Writing a Reaction Paper

Writing a Reaction Paper

v A reaction paper is an analysis and an evaluation of the material presented.

v In a reaction paper, make sure to give a detailed overview of the experience and tell what exactly was taken out of the experience.

v A reaction paper should be more than a simple summary of the material that you are reacting upon.

v It should include your opinion or reaction to the material.

v This may take on a variety of forms:

§ You may compare the work to other related material;

§ You may come up with ways to improve the work;

§ You may express what you learned;

§ You may concur with the work or argue against the work

v You can even use “I”, or the first person, in this type of paper.

How to Write a Reaction Paper

Consider these general steps as you plan your writing:

• Pull your thoughts together on what you just experienced.
• Come up with a thesis statement.
• Come up with what reaction you want to put down on paper.
• Decide on your organization and format draft your reaction paper.

As a starting point for your reaction paper, select two or three major points from the following list and write a paragraph for each point.

§ React to the ideas presented.

Are they clear and suitable? Explain the ideas, give examples of their application in the material presented, and compare/contrast the ideas with your own.

§ Compare it to another material.

How was it similar to the other material? How was it different? Which did you enjoy more? What makes it more enjoyable? Which did you learn more from?

§ Discuss specific insights or facts you have learned or gained from reading the material presented.

Discuss each insight or fact you have learned in a detailed paragraph, using direct examples from the material presented. Include a page reference to the material you are reacting to.

§ Make a judgment about the material presented and support it.

Did you like it? Why or why not? Elaborate on your answer by commenting on the content, style, clarity, validity of ideas and method of presentation.

§ Analyzed the material presented.

What is its purpose? How does it go about achieving its goal? What is the plan/method of presentation?

§ Tell what others might gain from the material presented.

Is it valuable? Is it informative, entertaining, or accurate? Do you think your instructor should use it again? Why or why not?

In your conclusion, summarize your ideas and tie them together.

Writing a Reaction or Response Essay

Reaction or response papers are usually requested by teachers so that you'll consider carefully what you think or feel about something you've read. The following guidelines are intended to be used for reacting to a reading although they could easily be used for reactions to films too. Read whatever you've been asked to respond to, and while reading, think about the following questions.

• How do you feel about what you are reading?
• What do you agree or disagree with?
• Can you identify with the situation?
• What would be the best way to evaluate the story?

Keeping your responses to these questions in mind, follow the following prewriting steps.

Prewriting for Your Reaction Paper

The following statements could be used in a reaction/response paper. Complete as many statements as possible, from the list below, about what you just read.

My Reaction to What I Just Read Is That . . .

I think that; I see that; I feel that; It seems that; In my opinion; Because; A good quote is; In addition; For example; Moreover; However; Consequently; Finally; In conclusion.

What you've done in completing these statements is written a very rough reaction/response paper. Now it needs to be organized.

Organizing Your Reaction Paper

A reaction/response paper has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

• The introduction should contain all the basic information in one or two paragraphs.

Sentence 1:	This sentence should give the title, author, and publication you read.
Sentence 2, 3, and sometimes 4:	These sentences give a brief summary of what you read (nutshell)
Sentence 5:	This sentence is your thesis statement. You agree, disagree, identify, or evaluate.

• Your introduction should include a concise, one sentence, focused thesis. This is the focused statement of your reaction/response.
• The body should contain paragraphs that provide support for your thesis. Each paragraph should contain one idea. Topic sentences should support the thesis, and the final sentence of each paragraph should lead into the next paragraph.

Topic Sentence

detail -- example --quotation --detail -- example -- quotation -- detail -- example -- quotation -- detail -- example --quotation

Summary Sentence

 You can structure your paragraphs in two ways:

Author

You

OR

Author

in contrast to

You

 The conclusion can be a restatement of what you said in your paper. It also be a comment which focuses your overall reaction. Finally, it can be a prediction of the effects of what you're reacting to. Note: your conclusion should include no new information.

Strategies for Writing a Conclusion

Conclusions are often the most difficult part of an essay to write, and many writers feel that they have nothing left to say after having written the paper. A writer needs to keep in mind that the conclusion is often what a reader remembers best. Your conclusion should be the best part of your paper.

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A conclusion should

• stress the importance of the thesis statement,
• give the essay a sense of completeness, and
• leave a final impression on the reader.

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Suggestions

• Answer the question "So What?"

Show your readers why this paper was important. Show them that your paper was meaningful and useful.

• Synthesize, don't summarize
• Don't simply repeat things that were in your paper. They have read it. Show them how the points you made and the support and examples you used were not random, but fit together.

• Redirect your readers
• Give your reader something to think about, perhaps a way to use your paper in the "real" world. If your introduction went from general to specific, make your conclusion go from specific to general. Think globally.

• Create a new meaning
• You don't have to give new information to create a new meaning. By demonstrating how your ideas work together, you can create a new picture. Often the sum of the paper is worth more than its parts.

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Strategies

• Echoing the introduction: Echoing your introduction can be a good strategy if it is meant to bring the reader full-circle. If you begin by describing a scenario, you can end with the same scenario as proof that your essay was helpful in creating a new understanding.

Example

Introduction

From the parking lot, I could see the towers of the castle of the Magic Kingdom standing stately against the blue sky. To the right, the tall peak of The Matterhorn rose even higher. From the left, I could hear the jungle sounds of Adventureland. As I entered the gate, Main Street stretched before me with its quaint shops evoking an old-fashioned small town so charming it could never have existed. I was entranced. Disneyland may have been built for children, but it brings out the child in adults.

Conclusion

I thought I would spend a few hours at Disneyland, but here I was at 1:00 A.M., closing time, leaving the front gates with the now dark towers of the Magic Kingdom behind me. I could see tired children, toddling along and struggling to keep their eyes open as best they could. Others slept in their parents' arms as we waited for the parking lot tram that would take us to our cars. My forty-year-old feet ached, and I felt a bit sad to think that in a couple of days I would be leaving California, my vacation over, to go back to my desk. But then I smiled to think that for at least a day I felt ten years old again.

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• Challenging the reader: By issuing a challenge to your readers, you are helping them to redirect the information in the paper, and they may apply it to their own lives.

Example

Though serving on a jury is not only a civic responsibility but also an interesting experience, many people still view jury duty as a chore that interrupts their jobs and the routine of their daily lives. However, juries are part of America's attempt to be a free and just society. Thus, jury duty challenges us to be interested and responsible citizens.

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• Looking to the future: Looking to the future can emphasize the importance of your paper or redirect the readers' thought process. It may help them apply the new information to their lives or see things more globally.

Example

Without well-qualified teachers, schools are little more than buildings and equipment. If higher-paying careers continue to attract the best and the brightest students, there will not only be a shortage of teachers, but the teachers available may not have the best qualifications. Our youth will suffer. And when youth suffers, the future suffers.

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• Posing questions: Posing questions, either to your readers or in general, may help your readers gain a new perspective on the topic, which they may not have held before reading your conclusion. It may also bring your main ideas together to create a new meaning.

Example

Campaign advertisements should help us understand the candidate's qualifications and positions on the issues. Instead, most tell us what a boob or knave the opposing candidate is, or they present general images of the candidate as a family person or God-fearing American. Do such advertisements contribute to creating an informed electorate or a people who choose political leaders the same way they choose soft drinks and soap?

Summary

In summary, this handout has covered prewriting and organizing strategies for reaction/response papers.

• Prewriting
• Read the article and jot down ideas.
• How do you feel about what was said?
• Do you agree or disagree with the author?
• Have you had any applicable experience?
• Have you read or heard anything that applies to this what the writer said in the article or book?
• Does the evidence in the article support the statements the writer made?
• Organizing
• Write the thesis statement first.
• Decide on the key points that will focus your ideas. These will be your topic sentences.
• Develop your ideas by adding examples, quotations, and details to your paragraphs.
• Make sure the last sentence of each paragraph leads into the next paragraph.
• Check your thesis and make sure the topic sentence of each paragraph supports it.

References:

8 Holewa, R. (2004). Writing a Reaction or Response Essay. Retrieved July 9, 2009, from http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/reaction.html

8 Holewa, R. (2004). Strategies for Writing a Conclusion. July 9, 2009, from http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html

The Original Jeep

The Original Jeep

The jeep is a small, 1 ¼- ton open-topped military car of World War II developed by US Army Quarter Corps in 1941 which is used in lend – lease shipments to the Soviet Union and other allies. Its name is derived from the Army’s title, General purpose vehicle or GP, which was phonetically slurred into the word jeep. It has a 71-hp engine and a top speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), and was classed as a quarter-ton truck in carrying capacity. It has a high ground clearance and four-wheel drive which made it capable of traveling over roads impassable to ordinary vehicles, climbing 60 percent grades and fording shallow streams.

This exceptionally sturdy jeep has a four-cylinder engine which has a single row of water-cooled cylinders. This engine is the central working part of the heat engine that performs the conversion of heat energy to make the jeep mechanically work. It was sometimes armored by weasel (a tank which is armed with cannon and machine guns and moving on a caterpillar treads) for combat missions. The jeep’s waterproof hull is the hollow, lowermost portion, floating partially submerged and supporting the remainder of the jeep. Its propeller (type of fan) transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. It consists of one or more blades about a central shaft and operates like a rotating screw or wing. Its waterproof hull and propeller give it amphibious capabilities which made it capable of operating on both land and water.

The jeep had a great variety of military uses, as a command car; reconnaissance car; light weapons, ammunition, and personnel carrier; and for many purposes. After World War II, the jeep found wide applications in civilian life. It is produced today by a division of the Chrysler Corporation, which uses the capitalized name as its trademark.

References:

& Goetz, P. W., McHenry, R., & Hoiberg, D. (1985). The New Encyclopædia Britannica (15th ed., Vol. 6). Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

& Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge (Vol.10). (1995). Danbury, Connecticut: Grolier Inc.

8 Jeep. (n.d.) In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved July 13, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep

8 jeep. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved July 12, 2009, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/jeep

Technical Writing Class: 07/10/09

Synthesis: July 10, 2009

Ms. Camba continued discussing the other methods of expanded technique definition. Those were etymology, examples, description, operation or process, and negation. Next topic was technical description which was intensively reported by Ms. Buñog using five sources. Firstly, she asked what are the differences between descriptive writing and technical description. She explained that the differences between them are just the same with the differences between descriptive writing and technical writing. Aftrwards, she gave the technical description definition according to Lannon and Reep. Technical description combines words and visuals to create a picture – a clear mental image of the product or a process (Lannon, 2003). It provides readers with precise details about the physical features, appearance or composition of a subject (Reep, 1997). Ms. Buñog said that it gives a clear visual image of a technical subject through the use of precise and informative language. Then, she also discussed its purpose, subjects, elements, and types. Its purpose is to convey useful information about an item to someone who will use it, but it, operate it, or assemble it or to someone who has to know more about it for good reason (Lannon, 1988). Its subjects are mechanism, location, organism, substance, object, and condition. Its elements are clear and limiting title, appropriate level of technicality, objectivity, graphic organizers, and logic of organization. It has two main types: mechanism / product description and process description / instructions. Mechanism or product description makes us understand the function, appearance and operation of a particular subject while process description or instructions explains to us how a change takes place in that subject through a series of stages. Ms. Buñog elaborated also the guidelines in writing each type of technical description and its revision checklist. Mrs. Manzano made us of the term technical partition wherein we include all the parts of an item to be described separately. Moreover, she already gave us the first part of our midterm exam in which we will make a technical description about the original picture of a jeepney. Then, she continued discussing classification, one method of definition, by letting us complete the tree diagram of a computer system she drew on the board. She explained that enumeration is found in the horizontal slices of classification and definition is drawn from the vertical slices of classification. She also reiterated the three parts of classification (the item to be classified, the group to which the item belong and the verb phrase) and the two main patterns in classifying (item-VP-name of group and name of group-VP-items). Moreover, she stated that both active and passive voice of the verb phrase can be used in defining an item. Lastly, she defined classifying agent as the person doing the classification and she enumerated the three possibilities in classifying agent where it maybe clearly presented, implied, or not presented at all. Next meeting, we will be having our midterm exam, and it’s a matter between life and death. If we passed it, we will go on to our subject, and if not, goodbye to us. After that Mrs. Manzano will continue discussing about classification and we will go on to the next presentations. So, this weekend, no happy-go-lucky activities.

Technical Writing Class: 07/09/09

Synthesis: July 9, 2009

Ms. Aguilar continued her presentation about extended definition where we identify terms and explain individual features when we believe readers need more than a sentence definition. She explained the methods of expansion which are explanation of use or function, description of parts,comparision and contrast, reason sequence and spatial sequence. She elaborated the two structures of comparison and contrast method: the block structure (topical) and point-by-point structure (complete subject). In block structure, one binding is discussed and then another while in point-by-point structure, points common to all items or topics are discussed. Moreover, she stated additional methods of expansion. These were chronological sequence, example sequence, effect-cause / cause-effect sequence, and problem-causes-solution sequence.
Next reporter was Ms. Valenzuela who discussed the first special technique in technical writing which is summarizing. Summarizing is the process of making the general idea brief. She enumerated and explained the elements of summary. These were essential message, nontechnical style, independent meaning, no added material, introduction-body-conclusion structure and conciseness. After that, she gave the guidelines for summarizing information: (1) read the whole text; (2) reread and underline the important key words and phrases; (3) edit data by omitting unnecessary words; (4) rewrite it in own words; (5) correct own version by crossing out unessential words and combine related ideas; (6) check own version; (7) rewrite the introduction, body and conclusion and include useful transitional devices; and (8) write sources.
Ms. Valbuena talked about outlining. She defined outline as a general plan of the material that is to be presented in a speech or a paper. It is also called “the essay at a glance”. It shows the order of the various topics, the relative importance of each and the relationship between the various parts. Then, she specified the methods of outlining: informal outlining, which contains simply phrases or words in random; and formal outlining, which is more detailed and systematic in arrangement of topics. She also gave the styles of outline which are Roman outline (combination of alphanumeric characters) and Decimal outline (numbers and subordinate numbers). The last part of her report was the types of outline: topic outline (brief phrase or single word outline) and sentence outline (sentence form outline).
The last reporter was Ms. Camba who emphasized definition. Definition is a process which uses analysis and explication to make the meaning of a term clear. She discussed the methods of definition: informal, formal, and expanded. Informal definition explains a term with a word or phrase that has same general meaning. We can have these ways or use these words in defining a term informally: or, parentheses, appositive, ‘that is..’, ‘e.g.’, dash (-),’…means…’, ‘is known as’. Formal definition is more detailed and rigidly structured. Its three principal parts are term or species, genus or class, and differentia. She provided the methods of expanded technical definition according to Reep (2003). These were cause and effect, classification, comparison and contrast, and etymology. Mrs.Manzano gave patterns in classification: (1) item / verb phrase / name of group; and (2) name of group / verb phrase / item. Then, she asked us to give appropriate verb phrases for each pattern. Next meeting, we will be expecting continuation of reports and several exercises. So, we should continue studying in advance.

Technical Writing Class: 07/08/09

Synthesis: July 8, 2009

The first thing Mrs. Manzano discussed was she required all the males in the class to participate in the English Chorus for the voice of male and female be balanced. However, Mr. Oclaret would have to think of joining the chorale because of his spiritual commitment. Next, Mrs. Manzano questioned why is the General Assembly organized by TEC be held on Saturday. She was disappointed about the TEC’s decision; that was vivid in her feedbacks a while ago. She said that Saturday is shaky and crucial. She asked these questions: Is the TEC sure that there would be a perfect attendance? How would they introduce the new teachers? Are the advisers informed? Who will be with you? She ended up the discussion by saying that she won’t ever accept invitations from the TEC anymore.
Then, she explained the types of Pronoun Reference Errors. She stressed that pronouns have referents (people, places, things) that they are referring to. Third personal pronouns including the reflexive pronouns must have antecedents that should appear before them. In ambiguous pronoun reference, there are two or more possible antecedents for the pronoun. In vague pronoun reference, there is no antecedent for the pronoun to refer to but there should be. And in broad pronoun reference, there is an inability to locate a noun acting as the antecedent for a relative pronoun. After each type of pronoun reference error, she gave examples for us to correct; and she had us explain why we had those corrections.
Ms. Aguilar took the floor for the Paragraph Structure. She first gave us a short test. From the paragraph presented through OHP, we chose the topic sentence and wrote the numbers of the supporting sentences. From that activity, she asked us to define paragraph. A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic. She even explained that paragraph development is a way in which we combine sentences for us to have a detailed explanation for the topic sentence. Then, she discussed one of the methods of paragraph development which is Definition. She stated the difference between informal, formal, and extended definition. Informal definition is a simple statement using familiar terms. Formal definition places the terms into group and then explains the terms’ special features that distinguish it from the group. And, in extended definition, the terms are identified and the individual features are explained. Before the session ended, Mrs. Manzano asked one in the class to define what a table is. No one has given the correct definition for it. She said that in defining an item, we should include the features. Tomorrow will be a continuation of Ms. Aguilar’s report, and we will be expecting a fast pace of presentation. So, we should be always prepared.

Technical Writing Class: 07/07/09

Synthesis: July 7, 2009

Ms. Monte de Ramos made the 4 Basic Parts of the Verb clear to us by giving the form and example for each verb. After that, she contrasted the Present Perfect and Past Simple. Past simple tense indicates definite time in the past while present perfect tense shows past action in an indefinite time. Afterwards, she gave a 10-item assessment, and then followed by Mrs. Manzano’s exam about writing errors – run-ons, comma splice, parallelism, fragments etc.
After the 2 consecutive exams, Mrs. Manzano reminded the next topics for tomorrow’s discussion. Those were Types of Pronoun Reference Errors, Paragraph Development and Specialized Techniques of Technical Writing. We only have one last topic to discuss after the midterm exam which is the Final Products of Technical Writing. Before Mrs. Manzano dismissed the class, she asked reports about the symposium. She said that we should organize that as soon as possible. Tomorrow will be a make-up class day; it will be like a normal school day. So, we will be expecting more discussions and activities in all subjects.

Technical Writing Class: 07/06/09

Synthesis: July 6, 2009

Ms. Guba started to break the ice. She discussed Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Faulty Reference. Pronoun was defined as a substitute for a previously stated noun called the antecedent. Mrs. Manzano added that we use pronouns to be concise in writing. The reporter stressed that a pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number, person, and gender. She even explained that the pronoun he or him refers to a general noun. To avoid gender bias, it is preferred to use his/her. But, she said that it should not be overused in technical writing. Simply make it plural like ‘Careful writers revise their sentences.’ In technical writing, we should also avoid unexplained pronouns like the expletives and avoid using ‘you’. For example, you should not take drugs without doctor’s prescription. It sounds too informal and appears personalizing. One should be used in this case because it is more standard. Next reporter was Ms. Monte de Ramos who contrasted Present Simple and Present Progressive, and Present Perfect and Past Simple Tenses. She first stated the form of each tense and cited the uses with the help of Mrs. Manzano and participation of the class. In the midst of Kristel’s report, Mrs. Manzano counted the sessions left and scheduled the midterm exam. There are still 3 sessions left before the ME and the final exam will cover the symposium.

In connection with Kristel’s presentation, Mrs. Manzano asked for the 4 basic forms [structure] of every verb. Surprisingly, I was the one whom she asked to complete the present//present participle//past//past participle table. She went out for a while but “I” should complete the table as she arrives. I cannot complete it so I sought help from my classmates. We really had a hard time completing it and what happened was I wrote the word “irregular” at the top of the form for regular past tense verbs. That angered Mrs. Manzano. So, that was my “bengga” moment. I really received hot flying stones. I really can’t reason out why I wrote such. I knew nothing but to swallow myself that time. What was wrong was I asked help from my classmates when I should be the one who must complete it. I really felt bad in this session. I can’t choose what Mrs. Manzano will say to me but I can choose the way I’ll react toward it, and that’s attitude. My attitude was challenged that time. If I won’t experience this, I would learn nothing. So, I just accepted everything. That’s the way it is. Feelings may go up and down, but still the choice to learn prevails.

EL-OW-Vi-i

1. KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF LOVE. You often tell yourself and your friends that you’re in love, but do you really know what love is? 1 John 16:4 says…God is love, whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

2. PRAY CONSTANTLY. Having commitments requires God’s guidance and His loving concern. When you pray, you just don’t ask and ask for things to happen or be given unto you, but continue to seek His will through sincere prayers, and you’d be able to hear His voice speaking to you.

3. BE PATIENT. Don’t get tired of praying and waiting for the right time and right person. “Love is patient, Love is kind…as what 2 Corinthians 4:13 says, so you shouldn’t stop praying, waiting and loving.

4. LET GOD BE THE CENTER OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP. A commitment with someone may become a way of serving God together with a person who means a lot to you. Entrusting a relationship to God gives you an assurance that whatever happens, it is God’s will.

5. LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES. Out of the struggles, pains, tears and sufferings you’ve been through, you can dig a lot of virtues and lessons that would get you going even through toughest times. Faith in God will help you to stand after the stumbles you’ve had.

6. STAY ROOTED IN GOD’S WORD. This is one sure way of knowing if you’re doing the right thing, and if you’re doing it with the right person at the right time.

7. GIVE EACH OTHER SPACE. Being in love with somebody does not mean you have to spend every single second of your life with that person. There are times when you need to miss each other, so you won’t come up to a point when you’ll say, “I’m growing tired of seeing you or being with you.” Sometimes, it’s true that “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

8. LOVING MEANS GIVING. Giving means understanding, sacrificing, having an understanding mind and heart.

9. WHEN YOU HAVE TO LET GO, LET GO. No matter how painful it is, life should go on, you must move on and leave the past behind. It may seem impossible to get over a heartbreak at first, but as life goes on, you’ll realize that those heartbreaks made you stronger, wiser and better.

10. SET YOUR PRIORITIES, STICK TO IT. Keep in mind that there are a lot of things that should be on top of your list other than your relationship. Your studies as well as other commitments require much attention, so you shouldn’t take everything too seriously. Let things happen on their own and let them take their own course.

11. KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS. Being at a young age makes you vulnerable to compromises especially to this world. Be persistent in saying no to things you know you shouldn’t do. You should draw the line when things get out of hand, and see to it that you are understood when you say no.

12. LOVE TO THE FULLEST. Only through loving and showing it will you be able to say that you time wasn’t wasted with somebody. When you love someone, be sure that the one you love feels special and loved through your words and deeds.

If you want to know what is love…

Consult to 1Cor13

& it will give you what you need.

Cherry Mobile D20 Life

Cherry Mobile D20 life:

• Dual ctive SIM
• Dual Sim Tool Kit
• VGA camera
• mp3 player
• video player
• FM radio
• Bluetooth 2.0
• 1.8” 65K screen
• Voice/ conversation recorder
• Easy to use
• Blacklist up to 5 numbers
• Ebook reader
• Expandable up to 2GB

Technical Writing Class: 07/03/09

Synthesis: July 3, 2009

Ms. Quinto reported the following topics: clichés, colloquialism, slang and technical jargon. Cliché or trite is a saying, expression, idea or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect. In technical writing, we cannot use clichés because it is too informal. Colloquialism is an informal relaxed speech used on occasion by any speaker. It includes contractions like ain’t, you’re, can’t, etc. These expressions are acceptable in informal communications but not in formal technical documents. Slang is an informal lexical item used by a specific group. Some examples of slang are chorva, keme, chenez which are used by gays. According to Mrs. Manzano, people use such informal expressions to express themselves colorfully and spontaneously. It can be acceptable in spoken language but never in any written communication. Colloquialism and formal expressions are considered as Standard English language. It may be used without apology because it is accepted by the speaker. Technical jargon, on the other hand, is the specialized vocabulary of a profession or particular group of workers. For example, CLT, ALM, L1, L2, and Accuracy are technical jargons which can only be understood by language professionals. After Ms. Quinto’s presentation, Mrs. Manzano gave us an assessment knowing the meaning of the slang expressions that she gave. Some of those were whizkid (smart kid), bobbies (police officer), yuppies (young professionals), bus (omnibus) etc. Done with the short test, the class had the run-ons or fused sentences. Because Mrs. Manzano wanted the reports to be finished immediately, Ms. Flores just presented it for about 3 minutes. Then, Ms. Malbas had the parallelism for only 2 minutes. Ms. Llabore stressed that dangling or misplaced modifier describes or limits a word or words that are not stated in the sentence. She gave 2 ways in correcting dangling modifiers: (1) rewrite the dangling modifier as a complete clause with its own stated subject and verb; and (2) change the subject of the sentence to a word that the modifier properly describes. After her report, Ms. Idañol quickly discussed the Subject-Verb Agreement by giving us examples of sentences. With our participation, we identified those sentences if it’s grammatically correct or not, and we stated the rules in SVA afterwards. Mrs. Manzano reiterated how we will teach indefinite pronouns to the students using the Chart of Singular Indefinite Pronouns. She even had a recap about present simple vs. present progressive and past simple vs. present perfect tenses. She stated that the reason why we should compare present simple and present progressive is to show actions which are permanent and temporary. Mr. Balunday still asked something about tenses and aspects but she just replied, “Mag-aral ka Balunday. Kung may question ka, tanungin mo kami.” The class has only few sessions to cover remaining technical writing topics. So, we’re in a hurry to finish everything. Time is gold so we have to make use of it productively.

Technical Writing Class: 07/02/09

Synthesis: July 2, 2009

Ms. Roca’s report about cohesion almost covered the entire session. First, she answered the question which was hung last meeting – what’s the difference between coherence and cohesion? Coherence is the smooth flow of ideas while cohesion is a relationship of ideas if it talks about thje same or different subject. She discussed the different cohesion devices – reference, substitution, ellipses and lexical cohesion. Reference links the ideas in the group of sentences. Under this cohesion device are exophora, where the reference is situational and endophora, which means the reference is within the text. Endophora includes the cataphora (reference forward) and anaphora (reference backward). She also enumerated the types of references: personal, demonstrative, and comparative. Personal references make use of personal pronouns and demonstrative reference is essentially a form of verbal pointing with the use of demonstrative pronouns. Comparative references encompass the general and particular comparison.

Substitution is the replacement of one linguistic item by another. In here, we replace the linguistic item not by a different meaning but by the same meaning. Ellipses, on the other hand, is a cohesion device which omits the entire statement and replaces it with shorter word or group of words. Ms. Roca also had a recall of conjunctions: coordinating, subordinating, and correlating. She ended at lexical chains which are delineate portions of text that have a strong unity of meaning.

After her long presentation, Mrs. Manzano talked about the organization of a text. She explained the different levels of structure of a text – parts of a text, parts of a paragraph, and methods on how these parts are combined. Parts of a text are introduction, thesis statement, body, and conclusion. Parts of a paragraph are topic sentences and supporting sentences. She reiterated also the parts of a topic sentence – the topic/subject and the controlling idea. Moreover, she gave us tips on how we will teach topic sentence to students in a comprehensible way. First, we should let the students read the entire sentence. Next, we should ask the questions: what is the topic or the subject? What does the author say about the subject? Then, we will introduce the topic and controlling idea. What is in the topic sentence(TS) is the main idea(MI); what is found in the supporting sentences(Ss) are the details(D). Furthermore, she gave us the format in paragraph development: (1) MI + D; (2) D + MI + D; (3) D + MI; and (4) D + D + D = IMPLIED. Lastly, she clarified that supporting sentences must “refer back” or “refer directly” to the topic sentence. Her last line was topic sentences (TS) and supporting sentences (Ss) are all UNIFIED. The meeting was really mind-boggling because of the pieces of information that we recalled and knew only this day. What a meaningful day!

Don't meddle interfere in my affairs!

I never gave them a reason to hate me or say something behind me. They just create their own drama of PURE INSECURITY. So, if they wanna say something, they should look in the mirror first before they find out that they're juz verbalizing their own flaws.

There's Someone (capital 'S') who knows my stand, who knows what I feel, who knows what's my choice, who knows the reason why I did such things and who knows the real me.

So, no one has a right to stick his/her nose into what I am now. If there's one, go find your food and eat!

Technical Writing Class: 06/30/09

Synthesis: June 30, 2009

Ms. Tomines immediately continued her report about weak and strong verbs and passive-active voice. She stressed that doing verbs are stronger than linking verbs; the former is more direct than the latter. After her, I discussed conciseness. Conciseness is saying much in a few words. Short and simple words should be selected; wordy phrases reduced; and unnecessary words and ideas omitted. Mrs. Manzano went in the room before I dropped my parting words. Then, Ms. Roca shared about coherence – the smooth flow of ideas and data. She emphasized that in conciseness, we replace needless words into brief ones and in coherence, we connect ideas in an organized manner. Mrs. Manzano asked her a question – what’s the difference between coherence and cohesion? No one has answered it yet. After the reports, we had 2 consecutive tests about conciseness. Mrs. Manzano added information about my report. She introduced the terms deadwood and pleonasm. Deadwood refers to the non-essential words that should be eliminated in a technical piece of writing while pleonasm is a technical term for redundancy which has to be avoided in technical writing. Moreover, she stressed that being concise is maintaining the appropriate tone. She also gave us the dos and don’ts in the conciseness of technical writing and provided exercises for us to master conciseness. At the end of the session, she discovered that we were not yet done reporting the writing errors, so next meeting, that would be the topic. She also reminded us about the symposium and the line-up of speakers. The entire meeting was calm. We will be expecting the continuation of the assigned reports next meeting.

Technical Writing Class: 06/29/09

Synthesis: June 29, 2009

We immediately started to have the assigned reports. Bianca Erika discussed first the style in technical writing. According to her report, style is a writer’s way of writing. Then, Mrs. Manzano asked her what’s the difference between style and technical style. Most of us tried to answer her question but still we can’t get it. She stressed that the definition the reporter gave is correct – style is the manner by which the writer expresses his thoughts and feelings. However, technical style is more on the technical subject matter. She even added that in technical writing, the tone is calm; vocabulary is specialized; format follows accepted conventions. And, again, Mrs. Manzano got high blood. She noticed that most of those who recite in her class only read their work. She emphasized that she doesn’t want reading notes. We should study at home, remember those in our minds, and NOT read in front of the professor. “Ang lalakas naman ng mga apog niyo,” she said angrily. She wants us to go deeper actually. She has really a point to that. Then, she helped Bea to conduct an assessment about the General – Specific topic. What most of us did was that we just numbered the items according to its generality. But, that’s not how Mrs. Manzano meant in arranging the items. The correct thing was the items should be indented and similar items have to be numbered the same. Before our session ended, Jayson stood up and opened the class proposal about the change in submission of this daily synthesis. The class dealt with Mrs. Manzano if we can have the options we have in mind. Unfortunately, she denied our suggestion. Her points are she wants us to do this for us to become more computer literate, and she doesn’t believe that all of us can’t afford to have this everyday renting of computer for typing and printing synthesis. “Kayo people hindi niyo na naman ginagamit ang mga utak niyo.” This is a requirement, so we will do our best to adjust. Anyway, this is a challenging training. Before she stepped out of the room, she reminded us that we should never ever use A(h1n1) flu as an excuse for not attending class when the truth behind is that we only have no assignment in her subject. So, definitely, “walang makakalusot.”

Technical Writing Class: 06/15-25/09

Synthesis: June 15, 2009

It was our first meeting with Mrs. Manzano and we really have no idea what we will be doing this day. Surprisingly, she asked to sing the Philippine National Anthem, Lupang Hinirang, and called us one by one randomly and sing in front of the class. It was kinda weird because I was wondering why she let us sing such. But, whatever it is, I think she wanted to know if we fully know how to sing it. Unfortunately, some of us forgot the lyrics and didn’t know what would be the next line. Suddenly, it was Jayson’s turn and that was the time I discovered that Jehovas’s Witnesses don’t sing the Philippine National Anthem because, according to their religion, it is like worshiping the Philippine flag. So, it’s like making the flag an idol.; that’s how I got it. I can’t blame Jayson; that’s their belief. So, he just sang it for the sake of singing without any right-hand-on-the-chest. After that weird and enjoying activity, Mrs. Manzano reminded us of her rules. She said that we are already NOT new to her, so there’s no reason for us to be defiant. Turning on the overhead projector, she placed the acetate with the prints that she will be discussing – about eagles. She asked us to read the texts about eagles; it’s a poem and paragraphs. Through these texts and with her art of questioning, we were able to distinguish the differences between creative writing and technical writing. We characterized creative writing as expressive, judgemental and imprecise. It only contains opinions and impressions where the writer writes base from his own state of mind. On the other hand, technical writing is precise and factual. It is based on figures, exact facts and verifiable evidence. Non-technical writing expresses the writer’s feelings and imagination and can have various meaning while technical writing is defined not by its subject but by its author’s purpose and the needs of the reader. After the discussion, Mrs. Manzano gave topics in technical writing and errors in writing to the first 14 students for the next day reporting.

Synthesis: June 16, 2009

“Who the readers are?” was the first topic reported by Macy. She shared that technical writing conveys a particular piece of information to a specific audience for a specific purpose. Readers may be managers, supervisors, secretaries, engineers, or technicians. They may come from any discipline or professional area. The Concept of Audience is reported by Jimwel. He discussed the concepts that form the basis of effective technical communication – clarity, conciseness and consideration of audience. I really won’t forget these lines from his report, “Say a lot in a few words,” and “The higher the person’s rank is the lesser he knows about the specific terms.” He even tackled the levels of technicality which are non-technical, semi-technical and highly technical. Then, Magel distinguished the difference between primary readers and secondary readers. The primary readers, according to Burnett 1997, are the persons to whom a message is directed. They are the readers who have requested the report. Secondary readers, however, are the readers who not necessarily requested the report but who will benefit from it or understand it. After the concepts related to technical writing, the errors in writing were also emphasized. We had a test on fragments; we divided a sentence according to what phrases we see in it. We only reached reporting about run-ons, so we will be expecting more individual presentations next session.

Synthesis: June 18, 2009

I was really expecting that there would be a “benggahan” session today, and I didn’t make a mistake. Mrs. Manzano was angry with us because our class has not been firm with the decision to stay in our original schedule in Earth and Environmental Science subject which is 2:30pm-4pm. We had a lot of complaints against the Science professor but then we were not able to fight for it. Instead, we decided to have the class at 7am-8:30am. Knowing that our Science professor would give 20 min.-allotment from 7am, we did not protest that we only have 1 hour and 10 minutes to learn Science. And that’s one of the reasons why Mrs. Manzano didn’t feel good about it because she doesn’t want our time to be wasted learning nothing. Another thing, she was so disappointed because we didn’t consider her essence of being our adviser. We were just making decisions and having our choices without consulting her, without asking comments and advice from her. We were not even united as a class because we just tolerated the decisions of others without even questioning whether it will be a boon or a bane. The entire meeting revealed our real attitudes.

Synthesis: June 19, 2009

We had a surprise examination about ways in forming sentences. I haven’t heard the directions for test 1 because I went out to photocopy the test 3. I just asked the directions from my seatmate but I can’t really understand it. I really don’t know what I’ll do. But, what I did is I put the given sentences into one. When we already checked our papers, most of us got zero over fifty and unfortunately, I’m one of them. It was too disappointing but the good thing there was I was able to know the correct answers, jot it down for review. At least, I could still study and master it. After checking test 1, Mrs. Manzano gave an objective type of test all about the things we discussed about technical writing. I forgot several terminologies that’s why I got 20.5 over 55. We were expecting another difficult exam next meeting so we got to review more.

Synthesis: June 22, 2009

“Hindi pa nga tapos ‘yung isang problema niyo, heto na naman kayo, anak!”

One of the Earth Science reporters asked Alester to get the overhead projector from the English Department because their group will be using it for their Rocks and Minerals report in HRD 103. This was the reason why “again” we got into Mrs. Manzano’s nerves and even into Prof. Karaan’s. It is a rule that overhead projectors and other instructional materials owned by the department should be used only by the department and within the department’s vicinity. So, again, we have been so defiant; we were doing our own thing. Mrs. Manzano asked why there’s no concerned person in class who will stop them. She gave back our class cards because of our stubbornness. She said she can only accept us if we will prove that we deserve to be an English major. She even questioned why Alester was the only one who will beg an apology to the department head when it was the concern of the whole class. Before the conversation ended, we made it up to her. We sincerely apologized for our stubbornness, wrong attitudes, and wrong choices. We humbly asked her to give us another chance to do our part as her advisees. Thank God because He touched her heart and accepted us again.

Synthesis: June 23, 2009

This day, we continued test 3 – the three levels of technical writing. We distinguished the level of technicality per paragraph and cited bullets why we identified it so. Quickly, Mrs. Manzano asked us to exchange papers. Sorry to say, I’m not done answering yet and I have so many blanks. We discussed our answers. We compared the three levels. After that, she gave us an assignment that we will make our own piece of technical writing (per level) which is relevant to our field. It was challenging and from that moment I’m already thinking about my topic yet I think it would be very difficult. Before we end our class, she dictated rapidly the topics in the syllabus. I got the other topics but I missed some. We really have to listen carefully and we should have the ability to remember things promptly in terms of dictation. Oh! Everyday is a challenging day. We got to have loads and loads of energy daily.

Synthesis: June 25, 2009

Unexpectedly, classes were suspended because of the A(h1n1) virus. There were Music majors suspected to be carriers of the contagious disease. Assignments in the three levels of technical writing were passed at exactly 1pm. We still have enough time to rest for this day.

Technical Writing Class: 06/26/09

Before we had our technical writing class discussion, Mrs. Manzano had a serious talk with us again. It was all about her feedback regarding our assignment, the three levels of technical writing, that we passed yesterday. She said that our outputs should be relevant to our field. Moreover, she emphasized that we should always check the quality of what we are passing to her because she knows, through its quality, if we are prepared or not. She reads our work. By simply recognizing that we crammed in the submission of that homework, she noticed that most of us were not prepared. I’m guilty about that. After those feedbacks, she announced the additional requirement in our class – a synthesis of what transpires in our daily sessions with her. Even our past meetings with her, from the start of our classes until now, should be recorded. This synthesis, for me, is like a journal; it’s like everyday I have meaningful records to put in my blog. In our technical writing discussion, we were on the “on-the-spot” thing ‘again’. Yes, it made us nervous because she was calling for someone who will report the topics she gave last meeting – characteristics, purposes, principles, subject matter and definition of technical writing. She was angry because it was difficult for us to own the floor for discussion though she already gave the topics before. No brave heart has the guts to break the ice. But, thank God, Magel stood up and discussed the characteristics of technical writing and its subject matter. Then, Jayson talked about the purposes; and Kelvin for the principles. Sophia gave the definition of technical writing. We just had some additional information about their topic as Mrs. Manzano facilitates the sharing. Right after the discussion, it was a “get-a-sheet-of-paper” surprise. Of course, it was an assessment of what we learned. We have to write the answers fast after she dictated the questions. Unfortunately, I did not finish the quiz. But, I had an opportunity to jot down things that I do not know so I can review it. Everyday is a learning day. If we would take this for granted, surely we would miss a lot of things that should be learned in this school. That’s why our class always sticks to the belief that carpe diem! (SEIZED THE DAY!).

How Can I Get Him To Notice Me?

Elisabeth Elliot says that she is often asked the question, What can I do to get him to notice me?
Note carefully the advice she gives.

My answer is "NOTHING." That is, nothing toward the man.

Don't call him. Don't write a little note with a smiley face or a flower or a fish under the signature and put it in his campus mailbox. Don't sidle up to him in the hall and gasp. "I've just got to talk to you!"
Don't look woebegone, don't ignore him, don't pursue him, don't do him favors, don't talk about him to nine carefully selected listeners.

There is one thing you can do:
turn the whole business over to God. If he's the man God has for you, "no good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11).

Direct your energies to obedience, not to nailing the man. God has his own methods of getting the two of you together. He doesn't need any help or advice from you.


From: Lesson 7 & 8 of Love, Dating and Marriage by George B. Eager (1987, The Mailbox Club, Inc.)