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Language Use and Mechanics

The document discusses language use, outlining its importance in effective communication and detailing various levels of language use, including informal, standard, and business/technical language. It also presents principles of language use such as clarity, conciseness, and appropriate tone, as well as mechanics focusing on grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Additionally, it highlights the distinction between subjective and objective tones in writing.

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jannosvillamer2007
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5 views

Language Use and Mechanics

The document discusses language use, outlining its importance in effective communication and detailing various levels of language use, including informal, standard, and business/technical language. It also presents principles of language use such as clarity, conciseness, and appropriate tone, as well as mechanics focusing on grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Additionally, it highlights the distinction between subjective and objective tones in writing.

Uploaded by

jannosvillamer2007
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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WHAT’S WITH LANGUAGE

USE?
WHAT IS LANGUAGE USE?

• Language use is one of the clearest


indicators of a well-written text. It
enables writers to effectively
communicate ideas without confusing
the reader. It allows the writer to
express the message that they want
to convey to the readers.
WHAT ARE THE LEVELS OF
LANGUAGE USE?
1. Informal/Personal - slang, local expressions, text messaging. It is
usually used in writing for family, friends, and colleagues.
Examples:

a. Hey
b. Sup
c. OTW
d. BRB
e. Bes
f. Pet (friend)
2. STANDARD/ACADEMIC
- widely accepted words and phrases found in books,
magazines, and newspapers.

Examples:
Note to a professor:
I missed the class last night. May I e-mail my paper
later?

The problem is garbage management as it greatly


affects the students who are occupying the SJH Bldg.
3. BUSINESS/TECHNICAL
- scientific terms, jargons, and special expressions.
Examples:
Psychiatrist’s Report:
“Dissociative rage order is not indicated by the ER
assessment.”

Education:
“This School Year, the Department of Education focused
only on the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC).
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES
OF LANGUAGE USE?
1. Use clear and concise sentences, usually about 18 words long.
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES
OF LANGUAGE USE?
2. Avoid redundancies, clichés, wordiness, and highfalutin.
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES
OF LANGUAGE USE?
2. Avoid redundancies, clichés, wordiness, and highfalutin.
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES
OF LANGUAGE USE?
2. Avoid redundancies, clichés, wordiness, and highfalutin.
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES
OF LANGUAGE USE?
2. Avoid redundancies, clichés, wordiness, and highfalutin.
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES
OF LANGUAGE USE?
3. Although may be used, avoid overusing, “There” and “It”. Drop
it.
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES
OF LANGUAGE USE?
4. Use precise vocabulary. Be accurate. Be condensed.
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES
OF LANGUAGE USE?
5. Be consistent in pronoun point of view.
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES
OF LANGUAGE USE?
6. Avoid sexist language.
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES
OF LANGUAGE USE?
7. Use appropriate level of formality.
WHAT ARE THE TONES OF
WRITING COVERED BY
LANGUAGE USE?
1. Subjective Tone – uses the writer’s personal biases and
judgement. It tells
us something about the writer, and particularly on how he/she feels.
Example:
• Here is an excerpt from the Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats
“Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on…
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;”
WHAT ARE THE TONES OF
WRITING COVERED BY
LANGUAGE USE?
Explanation:
This is an example of a subjective approach. Here, the
speaker expresses his feelings of love for the old days of
Ancient Greece. In this stanza, he is talking about a
musician who is playing pipes beautifully. He escapes
from physical world to his world of fantasy, where
weather never changes and there is an eternal spring.
The act of the writer of expressing his own feeling
makes this example a subjective writing.
WHAT ARE THE TONES OF
WRITING COVERED BY
LANGUAGE USE?
2. Objective Tone – uses factual information and arguments. It is an
impersonal style of writing. It gives us information about something but
does not include information about the writer.
WHAT ARE THE TONES OF
WRITING COVERED BY
LANGUAGE USE?
Explanation:
This is an example of an article written in an objective
tone approach. The writer has not included his personal
views on the topic. It was merely written based on facts.
A GLANCE AT
MECHANICS
READ THE SENTENCES. IDENTIFY THE LETTER OF WORDS
WHICH MAKES THE SENTENCE ERRONEOUS. WRITE YOUR
RESPONSES ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER.
WHAT IS MECHANICS?

Mechanics focuses on the technicalities of


the structure. It determines errors on
subject-verb agreement, prepositions,
tenses, the grammar, spelling,
capitalization, abbreviations and acronyms,
the use of numbers as part of the
statement, and the punctuation marks.
WHERE DOES MECHANICS
FOCUSES?
Spelling
When you write, always make sure that you
are consistently using one standard with
regards to the spelling of your words.
Remember that there are slight differences in
American English spelling and British English
spelling.
Capitalization
It is the act of writing the first letter
of the word in uppercase while the
rest of the letters are in lowercase.
There are rules in capitalization
that you must remember. Here are
some examples of words that
require capitalization.
Abbreviation and Acronyms
Mention the full name of an institution or
organization, with the abbreviation in
parenthesis, in first mention. Thereafter,
use the abbreviation.
Numbers
Numbers from zero to ten should be
spelled out while numbers higher than
nine and should be written in figures.
Punctuation Marks
1. period (.) used after sentences, in abbreviations, and as decimals
2. exclamation point (!) placed at the emphatic or forceful sentences
3. question mark (?) placed at the end of a question and to note questionable
items
4. quotation marks (“ ”) to indicate direct quotations for titles of poems, short
stories, chapters, essays, songs, episodes of television shows
5. apostrophe (’) to show possession (Angel’s bag), to show missing letters and
number (you’re, ’95), to show plurals of letters (I got all A’s last semester.)
6. colon (:) after independent clauses to introduce elements. “The coach
demanded three things from his players: loyalty, devotion, and teamwork.”
7. slash / to separate items in numerals, ratios, titles and subtitles, time
references, scripture references
8. parentheses () to set off nonessential details and explanations, to enclose
letters and numbers used when listing items, first-time use of acronym
9. brackets [ ] to set off clarifications inserted in quotations, Eric observed, “I think [Rodrigo] Duterte was the greatest
president.”
10. hyphen ( - ) to separate or join words
We saw her on television last night.
Never pay a higher-than-average price.
11. dash ( -- ) to show sudden break of thought “Ted was angry after his car was stolen—who wouldn’t be?”/ to set off
an introduction to a series “They have everything needed to succeed—ideas, money, and marketing.”
12. slash (/) to separate words or to show alternatives (he/she)
13. semicolon (;) to join independent clauses when and, or, yet, but, or so are not present, to separate items in a
series that contains commas “The governor will meet with Rey Simon, the mayor of Concepcion; Bert Vesca, the vice
mayor; and Peter Cayabyab.”
14. ellipsis (. . . ) to indicate that words have been deleted from quoted material
Original text
The mayor said, “Our city, which is one of the country’s most progressive, deserves a high-tech light-rail
system.”
With Ellipsis
The mayor said, “Our city . . . deserves a high-tech light-rail system.”
15. comma (,) to signal pauses and shifts in sentences, used with and, or, so, but, yet to join independent clauses
“Chinatown is a popular tourist attraction, and it serves as an important cultural center.”
Grammar
Proper grammar rules should be
observed.

Example:
Subject-verb agreement
Underline the word that best completes each
sentence.
6. Although you have disrupted the class in the (passed,
past), I will give you another chance.
7. The rustlers were camped over the (raise, rise).
8. Andy was not certain who (passed, past) the football,
but he guessed it to be Frank.
9. The sailor used the sheave to (raise, rise) the cargo.
10. In times (passed, past) many young men ran away
from home by going to sea on whaling ships or freighters.

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