to one’s writing. “The writing should not be laboured but done at
reasonable speed”– A.W. Frisby. In the
beginning the pupils should write slowly but they can cultivate the habit of
writing beautifully at reasonable speed in due course.
|
Activity 4:
|
Developing Good Handwriting
Bad handwriting is a wrong habit.
Once the bad habit of writing is formed it becomes difficult to get it removed
and replace it with the habit of good writing.
The following are the remedial measures for improving handwriting -
1.
Use of Four-line Notebooks: The use of four line notebooks will be extremely useful. If proper attention is paid by the teacher to
the size and spacing of letters, four-line notebooks result in good
handwriting.
2.
Teacher’s Handwriting as Model: The teacher’s handwriting should be model
for the students. When he is writing on
the blackboard the students should be asked to watch his movements of hand and
fingers. The pupils should be made to
understand proper strokes, uniform size and proper spacing. Teacher’s writing becomes a model for the
students.
3.
Individual Attention: The student’s posture while writing should be attended to. They should sit comfortably in their seats in
an erect-position, with both feet resting on the ground and their bodies
leaning slightly forward from the hips, but not touching the desk. Head should bend twelve inches away from the
paper.
4.
Use of Proper Writing
Material: The use of proper writing material at
different stage of writing is an important consideration. Students should be directed to use proper
writing material.
5.
Sympathetic Treatment: The student with bad handwriting should be treated
sympathetically. He may be asked to do a
page of writing every day.
6.
Adequate Practice: Adequate practice in writing should be given to students.
7.
Handwriting Competition: There should be frequent competitions on handwriting. Good handwriting of students should be
displayed in the classroom.
As a remedial measure for improvement of handwriting adequate
exercise in writing such as transcription, dictation and composition should be
given to the students. It is only
through a well planned practice the students can improve their handwriting.
|
Activity 5:
|
very useful material. thank you guys
ReplyDelete